Chapter 8: Speaking Nonsense with a Straight Face

The speaker speaks without intent, but the listener takes it to heart.

Several groups of girls in the hallway were talking while occasionally glancing this way. When Hu Cong spoke, the entire hallway suddenly fell silent.

Su Tian’s internal alarm immediately went off, and she quickly made up an excuse with a straight face, “He couldn’t find the school gate, so I’m showing him the way.”

Hu Cong responded with an “Oh,” without giving it much thought, said goodbye to them, and went downstairs first.

Brother Hu Cong was always eager to leave after school.

Su Tian inexplicably felt afraid to look at Jiang Chiyu’s expression, and just said with a forced smile, “New classmate, let’s go.”

She walked quickly ahead a few steps, then slowed down, making sure Jiang Chiyu was following before continuing forward.

While going downstairs, she couldn’t help but overhear people discussing the new transfer student.

She even saw someone pointing directly at her, saying, “That’s her, must have accumulated great merit in her past life to become the transfer student’s deskmate in this one.”

Su Tian was speechless.

Jiang Chiyu had caught up with her pace, walking beside her.

To exit the school, they had to pass through a cherry blossom avenue lined with October cherry trees, which were in full bloom this season. Every day after class, people would come to admire them.

The flowers were gradually becoming mesmerizing. Su Tian always couldn’t help but slow down when passing through here, taking in the cherry blossom fragrance in the air.

Today there was a slight breeze, sending cherry blossom petals flying everywhere, creating a beautiful scene. Several students, seeing no teachers around, secretly took out their phones to take photos.

Su Tian also wanted to capture this moment, but she didn’t have a phone, and even if she did, she wouldn’t dare take it out. After all, their school had many ways of catching students with phones.

But… a certain newly transferred student who still needed to be contacted had one…

Su Tian’s eyes lit up, and she cheerfully turned around to ask Jiang Chiyu to borrow his phone, when she heard a “click.”

Su Tian’s cheerfulness vanished, and she stiffly looked at Jiang Chiyu, who was holding his phone’s camera lens pointed at her.

Though Jiang Chiyu wore a mask and hat, his visible eyes were curved in a smile.

He softly said “Ah,” and added, “I’ve been caught, sorry about that.”

But his tone didn’t sound sorry at all!

Su Tian ran a few steps to look at his phone, “What did you photograph? Let me see!”

Jiang Chiyu quickly slipped his phone into his pants pocket, confident she couldn’t snatch it away. “You can’t rob me in public like this.”

Indeed, she couldn’t just reach into his pocket! Su Tian, whether from anger or something else, looked at his pocket and then at the casual smile in his eyes, her face turning red.

She angrily scolded, “Jiang Chiyu, you childish ghost!”

Jiang Chiyu shrugged indifferently.

Despite his face being well-covered, Jiang Chiyu’s superior height and figure still attracted many glances.

“Goodbye!” Su Tian turned and left, thinking if she couldn’t win against him, she could at least avoid him.

Just as she walked out of the school gate still fuming, someone called out to her.

“Tian Tian.”

Su Tian stopped, looked left and right, but didn’t see any familiar faces.

Did she hear wrong?

She hesitated, then continued walking. Just as she reached the roadside, she noticed a black sedan stopping beside her, and the front window rolled down, revealing a beautiful woman’s face.

The woman smiled and called out “Tian Tian” again.

This face was both strange and familiar. Su Tian gasped in surprise, covering her mouth.

“Mom.”

Jiang Chiyu’s voice came from behind.

Of course! It was Auntie Jiang! The neighbor she particularly liked when she was little!

“What a coincidence, Ah Yu is here too, no need to wait for him. Tian Tian, do you remember me?” Jiang Mei asked with a smile.

Su Tian sweetly called out, “Auntie Jiang! Of course I remember!”

Sweet and sour pork ribs! Braised pork!

Jiang Chiyu snorted, irritably walking around her to open the back door, “Now you remember.”

Su Tian felt somewhat awkward.

Jiang Mei looked at them both, smiled and said, “My, it seems you two have already met. I thought I’d need to introduce you to each other.”

Su Tian said, “He transferred to our class.” After a pause, she added, “Now we’re deskmates.”

Jiang Mei looked surprised, “What a coincidence.”

Jiang Chiyu opened the car door but didn’t get in, lazily leaning against the car, “Let’s end the reunion, we can’t park here long.” Then he looked at Su Tian, his voice lowering slightly, his lips curving into a smile, “Get in first.”

Su Tian hesitated, but thinking their families lived in the same direction, she got in.

Jiang Chiyu followed her in and closed the door. Then Jiang Mei turned from the front seat to look at Su Tian and said, “Tian Tian, we’re going directly to Haoxian Restaurant for dinner, your parents are already there.”

Su Tian quickly nodded, “So when Mom mentioned Dad was meeting old friends at lunch, she meant Uncle Jiang.”

Jiang Mei nodded with a smile, “Your father and Ah Yu’s father grew up together, they’ve always been close. After not seeing each other for several years, they said they won’t leave until they’re drunk today.”

Jiang Chiyu snickered, and Su Tian’s mouth twitched.

They exchanged glances, both understanding what the other was thinking.

When they were very young, Uncle Jiang and Uncle Su had also once declared they wouldn’t leave until they were drunk. Of course, this was when both mothers were away.

While it sounded like they wouldn’t return home until dawn, both men actually passed out after one drink. They went to a KTV room at seven, singing “Love Until Death” while drinking, and by seven-thirty, both were sent home by the driver.

Even after returning home, they weren’t quiet. Uncle Jiang had barely lain down before getting up again, rushing to Uncle Su’s room crying, insisting on waking him up to hear about his failed first love.

Young Jiang Chiyu, bringing hangover medicine for his father, discovered he was gone and followed the loud crying to Su Tian’s house. By then, Uncle Su had also been reminded of his not-so-wonderful first love memories, and both men were crying while talking. Su Tian sat on the sofa nearby, seriously listening to both fathers’ love histories, occasionally passing them tissues.

Jiang Chiyu skillfully retrieved two bags of chips from her usual snack hiding place, sat beside her to listen, and very thoughtfully started recording.

As a result, both mothers found out about this incident. She didn’t know what happened at Jiang Chiyu’s house, but at her home, dark clouds loomed for an entire week.

After about half an hour of driving, they arrived at Haoxian Restaurant. The driver went to park, and Jiang Mei led them to the private room.

Opening the carved wooden door, sure enough, her parents were there. Su Tian first called out “Dad, Mom,” then seeing the middle-aged man sitting next to her father, sweetly called out “Uncle Jiang!”

Jiang Chiyu followed with: “Uncle Su, Auntie Bai. Dad.”

Uncle Jiang responded with a smile, standing up and walking to her side, comparing their heights, “Xiao Tian, you’ve grown so tall after these years!”

Mr. Su also smiled, “Indeed, Old Jiang, in the blink of an eye she’s in high school now. It feels like just yesterday when Tian Tian was still wetting her bed!”

A snicker immediately came from beside her.