novelraw Chapter 0173 Old Friends
Chapter 0173 Old Friends
On a late summer evening, the air in City A was thick with a faint sultry heat.
The food street outside the south gate of University A is still bustling with activity.
Years have passed, and many shops have changed their signs, but "Old Wang Chongqing Hot Pot" still stands firmly in the deepest part of the alley.
"This is the place."
Wearing a mask, Wen Ning held Jiang Ci's hand and skillfully navigated through the crowded streets.
"This place has the most authentic taste. We used to secretly order takeout from them all the time when we were in the dorm."
Jiang Ci, dressed in a simple black hoodie, let her pull him along.
Seeing how familiar she was with the task, his eyes were full of indulgent smiles.
"Boss, two people! We'd like a window seat!"
Wen Ning walked into the store, her voice light and cheerful.
"Alright! Please come in!"
The boss is still the same boss, just a bit fatter.
The two walked to the innermost corner and were just about to sit down.
Sudden.
A gasp of surprise, tinged with uncertainty and shock, came from the next table.
"Ningning?"
Wen Ning paused for a moment, then turned her head.
Through the rising steam of the hot pot, she saw two extremely familiar faces.
Sitting there were a man and a woman.
The girl had a trendy perm and wore a business suit, making her look much more mature, but her round eyes still shone with gossip.
The boy was wearing a plaid shirt, pushing up his gold-rimmed glasses, and holding a pair of chopsticks that were scalding tripe.
"Sweetie? Zhang Annian?"
Wen Ning stared at them in disbelief, her eyes wide.
Then he looked at their hands, which were clasped together and resting on the table.
"You two...are together?!"
……
This is definitely the most magical encounter of the year.
The four of them shared a table, and the atmosphere quickly transitioned from shock to excitement.
original.
During the three years that Wen Ning was away.
Tian Tian is Wen Ning's best friend, and Zhang Annian is Jiang Ci's most trusted brother.
The two frequently contacted each other in order to get information from each other.
Over time, they went from initially disliking each other to later feeling a sense of shared misfortune, and miraculously, they fell in love.
Now, they are not only together, but have also reached the point of discussing marriage.
"Fate is a mysterious thing."
Sweetie sighed as she added sliced beef to the hot pot with chili oil.
"Back when we were having late-night talks in our dorm, I even said that a guy like Zhang Annian, a homebody, was destined to be single forever. I never expected that I'd end up with him."
Zhang Annian pushed up his glasses and chuckled.
"That shows you have a discerning eye."
Four people sat around a steaming hot pot.
It's as if time has turned back, and I've returned to my carefree college days.
But the topic still inevitably revolves around those three lost years.
After a few beers...
Sweetie's eyes were a little red.
She looked at Wen Ning, then at Jiang Ci, who was silently serving food to Wen Ning.
"Ningning, do you know?"
"After you left, School Heartthrob Jiang... President Jiang, he's simply inhuman."
Sweetie sniffed, her voice slightly choked.
"He's like an emotionless machine."
"Every day it's just work, work, work. They eat and live in the lab and don't even say a word to us."
"We all thought that was how his life would be."
"I even thought I would never see you two together again in this lifetime."
Zhang Annian also put down his chopsticks and sighed.
As Jiang Ci's closest comrade-in-arms over the past three years, he knows better than anyone how difficult those days were.
"yes."
Zhang Annian looked at Jiang Ci, his tone tinged with lingering fear.
"There was a time when Limitless was facing its most difficult fundraising period."
"Ci Ge suffered a stomach hemorrhage while drinking with investors and was rushed to the hospital's emergency room."
Wen Ning's hand trembled violently.
The meat that the chopsticks were holding fell back into the bowl.
"He was unconscious."
Zhang Annian's voice was low and tinged with the bitterness of memories.
"The only name I kept calling out was yours."
"Ningning."
"Don't go."
"Aci is wrong."
Each sentence, each sound.
Like a knife, it ripped through the originally joyful atmosphere.
Wen Ning's tears welled up without warning.
She turned her head and looked at the man beside her.
Looking at his profile now, so calm, composed, and full of vigor.
She thought she had suffered a lot during those three years.
In a foreign land, they endured loneliness and poverty.
Little did they know, this was happening in the country.
The man she was "protecting" was also struggling in hell.
He risked his life for his career and used alcohol to numb his longing.
He believed that he wasn't good enough to keep her.
Wen Ning's hand quietly reached under the table.
He held Jiang Ci's hand tightly, which was resting on his knee.
Her fingertips were trembling, and tears dripped onto the back of her hand.
"Aci..."
She called his name softly, her voice filled with guilt and heartache.
Jiang Ci countered with a backhand.
He held her icy hand tightly in his warm palm.
He didn't look at Zhang Annian, nor did he pay attention to Tian Tian's tears.
He simply turned his head and looked at Wen Ning.
In those deep eyes.
Gone are the former gloom and stubbornness, gone are the complaints and grievances.
There is only a gentle, all-encompassing ocean.
Don't listen to their nonsense.
Jiang Ci's voice was soft, with a hint of a smile.
He used his free hand to pick up the serving chopsticks.
I picked up a piece of tender mutton from the clear broth pot.
It was placed in Wen Ning's bowl.
"It's all in the past."
He looked at her, his eyes bright and resolute.
I am very happy right now.
because of you.
Because you're back.
All those hardships and torments, at this moment, turned into the most insignificant dust.
Wen Ning looked at the meat in the bowl.
The tears flowed even more fiercely, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up in a smile.
"Um."
She nodded vigorously.
"It's all in the past."
……
A hot pot meal that made me both laugh and cry.
When it came time to pay the bill, Jiang Ci naturally paid the bill.
Consider this a gift of money for you two.
He made a rare joke.
We left the hot pot restaurant.
The early summer evening breeze caressed my face, carrying a hint of intoxication.
"Oh, right!"
Sweetie, holding Zhang Annian's arm, suddenly turned to look at Wen Ning.
"You two, when are you going to get down to business?"
Sweetie winked and looked incredibly eager.
"I've watched the proposal video eight hundred times! That pink diamond was absolutely dazzling!"
"Hurry up! I want to be a bridesmaid! I want to wear the prettiest bridesmaid dress!"
Wen Ning's face flushed red instantly.
She glanced at Jiang Ci beside her subconsciously.
Jiang Ci raised an eyebrow, a hint of expectation in his eyes, but he had no intention of helping her out of the predicament.
Clearly, he also wanted to hear her answer.
Wen Ning bit her lip.
She looked up at the starry sky.
She glanced again at the man beside her, the man she would spend the rest of her life with.
"Soon."
Her eyes crinkled into a smile, brighter than starlight.
"Wait for him..."
She deliberately dragged out the last syllable.
"I'll marry him once he shaves his beard clean."
Jiang Ci was taken aback.
She subconsciously touched her smooth chin.
He shaved very cleanly today.
immediately.
He realized what was happening and chuckled softly.
That was a joke that belonged only to her, tinged with a touch of spoiled indulgence and dependence.
"it is good."
Jiang Ci hugged her waist tightly, his voice so gentle it could melt your heart.
"I'll go buy a new razor tomorrow."
"I guarantee Mrs. Jiang will be satisfied."