novelraw Chapter 1055 - 1053: Saying One Thing, Meaning Another
Chapter 1055 - 1053: Saying One Thing, Meaning Another
After that day, Ji Huan seemed to have completely disappeared from Zhu Qianyu’s life.The basketball club president said that Coach Ji likely wouldn’t be coming to guide everyone for a while because work was just too busy.
Ji Huan wasn’t with the basketball club for long, but he had a large following of male and female fans. Most of these fans believed the president’s reasoning, after all, Coach Ji looked exactly like a white-collar elite, so being busy with work was normal.
However, Zhu Qianyu felt that this was just an excuse Ji Huan used to avoid seeing her.
Regardless of whether this was Ji Huan’s real reason or just an excuse, Zhu Qianyu hadn’t seen him for another month now. Just like last time, even phone calls and messages stopped.
However, last time he disappeared suddenly without any prior notice, but this time he had made it clear that he didn’t need Zhu Qianyu as a friend.
Zhu Qianyu felt even more downhearted than before.
In the end, even her friend Fang Ziqing couldn’t stand it. While they were reading together in the library, Fang Ziqing took the opportunity when Zhu Qianyu was engrossed and secretly took her phone, found Ji Huan’s number, and directly sent a message.
"How have you been lately?"
After sending the message, there was no response, as if it had sunk into the sea. The whole afternoon passed with Fang Ziqing holding Zhu Qianyu’s phone, feeling as if her palm was about to catch fire, but there was no movement from the phone at all.
It seemed her suspicion was correct, her friend and Ji Huan had really fallen out.
No wonder Ji Huan hadn’t shown up for ages, and since his disappearance, her friend had seemed like a different person, as if her soul had left her body.
Fang Ziqing deleted the sent message and quietly put the phone back in Zhu Qianyu’s backpack.
"Little Bamboo, it’s Luo Yuan’s birthday tonight. He asked me to invite you to the party." Fang Ziqing nudged Zhu Qianyu’s hand and whispered to her.
"Please wish him a happy birthday for me. I’m busy, so I won’t be going."
Zhu Qianyu’s lack of interest was obvious. After speaking, she lowered her head and continued reading her book.
In fact, she had been sitting there all afternoon and hadn’t turned more than five pages.
Even after flipping through just five pages, she hadn’t remembered any of the content.
The saddest part was that she had been in this state pretty much the whole time.
It looked like she was seriously doing something, but no matter how convincing it appeared externally, she was actually daydreaming.
"Little Bamboo, come on, just keep me company! Luo Yuan said he’d invite some of his good friends from high school and even introduce me to a handsome guy! Little Bamboo, just keep me company."
Eventually, Zhu Qianyu couldn’t refuse after being pestered and reluctantly agreed to go with her, but on the condition that she wouldn’t drink alcohol.
Zhu Qianyu had a very low tolerance for alcohol, almost getting drunk on contact, so she normally didn’t touch a drop when going out with classmates.
There were exactly ten people going, more men than women. Besides Zhu Qianyu and Fang Ziqing, there was also a guy’s girlfriend, and for the rest, including Yu Liuxia, they were all single.
Apart from Luo Yuan, the other five bachelors were all very attentive to Zhu Qianyu.
The five young men took turns pouring tea and adding soup for Zhu Qianyu, making Fang Ziqing feel quite envious.
"Hey, enough already, is there only a beauty in your eyes?"
One of the guys laughed, "Sister-in-law, we don’t dare have eyes for anyone but you!"
Fang Ziqing picked up a teacup, pretending to throw it at them. Zhu Qianyu, who was rarely in a good mood, joined the rowdy crowd, "Senior Brother, since it’s your birthday today, why not make it a double celebration?"
To onlookers, Luo Yuan and Fang Ziqing were a pair of happy rivals, unable to tolerate any other potential partners besides each other.
Ironically, they both denied it, claiming they were just neighbors.
Such duplicity couldn’t go unpunished by the group.
As a result, throughout the meal, Luo Yuan and Fang Ziqing were forced to drink quite a bit of beer.
By the time they went to karaoke, the two were completely out of it!
Everyone else urged them to sing a couple’s duet, and as they sang love songs gazing affectionately into each other’s eyes, they even playfully responded when asked to kiss, pouting and complying.
Even if it was just a brief kiss, it was enough to get everyone wildly excited.
At first, Zhu Qianyu was also hyped up with everyone else, but as she cheered and shouted, she felt her interest wane.
The more lively it got, the more alone and lonely she felt inside.
"Little Bamboo, how about singing a duet with me?" one of the guys approached her.
Zhu Qianyu shook her head, "Sorry, I’m not very good at singing."
The guy didn’t press, instead, he asked another guy to sing the female part.
The guy had a nice voice, but the falsetto singing by the other guy was so off-key it was like a disaster. Everyone burst into hilarious laughter and started playfully throwing candy and nuts at them.
Fang Ziqing also got caught up in the fun with everyone else until she realized her friend was quietly sipping water.
"Little Bamboo, come join in!"
Seeing her typically lively and active friend become like this, Fang Ziqing felt both heartache and sorrow.
"Um!"
Zhu Qianyu replied, but she remained lazily slouched on the sofa.
Fang Ziqing also put down her antics, leaning back and nestling into Zhu Qianyu.
"Little Bamboo, I think that guy who invited you to sing earlier is pretty nice. He seems to like you too, maybe try getting to know him?"
Zhu Qianyu tapped her head, "So, you actually brought me here for a blind date tonight?"
Fang Ziqing refused to admit it, "No way! With your qualities, you need a blind date? If that’s the case, then I can forget about love for a lifetime."
"Oh please, it’s obvious Luo Yuan treats you well and you like him, why do you keep calling him brother?"
Fang Ziqing leaned over to her ear, "And Ji Huan clearly treats you well and you like him too, so why do you keep saying you’re just friends?"
Zhu Qianyu was silent for a while, "Zi Qing, I’m different from you."
Fang Ziqing pinched her face, "What’s so different? We’re both just not admitting our feelings! I confess I like him, but since he won’t confess to me, I’m holding out."
Zhu Qianyu largely agreed. Indeed, when it came to her feelings for Ji Huan, she wasn’t truthful either.
But for her, it was impossible.
Fang Ziqing was different, she could have a relationship and cherish it.
"Zi Qing, with matters of the heart, you don’t need to distinguish so clearly. Won’t your rivalry just get old? Feelings have an expiration date. Be careful or you’ll be the one crying in the end."
Fang Ziqing glared at her, "Oh, as if you know so much, you little girl without any dating experience! What gives you the right to lecture me?"
Zhu Qianyu admitted she had no dating experience, but that didn’t mean she didn’t understand anything.