ORCBRB – Chapter 12
Chapter 12
Ask Jian Cenyu to come eat with us?
Before, when she didn't know Jian Cenyu's sexual orientation, it was one thing. But now that she knew, how could she act nonchalantly around her?
She could be friends with Su Ningyue, but with Jian Cenyu... it just felt different.
But if she kept deliberately avoiding Jian Cenyu while living with her, and they were photographed coming and going together again... Sang Shi'an thought that if this were happening to someone else, she'd assume they were having a secret affair.
Sang Shi'an stiffened. She couldn't explain to her friends what she had seen on Jian Cenyu's computer last night, so she could only say, "The graduate students' classroom building probably isn't in this area. Wouldn't it be a hassle to call her over specifically during lunch?"
The crowd was huge after class. Whatever else Su Ningyue said, Sang Shi'an pretended not to hear and pushed her way forward. It wasn't until she was out of the building that she heard Su Ningyue's abrupt call, "Senior Jian."
Sang Shi'an looked up and saw Jian Cenyu, dressed in a soft knit sweater, walking out of the library with two other girls. She turned her head in the dazzling midday sun.
Her calm face showed no emotion. A halo of light brushed across every strand of her hair. The distant coldness that kept others at arm's length subsided as she stopped and walked toward Sang Shi'an, greeting each of Sang Shi'an's friends.
Then, Su Ningyue repeated what Sang Shi'an had just said about refusing to ask Jian Cenyu to lunch. Just as Sang Shi'an was about to object, Jian Cenyu said, "It's no trouble. Let's go together."
Su Ningyue knowingly moved to Sang Shi'an's other side and smiled enthusiastically. "Great, let's go to Cafeteria Three. The boiled fish there is spicy enough. We'll have Sangsang eat some to wake her up."
Jian Cenyu: "Wake her up?"
Su Ningyue suppressed a laugh. "Yeah, she was dozing off in tax law class just now and almost lost participation points. I wonder what she was up to last night."
Jian Cenyu was only half-listening at first, but when she noticed the faint dark circles under Sang Shi'an's eyes, she paused. "Didn't you sleep well last night?"
"I slept fine." Sang Shi'an was sandwiched between them, and Su Ningyue kept squeezing against her, making her ears burn.
Of course, it wasn't from shyness.
After taking pictures of that browser history last night, just looking at the search terms had sent her imagination running wild. Now, the moment she was near Jian Cenyu, those images flooded her mind uncontrollably.
Seeing Sang Shi'an with her head down, Jian Cenyu slowed her pace. "Then why would you doze off in class and get called out by the professor?"
Sang Shi'an had never felt so cornered. She directly refused to talk to Jian Cenyu. "Jian Cenyu, mind your own business."
"Alright." Jian Cenyu's expression remained unchanged.
Beside them, however, Su Ningyue was ecstatic, wishing she could record every word they said and send it to the fanfic writers on the forum.
In terms of facial features alone, Jian Cenyu was far from being a match for Sang Shi'an. But her refined and noble temperament, cultivated since childhood, was particularly captivating. The strong contrast when she walked beside Sang Shi'an would draw a gasp of admiration even from those usually indifferent to same-sex pairings.
Jiang Xinqi dropped out midway to join her girlfriend, leaving the remaining four to make a perfect table.
After they sat down, Xu Taotao poked Sang Shi'an. "Aren't you usually quite talkative? Why was there so little conversation between you two on the way here?"
Sang Shi'an didn't respond. She heard Jian Cenyu answer for her, "She didn't sleep well last night. She's probably still sleepy."
Xu Taotao giggled and leaned on Su Ningyue's shoulder. "But you two didn't say a word to each other. Anyone would think you're a couple having a fight."
There it was again. They were using that 'you're a couple' line to pressure her again.
But Sang Shi'an felt that the lack of conversation between her and Jian Cenyu wasn't solely her fault.
Jian Cenyu shook her head. "I'm just used to being alone."
Sang Shi'an turned her head to look at Jian Cenyu.
Xu Taotao also glanced at Jian Cenyu and smiled. "Understandable, understandable. Senior Jian is our universally acknowledged ice queen."
"Since you don't like talking..." Xu Taotao urged, "then it shouldn't be a problem for you to act a little more intimate, right?"
She even leaned over to Su Ningyue, resting her head on her shoulder to demonstrate how normal friends interact amicably.
Sang Shi'an was drinking water and nearly choked.
As she coughed and fumbled in her bag, Jian Cenyu handed a stack of tissues to her.
Sang Shi'an pulled one out and said softly, "Thanks."
Then, she heard Jian Cenyu say, "Okay."
"We can act a little more intimate." And she scooted closer in Sang Shi'an's direction.
Sang Shi'an immediately started coughing more violently, her voice turning a little hoarse.
The fish slices cooked quickly in the boiling water, and the cafeteria lady called their order number. Sang Shi'an got some soup on her hand. After setting down the tray and wiping her hand with a tissue, she turned back to find that the bowl in front of her had been replaced with a clear broth.
And in front of Jian Cenyu was her portion with the red, spicy broth.
She remembered that Jian Cenyu couldn't eat spicy food before.
"Don't eat spicy food if your throat is bothering you."
Sang Shi'an's throat was indeed uncomfortable from the coughing, but she still asked, "This is medium spicy. Can you handle it?"
Jian Cenyu didn't say anything.
Perhaps they were truly hungry, as Su Ningyue and Xu Taotao temporarily stopped watching the drama between the two and focused on their food.
But as it turned out, four years in the UK hadn't changed Jian Cenyu's palate. A few minutes later, her face and the base of her neck began to turn red, and her chewing slowed.
The spiciness diluted Jian Cenyu's cool temperament. Her brow furrowed in forbearance, and her eyes became flushed and moist.
A picture of vibrant allure.
Toward the end of the meal, Jian Cenyu seemed unable to take it anymore and got up to buy milk tea from a nearby stall.
"Have you been binge-watching idol dramas lately? Did you do that on purpose just now?" Su Ningyue suddenly asked.
Sang Shi'an gave her a cold look.
Su Ningyue explained, "Were you deliberately giving Senior Jian the cold shoulder, waiting for her to coax you?"
Sang Shi'an was speechless.
"...You're overthinking it."
Su Ningyue didn't care whether Sang Shi'an admitted it or not. "Am I really overthinking it? But the way you were acting all difficult and delicate just now was exactly like the female lead in that hit drama!"
Sang Shi'an was so angry she bit down hard on a slice of fish.
What on earth was Jian Cenyu trying to do?
She clearly likes girls, yet she's playing along with this ambiguous relationship.
Don't lesbians need to avoid suspicion?
Sang Shi'an glanced at Su Ningyue, who was clinging to Xu Taotao.
Oh, apparently not.
Sang Shi'an shook her head. Ever since stumbling upon Jian Cenyu's secret, she had been like a frightened bird, completely unable to relax.
She got along perfectly well with Jiang Xinqi and Su Ningyue, and could even be described as close to them.
A gust of wind blew outside the window, sweeping up a tree's worth of golden maple leaves. The road was littered with broken branches. Below the window, a branch of fiery red early plum blossoms was slowly blooming, swaying gently in the late autumn wind.
Before the fragrance of the early plum blossoms could spread, another scent, one unique to Jian Cenyu, quietly arrived first.
Jian Cenyu handed one of the bags of milk tea to Su Ningyue. "I didn't know what you like, so I ordered yours based on An'an's preference."
Today's boiled fish was a bit salty, so Su Ningyue and Xu Taotao were delighted and thanked her happily.
Sang Shi'an glanced at the other bag Jian Cenyu had placed on the table. From the outline, it seemed to contain two cups.
But Jian Cenyu didn't say anything, and she didn't ask.
Let her die of thirst, for all she cared.
In such a public place, photos of her lunch with Jian Cenyu were quickly posted on the forum. Looking at the pictures alone, there was no way to tell that she and Jian Cenyu had a normal friendship.
There was indeed a hint of what Su Ningyue had mentioned—that air of her being difficult.
When they left, the cafeteria was still crowded. Perhaps some people had finished eating and rushed over to watch the spectacle, making the aisles nearly impassable.
Sang Shi'an and Jian Cenyu walked side by side, with Xu Taotao and Su Ningyue two steps behind them, descending the stairs bit by bit.
Suddenly, someone nearby called Jian Cenyu's name. As Jian Cenyu turned her head to look, Sang Shi'an was jostled by a boy coming up the stairs, lost her footing, and nearly fell.
Fortunately, Su Ningyue, who was behind her, had quick reflexes and grabbed her.
A younger student watching the scene excitedly slapped her friend's hand. "This senior is a good match for her too!"
She was exceptionally excited.
Jian Cenyu stopped, put an arm around Sang Shi'an's shoulders, and pulled her close.
It wasn't a tight hold, just a very natural gesture between friends.
"It's crowded. Stay close to me."
Cafeteria Three was on the third floor. By the time they squeezed their way down to the second, Sang Shi'an was feeling awkward. She lowered her voice, "That was just an accident. I can walk fine on my own."
Jian Cenyu's hand, which had been resting lightly on her shoulder, pressed down firmly. "The floor is slippery."
Sang Shi'an: ......
When they got off the stairs, Jian Cenyu let go of her own accord. Su Ningyue came up from behind. "That guy just now did that on purpose, didn't he?"
"Stop guessing. It's twelve-thirty, and I want to go back to the dorm for a nap." Sang Shi'an felt that the whole meal had been a muddle. Now, the way people were looking at her and Jian Cenyu seemed anything but innocent, which was the exact opposite of her original goal.
But just then, Jian Cenyu grabbed her wrist and said gently, "Milk tea."
Jian Cenyu opened the insulated bag, methodically took out one of the cups, and slowly unwrapped a straw with her slender fingers. The action seemed to take an unusually long time.
After a faint crackle of plastic, the milk tea was brought directly to her lips. "Here."
Sang Shi'an: ......
Sang Shi'an's ears turned red almost instantly—not from shyness, but from a touch of vexation.
So she told Su Ningyue and the others to go on ahead.
She had something to say to Jian Cenyu.
"Our schedules don't really match. And actually, whether you appear with me or not, those people who love to stir things up will think we're dating. So you don't have to go to the trouble in the future... "
"It's no trouble." Jian Cenyu interrupted her. Just then, the campus broadcast started, drowning out her voice.
Sang Shi'an asked uncertainly, "What did you just say?"
Jian Cenyu said, "Maybe I wasn't clear. I'm eating with you not to prove that we're just good friends, but because I want to be with you."
Her tone was perfectly natural. "Didn't you say before that my personality is too cold? I think I'm a bit aloof too. Eating with you is nice."
Sang Shi'an's hand holding the milk tea suddenly tightened. The cup was squeezed, and the drink overflowed. She immediately let go, but her hand was inevitably splashed.
Jian Cenyu handed her the tissues she carried with her.
Sang Shi'an took them and silently wiped her hand, suddenly at a loss for words.
Perhaps because Sang Shi'an remained silent for so long, Jian Cenyu's tone became hesitant. "Or... do you not want to spend time with me?"
When she asked this, Jian Cenyu's voice was a little soft, tinged with a hint of loneliness. She didn't sound as composed as usual. When her pale eyes looked over, some of their coldness had faded, and her emotions seemed to stir.
Caught off guard by the eye contact, Sang Shi'an suddenly found she couldn't say 'no.'
She thought about how Jiang Xinqi, who likes girls, had been too worried about their reaction to bring her girlfriend to eat with them last time. Jian Cenyu was three years older, but she was also a girl. With a minority sexual orientation, she was probably also insecure about being rejected by others.
Her constant rejection seemed a bit harsh.
Sang Shi'an pressed her lips together and said, "I don't."
Jian Cenyu turned her head, as if trying to discern the truth in her words. Sang Shi'an forced a friendly smile. "Really, I don't."
Jian Cenyu seemed to believe her and turned her head back.
Sang Shi'an asked tentatively, "Haven't you made any other friends since the semester started?"
For someone who had spent four years abroad and was now beginning to take over a company, Jian Cenyu truly had no intention of making friends at school. Perhaps because she was facing a different stage in life, she was past the age of enjoying campus life. The topics her classmates discussed seemed a bit naive to her. This wasn't a bad thing; it was just that due to complex family and business interests, she had been exposed to the deceit and trickery of the adult world far too early.
Jian Cenyu knew Sang Shi'an meant well, so she said, "When I'm not in class, my time is almost entirely spent in the lab."
Sang Shi'an took the initiative. "So what kind of friends do you like? Tell me the type, and if I meet someone like that, I can introduce her to you."
"No need," Jian Cenyu said. "I already have a friend I like very much."
"Oh, I see." Sang Shi'an was curious. "Is it a friend from the UK, or someone from outside of school? Is she also taking over a company like you, so you have more to talk about?"
Jian Cenyu's lips moved, but no sound came out.
But Sang Shi'an thought she just hadn't heard.
She moved closer and asked, "What was that? Can you say it again?"
As her words fell, Jian Cenyu also turned around. Her cool face suddenly loomed close, and the crisp, woody scent of her perfume washed over Sang Shi'an. Their breaths mingled for a quick second before she turned away again.
"I said," Jian Cenyu grabbed Sang Shi'an's outer hand and pulled her whole body over, "can't you watch where you're going?"
Sang Shi'an was pulled toward Jian Cenyu, her chin lightly bumping against Jian Cenyu's shoulder. She looked back and saw a pile of steel bars in front of where she had been walking. It seemed there was road construction ahead.
The next moment, Jian Cenyu let her go again and pointed in another direction. "Your dorm is in Area C, right? I'll walk you there."
Sang Shi'an watched Jian Cenyu's back, her frantic heartbeat not yet settled. She remembered that Jian Cenyu still hadn't answered her question.
So, who was this friend that Jian Cenyu liked so much?
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