Don't be So Proud

Chapter 5.8 —The Stirring of His and Her Heart

The sky was getting darker with many dark clouds covering it, turning black until as if the air pressure will drop. Strong wind sweeping across the camphor trees in the campus, resulting in the small white flowers on the tree falling to the ground.

After a while, rain was falling down like a curtain, forming a huge network and encircling Shen Xi outside the balcony. She was holding the clothes of the whole dormitory, on the very top was Lin Yu Tang’s white shirt. Whether it was washing clothes or washing dishes, Lin Yu Tang was also as serious as conducting an experiment because the shirt in her hand was washed clean, without leaving behind any laundry detergent smell.

Shen Xi remembered when Lin Yu Tang was in the second year of high school, he organized the entire school to watch a movie. After she finished dancing with teacher Jiang and returned home, she followed Lin Yu Tang and his classmates to go to the movie together.

She was wearing a junior high school uniform among the senior high school uniforms, suddenly becoming the odd one out. Someone asked Lin Yu Tang who she is. Being taller than her, Lin Yu Tang patted her head: “My little girl.”

My little girl, such nice words. As a result everyone also thought she was merely Lin Yu Tang’s little sister. At that time, she cannot understand, why they cannot see that she and Lin Yu Tang were so well-matched!?

Later, she found out that it was because in their eyes, there was someone even more well-matched, and that was Lin Yu Tang and Ling Chao Xi.

Lin Yu Tang was the class monitor, Ling Chao Xi was a disciplinary committee member. They were publicly recognized as a match made in heaven.

When the movie ended, it was already nightfall. Ling Chao Xi bought three sticks of ice pop from the small shop in the cinema. She and Lin Yu Tang each picked a different kind of flavor. After finishing half, she connived out a little scheme to exchange with Lin Yu Tang. He did not hesitate to exchange the ice pop with her.

Ling Chao Xi smilingly said: “Lin Yu Tang, you’ve such a good relationship with your little sister.”

At that time, Lin Yu Tang just smiled and said: “Can’t help it. I’ve spoiled her until she’s developed all these bad habits”

She did not like Lin Yu Tang’s vague reply, biting his half-eaten ice pop and said to Ling Chao Xi: “I am Tang Tang’s prospective girlfriend.”

After that, Ling Chao Xi cannot warm up to her.

Much later, Ling Chao Xi smilingly asked her: “Xi Xi, have you misunderstood something? Lin Yu Tang and I are just buddy.”

Just buddy?

After a long time, she really wanted to believe Ling Chao Xi, and even hated her own small-mindedness for her inability to accept Lin Yu Tang and Ling Chao Xi’s “close friendship”.

During Lin Yu Tang’s birthday last year, on a snowy winter night, after she celebrated his birthday with him, Lin Yu Tang received a phone call. He said to her: “I’m going out for a while, I have a high school friend coming over to give me a birthday present. I am going out to get it.”

Lin Yu Tang went out and did not come back after a long time. She went down to look for him and saw him standing together with Ling Chao Xi. His coat was draped over Ling Chao Xi’s shoulders.

The snow falling like cotton rain on the street lamps, one after another. Suddenly, Ling Chao Xi crouched down and threw a snowball at Lin Yu Tang. He good-naturedly brushed the snow away. Ling Chao Xi tilted her head and said: “Happy birthday, class monitor.”

Ling Chao Xi’s home was in the county town, so she has to purposely change bus twice to come over. On a snowy night, just to give a hand-woven scarf to Lin Yu Tang. People are flesh and blood. A person like Lin Yu Tang who has never liked scarf, still kept that scarf given by Ling Chao Xi in good condition.

If a person has always been standing in an appropriate position, gazing tenderly at you, sending warm when you are cold, sending a fan when you are hot, sending comfort when you feel sad. When you are feeling down until depressed, she will turn into a ray of light to shine on you …… If such a person loves you, do you want her?

Even if a stone, may also get warm up, isn’t that so?

……

Ling Chao Xi’s voice dropped off, the dormitory turned into a kind of strange quietness.

Lin Yu Tang sat up on the bed. Ling Chao Xi’s words made his brain fell into a kind of emotional reflection. He has a headache, then a wet towel dropped from his forehead.

The wet towel was folded into a rectangular shape, initially covering his forehead.

F…, who did it?

Lin Yu Tang glanced at the towel, this light beige towel belonged to He Zhi Zhou. Therefore it was He Zhi Zhou who covered him with this towel?

Lin Yu Tang was immediately distracted, a strange unexplainable feeling pulled him out from his emotional reflection. 一 He looked at Ling Chao Xi, felt that he must reflect on what she had just said, but the brain uncontrollably thinking of He Zhi Zhou’s towel ……

Seeing that Lin Yu Tang did not say anything, Ling Chao Xi raised her eyebrows: “Indeed, your illness is not minor, you look stupefied. Class monitor, if your brain is still working, can you please pour me a glass of water?”

“Okay.” Lin Yu Tang put on the blue slippers to look for a disposable cup but found out that they had already been used up. He lowered his head to glance at the watch on his wrist, then turned to Ling Chao Xi and said; “Have you eaten?”

Ling Chao Xi shook her head.

Lin Yu Tang: “Then let’s eat something together, there are plenty of drinks to choose from outside.”

Ling Chao Xi cleverly winked and tried to take their relationship a step further: “Lin Yu Tang, I don’t mind you using your cup to pour me some water.”

Lin Yu Tang was standing beside the water cooler but did not speak for a short while. After a while, he said: “Wait, I’ll wash it first.”

Shen Xi was leaning on the door in the balcony, heavy rain falling on the ground. All she can hear was the sound of rain, especially noisy and filling the balcony with water. It did not rain for a long time, so when it rained like this all of a sudden, as if soaking the whole world again.

At the same time, Ling Chao Xi walked two steps towards Lin Yu Tang, raised her head and asked: “Are you in a bad mood because of Shen Xi?”

Lin Yu Tang holding the cup, lowered his head: “This is my personal matter.”

“But this also concerns me.” Ling Chao Xi said.

Lin Yu Tang lifted his eyes.

Ling Chao Xi gave a self-deprecating smile, then she gazed at Lin Yu Tang, her voice serious but pleasant to hear: “Because I do not want the man I like to be trampled under foot by another woman.”

Trample……

Lin Yu Tang looked at Ling Chao Xi, with more than astonishment in the eyes. He shouted Ling Chao Xi’s name. Like wanting to stop her from talking further, but also to encourage her to go on.

Ling Chao Xi continued talking: “Speaking of which, our fate is very interesting. Everyone thought we were a couple while in school, but we were not together. I think we are not meant to be together. Thus I think it is very good to be just friend because there is no lover for a lifetime, but there is lifetime friendship ……”

“I was still thinking like this last week …… but in the end I’ve taken things for granted. Hearing that you were drinking because of a bad mood, I got panicky, then bought a train ticket to come over.”

“Lin Yu Tang, I think I like you more than I imagine, what should I do?”

What should I do?

What should I do?

What should I do?

Really touching ah! Shen Xi looked up at the sky filled with dark clouds, she even wanted to respond on behalf of Lin Yu Tang. Suddenly, it became clear why she disliked Ling Chao Xi for so many years.

She clearly liked him to death, yet she kept denying it and claiming they just had a buddy-buddy relationship; she clearly had an ulterior motive, yet she kept putting up a front that she was completely unperturbed and could not be bothered either way; she clearly was pulling out all the schemes, running through every one in the entire Thirty-Six Stratagems (a Chinese essay used to illustrate all the possible schemes and stratagems), yet she still said ——”What should I do?”

Shen Xi took a deep breath, pulled open the sliding door of the balcony and angrily walked in. All of a sudden, the strong wind from outside blew into the room and lifted the beige curtains.

Shen Xi stood in the middle of the blowing curtains, suddenly anger boiling up. She sneered coldly: “Miss Ling, are you thinking of saying, you are very sick now and Lin Yu Tang is your medicine ——medicine—— medicine ah!”

WTF! Lin Yu Tang turned his head and was a little stupefied. How did this man suddenly appear?

Ling Chao Xi was scared silly, and stuttered: “He He He …… Zhi Zhou ……”

Shen Xi threw the pile of clothes on Lin Yu Tang’s bed, then sat down on her own seat, a look of disdain on her face. She got angry and slammed hard on the desktop twice.

Ling Chao Xi was also a little angry: “….. are you eavesdropping?”

“Am I eavesdropping?” Shen Xi pointed at the door plate of dorm 921 and bluntly asked Ling Chao Xi, “I’d like to ask you, when can a girl enter the male dorm room? Moreover a girl from outside!”

Ling Chao Xi really have not met a man with such poisonous tongue, her face immediately turned red. She raised her head and said to Lin Yu Tang, in an aggrieved and angry tone: “Lin Yu Tang, I’ll wait for you downstairs.”

Lin Yu Tang glanced at this someone who has what right to slam the table and nodded: “You go down first.”

After Ling Chao Xi left, on the contrary Shen Xi quieted down. She crossed her arms and sat in front of the desk in silence.

“Actually, I ……” Lin Yu Tang wanted to explain, but when he started to talk, he scolded damn it in his heart. Why the hell did he need to explain to He Zhi Zhou! He glanced at the frosty-looking He Zhi Zhou, changed his way of questioning, to ease the awkwardness in his heart: “Were you collecting clothes just now?”

In the end it was better not to talk, because once he started to talk, it stirred up Shen Xi’s inner anger. She readily smashed Lin Yu Tang with the frog pencil-case on the desk.

“Lin Yu Tang, you bastard!”

Lin Yu Tang swiftly took hold of the small frog, blinked his eyes and every part of him felt out of sorts.

Shen Xi turned her head and looked angrily at Lin Yu Tang, her eyes looking red. Her anger was undeniable, but she was also helpless. No matter how much she despised Ling Chao Xi, but in Lin Yu Tang’s eyes, Ling Chao Xi has always been a good girl who strives unremittingly.

Lin Yu Tang was frightened by her piercing stare, he was feeling very nervous: “He Zhi Zhou, don’t cry ah.”

“Who is crying!” Shen Xi sniffed, she decided to reveal everything to Lin Yu Tang, regardless of whether he will care or not. She stood upright, and looked seriously at Lin Yu Tang again: “Lin Yu Tang, I have something to say to you ……”

What? What did He Zhi Zhou want to say to him?! Lin Yu Tang opened his eyes widely, his heart was suddenly flooded with a premonition that seemed impossible. He recalled what Monkey and Brawny had unintentionally jokingly said the day before yesterday: “Third, do you think Leader deliberately stole Beautiful Maiden Shen from you because he’s fallen in love with you?”

WTF!

How could he be so unlucky!

Lin Yu Tang awkwardly turned around, slammed the door and fled from the dorm room.