Chapter 236: Chapter 335 Lifelong Friends
The final exam seating was arranged based on grades. Xu Xu was seated to the left of Zhao Meimei. He had barely slept last night, tossing and turning, thinking about how Zhao Meimei had practically wanted to draw a dividing line between them with her pen during the day. The taste in his heart was indescribable.
From start to finish, he held no grievance against Zhao Meimei; rather, his mind was filled with anger towards Zhang Zhao and with deep-seated envy, jealousy, and hatred towards Shi Yang.
Being by Zhao Meimei’s side had become a habit—caring for her, admiring her, protecting her, feeling sorry for her—almost a conditioned reflex.
Xu Xu couldn’t imagine a day when he would no longer see Zhao Meimei, nor could he accept the idea of Zhao Meimei leaving him, becoming truly estranged.
Thinking about these sad and painful moments, Xu Xu cried under his blanket for most of the night, sobbing until his brain became oxygen-deprived and his whole body convulsed. Then, he couldn’t help but indulge in self-pity. His desperate efforts to study hard for a promising future were all to make Zhao Meimei look favorably upon him, hoping to one day become as successful as Shi Yang.
Now that the goal had suddenly disappeared, he lost his sense of direction.
Xu Xu regretted his impulsive actions that led to the current situation, wishing he could just die and be done with it. He was so regretful he felt sick to his stomach.
He buried himself in the blanket, sweating in the middle of winter, thinking that as long as Zhao Meimei was willing to talk to him, as long as she was willing to remain friends, allowing him to stay by her side, he would be willing to be her friend forever, a lifelong ironclad buddy, as long as she didn’t truly become a stranger to him. He’d do anything.
Xu Xu bit his blanket and cried most of the night, shedding tears with heartbreak. He was left with no hope, drying up all the tears he had for the first half of his life.
Xu Xu’s head hung low, his eyes zoning out at the empty seat to his right.
The sound of Zhao Meimei’s voice came from the entrance of the classroom. Xu Xu’s nerves tensed. He quickly withdrew his gaze, unsure of what to do for a moment, only able to hang his head, gripping his pencil case tightly.
Zhao Meimei’s voice moved closer, and Xu Xu raised his head to see Zhao Meimei walking in from the entrance with another classmate.
Since the moment Zhao Meimei entered the classroom, she saw Xu Xu, whose face showed obvious embarrassment and stiffness, looking back at her from his seat.
Xu Xu’s eyes were very red and swollen, his whole person appeared haggard, and there was surprisingly a light-blue stubble on his chin.
Zhao Meimei had imagined dozens of ways to say hello when she finally met Xu Xu again, to smooth over the situation perfectly. But when she truly saw him, she had not yet figured out how to face him, and instead froze on the spot.
The moment Xu Xu and Zhao Meimei made eye contact, realizing his own messy state, he almost panicked, averting his gaze as if to disappear instantly.
Seeing Xu Xu’s awkward state, Zhao Meimei’s previously chaotic emotions slowly calmed down.
This person was Xu Xu, not an outsider. Zhao Meimei could boldly claim that among those who understood Xu Xu the best, aside from herself, only Xu Xu’s mom could take first place.
Their years of friendship weren’t blown in by the wind; they were accumulated day by day through real interactions. She had never been so certain that regardless of what kind of quarrel erupted between them, even if it ended in a physical altercation, it would not affect their relationship. This relationship, mixed between friendship and kinship, was as aged and rich as an old wine buried under a tree. Simply uncork it to breathe in the heavy fragrance.
Zhao Meimei walked straight to her seat and sat down, knowing without even turning that Xu Xu was discreetly glancing over with the corner of his eyes.
Zhao Meimei’s heart finally settled. She dug out snacks she brought from home in the morning from her bag and casually tossed them onto Xu Xu’s table.
Xu Xu was startled, his backbone straightened, as he looked at the food on the table, almost staring a hole into it.
Zhao Meimei’s voice came from beside him, "You didn’t have breakfast, did you? I brought it for you specially."
Xu Xu gradually turned his head towards Zhao Meimei, and his awkward expression was disrupted by surprise. He felt warmth in his heart and stared at Zhao Meimei, at a loss for words.
Xu Xu mumbled, "I... I thought you wouldn’t talk to me anymore."
Zhao Meimei gave a bitter smile, "Who told us we’re ironclad friends? You occasionally act silly; do you really think I wouldn’t talk to you?"
Xu Xu spoke softly, "But yesterday I..."
Zhao Meimei interrupted him, "It’s already a thing of the past for me."
Xu Xu felt a light relief in his heart but also an indescribable sadness. He paused before nodding in disappointment, "Hmm, I understand."
Zhao Meimei laid out the things needed for the exam on the table and suddenly turned saying, "Xu Xu, you are the lifelong friend I intend to make." A friend, only a friend.
The unfinished second half of Zhao Meimei’s sentence was understood by Xu Xu. He looked at Zhao Meimei’s serious expression, feeling an indescribable disappointment, yet knowing there’s no room for change anymore. Okay, always friends. If not, then not even friends.
Xu Xu’s voice was faint yet clear, "Hmm, lifelong friends."
After busily sending Zhao Meimei to school in the morning, Shi Yang turned to drive to the company, only to remember he left the car at the entrance of the milk tea shop.
Upon arriving to retrieve the car, he noticed a pink note under the windshield wiper, which read: Boss, for the overnight parking fee, should you pay up? O(∩_∩)O
Under the note, there was a discount card.
Shi Yang picked it up and laughed, finding the milk tea shop people quite interesting. He tossed the note but kept the discount card, planning to give it to Zhao Meimei for her to use when she came back to buy things.
Throughout the morning, Shi Yang was busy handling affairs at the company. One deal he negotiated was selling and installing second-hand Naughty Castle for a kindergarten, earning a considerable profit from it.
Kindergartens were everywhere, one neighborhood nearly operated three or four simultaneously, but the number of children was limited. Many kindergartens ended up closing down within a year after spending a significant amount installing Naughty Castles, which became second-hand goods after only a few months.
Shi Yang hadn’t noticed this opportunity until an accidental encounter with a kindergarten director, who complained that the Naughty Castle occupies space but is too good to throw away and useless to keep—a comment that reminded Shi Yang and made him aware of this opportunity.