Just like that, the dinner ended on a sour note. After leaving the hotel, I forced a smile and said, "Sorry for making a fool of myself."
Little Cherry gently shook her head. "It's okay. Brother Xiao Zhuang, I believe that you're not that kind of person. That Tu Fangfang doesn't look like a good woman. But what you're doing is a thankless task, and it might backfire. Her father seems to be biased against you."
"Yeah, I'm too lazy to care about it. Let nature take its course."
This time, I made up my mind. Since I was a poor boy, her father always thought that I was ignorant and only cared about his business. He racked his brains to coax Liu Jie, causing her to quarrel with him and even run away from home. Liu Jie had never been this rebellious before. Liu Zhanpeng didn't say it out loud, but he felt very uncomfortable in his heart. Tu Fangfang took this opportunity to expose my so-called ugly side, which undoubtedly 'confirmed' Liu Zhanpeng's suspicions. His opinion of me naturally plummeted, and no matter how I tried to explain it, it was useless.
Perhaps this was the gap in thinking formed by my family background. Since Liu Zhanpeng said it like that, there was no need for me to be snubbed.
"Let's go eat. Or we can eat here. Your Brother Xiao Zhuang doesn't lack money anyway."
There were so many exquisite dishes just now, and Little Cherry was craving for them. In the end, she didn't even touch her chopsticks before following me out. I felt a little guilty and embarrassed.
"No, it's fine. We still have to study at night. Actually, with Brother Xiao Zhuang around, I'm happy to eat anything." Little Cherry quickly shook her head and pouted like an obedient child.
Thus, we went to a nearby restaurant and cooked three side dishes. While eating, Little Cherry seemed to have something to say, but she didn't.
I couldn't help but ask her what's wrong. Little Cherry hesitated for a moment and said, "Brother Xiao Zhuang, will you break up with her because of this?"
Black lines appeared on my face. Does this little girl want to take advantage of me?
Seeing that I didn't answer, Little Cherry stuck her tongue out and apologized for asking that question. Then, she shyly lowered her head and continued to eat.
I discovered that this little chick had a feeling of budding love. She had clearly told me last night that she had to maintain a boundary and not have feelings for me. But now that Liu Jie and I had fallen out, she couldn't hold it in anymore. Sure enough, what young girl doesn't yearn for love? What young man doesn't yearn for love?
As soon as I got back to school, the evening self-study session started. Liu Jie didn't come. Seeing her empty seat, I didn't feel good. She broke her phone last time, and I wondered if she got a new one when she got home. So, I sent her a WeChat message. "Did you go back?"
"En, Brother Xiao Feng, am I thinking too much of you?" After a minute or two, Liu Jie replied.
Seeing this, I felt worried. "No, listen to my explanation."
"Hmph, for a million, you used me. How much do you love money?
I'm starting to doubt which of your words are true and which are false. I don't know if I should believe you or not. "Liu Jie's words were filled with disappointment.
My heart skipped a beat. I was sure that Tu Fangfang said a bunch of bad things while we were eating. This was undoubtedly one disaster after another.
"Xiao Jie, it's not what you think."
"Then, what are you going to do? Tell me, explain to me clearly. What's going on with that million?" Liu Jie was clearly angry.
Hearing this question, I was a bit speechless. I couldn't tell her that I was set up by Luo Yan and my cousin. That would only cause more trouble. So, I edited the message a few times but didn't dare to send it out.
Originally, Liu Jie was already angry. Not long after, she sent another message. "Maybe you think that I'm simple and naive, but I'm not stupid. Mosquitoes don't bite a seamless egg. If you insist on not agreeing, what can they do to you?"
"Sigh, Xiao Jie, there are some things that I don't know how to tell you. Anyways, you have to be careful of Tu Fangfang."
I didn't feel good. Just like what Liu Jie said, I had a moment of lust. It was useless to regret it now. I was destined to suffer in silence. "Not only her, but you also have to be careful of you.
"Not only her, but you as well. Both of you are birds of a feather. I pretended not to know about Sister Hanhan's matter, and now you have a cousin. Do you think I'm a fool? Little Cherry's temperament is not like that of a girl from an ordinary family. Since you have a new lover, you might as well forget about your old one."
My heart felt like it was being stabbed by a knife when I read this piece of news. Damn it! Although the identity that I had thought of was reasonable, after such a short interaction with Little Cherry, she might be able to guess that I was just making things up if I thought about it.
Poor me. I thought I could hide it from her, but now I was depressed. Liu Jie's words were so harsh. I walked out of the classroom and sent her a video call. Liu Jie directly rejected it, but I still didn't let it go. She replied with a voice message. "If you send me another message, I'll block you. Can you let me have some peace and quiet?
I really don't think that I can trust anyone now. "
Her sobbing and trembling voice made my heart flutter. Sigh, I used to be her most trusted Big Brother Xiao Feng. She could abandon her life of luxury for me. But now, after knowing my dark side, Liu Jie's mind collapsed.
"Okay, then you should sleep early. I can only apologize to you."
I thought about it and didn't continue to disturb her. It wasn't because of anything else, but if Liu Jie couldn't get over it, she might go crazy when she found out that the child in her sister-in-law's stomach was my flesh and blood.
I felt that it was inevitable that there would be misunderstandings and disputes between lovers. After all, the process of dating was a gradual process of getting used to each other. I wasn't a perfect person to begin with. Ever since I left the village, I was faced with the bright lights of the city. I was confused, helpless, I cried, and I felt pain. It was all these difficulties that forced me to grow.
After returning to the classroom, I was in a daze for a while. Then, I heard the school bell ring. I quickened my pace and went to Little Cherry's classroom to pick her up.
After what happened during the day, the group of students in the first year of high school were very respectful to me. They kept calling me Boss, which made me feel better. Ever since they found out that Little Cherry was my cousin, they also received all kinds of preferential treatment. Usually, cleaning the blackboard and taking out the trash were rotated, and Little Cherry was excluded.
After seeing me, her little face lit up. "Big Brother Xiao Zhuang, I was going to look for you. You came."
"Yeah, let's go home."
Originally, the third year of high school had an extra night study session. But I was a day student, so I could choose. Little Cherry left school early, so of course, I had to accompany her.
Originally, I wanted to take a car, but Little Cherry didn't want to. She said that she wanted to walk with me for a while. She really enjoyed the time when we were alone together. Just like me, this kind of quiet and relaxing feeling under the moonlight was quite good.
On the way, the peaceful night was broken by a magnetic male voice.
"Hehe, the man has feelings for the concubine. Your days are quite comfortable."
I was shocked. Even with my sharp senses, I didn't notice anyone. To be able to follow me silently, he wasn't an ordinary person!