Walking out of the street with many âVajra Tribulation Ringsâ around his head, Xu Tingsheng stood by the roadside, preparing to hail a taxi.
However, Apple dragged him away, saying, âI want to walk with Sun Wukong today.â
âBut my headâs very heavy,â Xu Tingsheng protested.
The two of them walked for seven streets. Apple turned a corner and stopped.
âXu Tingsheng, do you know how to speak sweet nothings?âShe asked.
âI used to be very good at it,â Xu Tingsheng felt rather awkward.
âUsed to? Werenât you rather the honest kind in the past?â Apple recalled the past Xu Tingsheng of her memories. When she had come to Libei Senior High in twelfth grade, Xu Tingsheng had indeed been rather honest in the area of relationships. Actually, it had always been so before the two of them had started interacting.
Xu Tingshengâs past naturally wasnât his past that Apple had seen.
âUncle was once an expert in the playing fields of love for quite a few years, roaming a whole round amongst the myriad flowers, okay? Only tillâŚI met Miss Xiang,â Xu Tingsheng thought.
âOne line. I wanna hear,â Seeing that Xu Tingsheng was silent, Apple said.
âWhy?â
âBecause I want to exchange sweet nothings with you, just that Iâm afraid of it being mushy. Give me an anaesthetic first.â
âI havenât practised for too long. I really canât get so mushy so soon,â Xu Tingsheng smiled, âAnyway, I just walked seven whole streets, but I couldnât spot a single girl prettier than you.â
Apple savoured it for a moment, âOh, so you were looking at other girls all throughout. Still, Iâm pretty happy.â
âIf youâre willing to listen, thereâd actually be tens of thousands, perhaps even more people than that who would be willing to say them to you,â Xu Tingsheng said.
âBut I only want to listen to yours,â Apple said.
âItâs my turn,â Apple continued, âXu Tingsheng, loving you is so dangerous, but I really canât stop myself.â
She paused for a moment before resuming, âActually, I guess most deep, heartfelt relationships in this world should be like this.â
Xu Tingsheng looked down and kicked a pebble on the ground.
âActually, round this bend right here is the school that I studied in just after having come to Shenghai,â Apple said.
âWant to take me over for a look?â Xu Tingsheng asked.
Apple shook her head, âThis is the place that I want to take you to, just right here. Once, I was stopped by several female students here after school. They beat me up and even tore my new skirt.â
âI wore the torn skirt and shielded myself with my bag all the way home. Then, because I was afraid that my Mum might be worried, I didnât dare to say that Iâd been beaten. I said that I had gotten myself injured when squeezing my way through a thicket, getting my new skirt torn in the process. In the endâŚMum gave me another beating.â
Apple rubbed her nose and smiled before continuing, âThe reason they beat me was that theyâd always taken me for a shabbily dressed country girl. When I finally got a new skirt and wore it to school that day, maybe people told me how nice I actually looked.â
âSorry,â Xu Tingsheng could imagine that Apple, that pitiful, helpless girl.
He hugged Apple gently.
âItâs not that,â Apple buried her head in Xu Tingshengâs shoulder, holding back tears as she pursed her lips, âI brought you here becauseâŚdid you know? Ever since then, I never dared to walk here again before and after school. Even when I had friends afterwards, I still didnât dare to do it. It had become a shadow that hung over my heart. Now that Iâve brought you here, with you beside me, Iâm not afraid anymore. Iâll be able to forget that experience of the past.â
Xu Tingsheng stroked the back of Appleâs head, âRest assured, thereâs no one whoâll be able to bully you in the future.â
âWhat if itâs you who bullies me then? What ifâŚXiang Ning bullies me?â Apple asked.
Apple returned to the riverside residence.
A matter that Xu Tingsheng had originally thought might lead to great upheaval had unexpectedly ended without incident just like that due to Lu Zhixinâs calmness.
Xu Tingsheng had given a call to Lu Zhixin to report on this matter beforehand, saying that she could find a place outside to stay. Lu Zhixin had asked, âAre you staying together?â He had said, âNo.â
âLet her stay together with me then. Iâll have a companion, and we can feel a bit more at easeâŚI canât guarantee it, but Iâll try my best, just try my best to take care of her mood,â Lu Zhixin said.
âWhat about you then? Are you moving in to stay?â
On Appleâs side, she had actually already long since come to know who Lu Zhixin was through her spy, Zhang Ninglang. She also knew that she was currently partners with Xu Tingsheng, that he had not been staying in the riverside residence before this.
Therefore, when Xu Tingsheng intended to give her a vaccine shot along the way, she directly refused. âI feel that itâs pretty interesting this way, and I can also take a look at whether thereâs anything going on secretly between you two,â Apple smiled, already being much better when by Xu Tingshengâs side. The key was-Xu Tingsheng had to be there.
While it didnât sound logical, it was like this in actuality. Appleâs trust of the relationship between Xu Tingsheng and Lu Zhixin didnât actually come entirely from Xu Tingsheng himself. Instead, more of it came from Xiang Ningâs existence. She knew how persistent Xu Tingsheng had once been over Xiang Ning.
Today, the sole thing that rather surprised Apple was Lu Zhixinâs calmness.
Her love rival having come, Lu Zhixin actually didnât make a scene and threaten to move out. She just said hello as calmly as that. Then, after knowing that Apple was going to stay in Xu Tingshengâs original room, she went in and removed the bedsheets and pillowcases that she had previously brought over.
âThese are mine,â She said.
Apple was taken aback as she asked Xu Tingsheng softly after Lu Zhixin had returned to her room, âWhat now?â
âWe have our own,â Xu Tingsheng took out the set that he had washed before, arranging the bed properly once more.
âWhat about you then? Are you moving in?â
Because he needed to take care of Apple, Xu Tingsheng considered it for a moment, âYeah, Iâll be staying in that room.â
Then, someone else pushed the door and came in, âSorry, but that room is mine. As Huchengâs shareholder, I should also be more concerned with my business. An in-charge of the Student Affairs Department coming here to stay-shouldnât you be welcoming me, Xu Tingsheng?â
Xu Tingsheng turned to see Fang Chen carrying a whole bunch of living necessities with her. She directly entered, grabbed Appleâs hand and whispered to her for a bit. Then, she led her into the final room of the house.
Why was she here? Why was she in such a rushâŚXu Tingsheng couldnât be any clearer on that.
âNo. Where will I stay if you move in?â Xu Tingsheng adamantly refused.
âThe sofa in the living room,â Fang Chen said.
âWhy? I rented this place.â
âThe companyâs money.â
âIâm the major shareholder.â
âDo you want to flunk your exams?â
ââŚSo be it.â
âIâll go stay with Apple then?â
âDefinitely not.â
âIâll stay with Zhixin?â
ââŚNo.â
âChoose.â
âIâll sleep on the sofa.â
One Xu Tingsheng and three great beauties-a theoretically incomparably fragrant life of cohabitation began just like that.
Xu Tingsheng cooked dinner. After they had finished eating, Xu Tingsheng washed the dishes.
After that, the girls began chatting while Xu Tingsheng went to buy tidbits and fruits. Because of Fang Chen acting as a lubricant in their middle, Lu Zhixin actually began chatting with Apple as well. A former singer, a female workaholic and an old demoness whose appetite went both ways actually chatted incomparably happily now.
So as long as they were women, whatever kind they were, they would always have so many common topics, like bags and clothes, like the celebrity gossip Apple had heard in the industry.
After 9pm, Lu Zhixin finally remembered to call Xu Tingsheng to go take a look at Huchengâs preparation work for its expansion. Fang Chen stayed behind in the room to accompany Apple, tugging at her who had originally wanted to see Xu Tingsheng working and not letting her go.
Huchengâs expansion work was already virtually ready to be launched at any time. After looking through it, Xu Tingsheg proposed a few amendments and ideas according to his memories of Ganji.com, also asking Lu Zhixinâs opinion regarding changing the name of the service platform to âHucheng Tongcheng(Mutual Trust Collective Cities)â.
âIâll consider this a little more,â Lu Zhixin who possessed the âultimate authorityâ said.
âAlright then. Well, letâs go downstairs now,â Xu Tingsheng said.
âWhyâre in you such a rush? Are you afraid that Apple might suffer some kind of loss?â Lu Zhixin smiled.
âYou know?â Xu Tingsheng asked in astonishment.
âI already realised it long ago.â
âCould it be that she, to youâŚâ
Lu Zhixin stomped out towards Xu Tingsheng, âXu Tingsheng, youâŚI shouldnât be the kind that she likes, otherwiseâŚwe even stayed in the same room that timeâŚâ
âWhich time? On the same bed?â Fragrant scenes arose within Xu Tingshengâs mind.
âI already said that she didnât do anythingâŚshut up, letâs go downstairs. Otherwise, your innocent little lamb might be skinned alive by Fang Chen.â
âOh.â
âŚâŚ
After they had gone downstairs, the three beauties chatted for some time longer. Xu Tingsheng even heeded their orders and cooked supper. Uncle was full of resentful thoughts, âIâll fatten you lot to death.â
Of course, seeing Apple happily chatting with others, Xu Tingsheng was also full of gratitude.
Thinking how he still couldnât let Apple be alone at night now, Xu Tingsheng stayed by her side in her room as he had recently been doing until Apple finally managed to fall asleep with some difficulty.
Xu Tingsheng looked at the time. It was 1.30am.
Leaving the room, he found two figures in the living room. It was only having seen Xu Tingsheng emerge that Fang Chen and Lu Zhixin returned to their own rooms.
âNo touching my Apple. Iâve got my eye on you,â Fang Chen said before re-entering her room.
Lu Zhixin just smiled very domineeringly before saying nothing at all as she simply threw Xu Tingsheng a thin blanket.
Lying down on the sofa with the blanket, Xu Tingsheng blurrily slept until around 4am in the morning when he felt someone tugging at his blanket, then, also seeming to be taking off hisâŚ
âI, youâŚApple?â
Xu Tingsheng flipped himself up, grabbing hold of his blanket as he thought that Apple had suddenly become a female hooligan again. In the end, what he saw was an improperly dressed Fang Chen with a strange, dark smile on her face.
âTaking off my pants, are you crazy?â
âItâs just a look, so what.â
ââŚâ
Xu Tingsheng pulled away the blanket and looked. Half of his pyjama pants had already been taken off.
Due to the noise, the doors of Appleâs and Lu Zhixinâs rooms opened simultaneously. The two of them stood blurrily there, still unable to get a grasp on the situation for the time being.
âWah.â
Fang Chen turned on the lights, pulling at her dishevelled pyjamas before pointing at Xu Tingsheng as she said resentfully, âHe just came to my room, IâŚlookâŚâ
âThe heck, I didnât!â Xu Tingsheng retorted.
âHe even took his pants off. If you donât believe me, pull the blanket aside.â
Xu Tingshengâs entire worldview crumbled, âFang Chen, this old manâs gonna get you dead!â
âSo it was like this. You girls heard him? He wants to getâŚme.â