Chapter 25.2 - Red Azalea (2)
That night, Xu Riqing confessed, cruelly, through Zhang Mingrui to Sheng Huainan. Xu Riqing said, "Sheng Huainan likes me. I saw everything in his eyes today. I didn’t understand his hints before, but now I do."
Zhang Mingrui stiffly joked, "You’re disgusting, stop being so narcissistic, what did he hint to you?"
Xu Riqing didn’t argue. She smiled disdainfully and said, "Fine, I’ll tell him myself."
Zhang Mingrui’s would-be girlfriend confessed to Sheng Huainan. When he got back to the dorm, without a word, he punched Sheng Huainan in the right eye, swelling it up.
However, later, he sincerely apologized. Because Xu Riqing had never been able to provide any evidence to prove that strange love. Sheng Huainan said nothing. He was calm, indifferent, looking down at Xu Riqing as if she were possessed, and said, "Can you stop making a scene? Go to class after you wake up. I’m not qualified to teach you. Please, take care of yourself."
"Zhang Mingrui, if it weren’t for you—" That was the last sentence Xu Riqing left him with, full of anger and resentment.
He told Luo Zhi about it at the time, and Luo Zhi just laughed and said, "That girl is really lucky. She has the ability to see everything as she wants it to be."
Then, with a serious tone, she said, "Zhang Mingrui, you’re a good boy. You’re very generous."
He wasn’t generous. When he first saw Luo Zhi, the first thought that flashed through his mind was suspicion and revenge on Sheng Huainan. No matter what kind of person Luo Zhi was, at least this time, he had made his intentions clear, prepared to chase after her from the start. Even though he didn’t know what the hell kind of logic those thoughts had.
However, that day, when he saw Luo Zhi, shrouded in mist, he suddenly felt pity.
She was a good girl, she shouldn’t be hurt. Not just by him, but also by Sheng Huainan.
Zhang Mingrui began to frequently push Sheng Huainan towards her.
He turned back to look at the cafeteria. In the distance, Xu Riqing was still sitting at the table, looking wooden.
He knew that Sheng Huainan’s smile was always full of meaning, that Sheng Huainan would use smooth words to save face for the girls, skillfully steering boring conversations to a point where everyone could continue talking, and that he would casually drape a jacket over Xu Riqing when she fell asleep—but he would be more careful in choosing Zhang Mingrui's jacket to put on her, forgetting to consider that Xu Riqing might have been pretending to sleep. Whose jacket didn’t matter; what mattered was who put it on her.
If she had already come to a conclusion, then every action could be interpreted as having an ulterior motive. Zhang Mingrui didn’t want to keep guessing whether Sheng Huainan was flirting recklessly or if Xu Riqing was being narcissistic.
So what about himself?
He stared coldly at the glass, then strode back into the cafeteria.
The hall was already a little empty. In this season, the large doors were wide open, and the weather had turned cooler. Xu Riqing was only wearing a thin knitted sweater and a skirt, sitting there with her head lowered.
Zhang Mingrui took off his cotton jacket and draped it over her. Xu Riqing raised her head, looking at him with a somewhat dull gaze.
"Why do you have to make a big deal out of this?" Zhang Mingrui frowned, turned his face, and sighed deeply. "Can’t you leave yourself some room? Is he really that great? Are you willing to risk your life just because you can’t have him? You have no other hopes in life?"
Xu Riqing said dully, "I’m sorry."
Zhang Mingrui was stunned for a long time.
"Damn, I didn’t mean…" He sat down on the opposite side of her, "How long will it take for you to understand? I’m not saying you should give up on him and accept me. What I’m saying is, you need to think clearly, you need to understand what you’re doing. Otherwise, you’ll regret it later."
Xu Riqing weakly smiled.
"I really can’t control it. To say something disgusting, when you really love someone, you just know."
"I really love him?" Zhang Mingrui suddenly laughed coldly. "Actually, there’s something I’ve wanted to ask you for a long time."
He stared at her intently, watching as her gaze began to flicker.
"Xu Riqing, is it because you love him so deeply, or because you can’t swallow your pride?"
Zhang Mingrui left the cafeteria once again, while Xu Riqing was left looking shocked, contemplating his words.
He felt that he had said everything he needed to say, so he should make a graceful exit.
But as soon as he stepped outside, he was hit by a blast of cold wind. He shivered and suddenly remembered that his jacket was still on her. He admitted that at first, he had simply wanted to be kind, to drape his jacket over her and accompany her back to the dorm.
It wasn’t to try to move her. He had already given up on many things.
It was just that he felt pity. After all, the bright red azalea had once bloomed in his heart.
"Damn it, forget it, I don’t need the jacket." He tucked his hands under his arms and shivered as he walked toward the dormitory. Suddenly, he had a flash of realization—wallet, phone—oh, they were in his pants pocket, nothing in the coat pocket.
Zhang Mingrui felt depressed. Even trying to look cool was such a hassle. He definitely wasn’t meant to be the main character.
He had rarely thought about these things—if it hadn’t been for that day in the library.
He was sitting to the left of Xu Riqing, while Sheng Huainan sat across from them. A few of Xu Riqing’s classmates passed by, giving her a playful wink and then mouthing "Who?" towards Sheng Huainan.
Damn. That was the only thought that rang loud and clear in Zhang Mingrui’s mind. Was he really that bad? Not even given the chance to be misunderstood?
