Chapter 3
We finished our burgers at a leisurely pace, and by the time we were done, it was about time to go. Shangguan had already bought the tickets—well, I've always admired his efficiency on that front.
The parking lot was a good distance from the cinema, and although the Mercedes' quality was beyond reproach, the cramped space still made for an uncomfortable ride. So as soon as we got out of the car, we stepped onto the pavement and prepared to walk over at a relaxed pace.
There were even more people out now than before. The crowd pouring out of the cinema was almost enough to give you a scare. From what a colleague had told me, this was supposed to be an action movie, but looking at the expressions of the people who had just exited, it seemed more like a drama—and a tearjerker at that. Some of the girls had red-rimmed eyes.
Passersby kept stealing glances at us. I'd gotten pretty used to that by now. After all, they were looking at Shangguan—wherever he went, he was an absolute showstopper. Standing next to this human magnet, little old me was completely forgettable.
But... this time, why were some people's gazes fixed on me too? I didn't think I had any wardrobe malfunctions or disheveled appearance problems—if I did, Shangguan would have been on my case about it long ago.
Couldn't figure it out. Oh well. Let them look. It's not like I'd lose any meat off my bones. Just as long as I didn't run into anyone from the office, otherwise there'd be trouble. Honestly, I'd rather be scolded by the manager than listen to his shameless flattery, and I definitely didn't want a crowd围上来问有关上官的问题——那实在太麻烦了。
Just as I was thinking this, I suddenly heard a voice.
"Shangguan! Shangguan!"
Shangguan's brow furrowed ever so slightly, his expression freezing over by a fraction of a degree. It made me admire him even standing right there—no wonder the guy became a big-shot boss. That quickness with which he could change his tune? Definitely not something I could ever learn.
"Shangguan, hey, never thought I'd run into you here!" A tall, lanky guy squeezed through the crowd. He had a very short crop haircut and was wearing a gray-blue jacket, his smile revealing a mouthful of white teeth. Beside him was a delicate-looking girl with half-long straight hair, smiling quietly as she stood to the side. She wasn't particularly beautiful, but she was very easy on the eyes.
"Chen Zhongyang?" Shangguan's tone carried a hint of uncertainty.
"Yeah, you bastard, you actually remember me!" The guy slapped Shangguan on the shoulder, practically bouncing with excitement. "It's been four years! You never contacted us once—were you afraid we'd hold you back or something? Oh, and Yi-Yi's here?!"
His eyes went wide, like he'd just spotted some kind of monster.
What about me? What's so strange about that? And who is this guy? Do we know each other? Though I was confused, I managed not to ask. I knew my limits when it came to memory too well—this guy was probably someone I'd known before and just hadn't been in contact with for a long time.
I shot a questioning look over at Shangguan. At this point, he was my only hope.
Catching my gaze, Shangguan's lips twitched just slightly, his eyes softening by a degree. Hmph! I just knew he'd be smug about this! What's there to be proud of anyway? Remembering people is something anyone can do—I'm just a little weak in that department. Does he have to puff up like a peacock about it?
"This is..." Though his personality was terrible, Shangguan did redirect the conversation.
"Oh, this is my girlfriend Ma Ting—pretty, right? And this is Shangguan, Shangguan Fei. He was the idol-level talent of our whole graduating class. Tsk, tsk, back then he really swept all the girls off their feet. I still remember the shouting by the basketball court—it absolutely rivaled any NBA event! And this is Yi-Yi, the super lazy guy I told you about, the one who even changed his name to the number one, Yi, just because he was too lazy to write proper characters! If I hadn't swapped beds with him, this guy probably would've broken his neck by now. You wouldn't believe it—he falls out of bed four times a week. The other two times he just never even made it onto the bed in the first place. And get this—he never eats breakfast, never washes his face, and the kicker is, most people can't even tell. Tsk, tsk—just goes to show how much good skin pays off!"
This guy called Chen Zhongyang just kept on talking and talking, making Shangguan sound like a rose and painting me as the ultimate lazy slob plus certified idiot. I may not wash my face, but I always brush my teeth, thank you very much. And I do shower once every two or three days—I'm definitely cleaner than most guys! Though I suppose I finally remembered who he was now. So this was the guy who swapped beds with me. He must have been in Shangguan's class, two years ahead of me. I really don't know how they arranged the dorms back then—one room had people from all different majors, and the years weren't even consistent.
My dorm back then was pretty mixed up too, though I couldn't remember what any of those guys were actually studying. I did have some impression of this Chen Zhongyang, and it did come from him swapping beds with me.
I'm not exactly a quiet sleeper. A single bed was nowhere near enough for my tossing and turning, and unluckily I'd been assigned the top bunk. So for the first couple of weeks, I basically performed free fall every night, using my poor body to prove Newton's laws of gravity. That period nearly beat the life out of me, but thankfully someone kind enough came forward and offered to swap beds with me.
Even on the bottom bunk I still fell out sometimes, but it was at least better. So the kind soul was this guy standing in front of me. Eh, I'll let it slide since he did swap beds with me. But I really wish he wouldn't keep spreading my embarrassing stories—the girl beside him was already trying hard not to laugh, and the way she was looking at me was pretty strange too.
"Nice to meet you." The girl greeted us with a big smile.
Shangguan nodded slightly. I tugged awkwardly at the corner of my mouth: "Uh, nice to meet you."