Chapter 135: The Tacit Understanding of

"This is my roommate, Tian Jiayi."

After Tan Zhizhi sat down, she introduced the girl beside her.

Tian Jiayi was a lively sophomore who greeted them openly: "I'm just Little Zhiliao's roommate; you can call me Xiao Yi."

Yang Tianxing thought to himself, how long has the semester even been going on? Little Zhiliao had already hit it off with her roommate, which meant she really was much more mature than she had been a year ago.

Back when Tan Zhizhi was at the Jiaotong University Chang'an campus, her relationship with her roommates had been quite distant because she had brought the pride of her high school days into the university campus.

If she had stayed in that original environment, that kind of dormitory relationship might have lasted until graduation, but after transferring to the Yanta campus, Little Zhiliao had ushered in a brand-new dormitory relationship.

Yang Tianxing, Hu Jiahao, and the others all nodded politely to Tian Jiayi, and then the group drank beverages and chatted.

The topics of conversation for sophomores and freshmen were not quite the same.

Freshmen, when gathered together, mostly just complained about their respective schools or grumbled about eccentric roommates; in short, it was all trivial matters.

By sophomore year, complaining was still the theme, but the topics would include more serious content like studying for certifications, the CET-4 and CET-6 exams, or even plans for postgraduate entrance exams.

However, Hu Jiahao felt he had just been set up by Yang Tianxing, so during the small talk, he deliberately touched on a sore spot: "Little Zhiliao, why did you transfer to the Yanta campus? Did someone at the Chang'an campus make you angry?"

Yang Tianxing's expression faltered; it seemed some things simply couldn't be hidden from those who were paying attention.

Tan Zhizhi seemed long accustomed to such questions and smiled as she retorted: "How could that be? I wouldn't get angry because of anyone."

"It's just that after taking Business Law as an elective, I discovered I liked this major more."

Little Zhiliao lifted her fair chin as she spoke.

Tian Jiayi didn't know the actual situation and chimed in from the side: "Business Law is definitely more sought-after than International Trade. I think Little Zhiliao was right to change majors."

Yang Tianxing glanced at Tan Zhizhi. Little Zhiliao knew perfectly well that Yang Tianxing was looking at her, yet she deliberately pretended not to see him. After speaking, she lowered her head again to study the flavors at the milk tea shop, leaving a patch of snow-white neck exposed to Yang Tianxing.

"Hoo..."

Yang Tianxing suddenly exhaled. The proud Little Zhiliao would rather take all the blame herself than admit she had been hurt in love.

Thinking this, Yang Tianxing suddenly felt a tightness in his chest. He wanted to smoke a cigarette to relax, but he was worried about making Tan Zhizhi angry.

After all, this was their first meeting since the conflict between them. Yang Tianxing had been shut out for an entire summer; every time he went to find Tan Zhizhi, he was refused a meeting.

In fact, while Yang Tianxing was sizing up Tan Zhizhi, she was also quietly observing him.

Watching him sit slumped in his chair, frowning, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table, Tan Zhizhi realized by some strange intuition that Yang Tianxing wanted to smoke.

This was a habitual way of thinking from their long time together, and Tan Zhizhi herself felt surprised by it.

"Little Zhiliao, have you forgotten the tears you shed?"

Tan Zhizhi said to herself in her heart.

However, looking at the outwardly calm but inwardly restless Yang Tianxing, Tan Zhizhi ultimately couldn't hold back. She said to Shao Ziyang: "Ziyang, I remember you smoke. Feel free, don't worry about me and Jiayi."

Shao Ziyang was stunned for a moment, thinking to himself, I didn't say I wanted to smoke.

Yang Tianxing realized what was happening; he took out a cigarette, handed it over, and even helped light it: "Smoke, smoke. We're all old classmates, what's there to hide?"

"Oh, oh, okay."

Shao Ziyang was thus passively lit up a cigarette; in fact, he didn't even understand what was going on himself.

While Yang Tianxing was encouraging Shao Ziyang to smoke, he took the opportunity to puff away himself, and only then did he gradually feel a bit more comfortable.

Although Tian Jiayi didn't mind boys smoking, she still felt it was quite strange.

This was truly rare. In the two weeks Little Zhiliao had been at the Yanta campus, all kinds of boys had been hovering around her, and Little Zhiliao had never encouraged anyone to smoke.

Thinking this, Tian Jiayi looked at Shao Ziyang carefully, then remembered that he was the one who had initiated this gathering. She thought to herself, it couldn't be, right? Could this be Little Zhiliao's true love?

But it didn't look like it. Whether it was that fair-skinned boy or the other one with the arrogant brow, both were probably more competitive.

Just as Tian Jiayi was letting her imagination run wild, Hu Jiahao didn't miss this opportunity to perform. He said to Yang Tianxing and Shao Ziyang in an instructive tone: "You guys are really something. Smoking in front of two pretty girls, you really have no gentlemanly conduct at all."

Shao Ziyang turned bright red from the comment, but Yang Tianxing didn't mind at all. He flicked the ash and said with a grin: "Jiahao is still the same as before, very gentlemanly—doesn't smoke, doesn't drink, and always insists on paying the bill when dining with ladies."

Hu Jiahao had been quite happy when he heard the first two parts, but what was this about "insisting on paying the bill"?

Yang Tianxing said directly to Tan Zhizhi and Tian Jiayi: "Hu Jiahao is treating everyone to hot pot tonight. Will you two beauties do us the honor?"

This was Yang Tianxing deliberately putting Hu Jiahao on the spot, but before Hu Jiahao could explain, Tan Zhizhi smiled and said: "Then thank you, Jiahao. Our Xiao Yi is still single."

"Hey, you're single yourself, yet you're talking about me."

Tian Jiayi laughed and went to tickle Tan Zhizhi's armpit, and the two girls started playing around on the table.

The matter of Hu Jiahao treating them to dinner that night was settled just like that, and Yang Tianxing added: "Jiahao, make sure to perform well."

"Hmph."

Hu Jiahao let out a cold snort and turned his head away, ignoring Yang Tianxing. He cared about his face, and now it was hard for him to back out.

Shao Ziyang chuckled inwardly, thinking that Hu Jiahao was really too good at putting on airs. Even if Little Yang and Little Zhiliao were having a conflict, it was their own business; why did he have to go and stick his nose in? As a result, he had been jointly squeezed out by this pair of "exes" who still had such tacit understanding.

At a little past 4:00 PM, the group arrived at a Little Sheep Hot Pot in the Yanta University Town. When they sat down, Tan Zhizhi deliberately left a seat between herself and Yang Tianxing, which left Yang Tianxing feeling a bit regretful.

He had originally wanted to pretend to have accidental physical contact to test Tan Zhizhi's bottom line.

However, while eating hot pot, they ran into some boys from Jiaotong University. When they saw Tan Zhizhi and Tian Jiayi, they walked over with smiles to talk.

"Beauty Tan and Beauty Tian are having hot pot."

Tian Jiayi saw they were acquaintances and looked up, saying: "If Zhizhi weren't here, you probably would have pretended not to see me."

Tan Zhizhi's face was flushed a deep red from the hot pot steam, adding to her beauty. The boys didn't dare to look too much and walked out with their arms around each other's shoulders.

Yang Tianxing followed them with his eyes; several of the boys were still looking back longingly toward their table when they reached the door.

He suddenly felt a sense of crisis in his heart, because this hot pot meal had only lasted two hours, and several groups of boys had already come over to talk. It was obvious that Tian Jiayi didn't have that kind of charm.

"It seems I have to think of a once-and-for-all solution to cut off anyone else's thoughts of pursuing Little Zhiliao."