Chapter 156: You're only eighteen! And you're dating!

The high-speed rail door had already closed, and Shen Li couldn't let him get off the train now.

Even if Grandma saw him, she shouldn't say anything; she knew that at school, she had met a male classmate she played well with.

Xie Qin turned his head to look at her, without his usual rogue tone, and added a bit of seriousness: "Regarding repeating a year in Wuchuan, discuss it properly with your family first, try not to quarrel, and tell me once you've decided, regardless of the final choice of where to stay."

"Don't not reply to my messages."

Shen Li lowered her eyes and responded calmly: "Mm."

After half a while, she turned her head again and told him: "Xie Qin, if I stay in Haishi, my mom might not let me touch my phone, and might not reply to your messages in time."

Xie Qin raised his eyes to look at her: "It's okay, small problem, it's only for a year, I can still afford to wait."

"Also! Actually, I..."

Shen Li also looked at his eyes, listening to him continue.

"For the person I like, my requirements aren't that high, and I don't like people with good grades."

He didn't want to make her too tired either.

He was also afraid that Shen Li would take those words from last time seriously.

He felt it was better to explain to her.

All standards, as long as it was someone he liked, were not worth mentioning at all.

Liking is a feeling of self-consciousness, his feeling told him, he liked her...

Even if she was bad, he would still like her.

"Shen Li... it doesn't matter if it's not Qingbei University. Any regular university, first or second tier, is fine, and then choose a major you like. Do you know?"

What she likes...

She didn't know what she liked.

From the day she went to school, her family's goal for her was only Qingbei University.

Her thoughts... seemed not that important in front of this goal.

Before going to Wuchuan, Shen Li's life seemed to be prescribed, a path that could be seen clearly and walked to the end.

Until she went to Wuchuan and met Xie Qin, it gradually began to change.

Xie Qin was the only person who said these words to her, "But I don't know what I like."

Xie Qin looked at her with a smile, his tone idle: "Then think about it slowly, if you can't think of it in a day, then ten days, one month, two months, you will know what you like one day, your future... will have meaning."

That last sentence completely attacked her heart.

He...

Remembered it all.

That day the weather wasn't very good, the last period was a class meeting, she took out two hundred yuan of class fees from her pocket to hand in, and sat back in her seat.

At that time, the class teacher asked everyone to write down what they wanted to do in the future on a slip of paper.

She had just entered from the classroom door, and the class teacher asked her in front of the class students.

"You weren't there for the class meeting just now, so the teacher asked the students to write down what they wanted to do in the future on a white paper. Now that you are back, the teacher wants to hear yours."

The answer she gave was...

"The future... has no meaning to me."

Because at that time, she had given up on herself.

She didn't know how to walk the path ahead at all.

That's why she said those words.

Now...

But there was someone pushing her forward.

Telling her that the future was not meaningless.

Telling her not to give up on herself.

Surging in her heart were not very good emotions.

Shen Li's lips moved, and after a while, she said in a muffled, trembling voice: "Mm, I remember."

Xie Qin rubbed her head, like soothing a child. He probably

Shen Li sniffled and reined in her emotions.

He had already planned everything out; if she was staying in Haishi, then he would stay in Wuchuan. At worst, he would just make a few more trips and go see her whenever he had the time.

They arrived at "Su Shi."

After getting off the train, Xie Qin dragged her suitcase with one hand and held her hand with the other, slowly walking out of the high-speed railway station.

Several taxis were parked by the side of the road.

Xie Qin hailed one at random and got into the car.

The driver glanced at them through the rearview mirror. The boy had a rebellious look in his eyes, exuding a lazy, laid-back vibe, and was very handsome. The girl had a cold, refined temperament; she wore no makeup, her long black hair was draped down, and her features were stunning. They looked like a perfect match, clearly a couple at first glance.

Shen Li gave a location: "Go to Xiangxie Liyuan."

The driver: "Which university are you two from? It's so early for winter break."

Shen Li sat quietly to the side and didn't reply. Xie Qin lifted his eyelids, looked into the rearview mirror, and met the driver's gaze: "Yeah, just came over from Wuchuan."

The driver: "Wuchuan, huh! That's a great place. Good environment, good scenery, and it's a first-tier city, too. My wife and I went there for a trip during National Day this year; there's a lot of good food there."

Xie Qin impatiently gave a perfunctory response: "It's alright."

That was just how he was. Whether he was on the phone or chatting with someone, he didn't have much patience, giving people the feeling that they should finish speaking and shut up as soon as possible.

The driver talked to himself for the whole ride.

When the car stopped at the entrance of the residential complex, they were very strict about outside vehicles here.

The driver couldn't get in either, so he had to stop at the main gate.

After getting out, Shen Li took the suitcase from his hand. "I'll take it from here."

The security guards at this complex knew her.

There were bound to be people she knew nearby; it wouldn't be good if they were seen being too close.

Xie Qin lowered his head and glanced at the security guard not far away. Noticing that the guard was also looking their way, he understood her concerns and handed her the luggage.

"I'll just walk you to here. You... go on back."

Xie Qin kept his head down, lazily raising a hand to touch his neck, his gaze not on her. "There's still a bit of a walk, isn't there? You go your way, I won't follow you all the way home. I'll leave once you're almost there."

Shen Li met his dark gaze and pressed her lips together.

Three seconds of silence passed.

In the end, she relented. "Suit yourself."

Saying this, Shen Li dragged her suitcase and turned to enter the complex.

Xie Qin followed at a leisurely pace, looking around. "The environment here is actually quite nice. Where do you live?"

Shen Li: "Walk to the end, the second building from the last."

The layout here was all the same; the three-story stacked villas had large courtyards at the entrance. The landscaping was well-done, and there was a fountain in the middle with a few children playing there.

Xie Qin kept his distance as he followed her for a stretch.

They didn't see anyone along the way.

He moved from following behind her to walking up to her side and taking her hand, their fingers interlacing.

Shen Li tilted her head slightly, staring at him in a daze.

Xie Qin: "Just holding hands for a bit, there's no one around anyway."

Shen Li didn't speak, tacitly accepting his action. She moved her fingers slightly, her fingertips giving his a light squeeze in return.

The two of them walked slowly, holding hands like that.

Xie Qin said some random things in a leisurely tone: "We won't see each other for a long time from now on. Remember to keep your distance from other boys and talk less to the opposite sex. You have to remember, you're a person with a partner."

He had already said this on the high-speed train, repeating it several times. Shen Li wasn't annoyed as she listened: "Yeah, I know. You've already said that many times."

Which meant, you don't need to say it anymore.

Thinking about how it would be hard to see each other in the future, Shen Li felt a bit empty inside too.

Xie Qin raised his eyebrows. He wasn't just a little worried; he was one hundred percent uneasy.

Men understood men best.

He was afraid she wouldn't be able to defend against those flowery words and underhanded tactics, and that someone would lure her away from him.

"Repeat what I said in your mind a few more times. Don't just listen; keep it in your heart."

"Okay."

"If you dare to be fickle, abandon me, or be irresponsible with my feelings..." Xie Qin tilted his head, eyeing her sideways, his dark eyes narrowing. Finally, he slowly spat out a four-word warning: "You! Are! Done! For!"

Shen Li met his eyes and replied: "I won't like anyone else but you."

Hearing this, the smile in Xie Qin's eyes deepened. In an excellent mood, he said with self-affirmation: "That's true. Besides me, you won't find such a handsome guy to be your boyfriend."

"Cherish it well."

The confident, high-spirited air about Xie Qin was unique to him. His words were arrogant, but they were the capital he possessed.

He was indeed very handsome; it would be hard to find a second one.

"Yeah!"

Suddenly, a thought popped into Shen Li's mind: In one's youth, one shouldn't meet someone too stunning. Otherwise, it's hard to take anyone else to heart later on. Because, compared to the former, everyone else always feels like they fall a bit short.

Seven or eight minutes later.

Shen Li stopped under a large, leafy tree: "This is as far as you can go."

Just as the words left her lips, at that very moment.

"A-Li!"

A long-lost voice came from not far away.

Shen Li's heart sank violently.

She turned to look.

Yu Lizhen was carrying the groceries she had just bought, and Shen Zhaozhao was by her side.

The hands they were holding quickly let go.

This small movement was ultimately caught by Yu Lizhen. Her eyes revealed an invisible sternness. Her gaze swept over Xie Qin very quickly, and she didn't say a word.

Then her eyes landed on Shen Li. "Hurry home."

After dropping those four short words, she turned and walked into the small western-style house.

The laziness in Xie Qin's eyes faded, replaced by a touch of gravity. "Do you need me to go explain?"

Shen Li shook her head. "I'm fine. You go back."

Yu Lizhen was placing the groceries in her hand onto the cabinet in the entryway. "Zhaozhao, you go back to your room upstairs first."

Shen Zhaozhao hesitated, wanting to say something, but in the end, she said nothing: "Okay, Mom."

Grandma Shen, sitting on the sofa, heard the off-putting tone and thought something had happened. "What's wrong?"

She looked back and saw the person who had returned dragging a suitcase. "Ruanruan, you're back."

Shen Li walked into the entryway, closed the door, and called out: "Grandma."

As the words fell, Yu Lizhen raised her hand and slapped her across the face. Shen Li's face was whipped to the side, and a clear mark instantly appeared on her cheek.

From the initial numbness to the intense pain, she bore it all silently.

Grandma Shen scolded angrily and stepped forward to protect her: "Why are you hitting the child!"

Yu Lizhen's face was dark, her eyes filled with cold, piercing severity, accompanied by a frigid voice: "Why did I hit her? You ask her if I should have hit her!"

"Who was that boy just now!"

She lowered her eyes.

It was like this again. Every time she was reprimanded, she would only lower her head and not say a word.

Grandma Shen looked at the red palm print on her face, her heart aching terribly. "Ruanruan is studying in Wuchuan; it's normal to make friends. No matter what, you can't hit the child."

"Mom! You're still protecting her!" Yu Lizhen was so angry her chest felt tight. "You started puppy love back in high school, and now I've caught you holding hands with a boy. Do you dare say you haven't been messing around out there?"

"..."

Shen Li didn't speak.

"How could I have a shameless daughter like you? You're only eighteen! And you're already in puppy love!"

"..."

"Is it because of him that you refused to come back?"

Accustomed to these harsh scoldings, Shen Li had no expression on her face, appearing extremely calm.