Chapter 291

After a moment's hesitation, he slowly said under Li Xue's gaze, "If I had to say something's off, it's probably..." "A lot happier?" "She's been smiling a lot more lately, and that absent-minded look she had a couple of days ago is much less." Li Xue frowned upon hearing this. Although Shan Qing's assessment was similar to her own, her womanly intuition still detected something amiss. "Rather than being happy..." "It seems like she's anxious about something." Li Xue stroked her chin, looking deep in thought. If she were wearing a hat and smoking a pipe, she'd look even more like Sherlock Holmes investigating a case. "Anxious about what?" Shan Qing murmured, somewhat puzzled, his expression mirroring Li Xue's thoughtfulness. This wasn't because they were being nosy; rather, after spending so much time together, they had long considered Hua Xin a very good friend and a junior they needed to look after. Not to mention that Hua Xin's work skills were becoming increasingly proficient, playing a role in attracting and retaining customers to a certain extent. Just Hua Xin ability to revive a business on the verge of collapse when facing fierce competition was enough for them to be grateful. Of course, there was also pity and concern for Hua Xin involved. "It's her boyfriend!" x2 The two of them simultaneously ended their thinking about the matter and looked at each other, expressing their thoughts in unison. Seeing this sudden sense of understanding, they couldn't help but chuckle. Li Xue slammed her fist against her palm, then said with a sudden realization, "That really is the only possibility..." "How long has it been since Xia Yan picked up Xiao Hua?" "Could it be that he cheated on her with another woman? And the already fragile Xiao Hua was manipulated and tricked by him, now she's considering whether to forgive him!!!" "I don't think Xia Yan seems like that kind of person..." Shan Qing wiped non-existent sweat from her brow, weakly offering her opinion, then added, "Besides, Xiao Fen came to play too... should we ask her later?" "That makes sense." Li Xue nodded thoughtfully... At this moment, Hua Xin, who was listening intently to Xia Fen's endless recounting of university life and the interesting things that happened before and after the college entrance exam, had no time to seriously listen to her sharing of experiences and fun. Something that had been troubling her for a month had plunged her into deep self-doubt and incomprehension. "Sister Xin Hua, don't you think this is too much of a jerk?" "... Jerky! It really is jerk!" Hua Xin, who had forgotten the first part and the second part, only heard the last Hua Xin and immediately came to her senses, quickly agreeing. Unexpectedly, Xia Fen slapped Hachimi's butt on her lap and said somewhat resentfully, "Right! Xia Yan is just so jerk!" "..." A half-smile appeared on Hua Xin's face. She tried to hold it in but almost did, and finally tried to maintain her usual calm expression. However, her twitching lips, her hands that had been crumpled into a ball, and her toes that seemed to be digging into a three-bedroom apartment revealed her anxiety. Although she didn't know how Xia Fen had gone from talking about college entrance exam questions and university classes to Xia Yan, Hua Xin couldn't hold back her questions any longer. Whether it was hinting online or remaining silent, Xia Yan was no different from before. "Xia Yan, he..." "Has he said anything strange to you lately?" Hua Xin managed to get the question out of her chest, albeit indirectly. "Him?" "Let me think..." Xia Fen's little eyes darted around, her previously excited and constantly changing expression calming down, but the subtle doubt in her eyes proved that she probably didn't know either. After all, Xia Yan only stayed for two or three days after sending her back to Shanghai for the start of the semester before returning to Beijing to visit her grandfather. "Nothing particularly strange, right?" "At most, he told me that if I dared to skip class, he would definitely make sure the teacher failed me." "But who's afraid of him, tsk." Hearing Xia Fen's answer, Hua Xin's heart remained in a state of unease, and she slumped onto the table, her face flushed slightly with worry. She silently wailed in her heart: [Did Xia Yan even look at her face that night?!?!] She had deliberately gotten drunk qwq. 226. "Look at the way you're standing together!" The old man lying in bed widened his eyes when he saw a figure entering through the door carrying a thermos of food. He then instinctively covered his eyes with one hand, vividly portraying the helplessness of not wanting to see someone but still having to. "What are you saying? Why can't I come?" "You only allow Xiao Fen to come see you. Seeing me annoys me." Xia Yan sighed, placing the thermos on the table with a pained and aggrieved expression, his tone tinged with resentment and helplessness. But more than anything, his eyes revealed the heartache and confusion hidden beneath the old man's gaze. Xia Yan hid it well, always wearing a smile, and never appearing silent in front of his grandfather like he had when he was alone with Hua Xin in the park. He could be sad, upset, or at a loss. But he could never show such an expression in front of his grandfather. "Fen'er came because she's on vacation and has nothing to do, so she came to keep this old man company." "And you?" "You're always skipping your studies and coming here all day long. You don't go to school or go home anymore. People who don't know better would think I'm about to die." The old man lying on the bed complained, his beard bristling, but his body obediently took the bowl of soup that Xia Yan handed him. Seeing this, Xia Yan's feigned dissatisfaction vanished instantly. He chuckled and put the spoon in the bowl, then sat down at the foot of the bed. "I'm fine too, our advisor is great. University isn't as strict as you imagine. It's completely different from high school when it was hard to even get a day off." However... although that's what he said. In reality, Xia Yan had already gotten a vacation that most people couldn't get in four years of university combined. When he sent Xia Fen back to school, his advisor, Director Li, had already told him about this. Basically, she had done her best, and if she kept giving him long vacations, the school wouldn't be able to explain it. Fortunately, the holidays were just around the corner, and this was the only small favor Director Li could offer him, for which Xia Yan was incredibly grateful. So, these last two days were the last he could spend with his grandfather. Looking at his grandfather's once robust body, now frail from the ravages of various medications, and his bald head, Xia Yan couldn't help but recall how his grandfather would always lift him high onto his shoulders when he was little. He vaguely remembered what he was thinking back then, what he felt. Probably: wanting to grow up that tall someday, to become an adult and stand on the ground looking at the boundless scenery. Childhood thoughts about time were always filled with longing, a longing to grow up quickly, to grow up faster.