Chapter 31: A sense of loss
Zhang Xiaoqiao, Li Han, Xiao Xu, and the others did not understand Lin Luoran's relationship with him. Even with Tang Wu there, they could hardly help letting their imaginations run wild. It was forgivable.
Lin Luoran was the sort who did not need to spare even a glance for people she did not know, as shown by her bluntness when she and Wang Weiwei's group first met Su Can and the others in that little video room in Xiahai. With casual acquaintances, however, she always presented a quiet, approachable side. For instance, when she first made her striking appearance at Nanjing University as a debater in the invitational tournament against Shanghai International Studies University, she had been commanding and aggressive onstage, joining Shanghai International Studies University's team leader Dong Xiaojia in cornering Su Can until everyone was secretly sweating on his behalf. Afterward, to their astonishment, they had eaten with her at a Sichuan restaurant at Nanjing University and discovered that she was nothing like her debating persona. She was very approachable, which naturally earned her a flood of praise from Su Can's roommates.
With people she knew inside out, such as Su Can and Wang Weiwei, Lin Luoran naturally showed her lively, energetic true nature. Su Can had often visited her home in the Municipal Party Committee Compound. They had sat together at night drinking beer, eating barbecue, playing cards and video games, and chatting. Su Can had even seen her several times sitting on the sofa watching television in nothing but her pajamas after a shower. Lin Luoran had always been easygoing and uninhibited, so she felt perfectly justified in asking Su Can and Tang Wu to stay and keep her company.
But other people might not understand.
The atmosphere turned awkward.