What is a death stare?
Cheng Che used to find this word funny when he saw it in videos.
But at this moment, sitting in the passenger seat of the van, he saw four pairs of eyes on him simultaneously through the rearview mirror, which made him instantly uncomfortable.
Those four pairs of eyes belonged to Jiang Xue, Cheng Jianguo, Su Miaoyin, and Yan Ruanning, respectively.
Jiang Xue's eyes held a mixture of doubt and curiosity, Cheng Jianguo's eyes were purely those of someone watching a show, Su Miaoyin's eyes held something indescribable, and although Yan Ruanning's hat brim was pulled low, her gaze shone through it like a thin beam of light.
In fact, Cheng Che hadn't expected Pei Jingshu to be so decisive.
They came without hesitation.
However, it wouldn't be entirely accurate to say that he had strong feelings for Pei Jingshu.
He considered Pei Jingshu more of a friend.
Pei Jingshu's enthusiasm left him both somewhat overwhelmed and a little smug.
Since he became handsome, many people at No. 13 Middle School have confessed their love to him and sent him love letters.
But despite his past mediocrity in many aspects, he has very high aesthetic standards and a somewhat unrealistic ambition.
So apart from focusing on system tasks and training, he rarely took those confessions to heart.
Then came Yan Ruanning and Su Miaoyin.
But they were all reserved, like the twinkling stars at night.
As for Pei Jingshu, she was like the blazing sun. Although it was very hot and made him sweat profusely, her sparseness brought him joy.
At this moment, Jiang Xue spoke up.
"Is it the South Korea girl you've been rumored to be dating online?"
Her tone was filled with enthusiasm, and she leaned forward, her gaze fixed on Cheng Che's profile.
Cheng Che gave an awkward laugh, "We're just friends."
We are indeed friends now.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Xue's eyes lit up, and she waved, "Hello friend, get in the car, let's go pick up your friend."
Cheng Che hurriedly pushed open the car door, jumped out of the van, and moved to the passenger seat.
He fastened his seatbelt and let out a long sigh of relief.
He felt much more relaxed without the death stares from the back row, and even laughed.
Qin Lie sat in the driver's seat and glanced at him in the rearview mirror.
He saw Cheng Che's lips curl up in a smile, looking like he had just escaped a disaster, and he sighed inwardly.
This kid probably has no idea what he's about to face.
He actually sensed that something was off.
But Pei Jingshu came all this way to find him, so was he really going to say, "Go back?"
That's outrageous!
The car rejoined the traffic flow.
In the rearview mirror, the four people in the back row sat silently.
The silence in the carriage lasted for about three minutes before Jiang Xue finally couldn't hold back any longer.
" Old Cheng," she glanced at Cheng Jianguo, "Say something."
Cheng Jianguo opened his eyes, thought for a moment, and asked, "What did you say?"
"Say whatever you want." Jiang Xue's voice carried a hint of barely suppressed impatience. "We can't just stay silent the whole way, can we? Miaoyin and Ruanning are still here."
Cheng Jianguo paused for a moment, then cleared his throat. "The weather is nice today."
Jiang Xue her eyes at him.
Su Miaoyin chuckled softly beside her.
The laughter was brief, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet workshop.
Jiang Xue glanced at her, as if she had finally found a way to start a conversation.
" Miaoyin," Jiang Xue turned to the side, one hand resting on the back of the chair, "Did you watch the match today? How did Cheng Che play?"
"Very good," Su Miaoyin said, "He's in exceptionally good spirits today."
"What's so good about it?" Jiang Xue asked.
Su Miaoyin thought for a moment.
"His serve gave his opponent no chance. Zverev is world number three, but Cheng Che controlled the rhythm from start to finish. And..." she paused, "After that net shot, his mentality wasn't affected at all. That's the most remarkable thing."
Jiang Xue listened attentively, nodding as she listened, her eyes full of satisfaction.
She even glanced at Yan Ruanning, as if sharing something she was proud of.
"Did you hear that? Miaoyin said Cheng Che has a good attitude."
Yan Ruanning pushed her hat brim up, revealing her eyes.
She glanced at Jiang Xue, a slight smile playing on her lips, "Yes, he does have a good attitude."
Her tone was flat, but she pronounced the word "indeed" very clearly.
Su Miaoyin glanced at her sideways but didn't reply.
The air between them fell silent again.
Cheng Jianguo sat beside him and witnessed the whole scene.
He put his hands in his jacket pockets and tapped his fingers twice inside, as if he were tapping a beat.
He silently counted for Jiang Xue in his mind.
This was her thirty-third attempt to liven things up, but each time it cooled down after less than three sentences.
Cheng Jianguo glared at Cheng Che speechlessly, wondering where he'd learned to be so promiscuous.
Cheng Che didn't pay attention to what was behind him.
He took out his phone and opened KakaoTalk.
This is what Pei Jingshu asked him to download in the car last time, saying that South Korea all use it.
He types.
Cheng Che: We're almost there. But there are other people on the bus.
After sending the message, he leaned back in his chair and looked out the window.
The car drove towards the hotel where Pei Jingshu was staying.
In the rearview mirror, the four people in the back row sat silently.
Jiang Xue was looking down at her phone, Cheng Jianguo was leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed, Su Miaoyin was looking out the window, Yan Ruanning was pulling her hat brim down even further.
Cheng Che withdrew his gaze and looked ahead.
The streetlights outside the car window receded one by one, and the silence inside the car lasted for a long time.
He recalled the system notification from earlier and sighed inwardly.
This meal today is probably harder than playing in the final.
Meanwhile, two of the four people in the back row were also looking down at their phones.
Su Miaoyin opened WeChat and scrolled to her chat history with Cheng Che.
The last message she sent was, "I'll come watch your match tomorrow," to which Cheng Che replied, "Okay."
She stared at the word "okay" for several seconds, then exited the chat window.
Yan Ruanning opened Weibo; the comment section was still arguing.
She turned her phone over, placed it face down on her lap, and glanced at Su Miaoyin.
Su Miaoyin was looking down, her profile flickering in the streetlight.
Yan Ruanning withdrew her gaze, leaned back in her chair, and closed her eyes.
The car stopped in front of a hotel.
Through the Cheng Che saw Pei Jingshu standing next to the revolving door.
She was wearing a light yellow short-sleeved shirt, white shorts, her hair was tied in a bun, and she wore a pair of canvas shoes.
She was carrying a paper bag and was standing on tiptoe, peering towards the car.
Cheng Che pushed open the car door and got out.
When Pei Jingshu saw him, the corners of her mouth immediately turned up.
She walked quickly over, stopped in front of him, and said in Korean, "Congratulations on winning."
Cheng Che nodded and replied in Korean, "Thank you."
Then Pei Jingshu showed a wronged expression. "It's all because of the flight delay, I didn't get to see the competition and cheer for you."
Cheng Che's heart softened immediately.
Then he pointed to the van behind him and said in Korean, "There are other people in the van."
Pei Jingshu turned her head and glanced at the window of the nanny van.
The car windows are tinted, so you can't see inside from the outside.
She tilted her head and asked in Korean, "Who are they?"
Cheng Che opened his mouth.
He didn't know how to answer that question.