Cheng Che closed the door, but did not return to the room.
He knew that the reason it was so quiet inside was because they thought Jiang Xue and Cheng Jianguo were still there.
If they knew Jiang Xue and Cheng Jianguo had already left, things might be different.
So he leaned against the door and stood there without moving.
We can't go in now; we need to make them think there's someone at the door.
Inside the wardrobe, the three women were suffering.
Yan Ruanning was on the outermost side, peeked out through the crack in the cabinet door.
The gap was very narrow, allowing only a corner of the coffee table and half of the sofa to be seen.
She could neither see Jiang Xue nor Cheng Jianguo.
Her gaze shifted to the side again, and she could no longer see Cheng Che.
She made a mental assessment.
There was no sound of a door closing or footsteps fading away from the direction of the entrance.
Jiang Xue and Cheng Jianguo should still be at the door, probably chatting with Cheng Che.
She looked away, trying to calm her breathing.
She leaned against the wardrobe wall, her back against the cool wooden board, and felt her shoulder touch Su Miaoyin's shoulder.
The two of them moved half an inch to the side at the same time, their shoulders separating.
Meanwhile, Pei Jingshu, who was at the very back, was inwardly blaming the two people.
If you're easily frightened, don't come.
If it were her, she would definitely have gone with Cheng Che to meet Jiang Xue and Cheng Jianguo.
Wouldn't it be better to just establish a relationship directly?
However, she seemed to have forgotten that she was the first person to hide in the closet.
The one who suffered the most was Su Miaoyin.
She drank a lot of water at dinner, and then drank a can of beverage while eating barbecue.
Now she leans against the middle of the wardrobe, her legs pressed tightly together, her toes curling and relaxing inside her slippers.
She bit her lip, afraid to move.
She was afraid that if she made a move, she would break this quiet balance.
She cursed inwardly. It's all Cheng Che's fault.
If it weren't for him attracting so many women here, she wouldn't have ended up hiding in the closet, holding in her pee.
Time seemed to pass very slowly.
Outside the door, Cheng Che leaned against the door panel, estimating that it was about time.
He left the doorway and tiptoed into the room.
He stood in front of the wardrobe and said in a low voice.
"You can come out now."
This sentence is like a starting gun.
The wardrobe door was suddenly pushed open.
Su Miaoyin practically leaped out; she rushed out of the closet, like Liu Xiang hurdling, dodging the coffee table, and heading towards the bathroom.
Her slippers made a "clattering" sound on the floor, and then the bathroom door slammed shut.
Yan Ruanning walked out of the wardrobe at a leisurely pace.
She patted the wrinkles off her T-shirt, stood next to the wardrobe, and looked at Cheng Che.
A half-smile played at the corners of her lips.
Then the toilet door opened.
Su Miaoyin came out, her expression much more relaxed.
She walked over to Yan Ruanning, stopped, and looked at Cheng Che.
The two people had the exact same expression: a half-smile, a half-serious one.
Cheng Che stood opposite them, his back feeling a little numb.
Amidst this atmosphere of torture, Pei Jingshu emerged from the wardrobe.
She was barefoot on the carpet, and her eyes lit up the moment she saw Cheng Che.
She excitedly shouted "Oppa!" and then rushed towards him.
As soon as this unexpected turn of events occurred, Su Miaoyin and Yan Ruanning made their moves simultaneously.
The two moved in perfect unison, as if they had rehearsed.
Su Miaoyin reached out and grabbed Pei Jingshu's right arm, Yan Ruanning grabbed her left arm.
The two of them pulled back at the same time, stopping Pei Jingshu.
Pei Jingshu was pulled back half a step, turned around, and looked at them with a blank expression.
Su Miaoyin and Yan Ruanning did not look at her.
Both of them had their eyes on Cheng Che, a smile on their lips, but the smile was devoid of warmth.
"I won't bother you any longer," Su Miaoyin said.
"Go to bed early," Yan Ruanning said.
Then the two of them, one on each side, dragged Pei Jingshu out.
Pei Jingshu was being dragged along, her feet sliding half a meter on the carpet. She turned around and called out "Oppa" in Korean.
But her voice was cut off by the closed door.
The door closed.
Cheng Che stood there, staring at the closed door.
He heard the footsteps of three people fading away in the corridor, and Pei Jingshu's voice could still be faintly heard, but it grew softer and softer.
He let out a long breath, walked to the door, and locked it.
Then he checked it again.
It's locked.
He also put the chain on.
I won't open the door for anyone who knocks later.
He turned and walked to the bedside, preparing to lie down.
Too much has happened tonight; he needs to sleep.
He had to go back to Peking University tomorrow; Pei Jingshu's flight was in the afternoon, and he promised to see her off.
He had only lain down for less than five minutes when there was a knock on the door.
Cheng Che didn't move.
There was a third knock on the door.
Then it stopped.
Then his phone rang.
He glanced at the screen; it was Qin Lie.
He didn't answer.
The phone rang for about ten seconds, then stopped.
Then Qin Lie's voice came from outside the door.
" Cheng Che? Are you asleep?"
Cheng Che pulled the blanket up to cover his head.
There was a moment of silence outside the door.
Then he heard Qin Lie scratch his head; he probably saw through the crack in the door that the light inside was off.
"Why are you asleep so early?" Qin Lie's voice was muffled, carrying a hint of doubt.
He stood there for a while longer, then the footsteps faded into the distance.
Cheng Che lay in bed with his eyes closed.
Finally, it's quiet.
He rolled over and buried his face in the pillow. Tonight's battle was more exhausting than any final he had ever played.