Summer Green Apples

Chi Sui paused in his card-playing motion, looked up, and when his dark, deep eyes looked over, Meng Leran tensed up.

"What's up?"

After he finished speaking, he quickly lowered his head and threw out two cards: "A pair of 2s."

His two cards were too big, and the other two boys shook their heads in unison, saying no, while looking over with gossipy expressions.

Chi then played a single 3.

Meng Leran then spoke up, "I heard you have a new deskmate, and she's a girl."

"..."

When this topic comes up, Chi Sui gets a little annoyed.

I've even lost interest in playing cards.

"and then?"

"I am..."

Meng Leran was truly beautiful. She wore a simple black dress, had a tall figure, and her collarbones were so deep they looked like they could hold water. She wore her hair in a bun with a few wisps of hair falling across her forehead. She had a striking and radiant appearance.

She became a little shy in front of the person she liked. "I just wanted to ask, is your new deskmate pretty?"

Xu Jiyang heard this sentence as soon as he walked over.

He chuckled, and just as he was about to speak, he heard Chi Sui give a very low "hmm," "Quite pretty."

Upon hearing this, Xu Jiyang stopped in his tracks and looked at Chi Sui in surprise.

Seriously, bro? If all else fails, I can click here to book an appointment at an ophthalmology clinic.

Meng Leran felt a sudden pang of sadness, unable to bear hearing Chi Sui praise others. "You're lying. I already found out. Your new deskmate is a country bumpkin from the countryside, poor and ugly."

Chi Sui completely lost his patience. After playing his last card, he looked up at Meng Leran and said in a light voice, "I think she's very pretty, prettier than you."

As soon as he finished speaking, the surroundings fell silent.

Xu Jiyang stared at Chi Sui in astonishment, like a screaming chicken being choked.

Chi sat up straight, hunched over, picked up a bottle of beer from the table in front of him, threaded his middle finger through the ring on the can, pulled it gently, and took two sips.

His Adam's apple rolled very lightly twice in the light.

Meng Leran was so angry that she ran away.

Xu Jiyang sat down, his hands gripping the edge of the sofa. "Seriously, bro? Were you deliberately trying to annoy the school beauty?"

"no."

Chi Sui held the beer in his hand, his eyelids drooping, as if recalling something. "It's the truth."

Xu Jiyang: "Oh no, there's something wrong with your eyes."

……

After finishing the last English test paper, Ji Xiwen took her new school uniform to the laundry room on the first floor.

She still wasn't used to having the nanny do her laundry.

I stood in front of the washing machine for ages, fiddling around, but still didn't know how to use it.

In the end, I had no choice but to manually scrub the clothes.

Fortunately, summer school uniforms are relatively light and thin, making them easy to wash. Back in her hometown, she always hand-washed her clothes.

Ji Xi wrung out the water and went to the balcony.

After hanging the clothes up to dry, she was about to go back when her phone rang in her pocket.

Ji Xiwen took out her phone and saw that it was a call from her grandmother.

"grandmother……"

Even though the old lady couldn't see her face, Ji Xiwen's eyes still crinkled with laughter.

"Wenwen, are you settling in well with your aunt?" The old lady was probably sitting in the yard, with dogs barking nearby.

"I'll get used to it." Ji Xiwen leaned on the windowsill, feeling a bit comfortable as the hot night breeze blew against her. "The school here is much bigger than No. 2 Middle School, the cafeteria has lots of delicious food, and the teachers explain things very carefully."

"Grandma isn't worried about that. Grandma is worried that you're living in someone else's house. Isn't that...being dependent on others? How can you be comfortable being dependent on others?"

The old lady lowered her voice.

Ji Xiwen's phone was a bit old and had obvious sound leakage.

These words not only reached her ears, but also clearly reached the ears of the person at the door.

Chi Sui stopped walking instinctively.

He wearily rubbed his temples and subconsciously glanced at the balcony.

The girl was still wearing the same clothes she had worn that morning. Her long, white legs, visible beneath her denim shorts, were dazzling. She held her phone in one hand, while her other hand appeared to be wet, dripping water.

"It's really nothing, Grandma."

The girl's voice was sweet and soft, and you could tell she had a very good relationship with her grandmother and was very dependent on her.

Chi then lifted his foot, preparing to return to his room.

"I haven't met Uncle Chi yet, but his son is a nice guy."

This sentence successfully made Chi Sui stop again.

He suspected he was so tired that he was hallucinating for a moment.

Or perhaps this adopted younger sister is trying to make her grandmother happy?

next second.

Ji Xiwen said earnestly, "I was hungry this morning, so I asked him if I could get something to eat from the refrigerator. He even told me to eat more, which made me a little embarrassed."

Chi Sui: "?"

"That's good, that's good." The old lady breathed a sigh of relief.

Chi Sui: "..."

The old lady then added, "I don't know what your parents are thinking, why they don't want you to come and live with them?"

Ji Xiwen is a left-behind child, whose parents work in Beijing year-round.

Ji Xiwen stared at the cherry blossom tree outside. "Mom said the rented room is too cramped."

She rarely saw her parents after she was born.

Ji Xiwen lived in a dilapidated and backward rural village. There was a stream by the village, which was a nice place with mountains and water, but it was too poor. Most of the houses were single-story, and the transportation was inconvenient, so all the young people in the village had left.

Ji Xiwen's parents are both migrant workers who have been working in Beijing for nearly twenty years. They only go back home for a few days during the Spring Festival each year, since the travel expenses are quite expensive.

Ji Xiwen was left in her hometown after she was born.

On the contrary, her younger brother, who was ten years younger than her, always stayed with their parents.

"You're such a small girl, you could easily fit in if you made a little extra space," the old lady said indignantly. "It's just favoritism; they think you're a girl and don't want to keep you around."

"Grandma..." Ji Xiwen comforted her, "It's very difficult to get into schools in Beijing. Mom and Dad can't find any connections; they're not as capable as Auntie..."

"is that so?"

The old lady wasn't very educated and was skeptical.

I just felt that the parents didn't want to keep Ji Xiwen with them because Ji Xiwen was a girl, and a girl who grew up with her grandparents.

That's right.

Ji Xiwen gently coaxed, "Besides, I'm doing quite well now, and the new school is great, so don't worry."

Her voice was naturally sweet, and this tone was like that of a nighttime lullaby anchor, gentle and soothing, making people unconsciously quiet down.

Chi Sui paused for a moment, realizing he might have gotten a little tipsy from drinking a can of beer, and for a moment he didn't leave.

Ji Xiwen hung up the phone and was about to go back to her room when she turned around and saw him, and was startled.

She instinctively gripped her phone tighter. "You...how could you..."

Chi Sui stared at her with lowered eyes. "Aren't you Ji Rong's daughter?"

Ji Xiwen had been working on her homework all day. She had clipped her bangs back with two cute little hair clips, revealing her clear eyebrows and eyes. Her eyelashes were curled and distinct.

At this moment, she opened her eyes wide in surprise, her pupils clear as a pool of water. "What? No, she's my aunt."

"……Um."