Chapter Forty-Four On the Way Back Home at Night

  Someone anonymously posted a photo on our school's BBS, and in the comments said that Xiao Qiao came to work at "Sweet Sweet" during summer vacation because of a certain girl in the photo, and that girl has a close relationship with him. I also took a closer look at the photo, although the clarity is so low that it makes me want to punch the person who took it, but I can still make out the five girls inside... which are us. So now there are so many Xiao Qiao fans coming here to admire him while casting measuring glances our way...

  "No way, no way!" Xiao Yu slapped the table a few times, looking disbelieving. "How could they think we're rivals in love? I remember Xiao Qiao, he's clearly the strongest...".

  "I didn't say we're rivals in love, if we really were, wouldn't we have to hide now?" Mu Mu cut off Xiao Yu's words with a tense face, "Shh, I'll tell you the details when we get back!"

  "Is something in your eye?" I curiously looked at MuMu's constantly blinking eyes.

  She was taken aback, then let out an "ah" and rubbed her eyes while muttering: "Lately the pressure has been a bit too much, I haven't slept well at night, not only am I losing hair, but even my eyebrows and eyelashes are almost gone, it's really annoying!"

  I said with a smile: "Xiao Yu, what did you just say Xiao Qiao is good at?"

  Now Xiaoyu and Momo both call Xiaoqiao "senior", the reason is very simple - she says she wants to respect her elders and care for the young.

  Upon hearing my question, Xiao Yu's face suddenly became rich in expression: "Eh? Ah, strong, strong, strong...... What do you think, Yao?"

  "I?" I'm really not good at making up words on the spot, and I said with a lot of embarrassment, "I only know about gang rape and gang assault."

  "Strong attack?! Haha! How could that be? Impossible! Yayou, what kind of joke is this?!" She laughed and slapped the table, "I... said... you... guys... are... speaking... out... loud...!"

  "It's Johnson." Ayan spoke in a flat tone.

  Xiaoyu and Momo suddenly widened their eyes, while Haiying calmly ate the already fragmented mango pudding with a spoon.

  "This ambiguous term made me also involuntarily widen my eyes: 'A Qian, what you mean by "strong birth", is it referring to that American brand "Born for Love" or a new phrase describing someone who can give birth to multiple babies?' Seeing the dangerous glint in her narrowed eyes, I shrank back and weakly added, 'I'm asking this shamelessly...'"

  "Bai Yaoyao, I've found that your messy thoughts are getting more and more. She finally withdrew her sharp gaze and continued to say, "Xiao Qiao, in their school, there's a nickname for him, called Strong Baby... Little Prince, because he insists on using Strong Baby infant milk bath gel every day. Haven't you noticed that when you get close to Xiao Qiao, you can smell the milky fragrance of the bath gel?"

  I thought back carefully: "None."

  She hooked her lips: "Starting from tomorrow, you will smell it."

  "Xiao Qiao is indeed stunningly beautiful, but," I raised my doubts, "when did he become so famous in school? He even has a professional fan club, not just a prince, but a branded prince!"

  They fell silent, and it wasn't until Cheng Qiao inadvertently let out another shriek that Mu Mu hesitantly said: "Yao Yao, didn't Xiao Qiao tell you that he's the one person in our school who everyone acknowledges is a total loser?"

  I was stunned for a moment: "That grass? You mean, Xiao Qiao is actually your school's...". I almost shouted out loud, "School Grass?!"

  They nodded without hesitation.

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  I shook my head and as soon as I thought of this, I felt like my brain had been split open and several small black stars rose up before my eyes.

  After being together for so long, although I've always been dazzled by Cheng Qiao's beauty, I never thought he would be the school's most popular guy. Maybe it's because of the influence of those "iceberg guys", "gentle guys", "academic guys", and "perverted guys" from Xiao Yan's stories, my subconscious mind thinks that all popular guys should have some kind of inner "outstanding" quality, like...the inexplicable He Mo Tian. So I never thought Cheng Qiao was the type to be a popular guy, but last time, the Cheng Qiao who had an aura that made me tremble, indeed lived up to being the ultimate school idol.

  Such shocking news must be shared with someone, so I immediately moved closer to Auntie: "Auntie, do you know? Xiao Qiao is actually the school heartthrob!"

  She raised her head in surprise, looked at me carefully for a while, and then gently stroked my hair: "So what if you're the school grass? If our Yaoyao also goes to college, she'll definitely be an unstoppable school flower. Listen, don't get into trouble with Xiao Qiao, he's just a boy, not good-looking enough, you know other girls can't compare to you."

  The corner of my mouth twitched: "Auntie, where are you getting at? I just think it's strange that Xiao Qiao, being the school grass, didn't even mention it to me?"

  She put the bill into her drawer while saying: "This is normal, generally people don't really dare to compliment themselves on how good-looking they are."

  Ordinary people are embarrassed? Suddenly, a sentence that Ah Qian had said before popped into my mind: I don't know about being the school flower or whatever, but anyway, in our school, I've never seen anyone who looks better than me.

  I fell silent for a moment, nodded: "Ordinary people are indeed embarrassed." After a pause, I said again, "Auntie, are you... leaving?"

  "Alright," she picked up the car keys and smiled sweetly at me, "your uncle just called to say that he's already booked the movie tickets, it's the latest romantic art film. Don't worry, you're a capable little boss lady, aren't you? And it's almost 10 o'clock, I'm sure there won't be another big wave of customers coming in, no problem at all. You can just work hard for today and drive back yourself, if you're really scared, you can call Xiao Qiao to send you, he'll definitely be happy to do so. That's it, see you tomorrow."

  "What if I forgot to collect the money?"

  "It's okay," she said with a soft laugh as she walked around me. "You can fill it up yourself."

  Watching her walk out slowly with elegant steps, I furrowed my brow and clenched my fist. Fine, even if you put a knife to my throat and forced me to forget, I wouldn't be able to forget this kind of thing.

  The dessert shop's closing time was originally set at 11 o'clock, but generally speaking, as long as there are no customers in the store, we will close ahead of schedule. Today I was worried that it would be very late before I could go home, because a few girls sat until 11:20 and still looked reluctant to leave, but I don't know what Cheng Qiao said to them, they actually floated over to pay the bill, and then floated out.

  Axiu and the others signed off one after another to get off work, leaving only me in the large store who was still collecting bills, and Cheng Qiao who was turning off the lights on the second floor.

  I threw the last bill into the drawer, pulled out the key and was about to stand up when I lost my footing and stumbled. With one hand supporting myself against the wall, I accidentally knocked over the only small lamp on my head, extinguishing it.

  The only unrolled shutter outside was the big gate, and the opposite shops were all dark. The dim yellow light of the streetlights barely seeped in from afar. In this almost pitch-black situation, the tulle curtains that I had loved so much in the hall suddenly became eerie and ghostly. I stiffened, not daring to move.

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  Everyone wonders what will happen in the dark of a lonely man and woman? The innocent author floats by...

  Recommendation of friend's new book:

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  This book is full of surprises, with all sorts of absurdities, humor and warmth.

  [Book ID == "Waiting for the Male God"] Li Mumo said: "Han Moqin, you can't smile at me, or I'll lose myself." Watch how the eccentric woman Li Mumo gets rich and colorful in ancient times.

  Everyone,