Chapter Thirty-Eight: A Slip of the Tongue

  "Go back?" Ye Zi stood up and patted the nonexistent dust on her buttocks.

  The mobile phone suddenly rang, and Ye Zi Shun answered it with ease.

  ...... The phone was silent and there was no sound.

  "Who is it? Are you ill?" Ye Zi raised an eyebrow and pulled her phone away from her ear to look at the caller ID.

  A strange expression flashed across Ye Zi's face instantly.

  "Who is it? Is someone looking for me?" Xiao Xiao's small face was full of confusion. The phone in Ye Zi's hand belonged to Xiao Xiao, so Xiao Xiao couldn't help but think that the call was for her.

  "It's that gay!" Ye Zi subconsciously retorted a sentence, but realizing the phone was still connected, she hastily covered the receiver with her hand.

  "Ah?" Xiao Xiao's small mouth opened wide in surprise.

  Ye Zi raised her hand and made a silencing gesture towards Xiao Xixi, moved away from covering the phone, adjusted her expression, and then...

  "What's wrong with you! Are you that girl's boyfriend? You don't even answer my calls? Do you know or not that your girlfriend fainted outside, and..." Ye Zi's small mouth opened and closed rapidly, firing off words at the phone like a machine gun.

  Although An Yi dialed the phone call back, his face still showed some hesitation.

  Because he hadn't thought of what to say, An Yi fell silent for a moment after answering the phone. But...

  In the distance, An Yi seemed to hear a strange "gei" from the opposite side.

  Just as Anyi was wondering what was going on, a complaining voice came from the phone.

  The speech was very fast, but An Yi barely caught some of the more important information between the words.

  Did she faint? That girl?

  The voice on the phone belonged to a strange girl. In the midst of her rapid-fire complaints, An Yi's first reaction was that the girl named Xiao Xiaoxiao had fainted, and then a passing girl used Xiao Xiaoxiao's phone to dial a number.

  As for why the other party thought they were in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship with Xiao Xiaoxiao, An Yi thought about it and could only understand that the other party had misunderstood...

  Taking advantage of the other party finally stopping their complaining voice, An Yi hastily asked a sentence: "Where is she now?"

  "What's wrong? She fainted for a while, and I didn't dare move her! Just as I was hesitating whether to call 120 or not, she slowly came to herself, but her face looked really bad and she couldn't even move! Hey, what's going on with you? Are you her boyfriend? What kind of boyfriend are you?! You're too...!" The complaining voice on the phone went on and on.

  Didn't want to have anything to do with that girl called Xiao Xiaoxiao again, but after hearing the news of her fainting, An Yi couldn't help but feel a little worried.

  Hesitating for a moment, An Yi furrowed his brow: "Where are you guys now?"

  When he heard the position spoken by the other party, An Yi was slightly stunned.

  The other party is actually in a nearby location?

  He raised an eyebrow, An Yi thought for a moment, and assumed that the girl named Xiao Xiaoxiao might have been near his home when she called him earlier, and had originally intended to find him, but...

  He hung up the phone and rushed out of the house in a hurry.

  "Ye Zi Jie, what's going on?" Xiao Xiao stared at Ye Zi in shock.

  The thief smiled and handed the phone back to Xiao Xiaoxiao, Ye Zi raised her sharp chin with a pleased smile: "Look, isn't this what I said? It seems that An Yi, that scoundrel, still has some conscience. As soon as you fainted, Lima came over!"

  "Ah?" Xiao Xiao smiled and opened her mouth: "Ye Zi sister, you, didn't you say he's gay? Then why are you still calling him over..."

  "Gotcha!" Ye Zi's face turned a bit red: "I was just afraid you'd be heartbroken!"

  "Ah?" Xiao Xiao's small mouth opened wider and wider: "That, that..."

  When Ye Zi said this, Xiao Xiaoxiao really panicked: "And, and how could you say he's my boyfriend earlier!"

  "Cut!" Ye Zi glanced at her mouth with disdain: "Stinky girl, do you know what this is? This is psychological suggestion! First of all, we need to nail down the substance between words! Many boyfriends and girlfriends are actually starting from misunderstandings! As long as I say he's your boyfriend, even if he wasn't originally, it can slowly evolve into being one!"

  Ye Zi suddenly scratched Xiao Xixi's itchy skin: "Anyway, you have a crush on him, don't you?"

  "But, but... But he's here, what can I say?" Xiao Xiao's small face turned bright red with panic.

  "What was that?" Ye Zi was taken aback for a moment, thought for a moment, and then smiled mischievously as she poked Xiao Xiaoxiao's soft ribs: "You might as well just say you like him."

  "Ah?" Xiao Xiao's small mouth instantly opened into an 'O' shape.

  "When he heard that you fainted, he rushed over, which means he also has feelings for you." Ye Zi said, pausing for a moment, furrowing her eyebrows in thought: "As for why he made excuses before, maybe... maybe there's some reason. But it's definitely not because he has a girlfriend! As for what the reason is, that's not important!"

  Ye Zi smiled and waved her hand: "A girl chasing a boy, it's like a thin layer of gauze. You can just say you like him directly."

  "Ah, ah..." Xiao Xiaoxiao's neck and earlobes turned red from Ye Zi's words.

  "This is it, let's just do it this way. Right...” Ye Zi hesitated for a moment: “You have to pretend to be dizzy and weak later on, got it? You need to act like you're in a daze, no energy, all sorts of frailties, understand?"

  "That's cheating! No, it's not good..." Xiao Xiao's face was hesitant.

  "What a scam! That's called a white lie!" Ye Zi glared at Xiao Xiaoxiao: "Alright, you first pretend to be listless..."

  "Never mind, never mind, you don't have to pretend, just look weak and feeble." Ye Zi muttered: "Watch out, that An Yi scoundrel is coming, remind me... Hey, what's wrong with you?"

  "He's here, he's arrived, it's that one who just turned around." Xiao Xiao whispered a reminder.

  "Has he come? Who has come?" Ye Zi subconsciously paused for a moment, and then suddenly reacted and exclaimed: "You're talking about that gay guy?"

  Ye Zi's exclamation attracted several elderly men and women around them to look over curiously again.

  Ignoring the surrounding gazes, Ye Zi hastily stood up and pretended to be a stranger, greeting Xiao Xiao with a warm smile.

  Turning into a small park, An Yi's gaze wandered around before landing on Xiao Xiaoxiao sitting on a bench.

  Hesitated for a moment, An Yi walked over. Just...

  I don't know why, but An Yi felt that as he walked towards Xiao Xiaoxiao, the gazes of those old men and women around him seemed... seemed very strange!

  Putting down the inexplicable thought for the time being, An Yi walked to the long bench and took a look at Xiao Xiaoxiao's face, furrowing his brow: "I heard you fainted? Are you feeling better now?"

  "Okay, okay..." Before Xiao Xiao could finish speaking, Ye Zi interrupted and scolded An Yi: "Hey, are you her boyfriend? What's wrong with you? You left your girlfriend here, she fainted and you didn't even care! What if something bad happened to her..."

  An Yi opened his mouth several times wanting to say something, but was interrupted by Ye Zi's rapid-fire chatter, finally managing only a wry smile and stiffly curling the corners of his mouth: "It's my fault."

  "Cut!" Ye Zi glanced at her mouth disdainfully, then pretended to look at Xiao Xiaoxiao: "Beauty, your boyfriend is here, I'm leaving. Don't thank me, my surname is Lei, and my name is Leifeng! That's it, bye."

  Ye Zi said as she waved her hand and hastily turned around to leave.

  An Yi slightly furrowed his brow and turned sideways to glance at Ye Zi's receding back.

  I don't know why... An Yi felt a little indescribably strange.

  Shaking his head, An Yi suppressed the inexplicable thought and squatted down to look at Xiao Xiaoxiao, who was hanging her head in a listless manner: "Do you want to go to the hospital for a check-up?"

  "Ah? No, no need. It's often like this, nothing's wrong." Xiao Xiao shook her head in a fluster.

  "Is it always like this?" An Yi frowned and carefully examined Xiao Xiaoxiao's figure.

  In the first two encounters, An Yi just thought that the girl in front of her was silly and cute, with a hint of genuine kindness. Only now, after taking a closer look, did he realize that the girl in front of him was actually a real beauty. However...

  Just a little on the thin side!

  Being stared at by An Yi like that, Xiao Xiao's ears turned bright red, and her eyelids drooped lower and lower.

  Realizing that his gaze had lingered on the other person for a bit too long, An Yi let out an awkward cough and changed the subject: "Is it because of low blood sugar?"

  An Yi wasn't a doctor, so how would he know why the girl in front of him often felt dizzy? This was purely an excuse to cover up his embarrassment. But...

  "Huh? Uh... it's a bit low blood sugar, it's a bit." Compared to An Yi's embarrassment, Xiao Xiaoxiao was not much better off. At this time, her little heart was beating wildly and she grabbed onto An Yi's words, directly responding in a fluster.

  One awkwardness, one embarrassment, plus An Yi didn't think of what to say either, and the two fell into silence instantly.

  Hesitating for a moment, An Yi looked up at the sky: "How about I send you back home?"

  "Ah? Alright, alright." The words that Ye Zi had entrusted to her had long been forgotten by Xiao Xiaoxiao in her panic, but as soon as An Yi spoke up, Xiao Xiaoxiao hastily got up from the bench.

  But... perhaps it was because I had been sitting for too long, and suddenly stood up, Xiao Xiaoxiao instantly felt dizzy, her eyes spinning, and her head reeling. Even her body stiffened and she almost fell forward.

  Although he had always thought that the girl in front of him was silly and couldn't be the kind of girl who lied and pretended to be dizzy, An Yi's heart had indeed been a little puzzled before. Especially because of the girl who left before, An Yi always felt a bit suspicious.

  Xiao Xiao's sudden fainting made An Yi's face change, and he hastily supported her while his previous doubts disappeared.

  Real or fake, An Yi could still tell. Especially the opponent's face suddenly completely lost its blood color, enough to explain that the opponent's sudden faint was not fake at all.

  "Are you alright?" An Yi supported Xiao Xiaoxiao, his face filled with surprise and uncertainty.

  "No, it's nothing. Really, it's nothing." Xiao Xiao forced a smile and shook her head.

  "Or I'll carry you back, anyway, your home isn't too far from here."

  "Ah? No, no... Ah!" Xiao Xiao laughed and waved her hands in refusal, but before she could finish speaking, she was already swept up into An Yu's strong back.

  An Yi walked silently, carrying Xiao Xiang on his back, following the path he remembered from last time to Xiao Xiang's home.

  It's not just An Yi who didn't speak, but Xiao Xiaoxiao, who was carried on An Yi's back, also hung her head and remained silent. Only... compared to An Yi, Xiao Xiaoxiao had a bright red face.

  For the first time being carried by a boy, Xiao Xiaoxiao's little heart thumped rapidly. Fortunately, An Yi didn't speak, otherwise Xiao Xiaoxiao would have stuttered when responding.

  Two people walked in silence, one with his back turned and not speaking a word, quietly heading towards Xiao Xiaoxiao's home.

  Be careful, the heartbeat is getting used to it, Xiao Xiao gradually got rid of the tension. But as the mind was no longer so tense, Ye Zi's previous words involuntarily floated back into Xiao Xiao's heart.

  Confess? Say I like him? A girl chasing a boy, is it taboo? The words Ye Zi once said echoed clearly in Xiao Xiaoxiao's mind.

  Pursed her lips, Xiao smiled with a hesitant expression.

  To be honest, Xiao Xiaoxiao really had a crush on An Yi. Especially when they met again and were carried away by An Yi, her heart was even more nervous, but on the contrary, she felt a sense of stability in her heart.

  For some reason, Xiao Xixi smiled foolishly, and that slow-witted string seemed to be suddenly connected, clearly feeling that she might actually like the boy who had her back. But...

  Hesitated and hesitated, Xiao Xiao couldn't help but smile and honestly say that she liked the other person.

  Just as Xiao Xiaoxiao was hesitating about how to speak up, An Yi had already carried her on his back and walked to the alley where her home was located.

  "We're here." An Yi slightly crouched down, but didn't see Xiao Xiaoxiao getting off, and couldn't help but remind her.

  "Ah? Ah!" Xiao Xiaoxiao was stunned for a moment, then hastily got down from An Yi's back.

  "Uh..." Xiao Xiao's face was hesitant, her eyes cast downward as she mustered up the courage to say something.

  An Yi raised an eyebrow, seemingly unable to understand why the girl in front of him suddenly had this expression. But before An Yi could figure it out, a strange mobile phone ringtone interrupted his thoughts and also interrupted Xiao Xiaoxiao's words that were about to be spoken.

  "Sorry." An Yi's face was slightly apologetic as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

  It's just...

  When An Wei took out his mobile phone, his face changed color.

  What he pulled out was not a mobile phone at all, but an old-fashioned 'mobile phone' that looked like a mobile phone.

  An Yi clearly remembered that when he went out, he didn't bring this strange 'mobile phone' at all.

  No wonder I felt that ringtone was so unfamiliar before. An Yi only felt the vibration in his pocket, but he didn't expect it to be like this.

  Looking at the '3B88' flickering on the mobile phone screen, An Yi's face changed with uncertainty.

  After pressing on the 'mobile phone', that strange ringtone instantly disappeared.

  Covering up the different colors on her face, An Yi looked at Xiao Xiaoxiao and said: "It's very late, I'll go back first?"

  "Ah? Alright, alright." Xiao Xiao subconsciously responded with a laugh.

  An Yi nodded and turned to leave.

  Xiao Xiao looked at An Yi's back and suddenly found the courage to say in a low voice: "I, I like you."

  An Yi's movement of lifting his foot was like a suddenly jammed video recorder, and he slowly retreated in slow motion.

  Stiffly turning his head, he glanced at Xiao Xiaoxiao who was lowering her eyelids, and An Yi opened his mouth, really not knowing what to say.

  Normally, IQ and EQ are equal, it's absolutely impossible for them to be inversely proportional as some bricklayer-like experts claim. But...

  But having high or low EQ doesn't necessarily determine the outcome. To put it bluntly... An Yi can sense that the girl in front of him likes him, but! But he has no experience! He doesn't know how to handle it!

  Combining his own actual situation, An Yi wanted to keep a certain distance from the girl in front of him. But for some reason, An Yi felt that he couldn't help but want to continue getting along with the girl in front of him.

  I don't know why... anyway, An Yi felt that this feeling was very strange and wasn't controlled by his own rational thinking.

  An Yi hesitated for a moment, having no idea how to deal with the situation in front of him. He nodded slightly and said, "Oh."

  An Yi, who really didn't know what to do, turned around and was about to leave.

  It's better to say that An Yi wants to run away rather than saying he is walking away.

  Xiao Xiaoxiao, who was originally a bit dull, didn't understand at all what An Yi's "oh" meant, whether it was agreement or disagreement.

  Plus the implication of "no turning back" and "smashing the pot", Xiao Xiaoxiao mustered up her courage and asked again, "C-can I call you again?"

  "Okay." An Yi subconsciously responded with a sentence, but as soon as he finished speaking, he regretted it.

  At this point, saying it's okay is just the same as agreeing, isn't it?

  An Yi hesitated for a moment, turned around and wanted to take back what he had just said, but...

  Xiao Xiao had already run into the house with a bright red face at the moment An Yi responded.