Chapter 282: Phone, Call

Leaving Li Jie’s dorm, Li Yan sat alone in the car smoking. At this moment, he didn’t know where to go. Go home? Zhang Yurong is probably fuming right now, right?

But actually, what he feared the most was not Zhang Yurong being furious. That would mean she still cared about him. The worst was her reverting to the previous indifference, that attitude of looking at him like a stranger. Before, he didn’t care and was naturally indifferent. However, after a period of caring, facing that attitude would be a different feeling.

Holding the phone, Li Yan kept scrolling up and down the missed call list. After receiving his messages, they all called. Only Yue Yao’s got through; the others were missed and now all lined up together.

After pondering for a long time, he decided to go from easy to difficult!

Zhang Yurong, Wen Qianyi, and Yu Xiaodi found out about each other, and their emotions are likely very heightened right now. Calling them would probably deal a blow and diminish his confidence.

The easiest, without a doubt, was Huang Ying. She is a simple girl and has barely interacted with the others. Tonight, she was the most engrossed in listening to music and also the first to obediently leave.

Having decided, Li Yan dialed Huang Ying’s number, and it was quickly connected on the other end.

"Huang Ying, have you made it home? Are you alright?" Li Yan summoned his spirits to ask.

Hearing his words, Huang Ying laughed happily, "I’m fine, already home. How about you? Just got off work? It’s late, go and rest!"

"Tonight... I’m really sorry." Hearing her tone, she still seemed happy tonight. Li Yan couldn’t bear to let her have a sleepless night and only apologized without giving reasons.

"It’s alright! I was really happy tonight, I should thank you. When do you have time... I’ll cook for you."

Li Yan wasn’t in the mood for this right now! "Okay, sure. But you just started your classes, focus on them first. There’s plenty of time in the future."

"Hmm... Are you working tomorrow?" If he took leave on Friday because of the tickets, then he should be going back to work now, right?

Li Yan chuckled, "I should be! Make sure to rest well, you’ve never been late!"

"Okay."

After a few more words, Li Yan finally hung up.

Work tomorrow? Not to mention if Yurong will transfer him to another branch in a rage. Even if everything is normal, how would he face Wen Qianyi?

Since knowing Wen Qianyi, most of the time, he saw her with a smiling face. Whether others thought it was optimism or a fake professional smile, it was always a comfortable interaction with her. Now... she’s probably angry, and she won’t show him a friendly face tomorrow.

He was just thinking about calling Hai Fu when she called first.

"Finished? Are you home?"

"Uh... on the road, what about you?" 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"I’ve been home for a while, showered and about to sleep."

"That’s good, anyway I’m really sorry about tonight."

"What are you saying? Although you didn’t spend much time with me tonight, I came for the concert, not chat with you, and overall it was nice. It made me feel much younger..."

Hearing Hai Fu’s relaxed tone, Li Yan felt a bit relieved. "Does it really have that effect? Next time, I’ll take you to a concert of some young idols, scream and shout with the teenage girls. You might feel like you’re a teenager too."

"Heh... that’s okay. I’ll just scare those young girls."

"For sure, just raise your head and puff your chest, let them see what coconut milk and papaya milk are, feeling the ’seven feet grandeur,’ won’t they feel inferior?"

"Bah! You little perv..."

"Perv or not, wolf or not, can we drop the ’little’?" Li Yan lightened up and teased her.

"You are a little perv, not convinced?" Hai Fu had been quite influenced by him. She could be very relaxed with him, especially now over the phone, showing no signs of her stern director self.

"Eh... see, I’m just a lonely wolf now."

"Alright, I’m going to sleep now." Being able to casually talk like this was a rare experience and joy for Hai Fu. Usually, it was all seriousness. But considering Li Yan was on the road, chatting like this was not too safe.

"Alright, but before you sleep, can you do me a favor, do one thing for me?"

Hearing Li Yan’s serious tone, Hai Fu became earnest, "What is it?"

"Grab a handful of coconuts and papayas for me, I miss them."

Hai Fu was stunned, then, recalling what he said earlier, understood what coconuts and papayas referred to, and immediately scolded: "Disgusting... they don’t miss you at all!" Then she chuckled softly, "Who told a certain someone to act righteous this morning?"

"..."

...

After the warmth from Huang Ying and the ambiguity from Hai Fu, Li Yan’s confidence had somewhat returned, and his emotions had calmed down. He started his car and headed towards S University, then dialed Wen Qianyi’s number.

Yes, he decided to rush over to see Yu Xiao Di, fearing she might act impulsively and do something irrational. Wen Qianyi is more mature, so even if he went to her, she might not meet him; better to call first. As for home... you can run away from the monk, but not the temple!

"Sorry, the number you have dialed is currently switched off..."

It seemed like Wen Qianyi expected him to call and turned off her phone directly. This made Li Yan a bit helpless, so he decided to talk to her when they were at work tomorrow.

He pushed the speed to the maximum. At this late hour, the road wasn’t too busy, allowing him to reach S University in the shortest time.

He went directly under the dormitory building he had visited before, intending to go straight upstairs. However, the aunt who managed the building didn’t let him enter, saying it was too late and men weren’t allowed into the women’s dorm at this hour. The formidable aunt even shouted, "Girls—Time to see the visitors off!" reminding the remaining boys upstairs to leave.

Li Yan was a bit speechless. He couldn’t possibly force his way in, as that would make Yu Xiao Di even more embarrassed, surrounded by countless onlookers.

Helplessly, he could only send a message to Yu Xiao Di downstairs, telling her he was below and asking her to come down for a face-to-face talk.

Unfortunately, after sending the message, it seemed to sink like a stone, with no feedback indicating it reached her. He hurriedly tried calling her and... it was switched off again!

We agreed on this!

Switched off? You think I wouldn’t dare to shout?

But even opening his mouth, it was indeed hard to yell out!

A boy of sixteen might have some innocence and be shy to shout; now at twenty-eight, an old hand definitely has a thicker skin. But he’d never had such an experience before; even in his youth, he had never called out to girls from a dorm window, and now basically being an uncle, playing this move was a bit undignified!

Li Yan lowered his head, hesitated, smoked a cigarette, and paced around under the watchful eyes of the building manager aunt.

He recalled the two boys he encountered here last time; they could be carefree for a small income and experience. He, for the girl he likes, without studying here, what’s there to be embarrassed about?

Yu Xiao Di could stand up for him, argue with her friends; fall out with her classmates; confront her bygone tutor... What have I done for her?

When she was with me, she was always so calm, so straightforward, never feeling embarrassed even when others mocked an older man. Should I feel embarrassed to call her once?

Thinking of this, Li Yan shamefully threw away the cigarette butt and then looked up at their dormitory, shouting from below, "XXX dormitory! Come out!"

He still couldn’t fully let go! Of course, directly calling out Yu Xiao Di’s name and letting everyone know he was looking for her might not be too good for her.

Li Yan’s original intention was for the girls in their dormitory to hear and come out to notify her; or for Yu Xiao Di herself to hear and come out. But this method, as his shout was loud enough for them to hear, made people feel like it was a challenge!

In an instant, even before anyone from Yu Xiao Di’s dormitory came out, other buildings and dormitories’ girls were already poking their heads out, glancing at the boy shouting below; the boys who were just shooed out by the ’girls, see the visitors off,’ hadn’t walked far, also gazed in surprise; the building manager aunt seemed to see Li Yan as the bad person coming in bad faith, already prepared to charge with a broom in her left hand, and a mop in her right, ready to take down a rogue.

Li Yan didn’t expect his low-key shout to have more impact than ’Ahn Hong, I love you,’ attracting so many girls to watch, leaving him quite embarrassed. What was so amusing?

Fortunately, he was downstairs, and it was night, with no worry of showing a red face, nor of them seeing clearly what he looked like.

Girls from Yu Xiao Di’s dormitory came out; they quickly recognized Li Yan and knew he was definitely there for Yu Xiao Di. They just didn’t know what problem there was and didn’t know how Li Yan would address them. Only during last night’s barbecue when Ling Wuai led the chant with "Coach Brother," a few started chattering away.

Little Xun MM originally wasn’t fond of Li Yan and seeing him with an apparently unfriendly attitude towards Yu Xiao Di, immediately put on airs up there, ’sternly’ saying: "Hey old rascal! What do you want with us?!"

Trying hard to mimic ancient speech but lacking both a general’s bravado and green forest bandit’s manner, just with a girl’s coyness, calling him an old rascal made all the girls who heard laugh uproariously. An entire building of girls laughing together was quite a spectacle, their voices quite loud.

Li Yan braced himself and continued, "I know you’re Xiao Xun. Has she come back? I’m looking for her!"

Of course, they all knew he was looking for Xiao Di. Xiao Xun, having already incited collective laughter, was about to continue teasing him. However, Lu Min, kind-hearted and aware of their situation, herself an experienced girlfriend, figured they were in a spat. She then told her from above, "She’s not back! Maybe she went home!"

"Thanks!"

"Uncle, who are you looking for? How about me?"

"Brother, she’s not here. We have plenty in our dorm!"

"Sir, come on up!"

...

The girls at this age were quite open when playing around, and since it was their home ground, so many gathered to watch one person. Quite a few dared to tease Li Yan boldly, forcing him to make an escape under the hawk-eyed scrutiny of the mop-wielding aunt. (Over a month without a recommendation, not sure how long it will last without one, the only place left for Mixed to show a little face is in the urban classifications monthly pass, please give a monthly pass for support, Old Lai thanks you!) (To be continued, to know what happens next, please log on to www.qidian.com, with more Chapters to support the author and genuine reading!)