Chapter Thirty-Two: Ashes of Wrath

  Wu Jiang, who was drinking and playing rock-paper-scissors with Zheng Sanpi, was startled to see Si Tu Xuan return looking as if she had lost her soul. He asked: "What's wrong? Has Xiao Wan gone back?" Then he saw the two people walking in together a few steps behind her.

  He probably didn't expect the two of them to appear at the same time, and was startled. He secretly took a glance at Situ Xin, and Xiao Gen, who was sitting in the corner eating vigorously, also looked puzzled and put down the snacks in his hand.

  "Ah, Qi Yun, Shao Cheng, I thought you guys weren't going to give me any face. Sit down, sit down quickly... Right, what a coincidence..." Wu Jiang's mind wandered as he mechanically played the host.

  Yao Qiyun gave up the empty seat on the nearest sofa to Tan Shaochen beside him, but he himself was still standing.

  "It's not a coincidence." Yao Qiyun said calmly while taking off his coat, "I just left the house and received a call from Shao Cheng, saying that she got on the wrong bus and didn't know how to get back. Luckily I was in the car, so I asked her location and since it wasn't too far away, I told the driver to take a detour and give her a ride. By the way, she tried calling you first, but I guess it's too noisy here and you didn't hear it. Am I late? Sorry about that."

  Tan Shaochen's face turned red as he added: "I've always been bad at directions, luckily I have Qiyun."

  Wu Jiang knew that Yao Qiyun, who was stingy with words, wouldn't spend so many words explaining the reason for his and Tan Shaocheng's joint appearance just to convince himself. He quickly pulled out his phone to check the call records and let out a long "oh".

  "Right, right, Shao Cheng did call me, didn't hear it, sorry sorry!" He said, as if he wanted to stick the call record in front of Si Tu Jue's eyes.

  "What's wrong with you? You didn't even hear the phone ring. Are you afraid that Qu Xiaowen will bother you?" Si Tu Jue waved away his hand, which was stuck in front of him.

  Wu Jiang didn't avoid the topic either, smiling and saying: "Our family's vinegar has never been as sour as yours."

  Tan Shaocheng heard Qu Xiaowen's name and his gaze paused on Wu Jiang for a moment, but there was nothing on his face, smiling and greeting familiar people.

  Wu Jiang keenly saw that Yao Qiyun was still standing aside, seemingly intently watching the changing lyrics on the screen. He stretched out his foot and kicked Sanpi with force three times. Sanpi, who was sitting next to Situ Xuan, jumped up.

  "What are you doing walking back and forth, Sanpi? Move over, there's still a seat here, or else come sit down?" Wu Jiang shouted.

  Yao Qiyun hesitated for a moment, seeing San Pi go to the toilet with a sullen face, and no longer polite, slowly sat down beside Si Tu Jue.

  They hadn't had a proper conversation in days and previously they would often bicker but rarely for more than twenty-four hours.

  Situ Xuan was playing the Snake game on his phone, while Yao Qiyun and the people around him couldn't get together. He had finished chatting with Wu Jiang and couldn't find a better topic to talk about. After sitting for a while, he drank half a cup of water before turning his head to ask the person next to him in a low voice.

  "Why didn't you wait for me to come together?"

  Situ Xuan initially pretended not to hear him, which made Yao Qiyun somewhat embarrassed. Fortunately, after a while, she finally spoke up, without lifting her head, saying: "Did you say you were coming?"

  "I didn't say I'm not coming either."

  "You come or not, anyway I know the way and don't need you." Siu Yuk shut his phone with a scowl, that silly snake always biting its own tail.

  Wu Jiang "accompanied" San Pi to the toilet and came back, only to see this scene: Si Tu Jue was listlessly looking around, but deliberately avoiding eye contact with the person on his left, while Yao Qi Yun had a cold face, both of them silently and stubbornly holding out.

  The two of them had terrible tempers, and Wu Jiang was at a loss for what to do. He sat down and poured himself a beer, just as he noticed the deck of cards lying idle on the side. With great enthusiasm, he opened it up and said to Sī Tú Jué: "What are you sitting there stupidly for? Let's have some fun, whoever loses has to drink."

  Situ Xuan nodded in agreement, having just washed the cards, Yao Qiyun poured cold water on the side. "Wu Jiang, you don't know her drinking capacity? She can't drink at all, if she loses, she'll only pretend to be drunk."

  Wu Jiang hadn't made a sound yet, but Situ Xuan was already furious. "What's your problem? Which eye of yours saw me being deceitful?"

  Yao Qiyun smiled and gave everyone a knowing look.

  Wu Jiang took advantage of the situation and pulled Yao Qiyun into the battle, "Let's have some fun, or are you going to join in too? You two can team up, and I'll be with San Pi. We'll play cards, whoever loses has to drink a cup. She can't do it, but you can, right? Besides, my drinking capacity isn't bad at all. It's rare that we're all here together today, so let's just have fun."

  Sanpi happily sat over, "Good, I'm familiar with this."

  Yao Qiyun didn't say a word, but only gave Situ Xuan a glance. Situ Xuan turned around and said to Wu Jiang: "If we're going to play, it's better if we're on the same side, so no one has to be at a disadvantage."

  Wu Jiang rubbed his head again. "Uh..."

  "What's going on?" Sanpi looked puzzled.

  Xī Tuò Jìn saw Yáo Qǐ Yún didn't respond, so he stood up and was about to greet other friends. At this time, Yáo Qǐ Yún picked up the poker cards and said to Sān Pí: "Whatever, it's fine however we play."

  Sanpi was full of energy at first, but after three rounds, he felt something was wrong and hurriedly excused himself to go to the bathroom.

  "This is all you've had to drink, San Pi. I advise you to go and have a thorough urinary system check." Wu Jiang said.

  Sanpi withdrew with a smile and whispered at the door, "Who wants to be a scapegoat should go take an IQ test."

  A four-player game was missing one person and wanted to continue, so they had to find someone to fill in. Wu Jiang went to call Xiao Gen.

  Xiao Genzheng hurriedly and awkwardly chatted with Tan Shaocheng, understanding Wu Jiang's intention, and quickly walked over, waving his hands to say he wouldn't do it.

  Wu Jiang let out a loud cry of disappointment. At this time, Tan Shaocheng awkwardly inserted a sentence as he approached with Xiao Gen, "I actually know a bit, although I'm not very good at it, but if you guys don't mind, I can take the lead for a while. If all else fails, at least I can help drink some wine."

  Wu Jiang was slightly surprised and asked with his eyes what Si Tu Jue meant. Si Tu Jue smiled at the corner of his mouth, neither confirming nor denying.

  "Then... sit down, it's not necessarily you who will lose." Wu Jiang said to Tan Shaochen.

  "It doesn't matter if I lose, I'm used to it." Tan Shaocheng smiled slightly. Just like her appearance, when she spoke, she was always soft and gentle, rarely with a sharp edge, even now when there seemed to be some implication in her words, it was just a hint of self-mockery. Wu Jiang's eyes began to shift uncomfortably.

  However, since the game has already started, it can only continue. In fact, every time they lost was still on Yao Qiyun's side. Yao Qiyun didn't seem to be a novice either; he seemed to have gotten used to Si Tu Jue's moves and calling cards as if they were second nature to him, but his own calling method was always unpredictable. After losing, he didn't let Tan Shaocheng take over much, and after several rounds, he had drunk quite a bit himself. It was Tan Shaocheng who couldn't bear it and kept trying to share some of the burden with him.

  "Look at this spirit! They're all rushing to be the first, and those who don't know any better think that whoever loses won't get to drink." Si Tu Jue exclaimed to Wu Jiang.

  Wu Jiang clicked his tongue and said, "It's no fun drinking alone, I'm parched."

  His wish soon became a reality, Yao Qiyun drank too quickly, after the wine took effect, even though he controlled it very well, he still couldn't hide some dizziness, Tan Shaochen who wasn't good at playing became the main force, and Wu Jiang and Situ Xuan lost in no time.

  "I've been waiting for this drink." Wu Jiang smiled and poured himself a glass, joking with Sutu Xue: "Are you going to compete with me to drink?"

  Situ Xuan snorted with her nose, "What's the point of arguing?" She poured half a cup for Wu Jiang, "Just in time for us to have a drink together, happy birthday to you, another year older."

  Wu Jiang naturally had no objection, and the two were just about to clink glasses when Yao Qiyun, who was leaning on the sofa with her eyes closed, suddenly grabbed Si Tu Jue and said in disbelief: "What kind of joke is this? You really drink?"

  "Don't be so tense, at worst I'll send her back." Wu Jiang was still smiling.

  "She can't drink that." Yao Qiyun didn't seem to find it funny at all. "Situ Xuan, a person values self-awareness, why must you show off and make people laugh?"

  Situ Xuan's alcohol tolerance is extremely poor, and she knows it herself. Normally, she wouldn't drink if she didn't have to, but today was Wu Jiang's birthday, and she wasn't feeling well anyway. She thought that half a cup of beer would be manageable. What made her angry was not just Yao Qiyun's opposition, but also his sharp words, which made her furious.

  "I think the phrase 'a man is noble because of his self-awareness' suits you better, who do you think you are?" retorted Situ Xin.

  Yao Qiyun was blocked by this sentence, and his face looked very ugly.

  "Situ, don't be like this." Tan Shaocheng mediated, "I think Yun is also doing it for your own good. He'd rather lose himself than let you drink. How can he treat you like that? Can't you see?"

  Situ Xuan was like discovering Tan Shaocheng's existence for the first time tonight, and he suddenly said: "Right, how come I couldn't see it? It seems that we are all blind. Only you have a clear mind, thank you for reminding me, without you, it wouldn't be possible."

  Tan Shaocheng was extremely embarrassed, his face red as he muttered: "Are you unhappy about what happened with Qi Yun today? I think there's been a misunderstanding. If you're really unhappy, then take it out on me, don't involve him." As she spoke, she snatched the half cup of wine from Si Tu Yue's hand, "I'll drink this, consider it my apology to you."

  Xī Tù Jìn was shocked and laughed, not knowing what to say. Wú Jiāng hurriedly patted her on the back, signaling her not to be impatient. Today was Wú Jiāng's birthday, and because of this, from the moment Tán Shǎo Chéng appeared, no matter how much she disliked him in her heart, Xī Tù Jìn warned herself not to lose her temper, and to leave whatever it was for later. But for some reason, Tán Shǎo Chéng insisted on getting involved in everything. Xī Tù Jìn suppressed her emotions and turned away, pretending not to see him.

  Tan Shaocheng was about to drink when Yao Qiyun hastily advised him to stop, "Don't... this has nothing to do with you!"

  "Actually, I also want to use this cup of wine to thank you, Situ." Tan Shaochen said softly to Situ Xuan: "That sum of money, I have it in mind... thank you."

  In the wine glass, the white foam seemed like an illusory halo. Si Tu Jue said coldly: "Then there's no need to drink this cup of wine anymore. You don't have to thank me, because I'm regretting it now. That money could've been used for something better, but I chose to spend it on a lesson."

  "What are you talking about?" Yao Qiyun said in a low voice to Situ Jin.

  Tan Shaochen was stunned for a moment, holding his cup, and only after a long time did he spit out a sentence, "What do you mean by saying that?"

  "You know it in your heart!" Some friends around had already sensed that something was wrong and looked over. Situ Xuan stood up and gestured to Tan Shaocheng: "Don't spoil other people's fun, let's talk outside."

  Tan Shaocheng put down his cup and followed her out. The "time black hole" was in a corner of the small shop, and even the not-too-attentive waiter wasn't waiting outside. The door to the storage room at the end of the corridor was even more deserted.

  "Now you can tell me, what did those words of yours mean just now?" Many times, Tan Shaocheng was accustomed to slightly hunching over, her eyes looking down, but at this moment she looked straight at Sutu Xuan. Her originally pale and delicate face under the dim blue light was like a transparent mask, her mouth tightly pursed as if holding onto her last bit of dignity. "I really don't understand why you would dislike me so much?"

  Situ Xuan said: "Because I hate people who smile on their face and stab in the back! What's there to be afraid of, why must you resort to those despicable tactics in secret?"

  "I still don't understand what you mean. Yes, I asked you for help with the scholarship, but you got what was due to you, and I will definitely pay back the money!"

  At this time, Yao Qiyun and Wu Jiang, who were uneasy, also followed out, with San Pi and Xiao Gen, who were familiar with both of them, behind.

  At this point, Situ Xuan also didn't want to accompany her in playing Tai Chi amidst the clouds and fog.

  "Just pretend!" She pointed at Yao Qiyun who was walking over and said to Tan Shaochen in a hateful tone, "You dare say it wasn't you who secretly stirred up trouble, wasn't you intentionally bringing up the matter of me going to find Zou Jin in front of him?"

  "Alright Ah Yue, I've told you it has nothing to do with her. Now come home with me." Yao Qi Yun pulled Si Tu Xue along as they were about to leave.

  "Situ Xuan swung his hand, 'Are you still protecting her? That matter, apart from me, only Wu Jiang and Xiao Gen know. Alright, since everyone is here, you might as well say it out loud. If it wasn't her who got the information from Xiao Gen, then who was it? Was it him or him?' She pointed at Wu Jiang and Xiao Gen one by one to verify."

  "Now that you also acknowledge it's a fact, what's the point of pursuing who said it? I don't want to quarrel about this anymore," said Yao Qiyun.

  "Of course it makes sense, if they told you that, then I have nothing to say, can only blame myself for being blind. If it's Tan Shaicheng, I'll let her know how despicable and shameless this is!"

  Tan Shaocheng's eyes had already welled up with tears, and she had to speak very slowly in order to make her choking sounds less obvious. "I understand, you're saying that I told Xiaogen to go find Professor Zou alone. Xiaogen did tell me about it, but just because of this, can you be so sure it was me who said it? What evidence do you have? Situ Xue, you may look down on me, but you can't trample people to death! Are you the only one who is a precious jade, while others are just broken tiles on the wall?"

  The girl standing in front of her, with tears welling up in her eyes, had a face full of bitterness and resentment, looking so pitiful that it was hard to hate her. All Si Tu Jue could think about was how this pitiful face would always appear at every unpleasant moment, yet behind this innocent-looking face lay countless schemes and small lies. She could tell pointless lies without any purpose, use underhanded tactics to beg for a scholarship from her opponent, and after being rejected by Wu Jiang, turn around and treat Xiao Gen with an even more hurtful attitude. She could also use Yao Qi Yun's kindness towards her as a bargaining chip in negotiations with Si Tu Jue, while intentionally or unintentionally appearing alongside Yao Qi Yun despite knowing Si Tu Jue was present. Indeed, she was poor and pitiful, but Si Tu Jue didn't know if he would have done better in her shoes. She had to be grateful for everything her parents gave her, which meant she didn't have to be worn down by misfortune like Tan Shao Cheng, who no longer had time for kindness. Was the difference between jade and clay really just determined by their inherent nature?

  Thinking of "jade and tile", Si Tu Xuan had a sudden epiphany. She had never claimed to be "jade", but the analogy she heard from Tan Shaocheng was not unfamiliar... She suddenly remembered that someone else had also said similar words, it was this reality that made her dare not believe in coincidence again.

  "How dare you say you've never gone looking for Zou Jin?" Situ Jin suddenly asked Tan Shaochen.

  She was just probing, with no bottom line in her heart. If Tan Shaicheng was confused, she would pretend that she had never said it. However, Tan Shaicheng's momentary surprise and panic even outweighed his sadness and grievance.

  This twist was really unexpected by Si Tu Xuan, she originally had some misunderstanding about Tan Shaocheng's purpose, after all, is it for Wu Jiang or Yao Qiyun, or maybe just to make things difficult for her? Now it seems that none of these are the key point, and only a fool like her would think these things are extremely important. In Tan Shaocheng's heart, perhaps nothing can be compared to his future prospects.

  "It turned out to be for the sake of keeping the research." Si Tu Xuan said with a sudden realization, while Wu Jiang and Yao Qi Yun looked puzzled.

  Situ Xin's mocking words pierced Tan Shaocheng, and she straightened her waist again. "So what if I looked for him? I'm not like you, even if I didn't do anything after graduation, my family would still arrange everything well for me. I don't have such a good father, so I can only rely on myself. Taking the postgraduate exam is my only way out. What's wrong with wanting to be Professor Zou's graduate student? Just because you also want to get into his lab doesn't mean that spot is destined for you, and other people's efforts become a joke?"

  "'Effort'?" Xīu Tuò laughed with even more sarcasm, "Go ahead and 'effort' all you want. No one's stopping you from being his graduate student, but why do you think that just because you can't get along with me, I'll withdraw from the competition, and that position will be yours?"

  Tan Shaocheng said: "I don't know what you're talking about, but I won't give up until the end."

  "Situ Xuan gritted his teeth, 'You may not admit it, but the person lurking behind the tree that day was you, wasn't it? I'm telling you, the more sinister and despicable you are, the less likely you'll get what you want!'"

  Tan Shaocheng's tears finally burst out, "Situ Xuan, you can't be too arrogant!"

  "Joke......" Si Tu Xuan was still not satisfied, and was finally interrupted by Yao Qi Yun's shout, "Enough! How many times do I need to say it before you believe me? That thing wasn't said by her, but..."

  "It's me." The calm voice made Situ Jin pause for a moment before turning around.

  The speaker was actually San Pi, who stood at the outermost circle of the crowd.

  "Who?" Situ Xin looked at San Pi in confusion.

  Sanpi paced back and forth a few steps, "It was me who told Qiyun not to tell you it was me who said it, I was afraid you'd be unhappy. Actually, I didn't mean any harm, I just wanted to remind Qiyun that Zou Jin isn't a good person. I didn't know you'd mind so much. Uh... sorry, and also Shaicheng, sorry about that too. But what I don't understand is why you're all thinking of ways to get close to him?"

  "How did you know about that night?" Sanshi wasn't from their college, and Zou Jin had never heard of him having any connection with them. Situ Xuan really couldn't link him to the incident.

  Sanpi said: "Don't ask anymore, Situ. As long as you know it's not Shaocheng, that's all that matters. We're all friends, why make things so awkward? It was just a misunderstanding."

  Xiao Gen also hastened to speak up at this time: "So you were quarreling about that matter. Sutu, it's my fault for not making it clear to you, I did mention it to Shao Cheng, but that was several days later, when she had just returned from her home."

  Xī Tù Xīn was like one foot in the air, her heart was a mess, many voices were ringing in her ears, but she felt dizzy. She looked at Wu Jiang for help, Wu Jiang lowered his head and coughed a few times, nodded with difficulty.

  Now she was convinced that he was a despicable person, but it turned out that he was just an innocent scapegoat. Her anger had reached its peak and she ended up burning herself to ashes. In the end, she was the ultimate villain, making unreasonable demands and spitting blood at people, only to make a fool of herself in front of everyone. Even if she hated Tan Shaocity so much and wished it was him who did it, the fact remained that he was innocent - she had wronged Tan Shaocity.

  Tan Shaocheng remained silent, with tears streaming down his face in silence.

  "Go and apologize to him." Yao Qiyun urged in the ear of Si Tu Jue, who was dazed. Si Tu Jue took a deep breath, stiffly turned his head to one side, with a stubborn expression on his face.

  He sighed and walked to Tan Shaocheng. "Shaocheng, I'm sorry, I apologize to you on behalf of Si Tu Jue. Actually, this is all my fault, if I had explained it clearly to her earlier, things wouldn't have turned out like this, I really am sorry."

  Tan Shaocheng looked at Sutu Xuan with a wooden expression for two eyes.

  "It's all right."

  She finished speaking and quickly rushed back to the dressing room to get her things, and a group of people followed in with a whoosh.

  Situ Xin's surroundings suddenly became very quiet, she quietly slipped away to an empty seat in the corner of the hall and sat down. In fact, it couldn't be said that she was "hiding", because at this time no one was paying attention to her either. It was just as well, she needed a moment to herself to catch her breath.

  She watched as familiar figures left one by one from the corner, and finally, it seemed like everyone had dispersed. Someone sat down across from her and patted her shoulder as usual.

  "Sorry, but it looks like your birthday party is ruined tonight."

  Xīng heard her own voice and felt a little strange. She wasn't someone who couldn't apologize, but the same three words "I'm sorry", she couldn't say them in front of Tán Shǎo Chéng.

  "Wu Jiang waved his hand like he was shooing away flies, "What's the point of saying these things? Are you okay? Even if I say it, it's not a big deal, don't take it to heart, just go back and sleep, you'll forget about it. Let's go back."

  Situ Xin shook her head, "I feel like there's something weighing on my heart and I can barely breathe. You go back first, maybe Uncle Wu and Aunt Chen are still at home waiting for you to cut the cake, I'll just sit here for a while."

  "Everyone has left, how can I leave you behind? If my mom finds out, she won't spare me."

  Those words "Everyone has left" made Si Tu Xin's heart even more stuffy, she asked with great difficulty: "He... he also left?"

  "Hmm, it seems like I'm sending Tan Shaochen back. Don't think about the annoying things, you're stubborn and someone has to come out and clean up the mess for you."

  "You go ahead, I'm familiar with this area, I'll head back myself later." After a moment of hesitation, Situ Xuan began to hurry Wu Jiang home. At first, Wu Jiang was unwilling, but seeing her serious and determined attitude, he had no choice but to compromise, repeatedly reminding her before leaving her alone in silence.

  Xiu Yue didn't know how long she had been sitting there, the shop had many messy clocks, but she didn't want to look at the time. Without a sense of time, people wouldn't feel so lonely. The waiter, Ah Yuan, refilled her water three times, and gradually, the customers in the hall also thinned out.

  She rested her head on her arm on the table, knowing that she had come to Wu Jiang's birthday party with Yun, and it was so late that even her mother hadn't called.

  Where did he send her?

  The other side of time was left with her alone.

  Situ Xuan was awakened by the whispers around her, only to realize that she had actually fallen asleep like this. She opened her eyes to see Yao Qiyun sitting right across from her, and began to think that it was all just a dream.

  "Am I being too excessive?" She just lay there, staring at Yao Qiyun who no longer argued with her in his dreams.

  "Yes." A very typical Yao Qiyun-style response.

  "Then just ignore me."

  "Good."

  "Since it's like this, why don't you leave?"

  "Let's go."

  He said he would leave as soon as he finished speaking, but he didn't move for a long time.

  "Again, it's a case of saying one thing and doing another."

  Yao Qiyun said: "Everything I said was done when I was sober."

  "What about now?"

  "I had some drinks tonight, those don't count."

  He leaned over to kiss her, and indeed there was still a faint bitter taste of beer. Situ Xuan thought that she didn't drink well, this point was enough to make her drunk. So she also stood up and recklessly hugged Yao Qiyun, tightly wrapping around his back, feeling his hand gently stroking her back.

  "How did you know I was waiting for you here?"

  He said: "What about you? Situ Xuan, I like your sleeping face."