Push Me Away When I Come, Don't Hold Me Back When I Leave - Chapter 59

Chapter 59: Crowne Plaza Hotel, The Final Gathering

***

Although Xia Ruoming’s score was still unknown, Xiao Qinghan had already booked a venue at the Crowne Plaza Hotel and organized the final graduation dinner.

Xia Ruoming leisurely cycled to the hotel, only to find a young woman looking around at the entrance.

The young woman wore a metal lotus hairpin, her styled French bangs floating in the wind.

Though they had only been apart for two days, the returning Chu Suhe seemed like a different person, even more beautiful than in Xia Ruoming’s past life memories.

“Waiting for me?” Xia Ruoming circled behind Chu Suhe, softly blowing a breath near her ear.

“Ah! I-I told you not to joke like that!” Chu Suhe covered her warming earlobe, then quietly asked beside Xia Ruoming: “Do-do I look pretty?”

“Suhe is always beautiful.” As if responding to that delicate voice, Xia Ruoming’s whisper was equally gentle.

“I-I wanted to be worthy of you… so…” Chu Suhe’s face grew redder as she spoke, lowering her head while fidgeting with the hem of her dress.

“Silly girl, you’re worthy of anyone in this world.”

With that, Xia Ruoming linked arms with Chu Suhe. In the past, Chu Suhe would always shy away from such contact, with hand-holding being the limit. This time, though still somewhat timid, the young woman seemed braver than before and didn’t pull away from Xia Ruoming’s embrace.

When Ruoming entered the hall arm-in-arm with Chu Suhe, they drew many glances, with the vast majority falling on Chu Suhe.

“Wow, Sister Ruoming, where did you find such a pretty girlfriend? This is our private class gathering, it’s not really appropriate to bring your girlfriend, is it?” a female classmate teased.

Xia Ruoming just smiled without answering, while Chu Suhe’s heart beat faster and faster, her head lowered to avoid looking at people nearby.

“Hey, don’t you think the girl Sister Ruoming brought looks kind of familiar?” The teasing classmate looked at Chu Suhe for a while, as if discovering something.

Upon hearing the teasing from beside her, Xu Fengwu also stared at Chu Suhe for a long time. When her gaze moved to the metal hairpin, an unacceptable thought occurred to her.

“Chu… Suhe?”

People nearby turned their heads when they heard this.

“Oh, she really does look like our class monitor, especially the way she always keeps her head down.”

“Wow, was our class monitor this pretty? If I’d known, I would have pursued her too.”

“Dream on! Sister Ruoming previously searched everywhere for the class monitor in the rain, risking punishment. You only want to chase her after realizing how good she is, you’ve already missed your chance.”

Xu Fengwu just listened from the side, feeling inexplicably hurt, though they weren’t talking about her, every word felt like it was directed at her.

Indeed, hadn’t she only tried to win Xia Ruoming back after realizing how good she was? Chu Suhe had stood by her through thick and thin when she had rejected Xia Ruoming, what right did she have to stand as an equal now?

Moreover, while she previously had the face that Xia Ruoming loved, now, though Chu Suhe’s beauty couldn’t quite match hers, it wasn’t far behind.

Watching Chu Suhe surrounded by everyone, Xia Ruoming felt a hint of gratification.

A girl as wonderful as Chu Suhe was meant to be surrounded by admirers, how could she remain alone like before?

“Xiao Xiaxia, did you know about this all along?” He Ya walked up beside Xia Ruoming and asked quietly.

“Just a guess.” Xia Ruoming shrugged, putting on an innocent expression.

“Just like my love story? Xiao Xiaxia, I’m starting to suspect you’re a time traveler.”

Hearing these words, Xia Ruoming’s expression changed slightly, but He Ya didn’t notice.

“What are you talking about? You think this is a novel? Where would there be so many time travelers?” Xia Ruoming said while giving He Ya’s head a light tap.

“Bleh, I was just joking!” He Ya stuck out her tongue while rubbing her head.

Seeing many people surrounding Chu Suhe with questions, a trace of worry appeared on her face: “Xiao Xiaxia, aren’t you afraid someone might steal Susu away if you let her be in the spotlight like this?”

“What are you thinking? Besides that phoenix, is there anyone more charming than your Sister Ruoming?” Xia Ruoming chuckled lightly in response.

“So conceited! I never saw you this conceited in school!”

He Ya was a bit puffed up, having meant well with her warning only to be shown up by Xia Ruoming again.

…

…

Who knows how long these students had been holding back to release their excitement so wildly now.

Before the food even arrived, several empty bottles had appeared on the table — beer, white wine, foreign liquor — they were drinking everything, showing no intention of saving money for Xiao Qinghan.

Some even took advantage of the alcohol to confess, hiding their shyness and awkwardness.

Even Xiao Qinghan wanted to get drunk and bid farewell to her past self.

While some who already liked each other created beautiful stories, others pretended their confessions were just drunken impulses when their hearts were broken.

Xia Ruoming was grateful that in this life, she wasn’t the one who needed to confess to Xu Fengwu at the graduation party only to have her heart completely shattered.

Ji Chuan was already somewhat tipsy, playing champagne fountain with other male students on the side.

When Xia Ruoming lifted her beer can, she truly felt that sense of having aged, though her appearance was still that of an 18 or 19-year-old, her youth had long since died…

In her past life, she could still drink competitively with other classmates, laughing heartily while sharing embarrassing stories from the past.

When she raised the bottle to join the crowd, that excitement was no longer there, replaced instead by a heavy sense of loneliness. Perhaps she could be reborn countless times, but she could only be young once. Once a person grows up, they can never recapture that sense of immaturity.

Inviting the east wind to embrace the bright moon, spring refuses to turn back.

Girls would often come to toast with Xia Ruoming, hoping to get her drunk, trying to reclaim their youth through somewhat improper motives. Xia Ruoming would always smile and raise her glass in response, occasionally hugging those girls who had failed in their drunken confessions to her.

Looking at Xia Ruoming, who seemed far more mature than everyone else, the tipsy Xiao Qinghan also grabbed a can of draft beer and sat beside her, taking small sips while leaning on her shoulder.

This beautiful scene also drew envious looks from many others.

Xu Fengwu, Xiao Qinghan, and the transformed Chu Suhe, how could they all like just one person? It was so unfair.

“Sister Qinghan, you’re still a teacher, you should be a bit more mindful of your image.” Xia Ruoming said helplessly, looking at Xiao Qinghan who was almost sprawled across her.