When Will My Childhood Sweetheart Marry Me?-Chapter 159: Encounter in the Men’s Room
The girl’s voice brimmed with anticipation and strands of uncertainty, like a soft knife, shattering the solid ice encasing him.
But his body’s stiffness lasted only a moment.
From her unseen angle, the man’s eyes flashed with scorn as he continued his stride towards the training field without stopping.
Jiang Shuyao was momentarily at a loss, not yet able to react when suddenly, a sharp whistle sounded from the girls’ camp.
"Ah, it’s time for assembly, let’s hurry over," He Shumiao pulled her hand, and as they ran, she asked, "Yaoyao, do you know the guy from just now?"
The scorching sun was relentless, and as Jiang Shuyao rushed to the camp with her roommate, her gaze lingered on the tall figure in the distance.
With everyone around her silent, He Shumiao turned to glance at her and said, "The monk may run away, but the temple can’t. If he really is your friend, as long as he’s at school, you’ll catch him eventually."
The whistle grew more urgent, and the distant sound of the drill instructor shouting could be heard.
Jiang Shuyao reluctantly withdrew her gaze after listening to her roommate’s comforting words, nodding lightly.
If it really was Pei Yan, what did it matter if he acknowledged her now or not?
As long as he was still here, that was enough.
But was that person really him...
He was supposed to be in Los Angeles, yet suddenly he appeared at Rong University, becoming her schoolmate.
It made no sense.
Jiang Shuyao felt a dull ache in her heart; she had deliberately avoided thinking about everything that had happened over the summer.
She had given herself six months to get her life and emotions back on track.
But today, just a similar silhouette, those familiar eyes, caused her to completely let her guard down.
In the days that followed, Jiang Shuyao was tenaciously searching for that figure.
Yet it was as if he had vanished from the world, and she found nothing.
It wasn’t until the seventh day of military training, when the girls faced countless cases of restroom congestion, nearly at the brink of breakdown, that a girl with audacious artistry devised a bad idea.
That was to take over the men’s restroom.
The men’s and women’s restrooms were adjacent, and every time a long line formed at the women’s side, the men’s side was desolate, with plenty of space to spare.
To the largely in-need female comrades, it was a shameful waste.
After dismissal that day, He Shumiao, clutching her rolling stomach, hesitated outside the men’s restroom with a pallid complexion.
"Yaoyao, could you stand watch outside for me for just a moment? I really can’t hold it, and after I’m done, you can go in."
Usually, the girls would do this kind of thing in groups of three or five to bolster their courage, and now He Shumiao was alone, feeling extremely guilty.
Jiang Shuyao remembered an incident from her childhood that still made her feel ashamed—could it be that after so many years, history was about to repeat itself?
But if they didn’t change the sign, and a boy were to go in later, she couldn’t very well stop him, saying there was a girl inside.
Just thinking about that scenario made her feel embarrassed.
Many students were complaining that the design of the restrooms near the training field was unreasonable. Normally, they would suffice, but during the annual military training, it was a pitiful sight.
However, the commandeering of the men’s restroom was indeed a first.
Seeing her roommate in distress seemed to infect her, as Jiang Shuyao’s stomach also began to feel a vague pain.
Next to her, the line at the women’s restroom remained unmoving.
Jiang Shuyao let out a breath and resignedly nodded, "Go ahead, I’ll watch."
He Shumiao, as if granted amnesty, rushed in swiftly.
Only a minute had passed, but the gatekeeper felt the time stretch out interminably.
Luckily, the university guys were fairly easygoing; when faced with the girls’ pleading wet eyes, they couldn’t bring themselves to get angry.
What could they do? The Rong University motto stood firmly in place, one of its principles being deference.
Deference included men giving way to women.
Several guys consoled themselves with that thought.
He Shumiao was relatively quick, and by the time she came out, the pain in Jiang Shuyao’s lower abdomen had become distinct.
"Yaoyao, you can go in with peace of mind, I guarantee I’ll weld this door shut for you."
The roommate’s definitive tone left no room for doubt.
Before entering, Jiang Shuyao cautiously looked around to make sure everything was normal before pulling open the door with relief.
Outside the door, He Shumiao stood like a Gatekeeper, her eyes wide open.
Bored, she intended to take out her phone to play a game, but when she reached into her pocket, it was empty.
Alarm bells rang in her head. "Oh no, did I leave my phone at the supermarket?"
That phone her father had begrudgingly paid over five thousand RMB for, while she told her mother it was just over two thousand.
She couldn’t lose it. If it was gone, how could she face her father for the over three thousand RMB he had forked out from his own savings?
He Shumiao spun around anxiously, thinking left and right. Her eyes caught a glimpse of a sign in front of the bathroom sink. It read—Out of Order, Please Do Not Enter.
Her eyes lit up, and she immediately had an idea.
Leaving for such a short while shouldn’t be a problem, right?
That’s what He Shumiao thought as she hurriedly raced toward the supermarket without pausing for breath.
Jiang Shuyao was even more anxious by now.
Her calls to her roommate went unanswered, and her WeChat messages saw no reply. Sitting in the toilet, neither up nor down, she felt the utmost discomfort.
Amidst her anxiety, the faint sound of footsteps came from outside.
Jiang Shuyao tensed up and tightened her pale lips from the pain, tentatively whispering, "Miaomiao?"
The girl’s voice was soft and delicate, coming through the door panel, causing the person outside to pause slightly.
The air was quiet. He turned his head, his dark eyes silently observing the door in front of him.
The man’s face under the brim of his cap was stern, grim, his sharp jawline and the profile of his face forming a fierce arc.
Yet, upon hearing the girl’s voice, his harsh lines gradually softened.
Jiang Shuyao had never experienced such an embarrassment.
Through the gap between the bottom of the door and the floor, she could clearly see the pair of legs wrapped in camouflage trousers—definitely male.
She wished she could burrow into a hole and disappear; her face flushed with embarrassment, she buried her head not knowing what to do.
After a standstill of more than ten seconds, the person outside showed no sign of leaving.
Gathering all her courage, Jiang Shuyao was about to brazenly seek help when the man outside asked in a low voice, "What do you need me to do?"
The voice was cold to the bone, resonating in the confined space, ominous and oppressive.
Unexpectedly, it crashed into her heart.
She had fantasized countless times about how it would be when he returned from Los Angeles one day and they reunited. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺
But none of those myriad scenarios compared to the sudden surge of heartache that overwhelmed her in this moment.
With a mix of surprise and dull pain, she felt the world spinning as if in a dream.
"Pei Yan."
As she uttered those two words, tears were already pushing to the forefront.
Jiang Shuyao closed her eyes briefly, then quietly lowered her head, her tone more subdued than ever, "I’m, I’m feeling a bit unwell."
Her trembling voice took on a faint cry.
The hand of the man outside, hanging by his leg, clenched imperceptibly, his knuckles turning white.
He Shumiao returned to find the sign still properly blocking the door, unchanged from when she left, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
Touching the beloved phone she had just found at the supermarket, her mood soared to the clouds.
But with the phone out of battery and no games to play, Shuyao had been inside for so long, it was time for her to come out.
With a touch of confusion, she was about to go in and check when, just as she turned around, the tightly shut door inside opened.
As the tall and erect figure walked out, He Shumiao’s mind shattered into a thousand pieces.
Still stunned, a red bill suddenly appeared before her eyes.
"Take the money, go to the supermarket..."
