Cosmic Love Affair

Chapter 7 Kuiper Belt Seven

Xie Li was extremely nervous.

He wanted to suggest that he just be dropped off at the bus station, but he was afraid that speaking up would lead to some other topic.

He also thought about having to take this person to the observatory the next day, and suddenly felt that his life was really full of twists and turns.

He blamed himself in his heart, it was all because he was too impulsive. If it weren't for that kick yesterday, there would have been so much less trouble afterwards.

But if it weren't for that kick, he might not have known Song Yi's real thoughts. Thinking of Song Yi, Xie Li felt uncomfortable again.

Back then, when Song Yi asked him to do data processing for the article, he was really happy - he could also be the one to have his name on his boyfriend's article.

The first item in the "Researcher's Guide to Torturing Dogs" he saw on Weibo was to put one's name on the other person's article.

For those few days, Xie Li felt extremely delighted whenever he thought of this matter.

But what Shen Zhichuan said was all true.

Song Yi actually never intended to put his name on it. Not only did he never mention it, but he also hoped that he wouldn't tell others.

After sobering up, this fact was right in front of him. Xie Li felt he was really silly for not noticing anything wrong at that time.

Xie Li puffed out his cheeks in a moment of deep resentment, and then after a while, he pursed his lips and sighed in trouble.

Tan Ke was driving, occasionally glancing at the passenger seat with his peripheral vision, and felt like he was watching a mime show, which was quite amusing.

Xie Li leaned his head on his school bag and daydreamed.

He thought again about the scenes he had encountered with this man and Song Yi yesterday and today, which were quite suspicious.

Because this man's behavior seemed not to care about Song Yi, and his attitude was also indifferent. Even when Song Yi was kicked into the emergency room by him, he just left without a care.

How come it felt like Song Yi was the one passionately pursuing a cold shoulder.

This thought made Xie Li feel relieved inside, as if there was a little devil waving a pitchfork, shouting - "Serves you right, serves you right, serves you right!"

Xie Li tilted his head, pretending to look out the window, but actually sneaking a glance at the man driving.

He found it hard to imagine how Song Yi could be with this man.

He had noticed yesterday and today that this man was taller and more robust than Song Yi.

Xie Li couldn't help but think in his mind about the feasibility of a short and weak "uke" using various positions, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt that the scene might be quite embarrassing.

Tan Ke leaned back in the fully leather-wrapped seat, one hand on the steering wheel, the other hand resting lightly on the armrest, looking relaxed yet focused and steady.

He changed into loose and comfortable clothes. A dark-colored hoodie and jeans, with the sleeves casually rolled up, at first glance he also looked like a young man in his twenties.

His profile was sharp, with deep-set features, and his forehead hair was still neatly combed. Compared to the elite suit and leather shoes he wore at noon, he now seemed more like a neighbor's big brother with no sense of distance, having a subtle quality that mixed maturity with vitality.

Xie Li felt a bit flushed as he looked, and couldn't help but click his tongue in his heart, thinking how good-looking he was, no wonder Song Yi had liked him for so many years.

As the car approached Landa, Tan Ke turned his head, about to ask which gate to go to, when he saw Xie Li hurriedly lower his head the moment he turned.

Huajie was a place where sharp people gathered. When Tan Ke was in Huajie, he mainly dealt with the acquisition of non-performing assets, and later when he founded Changjing, it was also in the same field.

Those who dealt with non-performing assets were the cream of the crop among people who were already sharp, the best of the best. The daily routine of investment negotiations was to read the other party's bottom line and chips from their every move, and try every means to suppress them.

In front of him, Xie Li was just like a small moon jellyfish, a children's song written in plain language, so easy to read that it was almost transparent.

One glance could see through him, he had just been sneaking a peek.

Tan Ke suddenly had a mischievous thought.

With his head down, Xie Li heard the man next to him ask, "Did you know me before?"

Xie Li immediately remembered that he had called out the man's surname to his face yesterday. He instantly felt a bit guilty, and before he could respond, he heard the man say, "How did you know me, and yet you were dating Song Yi?"

Xie Li paused, gauging the man's tone, which seemed to carry a hint of questioning, as if implying that he knew Song Yi had someone he liked but still dated him.

Xie Li felt a bit annoyed inside and retorted, "But you weren't dating him either."

Although he was annoyed, he was also somewhat intimidated by Tan Ke's formidable status, not daring to offend him outright, and even lacking the momentum to retort. His voice was soft, sounding as if he was complaining.

Tan Ke teased him like a cat playing with a mouse, saying, "Oh, if I were dating him, then he should break up with you."

This hit Xie Li's sore spot.

Xie Li suddenly lifted his head, staring at Tan Ke very angrily, "If you had been dating him yesterday, that would be called butting in! A third wheel! Shameless!"

He paused for a moment, then made a declaration, "Besides, I've already broken up with him. I dumped him! Right in front of you! Because he was two-timing, stepping on two boats with one foot!"

In Xie Li's eyes, Tan Ke's handsome face suddenly wasn't so handsome anymore, becoming detestable.

He puffed out his cheeks in anger, thinking that the person Song Yi liked was indeed not likable.

Tan Ke parked the car at the east gate closest to the graduate dormitory building, shifted gears, and then turned to look at Xie Li.

The young boy had a delicate and clean appearance, with round eyes that were clearly divided into black and white, like black pearls taken out of water, moist and bright.

"It originally had nothing to do with me," Tan Ke said with a smile, "but considering that Shen Zhichuan took care of me a lot in the past, I won't ask you for the emergency room expenses of Song Yi yesterday."

Xie Li was taken aback, almost forgetting about this matter - after all, he was kicked into the emergency room, and the registration fee must have been at least ten or twenty dollars.

Xie Li felt his momentum plummet, still owing money to others, and even his anger lost its foundation.

He reached into his school bag and took out his wallet, "How much? I'll pay you back." He then took out a hundred-dollar bill.

"Thirty-two dollars and fifty cents," Tan Ke said, shrugging, "but I don't have change to give you."

Xie Li put the money back, "Then I can transfer it to you via WeChat."

He took out his phone, and saw Tan Ke laughing again.

Tan Ke's laughter was a bit malicious, and he asked in a low voice, "Are you trying to get my WeChat ID?"

Xie Li was taken aback again, was this person shameless! Was he shameless!

He was so angry and frustrated that he threw out a sentence, "You're the one who doesn't want it," and then he opened the car door and ran away.

The next day, it wasn't until noon that Xie Li received an email from the department secretary, notifying him to wait at the entrance of the observatory on Xiaosu Mountain before five o'clock for the donor.

Xie Li was troubled in front of the computer.

Cheng Guang came over with goji berry and black sesame paste, and took a look at the screen, "Hey, go ahead, it won't do any harm. You're just entertaining the old man, it's not a big deal. I've heard that the math department's doctoral supervisor, in order to promote his own stuff, kicked the students out to be tutors for other people's children, and even made a military order, guaranteeing to improve the math scores by fifty points at the end of the term."

Cheng Guang shook his head, "Ah, it was just miserable."

Xie Li couldn't tell Cheng Guang the inside story, and puffed out his mouth, getting more and more annoyed. He made up his mind to take the route of playing the victim.

He showed his hand back to Cheng Guang, "Senior, how about you go instead of me? Look at me, I'm like this."

Cheng Guang took a look at his hand and was startled, not daring to touch it, and jumped back a long way, "What happened to you? Is it contagious?"

No wonder Cheng Guang was startled, Xie Li's hand was indeed quite frightening.

Yesterday it was just a rash, today it had swollen in patches.

Xie Li looked wronged , "I don't know what happened. It started yesterday afternoon."

Cheng Guang came over to take another look, "Haven't you applied some medicine or something?"

Xie Li nodded, "I did, Xiao Wu applied Yunnan Baiyao toothpaste for me, they didn't have Pianping."

Cheng Guang was simply incredulous, "Why don't you two just go to the chemistry lab and get some aqua regia to apply? Your combined IQ is just two hundred and fifty, right?"

Xie Li felt extremely wronged, "Xiao Wu said Yunnan Baiyao can resolve blood stasis, activate blood circulation, detoxify, reduce swelling and relieve pain. Yunnan Baiyao toothpaste contains the secret formula of Yunnan Baiyao, so it can be used."

Cheng Guang was extremely angry that his own naive child had been deceived by a quack, "He should first take a tube to pop the bubbles in his own brain!"

Taking advantage of Cheng Guang's concern, Xie Li quickly put in a word, blinking his eyes at Cheng Guang, "Senior, you go instead of me. I'm like this, how can I scare others."

Cheng Guang suddenly felt as if some non-existent organ in his body was secreting estrogen. He couldn't hold it, and took a step back, "Let me tell you, no matter how pitiful you are to me, I won't go for you."

"The boss wanted me to go, and he took me there yesterday. If I compete with you for this matter, he can chop off my head and use it as a yoga ball," Cheng Guang said earnestly, "Go, go, the sooner you go, the sooner you come back, and then hurry to the infirmary to have a look."

Seeing that there was no way to escape, Xie Li had no choice but to go back to the dormitory to change clothes first.

The observatory was built on a mountain in the suburbs of Lancheng, called Xiaosu Mountain, which was still a bit far from the city center. Usually, only maintenance personnel and those doing observations came here, and there were only two shuttle buses going there in the morning and afternoon every day.

Xie Li arrived early and leaned against the ceramic wall at the entrance of the observatory, daydreaming.

In the distance, the huge body of the city lay at the foot of the mountain.

Tan Ke, still sitting in the car, saw Xie Li lazily leaning against the entrance of the observatory, like a cat dozing under a tree in the afternoon.

It wasn't until the car pulled up in front of him that this little creature slowly lifted his head.

His fair skin was slightly flushed from the sun, his eyes bright and clear, looking over here as if expecting something.

Tan Ke, through the tinted car window, met those eyes. His heart skipped a beat, suddenly feeling that the sunlight today was particularly dazzling.

There is a term in psychology called the "mere exposure effect," which means that people will develop a liking for things they are frequently exposed to.

Tan Ke suspected that this term had a solid scientific basis in practice.

The car stopped, and Xiao, the assistant sitting in the passenger seat, turned around, "Mr. Tan..."

"You don't have to come. Stay in the car," Tan Ke said without lifting his head, straightening his cuffs, and stepped out of the car.