The next day, Su Qingxin handed Wei Ran a hand-woven black bracelet as a birthday gift. The bracelet was the simplest kind, because she only knew how to weave this kind.
Wei Ran placed the bracelet on the table covered with books, took out a magnifying glass from the drawer and looked at it carefully several times, saying, "It's ugly at first glance, and even uglier when you magnify it."
Su Qingxin was angry and pretended to snatch the bracelet back.
Wei Ran stopped her and quickly put the bracelet on his wrist. He held his wrist up and shook it in front of her: "If you give it to me, it's mine. Do you want to take it back? No way."
"Who told you to think it's ugly?" Su Qingxin said awkwardly.
"The ugly one won't be stolen by others, which is exactly what I want." Wei Ran said in a reasonable manner.
Su Qingxin didn't argue with him, nor was she too lazy to argue with him.
Half a month later, Wei Ran gave Su Qingxin a particularly rough red bracelet in return. He threw the bracelet onto Su Qingxin's desk with lightning speed, and when she looked up at him, he propped his head up to look out the window, humming Luo Dayou's "Childhood" out of tune.
Before Su Qingxin had time to grab the bracelet, it was snatched away by Yang Ye.
Yang Ye raised the bracelet and shouted, "Wow, Wei Ran, are you giving Su Qingxin a token of love?"
In just a moment, a warm current surged on Su Qingxin's cheeks.
When Wei Ran heard Yang Ye's voice, he immediately stood up and tried to snatch the bracelet back, saying, "What are you doing? This is what I gave to my mother. I just asked Su Qingxin to help me see if the braiding is correct. Give it back to me!"
"For your mother? Who would believe that? Look, Su Qingxin's face is blushing." Yang Ye laughed and continued to tease.
The eyes of the whole class were on Su Qingxin. She was holding the corner of the open book on the table tightly with her fingers, feeling a little embarrassed.
Wei Ran was still trying to grab the bracelet from Yang Ye, but Yang Ye was taller than him and he couldn't get it at all.
Zhu Panpan suddenly stood up from her seat, stuck out her belly and bumped into Yang Ye, saying fiercely: "Yang Ye, don't bully Qingxin!"
Yang Ye was a tall and thin man, and he staggered after being hit by Zhu Panpan. Wei Ran took the opportunity to snatch the bracelet back and stuffed it into the desk drawer.
"Fatty Zhu, you really should lose weight." Yang Ye held his stomach and cried out in pain.
Zhu Panpan was proud of this and said, "If not losing weight can deal with people like you, I will never lose weight in my life!"
Yang Ye and Zhu Panpan easily started arguing, and their voices began to become blurred in Su Qingxin's ears. Su Qingxin secretly turned her head to look at Wei Ran, who was leaning against the table, pretending to read a book seriously.
Su Qingxin had seen this situation before, at her father's place.
In the past, when Dad was instigated by his friends at the coal mine to give Mom roses, he looked exactly like Wei Ran does now.
But life is so cruel, Dad and Mom can never go back.
Su Qingxin withdrew her gaze and sighed softly.
The days passed by so dully, with occasional calmness and occasional little farce.
Su Qingxin has seen the spring and summer of Tongcheng, and also the colorful autumn of Tongcheng with falling leaves. She was forced to accept the cold and unfamiliar city in the warm season, but felt the warmth that went straight to her heart in the bleak and cold season.
She originally thought that she would survive a winter that was just like autumn, but she didn't expect to fall into an even colder ice cellar in the cold winter.
Shu Fan was going to accompany Feng Qiang on a business trip. Before leaving, Feng Qiang left the key to Su Qingxin, asked her to take good care of Feng Ruixing, and also told Feng Ruixing not to bully her.
Feng Ruixing fiddled with his tank model while perfunctorily saying to Feng Qiang: "If I dare to bully her, will you beat me to death?"
Feng Qiang took Su Qingxin's hand and asked her kindly if she needed any gifts. Su Qingxin pulled her hand back awkwardly and said no. Then they left.
Feng Qiang is very kind to Su Qingxin, just like a father.
But Su Qingxin didn't like this feeling, because it made her feel uneasy.
As soon as Feng Qiang and Shu Fan left, Feng Ruixing ran to Su Qingxin and said, "Su Qingxin, give me the key!"
Su Qingxin didn't want to argue with him any further, so she gave him the key.
As a result, Su Qingxin waited for him at the door for three hours the next day, but he didn't come back.
Aunt Zhang from the neighboring house called Su Qingxin in to warm herself up and also invited her to have dinner.
At around nine o'clock in the evening, Feng Ruixing came back. As soon as he entered the house, he lay on the sofa and shouted, "Su Qingxin, I'm hungry, cook for me."
Su Qingxin went to the kitchen to cook silently, and brought the food to the table half an hour later.
Feng Ruixing chewed a few bites and spat it out, saying, "Pah, pah, pah, it's so disgusting!" Then, he opened his palm to Su Qingxin, "Su Qingxin, take out the money my dad left. I want to eat in a restaurant."
"I've already given you all your pocket money. I can't give you any more." Su Qingxin refused and walked over to clean up the food he no longer wanted to eat.
Feng Ruixing got angry, threw the dishes to the ground, and shouted: "Su Qingxin, that's my father! His money is my money, why don't you, an outsider, give it to me?"
Su Qingxin was silent.
He was right. Su Qingxin was indeed an outsider to him. To what extent was she an outsider? Su Qingxin did not dare to resist Feng Ruixing, because if she resisted him, she would have nowhere to go.
Haicheng is more than 2,000 kilometers away from Su Qingxin. To Su Qingxin, this distance is like a winding dragon, while Su Qingxin is just a skinny crawling snake.
Su Qingxin took out all the pocket money left by Feng Qiang, but Feng Ruixing snatched it away without leaving a penny for her.
At noon at school, Zhu Panpan asked Su Qingxin to go have lunch together, but Su Qingxin evaded the question. It was not until the afternoon class when Wei Ran heard her stomach growling that Su Qingxin told him everything.
Wei Ran bought her some bread and said, "Su Qingxin, that boy dared to bully you. I'm going to beat him up!"
Su Qingxin said, "Don't go. It's useless. As long as I stay under the Feng family's roof for one day, he will torture me endlessly."
Feng Ruixing not only minds that Su Qingxin has taken away some of his father's love, he minds more because of the sense of superiority he has had since childhood. He feels that Su Qingxin is inferior to him and has a cowardly character, so he loves to bully her.
Zhu Panpan took Su Qingxin's hand and said, "Qingxin, go live at my house and wait for your mother and stepfather to come back."
Su Qingxin looked up at Wei Ran, and Wei Ran nodded to indicate her agreement.
So, for three consecutive days, Su Qingxin lived in Zhu Panpan's house.
Three days later, Feng Ruixing appeared at the door of Su Qingxin's classroom and said, "Su Qingxin, I have no money. Give me some."
For this reason, Wei Ran grabbed Feng Ruixing by the collar and dragged him to the corridor and beat him up severely. Su Qingxin couldn't stop him. Wei Ran pointed at Feng Ruixing's nose and said, "I warned you last time, and you still dare to bully her? Try to bully her again!"
Su Qingxin, Yang Ye and Zhu Panpan took a lot of effort to hold Wei Ran back.
Feng Ruixing cried with bruises on her face: "I'm going to sue you! I'm going to sue you!"
"Go ahead and sue me!" Wei Ran shook his fist at him.
Yang Ye quickly pulled him into the classroom.
The next day, Wei Ran was criticized by the school and was given a demerit.
He stood on the stage holding up a letter of apology and read it out in front of all the teachers and students in the school.
Qin Ruxi stood not far in front of Su Qingxin, and looked back at her with eyes filled with deep hatred.
After school, Wei Ran carried his schoolbag on one shoulder, put his hands in his trouser pockets, and walked very slowly.
Su Qingxin trotted over and called his name softly from behind: "Wei Ran..."
He turned his head and looked over, his face looking calm.
"I'm sorry." Su Qingxin apologized, feeling extremely guilty and her nose was sore.
Wei Ran was slightly stunned when he saw Su Qingxin's expression. He stretched out his hand, gently placed it on her head, and smiled, "You're not going to cry, are you?"
Su Qingxin dodged Wei Ran's hand and said, "Don't stand up for me anymore."
Wei Ran looked at her, waved his hand, turned away, and said, "Yes, yes, I helped others but they didn't appreciate it. I guess I should stop meddling in other people's business in the future."
When Su Qingxin heard this, she quickly chased after him and explained, "No, that's not what I meant."
"That's what you mean." Wei Ran spoke with a heavy tone, seeming to mind it very much.
Su Qingxin grabbed his hand, ran to him, and said, "If you are punished three times by the school, you will be expelled. I am afraid that you will stand up for me again in the future, so you..."
"Just what?" Wei Ran stared at Su Qingxin and asked.
"Will you not be able to study here? Then I will become a sinner for all eternity." Su Qingxin answered truthfully.
Wei Ran grabbed the hem of Su Qingxin's school uniform, zipped up the unzipped zipper to the collar, and said arrogantly: "When you are able to protect yourself, I will naturally stop standing up for you."
Then, he straightened her collar, his voice as warm as the spring breeze: " The weather is cold, don't catch a cold."
After saying this, he walked away, his steps unsteadily, looking absent-minded.
Su Qingxin looked at his back and was absent-minded for a long time.
When Su Qingxin came home in the evening, Shu Fan was sitting on the sofa. When she saw Su Qingxin coming in, her eyes became cold. She asked Su Qingxin: "Where have you been?"
"Just take a walk." Su Qingxin said as she changed her shoes at the entrance.
Feng Ruixing shouted sarcastically at the dining table: "Sister is lying. Aunt Xiaofan, sister went to meet her boyfriend!" After saying that, he lowered his head and pretended to eat, secretly raising an eyebrow at Su Qingxin.
Shu Fan stood up from the sofa and walked upstairs: "Come with me."
Su Qingxin followed her into the room. As soon as she opened her mouth, she asked, "You are only sixteen years old, how can you fall in love?"
Su Qingxin said she didn't.
Shu Fan looked at her with a look of disappointment: "You didn't? If you didn't, how could any boy stand up for you and beat Xiaoxing? Xiaoxing is your brother. No matter what he did, you can't let others beat him!"
"He really did complain to you." Su Qingxin sneered.
Shu Fan came over, held her shoulders, and said, "Qingxin, Mom knows you're not happy here, but we should forget the past and start over, right? You should focus on your studies now and not fall in love too early."
"So, mom, are you...having a good time?" Su Qingxin said in a daze, looking up at Shu Fan. The woman in front of her was still young and beautiful when she first brought her to Tongcheng, but now, in less than a year, fine lines have appeared at the corners of her eyes and she has lost a lot of weight.
"Whether you believe it or not, I just don't have a boyfriend! Wei Ran helped me because he couldn't bear it. You always told me to give in to Feng Ruixing, and I've been very tolerant of him, but he always bullies me, you know that."
Shu Fan stood up straight with his back facing her.
After a long time, Shu Fan secretly wiped away his tears and said, "Qingxin, at least here, you have everything you need, right?" Shu Fan's voice was trembling.
Su Qingxin's thoughts flooded her mind instantly, and tears welled up in her eyes. She choked and said, "But, Mom, I lack Dad's love..."
Su Qingxin sobbed, unable to hold back the sadness deep in her heart. She raised her hand and wiped away her tears, feeling as if her throat was covered with dust. She said, "I miss my father so much, I miss Haicheng so much... I really want to know how my father is doing now..."
Shu Fan turned around, hugged Su Qingxin in his arms, and kept comforting her: "Don't think about it, don't think about it. Qingxin, forget it, we will only suffer if we go back. Mom doesn't care, but you still need to grow up!"
Su Qingxin hid in Shu Fan's arms, tears falling like pearls from a broken string. She held back her tears until her throat ached.
She had never grown up and had never understood how important money was to a woman with a child, so she blamed Shu Fan, even when he was leaning in her arms.
After that day, the teacher moved Su Qingxin and Wei Ran's seats. Qin Ruxi transferred to their class, Wei Ran's deskmate became Qin Ruxi, and Su Qingxin sat in the front row.
Su Qingxin would occasionally turn around and keep his eyes on Wei Ran. He was distracted while resisting Qin Ruxi's enthusiasm. More often, he would prop up his chin and stare out the window in a daze.
There is a camphor tree outside the window. Wei Ran has witnessed it from sprouting to falling leaves.
It was a rare warm winter day, and Zhu Panpan took Su Qingxin out to bask in the sun. She pointed at Wei Ran running on the court and said, "Qingxin, do you know? The night after Wei Ran finished reading his self-criticism, he returned home and was beaten by his father. He was beaten very badly."
Su Qingxin was startled and suddenly remembered the first time she met Wei Ran’s father, that short and fat man who crossed his legs and threatened to beat Wei Ran to death when he came back.
Zhu Panpan continued, "Moreover, he deliberately didn't talk to you and changed seats so that you wouldn't notice his injuries. But I didn't expect that Qin Ruxi would take advantage of the opportunity and become his deskmate. Qin Ruxi transferred to our class on purpose, which was obviously intentional."
"But why did his father beat him so hard? Was it just because Wei Ran read a self-criticism at school?" Su Qingxin asked in confusion, ignoring the meaning of Zhu Panpan's subsequent words.
Zhu Panpan shook her head and said, "I don't know. I also heard it from Yang Ye."
Su Qingxin lowered her head in silence. All of this was caused by herself.
Su Qingxin hesitated for several days and finally decided to go to Wei Ran's home.
She stood downstairs of Wei Ran's house, not daring to go up.
Only dry and yellow branches were left of the tung tree that extended to the second-floor windows. The remaining tung leaves were blown lightly by the wind and fell from the sky like a bird with broken wings.
Su Qingxin took a deep breath and planned to go upstairs. At this moment, a heavily made-up woman ran out of the corridor. She was as beautiful as Shu Fan when she first came to this city.
The woman was wearing a leopard-print fur coat, tall and slender, with an outstanding temperament, which formed a sharp contrast with the simple building. A white BMW was parked on the side of the road, and she got in the car directly.
Standing by the window on the second floor was a melancholy Wei Ran. His eyes followed the white BMW to the corner and finally landed on Su Qingxin.
Su Qingxin didn't go up in the end. She left under Wei Ran's gaze. She didn't know what to say to Wei Ran when she saw him. She was very afraid of Wei Ran like this.
The memory went back to the past, and the young man with tung oil flower petals in his hair looked proud, which might be what Su Qingxin wanted to see most.
She didn't like Wei Ran's gloomy face, she really didn't like it.
So, she also wanted to do something to help him, as long as he was willing.
When Zhu Panpan pushed Su Qingxin to the football field, Su Qingxin was still trying to back out. Zhu Panpan angrily slapped her on the head and said, "You brought it up yourself, you have to finish it even if you have to kneel down, go!" Then she pushed Su Qingxin into the field again.
In fact, Wei Ran saw Su Qingxin's awkward look from a distance. After Yang Ye's repeated instigation, he touched the back of his head and walked reluctantly to Su Qingxin.
"What's wrong?" Wei Ran asked Su Qingxin who had her head down.
Zhu Panpan slapped Su Qingxin on the butt, and Su Qingxin hurriedly asked: "Wei Ran, do you, do you have a dream?"
Wei Ran and Zhu Panpan were speechless for a while.
Seeing Su Qingxin's tangled look, Wei Ran's heart slowly melted away a strange feeling. Even if he stayed away from her in order not to let Su Qingxin worry about him, he still couldn't help but be moved when he saw her like this.
Wei Ran put his hands on his hips, leaned forward slightly, and asked teasingly: "So, Su Qingxin, do you have a dream?"
"Yes." Su Qingxin nodded quickly.
Wei Ran nodded, pinching his chin with his index finger and thumb, pretending to think. Then he gently poked Su Qingxin's forehead with his finger and said, "From now on, your dream is my dream. Tell me, what do you want to do?"
"My first dream is to study hard and get admitted to university." Su Qingxin said seriously.
Wei Ran sighed: "Su Qingxin, it turns out you have several dreams. You are so greedy."
Su Qingxin ignored his words, pushed his shoulder and asked, "Do you want to come together?"
"Okay, okay, let's go together." Wei Ran quickly compromised, and even the look in his eyes when he looked at Su Qingxin was a little more doting.
However, Su Qingxin did not notice these details. She said to Yang Ye who was running over with a football in his arms, "Yang Ye, come along too."
Yang Ye was a straightforward man and agreed immediately.
As a result, a four-person study group headed by Su Qingxin and Wei Ran was added to the class. The four of them often studied, ate, and walked together. When Wei Ran and Yang Ye played football, Su Qingxin and Zhu Panpan cheered for them. When Su Qingxin and Zhu Panpan went shopping, Wei Ran and Yang Ye followed behind them and worked hard to carry shopping bags.
After the New Year's Day holiday, Qin Ruxi squeezed in front of Su Qingxin and Wei Ran and said, "I want to join your study group too."
Wei Ran disagreed, but Su Qingxin agreed.
Anyway, even if Qin Ruxi joined in, she wasn't the one being annoyed.
Zhu Panpan secretly asked Su Qingxin: "Qin Ruxi comes in and always pesters Wei Ran, aren't you jealous?"
Su Qingxin had never pondered this word in her heart. She was very young at that time, and her years were very fragile. She had the courage to be moved, but she did not have the courage to stop others from being moved like her.
Just like the leisurely time and Wei Ran in the time, neither of them could belong to her alone.
They all achieved very good results in the final exam of that semester.
When Su Qingxin returned to Feng's house, she saw Feng Qiang making Feng Ruixing kneel in the living room because he had taken a zero in Chinese.
Feng Qiang threw the report card in Feng Ruixing's face and cursed, "I feed you the best food and the best things every day, and look at what you got in the exam!"
Shu Fan held Feng Ruixing in his arms and said, "Alright, Feng Qiang, you can't expect a child to do well in the exam just by beating and scolding him. Shouldn't we find out the reason?"
"What reasons are you looking for? He's just spoiled!" Feng Qiang was furious. He pointed at Su Qingxin who was standing next to him and said, "Look at Qingxin, she's not like him! She just transferred to the high school and got second in the class. She's nothing like this little bastard!"
"So what if I'm second? There's still a first place that's suppressing me!" Feng Ruixing was not convinced and gave a lot of twisted reasons.
Feng Qiang was so angry that he took off his slippers and threw them at Feng Ruixing.
Seeing this, Shu Fan stood in front of Feng Ruixing and hit her with his slippers.
Su Qingxin felt it was ironic, and hurriedly sighed and said, "Okay, Uncle Feng." Su Qingxin's eyes stopped on Shu Fan, "I'll help Xiaoxing with his lessons during the holidays, so you don't have to worry so much."
When Feng Ruixing heard this, he immediately shouted, "I don't want you to make up lessons for me! No!"
"Shut up! You little bastard!" Feng Qiang roared.
Su Qingxin rubbed her eyebrows and went back to her room alone. When she closed the door, she could still hear Feng Ruixing crying in the living room.
Although Su Qingxin said it, tutoring Feng Ruixing was really a headache because he simply wouldn't listen.
"Feng Ruixing, you don't want your dad to beat you, right? If you don't want to be beaten, get up and study hard!" Su Qingxin stood in Feng Ruixing's bedroom, looking at the young master who was sleeping comfortably on the bed with a quilt in his arms and said.
"A person needs to sleep for eight hours to be considered to have normal sleep. People like me who are still growing need to sleep for two full eight-hour periods. You can leave first." Feng Ruixing responded dazedly, turned over, and wrapped his whole body with the quilt.
Su Qingxin turned around and walked to the door, shouting, "Uncle Feng..."
"Su Qingxin!" Feng Ruixing shouted immediately, "Learn, learn, learn! You are so annoying."
Feng Ruixing complained as he struggled to get out of bed. But although he said it well, his actions were quite honest, which betrayed his extremely lazy character.
Su Qingxin hit Feng Ruixing on the head with the book for the twenty-third time, and all the sleepiness in Feng Ruixing's body flew away. He jumped up and shouted, "Su Qingxin, can you please stop hitting me? Don't think I dare not fight back!"
"Then fight back! I'll see who can beat me better or your dad better." With Feng Qiang as a backer, Su Qingxin was not afraid that Feng Ruixing would do something reckless.
Feng Ruixing pointed at Su Qingxin's nose and threatened fiercely: "Don't use my dad as a shield if you have the guts! I promised to let you tutor me, don't really think you are so great. What, do you still want to go to heaven?"
"Tell your dad about this. As long as your dad tells me not to tutor you, I will stop immediately." Su Qingxin said.
Feng Ruixing slammed the table and said fiercely, "Anyone can tutor me. I'll tell dad that I would rather hire a tutor than have you tutor me!" With that, Feng Ruixing ran outside in his slippers.
Su Qingxin stood up slowly and followed him out.
Feng Ruixing was impatient and walked quickly. When he was running down the stairs wearing slippers that were one size larger than his feet, he accidentally fell.
Seeing this, Su Qingxin screamed out of habit.
Feng Ruixing rolled down the stairs, screaming in fear.
Su Qingxin hurried down to check on Feng Ruixing's injuries.
Feng Ruixing pushed her away and cried, "Get out of here!"
Feng Qiang and Shu Fan, who heard the noise, also ran out of the workshop. When they saw Feng Ruixing curled up on the ground hugging her legs and crying, they hurried over to ask.
Feng Ruixing grabbed Feng Qiang's sleeve and cried, "Dad, I don't want Sister Su to help me with my homework, I don't want it!"
When Shu Fan heard this, he turned around and looked at Su Qingxin reproachfully, and asked, "What's going on?"
"He fell accidentally." Su Qingxin explained quickly.
Feng Ruixing shouted hurriedly: "You are talking nonsense! I just wanted to tell Dad that I want to hire a tutor and I don't want you to teach me. You pushed me down the stairs because you were afraid that I would complain! Dad, I don't want Sister Su to teach me, I don't want her to teach me!"
Feng Qiang only had this precious son. He picked up Feng Ruixing impatiently, put him in the car in a hurry and went to the hospital.
Shu Fan scolded Su Qingxin and hurriedly followed.
Su Qingxin felt a surge of grievances in her heart. She ran back to her room, slammed the door shut, and tears instantly flowed down her cheeks. She didn't understand why she had to live such a wronged life, nor did she understand why even her closest people didn't believe her when something happened.
As she was thinking, Su Qingxin took out a photo of her father from the pages of her notebook. Her father's appearance became increasingly blurred in her sight, and Su Qingxin couldn't help but lie on the table and burst into tears.
She sobbed and sobbed, saying, "Dad, I miss you so much..."
Fate is a very strange thing. It forces us to accept things we are unwilling to accept and makes choices we are unwilling to make. Finally, it stands at the top of human nature and ridiculously says that brave people should never succumb to fate.
Su Qingxin cried for a long time, and finally fell exhausted on the table and fell asleep in a daze.
She was woken up by Shu Fan.
Su Qingxin was called to the living room by Shu Fan. Feng Qiang was sitting on the sofa, smoking and sighing.
Shu Fan said that Feng Ruixing's ankle was comminuted and fractured, and he needed surgery and at least a year of rest to recover.
Su Qingxin lowered her head. After a long time, she raised her head and said to Shu Fan, "Mom, Feng Ruixing fell down by herself. I didn't push her."
Shu Fan did not accept Su Qingxin's explanation. She said, "If you don't chase him, can he run away? If he doesn't run, can he fall down?"
All the words in Su Qingxin's heart were stuck in her throat. Her throat felt like it was filled with sand and she felt suffocated.
"I didn't pursue him either." Su Qingxin had a stubborn expression and her voice was hoarse.
"Xiaoxing is already like that, is there any need for him to lie?" Shu Fan frowned, as if the child in front of her was not her biological child, but the one lying in the hospital.
Su Qingxin felt a surge of resentment in her heart. She raised her head and said firmly, "Do I need to lie? Feng Ruixing has always disliked me. It's not surprising that he framed me this time..."
"Snapped!"
Shu Fan slapped Su Qingxin on the face, and Su Qingxin's voice stopped abruptly.
"Don't forget that you are my sister!" Shu Fan's eyes were also filled with tears. Su Qingxin's stubborn expression made her heart ache.
She was her mother and she believed in her daughter from beginning to end.
But if she defended her daughter now, then they would not be able to stay in the Feng family anymore, and they would have nowhere to go. Shu Fan was a coward, and she had no choice.
Feng Qiang put out the last cigarette in the ashtray, put on his coat silently, and rushed to the hospital again.
Shu Fan also hurriedly followed. In this relationship that even she herself knew was not solid, she did not dare to neglect it and could only follow her master without stopping.
Su Qingxin was the only one left in the empty room. She stroked her burning cheeks and squatted down crying.
It was already dark outside. Su Qingxin opened the door and walked out dazed.
The temperature dropped to the bottom on a cold winter night. She hugged her arms tightly and walked slowly along the street. She didn't know where to go, nor did she think about where to go. She just wanted to get some fresh air. That so-called home made her feel so uncomfortable that she couldn't breathe.
A damp and cold wind blew, carrying a few tiny raindrops. Su Qingxin hugged herself and huddled into a ball. She was already feeling sad, and this kind of weather made her sadness almost overflow.
The rain was getting heavier and heavier, soaking Su Qingxin's clothes. She sniffed, feeling helpless and desperate.
"Whoa!" A bicycle sped down the slope, the handlebars hooked Su Qingxin's sleeve, and she fell on the stone steps at the side of the slope, and the bicycle also fell over. Su Qingxin climbed up from the stone steps, sat on them, sobbing, and slowly cried out.
"Su Qingxin?" A voice suddenly came from the darkness.
Su Qingxin was startled and looked up. The owner of the bicycle climbed up from the ground crookedly and ran towards her.
It was Wei Ran. When his figure appeared under the street light, Su Qingxin recognized him at first sight. The rain curtain was blurry under the street light, but Wei Ran's appearance was extremely clear.
As soon as she saw Wei Ran, Su Qingxin couldn't help crying again.
Wei Ran quickly took off his raincoat and put it on her, asking, "Why are you here? Did you fall somewhere?"
Su Qingxin did not answer, but her crying became louder and louder in the rainy night.
I don't remember when I cried so loudly. When my father was in trouble, she just cried silently beside the bed. At that time, my father wiped her face and said with a smile: "Silly girl, why are you crying?"
Wei Ran covered Su Qingxin tightly with a raincoat. Faced with Su Qingxin's emotional breakdown, he was a little at a loss.
"Qingxin, don't cry. Tell me, was the Feng family bullying you?" Wei Ran squatted in front of Su Qingxin and held her hand tightly.
Su Qingxin leaned forward like a child and rested her forehead on Wei Ran's shoulder. She cried and said intermittently: "I want to find my father, I want to go back to Haicheng... I want to go home..."
Wei Ran had never seen Su Qingxin like that before. She curled up into a small ball, her voice so hoarse that she could hardly speak. Wei Ran held Su Qingxin's shoulders and took her into a noodle shop. Su Qingxin sat in front of the stove wrapped in a raincoat. The fat boss cooked a big bowl of beef noodles for each of them and added two eggs for them.
Su Qingxin told Wei Ran everything that happened at Feng's house. Wei Ran sat opposite her and watched her emotions slowly calm down.
"Qingxin, is your home in Haicheng?" Wei Ran asked.
Su Qingxin nodded and answered obediently: "Well, my dad is there, I want to go back and take care of him."
"Your father..." Wei Ran asked tentatively, his heart in his throat, afraid of touching something that would make Su Qingxin sad again.
Su Qingxin wiped away her tears and said, "Dad's leg was broken by the collapsed mine while he was mining, and it has been amputated. He definitely can't live alone now..."
After hearing this, Wei Ran smiled and coaxed Su Qingxin like a child. He said, "Qingxin, your father is so powerful, he will definitely wait until you go back to see him. I promise you, I will accompany you to Haicheng to see your father in the future, okay?"
Su Qingxin looked at Wei Ran suspiciously and said, "Haicheng is so far away."
Yes, Haicheng is so far away. She remembered that she and her mother took a train for two days and two nights to come to Tongcheng from Haicheng.
Wei Ran smiled and said, "It doesn't matter. I will go with you no matter how far it is. But before that, you have to promise me that no matter what happens in the future, don't run out alone at night. Remember to come to me, understand?"
"Will you really go with me?" Su Qingxin asked in disbelief.
Wei Ran stretched out his hand, hooked his little finger, and said, "Pink, I will definitely go with you."
Su Qingxin stared at Wei Ran in a daze. Raindrops were still hanging on his hair, and he hadn't changed his wet clothes. He must be even colder than she was, but to reassure herself, he faced her with the brightest smile.
Su Qingxin stretched out her hand from her large raincoat and hooked her pinky finger with Wei Ran's. Through the steaming hot beef noodles, she saw a serious look on Wei Ran's clean face that she had never seen before.
That night, Su Qingxin and Wei Ran had a warm meal of beef noodles.
That night, Wei Ran sent Su Qingxin home before he slowly went back.
That night, Wei Ran cleared a glass bottle and poured all his change into it. He wanted to save enough money for him and Su Qingxin to travel to Haicheng with her to find her father.
When he was young, his dream was far away, but Wei Ran was willing to work hard at all costs to realize it.
After Feng Ruixing broke her leg, Shu Fan became even more humble in front of Feng Qiang, fearing that he would do something wrong or say something wrong. Su Qingxin could feel that Feng Qiang was not as good to her and her daughter as before.
When Feng Ruixing returned home to recuperate after surgery, it was already the season for tung tree flowers to bloom. Su Qingxin still remembered that the weather was particularly hot that day. She wore two layers of clothes the day before, but felt stuffy even in short sleeves the next day.
When Su Qingxin returned to Feng's house, Feng Qiang was helping Feng Ruixing down from the back seat. Feng Ruixing saw Su Qingxin standing at the door and rolled her eyes at her.
While having dinner that night, Su Qingxin felt as if she was chewing wax.
Feng Qiang and Shu Fan both took great care of Feng Ruixing, and Su Qingxin was like an outsider.
That's right, she was an outsider.
The next day after school, Zhu Panpan invited Su Qingxin to go home together, but Su Qingxin refused on the grounds that she had not finished her notes.
After waiting for half an hour, Su Qingxin was the only one left in the classroom. She packed her schoolbag and walked out.
Wei Ran was standing at the end of the corridor
Seeing Su Qingxin coming out, he tilted his head and asked, "Come out?"
"You haven't gone back yet?" Su Qingxin asked.
Wei Ran turned around, leaned against the balcony, put his arms on the balcony railing, and said with a smile: "Waiting for you."
Su Qingxin walked over, and the strange feelings in her heart slowly melted away. She leaned forward on the balcony and said, "I... don't really want to go back."
Wei Ran understood it in his heart, but he didn't say it out loud. He just said, "What a coincidence. I don't really want to go back."
"You don't want to go back?" Su Qingxin asked, then thought of the fierce father Wei and said, "Won't your father punish you?"
"Ah..." Wei Ran laughed, "He is drunk 360 days out of 365 days a year. As long as I don't provoke him, he usually ignores me."
Su Qingxin then realized that she didn't seem to understand Wei Ran at all. At least, she didn't know why he was like her and didn't want to go home after school.
"What about your mother?" Su Qingxin asked again.
Wei Ran did not answer, but said to Su Qingxin mysteriously: "Can I take you to my secret base?"
Su Qingxin did not refuse.
The secret base that Wei Ran mentioned was located across two old streets, in the corner of the third floor of an old house that was about to be demolished.
The deep red paint on the iron gate was already mottled. Wei Ran took out the key, opened the door, and brought Su Qingxin in.
The room was very simple, with an old bed in the southeast corner and a desk next to it. There was a socket next to the door, and a kettle and two washbasins next to it.
"I live here when I'm not at home." Wei Ran threw his schoolbag on the bed, moved the chair over, wiped it, and placed it in front of Su Qingxin.
Su Qingxin sat down, looked around, and asked, "What is this place?"
Wei Ran sat on the bed and said casually, "My friend's old house was taken and moved away, but this place has never been demolished. Since no one wants to drive me away, I will live here first. Hey!" He patted the bed he was sitting on and said, "You sleep here tonight. If you don't want to go home in the future, you can come here and I will make a key for you."
"I sleep here?" Su Qingxin pointed at the bed and asked, "Then where do you sleep?"
Wei Ran stood up, walked to the desk, knocked on the table, and said, "Here."
She slept on the bed and he slept on the table.
In the dark room, Su Qingxin curled up in the quilt in her school uniform, smelling the fresh scent of the quilt and listening to her own pounding heartbeat.
Wei Ran lay on the table and called softly, "Su Qingxin."
"Hmm?" Su Qingxin responded in a low voice.
Wei Ran said as if he was sharing a little secret, "I only told you about this secret base. It only belongs to the two of us. Don't tell anyone else."
"I won't tell you." Su Qingxin responded to Wei Ran. Wei Ran tilted his head and smiled with satisfaction. Su Qingxin couldn't see his facial features, only his shadow, but as long as this shadow was there, she felt at ease.
As the night deepened, Su Qingxin couldn't sleep, and Wei Ran couldn't sleep either.
Fortunately, it was too dark that night and they couldn't see each other's blushing faces.
"Wei Ran, why don't you want to go home?" Su Qingxin wanted to know clearly. She wanted to know everything about Wei Ran.
Wei Ran said: "There are many reasons, and they may be similar to the reasons why you don't want to go home."
Su Qingxin curled the corners of her mouth, and she more or less understood in her heart.
It doesn't matter, Wei Ran, I'm still here. Su Qingxin said this when she thought about it. She hugged the quilt tightly and murmured, "It doesn't matter, you still have me."
Slowly, sleepiness came over her and Su Qingxin fell asleep.
After hearing this, Wei Ran couldn't sleep the whole night.
Su Qingxin, you also have me.
The forever kind.