Chapter 3 Stardust 2
Seeing him motionless, I gritted my teeth and ran to the nurse station to ask for a band-aid and medicine. When I returned to Chen Qiaoluo, he was still in the same position. My heart ached, and I walked over and whispered, "Chen Qiaoluo, let me take care of your wound first, otherwise it will get infected and it will be bad."
He seemed not to hear what I said and still maintained the same posture.
I sighed and walked to his side, standing on tiptoe to clean his wound with a cotton swab dipped in medicine. Perhaps the pain caused by the medicine touching the wound brought him back to his senses, and Chen Qiaoluo turned his head to look at me. My hand holding the cotton swab stopped in mid-air. After a while, he took my hand away with his hand, walked to a bench not far away and sat down, sighed and said, "Come here, aren't you tired of standing on tiptoe all the time?"
Seeing him like this, I immediately trotted over and carefully treated his wounds. After putting the last band-aid on, I said guiltily, "Chen Qiaoluo, I'm sorry."
"There's nothing to be sorry about." He said calmly.
After the words were spoken, we both fell silent for a moment.
After what happened last time, I realized that things had changed between Chen Qiaoluo and I. We could no longer joke around as carefree as we used to and laugh at each other's shortcomings.
I stayed with Chen Qiaoluo in the hospital until dawn, and finally left the hospital with him.
When we passed the intersection, Chen Qiaoluo turned to me and said, "Hello Zhu Yun, you should go to school soon."
"What about you?" I asked, looking straight into his eyes.
"Go where I'm supposed to be."
After he said this, he ignored me and walked towards the intersection on the left.
I stood there, watching him walk away from my sight. It was as if a certain place in my heart had been hollowed out, with wind blowing in, leaving only a painful area.
After that, I went to the hospital to see Aunt He Pei almost every day after school, but I never saw Chen Qiaolu again. Occasionally, Aunt He Pei would ask me what Chen Qiaolu was busy with recently, and I could only tell her that Chen Qiaolu was busy with something. I never told her everything about Chen Qiaolu, because I didn't want her to worry, just like Chen Qiaolu.
We have all hidden the things we don't want to face in our hearts, and then told everyone that everything is fine. While I was comforting Aunt He Pei, I was also comforting myself, telling myself that Chen Qiaoluo is still the same person as before.
But I know that I am deceiving myself.
At the end of June, a heavy rain fell in City A, and the entire city seemed to be flooded. Because of this sudden heavy rain, No. 12 Middle School also suspended classes as an exception.
I was sitting in the dining room of my home. It was a storm outside. My father was busy in the kitchen. I looked out the window with my chin propped up. The once tall camphor tree was blown here and there. On the TV, the local TV station was broadcasting current affairs news. I listened for a while and suddenly remembered the litter of cats I saw under the bridge last time.
Worry filled my heart in an instant, and I stood up suddenly and prepared to go out.
My father seemed to have heard the noise. He poked his head out of the kitchen with a spatula in his hand and asked in confusion, "Daughter, what are you going to do?"
While changing my shoes, I said, "Dad, I have something to go out for. You can eat first and don't have to wait for me."
When my dad heard that I was going out, he immediately looked at me with wide eyes in disbelief and said, "It's raining so hard, why are you going out? If something happens on the way, you'll make me anxious to death."
"It's okay." I stood up and looked at him and said, "Don't worry, I really have something important to do."
Seeing how determined I was, my dad sighed and suggested, "Why don't I take you there?"
"no thanks."
As soon as I finished speaking, I took an umbrella, opened the door and walked out.
Walking down from the upstairs, I could smell the scent of soil after the rain before I even left the corridor. I finally reached the gate of the community in the rain. There were basically no cars passing by on the street outside. I waited there for a while, then decided to walk over directly.
The distance from my home to the Central Bridge is not far, but the rain was so heavy that it was difficult to walk. My shoes kept getting soaked with rainwater, and my calves were cold. The umbrella I was holding soon broke because it could not withstand the wind and rain. I gritted my teeth, threw away the umbrella, and walked forward into the heavy rain.
I didn't know how long I walked until I reached the bridge in the city center. My body was completely wet. Walking in the rain for so long made me feel exhausted.
To reach the bridge hole, you have to walk down the dirt road at the bridge head, but it was raining so hard that the road was already full of mud and even a little slippery. But at this time, I couldn't care less, so I picked up a branch from the ground and walked down with it.
I took careful steps, and the raindrops kept hitting my face, just like being scraped by a knife. When I was about to reach the bottom, my feet suddenly slipped and I fell forward.
Finished.
These two words flashed through my mind instantly.
Just when I thought I was going to fall and get hurt, suddenly a pair of hands caught me from below, and then Chen Qiaoluo's face appeared in front of me.
"Hello Zhu Yun, why are you here?" He asked in confusion.
With his support, I jumped down and stood up straight. The rain kept hitting us. I looked into his eyes and asked, "Why can't I come over? And why are you here?"
Chen Qiaoluo couldn't help but glance under the bridge.
In an instant, I understood everything. It turned out that he was just as worried about these kittens as I was. At this moment, the wall that I had built in my heart seemed to collapse in an instant. I thought that maybe Chen Qiaoluo had not changed. How could such a loving person become someone I didn't recognize?
I followed him to the bridge hole. Because of the shelter, although it was cold inside, it was not affected by the rain. When I saw the bag of food that Chen Qiaoluo had placed there, I remembered that I had rushed here in such a hurry and actually brought nothing with me. If Chen Qiaoluo hadn't come here earlier, I'm afraid I would be standing here anxiously.
Except for the sound of the wind and the occasional cry of a kitten, it was eerily quiet under the bridge. I looked at Chen Qiaoluo uncomfortably, and after a while I said awkwardly, "Thank you so much for what you did just now."
"It's okay." He responded and didn't say anything else.
Just when I was hesitating about what to do, the cell phone in my pocket vibrated. I took it out and saw it was my dad calling.
As soon as I picked up the phone, I heard his anxious voice: "My girl, where have you been? Why haven't you come back yet?"
"I'm fine." I glanced at Chen Qiaoluo, then walked aside and said, "I'll be back soon, don't worry, I promise to get home safely."
After hanging up the phone, I walked over to Chen Qiaoluo and asked, "Does Aunt He Pei know that you're coming out at this time?"
"Yeah, I told her."
After answering my question, Chen Qiaoluo lowered his head to tease the kitten.
They seemed to recognize Chen Qiaoluo and kept scratching his palms with their little claws. It seemed that he had been here more than once in these days.
After hesitating for a while, I finally said, "Chen Qiaoluo, let's stop making trouble, okay?"
I have been suffering these days. When I see Chen Qiaoluo now, I know that it is all because of me who can't let go. When I first became friends with him, didn't I know that he was a bad boy? So why should I worry about these things now?
The rain came at the right time, and it soaked me so much that I suddenly woke up.
As if he had never expected me to soften my stance, Chen Qiaoluo was stunned for a moment, then asked uncertainly: "Hello Zhu Jun, what did you say?"
Meeting his gaze, I said seriously, "I say, let's make peace."
The sound of the wind seemed to be amplified at this moment. I don't know how long it took before he gently opened his mouth and said, "Okay."
My relationship with Chen Qiaoluo has returned to the past because of this rainstorm. I no longer ask him what he is doing, nor urge him to go to school. It feels like a stone has been lifted off my heart. Even Gigi Lai said that I look much happier recently. I know it is because of Chen Qiaoluo. We occasionally meet up to eat and chat as usual, which makes me feel like I have returned to the past.
Chen Qiaoluo returned to school a week later. When I saw him in the school corridor, I really thought I was dazzled.
At this time, he also noticed me, ran over and waved his hand in front of me, and said jokingly: "What's wrong, Miss Zhu, who are you staring at so infatuatedly? Don't say that you suddenly fell in love with me!"
Chen Qiaoluo's frivolous expression quickly brought me back to my senses. I reached out and knocked away his hand that had been waving in front of me, and said unhappily, "Chen Qiaoluo, come on, even if you were the only man left in the world, I would not fall in love with you. Please give up on this idea."
Seeing my answer, Chen Qiaoluo pretended to be sad and covered his chest, and shouted at me: "Zhu Yunhao, you are so cruel!"
"Yes, yes, haven't you heard that women are the most vicious?"
Just as we were walking forward, bickering as before, Guyu happened to come towards us. I was so flustered that I even stumbled.
Guyu seemed to see me as well, and his eyes paused on me for a few seconds before moving away.
I stood there in a daze for a while before I heard Chen Qiaoluo's slightly sad voice: "Hello Zhu Yun, do you still like Guyu?"
I turned around and looked at Chen Qiaoluo. There was an emotion in his eyes that I couldn't understand. It was as deep as an endless ocean. I was stunned for a moment, and then I said guiltily, "How is it possible? I, Zhu Yunhao, have always been able to take it and let it go. Since Guyu doesn't like me, there is no need for me to like him so much."
Chen Qiaoluo didn't say anything, but just stared at me. After a while, he lowered his eyes and said softly, "Hello Zhu Yun, can you please stop liking Guyu?"
The sadness in Chen Qiaoluo's voice made me stunned for a moment. Just when I didn't know what to do, he suddenly raised his head, resumed his usual playful smile, and said, "Haha, hello, stupid Zhu Yun, I was just teasing you, look how scared you are."
"Chen Qiaoluo, how dare you lie to me." I screamed and rushed over to hit him, but he escaped quickly.
In an instant, the game of me chasing him and me running away was unfolding in this crowded aisle.
I chased him all the way to the rooftop of the school. Seeing that he had no way to retreat, I couldn't help but laugh happily and said, "Chen Qiaoluo, you came here on your own. If you come here obediently and wait for your death, I can consider letting you go."
Chen Qiaoluo seemed to have not heard what I said and walked straight to the garbage heap not far away. He reached behind the garbage heap and soon took out a few cans of beer.
Seeing this, I couldn't help but walk over, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Great, Chen Qiaoluo, you actually hide something like this in a place like this."
"That's it." Chen Qiaoluo handed me a can of beer and sat down on the ground.
Just when I was about to sit down like him, he suddenly stopped me and stood up. When I was puzzled, he took off his school uniform and spread it on the ground, and then said to me: "That's enough, we can't let our Miss Zhu sit on this dirty ground."
Chen Qiaoluo's sudden action made me feel warm in my heart. I sat cross-legged on my school uniform, opened the pull ring and clinked the wine can with Chen Qiaoluo.
The sound of the school bell rang in my ears, but none of us had the intention to go back. I haven't skipped classes for a long time, and as expected, as long as I meet Chen Qiaoluo, I will become a different person.
I don't know how long it took, until after drinking two cans of beer, Chen Qiaoluo slowly said: "Hello Zhu Yun, you know? When I was a child, I was very naughty. At that time, my father would always chase me all over the street with a stick. And every time at this time, my mother would always stand up to protect me. My father listened to my mother very much, so I took advantage of my mother's kindness to me and kept challenging his authority."
Except for the last time I heard about his father from Chen Qiaoluo, this was the first time he told me about his family in such detail. He said: "Although our family had no money, at least we lived happily. At that time, I thought I would really live a carefree and happy life. But all this changed when I was ten years old.
"I still remember that day was Friday, and I was lucky enough to win a card from a classmate. But when I returned home happily, my parents were not at home. I thought they were just out doing something, so I ran out to play with the kids on the next street. My mother would always come out to look for me at this time, but she didn't show up until the last child was called back by his family to eat. Then I felt something was wrong. Children's hearts are always sensitive. When I hurried home, I saw several policemen walking around my house, and my mother was sitting on the sofa crying.
