Chapter 4 Time Cooks Rain five
I never knew that I was such a coward. I fled before even touching the "wall" deep in my memory.
The wind whistled through the treetops, as if it was someone's wailing, waking me from my memories.
My lips trembled as I murmured, "I know, I know I am not Song Hexue, I am the disgusting Song Xihe. I know, Hexue, she...she is gone. I don't need anyone to remind me of all this..."
I let my tears fall silently and fiercely, and turned my head to look at Hua Ziyin beside me: "Why did you come to remind me? I was... I was almost convinced that I was He Xue, I wanted to live for her, I wanted to eat things I have never eaten, see flowers I have never seen, and love people I have never loved... The damn person is Song Xihe! Why did you come to remind me..."
"Song Xihe!" Hua Ziyin frowned and called my name harshly. He clamped my arms with both hands as if he wanted to tear me into pieces, but the next second, he gently held me in his arms and patted my back gently as if he was coaxing a child.
"Okay, okay, I won't remind you, I will never remind you again. You go and let Hexue eat things she has never eaten, see flowers she has never seen, and love her...someone she has never loved before...But, Xihe, can you, occasionally, be the arrogant and domineering Song Xihe?" Hua Ziyin stroked my back and whispered in my ear.
I never knew that the concern of strangers could be such a powerful tear gas. I leaned on Hua Ziyin's shoulder and cried bitterly.
I couldn't hear what he was saying, but I felt his shoulder was warm and reassuring, and the hand he patted on my back seemed free of any worldly feelings, allowing me to lean on his shoulder with peace of mind and without any scruples to vent all my emotions.
I don’t know how long it took, but I finally stopped crying and looked up at Hana Ziyin, only to find that he was also looking at me, with my small shadow reflected in his black pupils.
He curled the corners of his mouth and laughed first, and I laughed too.
We understood each other tacitly, as if nothing had just happened, and there was no embarrassment at all, as if his holding me in his arms and me crying on his shoulder were the most natural things in the world.
Thinking of this, I suddenly panicked. Didn't I hate strangers touching me? And when did the stranger Hua Ziyin and I develop such a tacit understanding?
To hide the flash of panic in my heart, I sniffed and asked him, "Why?"
"What?" Hua Ziyin put his hands into his trouser pockets, then took them out irritably, and his ears turned red for no apparent reason.
I blinked and suddenly realized what his pink ears meant. He probably misunderstood me and thought I was asking him why he suddenly hugged me in his arms.
In order to prevent the awkward atmosphere from spreading, I hurriedly explained, "Why should I occasionally be the arrogant and domineering Song Xihe?"
Hua Ziyin was stunned for a moment, then turned away from me, his eyes falling on the treetops in the distance.
I don’t know if it was an illusion, but when I tilted my head to look at him, his face seemed to turn red, but then returned to normal in an instant.
He lowered his head and kicked the stone at his feet far away. Then he made a disgusted expression and tilted his head to look at the shirt that was wet with my tears: "This is my favorite shirt."
What this guy is probably best at is destroying the good image he has just established in other people's minds. Of course, he doesn't have much of a good image.
I said unhappily, "Don't worry, I'll compensate you with an identical one."
"Thank you! Navy blue, cotton and linen, brand W, size L." He said bluntly, "Do you want me to tell you the number?"
"No need." I said angrily, "Such an ordinary shirt, I can find it with my eyes closed."
I turned and left, feeling extremely angry, but I didn't know what I was angry about. I walked a few steps, then turned back unwillingly and said to Hua Ziyin, whose back was facing me, "Just now, just think of me as finding a tree stump to lean on and cry."
"Okay." Hua Ziyin turned around and looked at me after hearing that, her eyes filled with a smile that made me hate her so much.
I really didn't like the smile in his eyes, as if what I just said was childish. I couldn't help but add, "At worst, I'll also be a tree stump for you to lean on and cry on."
"Okay." Hua Ziyin looked at me from a distance and nodded cooperatively.
The more he said this, the less I believed him. I strode towards him and ordered, "Don't tell anyone about what happened today. Don't even mention it!"
"Okay, Xihe." He squinted at me, as if he couldn't see me clearly when I came closer. "Do you want to know why I want you to be the arrogant and domineering Song Xihe sometimes? Just like you ordered me to do just now?"
"I don't want to know!" I took a step back and distanced myself from him. "Also, you are not allowed to call me Xihe from now on!"
"Okay, Xihe." He said, and suddenly turned away from looking at me. "But, Xihe, if you are no longer Song Xihe, I will be the only bad guy left! I told you, it will be very lonely."
Psycho! I cursed him in my heart, but something flashed through my mind.
Yes, I remember, I remember the first words I said to him.
"Psycho!" I stared at his back and said these three words one by one.
Hua Ziyin turned his back to me, shrugged his shoulders, and looked indifferent. I even heard his helpless chuckle.
"The first thing I said to you was 'lunatic'." I almost applauded my extraordinary memory. "In the selection round of the math competition that year, you and I tied for first place. When I went to see the results on the day they were announced, you smiled smugly at me, and I called you a lunatic, right? Am I remembering correctly?"
I clearly saw Hua Ziyin's back stiffen, then he suddenly turned around, walked up to me in two steps, and asked with red eyes: "What else?"
"You speak first, right?" I thought, when he first asked me this difficult question, he never expected that I would have such a good memory, so I became even more proud. "Does what you said still count? As long as I remember the four sentences you said to me, will you keep it a secret forever?"
"Of course it counts." He grabbed my arm and asked impatiently, "What else? What about the other three sentences?"
"And..." Of course I refused to admit that I hadn't remembered it yet, so I said stubbornly, "Why should I tell you now? Anyway, you have to keep your word. Now that I remember it, you have to abide by your oath and keep it a secret for me. Remember, here, in Binghui School, I am Song Hexue, and there is no Song Xihe you know here. As for the other three sentences, I will tell you when I am in a good mood."
I spoke confidently to prove that I was not lying, and I even asked him back: "Actually, you don't remember those four sentences at all, right?"
Hua Ziyin let go of my arm after hearing that. After the hope in his eyes faded a little, there was actually a hint of relief in his dark eyes. His lips, which had been tense all the time, gradually softened, and he said firmly: "You didn't remember the other three sentences at all, otherwise... But don't worry, I will keep my promise, and you are still Song Hexue for the time being."
After saying this, Hua Ziyin strode away.
I stood there in shock, unable to react for a moment. I didn't expect Hua Ziyin to agree to keep her promise so easily.
What made me feel even more strange was, how could he be sure that I had not remembered the other three sentences? Was there some mystery behind this?
