Chapter 5: Jinnian 3
In fact, Xu Xuan and I were just strangers who had met a few times, but coincidentally, he always appeared when I needed help the most. I was always too sad at that time to think too much, but now when I calm down, I always feel that something is wrong. However, it is just a feeling, and I can't find anything substantial.
Thinking of this, I hesitated for a moment and then asked, "Xu Xuan, why did you appear there just now?"
"I happened to be there to do something, and I didn't expect to see you there alone." He seemed to have expected me to ask this, took a sip of coffee, and said with a smile, "Do you think we are destined to be together?"
Xu Xuan made everything smooth over with just one sentence.
I didn't want to ask him any more questions, I just smiled at him and we chatted like ordinary friends. It was then that I learned some things about Xu Xuan. He was two years older than me, studied at A University, and opened the skating rink.
We talked a lot that night. Xu Xuan didn't ask me why I was sitting there alone. I was grateful for that. He allowed me to retain my remaining dignity.
The next day, Chen Qiaoluo didn't come to class. I heard from Gigi Lai that he had to be hospitalized because of a severe sprain of his right foot. Although I was sad, I pretended to be indifferent on the surface. I wanted to go see him, but I found that I was a coward now. I was afraid to face him.
I met Guyu again a week later.
It was raining coldly in the late autumn of City A. I was feeling uncomfortable because of my period, so I waited until long after school and didn't leave. The classroom was empty at this time, and I sat in my seat feeling uncomfortable, burying my face in my arms. I had called my dad to pick me up, but he had something to do at the company and couldn't leave, so I waited for him at school first.
I don’t know if it’s because of the rain or the menstrual cramps, but this environment makes me feel extremely sad.
Just as I was daydreaming, I heard footsteps approaching. I looked up in confusion and saw Guyu standing next to my table. The moment I saw him, I was stunned.
The rain outside the window was getting heavier, making crackling sounds.
Seeing me looking at him like this, Guyu smiled and said, "I just passed by your classroom and saw you lying here, so I came in to see you. Hello Zhu Yun, are you okay?"
His words brought me back to my senses and I shook my head weakly at him.
Seeing me like this, he suddenly leaned over and touched my forehead with his hand. His palm was burning hot, covering my forehead like a furnace.
His action made me freeze there, and I didn't even dare to breathe hard.
After a while, he moved his hand and placed it on his forehead, saying helplessly, "I thought you had a fever, but now it doesn't seem like that."
He asked, "What exactly is wrong with you?"
Should I tell him that I just have menstrual cramps? No, how could I say such a reason? My face turned red, and I replied a little embarrassedly: "No, I'm fine."
As soon as I finished speaking, Guyu chuckled, looking as beautiful as a lily. He rubbed my hair lovingly and said, "You know what? You make me feel like a weed, so strong that it won't be blown down. But now it seems that I was wrong. It turns out that you can be so pitiful sometimes."
I was startled by his sudden action and stood there not knowing what to do.
Seeing me like this, Guyu's smile deepened, and he continued to ask: "Hello Zhu Yun, what do you think about what I told you last time?"
What happened last time?
Could it be that you are referring to wanting to date me?
Several thoughts flashed through my mind quickly.
But before I could think of how to answer, Guyu's face moved closer, and before I could react, my lips touched something soft.
That was Guyu's kiss.
I felt like I was struck by lightning and my whole body stiffened.
Then his voice rang in my ears, and he said, "Hello, Zhu Yun, let's try dating. If it really isn't suitable in the end, then don't force it."
His words left me stunned . Before I could react, Guyu was suddenly pulled away.
I looked up in surprise and saw Chen Qiaoluo standing there.
After not seeing him for a week, he had lost a lot of weight, and his face was now filled with deep anger. He punched Guyu in the face, as if he had used all his strength, and Guyu's face was slightly tilted to the side. He yelled, "Guyu, this was originally just a private matter between us, why do you have to pester Zhu Yunhao? I know you hate me, and if you hit me, I, Chen Qiaoluo, promise not to fight back, but why do you want to hurt Zhu Yunhao?"
"Beat you?" Gu Yu sneered, and turned to look at Chen Qiaoluo, with dark sarcasm in his eyes. He said, "If that's the case, how am I any different from your father in prison? Chen Qiaoluo, I'm telling you, I will slowly torture you and make your life uneasy forever."
Guyu's words were like a bucket of cold water poured on my heart. It seemed that whenever he faced Chen Qiaoluo, he would become a different person, sarcastic, mean, and even hysterical.
I know that Guyu's confession to me and everything he said to me was just because I was the one Chen Qiaoluo liked, so he wanted to snatch me away. Although I know all this, I still feel a little sorry for him. He, like Chen Qiaoluo, is just a poor child who lost his father in my eyes.
Chen Qiaoluo lost control of his emotions when he heard Guyu say that. He stopped talking and quickly punched Guyu in the face.
Guyu was not willing to be outdone, and the two of them soon started fighting.
My stomach was already uncomfortable, and now seeing them like this, I was anxious and my stomach hurt even more. Cold sweat broke out on my forehead. I endured the pain and gritted my teeth and shouted, "Stop hitting me, stop hitting me!"
But I got no response to my words. As the tables and chairs next to me were knocked over, I stood up despite the discomfort and walked to their side almost trembling, trying to separate them.
But just as I got there, someone's fist hit me in the face and I screamed in pain.
Only then did they notice me and quickly stopped. I couldn't help squatting on the ground because of the pain.
Seeing me like this, Chen Qiaoluo rushed over to support me and asked nervously, "Hello, Yun, are you okay?"
I gritted my teeth and endured it for a long time before I raised my head and said in a cold voice, "Chen Qiaoluo, have you had enough of the trouble?"
I felt his hand tremble, and soon a bitter smile appeared on his face. He said, "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have made a scene and disturbed you." He let go of my hand, stood up from the ground and looked down at me. His eyes were like a deep and sad ocean. He said, "Hello, Jun. I wish you happiness."
After saying this, Chen Qiaoluo turned around and left without any reluctance.
At this moment, a loud thunder exploded. I reacted and wanted to call Chen Qiaoluo, but his back had already disappeared at the door.
I struggled to rush out to explain to him, but was stopped by Guyu. He looked at me and said, "Zhu Jun, you still want to go out to look for him in this state? I'm afraid you'll lose half your life before you find him."
But so what? At this moment, I only had one thought in my mind, which was to explain everything that had just happened to Chen Qiaoluo.
Thinking of this, I pushed Guyu away and ran out.
The rain outside was heavier than before, and the wind in the corridor made me shiver. I finally reached the door of Chen Qiaoluo's classroom, but it was dark inside.
I don't know when Guyu followed me. He said, "He left a long time ago. Zhu Yun, don't look for him anymore."
Stop looking?
How could I not go to him? I was the one who hurt him. I knew that his heart was sensitive and fragile, but I hurt him again and again. He liked me, so my hurt was even more fatal.
I ignored Guyu's words and dragged my weak body down the stairs step by step. The yellow leaves in front of the teaching building had been blown down by the wind and rain. I walked out and the heavy rain soaked my whole body in an instant, but I continued to walk forward as if I had no consciousness.
I want to find him, I must find Chen Qiaoluo.
This thought continued to grow in my mind.
He is not on the playground, not in the laboratory building, not at the school gate... It seems that Chen Qiaoluo will no longer be in every corner of this school.
Sadness came over me along with a severe dizziness, and at the moment I fainted, I seemed to hear Guyu's voice calling me, so close and yet so far away.
The moment I opened my eyes, everything around me was white.
Just when I was confused, I heard my father crying with joy, "My daughter, you finally woke up."
I turned my head slightly and saw my father sitting beside the bed. He looked a little pale. I opened my mouth to call him, but my throat felt like it was burned by fire.
Seeing me like this, my father immediately understood, loosened his hand, poured a glass of water from the cabinet next to him, then raised the head of the bed slightly and handed me the glass of water.
I drank a large glass of warm water in one go, and my throat gradually became less dry. I tried to open my mouth, and although it was still a little dry, it was much better than before. I asked, "Dad, how long have I slept?"
Seeing me ask this, my dad's eyes quickly turned red. He hugged me in his arms and said, "You have been sleeping for two days. Do you know that I am almost scared to death by you? Didn't I tell you to wait for me in the classroom? Why did you run out by yourself? If your classmates hadn't happened to see you fainted on the roadside and sent you here, something worse might have happened. You are such a worrying daughter."
classmate?
I frowned, and suddenly thought that he might be talking about Guyu. It seemed that my father didn't know what happened, and just thought that I fainted on the roadside because I was disobedient and rushed home.
I stopped arguing and just hugged him back tightly.
While my dad was out buying food for me, I took the phone next to me and called Chen Qiaoluo. But no matter how many times I called, there was always a mechanical female voice on the other end of the line saying, "Sorry, the number you dialed is currently unavailable. Please try again later."
I threw my phone next to my pillow in despair, feeling a deep sense of uneasiness.
Gigi Lai came to see me at night. When she saw me wake up, she couldn't help but hugged me and cried.
I tried to comfort her, but she started crying and said, "Yun, you almost scared me to death. I saw you didn't come to school a few days ago, so I went to ask about it. The teacher said you were in the hospital, but when I came over after school, I saw you lying on the bed. No matter how I talked to you, you didn't answer. The doctor said you were very weak. I thought you would wake up the next day, but you didn't wake up until two days later."
In fact, it was not just Gigi Lai. Even I myself had never thought that I would have such a serious illness. Thinking of my father's rapidly aging face, I felt guilty. I thought I was really unfilial. I only cared about myself and didn't care about my father's feelings at all. He must have spent a lot of effort to have a daughter like me.
I couldn't help but lower my eyes, sadness swept over my heart like a silent wave.
Just when I was feeling sad, Gigi Lai suddenly came over and whispered in my ear: "Hello, Yun, I want to tell you something, you must not tell anyone else."
"Ah, what is it?"
I turned around and looked at her in confusion, but she lowered her head shyly. After a while, she said in a low voice, "I... I'm with Tong Xiaotian."
It took me three seconds to understand what she meant, but I still asked uncertainly, "Are you saying that you are dating Tong Xiaotian who follows you around every day?"
"Yeah." Gigi Lai nodded vigorously and said, "Wasn't it raining heavily that day? You said you had a stomachache and wanted to wait for your dad to pick you up, so I left first, didn't I? But when I was leaving the school gate, I saw Tong Xiaotian standing there again. It was so windy and rainy that day, and he was holding an umbrella like a stone statue, motionless. At that moment I knew I was done for."
I think sometimes, love is reflected in these small details. Gigi Lai likes Tong Xiaotian, not for anything else, but because she is moved by his persistence.
I looked at her sweet face and felt really happy for her.
But looking back at me, my love has left us all scarred. This is really just God's will, I thought with a wry smile.
Whether it's me, Chen Qiaoluo, or Guyu, we are no longer the same as before. The knife of time cuts through our hearts fiercely, building a new wall.
