When Su Peile and Li Shengyu returned to their residence, Li Shengyu was already soaked and had a high fever in the middle of the night. Fortunately, he was discovered by the boy he lived with and sent to the hospital in time.
When he arrived at the hospital, he also had asthma attacks, which made the teacher in charge panic. Fortunately, this time was not as serious as last time. The doctor said that he would stay in the hospital for two days for observation and he could leave if he was fine. However, the teacher in charge was afraid that Li Shengyu's condition would worsen and affect the competition. If something happened, it would be troublesome, so he wanted to send him back to Gangwon. But after Li Shengyu woke up, he insisted on staying to participate in the competition. The teacher couldn't persuade him, so he agreed.
Because the teacher had to take other students to familiarize themselves with the venue in advance, Su Peile volunteered to stay and take care of Li Shengyu.
The sunlight outside the window filled the room. On the white hospital bed lay a handsome young man, his pale face without a trace of blood, and a thin, transparent infusion tube inserted on the back of his right hand.
The door of the ward opened, and Su Peile walked in cautiously with a box of porridge, but he accidentally kicked the chair beside the bed, waking up Li Shengyu who had his eyes closed.
"Shengyu, did I wake you up? I'm sorry." She put the porridge on the table and said apologetically.
"I woke up a long time ago, but I was too tired and didn't have the strength to open my eyes." His voice was hoarse and his breath was still a little weak.
"I feel stronger after breakfast. Can you sit up?" she asked softly.
Li Shengyu tried to use his arms to support his body and sit up, but he had no strength at all. He smiled bitterly.
Looking at his appearance, Su Peile felt so sorry for him. He walked to the end of the bed and rocked the bed, and his upper body slowly sat up.
"Is this okay?" she asked. Li Shengyu nodded gently.
After fixing the bed, she pushed the small table in front of him and carefully placed the porridge on the table.
Seeing her cautious look, Li Shengyu said with a smile: "Hey, I'm not seriously ill, why are you so nervous?"
"If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have caught a cold, let alone gotten sick." She said self-reproachfully, opened the lid of the bowl, and gently stirred the porridge with a spoon. The shiny rice grains rolled around in the bowl.
"It was just an accident."
"It's better to have fewer accidents like this."
"Are you worried about me?" Li Shengyu's mouth curved into a beautiful arc and he looked at her inquiringly.
"yes."
Li Shengyu's heart suddenly tightened, his deep eyes narrowed slightly, and he suddenly felt that the smell of disinfectant in his nostrils seemed to have a sweet scent.
Su Peile, who didn't notice any of this, chuckled and took the buns from the plastic bag. "Have breakfast. I bought these Songchuan steamed buns specially."
Speaking of Songchuan's Xiaolongbao, Li Shengyu also missed it. This is a very famous snack in Songchuan. When he was studying here, he would occasionally get up early with Zhengyu to eat Xiaolongbao.
His right hand was receiving an IV drip, and he raised his left hand, not knowing whether to take the bun or the spoon first. While he was hesitating, Su Peile had already sat next to him, thinking that he only had one hand to use now, and heard from his classmates who accompanied him last night that he had hardly eaten, and must be very hungry now, how could one hand be able to handle it.
She said softly, "You take the spoon to drink the porridge, and I'll feed you the buns, okay?"
Feed him?
Li Shengyu was stunned for a moment. In fact, he felt much better than yesterday, and he could hold things with his right hand. However, he liked the way Su Peile cared about him, so he nodded, lowered his head slightly, and a happy smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
He picked up the spoon and took a sip of the porridge. It was so sweet that it spread from his mouth to his heart.
Su Peile was holding the bun, and when she saw him take a sip of the porridge, she immediately handed the bun to his mouth. Li Shengyu was a little embarrassed and took a small bite.
"You are too polite when you eat." Su Peile said with a pout.
"Haha, is that so?" He gave her a gentle smile.
"Yeah." Su Peile said as he sat opposite him, with his legs curled up so that his knees just touched his.
This natural and even intimate action made Li Shengyu feel very comfortable. The smile between his eyebrows became more intense, and the physical discomfort seemed to be slowly disappearing.
"In your eyes, Jung Woo must be very good, right?"
"Well, he is simply a Martian expelling element. He is like a powder keg tied to his body every day. When he is most angry, he will resort to violence. It is troublesome."
"Uh, is he so troublesome?" Li Shengyu said while eating.
"Yes, he is so troublesome, but I still like him." Su Peile said what was in his heart naturally.
Li Shengyu paused with the spoon in his hand. Her words "He is so troublesome, but I still like him" made him feel bitter. Even if Li Shengyu was outstanding and had many advantages, in her heart, he was not as good as the troublesome Zhengyu, right?
"Hey, why did you stop? Don't you want to eat anymore?" Su Peile noticed that he lowered his head and didn't speak, and couldn't help but ask worriedly.
"LeLe, I... "
At this time, a cell phone rang. Su Peile took out his cell phone, saw the incoming call number, jumped off the bed happily, turned around and said to him: "It's Zhengyu's call, you eat your porridge slowly, I will feed you buns after I answer the call."
"okay."
She slid her finger across the screen, put the phone to her ear very gently and said, "Hello..."
Li Shengyu looked at the remaining half of the bun in front of him. His heart was like a mixture of mixed feelings, and he drank the porridge in front of him mechanically.
Su Peile was on the phone next to him: "Yes, Shengyu has a cold and is still in the hospital. I am with him."
At this point, she handed him the phone: "Jung Woo wants to talk to you."
Li Shengyu took the phone and leaned against the pillow behind him and said softly: "Zhengyu..."
"Brother, how are you? Is it serious? Why didn't you tell me earlier? If the teacher in charge hadn't reported it to the class teacher, I wouldn't have known about it." Li Zhengyu passed by the office on his way to school in the morning. He only found out about it when he heard the class teacher say in surprise "Why is Shengyu sick" when he answered the phone.
"I didn't let them call you, and I didn't want Grandpa to know. I'm fine."
"Why are you speaking so weakly when you're fine?"
"I don't feel energetic this morning. Okay, I'm going to eat, you talk to Lele." Li Shengyu returned the phone to Su Peile, then took a deep breath.
Su Peile took the phone and continued, "Zhengyu, it's me."
"Is my brother really okay?" Li Zhengyu asked worriedly.
She glanced at Lee Seung Woo, and he put his finger on his lips and shook it slowly.
"Oh, he's fine. He looks much better now. Don't worry. I'm here with him."
"Then I feel much more relieved. You all should pay more attention."
"Well, where are you now? Competition?" She heard a noisy voice coming from the phone.
"Yeah, the semi-finals."
"Haha, come on, I'll be able to watch your finals when I go back." Although Li Zhengyu couldn't see it, Su Peile still clenched his fist and made a cheering gesture.
Seeing her cheerful look, she was completely different from the person just now. Li Shengyu looked at her smile, which was more dazzling than the sunlight outside.
Li Zhengyu hid in the corner of the basketball court and said a few worried words to the phone before ending the call. Turning around, he found Xia Ying looking at her with her arms crossed and sneering.
"Ah, how come you walk without making any sound!"
"Your soul must have flown to Songchuan a long time ago. What can you hear? Here you go." She threw the bottle of water in her hand to him.
Li Zhengyu took over: "Hey, what's your attitude?"
Xia Ying rolled her eyes at him and said, "Li Zhengyu, this is my best attitude. How can you force your ex-girlfriend to accompany you to the game when your girlfriend is not at home?"
"Hey, if you don't come, Xiaoci will definitely come again. Lele cares about her the most. If she misunderstands me again, I won't be able to explain it even if I have a hundred mouths." Li Zhengyu treated her like a boy and stretched out his arm to put it on her shoulders.
"I really want Lele to come back soon. By the way, did you just say that Li Shengyu has a cold?"
"Yes, in the hospital, Lele is taking care of him." said Li Zhengyu.
Xia Ying stopped and looked at him coldly.
He stepped back in fear and asked, "What?"
"Li Zhengyu, don't say I didn't warn you, be careful he might snatch your Lele away."
"Haha, you are trying to sow discord between us brothers. My brother and I have had the best relationship since we were young. We would never snatch things that the other person likes." Li Zhengyu said confidently.
"Lele is a person, not a thing."
"Xia Ying, if you keep talking nonsense, I'll get angry." He looked at her seriously and reminded her.
Xia Ying laughed, thought for a moment and said, "I've always been curious about one thing. How did you and Lele meet in Songchuan four years ago? What was the reason?"
Li Zhengyu scratched his head and said angrily, "How could I remember?"
"Does Shengyu remember it? Maybe it was Lele that you two met together?" Xia Ying suggested.
"No! Xia Ying, if you keep having these nonsense thoughts, I will really break up with you." Li Zhengyu threatened. Not wanting to continue this boring topic with her, he walked straight to the team rest area.
Xia Ying followed him slowly, muttering to herself, "I'd better think too much."
But why did she always feel weird, as if something was wrong...
Li Shengyu recovered quickly and took part in a quiz the day after he was discharged from the hospital. With his stable performance and the tacit cooperation of his classmates, Mingxin Middle School also won the first place in this competition.
After the game, on the night before returning to Gangwon City, Li Shengyu suddenly asked Su Peile to go out for a walk together. They both used to live in Songchuan, so Su Peile readily agreed to the proposal.
The route was chosen by Li Shengyu. The road he took was very familiar to Su Peile. In Songchuan City, which is famous for its pine trees, this lush and green sycamore avenue can be said to be unique. Large trees over a hundred years old grow on both sides of the road, with lush branches and leaves, which can be used as a summer refuge. In autumn, the golden fallen leaves cover the bluestone road surface, which is very beautiful.
This is a pedestrian street with old buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties on both sides.
At the end of this street is the former Youth Palace, the oldest building in the area.
I didn't expect to end up here. The building in front of me is no longer the same as it was four years ago. It has been renovated and is taller than before. It has also undergone a lot of changes. If you don't look carefully, you can't tell what it looked like before.
"Is this the Youth Palace?" Li Shengyu asked with a look of unfamiliarity in his eyes.
"Yes, it was renovated after a fire four years ago, and it took more than a year," Su Peile explained.
In the darkness of the night, Li Shengyu's face tensed, but she didn't notice it and continued, "Do you remember the dangerous incident I told you about in Songchuan when I first gave you tutoring?"
Li Shengyu nodded silently, looking at her intently, waiting for her to continue.
"The very dangerous thing is that I experienced this fire." Thinking of the thrilling scene at that time, she still felt a little emotional .
Li Shengyu clenched his hands and almost held his breath as he listened to her continue.
"If Zhengyu hadn't saved me and carried me out of the fire, I would have died. Zhengyu was only a 13-year-old boy four years ago. Do you think he was brave?" With a smile on her face, she turned to look at Li Shengyu, only to find that there was a deep and complex light in Li Shengyu's eyes.
"Shengyu, what's wrong with you?" she asked in surprise, not understanding why he looked at her like that.
Li Shengyu looked away stiffly, trying hard to smile: "Uh, nothing."
"Really?" Su Peile looked at him suspiciously.
"Um."
"Oh," Su Peile nodded, "By the way, when I woke up, I was in the hospital and didn't see Zhengyu. Where was Zhengyu at that time? Was he injured?"
"……No."
"That's good." Su Peile breathed a sigh of relief.
At this time, the neon lights of the Youth Palace building lit up. The colorful lights reflected each other, shining on Li Shengyu's face, concealing his expression well.
"Shengyu, can I take you to eat hot and sour noodles? I remember there is a store nearby that serves delicious hot and sour noodles." She was looking for the route she remembered.
When she was sure it was the path on the right, she turned around and motioned Li Shengyu to follow her, but found that he was staring at her intently.
"What's wrong? Don't you want to go?" she asked with a smile.
Li Shengyu looked at her, his eyes moving, and there seemed to be a myriad of emotions in his eyes. Suddenly, he took a step forward and hugged her tightly.
"Hey, Sheng...Shengyu, what are you doing?" She was frightened and tried hard to break free from his arms.
Li Shengyu hugged her tightly, put his head on her shoulder and said, "Lele, let me hug you for a while, just for a while..."
Su Peile stiffened his body and asked in surprise: "Shengyu, what's wrong with you?"
"LeLe, I like you." His voice was very soft, but it shocked Su Peile's heart, and she pushed him away. Under the neon lights, a faint light flashed in his deep eyes.
"Shengyu, this joke is not funny at all..."
"I'm not joking."
Su Peile pursed her lips and said, "I'm Zhengyu's girlfriend."
"I know..." Li Shengyu's tone was filled with sadness.
"Shengyu, what you said today was very confusing, but I won't take it to heart. But please keep your distance from me in the future. I don't want to cause unnecessary misunderstandings."
Seeing her righteous words, Li Shengyu felt as if his heart was broken. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
Su Peile lowered his eyes and turned away: "It's getting late, let's go back."
Lele, I like you.
This sentence appeared in Su Peile's dreams for several days after she returned to Jiangyuan. The fire four years ago also appeared in her dreams again and again, as if reminding her if she had forgotten some details.
Every time she woke up from a dream, the picture was frozen on Li Zhengyu's face. He smiled and laughed, but then turned into Li Shengyu. When she was looking for Zhengyu, Li Shengyu held her tightly and said, Lele, I like you.
So these few days, she deliberately distanced herself from Lee Seung-woo. However, the usually careless Lee Jung-woo certainly didn't notice the abnormality between her and Lee Seung-woo, and his mind was completely focused on the basketball finals that was about to be held.
Su Peile always wanted to hide from Li Shengyu, but he couldn't.
When she went to the teacher's office to get the class's homework books, she happened to see Li Shengyu who was called by the teacher. When the two of them walked out of the office, Li Shengyu stepped forward to help her open the door. Su Peile didn't look at him and walked out quickly.
There is an open-air corridor between the teachers' office and the teaching building. You can hear laughter coming from the teaching building, as well as the rustling of leaves in the wind around.
"LeLe." Li Shengyu caught up with her in a few steps, stopped her and said, "Let me help you get it."
"No thanks." Su Peile refused him, with an unnatural expression on his face.
His eyes were a little hurt, and he whispered, "I'm sorry, did my recklessness in Songchuan make you hate me?"
"No."
"Then why are you hiding from me?" Li Shengyu asked.
"I..." Su Peile looked at him hesitantly and said, "Shengyu, you are a very good boy. You will definitely have an even better girlfriend in the future. How about we just be ordinary friends...classmates?"
"So I'm not even qualified to be your friend?" he said dejectedly.
"I'm sorry, I don't want Zhengyu to misunderstand. You don't understand. I have worked really hard to have this opportunity to become his girlfriend." She said carefully, as if asking him not to disturb her beautiful dream.
Li Shengyu looked at her deeply and asked, "Is it because Zhengyu was the one who saved you?"
Su Peile finally raised her head, looked him straight in the eye and said, "Let's not talk about this anymore, okay?"
Li Shengyu was speechless. The sadness in his eyes made Su Peile feel that she was being too much. However, she liked Zhengyu, and she didn't want to get entangled with other people, especially since he was Zhengyu's brother.
Just then, footsteps came towards the stairs, and then a clear voice sounded: "Lele, are you and Shengyu here?"
Hearing Li Zhengyu's voice, Su Peile quickly distanced himself from Li Shengyu and looked towards the source of the voice.
Li Zhengyu ran to her with his schoolbag on his back, stopped in front of her and said, "Our basketball team is leaving for the city gymnasium to participate in the finals . I have to go first. You and Shengyu will go together later."
"I'll go with Xia Ying and the others." Su Peile blurted out.
Li Zhengyu pinched her nose and said, "Ha, Xia Ying is waiting for Shengyu in the classroom. She said she wants to go with him. It seems that you two will take the same car."
"oh……"
"Okay, I won't say anything more. They must be anxious. Brother, I'll leave them to you." Li Zhengyu patted Li Shengyu's shoulder.
Li Shengyu smiled and said, "Well, don't worry, I will definitely bring them all."
"Haha, then I'll wait for you!" Li Zhengyu said and ran down the stairs happily, humming a cheerful tune.
Hearing his footsteps gradually fading away, the atmosphere between Su Peile and Li Shengyu returned to its previous awkwardness. Su Peile walked towards the classroom, while Li Shengyu followed silently behind without saying a word.
Because Mingxin Middle School entered the finals in the city's basketball competition, the school leaders specially approved students from the basketball team's class to go to the scene to serve as cheerleaders.
The Jiangyuan City Gymnasium was packed with students from different schools cheering for their school's teams. When Li Shengyu walked to the audience seats, he attracted the surprised eyes of girls from other colleges nearby.
Su Peile and her friends were seated at the back, with the last few rows given to members of other college teams who did not make the finals. Su Peile did not sit next to Li Shengyu, but pushed Xia Ying to sit next to Li Shengyu, and she sat next to Han Jingjing, which made Han Jingjing quite dissatisfied, asking why she was not allowed to sit over there.
Xia Ying looked at Su Peile, then at Li Shengyu, with a complicated light flashing in her eyes.
At this time, a boy in the back row patted Li Shengyu on the shoulder and said, "Hi, Shengyu, long time no see."
Li Shengyu turned around and recognized the other person, smiling politely: "Hello, Xiaowei."
Su Peile also turned around, and Xiaowei saw her and waved with a smile, and she smiled back. Next to Xiaowei, there was Xiaoci who was looking down on her, but when Xiaoci saw Xia Ying next to Su Peile, some fear showed on her face.
"Hey, Xiaowei, we didn't make it to the finals again this time." Xia Ying said to Xiaowei jokingly.
"If I hadn't met your Mingxin Middle School, I would have made it to the finals. Zhengyu's basketball skills have improved by leaps and bounds this year." Xiaowei teased.
"This is the power of love." Xia Ying said as she deliberately bumped Su Peile with her shoulder.
Xiaowei smiled knowingly, but Xiaoci snorted and turned her face away.
At this time, there was a commotion around the stadium. The basketball players of Mingxin Middle School entered the court, and cheers suddenly rang out. Xiaoci, who was unhappy just now, stood up excitedly and shouted, "Brother Zhengyu, Brother Zhengyu!" She waved her arms excitedly.
When Li Zhengyu entered the venue, he saw the cheering Xiaoci, and also found Su Peile who was looking at him with a smile. He ignored the presence of others and just waved to Su Peile. Su Peile also smiled and made a victory gesture, and Li Zhengyu responded with the same gesture.
"Wow, Li Zhengyu is so cute like this!" The girls said excitedly, and some hurriedly took out their phones to take pictures.
Xiaoci looked angrily at the girls who were in a mess below and said contemptuously: "Why are you screaming!" Then she glared at Su Peile's back fiercely.
Su Peile covered his mouth and laughed, his eyes following Li Zhengyu who entered the venue.
Xia Ying next to him turned to Li Shengyu, only to find that he was staring at his feet in a daze, as if this lively scene had nothing to do with him.
"Li Shengyu, why are you in a daze?" she asked in a low voice.
Li Shengyu came back to his senses and denied it: "No. There are too many people here, it's a bit stuffy."
Xia Ying heard Su Peile say that he was ill. She glanced at the stadium and saw that the air circulation was indeed not very good. "If you are not feeling well, I will stay out with you for a while and come back in for the second half of the game."
Li Shengyu thought about it, and looked past Xia Ying to Su Peile. All her attention was focused on Li Zhengyu. Li Shengyu felt depressed, so he nodded and said, "Okay."
In fact, Xia Ying was just asking tentatively, but she didn't expect that he actually agreed. She was immediately delighted.
Seeing them both stand up, Han Jingjing asked hurriedly: "Where are you two going?"
"Go out for a walk." Xia Ying replied.
"I'll go too, I'll go too."
Xia Ying's eyes almost killed her. It was a rare opportunity for her to be alone with Li Shengyu, so why did a light bulb appear?
Han Jingjing had a rare moment of inspiration, and said with a smile: "Actually, I want to go to the supermarket to buy some food. I'm hungry."
Li Shengyu glanced at Su Peile, who was concentrating on watching Li Zhengyu on the field.
It was not until the three of them disappeared from the exit that Xiaoci said disdainfully, "Humph, you're as fat as a pig, and you still eat so much."
Su Peile heard her mocking words towards Han Jingjing, and he turned around and said to her, "Don't make fun of Jingjing, she's cute even though she's fat."
"You think being fat is cute, then why don't you become fat? That way, Brother Zhengyu won't like you anymore." Xiaoci leaned close to her and said, with a calculating gleam in her eyes.
Su Peile said cleverly: "Even if I become fat, Zhengyu will still like me."
Xiaoci rolled her eyes at her and deliberately said to her in anger, "I'm telling you, my family is in the process of getting me transferred to Mingxin Middle School. I'm going to be with Brother Zhengyu."
After hearing what she said, Su Peile's face darkened.
Xiaowei hurriedly pulled his sister and said, "If you want to transfer schools because you only think about Zhengyu, I will tell Dad not to transfer you."
"Brother..." Xiaoci quickly acted coquettishly to Xiaowei.
Xiao Wei approached her and said, "Don't keep pestering Zhengyu. Look at Li Shengyu just now. Isn't he also a flower boy? Wait until Zhengyu finishes the competition and let Zhengyu introduce his brother to you, okay?"
When Xiaoci heard this, she immediately said with disdain, "Humph, even if Li Shengyu is a pretty boy, what's the use? He has had plastic surgery on his face. How can he compare to Zhengyu, a naturally handsome guy?"
Hearing her say this, Xiaowei hurriedly tried to stop his sister from speaking: "Xiaoci, stop talking nonsense!"
When Su Peile heard the words "he had surgery on his face", his face tensed and he asked, "What do you mean by surgery? Are you talking about Shengyu?"
Xiaoci leaned her head closer to her and said, "Did you know that Li Shengyu had plastic surgery?"
She shook her head.
When Xiaoci heard this, she immediately smiled and said, "It seems that I am the person that Zhengyu trusts the most. Li Shengyu had plastic surgery before, but it is the secret of the Li family. No one outside knows it."
"Why does he want plastic surgery?" Su Peile asked quietly.
"Xiaoci, don't talk nonsense." Xiaowei stopped his sister.
Xiaoci pushed her brother away and leaned close to Su Peile's ear and said, "I heard that four years ago, Li Shengyu's face was burned in a fire. He later had plastic surgery and has been recuperating in the United States."
Four years ago? Fire?
It was as if a thunderclap sounded above Su Peile's head. She tried her best to calm down and asked in a trembling voice: "Fire..."
Xiaoci shook her head and said, "Didn't Brother Zhengyu tell you about this? It seems that you are still not close enough to him. So Brother Zhengyu likes me the most."
Xiaowei pulled his sister to stop her from talking. He said to Su Peile, "If Zhengyu didn't tell you, then please just assume that Xiaoci didn't tell you. Zhengyu really doesn't mind other people knowing about this."
Su Peile nodded, staring blankly at Li Zhengyu's running figure on the field, but her mind could not calm down for a long time, recalling Li Shengyu's loss of composure in Songchuan... She didn't dare to think about it anymore. Could there really be such a coincidence in the world?
The next day, the basketball finals in Gangwon City came to an end. Myeongshin Middle School won first place, and Li Zhengyu also received the individual award for the best athlete from the organizing committee.
After returning to the college, the dean personally awarded the basketball team a bonus and commended Li Zhengyu to the entire college. Suddenly, Li Zhengyu went from being a headache for the college to a popular star student. Even the media came to the college to interview Li Zhengyu, and the college's external recruitment website also promoted Li Zhengyu's image as a basketball player.
Lee Jung Woo has completely become a popular idol star in school, so he has been very busy recently.
Because he was busy dealing with a series of trivial matters in the college these days, he spent less time with Su Peile and did not notice that she was a little absent-minded these days.
For Su Peile, what Xiaoci said that day was not just said and done. She has always cared about it and could not help wanting to find out the truth behind it.
In fact, it is very easy to know the truth. Just ask Li Shengyu, but Su Peile didn't dare to ask, and even deliberately avoided him, for fear that the answer she would get would be unexpected and unbearable for her.
Li Zhengyu has fallen behind in his studies recently. Tonight, Su Peile came to Li's house again to help him with his homework. Li Shengyu accompanied his grandfather to meet an old friend, and there were only the two of them in the room.
After copying notes for more than half an hour, Li Zhengyu felt very sleepy. He supported his head with his left hand and dozed off from time to time.
"Zhengyu, if you are tired, take a rest and copy the rest tomorrow." Su Peile put down the book in his hand and said with concern. He had just finished the competition and didn't want him to be too tired.
Li Zhengyu opened his tired eyes, reached out and held her hand: "It's okay, I can hold on. I haven't had a chance to be alone with you these two days. Let's stay together for a while." Now, as long as he is with Su Peile, he is happy to study and do homework that he hated before.
"Okay, then I'll chat with you and leave later."
Hearing her say this, Li Zhengyu felt relieved and moved his chair to her side and sat next to her. Su Peile naturally leaned her head on his shoulder, and the two held hands, feeling the warmth of each other's palms.
Su Peile looked up at his profile. His handsome face looked exceptionally gentle under the light, and his long, curled eyelashes were covered in a layer of light like wings.
"Why are you staring at me?" he asked her with a smile.
She hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help but wonder and speculate in her heart for days, so she asked softly, "Zhengyu, looking at the photos of your family, your father and uncle look alike, why don't you look alike with Shengyu?"
"Actually, when Shengyu and I were little, we looked a lot alike. We were once mistaken for twins." Li Zhengyu retorted subconsciously, but when he realized he had let the cat out of the bag, he paused.
If it was when they just met, Su Peile would not dare to ask this, but now that they are so close, she dares to say some things.
She thought for a moment and said, "Shengyu said that he had an accident and that's why he got asthma. You don't have any old photos of him at home. Why is that?" She didn't say what Xiaoci said.
"Do you really want to know?"
"Yeah." Su Peile nodded.
Li Zhengyu sighed, held her warm hand and said, "It's okay to tell you. You will know it sooner or later."
Hearing that he would no longer hide it and would tell her the truth, Su Peile's nerves tensed up and she looked at him holding her breath.
Li Zhengyu leaned back in his chair, looking at the row of car and airplane models on the cabinet opposite him, and recounted as if he was lost in memory: "The accident was a fire. I think you also know that there was a fire in Songchuan Youth Palace four years ago."
Su Peile opened his eyes wide, his back straightened involuntarily, he turned his head and looked at him intently, his heart beating faster because of nervousness.
"That summer was very hot, and Shengyu went to participate in the award ceremony of an essay competition. Unexpectedly, a fire broke out. When my grandfather received the news and rushed to the hospital, Shengyu was already seriously injured and unconscious, and his face was disfigured. I heard from my classmates who escaped with him that when he was rescued, he was still protecting an unconscious girl." When Li Zhengyu said this, he found that Su Peile's hands had become cold, and his fingertips were still trembling slightly.
"LeLe, why are your hands suddenly so cold?"
Su Peile controlled his frantic and uneasy heart and did not answer his question. Instead, he asked nervously, "Then, then do you know who that girl is?"
"I don't know. Shengyu was in trouble and the family was in chaos. We didn't have time to care about these things. After his condition stabilized, he was taken to the United States by his uncle for plastic surgery and became what he is now. In fact, he was going to be taken to the United States after graduating from elementary school, but grandpa liked him very much and wanted to keep him by his side for a few more years. He didn't expect such a thing to happen. Grandpa blamed himself afterwards. After Shengyu went to the United States, grandpa took me to Gangwon and put away all the photos of Shengyu. I told you this because I don't want to hide any secrets from you, but don't let it slip. Grandpa is very sensitive about this matter." Li Zhengyu warned her, but found a layer of tears in her eyes.
He held her cold hand and asked, "After hearing about Shengyu's situation, you feel sorry for him, right? Although you can't tell that he had plastic surgery now, he looks really pitiful when his asthma attacks." He yawned as he spoke.
Su Peile didn't know what to say. All the words were stuck in his throat and his heart felt like it was being grabbed by someone.
It turned out that she had recognized the wrong person, and the person who actually saved her was Li Shengyu.
Thinking about the last time I went back to Songchuan, he was so abnormal and sad in front of the Youth Palace. He must have been in great pain.
And what did she do, saying such cruel words, it was like stabbing a knife into Li Shengyu's heart.
Her thoughts suddenly became confused, and she stroked her forehead with a look of distress. Li Zhengyu, who had just finished speaking, was overwhelmed by sleepiness, his eyelids became heavier, and he did not notice her complicated expression.
He covered his mouth and yawned, and whispered to Su Peile: "Le Le, now that you know about this, be more careful in front of Shengyu in the future. Don't mention this matter, just let him forget it slowly."
"……Um."
Forget? Can you really forget?
The smoky scene appeared in Su Peile's mind. She sprained her ankle and couldn't walk. Li Shengyu, who could have left safely by himself, gave up his chance to escape and stubbornly carried her on his back.
In fact, she and he didn't know each other at all at that time, and he could have completely ignored her. If that had been the case, he wouldn't have become what he is now, and such a tragic thing wouldn't have happened.
It's all her fault.
Her mind went blank and she didn't know what to do.
Li Zhengyu, who was already very tired, stood up, walked unsteadily to the bed and lay down on it, muttering: "Lele, I'm really sleepy. I'll sleep for a while and then take you home."
Su Peile sat stiffly on the chair, looking at Li Zhengyu who quickly fell asleep on the bed. His handsome eyebrows and eyes were obedient at this moment, which was somewhat like Li Shengyu's appearance four years ago. They really looked alike...
The next second, she stood up in a trance, turned around and ran downstairs quickly, not even noticing that the book at hand had been knocked over by her. At this moment, she just wanted to see Li Shengyu immediately! Although she didn't know where he was now, whether he was still accompanying his grandfather to meet old friends, or was on his way back.
However, when she ran to the stairs, she heard the sound of a TV program in the living room on the first floor. It turned out that Grandpa had come back and was sitting on the sofa watching TV. Seeing her coming down, he asked with a smile on his face: "Le Le is going home? Why didn't Zheng Yu come down with you?"
"Grandpa, where is Shengyu? Where is Shengyu?" This was the first time that she did not answer her grandfather's words, but directly asked what was in her mind, with an urgency in her tone that she herself did not expect.
"I'm here." As soon as she finished speaking, Li Shengyu's deep and pleasant voice came from behind her.
She turned around and saw Li Shengyu standing at the kitchen door holding a glass of milk. The moment her eyes met his, Su Peile's eyes were filled with tears, and her lips trembled as they opened and closed, but she couldn't make a sound.
"If you have something to say, please chat slowly. I'm going back to my room to rest." Grandpa Li, who was unaware of the situation, thought that Su Peile had something to talk to Li Shengyu about, so he consciously did not disturb them. As he spoke, he stood up, turned off the TV, and walked towards the bedroom.
"Okay, Grandpa." Li Shengyu put the milk on the table in front of him on the left and slowly walked towards Su Peile.
On an autumn night, the night breeze is cool and the street lights outside the window emitting bluish-white light look a little desolate.
Through the window, you can see the lights in the multi-story buildings in front, shining like stars, spreading to the distance of the city.