Chapter Third 1
He handed the envelope to me, bent down slightly, and said gracefully like a prince: "Next Saturday is my birthday. Can I invite you to my birthday party?"
His eyes were sincere, his lips were slightly pursed, but the corners of his lips were raised. What I liked most was his eyes, which were dazzling but not arrogant or sharp at all.
God, Maria, Buddha, please protect me from trembling and nosebleeds!
"good."
I felt as if I was walking on cotton and floating in the clouds. All I could see were colorful flowers blooming one after another. I don't know how I pronounced the last word "good". I only know that when I came to my senses and mustered up the courage to look up, he had already left.
How embarrassing! I should have been more reserved. I should have said, "Tsurugahara-san, thank you for your invitation..." No, he didn't seem to be very kind in inviting me, so I should have behaved more elegantly, like Tsurugahara, or at least expressed my gratitude. I scratched my hair in annoyance, regretting my nervousness regardless of time and place.
After returning home, I stared at the invitation on the table in a daze. It was a very beautiful invitation, just like him. I drew circles on the beautiful invitation with my index finger, and stroked the bumpy orchid pattern, the milky white cover, the gold-plated orchid pattern, and the black cursive characters. Every detail was handled perfectly, just like its owner.
I held my chin with both hands and looked out the window. The scenery at dusk was really beautiful, so beautiful that it seemed unreal. Just like now, everything was coated with a light golden color, even the old camphor tree outside the window was stained with a light golden color. The dense leaves trembled gently in the breeze, like elves playing harps and dancing in the afterglow of the sunset. Someone once said that happiness can fly. I feel like I am about to fly now.
"Hello, we meet again."
"I'm Tsurugahara."
"Can you come to my birthday party?"
His voice is so beautiful, like a song from a deep valley, echoing in my heart. He seems to be more handsome than the last time we met. In my heart, Tsurugahara has always been a very calm person, with a very calm smile, a very calm tone, and even his breathing seems to be calm. His gentleness and elegance seem to be innate, and they are still gorgeous and dazzling without any modification.
When I first started following him, I thought he was just a good-tempered handsome boy, and I might lose my feelings for him after a while, but the longer I was with him, the deeper I fell. He attracted all my attention like a bottomless pit. He would give money to the guitarist who played and sang by himself on the road, and then stand there and listen to the guitarist nod and leave after he finished playing a song; he would pick up the fruit peels and paper scraps thrown by others on the road with a tissue and throw them into the trash can; he would smile at everyone who met him, but keep a certain distance from everyone, that distance is not in space, but the distance between hearts. He is like a real prince, with a broad and tolerant heart, but because of his noble temperament, he is independent of the world. His heart seems to be in another world, and no one can touch it. Will I be an exception?
"Do you think he likes me too? He actually invited me to his birthday party." I talked to myself while hugging the half-person-high bear cub on the bed.
"Well, yes, he likes you." I shamelessly pressed the bear's head, and then answered myself in the bear's cute voice.
"Haha, I knew it. I like Xiongzi to tell the truth the most." I laughed loudly while lying on the bed and kissed Xiongzi on the face. However, I couldn't laugh anymore. I hugged Xiongzi and sighed softly. Some realities cannot be avoided. "But, he is so perfect and so many people like him. Will he really like me?"
"Of course he will like you."
"Why?" I asked, blinking.
"Because you are special. You are a special girl."
"Really? Am I special? What's special about me?" I asked shamelessly.
"You are so annoying!"
A loud noise rang out in the dead of night, and anyone would be frightened and break out in a cold sweat, especially someone like me who would have nightmares after watching "Scary Dogs".
"Ah!" I screamed and threw away the bear cub in my hand. I hadn't said anything just now, so how could I suddenly hear someone talking? Could it be that the bear cub had come back to life? I reached out my hand tremblingly and touched the bear cub's nose to see if it was really breathing.
"What are you mumbling about? Don't you see what time it is? Why don't you go to bed? Don't you have classes tomorrow?"
Huh? This sound is...
I turned my head with a stiff neck, only to see my mother with her hands on her hips, staring at me fiercely. Her face, with the seaweed mask on it, looked like a monster's face, and a monster that could curse and lose its temper.
"Wow... Mom, you scared me to death. It's the middle of the night. Do you want to scare your baby to death?" I lay on the bed, breathing heavily exaggeratedly, pouting and speaking aggrievedly, but my heart was beating fast.
"You also know it's the middle of the night?" Mom put the milk in her hand on my table, glanced at me, and then scolded, "What are you mumbling to yourself? I thought you were reading English."
"Is the pronunciation so bad?" I secretly looked at my mother's face. Although she was a little angry, she was still calm. I breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, my mother didn't hear it clearly, otherwise I would be dead.
"Okay, stop talking nonsense, drink the milk, and go to sleep." Although my mother had a stern face, the deep concern in her tone still warmed my heart.
After I finished drinking the milk, I got into bed and said sweetly to my mother, "Good night, Mom."
Before leaving, my mother carefully covered me with a blanket, turned off the light, and closed the door. The whole world was dark, with only a few starlight shining through the window.
I secretly reached out and opened the curtains a little, and the hazy moonlight outside suddenly shone in. The moon tonight was particularly bright, and although there were few stars, they were also very bright. In the distant starry sky, they seemed to be talking, singing, and dancing, bringing infinite reverie to those who looked up at the starry sky.
"I'm Atsuhara Ka."
His eyes are so bright, brighter than the stars in the sky.
"Can you come to my birthday party?"
On what day was he, such a perfect man, born?
I propped myself up, picked up the invitation and gently opened it. June 25th was the birthday of the goddess Athena. It turned out that he was born on such a day. I carefully put it under my pillow, then gently pressed my face against the pillow. I seemed to be able to feel the warmth of his fingers running across the invitation when he picked up the pen to write, as well as the faint scent of cologne.
Maybe he is the prince from the fairy tale, I quietly fantasized, am I Cinderella? The ending of the fairy tale is that the prince and Cinderella live happily ever after, what a beautiful ending! I tossed and turned in bed, my mind was filled with his every move, every word, every smile, and all those wild fantasies.
The consequences of daydreaming are terrible, especially if you daydream in the middle of the night. There is only one consequence - being late!
I put on my school uniform without even having time to iron it, and I didn’t even have time to comb my hair. I was running towards school like a refugee.
God, can you please slow down the time? Please, can I trade one morning a week with you? Or a month is fine, or even a year.
It turns out that God didn't wear headphones today, so he didn't hear my prayers. I helplessly watched the subway pass me by, knowing that I missed not only a subway, but also the person in the subway.
However, God seemed to have heard my words, but what he heard was not my prayer, but my complaint to him. So, not only did I miss the subway with him, but also -
"Ge Ruya, you are getting more and more outrageous! Look, what time is it? Yesterday, I didn't punish you for reading comics in class, but today you are late again! What's wrong with you?"
The head teacher waved his short arms in front of me, and I lowered my head and listened to his teachings in silence. In fact, I had the urge to rush up to him and hug his thighs and beg him to stop talking, but for such high-risk behavior, I usually just think about it.
"I... Teacher, I'm sorry, I..."
I stammered and tried to admit my mistake, but found that my language center seemed to be damaged recently and I could never utter a complete sentence.
"What do you mean? Are you looking for an excuse? If you don't deal with it properly, I don't think you will remember it!" The head teacher glared at me viciously.
I stood in front of the whole class with my head down. What could I say? What else could I say? I was already considered one of the latecomers.
"I, I didn't." I muttered quietly.
"Okay, you don't have to say anything. Starting tomorrow you will be responsible for the general cleaning of our class for a week." The head teacher finally waved his hand and announced the punishment for me with great momentum.
Spring cleaning? For a week? You might as well let me die!
Oh my god! With a small body like me, Ge Ruya, this middle-aged man actually told me to clean up for a week. This shows how narrow-minded he is. I don't remember when I offended him. This middle-aged man must be so angry because he had no place to vent yesterday, so he took me as a punching bag.
Now I finally understand what it means to "dare to be angry but not to speak out". Looking at the expressions of my classmates who are watching a good show, and then looking at the strong and domineering aura of the head teacher beside me, I know that a hero never suffers a loss in front of him, so I endure it!
After finally getting through the teacher's bombardment, I finally returned to my seat, only to find a comic book on the table. It was the second volume of yesterday's book. There was a pink note on the cover of the comic book, with four big characters neatly written on it:
May you be happy and prosperous!
Ruiqing, you bastard!
I couldn't control myself and turned around to glare at him fiercely. I wanted to kill this guy with my eyes.
“Ge Ruya, what are you doing…” The squad leader behind him coughed awkwardly, then crossed his arms over his chest in self-defense.
He looks as much like a quail as possible, so I decided to officially change the squad monitor's nickname to "Quail".
"What's the matter?" I asked him dissatisfiedly.
I'm in a bad mood right now and need to vent, so don't mess with me!
“The way you glare at me…” He looked at me carefully again, tightened his “quail wings” and spoke in a low voice.
"Pretty fierce, right?" I raised my head and said complacently. This is a special skill that I have been practicing for a long time. Isn't it awesome?
"You... have become cross-eyed."
I was silent for a while in embarrassment, and suddenly I yelled at the monitor: "You are cross-eyed, your whole family is cross-eyed!"
Alas, my ladylike image, where have you gone?
Ruiqing, that bastard, was laughing so happily with his hands covering his mouth when he saw me like this. If looks could kill, I guarantee that Ruiqing would have died countless times by now.
"Student Ge Ruya, your sunglasses look nice today!"
As soon as the lunch bell rang, Ruiqing came over with a smile on his face. He unconsciously put his slender hand on my shoulder, making me want to punch him.
I secretly glanced at myself through the window glass. Oh, the dark circles under my eyes were really serious. It turned out that staying up late is a woman’s most terrible enemy.
"Your lunch." I took out the lunch box from my schoolbag and pushed it in front of him, then continued to sleep on the table.
I couldn't sleep last night because of my wild thoughts. This morning I felt like I was drifting off. I had no energy and no strength, as if I was drunk. Looking at the teachers on the podium, I felt like they all had three heads and six arms. I felt groggy all over.
However, when I thought about what happened yesterday, my mood immediately became better, because I could attend Tsurugahara's birthday party, even if I was fined for being late, it was worth it. I sat up and stretched my body. The world is still beautiful, and this Saturday will be even better.
"My thoughtful classmate Ge Ruya, what delicious food have you prepared for me today? Let me guess, is it mustard or pepper? Stinky tofu or bitter melon?" Ruiqing opened the lunch box, tapped the edge of the box with chopsticks, and looked at me with a smile.
"There are no added ingredients today, so feel free to eat it." I said happily.
I casually took out the yogurt from my schoolbag and started drinking it. In order to leave a good impression on Tsurugahara at his birthday party, I decided to implement my weight loss plan. Losing weight for someone you love is indeed a motivation. I am 1.65 meters tall and weigh 104 pounds. Although I am not fat, I still decided to lose weight based on the principle of "a good woman should not weigh more than 100 pounds." I want to appear in the best condition at Tsurugahara's birthday party, and then...hahaha!
"It seems that you are in a good mood today. Did you win the lottery or did you forget to take medicine when you went out?" Ruiqing continued to tease. I was in a rare good mood today. I was not angry when he mocked me here, because I was extremely excited and thought of nothing but Tsurugahara. I even forgot to quarrel with Ruiqing. It seems that the power of love is really great.
"Neither." I sat up straight, bit the straw, looked into Ruiqing's eyes, and said mysteriously, "I have great news."
Ever since we met, Ruiqing has only one ability, which is to pour cold water on me. Every time I am particularly happy and excited, he will say something to spoil the mood, just like now——
"Great news? Has your IQ finally broken through zero?" Ruiqing put down his chopsticks and looked at me in excitement. I don't know if it was because I was dazzled, I seemed to see something in his eyes, but it seemed like nothing.
"What are you talking about?" I glared at him fiercely. This guy is really annoying. Humph! Tsurugahara is still the best, elegant and gentle. I cleared my throat and said in a very proud tone, "Secretly, Tsurugahara invited me to his birthday party, and I agreed."
Maybe it was my illusion, I felt Ruiqing's face suddenly became ugly, but I was so excited that I didn't think about it and continued: "I think I have to lose weight, then buy a nice skirt, and finally..." I suddenly felt a little embarrassed. Although I knew Ruiqing very well, it was still embarrassing to say such words. I bit my lip, plucked up the courage and whispered: "I want to confess to him on that day."
Ruiqing in front of me stood up suddenly, which scared me. Why did he react so strongly? I didn't say I was going to kill people or set fire to anything.
Ruiqing stood there looking down at me, his eyes burning with anger, as if he wanted to eat me alive. I had never seen Ruiqing like this before. In my impression, he was always smiling, rarely angry or angry, and at most he would say something vicious. This was the first time I saw him so cold and indifferent. It was scary. I was at a loss for what to do and stood there.
"You..." I opened my mouth. Did I put salt instead of sugar today? Or did I put olive oil instead of cooking oil?
"Who wants to eat the lunch box you made? It's rubbish!" He suddenly grabbed the lunch box and slammed it into the trash can, looking at me with contempt.
Seeing him like this, I was furious: "I clearly didn't leave anything messy today, what's wrong with you? It's fine if you don't want to eat it, but what are you doing?"
I also stood up suddenly. Although I was not as tall as him, I could not lose in momentum. I glared at him fiercely. It was too much. Who did he think he was?
"Hmph! Is that so?" He snorted coldly, "Can the things you cook be eaten? What a joke!" After saying that, he walked out without looking back.
"Ruiqing, you bastard! You..." I was so angry that I was speechless. "Ruiqing, who is willing to make a lunch box for you? Just forget it if you don't want to eat it!" I shouted at Ruiqing's disappearing back with gritted teeth. Although there were not many people in the classroom during lunch break, it still attracted all kinds of inquiring or on-the-spot gazes.
"What's wrong with you? Your face is red and your neck is thick. Who are you so angry with?" Xiaoyi, who had just come back from buying drinks, asked me angrily.
"It's okay, I was bitten by a madman." I still said angrily.
It's really inexplicable. It was fine just now, but now it's like this. Can men change their expressions faster than women? Looking at the lunch box in the trash can, I was so angry that I was shaking all over. It's really unreasonable. Why did he do that? What a jerk! Humph! Forget it if you don't want to eat. I'm too lazy to serve you!
"Mad man?" Xiao Yi shook her head and sat next to me. She reached out and touched my forehead, saying exaggeratedly, "You can get so angry with a mad man. Honey, you must be seriously ill."
I glared at Xiaoyi fiercely until she put her hands down and sat back in her seat. My originally good mood was ruined by this damn Ruiqing. The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. He threatened me with my secrets and got mad because of his picky eating. Humph! I don't want to pay attention to him. I still want to think about my Tsurugahara. He is always so gentle. That kind of boy is worthy of girls' love. On Saturday, I must confess to him and tell him that I have always liked him and watched him silently, hoping that he can accept me.
These past few days I have been thinking about how to confess my feelings to Tsurugahara, but when I was rummaging through the closet I started to worry.
Pink suspenders? Too delicate and contrived.
A white bubble skirt? Too childish, like a baby doll.
Navy jeans and a T-shirt? Too casual, too casual.
Purple lace dress? Too... I don't know what it is, but it's just not appropriate.
Finally, I collapsed on the bed, having tried almost every piece of clothing in my closet and not finding anything suitable for the party. In other words, I had never been to a party like this before, so I had no idea what kind of clothes I should wear.
I sat up in bed and looked at myself in the mirror. I had long black hair, a fairly fair face, fairly bright eyes, and a fairly small mouth. But no matter what clothes I wore, I felt something was wrong.
What kind of me should I be able to stand tall beside him? I thought while leaning on the bear's soft belly. A prince should be paired with a princess. If Cinderella didn't have the help of fairies and couldn't turn into beautiful clothes and crystal shoes, would the prince fall in love with her? Would he fall in love with a girl covered in dust? No, even fairy tales have their cruel parts. Princes like beautiful girls. What about my prince?
I always thought that only a very good-looking girl could be worthy of a prince like him, so I unconsciously reached out and touched my face. So... am I good-looking?
I leaned my head on Bear cub's belly and hummed, I was really distressed!
"Xiao Yi!" I shouted to the other end of the phone. Everyone on earth knows that when I feel distressed, I will harass Xiao Yi, and then I will have the right to ask her to share my distress with me. This is the greatest use of best friends.
"What's the matter now?" Xiaoyi asked me helplessly on the other end of the phone. Only my sisters understand me.
"Well, I'm so distressed." I said aggrievedly.
"Tell me, why this time?" Xiao Yi asked helplessly.
"I'm going to attend Tsurugahara's birthday party." After saying that, I quickly put the phone one meter away from my ear.
Sure enough, there was a high-pitched scream from the other end of the phone, followed by Xiao Yi's excited voice: "Wow! When did it happen? Ge Ruya, you acted quickly. You just watched the game that day and you got together with him today. Tell me the truth, how did you chase him? Tell me now!"
Couldn't she think of me as being more reserved and gentle?
