She didn't cry or stop; as if she had only scratched herself, she continued jumping.
He couldn't understand how such a small and frail body could possess such tenacity.
From that day on, Landy began to pay attention to her.
She has an impatient and irritable temper. When she's unhappy, she glares and bares her teeth; when she's happy, she jumps around.
She was hardly like a girl; her best friends were actually several boys in her class, and she got along very well with them.
She was so beautiful when she was quiet. He took a picture of her during a class meeting, and when the photo was developed, he felt a strange tenderness in his heart.
But... But...
But she was different from the other girls. She didn't like herself; she liked someone else—the boy in her class named Wang Fan, the one who got excellent grades.
How did he know? You'll always find out when you pay close attention to someone.
She would watch any basketball game that Wang Fan was present at.
He didn't even have a chance to say a few words to her. He was used to not talking to girls, and he didn't know how to face the person he liked.
Fate finally smiled upon him. Just when he thought they would part without a word, she had a fight with her deskmate. She moved to the seat in front of him, by the window, where they could whisper to each other. He savored the word "whisper," how fitting it was.
He was already very happy, even though it had only been three months.
Even if it wasn't a secret, they still whispered to each other on the left; when she saw him talking to Zhao Beibei, he was actually angry, and his heart began to flutter; he wrote her a note, "The most painful thing in love is that they can't happen at the same time," hinting at her; in fact, he had known her birthday for a long time, long before she did arithmetic in his magazine.
But none of this made her like Wang Fan any less.
During that discussion about applying to universities, he tentatively told her that Wang Fan applied to Peking University, and she reacted strongly as expected, confirming his suspicions.
He had originally wanted to apply to the same school as her, but he finally gave in to his parents, who had been pressuring him to go to Japan, and agreed to study at the University of Tokyo.
He, who had always been admired by girls, now had a girl he admired, but she poured all her affections into someone else.
She loved Wang Fan wholeheartedly, and he felt a pang of jealousy.
He was at a loss, experiencing inferiority for the first time in his life.
Summer came, and she wore short skirts. She didn't intend to seduce him, but every time she stood up or sat down, her slender legs were always in front of him.
The shaking made his heart flutter and his whole body feel hot.
But the thought that other boys could also see those two legs made him feel a surge of resentment.
He wanted to tell her not to wear it, but he didn't know how to bring it up. Fortunately, the homeroom teacher spoke up in time.
She appeared in his dream, and when he woke up, the sheets were covered with a thick, milky white liquid.
Even more oppressive things are yet to come.
During the medical examination, he saw her body.
From that moment on, they were plunged into hell, never to rise again.
Watching the Wheat Field
Lan Di and Shi Nan's meeting at Houhai this winter ended on a sour note.
She said she had fallen for someone else.
If her breakup with Wang Fan, though not told to him, had still brought him some joy a moment ago, then this statement, "I've fallen for someone else," mercilessly plunged him into despair.
He gave her his first kiss and wanted to confess his feelings to her, but she asked him which number he had kissed her; he asked her if she wanted him to come back, but she said she didn't want him to miss the class reunion; before he left, he wanted to see her one last time, but she was stingy and didn't give him even a little more time, arriving just as he went inside and only showing her face briefly.
He told himself he could wait, wait for them to break up.
If you get it, it's your luck; if you don't, it's your fate.
Even if he wasn't the lucky one, Wang Fan, who was excellent in every way, should at least make her happy in the future.
Thinking this way, he insisted on communicating with her, afraid that she might forget him.
But he never imagined that even after they broke up, it still wouldn't be his turn—she had fallen for someone else!
She repeatedly humiliated him; in her presence, all his brilliance vanished.
After Shi Nan said, "I've fallen for someone else," Lan Di gritted her teeth and uttered, "You're a fickle woman."
She was furious and turned to go home. He offered to take her, but she said it wasn't necessary. He then forcibly pulled her into a taxi, silently escorted her home with a terrible expression, and then left.
Shi Nan felt wronged; he actually accused her of being promiscuous.
Didn't he know that "someone else" was him? Doesn't he have a brain? Didn't he know that at that time, who else but him could have messed things up for her?!
He actually called her promiscuous.
Perhaps he's right to criticize her. She was doing well with Wang Fan, so why did she suddenly change her mind, and then get called a fickle woman by the one who started it all? She brought it on herself.
He forcibly took her home, but remained silent the whole way, leaving without saying goodbye.
There was no further movement.
Lan Di stayed up all night, not getting up until dawn. Although Japan doesn't celebrate the Lunar New Year, his parents wanted to send a token of respect home. He said he was going back to China, but when they asked why, he said nothing. What could he say? To see the girl I like, to see how she and her boyfriend are doing? She never mentioned Wang Fan in her letters, of course. He didn't ask, afraid she'd reply that we were doing well.
Even though his parents were angry, he still ran back to China to see her, only to receive this news. He leaned against the bed, the distant sound of firecrackers from outside the Fourth Ring Road could be heard intermittently. In his hand was her photo, the one he had taken and kept privately. She was unusually quiet, her chin resting on her hand, her small face with those elfin, feline eyes.
Those eyes, sometimes clamoring, sometimes calm, sometimes alert, sometimes lazy, are captivating in every movement.
Even though he wasn't in her eyes, he still couldn't bear to give up.
When his aunt told him she was in Ritan Park, he went there immediately and searched for a long time. He saw her and Wang Fan at the same time.
He should have known all along that they were together, but seeing it with his own eyes still made his heart ache.
She wasn't telling the truth on the phone. Why didn't she want him to know they were together?
She slammed down the phone, and they started giving each other the silent treatment.
He was tormented to the point of death, seeing her face every night, flashing before his eyes. He wanted to grab her and kiss her hard, but he couldn't; and her body made him change the sheets every day.
He was afraid, afraid of simply leaving without saying goodbye. So, for the first time in his life, he took the initiative to approach Zhao Beibei and suggested she organize a gathering. He succeeded.
He finally saw her again, no longer the bouncy, lonely girl. Her hand was being held by Wang Fan as she sat down near him. He gritted his teeth, trying to concentrate on looking at the playlist. He had never experienced love, but books said that if you truly love someone, you should watch them be happy from afar, so he chose Mayday's "Gentle."
He sang with heartfelt emotion, wanting to sing for her, but she left halfway through. He finally couldn't hold back any longer and went to find her. He saw her in the stairwell, sitting on the steps with her knees bent, wearing a white dress and white underwear.
He had wanted to taste her lips for a long time, and he thought that no matter what happened in the future, he would give her his first kiss.
She was indeed very gentle and sweet. Even after drinking, he didn't dislike her; he liked her very much.
Her neck was so slender, and it felt so good to hold it in my hand.
What truly delighted him was that she didn't refuse, didn't resist; she even responded passionately, her tongue lingering with his...
Now, the woman he misses day and night has fallen for another man, and it's still not him.
Landi resigned himself to his fate.
Even so, he couldn't give up on her. He was helpless and could only watch as she left him behind, continuing to wait.
It's just a matter of waiting one more time.
Lan Di picked up the phone. "Shi Nan, it's me."
"Hmm." She was still angry, and her voice wasn't friendly.
"..........sorry."
"What did you do wrong?" she persisted.
"I take back what I said."
"Which sentence?" The question was asked knowingly, and then it began again.
"You know which sentence I'm going to say."
“…” Shi Nan tugged at the phone cord, unsure whether to go forward or back.
"You and him... uh... the one you like, are you... together?" His voice was stiff.
Shi Nan was both amused and exasperated. "No."
She had originally wanted to add that it was because that person said she was promiscuous, but then she thought, wouldn't that be the same as confessing her feelings? She wasn't about to. Besides, she had already realized that Lan Di didn't have those feelings for her, so confessing would be pointless.
"No?"
"Um."
"Hmm." Why did he sound so gloating?
"Um."
"Hmm." And it's getting stronger each time?
"Alright, is this ever going to end?" Shi Nan interrupted.
"Then I'll go back and continue writing to you." The change in tone was so obvious that Shi Nan could tell Lan Di was very happy even over the phone.
But what's he so happy about? Is he afraid that if I have a boyfriend, I won't have time to write to him anymore? Pfft~~~ I, Shi Nan, am not that kind of person.
Spring has come again.
Shi Nan went downstairs and saw a familiar figure: Wang Fan.
This was the first time he and Zhang Fan had seen each other since they got together. She didn't shy away, but stepped forward with a smile, "Wang Fan."
Wang Fan didn't seem embarrassed. Since he had come, he was prepared to run into her. "Long time no see, Shi Nan."
"I guess we're waiting for Zhang Fan. She's doing laundry, she'll be down soon."
"Um."
The two remained silent for a while, unsure of what to say next.
At this moment, Zhang Fan came downstairs, and Shi Nan took the opportunity to say goodbye. Wang Fan said in a low voice, "Shi Nan, take care."
Why does it sound so resolute?