The water droplets on Qu Yun's face flowed even more slowly, as if frozen by invisible frost: "When did you become so concerned about his feelings?"
“From the moment I officially became his girlfriend,” she said slowly, “I have an obligation to consider his feelings.”
Qu Yun closed his eyes, and water droplets meandered down from his eyebrows, sliding across his thin upper eyelids. Under the sunlight, the tiny, mysterious veins on them were faintly visible.
His voice drifted across the water, carrying a cool, nostalgic scent: "Yes, when you fall in love with someone, you'll treat them very well... just like you treated me back then."
The one I think about, long for, and dream about is that one person.
"Excuse me." You Ran didn't want to reminisce with him about the past, so she grabbed the railing and prepared to get up.
But Qu Yun grasped her hand, her wet hand, and her equally wet arm.
Water droplets dripped slowly from the joint.
"Let go."
"Let go."
The first one was a leisurely voice.
The second one is Shin-chan's voice.
Looking up leisurely, I saw Shin-chan standing on the shore, backlit and holding a bath towel.
Before he could say anything, Xiaoxin nimbly reached out and pulled You Ran ashore.
The two wet hands separated.
Xiaoxin helped You Ran stand with her back to him, wrapped a large bath towel around her body, and then wrapped his arm around her waist affectionately, holding her tightly in his arms.
Then, he kissed You Ran's cheek, while his eyes were fixed on Qu Yun with a possessive gaze.
As the young lips parted from You Ran's water-stained cheek, Qu Yun heard a voice say, "Now, the only one who can kiss her is me."
Then, Shin-chan hugged Yu-ran and left.
After changing her clothes, she leisurely walked out of the dressing room and headed towards Xiaoxin, who was waiting for her.
Shin-chan didn't say anything, just took the bag from her hand, put one hand in his pants pocket, and walked forward.
You Ran quickly followed.
The silence was unbearable the whole way.
After thinking for a long time, You Ran finally explained, "I don't know how he got there either. At the time, I wanted to leave too."
There was no response; You Ran's words seemed to have fallen into a bottomless pit, utterly extinguished.
The frustration was indescribable.
After walking about ten more steps, Shin-chan replied, "I know."
"Um?"
“I know why he’s there.” Shin-chan didn’t turn around, nor did he stop walking: “He’s been following you… He’s never given up on you.”
Upon hearing this, You Ran stopped in her tracks, and Xiao Xin seemed to sense this as well, doing the same thing.
Looking at the slightly murky golden halo on the ground, he said leisurely, "You're overthinking it. Besides, what he does has nothing to do with us."
In early summer, the sun is warm, and the passage of time seems to slow down in the slightly hot air.
After what seemed like an eternity, You Ran finally heard Shin-chan's reply: "...What does this have to do with us?"
A seemingly random remark weighed heavily on my heart all night.
Their romantic relationship was fraught with difficulties, and their school life was equally thrilling.
The officials from the Education Bureau don't just come down to stroll around the school and inspect the cafeteria and dormitories. According to the teachers, they also catch students they like or dislike and ask them some questions.
For example, questions might include the school motto, the names of school leaders, their views on the school, their visions for the future, as well as tests of professional knowledge and English conversation skills.
Therefore, all the students decided that if they saw someone who looked like a leader, they would run as far away as possible.
You Ran made the same plan. She wore sneakers and sportswear every day, looking around as she walked on campus. As soon as she saw a suspicious person, she would run away as fast as she could.
So during those days, ninjas were everywhere on campus, disappearing with a "whoosh" and reappearing behind the trees with a "whoosh".
But when someone is down on their luck, they might even dream about having sex with Uncle Zhao Benshan.
That day, You Ran borrowed a few books from the library and then went to the second teaching building to wait for Xiao Xin to finish class. She was wearing headphones and studying politics in the corridor when suddenly a pair of hands patted her on the shoulder.
I turned my head leisurely and was so frightened that I almost jumped off the fifth floor.
Because, it seems, perhaps, she encountered an inspector from the education bureau.
You Ran recalled her homeroom teacher's words.
"Inspectors usually appear in groups of several."
Yes, there are six people in front of us.
"They usually wear formal suits."
Yes, he's quite a gentleman.
"He usually wears glasses."
That's right, twelve pairs of eyes were all staring at her.
"They usually appear kind, but are actually cunning."
That's right, the light on the glasses is just as good as Qu Yun's.
You Ran was so regretful she felt like she was going to vomit bile. What should she do?
"Excuse me, what's your name? Which department are you in?" The leader tried his best to appear friendly, but he couldn't quite manage it, and his smile resembled that of a treacherous spy from the War of Resistance against Japan.
You Ran was never the type to be a martyr, so she immediately covered her face with her scarf, darted through them, and ran away.
Just as she was applauding her own cleverness, a voice with the smell of steamed buns came from behind her: "Li Youran, Li Youran from the Department of Psychology, please wait a moment."
You Ran suddenly became like a fat sheep exposed on the grassland, with nowhere to escape.
The short-legged fat sheep turned its head and glared at the bright red, round face that was smiling broadly.
There is not a single good person in the Qu family.
After being caught, You Ran was dragged by the principal to attend a welcome meeting for the members of the Education Bureau's inspection team.
In a private room of a high-end restaurant, a large table is laden with delicacies, and bottles of fifty-year-old Moutai are opened one after another. It's a scene of decadence and harmony.
The money spent on this meal could have helped countless out-of-school children return to school. It's a stark contrast to the rich feasting while the poor freeze to death on the streets.
While acting like a young, indignant youth, he huddled next to the principal, eating heartily.
Just as they were enjoying their meal, the door to the private room opened, and a waitress's sickeningly sweet voice said, "Sir, this way please."
The girl's voice was filled with amazed excitement, and You Ran felt it was very familiar—all the girls in the school who came to take Qu Yun's classes had this kind of tone.
Looking up, I saw that it was indeed Qu Yun.
His face was somewhat pale today, and his lips were tightly pursed, as if he was enduring something.
The principal's round face was beaming so wide his eyes disappeared. He beckoned and placed Qu Yun to his right.
You Ran was to the principal's left.
The two were neither particularly close nor particularly distant.
People in the Education Bureau seemed to know that Qu Yun was the principal's son, and they were generous with their praise.
The central idea is—like father, like son.
You Ran felt there was something wrong with that statement. No matter what, Qu Yun didn't have the face of a little bunny.
Who cares? I'll just eat and leave, that's what I thought.
In this kind of situation, alcohol is a must. As the only woman, and having made a feat of escaping by covering her face, You Ran became the common target of everyone's attacks.
These people were all used to drinking at banquets. A few words from them made You Ran feel that if she didn't drink, she would be letting down the country, the people, her parents, her children, the rooster that tirelessly woke her up every day, and the Daniel Wu poster on the dormitory wall that she fantasized about.
But You Ran always drinks beer, so how could she possibly stand such high-end stuff?
Just when she was in a dilemma, Qu Yun took the wine in front of her and downed it in one gulp.
The reason given was that the student had a low alcohol tolerance, so it was better for the teacher to drink in his place.
Once he started, there was no stopping him; everyone formed a united front to toast him.
Qu Yun stood in front of You Ran, drinking cup after cup.
Logically, after a few drinks, one's face should be rosy, but Qu Yun's complexion seemed even paler.
Moreover, You Ran also saw that he was secretly pressing his stomach when no one was paying attention.
More than two hours later, the banquet finally ended. When everyone was leaving, You Ran discovered that Qu Yun was nowhere to be found.
The principal drove You Ran back to school in his car. Along the way, You Ran had questions in her mind, but she knew that she had a right not to speak.
Finally, Principal Baozi spoke up, saying, "No need to guess anymore, my son is in the hospital right now."
Faced with You Ran's surprised gaze, the principal continued, "His stomach has been upset these past few days. This morning he went to the hospital and was diagnosed with a stomach ulcer. He just drank so much alcohol and had a stomach hemorrhage. He's in the hospital now."
"You knew he had a stomach ulcer and still watched him drink?" You Ran found it hard to understand.
"If I didn't want him to drink, what would be the point of bringing you out today?" the principal said.
"What do you mean?" You Ran vaguely felt that something was wrong.
“He was not supposed to come out, but I told him, ‘You’re here, and you’ll be forced to drink.’ He hung up the phone and came over in a few minutes.”
At this moment, You Ran really wanted to poke the principal's round face, which was full of pure and kind smiles.
The red light came on, the car stopped, and at that moment, the principal lost his smile for the first time and said seriously, "You Ran, my son really likes you. I've never seen him care about anyone so much before."
You Ran gently pinched her fingers, remaining silent.
“However, he must have done a lot of things to hurt you, so,” the principal said with his round face and most innocent smile, “then, let’s add my share and take advantage of this moment to torment him.”
You Ran: "..."
After getting off the bus, I strolled leisurely back to my dormitory, feeling somewhat dazed.
The phone in my hand seemed to be hot.
It was as if it was reminding her to call someone.