On the day the results were available online, Yu Lele almost burst into tears in front of the computer.
Lian Haiping was almost furious—"If the teacher is not strict, it is the teacher's fault," this result was simply a disgrace to the school! How could his student be so clueless?! But knowing her mental and physical condition on the day of the CET-4 exam, he couldn't criticize her harshly, so he sat to the side, dejected.
After a while, the computer lab gradually filled with students checking their grades, and discussions began to rise and fall.
"How much?"
"Wow! 66, ah—I passed!"
"Haha, I got 60. Look how good my score is. Getting even one more point would be a waste."
"Qi Ye 74? Damn, that's too arrogant, we have to kill him!"
"Goodness, everyone passed!"
...
Seeing Yu Lele's increasingly droopy lips, Lian Haiping felt it was best not to linger, so he quickly stood up and dragged Yu Lele outside. As they exited, they bumped into Tie Xin, who smiled knowingly at the two of them: "Master and disciple united, their strength can break gold! So, did you pass? What was your score?"
Yu Lele buried her face in Tie Xin's arms and mumbled, "Tie Xin, I failed again, what am I going to do!"
Tie Xin stared wide-eyed at Lian Haiping with disbelief: "What happened? Aren't great teachers supposed to produce great students? How could this be?"
Lian Haiping raised his hand and waved it at his neck, making a gesture as if he were about to draw his sword and commit suicide, his expression helpless. Tie Xin hurriedly comforted Yu Lele: "It's okay, weren't you sick that day? It's not your fault, you can try again next time. Anyway, you can get your degree certificate before graduation, there are still many chances."
"Have you passed?" Yu Lele looked up at her.
“This…” Tie Xin smiled awkwardly: “62, it’s a borderline case.”
"Waaah, why am I the only one who didn't pass..." Yu Lele wanted to cry but had no tears.
Lian Haiping waved to Tie Xin and tugged at Yu Lele's sleeve: "Let's go, let's go home and endure hardship, don't waste time here."
"Going home?" Tie Xin couldn't help but laugh. "When did you two become a family?"
Yu Lele's face immediately turned red. Without saying a word, Lian Haiping grabbed her arm and pulled her outside. Tie Xin called out from behind, "Wait for me! I want to go to your house too..."
Gradually, I could no longer hear it.
Lian Haiping dragged Yu Lele along, her spirits utterly low, remaining silent. They passed the cafeteria, the dormitory building, the teaching building, all the way out of the school gate and to the beach. Even standing on the sand, watching people flying kites, Yu Lele was still in a daze, her face contorted with grief as she asked Lian Haiping, "Master, what should I do?"
Lian Haiping reached out and ruffled her hair, putting on a loving expression: "My disciple, don't be discouraged. There's an old saying that goes, 'Where there's a will, there's a way; with determination, even the seemingly insurmountable Qin Pass can be conquered; Heaven helps those who help themselves; with perseverance, even the seemingly insurmountable Yue can be defeated.' It's just one point short. Next time, think more clearly and answer one more reading comprehension question correctly, and you can earn another point."
Yu Lele brushed away his hand that was rubbing her head, and said irritably, "Are you sure it won't be 59.5 next time?"
"That's really bad luck, you jinx!" Lian Haiping glared at Yu Lele.
“I really don’t want to learn English anymore, it’s so boring,” Yu Lele said with a long face. “Master, you saw it too, how long has it been since I wrote a novel before the CET-4 exam? I devoted all my time to the CET-4, I didn’t even study properly for the final exam, how come it’s still like this!”
She bent down, picked up a pebble, gritted her teeth, and threw it fiercely into the sea far away: "I don't care anymore! I'd rather not have my degree! I just won't study English, I just won't study English!"
Lian Haiping helplessly touched his forehead, watching Yu Lele throw a tantrum like a child, remaining silent. He looked around, and suddenly his gaze fell on a building not far away, his eyes lighting up.
"Yu Lele, let me take you to a fun place."
"Huh?" Yu Lele turned around in confusion and saw Lian Haiping smiling at her.
“I’ll take you to a fun place, a very beautiful place, I’m sure you’ll like it.” He raised an eyebrow, his tone confident.
"Where?"
"I can't say now, you'll find out when you get there." He's keeping you in suspense.
Yu Lele glanced at Lian Haiping, thought for a moment, then turned around and clapped her hands: "Okay!"
Lian Haiping smiled, turned around and led the way. Yu Lele followed behind him. The sand was too soft, and her heels were too thin. She sank into the sand and wobbled unsteadily, walking as if she were trudging through the sand. Lian Haiping turned around and saw her. Without thinking, he reached out and grabbed her wrist. Yu Lele, who was walking with her head down, was startled and instinctively pulled her arm back.
But he was too strong and still pulled her hand forward, then turned around and laughed at her: "How many holes have your little heels made in the sand? I think the tide will come in tonight, and the crabs won't need to dig any more holes."
Hearing this, Yu Lele turned around and saw that she had indeed made a crooked line of holes in the sand, which really did look like crab holes. She smiled and finally stopped resisting, letting Lian Haiping hold her wrist and lead her across the street. His hands were large and warm, vaguely reminding her of Xu Chen's hands, and she gradually became reluctant to struggle anymore. And so, she was led across the street by him.
Gradually, his palm slid down, and her hand fell into his palm.
Her heart skipped a beat, but she simply lowered her head and remained silent.
Lian Haiping turned his head and saw Yu Lele's dazed expression, and a feeling he couldn't quite describe welled up in his heart.
Because he knew that the person she was thinking of at that moment was definitely not him.
12-4
It wasn't until she stepped into the sales office of "Haitian Xianting" that Yu Lele seemed to wake from a dream and looked around: the green sand table was lifelike, with beautiful building models scattered throughout. The lobby was spacious, with a faint fragrance wafting through the air. Saleswomen in pinkish-purple suits were moving among the customers looking at the properties, and no one came to greet them. Lian Haiping, enjoying his leisure, pulled Yu Lele to stand in front of the sand table in the lobby to watch the excitement. Beside them was a brochure for "Haitian Xianting," with the words "Regardless of wind and waves, it's like strolling leisurely in a courtyard" on the cover.
Yu Lele pointed to the line of text and smiled triumphantly at Lian Haiping: "See? I told you that's what it meant."
She looked up at Lian Haiping, only to be met with his knowing smile. Realizing what was happening, she forcefully shook off his hand, gritting her teeth, "Why didn't you say this was yours earlier?"
Lian Haiping shrugged: "Who said this belongs to our family? This is a commercial property; whoever pays for it owns it. Besides, once all the houses are sold, there will be a dedicated property management company, and the developer will withdraw from the development."
"You didn't say who the developer is!" Yu Lele continued her accusation.
“It’s my dad, not me. Why would I care?” he said dismissively. “I’m just a future high school teacher. This kind of oceanfront mansion has nothing to do with me.”
"Then hurry up and leave, don't provoke the pride of us poor and lower-middle peasants." Yu Lele said as she turned around, but suddenly heard someone call out behind her: "Haiping?"
She turned around and saw a middle-aged man in a suit walking towards them. Yu Lele wasn't sure if the man was Lian Haiping's father, but she looked at Lian Haiping nervously. He calmly nodded and greeted her, "Uncle Liu."
Upon hearing this address, Yu Lele immediately breathed a sigh of relief, only to suddenly find herself being pulled to Lian Haiping's side: "My classmate, Yu Lele."
He looked down at her again and said, "This is Manager Liu. You have to give him face if you want a discount."
Yu Lele didn't understand what he was saying, so she just smiled and greeted him, "Hello."
Lian Haiping then said to Manager Liu, "My classmate's family wants to buy a house, so I brought her to see the model apartment."
Manager Liu had obviously seen the two of them walking in hand in hand, and he smiled happily: "Great, great, let's keep the good stuff in the family."
Then he looked at Yu Lele, smiled and pointed at Lian Haiping: "It's no use coming to me if you want a discount, just go directly to him."
Seeing that Yu Lele's face was a little red, he laughed even harder: "Little girl, why don't you just persuade him to become the successor of the revolution? If the boss is happy, he'll just give you an apartment to live in."
Lian Haiping joked with him, "Uncle Liu, are you here to persuade my dad again? You might as well say that you'll put your son in my class in the future, with me as the homeroom teacher, and I guarantee he'll become a pillar of society."
Manager Liu laughed heartily and waved his hand, "I won't bother you any longer. You can look around. Would you like to find a salesperson to accompany you?"
“No need, I can recite the documents my dad has by heart,” Lian Haiping replied.
Manager Liu said with a mischievous expression, "Alright, our sales staff are already too busy, so I won't have them working as third wheels."
Lian Haiping smiled at him but didn't answer. He simply led Yu Lele upstairs to the model apartment. As they walked, Yu Lele muttered to himself, "Seeing that none of the sales staff paid any attention to you, I thought nobody knew you."
Lian Haiping didn't even turn his head: "They're too smart. They can tell at a glance that we don't look like people who want to buy a house, so they can't be bothered with us. I'll have to tell my dad when I get back that these salespeople are too snobbish and not a good thing."
Yu Lele laughed heartily: "I feel sorry for them. Maybe they were just being snobbish this once, and the Crown Prince even caught them."
Lian Haiping frowned: "What 'Crown Prince'? That sounds awful."
As they walked up to the second floor, they were greeted by a rather spacious hall with several doors around it. Lian Haiping led Yu Lele to one of the doors and covered her eyes, saying, "Don't open your eyes. I'm going to show you a very beautiful place."
Yu Lele obediently closed her eyes, but her tone was dismissive: "It's just a house, why would you lie to me and say you'd take me to see some nice places?"
Before she could finish speaking, the door opened in front of her. Lian Haiping put his arm around her shoulder, led her into the room, closed the door, and led her to the French windows. He said to her, "Open your eyes."
Yu Lele slowly opened her eyes. The instant she opened them, an endless sea suddenly rushed into her vision. She couldn't help but cry out in surprise, "Ah!" and then shouted, "Lian Haiping!"
Lian Haiping was startled: "What are you doing? Can't you keep your voice down? People outside might think I did something to you!"
Yu Lele ignored him, her eyes fixed on her surroundings, widening until she was speechless.
She looked around the room with a look of surprise: beige walls, a coffee-colored TV wall, light-colored wooden floors, a maroon sofa and a tempered glass coffee table, with a soft, thick round rug under the coffee table. The surrounding decorations were simple yet elegant, stylish and cozy.
She pushed open the doors to the bedrooms, study, guest rooms, and dining room one by one. Each room had a themed color scheme, and the elegant and tasteful furniture was truly admirable. The most charming was a bright yellow nursery, decorated with natural wood floors, Swedish furniture, and vibrant fabrics, creating an innocent and carefree atmosphere. Standing beside the crib, looking out the window, she saw a vast, clear, and shimmering sea. Yu Lele stood there, mesmerized, staring at it for a long, long time.
Until Lian Haiping couldn't help but pat her on the shoulder: "Hey, come back to your senses, come back to your senses."
He looked at her and asked, "Is she pretty?"
She nodded blankly: "This is the most beautiful house I've ever seen."
“Of course,” Lian Haiping chuckled, “the price is also quite attractive, almost ten thousand yuan per square meter, so it’s definitely worth the money.”
"Can all the houses here have a view of the sea?"
"No, not really. The east-facing units have a sea view, while the west-facing units only have a mountain view. But there's a European-style fountain downstairs, so the view isn't too bad."
"They must be really rich. Living in a house like that, they're sure to live to be a hundred. Just thinking about it makes me happy," Yu Lele said enviously.
“Then take a good look around. Once all these houses are sold, I won’t be able to bring you here to see them anymore.” Lian Haiping ruffled Yu Lele’s hair again, but Yu Lele brushed it off.
They sat in the model apartments for a long time that day before leaving. Occasionally, people would come in to look at the apartments, and each family seemed very happy. Yu Lele had long forgotten her English score of 59; she just thought, "Home" was indeed a very warm concept.
But where are you, the one who wants to have a home with you?
Are you alright?
13-1
An appendicitis attack almost turned Xu Chen into a different person.
Gaunt and thin, he looked as weak and powerless as if he were struggling on the brink of death. Fasting, intravenous infusions, antibiotic treatment—when a medical student lay in the hospital helpless against his own body, he realized he had become a vacuum, unable even to write the word "despair."
He couldn't recall anything, couldn't think about it; he could only rely on the gradual absorption of medication to fight the stubborn inflammation in his body. Every day, Ye Fei or Lu Yuanyang would bring him newspapers and magazines to pass the time, and they would also tell jokes about school. He felt grateful watching their exaggerated, animated smiles and listening to their efforts to liven up the atmosphere. Although, he was also disappointed in himself: it was just a breakup, yet everyone knew how pathetic he looked.
He thought he was very strong and could withstand any sudden blow. Since he was 17, he could lose his dignity in an instant, so what else could he not bear?
But now he realizes that the reason he thought this way was because he had never even considered that the people he thought would never leave him would also leave, and the feelings he thought he could always trust and rely on would also break down.
Perhaps, nothing is longer or more grueling than time.
After being discharged from the hospital, he devoted all his time to his studies and student council work, not allowing himself any free time, as if this would allow him to forget everything. Every night, he would go for a jog on the track, running laps of 400 meters, 800 meters, 1200 meters... until he was exhausted, then go back to his dormitory and fall asleep immediately. His days seemed fulfilling and rich, and it seemed—very good.
But I can't laugh anymore.