It was noon the day after I knocked over the ink bottle and ruined my school uniform, before class.
During her break, Song Jing stood in the corridor for a little fresh air.
Wu Xinzhi originally sat behind Song Jing in the last row. He was a sports specialist, so Li Cheng never liked him and naturally didn't pay him any attention.
Song Jing stood in the corridor, his seat facing the corridor, by the window. So he leaned against the table next to him, chatting casually with his brother, while keeping an eye on that stupid guy who was bound to get into trouble if left unattended.
Then, he saw Wu Xinzhi walk towards Song Jing, clutching a brand-new school uniform in his hand.
He saw Song Jing's expression instantly turn to disbelief, covering her mouth and widening her eyes.
Then, Song Jing blushed slightly as she accepted the school uniform from Wu Xinzhi's hand.
He suddenly threw down the stool and jumped up.
"What...what are you doing?!"
The brother who was talking to him was startled and stammered as he questioned him.
He ignored it and stared fiercely outside.
His brother glanced over as well, chuckled, and said, "That guy has liked Song Jing... for a long time. I never thought he'd actually have the guts to go and confess!"
Li Cheng frowned, feeling that something was off about that statement. "Song Jing... has many fans? No way! The public's appreciation level wouldn't have dropped that much!"
His brother chuckled and said, "There's nothing we can do about it. Song Jing looks honest and stubborn, and she's not bad-looking either... For that kind of person, once you like her, it's for life! For life... Many people want to get close to her, but they don't dare to! Being with that kind of person must be very safe and fulfilling..."
Li Cheng gritted his teeth and swallowed his anger, his face ashen. He glanced again at Song Jing, who was outside talking to Wu Xinzhi and smiling gently, and made a decision in his heart.
He began to pay attention to Song Jing's whereabouts, looking for an opportunity to get closer.
He thought, "I absolutely have to hide Song Jing, I absolutely have to!"
He followed behind Song Jing, secretly observing her, and only left whistling as he made sure she got home safely at 11 p.m. every night. His friends all said he was crazy.
He also vaguely thought that maybe he really had gone mad.
However, he couldn't control his feelings; they spread like poison through his body, and he felt he had to do this or that to feel comfortable.
Song Jing knew nothing of this. What she did know was that, for some reason, Li Cheng had suddenly become a frequent presence in her life. Perhaps it was because she had noticed him that she would see him unexpectedly. That's what she told herself. Then, that day came.
All of Song Jing's important days, except for 1998, were blessed with clear skies and a gentle breeze, and that day was no exception. It was Sunday afternoon, and get out of class had just ended. Song Jing boarded the bus; she planned to browse the book market before going home. Li Cheng followed her onto the bus and stood beside her. The distance between them could be measured on a finger.
"Are you going this way too?" Song Jing asked.
"Hmm," Li Cheng replied vaguely.
“But… I remember your house is in the direction of the square, right? This bus doesn’t go that way.” Song Jing frowned slightly.
“I know,” Li Cheng said.
Song Jing fell silent.
It was right after class, and the bus was crowded, all wearing similar school uniforms—white and blue stripes, with the letters of their respective schools' initials fluttering around them. The journey was long, from the No. 1 Middle School to the book market, about an hour's drive, crossing most of the city. Gradually, the crowd thinned out, and Song Jing sat down. Li Cheng remained standing next to her, even though there were other empty seats.
Why aren't you sitting down?
“I’m standing.”
"oh."
Song Jing didn't know what to say. Completely absorbed in her studies, she was utterly inept at handling interpersonal relationships. Her mind was blank, her expression blank, making her unlikable. So, unless there was a problem, no one would approach her. Ah, Li Cheng was an exception.
The car continued moving forward. Suddenly, Li Cheng leaned down, tapped on Song Jing's chair, and said, "Hey! Smile at me!"
Song Jing looked up in surprise: "Huh?" She thought to herself, "Luckily I wasn't wearing my glasses, otherwise they would definitely have slipped off my nose, and that would have been incredibly ridiculous."
But that person revealed a confident smile, a smile that seemed to suggest he was invincible.
"Smile at me, and I'll obediently listen to everything you say and be the best person in the world to you!" he said with a smile, his eyes full of nonchalance.
"..."
"What? Not good? Seriously? I'm so handsome, so young, and so rich, and you're not even considering me?!" He held his heart in one hand, his eyes sparkling, his coquettish manner incredibly charming.
"..."
"Alright, if you don't say anything, I'll take it as your agreement! Be good, let me hold your hand just once and that'll be the seal of our deal. I'm selling myself to you for life!" After he finished speaking, he really did grab her hand, making a gesture of interlocking their fingers.
Almost simultaneously, she dodged his hand, turned her head away, and refused to look into his disappointed eyes.
Li Cheng concealed his injured expression, stood up, looked around, and suddenly said, "Song Jing, get up."
"Wh...what?" Song Jing stammered, almost unable to speak. If this was a joke...no, even if Song Jing was slow-witted or an idiot, he could tell the difference between what was serious and what wasn't.
"I don't want to hurt your hand or embarrass you," Li Cheng said firmly. "Let's go talk in the back."
Song Jing stumbled to the last row of seats and sat down by the window. Just as she sat down, Li Cheng approached. Looking ahead, he casually said, "Now you can give me your reasons."
"ah?"
"You can't convince me otherwise, I won't give up."
Li Cheng didn't want to pressure Song Jing, but he was anxious, so anxious. He looked at Song Jing for a long, long time, scrutinizing him closely, but he still couldn't see into Song Jing's heart.
Let's take a gamble.
Let's take a gamble.
He was afraid of his own stubbornness. Born into a wealthy family, he had everything he wanted; while not exactly extravagant, he wasn't particularly outstanding either. Like many others around him, he lived a decadent life. He wasn't hardworking, ambitious, or diligent. Anyway, he just understood the rules of the world.
Song Jing was different. She was the complete opposite of him. Although she rarely smiled, when she did, it was as if sunlight shone from behind her, making you instinctively cover your eyes to avoid being hurt by the glare. She was always busy, full of energy, and once she set her sights on something, she would strike.
if……
If I were with this person...
Then life will become a little more interesting...
No, it might become very interesting.
Therefore, the thought of giving up that had once crossed my mind was quickly dispelled.
I like someone.
Song Jing finally spoke, and Li Cheng's heart sank lower and lower.
“I’ve liked him since I was very, very young. To be honest, back then, I didn’t even know if I liked him. I just really enjoyed seeing him walk around in front of me. Seeing him made me happy, and I would always turn my head to look at him. In class, when the teacher called on me to answer a question, as soon as I sat down, I would look at him, proudly raise my chin, and watch him wrinkle his nose. Then, he would eagerly raise his hand to answer a question, proudly raising his chin high at me… Every time this happened, I was especially happy… Later…”
If it's gold, then let it shine for others to see.
Song Jing is a piece of jade. Li Cheng originally thought she was an uncarved piece of jade, but he didn't expect that she deliberately rolled herself in the dust and got dirty to tell others that she was not a good piece of jade.
Because she already has a boyfriend, she needs to protect herself and hide herself to avoid unnecessary trouble.
"I started junior high school, and I heard he was doing very well in the city. The teachers at school all liked him, and the classmates all admired him, which made me very happy. Many times, I would have all sorts of dreams, chaotic scenes, but the only constant was him... He would appear in front of me, looking at me and smiling. That smile was exactly the same as before, mischievously crooked to one side, yet very proud. Every night I would have dreams that were the opposite of reality... My grades dropped rapidly, and later, my mother said she wouldn't send me to high school. At that time, I felt very scared, but also felt good. It's good, we've gone down completely different paths, we'll never cross paths again, this heart is broken... I'm so unwilling! Clearly... Clearly, he was the one who provoked me... Clearly, he made a promise... But why am I the only one keeping it? Later, Gao Jin said... He told me to take the entrance exam for the Second High School... I didn't believe it. Does he still remember me? Will he remember me? These questions came one after another... In the end, only one question remained: What does he look like now? Has he grown taller? Has he gained weight... I know I still want to see him, even just a glimpse of him from afar would be enough..."
At this point, Song Jing smiled, lowered her head and said softly, "Back then, who knew..." She curled her lips into a smile, "Maybe even if I had known what would happen later, I would still have done it."
Li Cheng remained silent, starting with Song Jing's story.
The bus moved forward, stopping and starting, with people coming and going.
The weather was very hot, and it seemed like there hadn't been a year with such abundant rainfall since that one. Song Jing, clutching the piece of paper in her hand, thought for a moment and asked, "Where was I?..."
Li Cheng remained silent, knowing there was no longer a place for him to speak.
“The thought of seeing him almost overshadowed everything else…” Song Jing chuckled softly. “I never knew I could contain so much energy. In one month, I relearned three years’ worth of lessons and reviewed them many times… It was really tiring. Every day was just reading, doing exercises, and memorizing… But when I thought about seeing his face after August, I didn’t feel tired at all… In the end, I still couldn’t make it.”
"How many points short?" Li Cheng asked.
"Three points."
"oh."
"And then...and then..."
Song Jing changed the noun he was referring to and continued.
"...Every time that girl went to the boy's school to take an exam, you know, there are always a few fixed exam rooms here. She would squat under the scorching sun, searching for the boy's name among the thousands of names on the exam room schedule, just to know he was there... However, she was always disappointed, because no matter how many times she looked at it from beginning to end, she couldn't find the boy's name anywhere... Later, someone told her that the students from this school didn't take the exam together with the students from other schools, so their names wouldn't be on the schedule... That girl was so silly, wasn't she?"
Looking out the window, Song Jing asked the person sitting next to her in a calm tone.
He replied, "How stupid."
Yes, that's really stupid.
***
Song Jing and Li Cheng went to the book market together, and then went back together. Li Cheng took Song Jing home.
The bus was unexpectedly crowded. When getting off, Song Jing had to grab Li Cheng's hand to squeeze through. Just as she was about to thank him, a figure that looked familiar yet seemed somewhat unfamiliar caught her eye. The person was standing no more than two meters away from her, straightening up in surprise. A flash of delight crossed his eyes, followed by a suspicious stare at her. His gaze then followed her hand to another person, erupting into a thunderous rage.
"Traitor! Song Jing, you traitor!"
Song Jing's fingers throbbed as if on fire. Everything else in the world vanished; she could only see that person, that person's angry face. Hesitantly, she stepped forward: "Ouyang..."
"Don't call me!" the other man roared viciously, his eyes instantly turning a suspicious red. Immediately, he hailed a taxi and fled.
He just ran away.
Song Jing was left standing there blankly, his fingers outstretched, touching the wind.
Chapter Eight
Updated: 2008-04-26 13:43:28 Words: 0
Chapter Eight
I'm very angry, very angry, extremely angry.
Shouting and screaming is useless, heart-wrenching cries are useless, pleading and begging are all useless.
He had known it wasn't true for a long time. When he was a child, his mother forced him to take medicine and then saved him. He watched helplessly as he touched his dead mother's cold body. Time passed slowly, like ants gnawing at him, and despair seemed to never leave.
Smiling, laughing lightly, laughing loudly—it's useless. Being indifferent, calm, or cold-blooded is useless. Even being oblivious and deeply asleep is useless.
In the mirror, his handsome face was strangely distorted. He reached out and covered it, forcing a smile at the corners of his mouth. Softly, in a calm and unhurried tone, as if objectively stating someone else's story, he mocked, "Hey! You've finally become this ugly!"
He was unwilling to accept it! Who else could he fall in love with in this lifetime? No one else! He had set his sights on that person from the very beginning, and had always been determined to pursue her, using every trick in the book to seduce her... His eyes suddenly sharpened. Since there was no way to wait, he might as well turn back, grab her hand, and lead her away. She was the one who had provoked him in this life, so she shouldn't think about living a happy life on her own without taking responsibility!
***
It was the first time Ouyang Xiao had skipped class. At five o'clock in the morning, he waited at the gate of No. 1 Middle School.
At six in the morning, the quiet streets were shrouded in a misty white fog. A few people passed by Ouyang Xiao, turning to look at him. Ouyang Xiao was truly a very handsome and adorable boy, with big, round eyes and a baby face. Even when he was expressionless and serious, he didn't inspire any dislike or fear; instead, people just found him to be incredibly cute.