He coughed lightly, stopping his wandering thoughts: "That girl, does she have leukemia?"
Ruohui was stunned for a moment, then asked, "A-Ruan?"
The night sky was filled with stars, and two long shadows of people were cast on the rooftop under the moonlight.
Ruo Hui rested her chin on her hand, gazing at the night sky: "Aruan is pretty, a bit arrogant, and has a bad temper. Aside from a few boys who like to chat her up, most of the girls in the class don't like her," she shrugged. "I think so too. Until later, I found out she never played with us because she couldn't bleed." She lowered her head, her toes unconsciously drawing something on the ground. "Later, our homeroom teacher, Da Niu, said that since we were classmates, whatever Aruan wanted, as long as it wasn't plucking stars or touching the moon, we should try to get it for her." She said softly, "Including herself, everyone knows she won't live past eighteen."
Feng Jiayue remained silent for a moment, then called out, "Xi Ruohui." It was as if he were calling her for the first time. He savored the moment, finding no awkwardness, and couldn't help but call out again, "Xi Ruohui..."
Ruo Hui seemed not to hear, her hand unconsciously drawing circles on the ground: "I don't really like meddling in A-Ruan's affairs. There are so many people in the class, they don't need me. But, A-Ruan is just like my mother, she's just like that, she doesn't fit in with anyone, she's not liked at all. Then, when I was eight, she left a letter and disappeared." Her voice choked for a moment, "Then, when I was sixteen, she came back. She invited my dad and me to dinner, holding a boy's hand, and a man was following behind. That's when I found out..." "So it turns out she divorced my dad long ago behind my back and ran off abroad with her childhood sweetheart to get back together. No wonder she always deliberately picked fights with my dad before." Her voice was calm. "I couldn't stand seeing my dad acting like he didn't care about anything, smiling and talking to them, so I overturned a table full of food and ran away. Later, my dad chased after me and told me that the outcome wasn't important because we can't predict it, and we should learn to enjoy the process." She lowered her eyes. "At that time, I didn't understand. But when I saw Ah Ruan lying there, suddenly I understood everything."
She turned to look at Feng Jiayue: "That pendant was embroidered by Aruan, and that voucher was given to me by Aruan. She just wanted to see you." A month later, Aruan passed away peacefully.
That was the first time Ruohui learned what the impermanence of life meant.
You have to learn to enjoy the process. So she's always trying to find happiness for herself and those around her. She's been slowly growing, gradually correcting her past oversights or mistakes.
She frowned, clearly not a talkative person, and didn't understand why he had to tell her so much without her understanding.
Feng Jiayue listened silently. The shy girl sat beside him the whole time, carefully trying to find things to talk about with him. She knew nothing about stamp collecting, but it was clear that she was studying very hard. If she hadn't been so nervous that the book in her hands accidentally slipped to the ground, he might not have realized the key to this.
Even now, he can't help but feel fortunate that, despite his anger at the time, he maintained his usual composure. Respect for the deceased allows him some peace of mind.
But those who are alive… he narrowed his eyes, not necessarily so lucky: “Xi Ruohui.” His tone returned to the ambiguous smile he had when they first met at F University.
It's here! Ruo Hui's scalp tightened: "Hmm?"
Feng Jiayue stroked his chin and smiled faintly: "Why bother with this empty title?"
In the moonlight, the figures appeared blurry.
"Sigh." Ruohui tossed and turned, then buried her head deep in the sheets.
A moment later.
Sixty-seven?
"No, it's seventy-three."
"No, it's eighty-eight!"
"..."
"..."
Ruohui yanked back the sheet: "What's all the noise about?!"
Shen Congrong's eyes widened: "I was just about to ask you, sister, what are you doing sighing and groaning so late at night?" Er Ya chimed in bluntly: "I have an elective exam tomorrow, Xi Ruohui, let me tell you, if you disturb my train of thought, you better watch out after I finish the exam!!"
Ruohui slumped listlessly against her arm, weak and then gritting her teeth, "He really thinks he's Fan Liuyuan!" Congrong, with her sharp ears, asked, "What?" She jumped onto Ruohui's bed and whispered something in her ear, "Hey—" Ruohui's ears turned bright red instantly. That stinky Congrong, she'd been completely corrupted by that unpredictable Zhang Zhao.
The problem lies precisely in that one sentence!
Yes, she lied to him, tricked him, and played pranks on him. Yes, she would occasionally steal glances at him, spy on him, and wonder if he was in a bad mood and if he would get caught in the crossfire. But she just...
Okay! She admits she wasn't in a rush to quit the club, wasn't living aimlessly, and hadn't recently gotten into the mood to play pranks on people again, or perhaps it was because...
But how could he... how could he...
She groaned again and continued burying her head in the sand.
Almost at the same time, the person who was looking radiant in front of the mirror glanced at the other person who was half-lying on the bed reading a book, and thought to himself, "The moment for me, Liang, to show my skills has finally arrived."
About two years ago, he stopped the person who was about to leave and asked, half-jokingly and half-gossiping, "In such a hurry, are you going to see your girlfriend?"
To my surprise, I received a stunning answer: "Yes."
But the most shocking thing was yet to come. When that person returned, he looked utterly devastated. Liang Yiqun was so shocked by this outcome that he dared not dwell on the details of what had happened.
However, life is short, so let bygones be bygones. He likes this little Xi girl quite a bit now. He always sides with reason, not family. Big cousin, I'm sorry to have wronged you!
She glanced at him, then quickly turned her head away, a faint blush rising on her face.
He glanced at her, then lowered his eyes slightly, a faint mist rising from his face, which held a somewhat eerie expression.
Liang Yiqun deliberately put on sunglasses, supposedly for better observation, and stroked his chin, his eyes darting around as he watched the two men playing cryptic games. After a moment, he coughed and said, "This year's tomato harvest is truly bountiful." What are these two up to? Are they putting on a silent film? At least be a little more professional, what's with them both so distracted? He coughed again, about to say something, when suddenly the phone rang. He hummed and hawed a few times before quickly standing up: "Sorry, both of you, Lao Jin invited me to play online," he took a few steps and then turned back, "Oh, by the way, he asked me to give you my regards."
Ruo Hui curled her lip. He's got both – prioritizing romance over friendship, and friendship over romance – and he's got it all! First, he got a girlfriend, and then he stopped calling her every other day like before. And then, she became his longtime "female" classmate and friend? She's much closer to Liang Yiqun, the top gaming expert at T University, than to her now. Pshaw! What a jerk!
Feng Jiayue looked at her, frowning. What kind of expression was that? Couldn't she be a little more ladylike? Having gotten used to his cousin Liang Yiqun's demure smiles and elegant demeanor, well... he sighed inwardly. There was still time; he would get used to it gradually.
No one knew that Liang Yiqun was his cousin. Then, Zheng Sixuan was brought back from Hong Kong by her second aunt's husband when she was very young. Her second aunt, who was unable to have children, kept quiet and treated her as her own daughter, raising her to be delicate and beautiful. How much patience and love must that have taken? I remember her calling him from afar: "Jiayue, how old are you? What's the rush? Can't you wait a little longer?" She felt sorry for her unhappy daughter.
He smiled. "I'm not in a hurry, Auntie." Two years have already passed anyway. Before, when he was younger, he just thought she was a little funny, a little mischievous, and a little exasperating. But now…
He has a natural love for agriculture and doesn't mind continuing to push things to grow faster.
Two or three minutes later—
"What do you want?"
"What do you want from me?"
The two exchanged glances, both intelligent enough to immediately understand the real reason behind Liang's use of Qimen Dunjia. Ruohui muttered, "Childish!" Feng Jiayue sneered, "Boring!" Both were startled by the other's words, looked at each other, and then couldn't help but chuckle.
Feng Jiayue cleared his throat. Even the student council president, who had given countless eloquent speeches, found speaking a chore. No wonder seasoned CCTV announcers sometimes had to attend refresher courses for retraining when necessary. He coughed lightly again—
"Is your hand feeling any better?"