After listening, Ji Li asked, "Just because my phone wasn't with me, you called the police? Don't you think I simply lost my phone?"
"If you lost it, you would definitely look for it along the same route, and if you couldn't find it, you would definitely think of calling yourself."
Ji Li blinked.
“Moreover,” Ying Yunsheng paused, “I cannot accept any possibility that something might happen to you.”
Ji Li was taken aback.
After a long silence, Ying Yunsheng spoke again: "Ji Li."
"Um."
"Do you really have to follow in your mother's footsteps?"
Given Ji Li's knowledge and abilities, Ying Yunsheng had no doubt that if the other party wanted to, he could definitely reach the pinnacle of the industry, the pinnacle that the other party was destined to never have a peaceful life.
What happened today is not the first time, and it certainly won't be the last.
If he really wants to, this situation will only escalate in the future.
Ying Yunsheng hadn't quite understood why the other party described studying archaeology as "consuming one's life," but after experiencing this now, he understood completely.
This time, the police were there, so the delivery was timely. But what about next time? And the time after that? And the time after that?
Ying Yunsheng didn't even dare to think about it.
There are always places in this world where human power and even the law cannot reach.
He had experienced the feeling of being terrified to the point of suffocation once, and he never wanted to experience it a second time.
"Do you really have to study archaeology?"
Ji Li did not speak.
The ward remained silent for a long time before Ji Li broke the silence: "Do you know why I insisted on waiting until after the college entrance exam to answer your question?"
Ying Yunsheng looked at him and said, "Now you know."
Because of values.
Because of different pursuits in life.
One wanted to make a sacrifice, while the other wished for the other's safety.
It is impossible for two people in the world to be exactly the same. When people are different, there will be disagreements. These disagreements can range from major issues like future plans to minor ones like eating and clothing. Some things can be compromised, while others cannot.
Nearly two years is enough time to expose many problems. Ji Li originally set aside this period of time to make it easier for them to solve these problems.
If they can resolve this, they can naturally get together as adults.
If this problem cannot be solved, they will most likely end up like countless other ordinary students around the world, scattered at their respective graduation ceremonies.
But at least they never even started, and in the future, when they think back, it will only be a sense of bewilderment... and the relief of cutting their losses in time, rather than heartbreak.
He just didn't expect that in the past six months, they hadn't said a single harsh word to each other, and the first disagreement they had would be over this insurmountable chasm.
Ji Li did not answer his question directly, but told him again: "I said, you are only sixteen years old, your life has just begun, and you have the right to regret it at any time."
Ying Yunsheng lowered his eyes: "I understand, I'll go get a glass of water."
He took the disposable cup from the bedside table and left.
The ward door slammed shut. Ji Li stared at the water dispenser in the corner of the ward, then closed his eyes wearily after a long while.
A note from the author:
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 42
Chapter 42
Sports Meet
Ji Li stayed in the hospital for a week.
He didn't tell anyone about his hospitalization, and when Lin Chengshuang asked him questions, he just brushed it off with the excuse of "traveling".
During this period, apart from the police coming to visit him and taking his statement, only Ying Yunsheng came to report on time every day, like clocking in for work.
As time passed, the sky outside the window gradually darkened, turning a hazy gray. The leaves of several ginkgo trees in the backyard had all fallen, with only a few evergreen plants stubbornly clinging to their lush green leaves. As a result of their heavy burden, they were immediately weighed down by the wind and could not lift their heads.
Just outside the hospital street is a bustling main street. Across the intersection is a pastry shop that sells freshly baked mung bean cakes and madeleines every day. The sweet aroma of freshly baked cakes can be smelled from afar.
Although Ji Li was hospitalized, his movements were not restricted. Occasionally, when he got tired of doing his homework, he would put down his pen, put on a down coat, and go downstairs. Just as he reached the intersection, he saw the person in front of the pastry shop across the street turn around, look up, and make eye contact with him.
It was Ying Yunsheng.
The other person tied the plastic bag tightly, walked over quickly, and shoved the lunchbox and snacks in his hand into his hands: "Hold this for me."
Ji Li took it.
Ying Yunsheng then took off his coat and tied it around his waist: "Why aren't you wearing more clothes?"
Ji Li explained, "The down jacket is very thick."
"But the hospital trousers are very thin."
Not only is it thin, but it's also a loose-fitting style, so it feels light and airy after just a few steps.
Ying Yunsheng took the things back: "Let's go back to the ward first."
The ward was much warmer than outside. Ji Li was only wearing a cardigan as she watched the other person skillfully open the lunchbox.
"Eat first." Ying Yunsheng handed him chopsticks, then unfolded the plastic bag of the shell-shaped cakes he had just bought, went to the bathroom, and returned a moment later with a basin of hot water.
When Ji Li went downstairs, he was only wearing cotton slippers, leaving his ankles uncovered. He also has a cold constitution, so in the summer he's like a walking freezer, but in the winter he suffers quite a bit.
Ying Yunsheng soaked a towel in hot water, carefully wrapped it around his ankle, and removed it when it cooled down, then soaked it again, repeating this process.
Ji Li did not dodge. The other person's hand would occasionally touch him, but the touch was not smooth; instead, it had a sandy, frosty texture.
The stitches have been removed from the area where I was injured by the glass, but a scar remains. It's very shallow, and the doctor said that if I don't use any medication, it will fade away naturally over time.
Scars always heal.
No one but them knew about the argument at the hospital that day. To be honest, it wasn't really an argument, since neither of them was impulsive. They were very calm throughout the conversation, and their attitudes were already clear before they even exchanged two sentences.
Ying Yunsheng's excuse of leaving to get water was to give the two of them time to calm down on their own. When he returned, his attitude was as if nothing had happened.
Ji Li tacitly cooperated with him in this charade of self-deception.
But anyone could tell that something was different about them.
Ji Li: "School starts the day after tomorrow afternoon."
Ying Yunsheng hummed in acknowledgment: "My teacher called me."
His homeroom teacher knew about his situation and specifically called to remind him not to be late.
"You still need to stay in the hospital for observation and cannot be discharged for the time being. You can go back to school after you have recovered."
Ji Li did not comment on this issue. After finishing his meal, he took his lunchbox and chopsticks to the sink.
Ying Yunsheng walked over and said, "I'll wash it. You go and sit down."
Ji Li shook his head: "No need, I'll do it."
Ying Yunsheng: "But..."
Ji Li: "Be obedient."
"oh."
However, in some aspects, it remains the same as before.
For example, Ji Li always has the ability to make Ying Yunsheng behave with just one sentence.
.
Students returned to school on Saturday, and the opening ceremony was two days later.
Ji Li completed the discharge procedures and took the first bus back to Changqiao Middle School in the early morning.
At this moment, the entire campus broadcast system was connected to the microphone on the podium, and Ji Li heard the clear, youthful voice on the broadcast as soon as he stepped into the campus.
Ying Yunsheng was selected as the student representative to speak at the opening ceremony of this semester. When his class teacher called to inform him, he also reminded him to prepare a speech of at least 3,000 words in advance.
It was said to be three thousand words, but in fact, he only wrote one thousand words, and that was only after he had been writing a week in advance.
The remaining two thousand words were filled in by Ji Li, who asked him curiously as he wrote, "Didn't you also go up to the flagpole last semester? How did you write your speech then?"
Ying Yunsheng said, "I asked other people in the class who had given speeches, and they taught me a lot of stock phrases."
"Uh..." No wonder he felt that the other person's manuscript was particularly vague when he listened to it; it could be directly taken out and reused repeatedly in most occasions at school where a speech was required.
Ying Yunsheng had already memorized the content of this speech in advance, so he didn't need to keep his head down while giving the speech. To outsiders, his gaze seemed to be fixed on the audience, but in reality, he was floating in the void without any focus.
My gaze only stopped when I spotted a figure that suddenly appeared at the back of the playground.
The dormitory was closed at this moment, and Ji Li hadn't had time to put his suitcase down yet. He was sitting on the suitcase, in a position that even the student council members on duty didn't care about. He noticed the direction of Ji Li's gaze and smiled at him.
Ying Yunsheng, who had been reciting his script perfectly, almost slurred it out of control. He quickly pulled himself back before things went wrong and dared not look at him any longer.
This semester, their grade no longer needs to run during breaks. Logically, having an extra twenty minutes of rest time should be a good thing. But I don't know what's wrong with the school leaders' thinking. They used those twenty minutes to stagger the break times of the humanities and science classes.
Specifically, humanities students can finish class 20 minutes earlier to go to lunch, while science students need to study for another 20 minutes; in the afternoon, humanities students study for an extra 20 minutes, while science students go to lunch earlier.
"But there are still so many people in the whole school, and no more cafeterias have been built. What's the point of all this?" Jian Mingyuan asked the burning question.
The school leaders explained that this was to divert students' attention and save them time queuing for meals.
Although most people thought it was ridiculous and unanimously believed that the school leaders simply didn't want to waste the 20 minutes that were no longer needed for morning exercises, so they forcibly added 40 minutes of self-study time for everyone every day, the decision was still implemented.
However, correspondingly, the last period of Tuesday afternoons is changed to a unified outdoor activity class for the entire grade.
Students were not allowed to stay in the classroom during this class. Ji Li was sitting on the second floor of the cafeteria with a pen and a newly bought worksheet. As he was looking down at the questions, the door was suddenly pushed open again.
When the cafeteria is closed, few students come, and there is a "No Entry" sign on the door on the second floor. Most students will not challenge the school rules, and even if a few see the door closed, they will assume it is locked.
Therefore, the presence of this new person is very noticeable; the echo of his footsteps alone is like a deep mountain bell, lingering right next to his seat.
Ji Li looked up and was taken aback. He glanced at the paper and pen in the other person's hand and asked, "You're here to do the problems too?"