Коллекция Хироми

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He Jihong looked up from the novel she was reading and shook her head at Jiang Boyu. "Which grade are you in?" she continued.

Jiang Boyu lowered his head and remained silent.

"Heh, I know, did Shen Wei ask you to investigate him? He's got his eye on someone again, hasn't he? I've seen him constantly pestering Wang Danyang to introduce him to girlfriends lately." He Jihong laughed easily.

Jiang Boyu grew anxious. "That's not it at all!" he said sternly. "I mean, the one who lives with Lei Ming... that one." He uttered the words with great difficulty, not even daring to look at He Jihong's face.

But to his surprise, He Jihong laughed. "Oh, I know. You mean Lei Ming's cousin? She's staying with Lei Ming and preparing for her postgraduate entrance exam. I've heard him mention her, but I don't know if her name is Tian Qianqian—it should be correct! How did you know?"

Jiang Boyu's face flushed red and then turned pale, wishing he could disappear into a hole in the ground. "I...I, I heard about it. Don't tell Lei Ming about this!" He was filled with regret; he shouldn't have acted so rashly without clarifying the facts—in fact, he had considered the possibility that the girl might be Lei Ming's cousin—but for some reason, he preferred not to think that way!

He Jihong nodded. "Okay..." Before she could finish speaking, Jiang Boyu had already picked up his lunchbox and hurriedly left.

Jiang Boyu went straight back to his dorm and flopped onto his bed. He felt utterly pathetic!

For the next few days, Jiang Boyu still placed Tian Qianqian at the end of his milk delivery route; he didn't want to keep running into Lei Ming. However, he also stopped knocking on that rusty red door.

He now always arrives at Tian Qianqian's building around 6:50, then rushes upstairs in five minutes to put the milk away before leaving in a hurry. He also feels that he is "jealous"—after the last investigation went wrong, he has been cursing himself for being dark and narrow-minded.

Just when Jiang Boyu had completely dispelled his doubts, another storm arose.

On Sunday mornings, Shen Wei and Duan Youzhi usually slept until 11:00 AM. But Jiang Boyu, without fail, got up at 4:50 AM and arrived at the logistics company at 5:20 AM. That day, he arrived at Building 12 of Liulin Residential Area around 6:50 AM.

Jiang Boyu scurried up to the seventh floor, opened the box, and poured out the milk. Then, he heard voices coming from the rusty red security door next door. Without asking, he could tell that one was Lei Ming and the other was Tian Qianqian.

Jiang Boyu definitely didn't intend to eavesdrop, but those damned words just kept getting into his ears. Their voices were soft, yet very clear.

"So early? Let's go this afternoon!" This was Tian Qianqian. Her tone was displeased, and even a little spoiled.

"No, no, this project has reached a critical stage. I need to go check the animal experiment results." Lei Ming's voice was urgent and hurried.

"Are your lab rats more important than me?... Honey, if you leave again, I'm not talking to you anymore!"

Jiang Boyu almost cried out. The word "husband" struck his auditory nerves repeatedly, making him feel dizzy. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

His fists were clenched so tightly they were cracking.

"Sigh... alright, alright, I'll go this afternoon. Okay, stop messing around..." These were the last words Jiang Boyu heard Lei Ming say, and then the room fell silent.

The only thing that wasn't at peace was Jiang Boyu's inner turmoil. He was in a complete mess, and desperately wanted to punch open that door and drag that guy surnamed Lei out for a good beating. But after the incident on the football field, he was much calmer now. He raised his hand, then lowered it. He raised it again, then lowered it again.

Finally, Jiang Boyu turned around and rushed downstairs.

He jumped on his bike and pedaled furiously, like a madman. He raced through the empty city streets that early morning! He felt a fire burning fiercely in his heart, searing him with pain. The wind whistled past his ears, making his eyes water… He closed his eyes and charged, charged, charged forward!

Jiang Boyu sped into the gates of the medical university. By then, his back was soaked with sweat, and he felt completely exhausted. He listlessly walked towards the boys' dormitory building, holding onto his bicycle with one hand.

As he passed an IC card phone booth, Jiang Boyu paused briefly before continuing on. He hadn't gone twenty meters when he turned back.

Jiang Boyu inserted the IC card into the phone. "Hello, I'm looking for He Jihong!"

Another round of shouting and commotion came through the receiver. Sunday mornings are usually when students catch up on sleep. Especially the female students at the medical school, who know all too well the importance of sleep for skin care—they can't be woken up until the sun is high in the sky.

Therefore, Jiang Boyu's early morning calls were the most hated by girls! Jiang Boyu could also tell that the girl answering the phone was very unhappy.

Fortunately, it was clear from her voice that she had called He Jihong over.

"Who is it?" It was He Jihong's voice. She seemed to have just gotten up as well, her voice was a little hoarse.

"It's me, I've been looking for you!"

"Oh, Jiang, Jiang Boyu. Is there something you need so early in the morning?"

"Have you seen Tian Qianqian?" Jiang Boyu's hand holding the receiver trembled slightly.

"Who? Tian... Oh, the one you mentioned a few days ago, right?" He Jihong recalled for a while before remembering.

"right!"

"No! Is there anything urgent?"

"She, I mean Tian Qianqian, if she is Lei Ming's cousin, would she call Lei Ming 'husband'?"

"What did you say?!"

"I heard it, I heard it outside her house. I mean she called Lei Ming 'husband'... 'husband'!" Jiang Boyu's voice became urgent, and he raised the volume by eight octaves. The last two words were almost shouted hysterically—because he no longer cared much about his own image, nor about He Jihong's face and doubts.

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

"That's all. Goodbye!" Jiang Boyu slammed down the phone.

He didn't walk any further, but sat down on the flowerbed next to the phone booth. He had no strength left in his body, and he didn't want to recall what he had heard on the seventh floor of Building 12 in Liulin Community. But he could imagine the shock and paleness on He Jihong's face on the other end of the phone, and he could imagine her torment and pain at that moment.

If he had a pack of cigarettes right now, he really wanted to take a few deep drags! He wished, he wished, that none of this was real! How he longed for that kind of peaceful, rational, and regular life. But life always throws his simple longings into the sky, then slams reality hard onto the ground—a reality already shattered into pieces, cruelly and silently displayed before his eyes!

This was the first time Jiang Boyu had ever seen the confident and cheerful He Jihong so downcast.

He no longer dared to approach her. Although he still worked with her in the cafeteria every afternoon, their work areas still right next to each other. Her expression remained calm and serene—this girl with immense patience kept everything understated. She was still as efficient and capable as ever at work. But, in that fleeting glance or a slight lowering of her head, Jiang Boyu could still see the weariness on her face and the sadness in her eyes.

The more she acted this way, the more distressed Jiang Boyu felt for her. But he could only watch silently, unable to utter a single word of comfort. The very nature of the situation kept Jiang Boyu silent. Everyone has pride—especially a girl like He Jihong. And after He Jihong answered his call, she didn't try to get any more details or ask him about the situation.

He never saw Lei Ming waiting for him at the cafeteria entrance again. After dinner, she would always grab her backpack and leave alone in silence. She wouldn't greet anyone—that was the only difference from usual. But Jiang Boyu couldn't be sure if they had argued or broken up, and he couldn't guess how He Jihong would handle the situation.

He just prayed that time would take all this unhappiness away as soon as possible.

Wang Danyang also noticed some changes in He Jihong.

But many of He Jihong's classmates saw her as a somewhat eccentric and unconventional person. So Wang Danyang simply said casually, "I don't know what happened, but Jihong resigned as the class's Youth League secretary a few days ago. She seemed quite unhappy!"

Wang Danyang also said that he hadn't seen He Jihong and Lei Ming together for several days, but He Jihong would still go to the biochemistry teaching and research office to do experiments—the project that Lei Ming was in charge of and that He Jihong was involved in wouldn't be completed until next year!

Jiang Boyu didn't tell anyone what he had seen and heard—including Wang Danyang. He just responded to Wang Danyang's comments with "uh-huh" and didn't say anything more.

Days passed by uneventfully. In the innocent campus—youth flourished wildly, and before we knew it, everything had changed. Amidst the alternation of laughter and tears, sincerity and deceit, everyone was forced to move towards maturity and an unpredictable future.

In the blink of an eye, a semester has passed.

Only the final exams remained a looming threat, like a "gate of hell" looming over every student. This was the first major exam facing Jiang Boyu and his classmates from the Class of '98. Unlike the final exams in junior and senior high school—the exam cycle at medical school was generally around ten days! Including the week of early break from classes, it was a full two weeks long! Of course, there weren't exams every day; often, there was an exam every other day or two or three days, like a marathon—by the end, everyone was practically exhausted, and very few managed to avoid losing a few pounds!

This kind of exam is a double test and torture of a person's physical and mental strength! Especially after the implementation of the retake system, the huge economic losses that may result make every student feel like they have a guillotine on their head!

Jiang Boyu didn't dare to be careless about the exams either. He quit his milk delivery job as soon as classes were suspended—he'd worked there for almost two months and earned nearly 1,500 yuan. He also had over two months' worth of payments from the cafeteria, totaling nearly 900 yuan. Then there was the 1,000 yuan lent to him by Shen Wei and Duan Youzhi, plus his savings from frugal living expenses, bringing his total to 4,000 yuan. Jiang Boyu handed all 4,000 yuan to Wang Danyang. He said he'd pay back part of it first. He'd earn the remaining 8,000 yuan by working next semester.

Wang Danyang accepted the money without saying anything, probably knowing it would be pointless to say more. The next day, Duan Youzhi obtained some new intelligence, and as usual—he rushed back to his dormitory like a spy from *Water Margin*, shouting, "Report—"

Shen Wei went to the bathhouse that afternoon, leaving Jiang Boyu alone in the dimly lit dormitory reading! It's been raining these past two days—winter rain mixed with cold wind, making this long winter especially cold! The classroom is drafty from all sides, like an icebox—during the suspension of classes, students prefer to stay in their dormitories to review their lessons.

"Old Chiang, Old Chiang! You would never have imagined this. The crucial intelligence I have here will keep you up at night for three days straight!" Duan Youzhi adjusted his glasses, his face full of excitement and anticipation.

"Tell me!" Hearing Duan Youzhi's shout, Jiang Boyu didn't look up. His eyes were still glued to his book.

Shen Wei and Jiang Boyu were already used to Duan Youzhi's news broadcasts. However, they were mostly gossip and idle chatter—Wang Danyang had bluntly remarked to his face that the "strategist" always had an inescapable petty-bourgeois mentality. This infuriated Duan Youzhi, who vowed to find a chance for revenge!

"Want to know? This is a shocking secret about Misses He and Miss Wang!" Duan Youzhi often teased and joked before releasing news. "Hey, Lao Jiang, tomorrow you help me highlight the key points for the embryo assembly. I... I need to go to the city to buy my mother a New Year's outfit! How about we exchange it?"

Jiang Boyu nodded magnanimously.

Duan Youzhi cleared his throat as usual. "I heard it from my god-sister. Didn't you return the four thousand yuan to Wang Danyang yesterday? Then Wang Danyang immediately gave the money to He Jihong. When Wang Danyang went there, only my god-sister and He Jihong were in the dormitory. My god-sister was in the bathroom, and Wang Danyang thought no one was there. He said something that my god-sister happened to overhear!"

"What did she say?" Jiang Boyu finally looked up, staring intently at Duan Youzhi's mouth.

She said, "It's the money Jiang Boyu paid back. Four thousand, here you go first."

Jiang Boyu glared at Duan Youzhi and said, "What's the big deal? Maybe He Jihong borrowed money from Wang Danyang. It's almost holiday time, everyone's short on cash!"

Duan Youzhi scratched his head. "That's true."

Jiang Boyu smiled and said, "Wang Danyang borrowed the money from me to buy a computer! She said it herself, that's right." He stood up and patted Duan Youzhi on the shoulder. "Alright, strategist, even if your intelligence is wrong, I can still help you highlight the key points tomorrow. Don't try to fool me with useless information!"

"You old Jiang! I tried to do good but got no reward. I tried to steal a chicken but ended up losing the rice instead!" Duan Youzhi shouted angrily. He pounced on Jiang Boyu and tried to grab his neck. The two rolled around on the bed and started wrestling.

Suddenly, Duan Youzhi released Jiang Boyu, sat up abruptly, frowned, and said, "That's not right. He Jihong said something else afterwards!"

Jiang Boyu lay on the bed, panting. "You're deliberately trying to get revenge on Wang Danyang, and you're intentionally saying bad things about her."

"If I were to say bad things about her, wouldn't I be her grandson?!" Duan Youzhi slammed his fist on the bed twice. "By the way, when He Jihong saw Wang Danyang off, she told Wang Danyang at the door, 'It's best not to let Jiang Boyu know about this!' Tell me, if He Jihong borrowed money, why would she borrow so much? Didn't the cafeteria just settle your wages? He Jihong also tutors; she earns quite a bit too! Besides, why does she have to hide the fact that she borrowed money from you?" Duan Youzhi began to analyze to himself.

Jiang Boyu lay silently on the bed. He thought that if He Jihong wanted to borrow so much money, there was only one possibility—it was for Lei Ming! But after listening to the strategist's analysis, it didn't seem like He Jihong was borrowing money from Wang Danyang!

Could that money belong to He Jihong?! Jiang Boyu sat up abruptly, his eyes wide with disbelief.

Duan Youzhi looked at him meaningfully. He grinned and said, "Old Jiang, are you also thinking that the 12,000 yuan was actually lent to you by He Jihong? It's just that she doesn't want you to know."

The room was utterly silent, save for the patter of rain outside the window. Jiang Boyu's face, like the sky, grew darker and more somber.

On the covered sports field, Wang Danyang arrived at the parallel bars and horizontal bar practice area beside the track at the agreed time. It was already eight o'clock in the evening, and the sky was completely dark. In the distance, the teaching buildings and dormitories were brightly lit.

The cold wind was biting, and Wang Danyang shivered as she walked, muttering to herself—she didn't know why Jiang Boyu had to choose this godforsaken place for their date—maybe it was quiet here! But the playground was muddy and puddled everywhere. She could only hop forward, alternating between her two feet.

Jiang Boyu stood in front of the parallel bars, holding a black umbrella and with his back to her. Besides him, there was no one else on the playground.

The rain grew heavier and heavier.

"What do you want with me at this hour?" Wang Danyang's teeth chattered from the cold.

"Danyang, did He Jihong borrow money from you?" Jiang Boyu turned around. Wang Danyang saw that his face was cold and stern, without a trace of a smile.

"No...no, that's not it." Wang Danyang's voice was somewhat panicked.

"Didn't you give her four thousand yuan?"

Wang Danyang was silent for a moment, then asked, "How did you know?"

Jiang Boyu remained silent, looking down at his toes. "I've always been grateful for your help. But now I just want to know the truth! Is that alright? If we're still friends!" Jiang Boyu's tone was still cold. A coldness Wang Danyang had never seen before.

"What do you want to know? This is between the two of us, it has nothing to do with you!"

"Are you sure it doesn't matter? I just want to know, did you borrow this money from her, or... was it originally hers?" Jiang Boyu bluntly stated his point, his voice clearly carrying a hint of anger.

“It was me… who borrowed it from her!” Wang Danyang stammered.

"Is she short of money? The cafeteria's labor costs were just settled. There was two thousand yuan!"

“She…she lent money to her boyfriend, her boyfriend…” Wang Danyang’s words were cut off by Jiang Boyu. “You mean her boyfriend? I know her boyfriend better than you, Danyang! They haven’t been together for over a week! That guy… never mind! Let’s not talk about this! Please tell me the truth! Okay?!”

"I don't know!" Wang Danyang turned her head away.

"You know! You know better than anyone!" Because they were both holding umbrellas, they were about a meter apart. Jiang Boyu continued to press closer. "That 12,000 yuan actually belonged to He Jihong, didn't it?" Jiang Boyu raised his voice.

Wang Danyang still didn't turn around; she remained silent.

"You agree, don't you?" Jiang Boyu repeated.

"You already know, why are you asking me? So what if I do?! So what if I do?!" Wang Danyang took half a step forward and shouted at Jiang Boyu.

"So what if it is?" Jiang Boyu retorted in a low voice before abruptly throwing away his umbrella. "You! Why did you lie to me? Why didn't you tell me sooner?" His voice was hoarse and trembling, rain streaming down his forehead.

"I didn't lie to you, He Jihong told me not to say it. Just get the money, isn't that enough? That's between the two of us, it has nothing to do with you!"