Chapter 19

It wasn't "you," it was "we." This naturally bound the two of them together, to face this night with nowhere to go, to stand together under the cold moonlight.

Jiang Ci tightened his grip on the bag. In a frozen corner of his heart, a tiny crack seemed to appear because of this word and the unreserved trust and search of the person before him.

The moonlight grew brighter, stretching their shadows long and overlapping them in the empty square in front of the library.

The tightly closed door became the unique backdrop for their encounter at this moment.

Xie Qingyan looked into Jiang Ci's exceptionally deep eyes in the shadows and added the words she had prepared long ago: "May the Mid-Autumn moon shine brightly, and may you have much joy."

The moonlight poured down like mercury, illuminating the benches in the library square in a half-light, half-dark.

At this moment, the world seemed to consist only of this tranquility and the two boys sitting side by side on the bench.

Xie Qingyan opened the mooncakes wrapped in oil paper, and a sweet aroma quietly filled the air. He handed one to Jiang Ci and picked one up for himself.

After a brief silence, Xie Qingyan spoke first, her voice gentle: "How have you been these past few days?"

Jiang Ci took the mooncake, his fingertips feeling slightly cool. He didn't eat it immediately, but just looked at the round mooncake in his hand, his profile under the brim of his hat expressionless.

"It's neither good nor bad," he said calmly, his voice devoid of emotion. "I'm used to it."

I've grown accustomed to the coldness of home, to the watchful eyes, and to suppressing all my emotions until I'm numb.

Xie Qingyan understood.

Xie Qingyan didn't press further, but simply nodded, naturally changing the subject:

"I've been busy these past few days. I went through all the mock exam papers from beginning to end, and wrote down the ones I didn't know or wasn't sure about in my question notebook. I also reviewed the solutions to the questions I got wrong before. I've accumulated quite a few questions, and I'm thinking that I can ask you for help again when I get to school tomorrow."

He spoke casually, as if he were just sharing the most ordinary study plan. But Jiang Ci knew what kind of mindset and self-discipline it took to be so focused on studying and compiling so many questions during the holidays.

Jiang Ci's fingers tightened slightly as he held the mooncake. A sudden, bittersweet warmth welled up inside him. Xie Qingyan was working so hard. From the day he tutored Xie Qingyan, Xie Qingyan had been fulfilling his promise: to start over. Even when he thought he had been "abandoned" and his future was uncertain, Xie Qingyan continued to move steadily and steadfastly towards his goal. It wasn't for anyone else's sake; it was simply who Xie Qingyan was.

This silent resilience is more powerful than any direct comfort.

It was precisely because of this feeling of being moved and cherishing that Jiang Ci had to say something even more cruel. He lowered his eyes, his voice dry but unusually clear: "I'm afraid that won't work."

Xie Qingyan turned to look at him.

Jiang Ci's Adam's apple bobbed, and he could almost hear his heart sinking: "My dad has someone at the school. It could be a teacher or a classmate. He won't allow me to have any contact with you anymore. Any contact could be reported to him."

He repeated his father's threat, each word uttered with extreme difficulty. He had to make Xie Qingyan aware of the danger.

After saying that, Jiang Ci smiled bitterly, trying to hide the indescribable guilt on his face: "I'm sorry, not only did I fail to help you, but I may have even caused you trouble."

The anticipated withdrawal or fear did not materialize.

Xie Qingyan was taken aback for a moment, then a clear anger suddenly ignited in his usually gentle eyes. Jiang Ci could sense that anger wasn't directed at him. It was directed upwards, towards the unjust and tyrannical oppression.

"Outrageous!" Xie Qingyan's voice was low, but each word was deep and sharp, carrying an unusual edge. "How could your father do this?! Cutting off our normal interactions and using his power to oppress us—how is this any different from the powerful figures of ancient times?! It's simply... absurd!"

His focus was entirely on Jiang's father's methods, rather than the "trouble" he might face. This undisguised indignation, this anger born for Jiang Ci, was like a ray of light, cleaving through the ice surrounding Jiang Ci.

Jiang Ci froze, looking up at Xie Qingyan. In the moonlight, the other's face, slightly flushed with anger, and the pure, indignant light in his eyes, sent a shiver down Jiang Ci's spine: He was actually... angry for me.

Xie Qingyan took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, his eyes regaining their firmness and brightness. He looked at Jiang Ci, his tone both reassuring and promising:

"Don't worry. The more he acts like this, the less we can let him have his way. It's not convenient to talk at school, but there are always other ways."

He paused for a moment, then revealed his plan: "Actually, I'm planning to buy a cell phone."

This statement surprised Jiang Ci greatly.

Putting aside the fact that No. 9 Middle School does not allow students to bring cell phones to school, the fact that students are now in their final year of high school means that cell phones are not a necessity for them.

Xie Qingyan suddenly wants to buy a cell phone; if it's not for studying, then it must be...

“That’s right, I want to buy a cell phone so it will be easier to contact you.” Xie Qingyan looked directly into Jiang Ci’s eyes.

This answer was both expected and unexpected.

As if to dispel Jiang Ci's worries, Xie Qingyan added, "Now that you can't tutor me every day, it will be very inconvenient if I suddenly encounter a problem. With a mobile phone, I can ask you for help anytime."

"Did your parents agree?" Jiang Ci knew the Xie family's financial situation very well. A mobile phone was a considerable expense for the Xie family; otherwise, Xie Qingyan wouldn't be without a mobile phone now.

"Of course, I've talked to them about it, and they understand my decision. I've assured them that the phone won't affect my studies. Most importantly, I want to buy the phone myself so as not to burden them."

Jiang Ci watched Xie Qingyan earnestly planning how to earn money to buy a phone with his own hands, and his heart surged with emotion. He almost blurted out, "I can give it to you," but he swallowed the words back. He knew Xie Qingyan; that inherent pride and self-reliance would never allow him to accept such a gift. Giving him money or a phone directly would be to belittle him.

He paused for a moment, then took out his phone from his pocket, opened his contacts, and pointed to a number.

"This is my number, write it down. If you buy a phone, or if there's anything urgent, you can text me. I'll reply as soon as I see it."

Xie Qingyan nodded solemnly and carefully memorized the string of numbers in her mind.

Just then, Xie Qingyan changed the subject, her voice becoming calm but containing an even greater strength: "Jiang Ci, you don't have to bear all this alone. There are indeed people in this world who, being at the bottom of a well, think the sky is only a few inches high, habitually using ropes and high walls to imprison others to gain a false sense of security. But, this is not your fault."

He paused, then looked up at the unchanging moon, as if conversing with a time from a thousand years ago, his voice echoing through the ages:

"I once knew a person who was kind-hearted, exceptionally talented, and sincere to others. However, precisely because he was too outstanding and too different from others, he was envied by his closest relatives and friends, and was ultimately plotted against by them, who took everything away, even... his life."

Moonlight fell on his serene profile, revealing a look of reminiscence, pain, and a profound clarity born from traversing life and death.

Jiang Ci's pupils suddenly contracted! His fingers, gripping the mooncake, tightened abruptly, the oil paper making a soft tearing sound. Every word was like a heavy hammer, striking his most hidden wound—"outstanding," "scheming," "taking everything"... He could almost hear the sound of his blood rushing to his head. Those dirty and painful pasts that he thought no one could truly understand were, on this moonlit night, touched upon with unparalleled precision by another person in such an almost metaphorical way.

He suddenly looked at Xie Qingyan.

Xie Qingyan also turned his head, his gaze clear as a deep pool under the moonlight, looking directly into Xie Qingyan's suddenly surging eyes. There was no pity, no curiosity, only complete understanding and a rock-solid determination:

"So, I believe in you, Jiang Ci. I believe in your talent, and even more so in your character. Those who try to crush you with rumors, threats, and manipulation are never qualified to define who you are."

After the words were spoken, all that remained was the rustling of the wind through the leaves and the clearly audible breathing of the other two.

Jiang Ci stood there, frozen, like a sculpture suddenly imbued with a soul but unsure how to move. The immense emotional shock rendered him speechless for a moment. All the heavy burdens of resentment, anger, loneliness, and unwillingness that he had so tightly sealed away seemed to find a floodgate to release at this instant.

Xie Qingyan's words were not a key, but another lamp, illuminating the abyss in his heart that he dared not let anyone see, and telling him: I see, I am not afraid, I am with you.

After a long while, long enough that even the moonlight seemed to shift its angle, Jiang Ci finally spoke in a very soft, hoarse voice, as dry as sandpaper: "What happened to that person afterward?"

He was asking about the person who "had everything taken away by scheming".

Upon hearing this, Xie Qingyan's lips slowly curved into a very faint smile. Under the moonlight, that smile possessed a magnanimity beyond his years, and also a sharpness honed through experience.

"And then?" he repeated softly, his eyes brightening again. "He came here and sat beside you. And he decided that this time, he would never let anything or anyone he cherished be taken away so easily."

Jiang Ci stared at Xie Qingyan in shock.

Under the moonlight, Xie Qingyan's face was clear and serene, but the weight in his eyes seemed to have traversed endless time. That phrase, "I've come here," that nonchalant mention of "life," that world-weariness and magnanimity beyond his years…

...Have we arrived here?

An absurd idea, yet one that instantly connected all the doubts, cleaved through Jiang Ci's chaotic thoughts like a thunderclap!

No wonder Xie Qingyan was able to transform from a poor student to a dark horse in the humanities in such a short time. The obscure allusions she could readily recall, the powerful and profound themes in her essays, and the natural classical Chinese proficiency revealed in her calligraphy... these are not things that a modern high school student can easily achieve through cramming! It requires years of immersion and is an elegance etched into her very being!

No wonder he showed astonishing “ignorance” of many modern common sense facts. At first, I thought it was due to his family background or personality, but his bewilderment was real, like a traveler who had been suddenly thrown into a strange world.

No wonder he possesses such a terrifying, almost photographic memory. It's not just that he's an ordinary genius; it's more like a fundamental skill forged through extremely rigorous training.

No wonder his perspective on the world was sometimes detached and sometimes imbued with an ancient wisdom; no wonder his bowing posture was so natural and simple; no wonder that when he spoke of "being schemed against and having everything taken away by his closest relatives and friends," his expression was not simply one of resentment, but rather a kind of... a profound understanding of the world after surviving a calamity.

All the fragments came together at this moment, pointing to an incredible yet only reasonable answer.

He is neither "enlightened" nor "pretending".

He is a soul from another time and space.