Cloud Girl Chapter 19

The next morning, Xu Xiaomeng got up very early.

He planned to apologize and thank the boat captain before leaving for the trouble he had caused.

Whether it was luck or not, Xu Xiaomeng happened to run into Chen Nanyi, who was helping an old lady dry shrimp paste, when she turned a corner at the sand field.

At that time, Chen Nanyi was squatting on the ground, wearing a woven hat. Her body was thin but very straight. Maintaining such a posture was undoubtedly very tiring for doing farm work, so she was particularly conspicuous.

If it weren't for her posture being so different from the others, Xu Xiaomeng would hardly have recognized her.

After thinking for a moment, Xu Xiaomeng originally planned to pretend she didn't see him and leave, but she couldn't help but go inside.

Aside from a quick glance when he first entered, Chen Nanyi didn't say anything, but simply kept skillfully arranging the shrimp paste in her hands.

This quiet scene, whether one was extremely familiar with the atmosphere or simply indifferent, left Xu Xiaomeng feeling quite bewildered.

He didn't dare get too close, but squatted down in a slightly farther but closer spot than the others, and took the basket to help.

In an instant, without a word, they cooperated perfectly.

But he couldn't suppress his inner doubts, so he casually asked if it was because he hadn't treated her well that she wasn't staying at his place.

Xu Xiaomeng considered that Chen Nanyi might hesitate or avoid answering.

After all, she sent a text message very late yesterday, saying things like she was sorry for not telling him in advance that she was going to stay at a hotel—that kind of talk is very much in line with her tendency to avoid confrontation.

Unexpectedly, Chen Nanyi, without stopping her hands, said very frankly, "Ah, Liu Shixi insisted on switching with me, and I didn't know what was going on... so I agreed."

Given Chen Nanyi's usual cautious attitude, she would never say something so "down-to-earth" and almost complaining.

But that's what she said.

Xu Xiaomeng was stunned when she heard this tone of voice, which seemed to be reserved for close acquaintances.

However, after being stunned for a moment, an idea suddenly popped into his head.

I suppose I can assume that she's showing him a side of herself she's never shown to anyone else.

So, does this actually mean that he's one step closer to her?

After much thought, Xu Xiaomeng realized this, and even though Chen Nanyi ultimately didn't say what he wanted to hear, she was still happy.

After saying goodbye for the time being, Xu Xiaomeng continued on to the boat captain's place.

The boatman was both amused and exasperated by Xu Xiaomeng's special apology. He simply said meaningfully, "Don't do that again," and waved him home.

Walking home alone, Xu Xiaomeng paused for a while at the vast harbor. For some reason, she suddenly recalled her past struggles under this starry sky.

He understood what the boat captain meant.

Based on his current knowledge, he also knows how to live a better life.

But he couldn't do that.

Sometimes he didn't want to live like this, but those habits were like inertia, ingrained in his bones, and couldn't be changed just like that.

To put it bluntly, Xu Xiaomeng may never be able to escape this mask in his lifetime, unless he escapes to a new place. Otherwise, he can only continue to live like this.

After all, his life had already begun with such a wronged tone.

Today was supposed to be the last day of their social event, and they were supposed to head back to school.

However, this seemingly good trip ultimately failed to come to a satisfactory end.

Xu Xiaomeng got into a fight.

He went to the hotel to discuss returning to school at noon with others, and was reported and disciplined after returning to school.

As for the reason, according to him, it was because they said behind his back that his arrangements were not good and that he overheard them talking badly about him, which led to the conflict.

But in reality, a few of them were being foolish and talking nonsense, saying that Chen Nanyi, a woman, had a threesome with the two of them, and that she must have been unable to stand it, so she swapped with Liu Shixi, etc. I don't know who spread the rumor, but it made me furious.

Xu Xiaomeng didn't want her to hear any of these unfounded rumors, not even a little bit.

So he admitted it was all his fault, that he had lost the chance to compete for the title of outstanding graduate of the whole school and other things, and that's how he shut them up.

Chen Nanyi has always hated fighting the most.

Her childhood impression of her father was one of violence—whether it was emotional or physical—which is why she admires polite and well-mannered people so much.

Fortunately, she had personally experienced that feeling of "being so hateful that you can't help but endure it." After hearing the news, she finally felt relieved. So much so that when she met Xu Xiaomeng on the playground one day, she even comforted Xu Xiaomeng, who seemed to be heartbroken, with great agreement.

"They don't understand that the world needs people like you; at least you have a sense of responsibility that others don't."

Chen Nanyi, who thought she knew the truth, spoke very seriously and even patted his shoulder lightly with the tip of her finger, as if to give him full support.

At that moment, Xu Xiaomeng was sitting on the playground at the foot of Tu Luoshan Mountain, looking at Chen Nanyi who was staring at her. For some reason, the dark clouds of the past few days seemed to have inexplicably dissipated.

A tender feeling suddenly welled up in his heart—a tenderness he had never felt before.

Xu Xiaomeng, who suddenly felt a significant step closer to her, shook her head and couldn't help but chuckle, "Is that supposed to be comforting? Honestly!"

Xu Xiaomeng felt more and more like laughing, especially when he saw Chen Nanyi looking completely bewildered and not understanding why he found it funny.

"What are you laughing at!" Chen Nanyi deliberately glared at him with a stern face. If someone didn't know better, they might actually be scared by Chen Nanyi.

But Xu Xiaomeng saw through her act, so she continued to laugh while clutching her stomach, laughing until tears streamed down her face.

Chen Nanyi sat like a statue, looking at Xu Xiaomeng who was laughing so hard her head was almost touching the ground, and couldn't help but lower her head and smile as well.

The breeze passes by without leaving a trace.

Thunderstorms are a type of weather that feels like winter in the height of summer, yet winter evenings offer little warmth.

Especially when looking out the window, the overlapping mountain valleys are all a cold, gloomy, deep green, and the sky is also a cold, gloomy gray.

The sparse shrubs, withered and browned by drought, and the intermittent rivers seemed to have lost interest in traveling.

Days pass by in this cycle, spring blossoms and autumn harvests, summer flowers and winter snow, nothing different, nothing alike.

After meeting on the playground, they only met once more during household registration, when they saw Xu Xiaomeng again because they were both orphans. They never ran into each other by chance.

Those who register there are, at least nominally, pitiful people, so even if some feel embarrassed, the staff are very patient in guiding them.

Xu Xiaomeng was a little late, and she bumped into Chen Nanyi who was about to leave when she came in.

Chen Nanyi didn't see who it was at first, frowned, and quickly moved to the side.

Xu Xiaomeng noticed it and looked up at her with a big smile.

The smile was so dazzling that it bloomed right where Chen Nanyi looked up, catching her completely off guard.

Chen Nanyi paused for a moment, and unconsciously tugged at the corner of her mouth—though it could hardly be called a smile.

But that was enough for Xu Xiaomeng.

He never imagined that his tragic identity as an orphan would bring him some surprises, at least allowing him to go beyond simply loving her silently.

Then, their shared identity as orphans provided them with some opportunities to meet—and of course, the reasons for that must be mentioned here.

In recent years, as the government and enterprises of Tulo City have been promoting international humanitarianism on the basis of economic development, the ivory tower of the school has also followed suit.

In particular, more assistance will be provided to students from broken homes, such as providing living allowances or giving them priority in employment.

Xu Xiaomeng used to feel sorry for himself, but now he feels despicably fortunate. Precisely because he is also an orphan, his first open and aboveboard photo with Chen Nanyi was taken at the school with a scholarship, especially for people like them with family defects.

The sponsor of Lu's Academy, namely Lu's Enterprise, will give priority to providing special places for these outstanding students from disadvantaged families to have a work internship opportunity.

Xu Xiaomeng, an outstanding student in the School of Life Sciences, was denied this opportunity because of a fight.

Chen Nanyi, who was doing well in the Chinese department, was admitted early in the second semester of her junior year because the senior students did not need the spot.

After the internship started, Chen Nanyi was puzzled as to why Xu Xiaomeng, who was only minoring in economics, used a spot from the School of Economics and Management to intern at Lu's headquarters.

After all, Chen Nanyi, who studies languages, can at least secure contracts, while Xu Xiaomeng, who studies medicine, can only do so much. Logically, she should be working at the subsidiary's biological research and development company.

This puzzled not only Chen Nanyi, but also many other people.

Many people believe that Xu Xiaomeng obtained this opportunity through other means, or even by flattering the teacher, so his situation becomes somewhat despised.

However, Chen Nanyi quickly put this matter out of her mind.

It was only then that she suddenly noticed Chen Yiwen's unusual behavior.

During the period after Chen Nanyi returned from her social event, Chen Yijing's condition improved somewhat under her care and control, which is why Chen Nanyi felt truly at ease sending her to a special school to intern at headquarters with others.

This time, they went to the Lu Group headquarters where Chen Yiwen worked.

Chen Nanyi was somewhat excited—because she was getting closer to Chen Yiwen step by step.

She thought that perhaps this opportunity could mend the rift that had appeared between them—after all, family ties are a very mysterious thing.

She had called Chen Yiwen before going to Lu's company to tell her about it, but she was always busy and didn't call back.

Chen Nanyi used to call her often, and Chen Yiwen would reply to her messages regularly, usually in just a few words.

After she asked for surgery fees and the two "broke up," Chen Yiwen became unreachable from time to time, so Chen Nanyi didn't care much when Chen Yiwen didn't return the call this time.

On the day Chen Nanyi reported for her internship, she brushed past Chen Yiwen in the lobby of Lu's Company.

She was about to go up and say hello, but Chen Yiwen pretended not to know her.

She was shocked, but Chen Nanyi's habitual thinking immediately led her to blame herself for overthinking, and she made up many excuses—maybe Chen Yiwen didn't see the message, or maybe she was too excited talking to the girl next to her to see her...

But those illusions were shattered not long afterward.

Surprised that Chen Nanyi was also working at Lu's Company, Chen Yiwen secretly pulled her out during lunch break.

She originally wanted to reprimand her, but seeing Chen Nanyi's clueless expression, she probably felt a little embarrassed.

After a moment of silence, she awkwardly revealed her meaning, "Um, Nan Yi, please don't call me 'sister' at the company anymore..."

As Chen Yi spoke so gracefully, her lips, adorned with delicate lip gloss, moved up and down, constantly flashing in Chen Nanyi's eyes.

As for the rest, Chen Nanyi didn't hear a single word—because the first sentence was like an unbearable sound wave, constantly pounding in her head, making it difficult for her usually quick-witted mind to understand or ponder the deeper meaning of that sentence, and she didn't want to understand it anyway.

Chen Nanyi sat in the tea room, lost in thought, wondering why things had turned out this way.

Why, why doesn't her sister want anyone to know about their sisterly relationship?

Was it because she dressed plainly and wasn't pretty? Or was it because she got in through a special assistance program and was receiving poverty relief funds?

After thinking it over, it couldn't possibly be because of Chen Yiwen herself—she must have thought so herself.

Chen Nanyi overcame her first wave of self-doubt, and then, upon understanding Chen Yiwen's vanity, her anger welled up.

Unfortunately, at that time, Xu Xiaomeng, who was interning in another department, for some reason went to Chen Nanyi and asked her to have lunch together.

"I only know you..." Xu Xiaomeng looked at her with her big eyes and smiled.

It's likely that the person she wanted to be intimate with didn't want others to know about their relationship, while a single person, who was already averse to such relationships, eagerly came up to express affection.

Chen Nanyi was almost overwhelmed by this bizarre reality.

She didn't dare vent her anger on Chen Yiwen, but for some reason, she vented it on Xu Xiaomeng.

But I don't want to.

Perhaps it's because he's afraid of being easily bullied!

Anyway, he delivered himself to their doorstep—that's probably what everyone who has dealt him a severe blow would think, and then suppress their own guilt.

After saying this, Chen Nanyi left the tea room and hid in the restroom.

Small Theater

The reporter asked, "Mrs. Xu, what do you think is the most beautiful view in Mr. Jing's home?"

Chen Nanyi, "The most beautiful scenery—of course, is him."

The reporters were completely awestruck; this was such a display of affection.

Chen Nanyi's sense of righteousness influenced Xu Xiaomeng, who was always very serious in public.

One day, Xu Xiaomeng asked Chen Nanyi with a smug look, "What do you see on my face?"

After gloating for a while, Xu Xiaomeng couldn't help but exclaim, "She's beautiful!"

Chen Nanyi silently swallowed the words "a dog relying on its master's power" and secretly decided that it would be better not to praise this guy in the future.