Chapter 42

As evening fell, the light snow stopped falling, but the cold air showed no signs of abating.

Jian Sheng sniffed her reddened nose, clutching her schoolbag strap as she stood at the door waiting for Chen Zhoujing.

It was completely dark by then, and only the lights in Class 13 were on in the entire corridor.

She slowly circled around in a small, brightly lit area by the window.

Chen Zhoujing was called to Zhong Mei's office ten minutes before the bell rang, and almost forty minutes have passed since then.

She lingered at the door for a while, then walked around the front and back doors of the classroom a few times.

Finally, stand at the doorway as you are now.

I don't know what Teacher Zhong asked him for.

When Chen Zhoujing returned from his office, he received a phone call on his way upstairs. After hanging up, he stood in the dark stairwell for a long time.

His gaze was calm and serene. After taking a few deep breaths, he slowly walked towards the corridor outside.

The moment his body disappeared into the light, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

The waves crashed against my eyes, and the waves reached deep into my heart.

The simple sound in Chen Zhou's eyes was now glowing.

She seemed to be having a great time playing with herself, fiddling with her schoolbag, turning it around every now and then, and then taking out a piece of paper from her pocket. I didn't know what it said, but she was reading it with great interest, occasionally muttering something to herself.

Chen Zhou lowered his eyes in surprise, the smile lingering on his brows and eyes, the warmth on his face enveloping him in a deep sense of delight.

His steps became light and quick, and the feeling of weakness and gloom in his body was washed away.

He told her to go back first, but she was waiting for him.

Unaware of the figure slowly approaching from behind, Jian Sheng was reciting English words towards the dark corridor across the way, engrossed in his work, when suddenly he coughed.

Startled, she gasped and turned to see Chen Zhoujing standing right behind her.

She breathed a sigh of relief and asked softly, "Why are you only getting back now?"

It wasn't that she was impatient waiting; she was just curious to know what Zhong Mei wanted to call him for. Although it had nothing to do with her, Zhong Mei's expression wasn't very pleasant when she called him.

"We discussed the results, don't worry." He smiled at her.

Jian Sheng turned her head and said, "Who cares..."

"I know, you're just being modest and won't admit it." He clicked his tongue, bending down to look at her. "Didn't I tell He Shang to let you go back first?"

Jian shook his head: "We can't break a promise."

"Oh~" Chen Zhou was amused by her serious expression and couldn't help but cough. "So that's how it is."

"Can we go back now?" she asked, looking up.

Their eyes met, and without realizing it, she seemed to see herself reflected in his bright eyes.

But after a few seconds he looked away, straightened up and said to her, "Yes...yes, let's go."

"Hmm." Chen Zhoujing's Adam's apple bobbed a few times. "I'll go pack my things, I'll be done soon. Wait for me here for a bit."

After saying that, he quickly walked to the classroom to pack his things.

He habitually looked up at the homework left on the blackboard, but now there was nothing there, wiped clean by the student on duty.

Just as he was about to ask outside the door, the person he was looking for was already standing next to his seat, pointing to the pile of books in the upper left corner of his seat.

"You basically have to do the work before this, and there are also test papers. I've already prepared them for you." Jian Sheng pointed, then put his finger down and tapped the edge of his desk.

Chen Zhoujing removed her slender, beautiful fingers and began to put her neatly arranged homework into her schoolbag.

As she put it down, she said, "They have to be good friends."

"Looks like there are still things about this school that I'll cherish." He shook his head, his tone smug. "Wow, I never thought I'd live to see this day. It's truly a life without regrets, a life of great fortune..."

Before Jian could stop him, he changed the subject again: "Hey, do you know that there's a dessert shop that opened on the old street ahead?"

"I don't know." Jian pursed her lips. She had never been there and didn't know where the old street was.

"Don't know? Then you'll find out soon!" He raised an eyebrow, and his tidying movements quickened considerably.

Besides his rising voice, Jian Sheng could hear the rustling of test papers in her ears. She looked up and asked, "Are you going to take me with you?"

Chen Zhoujing didn't hesitate: "Yes, are you going or not?"

Jian Sheng didn't speak. He sensed that she was going to reject him. His eyebrows furrowed slightly, his gaze softened, and he moved closer to her, looking her in the eye. "I feel really bad that you've waited for me for so long."

She remained silent, her gaze calmly meeting his eyes.

As their eyes met, the temperature gradually rose.

Chen Zhoujing finally gave in: "Okay, okay, I won't go. I'll pack it up and bring it to you next time. That's fine too. Let's go home."

His eyelashes drooped, and he was about to stand up straight when a soft voice whispered in his ear, "He's gone."

Chen Zhou's pupils constricted slightly, and his pulse became erratic and rapid.

Similarly, a rapid thumping in the chest followed.

He raised his eyes, his gaze level, and a smile replaced the calm on his face.

Chen Zhou took a deep breath, his hands trembling involuntarily as he rested them on his back.

Seeing that he had been staring blankly for too long and his gaze was intense, Jian Sheng turned her face away and asked, "Are you coming or not?"

She only turned around when she finally heard him packing his things.

Chen Zhoujing packed his things very quickly, and in no time, the two of them turned off the lights and left the campus.

On the long ski slope, near the streetlights, two tall figures slowly descended.

The snow covering the entire campus seemed to become a backdrop, with only the shadows of the two figures getting closer and closer along the entire path.

Sensing his approach, Jian Sheng, already used to it, didn't move aside. Instead, she hugged her schoolbag and listened attentively to his mumbled words.

He seemed quite pleased with his recent research on badminton, and was showing off to her: "I used to really dislike badminton, do you know why?"

"Why?" Jian Sheng turned to look at him and replied.

"Tsk." He shook his head. "You probably won't believe it if I told you, but it all started in junior high school. Sigh, it's the same reason why I used to hate playing basketball."

"Then tell me." Jian Sheng nodded.

Chen Zhou became interested: "You don't know that I used to be very short. I probably suddenly grew taller in the third year of junior high. When I was short in the first and second years of junior high, my family wanted me to play basketball, but I didn't want to because every time I went to the court, people would laugh at me."

His tone was relatively relaxed, but Jian Sheng unconsciously frowned: "Why? Height?"

“Yes, you’re smart, no wonder you’re a good friend.” Chen Zhoujing confirmed her question and added, “They said I played like a baby crawling. No matter what kind of ball it was, as soon as I entered the court, people would criticize me. I was also a bit silly back then. When they criticized me, I didn’t want to play anymore. Besides, I always thought I was past my prime, but I didn’t expect to catch up in my final year of junior high.”

“That’s quite amazing,” Jian nodded.

"It's not amazing. During the months when I was growing the fastest, I had leg cramps or leg pain almost every night." He thought for a moment, then steered the conversation towards her, "Hmm... so what do you like?"

"Do you have any hobbies or interests..." His voice trailed off, and his gaze began to drift towards her, intentionally or unintentionally.

He wanted to get to know her, like a friend, and he wanted to know everything about her.

He just didn't dare to ask, afraid of uncovering a past she didn't want to remember.

Jian Sheng remained silent for a moment.

Chen Zhoujing had already planned to change the subject, but she answered anyway.

Her voice was very soft, tickling his ear. He heard her voice through the cold wind. She said, "I like to draw."

"Wow, that's a great hobby!" Chen Zhou exclaimed in surprise. "Have you drawn this before?"

Jian Sheng nodded: "Yes, it was when I was very young. My mom enrolled me in classes."

"Later... she passed away, and I stopped drawing, but I kept drawing, but I stopped when I went to high school."

She was reminiscing, or rather, recounting events, and spoke of the past with an unusual calmness, as if she were talking about something unrelated to herself.

Chen Zhoujing didn't know what she had been through, but he knew the topic was a bit heavy: "You can pick it up again later."

“No rush.” He looked at her, his gaze gentle. “You can do anything you want.”

There was a strong hope in his eyes, something Jian Sheng had never dared to imagine before, but that was in the past. Now, she would occasionally be inexplicably moved by him.

Some of his beliefs have challenged his long-held values, and he seems to have more faith in himself now than before.

She smiled, her eyebrows relaxed, and said, "You're right."

"I will definitely pick up painting again in the future. I really enjoy painting," she said.

“Yes, believe in yourself.” Chen Zhoujing moved closer to her, hesitated for a few moments, and then said, “So, if you want to draw any kind of person or anything in the future, I can be your model.”

He winked at her and chuckled softly, "Okay."

Chen Zhou breathed a sigh of relief.

Joy hovered over them, their steps slowed, and they talked more and more.

As they were chatting, Chen Zhou suddenly noticed the backpack she was holding, which seemed to be struggling in her hands. He then glanced at the bottom of the backpack and saw that it contained at least a dozen books.

Then, he adjusted his backpack and casually said, "Let me see your backpack."

"Huh?" Jian Sheng didn't understand. He suddenly stopped and looked at her backpack. "What are you doing?"

"I'm thinking of getting a new backpack, and I think this one you're holding is pretty good." She lied without batting an eye, her face didn't turn red, but her heart was definitely pounding.

He rubbed his eyebrows, and seeing Jian Sheng's doubt, added, "Really?"

"Hey, I've discovered we both like white! What a coincidence! It means we're practically destined for each other, it's incredible..."

Seeing that he was about to ramble on again, Jian Sheng simply shoved the backpack into his hands.

Holding her schoolbag, Chen Zhou gasped in surprise, nearly dropping the bag he had just taken from her.

He opened his mouth, embarrassed: "No...."

“Actually, I’m very strong,” Chen Zhoujing explained.

Jian Shengcai looked at him and said, "I didn't see it at all."

He chuckled and continued his performance on his own.

"Have you finished watching?" Jian asked in a low voice.

He didn't answer, but weighed the heavy backpack (which was heavier than a lead weight) in his hands a few times, and couldn't help but ask, "Do you carry all the books back with you every day? Don't you find it tiring?"

Jian Sheng didn't realize it: "No, it's acceptable."

"Have you decided yet?" she asked again.

Chen Zhoujing did not respond.

No matter what Jian Sheng said, he wouldn't give her the bag, and in the end she gave in.

Chen Zhoujing took her to a dessert shop on the old street, and the two of them ate there before leisurely returning home.

On the way, he kept talking, but the conversation turned to funny things, so it was still quite lighthearted.

This made Jian Sheng laugh nonstop.

However, she didn't ask for her bag back until she reached the bottom of Building 9. He then returned the bag to her, watched her go upstairs, and walked back alone.