Chapter 48

She stood there, stunned, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

It wasn't until Lin You came over that he came to his senses.

"What did he say to you?" Lin You raised his hand and waved it in front of her blank eyes a few times.

Jian Sheng's ears were ringing, and he shook his head slightly: "He said he apologized."

"What happened between you and Qi Jing last time?" Lin You asked in a flat tone, revealing no emotion.

Jian Sheng hummed in agreement.

"I didn't expect him to apologize." Lin You chuckled again, sounding rather sullen.

At this moment, Jian Sheng's thoughts were completely captured by Chen Zhoujing's retreating figure. She blinked, a soreness rose in her nose, and her eyes reddened slightly.

Lin You noticed her dejected state and wondered if it was right for her to stop him earlier, but she felt that Jian Sheng must have his own thoughts.

Thinking about it, she reached out her arm, slipped it through her crook, and offered silent comfort.

The anxious and frustrating cold war, coupled with the imminent final exams, made it impossible for Jian Sheng to find peace of mind.

She was terrified of being bothered by these feelings, and avoidance became the best response.

However, after Chen Zhou returned home in shock for an entire afternoon, he never reappeared until the first day of the final exams.

Coincidentally, the two were in the same exam room, similar to their seats during their first exams after entering the school. However, this time, in the teaching building, their seats were closer together.

As Jian Sheng entered the examination room, the depression that had been weighing on her chest reached its peak when she saw him.

During their eye contact, she lingered on his indifferent eyes for a few seconds before glancing away and slowly walking to her seat.

In the depths of winter, cold air continues to spread, and a shower last night left frost on the windows.

The proctor opened the window on the side facing the corridor. As I approached her, the icy wind swirled around her pale face.

It blew into her chilled chest.

She gripped the pen tightly, her peripheral vision constantly focused on the area diagonally behind her.

The day passed in silence. As the proctor's voice ended, Jian Sheng first heard the sound of a chair being pulled out of the corner of her eye. Soon, when she turned her head, the seat was already empty.

She silently put away her pen, her movements slow and sluggish.

Chen Zhoujing, who had strode out, stood at the door for a while, but when he didn't see the slow-moving figure inside, he stood at the back door and looked at her.

After a long while, she put the pens one by one into Zhong Meifa's bag, and then slowly collected the test papers.

I don't know what he was thinking, but he stood up and stared blankly for a while.

He didn't stay long; he walked away as she turned away.

Just as they turned into the stairwell, Jian Sheng spotted that familiar figure at a glance.

She walked to the railing, placed her hands on it, and soon, Chen Zhoujing's figure appeared on the spacious main road of the campus below.

He didn't walk very fast. He went downstairs quietly, returned to the classroom, quickly packed his schoolbag, and headed towards the school gate.

Unfortunately, he had already left the school and disappeared without a trace, so she had no choice but to slow down and walk back home.

Only after she reached the bottom of the building and went upstairs did Chen Zhoujing leisurely walk back to do her test paper.

The two days of final exams ended quickly. Jian Sheng packed her schoolbag, and specially brought a small cloth bag to put the things she needed to take back with her.

On the podium, Zhong Mei gave a few instructions and then dismissed everyone from school.

Jian Sheng placed the things he had packed on the table and sat in his seat for a while until most of the students had left the classroom.

"Aren't you leaving, Jian Sheng?" Qi Jing flipped the stool up and placed it on the table, then turned to ask.

Jian Sheng let out a soft "Ah," and hesitated before saying, "Um, I'm not ready yet when I get back."

Qi Jing glanced at her clean desk and her bulging backpack and bags, then nodded: "I'll be going now, bye-bye?"

"Mmm." Jian Sheng waved hurriedly, and breathed a sigh of relief after she left.

The more people walked by, the faster her heart beat.

Forty minutes passed quickly, and everyone in the class except her had left.

She dawdled for a while before finally standing up, standing at the table for a while longer, before finally stepping out the door.

On the basketball court, the backboard trembled from the impact, breaking the silence of the entire campus with each thud.

Chen Zhoujing's movements were fast and fierce; he played ball against himself for almost an hour.

From the moment he finished the exam, he took a ball and went to the basketball court.

As they went down, they just managed to avoid Jian Sheng in the crowd.

However, he had his back to her and didn't notice.

The distance from the basketball court to the teaching building was not short, but it took Jian Sheng almost ten minutes to walk it. Finally, at the entrance of the basketball court, he stood with his head down, his emotions unclear.

When Chen Zhoujing noticed her, he had just thrown the last ball and was about to leave the court. He turned to the side, and when he looked up, his pupils were filled with surprise.

He pinched the swaying ball, held it with both hands, and froze on the spot.

He looked at her, head bowed, standing there blankly, her steps sometimes forward, sometimes backward, as if she were hesitating about something.

Chen Zhou suddenly laughed, exhaling a breath from his nostrils, his blood boiling and coursing through his body.

Besides the scene before him, his pupils also reflected a hidden impulse.

He was secretly delighted, a smile curving his lips, and he walked towards her with light, even excited, steps.

At first, he deliberately moved slowly, but after taking only two steps, he unconsciously sped up.

When he reached her, his panic subsided, as calm as a basketball brought to a standstill.

His gaze was actually complex, but he perceived it as joy.

Some things form invisibly and are confirmed through day-to-day exploration.

That's why he was so frustrated he felt like he was going crazy when he saw Yu Chaochao smile at him.

That's why he saw her looking at others with her usual serious face, yet she was extremely melancholy.

He had tried his best to calm the onslaught of the giant waves, but unfortunately, the undercurrents remained turbulent.

Now, he looked at her as she raised her eyes, her eyes slightly red, and his breath caught in his throat for a moment.

“You…” He seemed to suddenly become speechless.

Her tangled thoughts were overwhelmed when she looked at him.

He felt he deserved to die.

"You...why haven't you left yet?" he asked, opening his mouth.

Jian Sheng blinked, more embarrassed than genuinely happy. She rubbed her cold cheeks a couple of times, her eyes darting around, and said, "Um...you..."

She thought about it for a long time, and Chen Zhoujing waited for her for a long time as well.

He said in a simple voice, "Didn't I promise you we'd go to the dessert shop?"

After saying that, she lowered her head again, a blush of shame appearing on her face.

Chen Zhou was surprised. He pinched the back of his neck hard to steady his rapidly beating heart.

“Oh,” he drawled, “Yes, yes, yes.”

"So you still remember, haha." Chen Zhou cursed his own reaction inwardly, then immediately laughed, "Go now?"

Jian pursed her lips and said, "If you don't want to go..."

"I want to go!" Chen Zhou's voice rose sharply. "I definitely want to!!!"

"I'll go now!" he said, and then he turned to leave.

Jian Sheng was startled by him and unconsciously swallowed hard: "Then... okay then."

Seeing that she agreed, Chen Zhou breathed a sigh of relief. The two returned to the classroom, packed their things, and walked out of the school gate together.

Chen Zhoujing had nothing to pack, so he carried a light bag containing two stacks of exam papers. He glanced at the bag in Jian Sheng's hand.

After exchanging a few words and finding an excuse, he successfully took the bag from her hand.

As dusk settled, the two strolled along the street for a long time, as before, with Chen Zhoujing doing most of the talking and Jian Sheng listening.

It wasn't until we walked back and forth in front of the dessert shop three times that Jian Sheng finally reminded us.

She reached out and tugged at Chen Zhoujing's down jacket sleeve: "Um..."

"What?" He lowered his eyes, feeling a slight pressure on his arm.

A gentle voice sounded in my ear: "We've arrived."

Jian Sheng withdrew his hand and grinned at him.

Chen Zhou exclaimed in surprise, then said "Oh," and looked around. When he saw the dessert shop on his right, he smiled and said, "Let's go, let's go."

The two went inside, ordered one of the latest dishes, and then sat facing each other on chairs to wait.

The shop is small, with only a few tables, and has two floors. The decor is retro and simple.

The proprietress served the sweet soup and chatted with the two of them warmly for a few minutes.

After the others left, the two looked at each other and smiled.

"What are you laughing at?" Chen Zhou asked suddenly.

Jian Sheng frowned slightly and asked, "What are you laughing at?"

Chen Zhoujing's eyebrows were still raised, and he raised his chin: "I like to smile."

"Oh," Jian said indifferently.

"Don't you like it?" he blurted out.

Jian Sheng gave a puzzled "hmm," and then she heard him say, "Don't you like it when I smile?"

Her eyes opened slightly, unsure of how to respond, her cheeks growing hotter.

Not getting a response from her, Chen Zhou suddenly realized what she meant and explained, "What I meant was, do you hate it when I smile at you?"

The more he explained, the more something felt off, so he simply shut up and tried to find a topic to change the subject.

Jian Sheng bit her lip, lowered her eyes, stirred the sugar water a few times with a spoon, and said, "I don't dislike it."

She said it quite seriously: "Sometimes when I see you smile, I want to smile too."

Could it be an infection?

Chen Zhou was surprised. After a moment's pause, his smile deepened: "Is that so?"

"Then I laugh every day." He leaned closer. "So, does that mean you laugh every day too?"

Jian Sheng looked up, and the two met, their gazes burning intensely.

She didn't speak, but slightly curved her lips, and when a look of surprise crossed his face, she softly hummed in agreement.

Chen Zhou suddenly turned his head and coughed a few times towards the open space outside the table.

Then, she covered her mouth, her eyes darting around, grabbed a piece of paper, and then pinched the back of her neck.

Seeing that he suddenly became very busy again, Jian Sheng frowned and asked, "What's wrong with you now?"

Her expressionless face stared blankly at his helpless hands. Chen Zhoujing tried his best to remain calm and said, "No... then I'll smile more."

Jian nodded. He Shang was right; he did look quite handsome when he smiled.

Chen Zhoujing was the quietest Jian Sheng had ever seen him eat. He didn't like talking while eating, so the two of them quietly finished their dessert.

Then he walked home slowly.

He talks a lot, mostly childish things, occasionally serious. Jian Sheng has gotten used to it and finds his childishness even more amusing.

The half-hour journey took almost an hour before Chen Zhoujing finally escorted her downstairs.

The two stood at the entrance of the building, and he talked to her about random things.

Jian Sheng squinted at the buildings across the street; most of the lights were off. She then spoke up to stop them, saying, "I'm going up now."

Chen Zhoujing's mouth was half open when he took out his phone from his pocket. It was already 9:30.

"So fast," he muttered.

Jian Sheng raised her hand and waved in front of him: "Bye-bye?"

Chen Zhou shook his head, grunted in response, and asked, "Could you come down for a bit later?"

Jian Sheng exclaimed, "What's wrong?"

He lowered his head, holding her schoolbag: "I have something to tell you."

His tone was quite flat, and you couldn't tell what emotions he was expressing.

Jian Sheng gave a doubtful "oh," but the tension in his chest intensified in his calm voice.

He handed her the backpack and bag: "Fifty ha."

After she went upstairs, Chen Zhou was so shocked that he sprinted back like a 100-meter dash.

Jian Sheng sat in the room, but her body did not relax. She could hear the alarming sound of her pulse.

It beats incessantly, just like her heart.

Neon lights shimmered on the glass windows, and the sounds of cars rushing past on the street filled my ears.

Soon, the waiting stopped, and her gaze shifted from the glass window to the alarm clock on the table.

It was 9:50. She opened the door, but it was pitch black outside.

Jian Sheng moved very quietly, opened the iron gate, and quickly walked down.

As soon as she got downstairs, Chen Zhoujing was already leaning against the wall waiting for her.

Jian Sheng ruffled her hair a couple of times, her cheeks flushed, and walked towards him with measured steps.

Chen Zhou was surprised to see her stand up straight.

Warm yellow light enveloped the two of them above the doorway.

The shadows that fell to the ground drew near.

Chen Zhou turned to the side, his shadow blending into his.