Chapter 59

On the other side of the screen, Chen Zhoujing was sitting in a dark room, reading Jian Sheng's message no less than ten times.

Until the door was pried open by external force.

With a click, the overhead light turned on.

Chen Zhou's eyes were half-closed, and it took him a long time to adjust.

He looked toward the doorway and saw Li Jing leaning against the doorframe, one hand on the handle, watching him coldly.

Neither of them spoke. As they looked at each other, Chen Zhoujing looked away first.

After a long silence, he said in a flat tone, "Turn off the lights."

Li Jing clenched his teeth, but his expression remained unchanged.

But what he feared most was this kind of Chen Zhoujing, who was clearly in excruciating pain but didn't vent it, keeping it all bottled up inside.

He stepped forward, walked up to Chen Zhoujing, and pulled him up.

He lost his balance and his phone fell to the ground. Li Jing squatted down and snatched it before he could reach for it.

After glancing at the note, Li Jing snorted: "Don't tell me you stay in your room all day, not eating or drinking, because you're in a relationship."

His voice, like ice shards, was thick and cold, giving people a sense of oppression.

Chen Zhoujing usually despised his attitude and tone, but at this moment he had no interest in confronting him.

He held out his hand, still calm: "Give it back to me."

Li Jing didn't hand it over, but held the phone up high: "I have a question for you."

Chen Zhou stared into his dark eyes for a long time before saying, "What's it to you?"

Li Jing's question stuck in his throat.

Seeing his reaction, Chen Zhou chuckled softly, his eyes devoid of any warmth: "Who are you?"

"Childhood friend? You're getting addicted to acting?"

Each word left Li Jing speechless.

Chen Zhou stepped forward, took the phone back, and said without looking at him again, "Get out."

Li Jing clenched his fist, raised his eyes and said, "You've just been traumatized. If your emotions are further agitated because of her, you'll be doomed."

"I'm only on your side." With that, he turned and left without looking back.

After the door closed, Chen Zhou stood there for a long time, then slowly knelt down, and finally collapsed on the carpet, lying there for the entire night.

In his dream, he heard Xu Weining beside the coffin telling him to go back to Qinjin and transfer him to another school.

The scene then shifts to a long message that Jian Sheng sent him.

The night was half nightmare, half surprise.

The next morning, when Jian Sheng woke up, she subconsciously turned on her phone to check her messages.

After pressing the buttons a few times, the phone displayed a message indicating it was out of battery and shut down.

She found a charging cable on the table, quickly plugged it in, and then pressed and held it down a few seconds later.

It still showed that it wasn't charging, so she put down her phone and went to wash up.

When I returned, my phone had automatically turned on.

Jian Sheng opened WeChat and found Chen Zhoujing's chat box among a bunch of group messages.

When I touched the screen, I had to tap it several times before I could click on it.

The lengthy message brought tears to Jian Sheng's eyes instantly.

It was a very long message. Holding her phone, she moved to the edge of the bed, slowly sat down, and read his message word by word.

The first half of each paragraph corresponds to his reply to her, while the second half is his comfort and positive feedback.

What kept her from being disturbed was that every word she said resonated with him; he always put aside his own feelings to guide her toward the light.

She thought he lived in a nice family environment, and she thought everything around him was wonderful.

That's why such a warm personality was nurtured.

Little did he know, he was simply making concessions.

It is his warm personality that makes him surrounded by beautiful people.

He is a very good person.

Jian Sheng suddenly regretted her inexplicable irritability and her intense, glaring rejection of him.

She calmed herself down, but couldn't help sending a lot of messages, which were all replied to instantly.

Jian Sheng suppressed her emotions, wanting to ask many questions, but it was time for school, so they had to part ways hastily.

She began to learn to comfort, to express herself, and to accept the facts that she herself had already acknowledged.

With He Shang's birthday approaching, Jian Sheng resumed chatting with Chen Zhoujing and stopped worrying about whether he would come.

What she wanted most was for him to take care of his own emotions first.

On that day, He Shang's activities were arranged at an amusement park in the center of Huai'an City.

Everyone arrived quickly. There were twelve people at the table that day, eleven of whom came except for Chen Zhoujing.

He Shang said a few words briefly, trying to get everyone to walk together.

Jian Sheng listened absentmindedly, typing on his phone intermittently.

He never raised his head.

It was only when Lin You held her hand that she raised her head.

It was Jian Sheng's first time visiting an amusement park, and the spectacular rides in front of her were a sight to behold.

She hasn't appeared since; her mind is now completely focused on her phone.

Lin You noticed as soon as she entered that Jian Sheng, who rarely looked at his phone, was completely absorbed in it. She squinted and asked, "Who are you chatting with?"

"How did you become a phone addict?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Xu Xiaxia said. "Besides Chen Zhoujing, who else could make her laugh non-stop!"

Jian let out a soft "Ah!" and looked up to see five girls gathered in a circle, staring at her.

She accepted the phone, feeling embarrassed; it was indeed impolite...

"You can tell from her expression. By the way, why hasn't Chen Zhoujing come for so long?" Zheng Nian said from the side.

Gu Zhenyi sighed: "Someone in his family passed away. The week before last, I went back to Qinjin to accompany... to the funeral."

Xu Xiaxia's heart skipped a beat: "How come I haven't heard of this..."

"Damn... I take back everything I said about him, he's a good guy!"

"They gave me a photocard when school started, and several autographed photos..." she murmured softly.

When the conversation turned to the passing of Chen Zhoujing's maternal grandmother, the fervor seemed to dissipate imperceptibly.

The atmosphere grew increasingly silent amidst sighs of regret.

He Shang, who had walked a long way away, ran back and asked, "What are you doing?"

"Next, next!!" He Shang was in a great mood. "Quick, quick, let's go ride the giant swing."

His appearance brought the atmosphere back to normal, and the group followed them to find the giant swing ride.

Jian Sheng didn't touch her phone again, suddenly pulling away from her engrossed conversation, leaving her somewhat at a loss.

She walked behind the crowd and began to observe the amusement park's facilities, which were all unfamiliar to her.

As the screams around her grew louder, she began to walk slower and slower.

Upon seeing the giant swing ride, she realized she wouldn't dare to try those attractions.

That's terrifying!

Lin You noticed that she was walking very slowly, so he stopped and waited for her for a few moments.

Jian Sheng hesitated, but when he saw Lin You, he quickened his pace.

Seeing her follow, Lin You was about to turn around when she reached out and gently tugged at her sleeve.

She looked down, her gaze falling on Jian Sheng's hands, and asked softly, "What's wrong?"

Jian Sheng raised his right hand and habitually scratched his cheek.

"I....."

"Don't want to play this?" Lin You leaned closer to look at her downcast eyes. "What do you want to play? I'll take you there."

Guessing that she didn't want to ruin the atmosphere, Lin You's brows relaxed: "Don't ignore your discomfort to please others."

“If you don’t want to play, you don’t have to force yourself…” She took a breath. “Besides, this thing is really scary. I played it once before and threw up right afterward.”

Lin You crossed her arms and rubbed them together, then pouted and shook her head, her expression one of utter reluctance.

Jian Sheng looked up, amused by her expression. She knew Lin You was trying to comfort her: "I've never played it before..."

She would be afraid of losing her composure, afraid of this unknown fear, even if she got through safely.

.........

"Come on over, the previous group is about to finish," Xu Xiaxia called out from a few steps away.

Lin You responded to her, then turned her head and smiled with a forced smile: "You're scared because you've never played before?"

"Mmm." Jian Sheng turned her blushing face away.

Lin You tiptoed and whispered in her ear, "Then do you want to experience something else?"

Jian Sheng pursed her lips, struggling with how to put it, but the next second, she resolved her doubts.

"Since He Shang invited us to play, he wanted us to have a good experience. You could have easily gone to play something else."

“However… I can’t stay with you.” Lin You straightened up. “I guess Chen Zhoujing can.”

After saying that, she raised her chin and gestured towards Jian Sheng's back.

Jian Sheng was taken aback.

She turned her head, her movements slightly stiff.

Chen Zhoujing was standing a meter behind her, at a distance that was neither too close nor too far. He took his hands out of his pockets and let them hang at his sides, raising an eyebrow at her with a smile in his eyes.

Jian Sheng was surprised, her lips parted slightly, and her heart pounded faster.

When my gaze fell upon his gaunt face, a mixture of pain and numbness washed over me.

She swallowed hard, her eyes darting around, so nervous she could hardly breathe.

Chen Zhoujing took a few steps toward her: "Long time no see, Jian Sheng."

It's that same line again. Whenever they haven't seen each other for more than a week, he always says it to her when they meet.

Jian Sheng had gotten used to it, and smiled, her eyebrows curving upwards: "Mm."

She replied softly, "Long time no see, Chen Zhoujing."

Chen Zhoujing's smile froze as he realized what was happening when he saw her serious expression.

The two looked at each other, their smiles deepening.

The weather was fine at that time, and the air was filled with the fragrance of flowers.

Amidst the vast sea of ​​people, only the two of them are in sight.

"Ouch~"

"Ouch, ouch."

"Ouch!!!"

At the queuing point by the railing, a few of them stood, with He Shang leading the way, jeering in their direction.

Jian Sheng turned around abruptly, then awkwardly took a step back.

Chen Zhou coughed and pinched the back of his neck: "Change the facilities?"

After lingering for too long, several other tourists had already climbed onto the railing. Jian nodded in a low voice, "Okay."

Chen Zhou nodded and said to the group of people who were laughing, "You guys have fun, we'll meet up later."

After speaking, he and Jian Sheng entered the crowd.

He really enjoys having his own space with her, and he always feels much more relaxed when he's with her.

Just like before I met her, my emotions were still out of control, but from the moment I saw her familiar back, joy welled up inside me.

It's inexplicable, an indescribable joy.

Along with this joy came an inexplicable sense of restraint, something he hadn't expected to appear on him.

He saw Jian Sheng's serious face looking at him, with a hint of worry and complicated emotions.

Chen Zhou's heart skipped a beat.

"What's wrong?" he asked softly, but his voice was lower than usual.

I've already said everything I needed to say to him on WeChat, so Jian Sheng doesn't really know what else to say.

But she felt that screens were cold and indifferent, and that people still needed to express themselves face-to-face.

She scrunched up her face as she became engrossed in her thoughts.

Chen Zhou couldn't help but laugh.

Jian frowned: "What are you laughing at?"

"I'm laughing at your stupidity," Chen Zhou exclaimed in surprise.

Simple voice: "Oh."

"Oh?" He clicked his tongue. "I mean... it's been so long, is there something you want to tell me?"

Chen Zhou winked at her expectantly.

But she didn't hear what she wanted to hear; Jian Sheng simply said, "No."

Even if she were there, she wouldn't have said it out loud.

Chen Zhou feigned surprise and said, "Oh, okay."

Jian Sheng frowned, unsure how to put it. Whenever she saw him now, she would think of the things He Shang had said.

Seeing his smile made her feel suffocated.

As usual, he tried to make her happy, always rambling on and on, saying a bunch of nonsensical things, but in the end, he managed to give her some insightful advice.

In the sunlight, Jian Sheng watched his lips move, paying close attention to his vivid description.

Listening to him happily talk about the future.

At this moment, Jian Sheng realized that the shackles of the past could not confine a vibrant soul.

Disappointment is not as good as growth; every step we take is actually enriching our own wings.

She suddenly looked away.

Chen Zhou looked over in surprise, stopped talking, and pursed his lips into a straight line.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Jian Sheng turned her head and asked, "And then?"

Chen Zhoujing twitched the corner of his mouth: "Then, I dreamed about you, and dreamed that you comforted me in my dream."

"Then, we got into the same university."

"And then..."

And then... he dreamed of her next journey.

"Then, I woke up..."

Jian nodded: "Then what is the meaning of your dream?"

Chen Zhou pondered for a moment, then touched his nose: "What does this mean...?"

“It was…we.” His voice trailed off, and after a long silence, he continued, “It was our joint efforts that led to our success.”