Chapter 74

No regrets.

A promise not to regret led the two to put down their pens and pick them up again and again during countless long and difficult days.

Every time he gets home, Jian Sheng finishes tidying up and sits down in front of the small lamp at eight o'clock sharp. Just then, Chen Zhoujing's voice call comes in at 8:01, and he will say "Go for it!" within two seconds of the call being connected.

After that, apart from the sounds of turning over papers and getting up to pull out a chair, there was no other sound coming through the microphone.

Whenever she puts down her pen and relaxes, Jian Sheng looks out the window at the brightly lit buildings, which seem to burn like ever-growing flames in her deep pupils.

At this moment, she felt a little dazed. It wasn't just the two of them fighting forward; it was the senior high school students in the neighborhood, the students in Yanjiang who were about to take the college entrance examination, and even all the students in Huai'an and across the country who were about to face the college entrance examination.

She would study until 11:30 p.m., and Chen Zhoujing would tell her to go to bed early, but Jian Sheng would often secretly study for another one to one and a half hours after responding.

It seemed as if they were competing with the two buildings across the street, or perhaps because having come this far, they were determined to achieve a good outcome.

She knew that the score difference between the two of them was too great, and that only by studying hard could she narrow the gap as much as possible.

So throughout their senior year of high school, the two seemed to have reached some kind of tacit agreement, studying diligently day after day for the same goal.

Jian Sheng's grades also improved significantly through hard work, ranking among the top in his class. In English and history, he ranked second in his class and fiftieth in the grade, while in history he ranked first in his class and fifth in the grade.

The total score successfully exceeded 560, and the overall ranking reached within the top 100.

During this period, Jian Qingyao came back twice. The first time, he held up a mock college entrance exam paper that he had long forgotten about and stood behind her, mocking her for being too stupid in her way of solving the problem.

He insisted that she follow his "sea of ​​questions" approach, first taking all the college entrance examination papers from recent years, going through them once, and then reviewing them again after a few days, going through them at least ten times.

After that, go and work through those challenging mock exams, work through them like crazy, just work through them until you're exhausted. Then review them again, do this a dozen or so times. And before the college entrance exam, pick up those actual exam papers and study them, do this a dozen or so times.

The second time I looked at her rapidly improving report card, I circled around her again, sighing several times and saying it was alright.

Jian Sheng ignored him, took back her report card, and prepared to go back to do her homework.

At exactly 8:01, Chen Zhoujing called.

Caught off guard by the sharp-eyed Jian Qingyao, he took advantage of her inattention, snatched the phone, and pressed the voice call button with a gloomy face.

"Jian Sheng." This time he called her name, his voice cool and soft.

Jian Sheng tried to take her phone back, but Jian Qingyao stepped back, glared at her, and said into the phone, "What do you want?"

There was a pause on the phone for a few seconds, then no response.

Jian Sheng said somewhat anxiously, "What are you doing? Give it back to me."

Jian Qingyao pressed down on her arm to stop her from moving: "What's the matter that you're calling so late?"

He didn't know that the two talked on the phone every day, but he heard that Chen Zhoujing hadn't been causing trouble as often as last semester, and had been taking fewer days off. Every morning he went to school with Jian Sheng and came back together in the evening. It seemed that the only thing the two of them did was study.

He narrowed his eyes, then suddenly realized, "You call each other every day?"

It wasn't that he disliked Chen Zhoujing... he genuinely disliked Chen Zhoujing: "Not going to speak?"

"You're studying so hard, it's not for him, is it?" The veins on the back of his hand, gripping the phone, bulged. "Don't tell me you're studying a little bit every night so you can get into the same university as this kid?"

Jian Sheng's eyes were slightly red. She pried open Jian Qingyao's fingers, stood on tiptoe, and quickly grabbed her phone back: "Yes."

There was no sound from the phone for a long time, and it wasn't disconnected.

Jian Sheng tried calling out, "Chen Zhoujing?"

There was not a sound from the other side. Her brows furrowed involuntarily, and she turned to walk back into the room.

Behind her, Jian Qingyao sighed, glancing away at her stubborn back, and said in a light tone, "You need to understand that your future has nothing to do with anyone else."

"Placing your hopes on others will lead to a terrible end."

"You shouldn't take the exam for others; you should take it for yourself."

After saying all this, he hoped she would understand that he thought Chen Zhoujing was an unpredictable figure who could explode at any moment. He didn't want Jian Sheng to get involved in his mess, nor did he want her to do things for others.

Jian Sheng was slightly moved, but she knew clearly that getting into university was not only because of Chen Zhoujing.

At the beginning of the year, she would have said that she was working hard to get into Huainan University with him, but now, looking back on her experiences during this period and the things she saw in him that touched her.

She did it not just for him.

She gradually came to understand that everyone should be responsible for themselves on their own journey through life.

Regardless of the preconditions for each person.

Back in her room, Jian Sheng held her phone and softly called out, "Chen Zhoujing."

The microphone seemed to have been silent for a long time, or perhaps the microphone was malfunctioning; she couldn't hear his voice.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" Jian Sheng had a bad feeling. Just as she was about to rush over to him, she heard a faint panting sound from the other end.

Then, Chen Zhoujing resumed his normal voice: "Jian Qingyao is back."

His voice was desolate, and his throat was half hoarse.

Jian Sheng hummed in response, sat on the edge of the bed, and the phone on the outside of her fingertips gleamed white.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Chen Zhou coughed lightly and brushed it off: "It's nothing."

He hadn't spoken in this tone in a long time; it was so cold and piercing that her first reaction was that something had happened, but he didn't say anything.

Jian Sheng bit her lip and leaned gently against the headboard.

The receiver carried the sound of warm air and the faint sound of car horns.

She raised her eyes and looked out the window.

"Where are you?"

"I'm not studying tonight."

The two voices overlapped.

Jian Sheng reacted almost instinctively. She quietly put on her shoes and asked in a normal voice, "Why?"

Chen Zhoujing was silent for a few seconds, then slowly said, "I'm at home. I'm a little tired today... I need to balance work and rest."

This is so unlike him. The word "tired" has never appeared in his mouth; there has only been encouragement.

Jian Sheng is certain that Chen Zhoujing's emotions are very unstable right now.

She spoke to him as she tiptoed downstairs: "Is it because there were too many tests today?"

Chen Zhoujing casually hummed in agreement.

The elevator doors opened, and she practically rushed out of the car, walking towards the door. The sound of the wind in her ears became more and more familiar, and the car horns grew closer and closer.

She turned the corner and looked up.

A person was standing by the gray wall.

He was dressed in all black, seemingly blending into the night. The hood of his sweatshirt covered his head, and all Jian Sheng could see was his increasingly thin back.

She suppressed her bitterness and walked towards him, saying, "Do you want to see me?"

Chen Zhou paused for a moment, then said briefly, "It's time to sleep."

His refusal carried a silent expectation; he knew that once he uttered those words, Jian Sheng would respond.

However, Jian Sheng behind him did not step back because of those words.

She calmly took two steps forward, pushed open the glass door, and walked towards him.

The noise startled him. He turned his head and met Jian Sheng's expressionless face. The words stuck in his throat, and his chest felt like it was being pricked by needles.

He lowered his hand, turned off the voice call, put his phone back in his pocket, took off his hat, scratched his hair, and his eyes gradually reddened.

Jian Sheng also put the phone back, glanced at his bewildered hand, remained silent for a while, and then stepped forward to grab his sleeve.

He led him down the stairs.

Chen Zhou was stunned for a moment before accepting her initiative and quietly followed her, letting her lead him forward.

She took him to the same pavilion he had taken her to during the Chinese New Year last year.

She didn't say a word during that time, quietly sitting with him in the pavilion.

Facing the cool breeze, the two looked at the bare branches of the trees outside the pavilion.

A gust of wind blew, and a few scattered leaves fell to the ground and withered.

After one night, Chen Zhoujing returned to being the cheerful and talkative little sun, chattering away around Jian Sheng.

Their studies proceeded as usual.

The entire senior year seemed to fly by amidst such busy studying. In the final exam of the second semester of senior year, Jian Sheng made an incredible breakthrough, ranking among the top five in the class, only four places behind Chen Zhoujing.

The moment the scores came out, she stood downstairs at his house, her hand trembling as she held her phone and called him.

As soon as the call was made, a familiar figure emerged from behind the glass door.

Just as she was about to hang up, she caught a glimpse of an unfamiliar aunt next to Chen Zhoujing.

Jian Sheng turned around and walked back, stopping under a streetlight about ten meters away from the apartment building. The phone in his hand was dialing but no one was answering.

She put her phone in her pocket, her cheeks and nose flushed, white breath escaped from her slightly parted lips, and her eyelashes fluttered incessantly.

Feeling somewhat lost, she wandered around the light bulb.

Soon, the person came down the steps.

The woman who came into her view had shoulder-length curly hair, red lips, fair skin, and gold rings and earrings. Her face was serious, her demeanor dignified, and her every move exuded a noble and intimidating aura.

The next second, Jian Sheng felt the intimidating power from her actions.

Xu Weining's left hand, adorned with a gold ring, slapped Chen Zhoujing hard across his thin cheek, causing him to stagger.

Jian Sheng subconsciously took a few steps forward, but reason made her retreat, leaving her standing there anxiously.

Not satisfied with just hitting him, Xu Weining threw the bag in her hand hard at him.

When Chen Zhoujing made no move for the third time, Jian Sheng took two slaps for him.

"Why are you here?" Chen Zhoujing pulled her behind him to protect her, anxiously checking her cheeks. His eyes darkened when he saw the redness on her face.

His voice softened: "You can leave now."

Xu Weining crossed his arms, staring at Jian Sheng, who was being protected by Chen Zhoujing. His brow relaxed, and his tone rose slightly, carrying a hint of teasing: "I was wondering why you weren't coming back."

"So it turns out he had a girlfriend and didn't want to come back."

She spoke with an air of authority, her tone high above her head, her voice somewhat sharp: "Even if Li Jingyi leaves, you still have cards to play."

"What, you want to be like your dad when he was young?"

Chen Zhoujing gritted his teeth and squeezed out a few words: "You can leave now."

Xu Weining clicked her tongue, glanced at Jian Sheng, and curved her red lips: "Auntie's slap was a bit too hard. She was just disciplining her good-for-nothing son. Your sudden interception was not an intention to hurt you."

"You have to go back to Qin Jin, if not now, then after your college entrance exam." This was said to Chen Zhoujing. "You'd better behave yourself during this time, or I won't bail you out."

"Oh, you didn't know? That beast Li Jing left. He went to Beilu to find your dad."

"The person you desperately protected from that dead woman who seduced your father has turned around and betrayed you to go to your own father."

As soon as she finished speaking, Jian Sheng felt a buzzing in her ears as a pair of large, broad hands covered her ears, obscuring her mother's voice.

She looked up at his slightly embarrassed hair, beneath which his cheeks were pale and his lips were trembling.

Jian Sheng raised her hand and grabbed his hand on one side. She heard Xu Weining's sharp voice.

“The knife you took for him back then only has a few years of effect. He only has those people in his heart, those disgusting people to the core. You can’t side with them, you can’t betray me, Chen Zhoujing.”

"I gave you a comfortable and prosperous life, I raised you from a young age, you are my child, and your father..."

"This kind of person lets a bastard child take his surname, but won't even let his own son take his surname, tsk..."

After Xu Weining finished speaking, he looked away from Jian Sheng's cold eyes, turned around and walked towards a black sedan that had just driven up, slowly driving away from their sight.

After listening to the audio, I felt a tightness in my chest, as if a thousand stones were pressing down on me.

She gazed at his bent back, at his forlorn hair, and the touch of her hand felt like a clash of flames, so hot that she wanted to jump into the frozen river.

Suddenly, it dawned on them that night as they silently gazed at the desolate landscape.

She gripped his hand tighter, about to call out to him, when he looked up, his face pale.

Jian Sheng didn't say anything, just waited for him.

After a long while, he reached out his arms and gently embraced her.

It was released in just a few seconds.

Jian Sheng tried to pull him away, but Chen Zhou shook his head in surprise: "Did I scare you?"

"That's just how my mom talks, it's not that exaggerated, it's all..." It's fake... never mind, he didn't want to argue anymore.

He bent down, carefully observing the redness on her face, his expression turning serious: "I'm sorry, she didn't hold back. Does it hurt?"

He gently stroked her cheek with his hand: "Let me take you to get an ice pack."

"No need." Chen Zhoujing refused in a simple voice, not giving her a chance, and led her to the pharmacy outside the community gate.

He didn't explain or say much, but smiled and was happy for her achievement. He took an ice pack and applied it to her face, completely ignoring the scratches on her neck and the swelling on one side of her face.

Jian Sheng blinked her sore eyes, and as he chattered away with his bright eyes, she picked up an ice pack and placed it on his face.

The coldness made his smile freeze for a moment, and his gaze fell on her serious and earnest little face.

He swallowed hard, his lips curving upwards again, but this time he remained silent.

Jian Sheng glared at him: "Still laughing!"

I laugh because I'm happy.

"What's there to be happy about after getting beaten up?" Jian Sheng's vision blurred, her eyes filled with tears, and she looked away as they welled up.

"Don't cry."

"I was wrong, I was wrong." He gently stroked the corner of her eye with his fingertip, coaxing her softly, "I was really wrong, I won't laugh anymore, I won't laugh anymore."

"You did nothing wrong!"

"Okay, okay, I'm not wrong. I just think it's amazing to see you improve little by little to get fifth in the class."

“I feel a great sense of accomplishment, and we’ve taken another step closer to our goal. Isn’t that something to be happy about?” he said.

Jian Sheng's lips twitched slightly, but he didn't speak; he just sniffed.

Chen Zhou pleaded with her, "Okay, okay, don't cry anymore. I was really wrong. I won't say anything."

"Then don't say anything."

“”

Chen Zhoujingzhen didn't say anything. After Jian Sheng recovered, he offered her some sweet soup.

Jian Sheng discovered that he had a kind of magic, always able to easily gloss over sad things with lighthearted words.

As a result, Jian Sheng would always be led astray by Chen Zhoujing's subsequent remarks.

When I think back on it later, I'm still in a daze.