Chapter 34

The exchange meeting was held in the small theater of No. 3 Middle School. As a well-established and prestigious school with a history of a hundred years, the newly renovated small theater is one of the most valuable assets of No. 3 Middle School.

The exchange meeting started at one o'clock, and at twelve o'clock, participants began to arrive. Behind the stage, the student union cadres responsible for event execution and planning gathered around a low table, chatting and eating after a busy morning.

"Hey, did you see that? Senior Lu Jiyu is here today too. He's sitting in the first row downstairs, next to writer Cheng Xiang."

"Is this true? This handsome guy is always elusive and low-key in school. It's hard to see him except at the stadium and the restaurant. Ever since he was admitted, there's been no sign of him at all."

"Yeah, my friend has his WeChat, and he never updates his Moments."

“It’s shockingly low-key.”

"The more low-key he is, the more mysterious he is. Otherwise, how could our senior sister Minjia still be obsessed with him? Remember that speech under the national flag? The classmate L that senior sister Minjia mentioned was Lu Jiyu. How is this different from confessing his love in public? He is so brave."

Cheng Xiang lowered her head to look at the process sheet in her hand, listening attentively to the host discussing the process with her. She glanced at Lu Jiyu sitting next to her and asked curiously, "Why are you wearing a coat when you're fine?"

Lu Jiyu's phone kept spinning, and he rarely showed any anxiety, but his tone of voice remained calm, even a little bit annoying: "The air conditioning in the venue is turned up too high, and I'm weak."

Cheng Xiang looked back at the entire venue. Only Lu Jiyu was wrapped up like a dumpling. "Didn't you come here without any clothes on?"

"The school uniform is too ugly. I don't like it."

"What's ugly about it? How festive are red and white? It looks much better than those black and gray clothes of yours." Cheng Xiang unscrewed the water cup and took a sip of tea. The casual assistant on the other side came up to touch up her makeup, but Cheng Xiang didn't let him. She took a mirror and touched up her lipstick herself.

Lu Jiyu put his hands in his pockets and stared at the staff on the stage who were adjusting the microphone: "Just ask any student here, who would like to be praised for being festive?"

Lu Jiyu glanced helplessly at his phone, which vibrated non-stop in his pocket. There were messages from Zhou Zifang, as well as messages from several small groups. However, the content of these messages was quite consistent, all pointing to the same person.

"Jiang Wan from Jiayuan has also come to our school."

"Jiang Wan? Who is that?"

"You don't even know Jiang Wan. I really don't want to talk to someone as tasteless as you."

"Oh, I know her. We went to the same junior high school. She was pretty amazing. She didn't study much in her first and second years, but in her third year she suddenly became crazy about painting on the walls, and her grades shot up."

"My mom knew her junior high school teacher. She said her parents' divorce had a huge impact on her. She was naturally very smart, so with a little effort her grades would improve."

"I haven't tried very hard. I heard from her former classmates that she worked incredibly hard in her third year. During a physics exam, she suddenly had a nosebleed, which scared the teacher so much they thought she was sick. But she was completely calm, wiped the blood from her nose, and continued on with the exam."

…

Lu Jiyu exited the group chat and opened Zhou Zifang's chat box. He had sent a long string of messages, and Lu Jiyu scrolled through them for a while before finding the first one. It was a photo someone had secretly taken of Jiang Wan queuing at the entrance. The line was long and flowing, and she could easily spot people in a crowd. Perhaps because of the scorching sun outside, her cheeks flushed, but there was no impatience in her eyes.

Zhou Bajie: Lu Beibei, you are done. Look who has come to our school.

Zhou Bajie: Let me give you a piece of friendly advice. It’s not too late to run away now.

Lu Jiyu thought, why run? It would only make him look more guilty. Even so, he still threw on the black jacket he'd picked up on his way out. He'd been wearing the No. 3 Middle School uniform for ages, and looking at himself in the mirror had made him feel a little strange, so he'd grabbed it. He'd never expected it would actually come in handy.

The exchange meeting was about to begin, and the doors on both sides of the theater were closing one after another. Cheng Xiang made a brilliant appearance amid the host's affectionate call and the audience's warm applause.

Lu Ji glanced at the empty seat next to him and suddenly felt that it was a waste to leave such a good VIP seat empty. So, with the mentality of confessing half of his life, he clicked on Jiang Wan's chat box. At the same time, his eyes swept across the "Shuijiao is a bit sweet" on it. This was a WeChat message pushed to him by Gao Zhuo yesterday, saying that a classmate of his wanted to ask him some questions. Lu Jiyu didn't have such leisure and elegance, but Gao Zhuo's words were sincere and sincere, so he agreed.

However, after seeing the first question she sent, Lu Jiyu already wanted to block her.

gazer: What are you doing?

Jiang Wan replied to WeChat very quickly.

Jiang Ziya: What's wrong with coming to No. 3 Middle School to attend a lecture?

Lu Jiyu really wanted to text her, "What a coincidence, I'm also attending the lecture at No. 3 Middle School, and I saved a seat for you in the first row." Then, sneakily add, "Oh, by the way, I'm also a student at this school."

He lowered his head, his hair falling slightly over his eyes. He could hear other people talking all around him, and he could faintly hear his name mentioned several times. It was all the same old, repetitive words.

Lu Jiyu stopped typing, and suddenly felt that it didn't matter whether he said these words or not.

Just when he was at a loss for words, Jiang Wan suddenly received a voice call.

Lu Jiyu hesitated for a few seconds before finally picking up the phone.

Jiang Wan's voice was hollow yet bright: "I heard from Zhou Zifang that you are also in No. 3 Middle School?"

Lu Jiyu: ...

"Well, isn't that a coincidence?"

Jiang Wan on the other end of the line seemed to be still talking to someone else, and Lu Jiyu was not in a hurry, just waiting quietly on the line. It should be said that he even liked this feeling, as if he had silently torn a hole in her world, and he was waiting for her outside the world from within the world.

"Lu Jiyu. Are you still listening?"

He hummed softly and looked up at Cheng Xiang, who was making final preparations on the stage. She was wearing a soft, thin knitted suit today. Although she was nearly seventy years old, she was still gentle and dignified. Lu Jiyu couldn't help but think of the first time he saw her. Lu Jiyu was five years old at the time. That was the first time Lu Jiyu's mother took him back to his home in the capital for the New Year.

He was too young at the time and his memory of the details was not very clear, but he always remembered that when distributing the New Year's money, Cheng Xiang held his hand for a while after handing out the red envelopes, with joy and sadness in his eyes.

She said, "How come it has grown so big in the blink of an eye?"

Now he's grown up, old enough to be as stubborn and free as his mother was back then, deciding his own life. Over the past decade, time has flowed like the eastward stream, never truly leaving. At some point, it will shatter that thin, transparent protective shield, pouring down upon each individual living their destined life. We must always be honest with ourselves.

He seemed to have heard a saying somewhere: the reality you are avoiding now will become your inescapable fate in your future life.

"I ran into one of my schoolmates. She found me two seats in the front row. Where are you? Do you want to come over?"

Lu Jiyu looked at his seat, thinking that if he moved any further he would have to sit in Cheng Xiang's arms. He subconsciously wanted to say "No", but then he thought of another key point in Jiang Wan's words -

"I'm right in front." He rubbed the hem of his black coat. "Which row are you in?"

"Me?" Jiang Wan's breathing was a little chaotic, as if he was walking through a crowd of people, and his voice was disrupted. The voice on the other end of the phone was noisy but clear. Lu Jiyu waited and waited.

"I'm in the front row."

How do you feel?

Lu Jiyu's fingers holding the phone curled up slightly. He felt as if his heart was entangled by a thin thread, unable to break free and could only helplessly do nothing.

He turned his head and looked in the direction of the sound. There was a noisy crowd between the two of them, but the overly similar magnetic fields pressed the button of time to change at this moment, and everything around was dyed gray and white.

And they are the only bright spot in each other's eyes.

Jiang Wan was standing at the front of the line. She looked at him quietly, with her head slightly tilted, as if she was confused, but there was no doubt in her eyes.

She was wearing a gray striped polo shirt and light blue jeans today. She had a pair of black thin-framed glasses on her nose, which was rare. Her shoulder-length hair was tied into a low bun.

He remembered that Zhou Zifang once commented on Jiang Wan's outfit, saying that it looked casual and effortless, but in fact every detail was just right.

Jiang Wan talked to the girl next to her for a few words before walking towards Lu Jiyu. She stopped in front of him and suddenly called his name again: "Lu Jiyu."

Some people around had already cast their eyes over to her. However, Lu Jiyu just looked back at her as if no one was around. But perhaps because he felt guilty, he always felt that the tone of Jiang Wan's voice when she called his name today was different from before.

A little strange.

Jiang Wan sat down beside him with ease. Lu Jiyu's legs, spread wide, subconsciously closed slightly. Neither of them spoke first; waiting is always the most agonizing, even for the person who breaks the silence first. But when Lu Jiyu turned his head and saw Jiang Wan chatting with someone on WeChat, he realized he was the only one suffering.

He looked at her tired face and asked, "Are you very sleepy?"

Jiang Wan raised his eyes from his phone, nodded, and stared at Cheng Xiang on the stage: "I watched a movie with Chen Meiyun this morning."

Lu Jiyu didn't say anything. After a few seconds, his phone vibrated. Jiang Wan sent him a message. It was a photo of a European or American man, and he looked good.

Jiang Wan took out two bottles of water from the black backpack he was carrying and handed one to Lu Jiyu: "The person in the photo is the male lead in a movie I just watched this morning. Chen Meiyu said he looks a bit like you.

Lu Jiyu clicked on the picture, zooming in and out twice. Besides the fact that they were both male, he didn't see much similarity. But he was also quite adept at climbing the ladder. He unscrewed the cap of the water bottle and handed it to Jiang Wan.

"Not at all."

"It's basically me, the only difference is before and after makeup."

"You're really quite childish." Jiang Wan took a sip of water. The air conditioner was on in the venue, and her face, which was slightly red from the sun outside, gradually turned cold.

Cheng Xiang on the stage kept looking at Lu Jiyu. He didn't avoid her and met her gaze directly: "I'll take it as a compliment."

The exchange meeting officially began. After the host briefly exchanged a few words with the audience to warm up the atmosphere, he asked Cheng Xiang the first question of the exchange meeting.

"Mr. Cheng, we know that your new book explores intimate relationships. We would like to know what the essence of intimate relationships is in your eyes."

That's a very good question.

Jiang Wan then posed the question to Lu Jiyu, "Since all intimate relationships will eventually lead to betrayal, hysteria, and unrecognizable changes, why do people still cling to these relationships that will eventually deteriorate?"

Lu Jiyu caught a glimpse of Jiang Wan taking a photo of Cheng Xiang with his phone. He stared at the viewfinder and couldn't help but say, "The lens can be lowered 15 degrees."

Jiang Wan did as he was told: "What else?"

Lu Jiyu stretched out a finger and pushed her phone to the side, and the proportions of the characters in the viewfinder instantly became much more harmonious.

Jiang Wan pressed the shutter button several times as she flipped through the photos in the album. It wasn't a qualitative leap, but it was indeed much better looking.

Lu Jiyu lowered his voice and said, "Haven't you heard a saying? Relationships are like a mirror, reflecting the truest version of ourselves."

Jiang Wan continued, "Isn't that a magic mirror? For example, some people who appear to be decent and successful on the outside often turn into demons and monsters after entering into an intimate relationship."

Lu Jiyu felt that the way she spoke and thought always tended to strip away all possible beauty, revealing its most naked essence. No wonder people liked Sun Wukong, seeing everything as a pile of bones, transcending the mundane. So sometimes he was genuinely curious about how she actually saw him.

He didn't know whether he would turn into a ghost or monster, but since he met Jiang Wan, he often felt that the things that were often regarded as topics of conversation in the eyes of outsiders were always not worth mentioning in front of her.

"Maybe, maybe not. Of course, living alone is also good and comfortable, just like water, which can be calm and deep, or turbulent and surging. But no matter which one it is, its essence is always a pool of water." As he spoke, he lowered his head and stroked the body of the drink bottle.

Jiang Wan was silent for a few seconds and looked at Cheng Xiang on the stage seriously.

Then he suddenly said, "I just saw someone with the same name as you on the honor roll at the entrance of No. 3 Middle School. He was recommended for admission to F University. Lu Jiyu, is this person related to you?"

The sword of Damocles finally fell.

Lu Jiyu silently chewed over every word she said in his heart, trying to find any trace of her emotions in them, but he couldn't find any.

For the first time, Lu Jiyu felt that Chinese was a very obscure language.

The activities on stage soon entered the first interactive session of the event, with free questions.

The host diligently heated up the atmosphere: "Now we will invite a lucky guest to ask Teacher Cheng Xiang a question."

Because they were all young students, they were very enthusiastic and people in the audience started raising their hands and volunteering.

Amidst the clamor—

Jiang Wan continued, "Actually, I thought about applying to No. 3 Middle School, but then I decided not to apply because I thought the red uniform was too ugly."

"So Lu Jiyu, is this also the reason for you?"

"You think the No. 3 Middle School uniform is too ugly, so you're cosplaying as a German student?"

Lu Jiyu: ...