Chapter 32. Confessing to Xia Chan, I like you.

Xia Chan raised an eyebrow, neither surprised nor not surprised.

According to Shen Jinghai, he recently wanted to take Shen Zhou back to Shanghai.

Shen Zhoudu refused to bow his head and admit that he had made a mistake. Shen Jinghai had cursed and raged, but in the end, he had no choice but to admit it. After all, he was his son, and the kinship was like that of enemies and creditors, which could not be severed no matter how much resentment they had. But he had to take him back to Shanghai.

His school registration, place of origin, and college entrance examination location are all in Shanghai, so he has to go back.

Chen Zhoudu insisted on staying in Qingshui first, saying he would go back on his own when the college entrance exam came and wouldn't need his help.

“I know, he doesn’t want to go back because of you.”

"But the college entrance exam is just around the corner, and there's not much time left. The exam format and teaching qualifications in Shanghai are different from those in Qingshui, so it would be better for him to go back sooner. But he's very stubborn now and refuses to go back no matter what I say. Girl, I want you to persuade him to go back, and then, to avoid distracting him, don't contact him anymore."

Xia Chan paused for a moment, then smiled slightly with her eyes lowered. She quickly looked up and said, "If he doesn't want to go back, you should try your best to persuade him instead of coming to me."

“If even you, as his father, couldn’t persuade him, how could I, a stranger, possibly do so?”

“He likes you,” Shen Jinghai said bluntly.

Xia Chan's eyes flickered slightly, but her expression remained unchanged.

“I know you too.” Shen Jinghai looked directly at her, took out some kind of document, and pushed it in front of her.

That day, when Chen Zhoudu sang, Shen Jinghai sat quietly in the shadows observing, and naturally heard Chen Zhoudu sing "I Like You" for Xia Chan.

The affair between Xia Chan and Zhang Guozhong was so well-known in Qingshui Town that it was easy to find out the details with just a few inquiries.

As for the money that Shen Zhoudu helped them with Huang Mao's matter and the money for Siyi's surgery, he could find out most of it by checking with the uncle that Shen Zhoudu asked him to.

The document contained a jumble of information. There were photos of him singing on the day of the sunken boat crossing, and walking with Xia Chan; there was the closing statement of the Huang Mao case; and there were also Si Yi's medical records, expense receipts...

The most jarring image was a photocopy of an old newspaper, showing a thirteen-year-old girl standing at the entrance of a juvenile detention center, her eyes vacant, as if they could pierce through time and gaze indifferently at her.

Xia Chan's fingertips tightened involuntarily.

Shen Jinghai: "We will not ask for the 120,000 yuan surgery fee that Zhou Du gave you. As for Huang Gou and the case of your dispute with your biological father, since the legal process has begun, I will help to keep an eye on the case and see it through to the end. You will not have to bear any of the expenses incurred. We will take full responsibility."

“Zhou Du… I made a complete plan for his future when he was very young. The school he would attend, the major he would study, the career he would pursue, the wife he would marry and the family he would build, etc., were all arranged for him. This time, his arrival in Qingshui was truly an accident.”

"He and you are ultimately from different worlds, and I hope to minimize the damage caused by some unexpected events. This is for your own good and for Zhou Du's good as well. My words may be blunt and not very pleasant to hear, but you are a smart girl, and I believe you will understand. He will return to his normal path in the future, and I also thank you for taking care of Zhou Du recently. So, girl, I hope you can think about this carefully and give him some advice."

Xia Chan's fingers clenched tighter and tighter under the table, but her face remained expressionless. After a long while, she finally smiled, looked up at him, and said, "Mr. Shen, I still stand by what I said earlier."

Whether Chenzhoudu wants to go back or contact us is his own business, and no one can persuade him otherwise. If you have such a wish for him, you should try to persuade him, not come to me. I'm sorry, I can't help you.

After being rejected twice, Shen Jinghai was a little embarrassed, and his gaze towards her turned slightly cold.

"Girl, I think I've made myself very clear and the terms are very generous. Or do you really think that just because Zhou Du likes you now, and you've taken him over, anything will change? Will you leapfrog into a higher social class, or..."

“Mr. Shen.” Xia Chan interrupted him calmly, her gaze unusually serene. “I finally understand why Shen Zhoudu reacts and expresses such emotions whenever he mentions you.”

"What?" Shen Jinghai frowned slightly, as if he didn't understand.

Do you know what he likes?

Shen Jinghai's gaze held a hint of sarcasm. "You're not trying to say he likes you, are you?"

She smiled faintly as if she had heard a joke, shook her head, looked out the window, and let out a soft sigh.

On the street outside the window, a parent was leading a four- or five-year-old boy forward. The boy had a huge drawing board on his back and seemed to not want to go to class. Suddenly, he sat down on the ground, covered his eyes, and started crying loudly.

The parent scolded him lightly a couple of times, but seeing that it was useless, simply let go of his hand and left.

Upon seeing this, the boy hurriedly picked up his drawing board, crying and stumbling as he chased after him.

Xia Chan's gaze followed them into the distance, and her tone suddenly became somewhat melancholy. "I used to think that Chen Zhoudu was very outstanding and perfect. It seemed like he knew everything and could learn quickly even if he didn't know something. He seemed like an unreal, mannequin."

"But now, I only feel sorry for him..."

"Pitiful?" Shen Jinghai frowned deeply. "You are all sick, some have dropped out of school, and your family is full of orphans and even burdened with debt. You actually think Zhou Du is pitiful?"

Xia Chan looked him straight in the eye without answering his previous question; her gaze was serious and direct.

"Mr. Shen, I heard that you also graduated from Qingshui, is that right?"

Shen Jinghai's eyebrows twitched slightly, but he didn't speak.

She smiled slightly at him, but there was no hint of sarcasm in her smile. She simply said, "Are you looking down on your past self?"

-

I saw the sunken boat again three days later, at dusk when the setting sun was like blood.

Xia Chan went out to buy groceries for her grandmother that day. When she returned, she saw a figure in the distance at the alley entrance and paused slightly.

Chenzhoudu stood alone at the entrance of the "ferry," seemingly hesitant to go in but not daring to.

It was already spring, but the temperature in the small northern town was still cold. He was only wearing a slightly thin sweatshirt and jacket, his hair was slightly messy from the wind, and he looked a little haggard with faint dark circles under his eyes, as if he had sneaked out.

In a fleeting moment, I glanced to the side and saw her pause before smiling at me.

The boy's smile remained clean and gentle.

Xia Chan smiled back at him, picked up the groceries, and walked over to look up at his face. "You look a bit disheveled."

He awkwardly smoothed his hair and said guiltily, "My phone... my dad smashed it, and the SIM card was cut. My number is from Shanghai, so I can't get a new one in another city, so..."

He was explaining to her that he had disappeared and hadn't contacted them for days.

Xia Chan paused for a moment without reacting, but quickly smiled indifferently, "It's okay! We haven't called you these past two days anyway."

Chen Zhoudu's smile weakened slightly as he gazed at her, his lips pursed.

"Are you going back to Shanghai?" Xia Chan asked with a calm smile.

At this moment, he stopped answering, his slightly pursed lips tightening as he gazed at her with a restrained look of not daring to answer.

Xia Chan understood what he meant when she saw his gaze. She sighed silently to herself and said with a smile, "I have something to give you."

Chen Zhoudu's eyes lit up slightly again, as if there was some kind of expectation.

She first went to the kitchen to put the groceries down, then went back to the room to prepare something, and when she came out again, she placed two duffel bags at his feet.

That was actually his luggage.

Clothes, toiletries, computer, books… She unzipped the duffel bag and counted them in front of him, saying, “Take a look and see if you’re missing anything. If you’re missing anything, I can help you find it, or you can go in and check yourself. Your dad returned the key to us a few days ago, and I’ll refund your deposit directly to you via WeChat. Have a safe trip.”

Chen Zhoudu was truly stunned. He stared incredulously at the luggage on the ground for a while, then looked at her, and his voice suddenly went hoarse.

What do you mean by that?

"It's just the normal check-out process," Xia Chan smiled formally at him. "And have a safe trip."

He stared intently into her eyes, seemingly speechless for a long time. Xia Chan silently met his gaze for a moment, then turned to walk back.

At that moment, Chen Zhoudu grabbed her wrist tightly.

"You know that's not what I meant."

His voice was hoarse, and his eyes held a complex mix of unspoken words, his fingers trembling slightly as he held hers.

"Then what do you mean?" Xia Chan silently pulled her hand away from his and turned to look at him, still only smiling. "If you don't want 'a safe journey'... then there are other options. Safe journey, smooth sailing, and all the best..."

"Xia Chan!" Her deliberately feigned ignorance was really getting on his nerves. For the first time, he called her name urgently, his chest heaving slightly as he looked anxious.

"I just want an answer..."

"What answer?" She still seemed confused. "Mathematics? Physics? Chemistry?..."

Chen Zhoudu took a deep breath and suddenly felt a sense of powerlessness, like punching cotton.

She looked into his anxious yet sorrowful eyes and fell silent. After a moment, she sighed softly and said to him, "The sunken boat crosses."

“From the moment you came here, I told you that we are not from the same world.”

Chen Zhoudu's gaze flickered slightly.

“It’s like when you make a mistake, your family can send you here, ostensibly to give you some peace and quiet, but actually to let you experience ‘hard life’ and force you to bow your head. But what you call ‘hard life’ is our whole life, and it’s the life we ​​live every single moment. I really can’t empathize with you. Life here is like a hurdle you have to overcome. Now that you’ve overcome it, as your friend, I wish you all the best. But for us, who have always lived here, this is the only way we can send you here.”

"I don't know if you've had a good time here for the past six months, but I, Huang Mao, Siyi, Lala Panghu... we've all had our happy moments. But now, none of us can play with you anymore, so we sincerely wish you all the best in the future and smooth sailing."

Chen Zhoudu's chest trembled, and tears welled in his eyes. He vaguely guessed something and asked, "Did Shen Jinghai say something to you?"

“That’s not important.” Xia Chan smiled calmly at him. “What’s important is that you really should go back.”

After saying that, she turned and walked away without looking back. "I like you!" Chen Zhoudu called out resolutely to her retreating figure.

The water in her eyes grew increasingly intense.

Xia Chan's steps suddenly froze, as if she had been nailed to the spot by something heavy, and she turned her back to him without turning around.

"Xia Chan... I like you." Chen Zhoudu took a deep breath and whispered, his eyes reddening, as he looked at her retreating figure.

"I originally planned to tell you these things after the college entrance exam, but now... Xia Chan, because I like you, I want to go to the same university as you; because I like you, I don't want to spend just these few months with you, I want to be by your side for much longer in the future. But I don't dare to say it, because I've never really understood you. You're too independent, too clear-headed... I'm afraid you'll think I'm offensive, that I'm ridiculous and childish, that I'm like some playboy toying with girls;"

"Even so, I still want to tell you that I like you a lot. You can think I'm being offensive, ridiculous, or childish... I just like you. I really can't shake Shen Jinghai right now... and I'm sorry they bothered you. But before I leave, I really just want one answer. Xia Chan, I'm not joking, and I'm not teasing you. Everything I've said comes from the bottom of my heart. I want to go to university with you, I want to be with you. I know words are inadequate, so I hope you can give me some time to prove it... Xia Chan, I just want this one answer, just this one..."

Xia Chan stood there for a long time without turning around. Chen Zhoudu watched her back, pursed his lips, and suddenly lowered his eyes, a tear falling silently.

After a long while, Xia Chan took a deep breath and gently closed her eyes. When she looked back at him, her expression had returned to its indifferent state, and she said, "Chen Zhoudu, don't be so naive!"

Go back to the house.

That evening, Chenzhoudu stood in front of the "ferry" for a very long time. After the sun had set heavily, Chenzhoudu folded two duffel bags in front of the gate of the courtyard, took out two thick coats, put them on, and sat on the duffel bags to wait silently.

Xia Chan saw it, but ignored it, continuing to wash vegetables, cook, and do her own thing.

When Grandma came back from playing cards after dark, humming a little tune, she saw him sitting at the door and was startled. She quickly pulled him up, covered his frozen hands with her hands, and urged him to go back inside.

"Oh, it's Xiaodu! What are you doing here! Come on in, look how frozen you are! Why are you sitting at the door in the middle of winter..."

"Grandma, I won't go in." Shen Zhoudu coughed lightly, her voice hoarse and her lips a little chapped, but her eyes were still gentle and clear as she smiled at her. "You should go back now, it's too cold outside."

"What's going on?!"

He pursed his lips and remained silent, gazing at Xia Chan, who was busily working at a window in the courtyard.

Grandma seemed to understand something at first glance and immediately went back to the house to inquire. Siyi and Huangmao were also surprised when they heard about it and hurriedly went to call Chenzhou to come in. Xia Chan simply ordered the group, "No one is allowed to interfere with him."

Huang Mao and Si Yi were slightly taken aback. Xia Chan said without looking up, "He's willing to freeze there. If he freezes to death, that's his fate. Nobody is allowed to interfere."

When she was serious, she was always firm and authoritative, and the others, though puzzled, dared not offer any further advice. They could only secretly take a lot of down jackets, quilts, heating pads, and hand warmers from inside the house and give them to him.

Huang Mao even brought out a small heater from inside the house to warm him up, and put it in the yard where they usually put a night light.

The warm light shining at the gate of the courtyard truly resembled a patch of sunlight.

When the moon rose into the courtyard that evening, Aunt Chao's family discovered the sunken ferry outside.

Aunt Chao felt sorry for him and tried to persuade him to come to her house several times, but Shen Zhoudu politely declined each time.

Helpless, Aunt Chao had Lala and Fatty Tiger bring him lots of snacks and warm clothes. Aunt Chao also filled a pot with ginger water for him, and Uncle Chao temporarily set up a small shed to barely block the wind coming from the alley entrance.

Around 8 p.m., Xia Chan finished her work and returned to her room. She peeked out through a small gap in the curtains and saw that he was still there.

He paused slightly.

Siyi remained puzzled and even anxiously asked, "Sister, what happened? Brother Zhoudu has been out outside all this time, I hope he doesn't catch a cold. He's from the South and can't handle the cold..."

Xia Chan watched him from afar as he huddled in the small shed, wrapped up like a rice dumpling, trying to keep warm. She pursed her lips and, after a long while, said without revealing her emotions, "These days, Chenzhoudu is going back to Shanghai."

Siyi and Huangmao were both taken aback.

"Be prepared, he might leave at any time, and you may never see him again."

"..." Even though she knew this day would come sooner or later, it still made her feel sad when it arrived. Siyi bit her lip, tears welling up in her eyes, and suddenly ran downstairs to talk to him.

"Brother Zhoudu, are you leaving?"

Downstairs, Siyi, with tears welling in her eyes, asked him a question.

She was shivering from the cold because she hadn't had time to put on thick clothes, and her lips trembled as she spoke. Seeing this, Chen Zhoudu sighed and draped a down jacket over her shoulders, his voice gentle, "But I have to go back to take the college entrance exam. My household registration is in Shanghai."

"So you're not coming back?" Siyi looked up at him, her eyes blurry with tears.

"I will come back."

"But Sister Xiaochan said... we might never see each other again."

Chen Zhoudu paused for a moment and involuntarily looked towards a room in the courtyard. The room was dark and the curtains were tightly closed, forever as distant and aloof as she was. His tone softened instantly.

"I will come back."

Huang Mao was slightly surprised and reluctant to see Shen Zhoudu leave. Although he was reluctant to admit it, he eventually patted Shen Zhoudu's shoulder with slightly reddened eyes, wanting to say something but unable to.

Lala and Panghu came over after hearing the news, bringing him some homemade gifts and snacks, and jokingly reminding him not to forget them.

When the cold wind picked up at night, Chenzhoudu urged them to hurry back, as it was time for them to rest.

When he was alone again, Chen Zhoudu looked at the room once more.

Nothing changed there; the pale blue curtains remained silent.

Xia Chan didn't sleep a wink all night.

Lying in bed at night, Xia Chan wanted to clear her mind and get a good night's sleep, but she kept opening her eyes for a long time.

A sigh dissipated into the night.

She got up and went to the window, opening a small crack in it.

I saw that he was still there at the gate of the courtyard.

They were huddled together, shivering, and reaching out to warm themselves in front of the small heater.

Xia Chan stood there silently watching almost the entire night.

Chenzhoudu waited quietly in a small tent outside the courtyard gate, warming himself up.

At one o'clock in the morning, he seemed to feel too cold, so he got up and walked around and jumped around.

At two o'clock, he drank two sips of ginger water;

Three o'clock...

The stillness of the winter night seemed to make one hear their own heartbeat clearly. The rhythm of her heartbeat pressed against a wooden pendant hidden very discreetly beneath her clothes. She gently pressed her palm against her chest, feeling the outline and warmth of the pendant.

When the starlight on the horizon had dimmed, Xia Chan finally came downstairs, put on a down jacket, and slowly walked towards him step by step.

Chen Zhoudu, who had been awake all night and was originally exhausted, vaguely heard footsteps and suddenly turned around.

He was momentarily stunned when their eyes met.

She stood silently behind him, facing him quietly. After a long while, she smiled gently at him and said, "Walk with me for a while."

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Author's Note: Tomorrow there will be the final chapter of the campus arc~ Thank you for your support! [Sprinkling flowers]