Chapter 38

Jiang Li was left speechless.

This situation is rare and Guan Nan has never seen it before.

Right now, I find it especially fun.

The two stopped at Hecangyuan. She couldn't argue with Jiang Li, so she had him accompany her inside.

Guan Nan was particularly relaxed tonight: "Aren't you going to buy pig's trotters?"

After listening, Jiang Li stopped under a grumpy street lamp, leaned over and pinched her cheek, saying slowly, "You're getting worse and worse."

“…No.” Guan Nan forced herself to remain calm and moved his hand away from her cheek.

She spoke without much confidence, which made Jiang Li's smile deepen. He straightened up and said meaningfully, "I didn't realize that."

The intimate physical gestures, coupled with the seemingly knowing words, made her blush uncomfortably.

Guan Nan pretended to be very calm and urged him to go: "Go buy some barbecue."

"Don't send me away," Jiang Li said lazily yet somewhat seriously. "Are you full?"

"Yes." Guan Nan nodded naturally.

Jiang Li's lips curled into a smile as he lazily asked, "Feeling better now?"

“Much better—” As if she had just heard him clearly, Guan Nan looked a little surprised and incredulous: “Did you hear what I said? Weren’t you wearing headphones?”

“I was wearing headphones, but I didn’t say I was going to listen to music.”

"Jiang Li, you've tricked me!"

"Just kidding," Jiang Li said casually, handing her the Coke he had brought out. "I didn't hear anything. Take it back and apply it for a while longer."

Guan Nan pursed her lips, recalling the slap mark on her face, and took the white glass with the ice still frozen and dripping.

KFC didn't have Sprite, so he didn't drink a drop of the Coke he ordered.

There was a long silence.

We walked until we were still a short distance from the grocery store.

“Jiang Li,” Guan Nan clenched her fists and whispered, “thank you for tonight.”

The two stopped, and Jiang Li didn't say anything more. He simply waved to her, signaling her to go up.

A few seconds later, Jiang Li watched her walk away, took out his old phone from his pocket, skillfully opened his contacts, and made a call.

Guan Nan happened to walk to the grocery store and stood in front of the banyan tree, glancing at the number.

When she answered the phone, she heard the other person call out her name: "Guan Nan".

"Hmm." Guan Nan glanced at the grocery store that was still lit up, stepped onto the water-resistant steps, and spoke softly.

The next second, Jiang Li's nonchalant voice pierced through the receiver and struck his eardrums.

He said, "Let's study together in the evening."

"......"

Startled for a moment, Guan Nan turned around and saw the blurry figure standing there in the light of the streetlamp shining through the leaves onto him.

For some reason, the thought of him disappearing after she turned around made her feel a little sad and reluctant to let go.

“Anyway,” Jiang Li’s voice seemed a little strained, but his tone was calm, “we were going the same way anyway.”

"......"

"How about it?"

"....."

After a two-second pause, Jiang Li said slowly, "Give me an answer, is it okay or not? What's the point of keeping me hanging like this?"

“I,” Guan Nan pursed her lips, hesitatingly saying, “I’ll think about it.”

"Then let me know when you've thought it through."

Guan Nan stood at the door for a long time, so long that Qi Yang finished writing a test paper and looked up to find that she had been staring at the direction of the intersection.

Not knowing what she was looking at, Qi Yang walked over curiously and looked in the direction she was staring.

"What's wrong?" Qi Yang, who hadn't seen anything, waved his hand in front of her eyes.

Guan Nan snapped out of her daze and shook her head: "It's nothing."

The light was too dim, and Qi Yang didn't notice the lingering handprint on her face. He asked in bewilderment, "Why are you back today?"

“Brother Qiyang,” Guan Nan said, bowing his head and lightly brushing the fallen leaves with the tip of his shoe, “I’m back.”

In an instant, Qi Yang seemed to keenly sense something. He stared at Guan Nan for a while, but did not ask any questions. He said gently, "Okay, if you need anything in the future, come and find us anytime."

"Okay." Guan Nan nodded.

"Hurry up and go upstairs, it's too late, you have class tomorrow." Only after watching her go upstairs did Qi Yang retreat to the entrance of the grocery store, frowning and staring at the intersection for a long time, seemingly lost in thought.

That night seemed especially long.

Guan Nan opened the cabinet, stuffed the bottle of strawberry milk inside, and placed it next to the Sprite can.

After placing it down, she took a few steps back, looked up at the trophy on it, and blinked slowly, as if lost in a memory.

Holding the Coke in her arm, as the ice melted, the fine droplets clinging to the glass rolled down her arm.

The pain in my cheek, the sweetness of the memories, all mingled with the ringing in my ears.

This caused her to struggle with her past.

After taking a shower and calming down, she did another test paper. By the time she lay down in bed, it was already 1:07 AM.

Guan Nan lay on her back, and as soon as she closed her eyes, all she could hear were scenes from the night.

After finally managing to pull herself out of her emotions, the person occupying her mind became Jiang Li's carefree, nonchalant, and unrestrained face, along with the words he had said, which kept replaying in her mind.

Teach her, tease her, and keep her company.

In my dream, that person was both near and far, sometimes on the left and sometimes on the right.

His voice was hoarse, casual, and low, with a hint of laughter, a touch of mischief in his carefree manner. He called her name again and again, in an ambiguous and tender tone.

She opened her eyes wide, trying to make out the person, but the face remained blurry.

Finally, as the man waved goodbye to her.

She instinctively reached out, only to find her hands and heart empty; she hadn't grasped anything.

At that moment, Guan Nan suddenly woke up.

It was a long, long time before Guan Nan belatedly realized what was happening: her flushed face, her erratic heartbeat, and those inexplicable bouts of suffocation.

It turned out that it was the heartbeat she had throughout her entire teenage years.

Upon waking up, Guan Nan subconsciously touched the red string on her wrist and the coin that was burning hot from her body heat.

She raised her hand, held it up, examined it carefully, and then clenched it tightly in her palm.

Guan Nan wiped the sweat from her forehead, stood up and took a closer look. It turned out that when she tested the air conditioner last night, she had left the heating on and forgotten to turn it off.

He was covered in thick quilts on the bed, no wonder he was sweating profusely.

Once you wake up, it's hard to fall back asleep.

Guan Nan turned off the air conditioner, opened the window, and saw the long-unseen banyan tree and the clothes drying on the rack. The tension completely disappeared. She then checked the time: 4:58.

If you have trouble falling asleep, then don't sleep.

She turned on the light, flipped through the book, memorized English words, and recited classical Chinese texts.

At breakfast, Guan Nan received a message from Jiang Li.

Jiang: [On the way?]

Just as I was about to reply to his message, someone knocked on the door twice. The movements were very light and practiced, and the footsteps did not leave.

Guan Nan deleted it, retyped it, and then went to open the door.

"I'll be right there." Guan Nan opened the door, and sure enough, standing there was Qi Yang, eating a steamed bun and holding a physics problem set.

Qi Yang nodded: "I'll wait for you downstairs."

Guan Nan closed the door again, walked to the table sign, and looked at the chat history that was lit up on the screen. The top part was the content she had sent, and the bottom part was Jiang Li's reply.

Guan Nan: [You go first.]

jiang: [Just started?]

After reading the message, Guan Nan honestly replied: 【No, I'm with Qi Yang.】

After sending it, she took the bowl into the kitchen.

When I came out again, I saw that Jiang Li had replied to my message, but this time it was a question mark.

Guan Nan smiled and replied: "The egg tarts were delicious, thank you."

After sending the message, Guan Nan exited the QQ browser interface, picked up her schoolbag, turned off the gate, locked the door, and went downstairs.

Hecangyuan is not too far from Fuzhong.

They left the residential compound, and there were bus stops right outside the gate, while the subway was at another gate, making it very convenient to get around.

"How did you do on the academic exam?" Qi Yang asked as they waited for the bus together.

Guan Nan held a comic book in her hand: "670."

"Your score dropped? You need to keep a good mindset and maintain your grades." Qi Yang, who chose science, seemed a little dissatisfied with her score this time. "Remember to stay focused, maintain your form, and keep a stable mindset. As long as you score above 680, you can choose any university in the country."

“Yes,” Guan Nan replied, “I will be careful.”

Seeing her awkwardness, Qi Yang didn't continue the topic and asked again, "Haven't decided where to apply yet?"

Guan Nan hesitated, "No."

"Still insist on studying medicine?"

"It's something I need to learn."

“Actually,” Qi Yang paused, and said the sentence while her expression remained unchanged, “Aunt Ran may not necessarily want you to do this for her. She may also want you to choose what you like.”

The air seemed to freeze for a few seconds.

Guan Nan twitched her lips and said in a very indifferent tone, "Don't worry about these things, I don't like anyone."

These words are just like those from when Ran Mingju was a child. Not long after she fell ill, the bright and sunny little girl became silent and reserved, and her words, which were deafening, still seem to echo in my ears.

The little girl sat on a stone stool and spoke timidly to the elder who was squatting down to talk to her.

"Don't worry about me."

"I'm not important."

"It's alright," Qi Yang said gently, without rubbing salt into her wounds. "Take your time, you'll find it."

Guan Nan smiled and didn't say anything more.

......

At the Hecangyuan bus stop, a boy and a girl wearing Fuzhong school uniforms, one of them holding a book.

The car stopped, and the two got in one after the other.

It was rush hour, and the driver urged them to squeeze in. Guan Nan struggled to squeeze through the back door and grabbed the barrier. When she finally looked up and exhaled, she saw him sitting in the back seat, in front of the gearshift.

The boy wore a school uniform over a coat, the zipper at the collar open, and his red schoolbag rested against his bent legs.

The headphones became an ornament, with two long cords wrapped around the neck, and a black rope was faintly hidden at the collarbone.

His clothes were already thin, and at first glance, the layered necklace made him look both lazy and sophisticated.

The next second, the boy who was looking out the window turned his head away.

Their eyes met.

“I saw the video of your sprint at the last school sports meet,” Qi Yang stopped next to her, followed her gaze, and looked over. He was a little surprised but didn’t show it too obviously. He pretended to talk to Guan Nan, “You did very well.”

Qi Yang recognized him; he was the boy Guan Nan had taken to Hecangyuan last time, and also the boy he had met with Guan Nan at the school gate last time.

This was the first time Guan Nan had gotten close to a boy, and even more unprecedentedly, she brought someone back to Cangyuan.

Considering the "female classmate" she mentioned having dinner with that day, he couldn't help but frown, and glanced at that person again, wondering if it might be the person in front of him.

Upon hearing this, Guan Nan lowered her eyes, failing to notice Qi Yang's unusual behavior.

She knew he followed the school's official WeChat account, and she had heard him mention those campus promotional materials a few times before, so she wasn't surprised to hear him bring it up again: "I got a place by luck."

"It can't be considered luck; with such a large gap between them and the second-place finisher, their strength is definitely not an issue."

"..." Guan Nan wasn't good at responding to such compliments and praise.

Qi Yang keenly noticed that the person was still looking in their direction. He frowned slightly and moved closer to Guan Nan, trying to shield her, but the carriage was too crowded, and it was difficult to change positions in the remaining space.

A few seconds later, he picked up the top strap of the backpack in a somewhat intimate manner: "The backpack is a bit heavy, let me carry it for you."

This posture was somewhat unusual, so Guan Nan subtly stepped back to create some distance, frowning slightly. "It's alright, it's not very heavy, thank you."

"You don't need to be so polite with me," Qi Yang said, still not letting go.

Guan Nan forced a smile and said, "Really, it's not necessary. Thank you, Brother Qi Yang."

His inexplicable and unusual attitude and behavior made Guan Nan very uncomfortable, and those standing next to him felt even more uneasy.

Guan Nan felt a little embarrassed and glanced at Jiang Li.

He leaned back, sitting casually, with a playful smile on his face.

Seeing her look over, he raised an eyebrow in a particularly lazy manner.

His expression was as if he had just watched a great show and was still not satisfied.

Guan Nan remained silent: "..."

The car was parked in Fuzhong.

Students on duty and teachers stood at the school gate.

Amidst the surging crowd, Guan Nan got off the bus, putting her school badge around her neck. After passing through the school gate checkpoint, she followed the flow of people into the campus. Passing through the downhill section of the school gate, the senior high school buildings were not in the same direction.

After entering the room, the two separated. Guan Nan walked towards Mingde Building alone, seemingly unaware of the person behind her who was walking in sync but a step behind.

They walked slowly, one in front of the other, until they reached the stepping stone bridge.

"Hey deskmate, have you finished writing your English newspaper?" Jiang Li asked Guan Nan casually.

Guan Nan nodded, "I wrote it."

"Oh," Jiang Li said lazily, hooking his dangling earphones with one hand, "I can borrow them to copy later."

"..." He's become addicted to copying homework. Guan Nan glanced at him and asked curiously, "Don't you do your homework every day?"

Jiang Li said, "Isn't that what you're here for?"

"?" Guan Nan looked puzzled. "You won't do your homework just because I'm around?"

“Yes.” Jiang replied confidently.

Guan Nan gripped the strap of his backpack, hesitated for a moment, and then reminded him, "The seating arrangement will be rearranged next semester."

"Oh." Jiang Li didn't seem to care much.

Guan Nan bit her lip, looked around, and asked hesitantly, "Why didn't you ride your bike today?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Li snorted and glanced at him as if pointing the finger at the culprit, saying, "Don't you know why I didn't ride my bike?"

After crossing the Progress Bridge, do not go directly in front of the student apartments, but instead head towards Huangjue Road.

This winter is especially cold; it's so cold that you have to breathe out your breath to talk.

Guan Nan noticed he was wearing so little clothing and even wondered if he wasn't cold, or if he was so strong that he hadn't even buttoned up his coat. Perhaps he had taken off his coat and was wearing his school uniform when he entered the school gate, and then put it back on.

After all, future great artists have always been very concerned about their image.

As they walked into Huangjue Road, Guan Nan hunched her shoulders and said slowly, "We used to go to school together."

This statement explains why she didn't go with him but instead went with Qi Yang.

Jiang Li simply replied, "Oh."

At this moment, Guan Nan could clearly sense that he was not in a particularly good mood. In addition, based on her years of experience in observing people's expressions, she was certain that Jiang Li was not in a good mood.

Guan Nan tucked a knot behind her ear and awkwardly changed the subject: "Why are you up so early?"

"Then I'll be late tomorrow," Jiang Li said.

Guan Nan felt a little embarrassed: "...That's not what I meant. I just didn't expect you to be so quick."

Jiang Li: "......"

What kind of crazy things are you saying?

Seeing that Jiang Li ignored her, Guan Nan noticed his expression, pursed her lips, and asked hesitantly, "Did I say something wrong?"

"No," Jiang Li said, stepping up the stairs.

Guan Nan thought to herself that she must have said something wrong to upset him, and then she went into Mingde Building with him.

During morning self-study, Guan Nan was still reflecting on what she had said wrong.

Even after school, she still couldn't figure out what the problem was. For the next few days, Jiang Li sent her messages every single day without fail.

When they met on the bus and sat at the same table, he reverted to his usual calm, nonchalant, and aloof demeanor, exuding a sense of distance and arrogance.

In general, he had an attitude of "I am not a commoner, nor am I interested in wasting my breath on you ordinary people."

But he has the ability to back it up, so people can't get angry at him.

For several days in a row, Guan Nan's depressed mood finally turned into a lighter one, and she even started to smile more often.

"Guan Nan, come to my office after class." The class monitor was holding a book and seemed to be in a hurry to go to another class. He stopped at the door and knocked, his expression somewhat serious.

Guan Nan was puzzled, but Banban didn't linger and left in a hurry after finishing her sentence.

—Knock knock

On the platform, the English teacher held up a book and knocked on the two metal panels twice, the noise from which was so loud it hurt my ears.

Immediately, everyone looked up at the blackboard.

"Do you want me to confiscate your phones?" The English teacher asked sternly, her gaze sweeping around the classroom before finally settling on Jiang Li.

Jiang Li was oblivious, thinking he was perfectly hidden under the book and no one could see him.

This is too arrogant! Guan Nan's eyelids twitched, and she lowered her head to gently tug at his sleeve, reminding him, "Teacher."

Jiang Li: "Oh."

"?!"

Oh, you still won't stop!

On stage, the gazes were sharp as arrows, and Guan Nan was sweating bullets for him, but he acted as if nothing had happened.

The English teacher opened the textbook, telling the students to turn to the previous page while saying, "I'm not your homeroom teacher, don't make me confiscate your phones, no one can get them back if I do."

As soon as she finished speaking, Jiang Li finished typing and casually clicked send, then put the document into his desk drawer.

He sat up straight with composure and naturalness, behaving like a good student.

The speed was simply outrageous.

Guan Nan: "......"

There was a moment of silence.

She held a pen in her hand, taking notes in her English book as she looked up and down.

Then Jiang Li said, "Have you thought it through?"

“…Don’t speak,” Guan Nan didn’t answer him directly, her lips moved slightly, and she spoke very softly: “The teacher will be unhappy later.”

"oh."

"......"

A while later, he came back and asked the same question.

"It's been a few days already, you can't keep dangling the bait like this." Jiang Li leaned back, speaking in a casual tone, but his face was turned towards the blackboard as if he were listening attentively.

It's "fishing me in" again...

These seemingly ambiguous words suddenly evoked the delicate and subtle memories of that night when the two walked straight along the clock tower into Renmin Branch Road towards Building 26 of Hecangyuan, sometimes near, sometimes far, sometimes in front, sometimes behind, sometimes side by side, stepping on each other's reflections.

For a moment, Guan Nan took a breath and didn't dare to look at him again.

After a few seconds of pause, she muttered softly, "I haven't told you yet."

"Oh," Jiang Li asked without hesitation, "when will you let me know?"

Guan Nan replied dryly, "I don't know."

“It’s so popular,” Jiang Li said slowly, looking at the blackboard and twirling his pen in his hand, “Do we need to pick an auspicious day?”

Guan Nan fell silent.

"Today is the 19th," Jiang Li reminded her seemingly unintentionally.

"......"

Two question marks popped up above Guan Nan's head. And then what?

After waiting a while, seeing that he still didn't seem inclined to speak, Guan Nan tentatively asked, "Is the monthly exam coming up next month?"

"......"

Upon hearing this, the two men displayed different expressions, which made Yu Shuzhi behind them burst into laughter.

As if he hadn't heard such a hilarious conversation in a long time, Yu Shu lay on his desk, pressed his face against his forearm, and laughed so hard he could barely contain himself: "What the hell is this monthly exam? I bet you're the only one in the whole class who cares about this."

Yu Shu's deskmate couldn't stand it anymore and nudged Guan Nan, who tilted her head back a little.

Then I heard her say, "Christmas is just a few days away."

Upon hearing this, Guan Nan frowned slightly and immediately fell into thought.

Christmas Eve is the night before Christmas.

After calculating the days, she realized she should go to the market to buy apples in bulk and also purchase pre-packaged gift boxes. Her mind raced through several markets, trying to find a time to compare prices, and she completely forgot about "evening self-study."

"Where are you going on Christmas Eve?" Yu Shu's deskmate nudged him and whispered under the English teacher's nose.

Yu Shu first asked Jiang Li if he had any other plans. After hearing that he didn't know, she turned to her deskmate and said, "In the past, we would have a meal at MixC, play around a bit, and then everyone would go home and find their own mothers."

My deskmate was speechless. It seemed like this routine worked no matter where he applied it. I had just heard him trying to fool someone else.

"What, you want to come along?" Yu Shu said. "Ye Na, you don't also have a crush on Jiang Li, do you?"

Yena replied expressionlessly, "Secretly in love with you, my foot!"

"Class monitor," Yena whispered, "where are you going on Christmas Eve?"

"I..." Guan Nan hesitated, not telling the truth, and said vaguely, "I had something to do that day."

“Okay.” Yena’s tone sounded a little disappointed.

During break, the students were discussing whether to go to Happy Valley or the Ancient City on Christmas Eve, and they were torn about which one had a better atmosphere.

As the class monitor was going downstairs to return to her office, she knocked on the door of Class 1's classroom.

Seeing Banban's serious expression, Jiang Li suppressed his playfulness and tugged at Guan Nan as she stood up, saying, "Do you know what Banban wants from you?"

"I have a general idea," Guan Nan forced a smile at him.

After saying that, he swiftly left the classroom, his back view resolute and determined.

They were able to reach out to her uncle, who lived thousands of miles away, and then they found her school teacher to make up stories for her. Guan Nan was not surprised at all by this moment.

After that slap, they severed all ties.

As for her, she had already made her own decision.

No one should presume to interfere.