Lotus Pond

Lin Luo explained the situation to the director, who let her go back to the classroom. Lin Luo didn't know whether he believed her or not, nor did she know what had happened to Fu Xingchuan and Zhu Sui'an. Anyway, she felt helpless.

Xu Qinghong's injuries were not serious. Lin Qi guessed that Fu Xingchuan must have been persuaded by her before he could take any ruthless action.

He has always been emotionally stable, and only loses control when it comes to Zhu Sui'an. Lin Luo's eyes suddenly hurt.

Back in class, morning reading had just ended when Xu Yangyang couldn't wait to ask, "I heard Fu Xingchuan and Xu Qinghong got into a fight. You went to stop them. Were you hurt?"

"without."

Zhu Changyu came in from the back door. He was late again. When he heard Xu Yangyang's words, he thought he was still asleep and hallucinating. "Who is fighting with whom?"

"Fu Xingchuan and Xu Qinghong." Xu Yangyang told him.

"Oh my god, they're pretty close! Xu Qinghong always idolizes Fu Xingchuan. We even played games together before. How did they start fighting?"

Lin Luo's eyes hurt so much he couldn't open them, so he closed them to rest. Xu Yangyang replied, "I heard it was because of Zhu Sui'an. They really are a perfect match, aren't they?"

"As far as I know, no," Zhu Changyu said. Seeing Lin Qi open her eyes and look at him, he realized that girls all love gossip. He added, "It's just a childhood sweetheart relationship, probably like us."

"What do you mean, we are different?"

Xu Yangyang reasoned, "In my opinion, Fu Xingchuan likes Zhu Sui'an, and Zhu Sui'an likes Xu Qinghong, but Xu Qinghong doesn't like her, and Fu Xingchuan fought for her. Maybe she would give in and be with Fu Xingchuan!"

There was a noise behind him; Ruan Ye's book fell. He didn't pick it up and just walked out of the classroom. Lin Qi stopped struggling, closed her eyes, and leaned against the table.

Fu Xingchuan and Zhu Sui'an didn't come back until the break, so Lin Luo and Xu Yangyang went for morning exercises together.

Lin Luo stood in the innermost circle of the playground and did not join the square formation.

"1, 2, 3, 4--" The bell rang and everyone started running. Lin Luo soon couldn't keep up. The formations of other classes passed by her, and some people looked at her strangely.

She had difficulty breathing, her face was flushed, and her hands and feet were not placed properly, but she did not feel embarrassed.

As she ran, she suddenly remembered a sentence Xia Hong said in her English class: Treat the suspicious eyes of others as will-o'-the-wisp lights, and walk your own night road boldly.

She wasn't empty-headed anymore. Lin Luo noticed this and smiled, choking on the air she took a few times. It was very uncomfortable, but she didn't stop.

Everyone had finished running out of the playground, but she still insisted on running three laps.

When she returned to class, she passed by the office on the first floor and saw Fu Xingchuan inside. Zhu Sui'an and Xu Qinghong were also there. There was another person she didn't know, but judging from her temperament, Lin Qi guessed that she was Fu Xingchuan's grandmother.

Time cannot defeat beauty. She is still elegant despite her white hair.

Lin Luo felt that with her around, nothing would happen to Fu Xingchuan, and she felt a lot more at ease.

Her face was covered in sweat, so she went to the sink to wash it. The cool water splashed on her face, and the breeze blew away all her fatigue and stress, which was quite refreshing.

Lin Li felt much better, and the world in her eyes became full of vitality.

Opposite the pool is a lotus pond with lotus leaves sparsely spread on the water surface. Water droplets fall on the lotus leaves, as delicate and transparent as pearls. The lotus flowers in the pond have not yet bloomed in late spring, so it is not the best time to appreciate them.

There was a small pavilion on the middle bridge. Ruan Ye was sitting inside. Lin Luo walked over and asked politely, "Can I stay here? Will it bother you?"

"No." He was unusually gentle, and Lin Luo found it strange.

"Can I talk to you then?"

"Whatever." It means it's okay.

"Are you unhappy? Why?" Lin Luo sat next to him, looking at the pond with round eyes.

He remained silent and didn't want to talk, so Lin Luo stopped asking.

"I'm very happy now. Do you want to know why?" Lin Qiao continued without waiting for his answer, "Because I managed to run three laps for the first time."

"It may seem simple to you, but it means a lot to me. I have grown," she said and laughed.

A koi fish jumped out of the pond. Lin Luo was a little excited. "Wow! Did you see that? I'm so lucky! There are fish in this pond. Is that red one a koi fish? This is the first time I've seen one."

She forgot that it was Ruan Ye standing next to her and calmed down, "I'm sorry."

"Class is about to start, let's go!" Ruan Ye said expressionlessly.

The koi swam into the water and Lin Luo could no longer see it. She silently made a wish, hoping that everything would be well for him.

Walking back to Shouxin Building, the Dean of Studies happened to be leaving his office. The sight of a man and a woman walking so close to each other made him look peculiar. "Where did you two go after running?"

Ruan Ye didn't say anything, so Lin Luo answered honestly, "I went to wash my face."

"Why are you here again?" the Dean looked at Lin Luo, wondering, "You didn't go to the Lotus Pavilion, did you?"

Lin Luo was about to reply, "Yes, I went, and was lucky enough to see some koi fish," when she heard Ruan Ye lie, "No."

"Pay attention! Go back!"

Lin Luo wanted to ask Ruan Ye why he lied to the director, but the next class was math, and Cheng Kaizhong was behind them with a book in his hand. Lin Luo didn't care about anything else and hurried back to the classroom.

Fu Xingchuan was already in his seat. He was sleeping on the table with his head facing the window, so Lin Luo couldn't see him.

Although she was curious about what kind of punishment Fu Xingchuan received, she didn't ask in the end. She had already made up her mind to listen to the class carefully, so she threw away all the messy thoughts.

Cheng Kaizhong came in. Lin Xiao stared blankly at the blackboard. Tong Yun had said that we should only care about the eggs the chickens lay. Why bother about the hens that lay the eggs? She had listened.

Halfway through the class, Fu Xingchuan handed her a note, but she was so focused on listening that she didn't bother to read it.

It wasn't until the end of the two consecutive math classes that she opened the note, which read: "Xu Qinghong went to the hospital. I didn't hit him hard, so his injuries were not serious."

【Wishing you a happy new year is fine.】

Thank you for stopping me just now.

[I've made it clear to the director. This matter won't affect you.]

There is a line in "The Little Prince": "We are not afraid of shedding tears, but we must make them worthwhile." This is for you.

Fu Xingchuan and Zhu Changyu were out and not at their desks. Lin Luo read the note over and over again. She felt that their current relationship, neither too close nor too distant, was fine.

It was not until after school in the afternoon that Lin Luo had the opportunity to learn from Xu Yangyang how the director handled the incident of Fu Xingchuan beating someone. Of course, Xu Yangyang also learned about it from Zhu Changyu.

Tong Yun's grandmother is in better health now. Lin Luo and Xu Yangyang visited her a few weeks ago. She always remembered it and made some delicious food for Tong Yun to bring to school and share with them.

They came to the lawn of the playground.

"Tong Yun, your grandma's cooking skills are really good!" Xu Yangyang chewed with a very satisfied look.

Lin Luo looked at her eagerly, and she finally spoke, "They said they paid some money first, for medical expenses and mental damages. Xu Qinghong's parents don't care about him, which is quite pitiful... But there must be something hateful about this pitiful person. It was wrong for him to treat Zhu Sui'an like that."

"And then?" Lin asked.

"Then the director forced, no, he forced Fu Xingchuan to participate in the physics competition to win glory for the school and make amends for his mistakes. That's why he was exempted from punishment."

In the past few years, No. 1 Middle School has always lost to No. 7 Middle School in the physics competition. Ruan Ye was in poor condition and refused to participate in the mathematics competition. Without someone to take the lead, the director could not find a suitable candidate. He was anxious and helpless.

It happened that Fu Xingchuan came over and had caused trouble, so he had evidence in his hand. Of course, he would not let it go.

Lin Luo breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing that Lin Qi didn't eat much, Tong Yun pushed the lunch box in front of her and said casually, "It's Fu Xingchuan again. He really is a big shot."

"Of course not. This guy's looks are way too bad. I saw a video of him fighting. Even though fighting is wrong, he's still so handsome!"

"Ruan Ye is also handsome. He carried Zhu Sui'an to the infirmary. He was really a manly man! He looked expressionless, but he had a warm heart."

"I'm so happy! Sitting in front of two handsome men." Xu Yangyang said as she ate. "Xiaoxiao, don't you think so?"

"Yeah." Lin Luo replied indifferently.

Xu Yangyang seemed to sense something was wrong and looked at her with a more scrutinizing look. Lin Luo wanted to divert her attention and called out behind her, "Fang Shao!"

Xu Yangyang immediately turned around, but there was no one behind her. She realized that Lin Luo was playing a trick on her. "Lin Luo, you're weird! You tried to stop the fight this morning, and then this afternoon you took the initiative to ask me how I handled it. You don't like..."

"Ruan Ye, right?"

"Why is it Ruan Ye and not Fu Xingchuan?" Tong Yun wondered.

Xu Yangyang's thoughts were strange, and she explained to Tong Yun, "How could our little girl possibly like a guy like Fu Xingchuan? But Ruan Ye hugged Zhu Sui'an this morning, and then she lost her mind."

Lin Luo was frightened by her words and raised her voice, "Don't talk nonsense, I don't like Ruan Ye."

"Really?"

"real!"

Xu Yangyang must have believed it now. Lin Luo picked up a random topic to divert her attention again, "Can't we go to the Lotus Pavilion in our school? Why?"

Tong Yun shook his head, not knowing what was going on. Xu Yangyang, a know-it-all, told them, "You can go. It's usually for couples. Late at night, they go to the small pavilion to cuddle and kiss. It's very relaxing. But it's also very dangerous. That's where Director Wang first went to catch premature lovers."

"oh."

"Did you go?"

"Yeah, I also saw koi fish." Lin Luo said with a smile.

"Last time, Zhu Changyu and I went there during the day and saw a turtle." Xu Yangyang changed the subject, "Who did you go with?"

"Ruan..." Before she could finish her words, Xu Yangyang's smile became obvious, and she changed her words, "I'm alone."

"Xiaoxiao, you feel guilty. You just like him."

"I didn't. I just happened to run into him there."

"Explanation is cover-up, and cover-up is the truth."

"If you say that again, I'll be angry." Lin Luo frowned.

"Okay, okay, I won't say anything about your thin-skinnedness, but you have to work harder to fight for it, otherwise someone else will snatch it away..."

Before she could finish her words, Lin Xiao went up to cover her mouth: "Xu Yangyang!"

"Help! Tong Yun, save me!"

Tong Yun couldn't touch other places, so he tickled her. Lin Luo was ticklish, so she let go of Xu Yangyang.

Xu Yangyang stood up and challenged Lin Luo, "Come and catch me!"

Lin Qi chased her, and she shouted as she ran, "Tong Yun, stop her quickly, she's about to catch up."

The three of them played wildly on the playground for a long time.

*

Fu Xingchuan didn't come to evening self-study, so Lin Luo concentrated on doing her homework.

Sometimes, when she felt tired and looked out the window, she would wonder what Fu Xingchuan was doing now. He had to go to a competition training camp for at least ten days or half a month. Wouldn't that mean she wouldn't see him for a long time? When would he leave? Tomorrow, it seemed? She really wanted to say goodbye to him!

The three evening self-study sessions always passed quickly, and Xu Yangyang went to find Fang Shao again. She heard that their homes were close to each other, and Fang Shao would wait for her to go home together.

Lin Luo walked to the door of Class 9 and saw Zhu Changyu talking to Tong Yun inside. Lin Luo didn't expect that a drummer and rock musician would be so shy.

Lin Xiao thought to herself: Is he stuttering now?

After getting in the car, Lin Luo remembered that she had a fight with Du Yunyan in the morning. She didn't want to go home, but she had nowhere to go, so she kept preparing herself mentally in the car.

After getting off the car, she remembered what Fu Xingchuan had said to her and said to herself, "I can't cry."

"What did you say?"

Lin Luo looked up and saw Fu Xingchuan sitting on a chair at Changlin Station.

"Nothing." She asked as she walked over, "Why are you here?"

"I came out to see the moon."

Lin Luo looked towards the horizon, where was the shadow of the moon?

"Are you afraid to go home?"

also

"Yes! My grandpa is very fierce. If he knows that I have fought again, he will definitely not let me go." He said with his eyes drooping.

Lin Xiao was worried about him and became nervous. "Do you need me to explain it to you?"

"No, he might not listen even if you tell him."

"What should we do then?"

"Sit here for a while, and then I'll sneak back after he falls asleep." Fu Xingchuan said seriously.

"Then I'll sit here for a while!" Lin Luo sat on another chair.

"Why don't you dare go home?" Before Lin Luo could answer, he had already guessed, "Did you have a conflict with your family?"

"Um."

"Your stepfather bullies you? Do you want me to help you beat him up?"

Living in the same alley, if something happened to this family, everyone in the alley would know about it within a few days.

Fu Xingchuan also heard it from his grandfather who loved to walk around the streets and play chess with other old men: Lin Luo is the daughter of Du Yunyan and her ex-husband. She came back to Nan'an because something happened to her father.

"No, it's because of my mother."

He said with a hint of regret: "Forget what your mother said. You know I don't hit women."

Lin Qi curled the corners of her lips and said, "Fu Xingchuan, don't fight anymore."

It is a declarative sentence.

"Why?"

She wanted to say that it was because she would be worried, but considering their relationship, what did her worry matter?

"Girls who write you love letters...girls will worry."

He said calmly, "That's their business. It has nothing to do with me."

In your heart, I am worried about you, but it has nothing to do with you. Lin Luo suddenly felt a little cold and wanted to go home.

"Lin Luo." Tang Heng appeared on the side of the road and called her.

Lin Luo glanced at Fu Xingchuan and stood up, saying to him, "I'm leaving now. You should go back early too! Your grandfather will be worried about you."

Lin Luo didn't know if Du Yunyan was worried about her, but she had managed to live well despite her lack of concern over the years. So don't be afraid, Lin Luo told herself.

"I'm going to Huaicheng tomorrow, so we might not see each other for a while. I left you a message today. Do you have anything for me?" Was Fu Xingchuan saying goodbye to her? Lin Luo stopped.

She turned back to him and said, "Then I wish you good results."

Fu Xingchuan stood up and looked at her. Coincidentally, a bus arrived, blocking the light from the street lamp. Lin Luo couldn't see his expression, but she heard him say, "I will."