Chapter 9 He is the best friend in the world

The people around her moved in one direction, and although it was crowded, they kindly left a small space for them. She was peacefully anchored in a huge vortex.

Jiang Meng was still in a state of surprise and it took her a while to answer, "I'm fine, I just watched a very touching movie."

Chen Jizhou: "Really? What movie?"

"The story of Hachiko, the loyal dog."

"Watched it eight times, cried eight times?"

“Yes, this is the ninth time,” Jiang Meng corrected.

He laughed and then said, "You're not lying to me, are you?"

Jiang Meng shook her head, raised her hand to rub her eyelids, and thought dejectedly, "Is it that obvious?"

Chen Jizhou bent down, supporting himself on his knees, his gaze level with hers.

He looked closely at Jiang Meng's swollen eyes again, his smile fading considerably. This time, he asked seriously, "You're not lying to me, are you, Jiang Meng?"

Jiang Meng chuckled: "Really, no."

Chen Jizhou's hair was very soft, and it bounced around in the wind, much like the male protagonists in the anime she had watched.

But those eyes at the center of the vortex remained steadfast, unwavering in their gaze, awaiting her correct answer.

She said, "Don't you ever have times when you're unhappy?"

Jiang Meng rejoined the crowd and walked forward. "There might not be any reason, but I suddenly felt down and wanted to watch some tear-jerking movies."

Chen Jizhou repeated the question in a low voice, "When do I ever feel unhappy?"

He put his hands in his pockets, lowered his head, and followed her forward, thinking as he slowly took a few steps. "Usually no more than ten minutes—to put it more, five minutes. I'll be done before the opening credits are even finished."

"You have a really good attitude."

Chen Jizhou said, "I wouldn't call it that. I'm just doing my job day by day. I'm too lazy to make things difficult for myself."

Even though Jiang Meng couldn't learn his inherent lazy and relaxed demeanor, she was still infected by it.

Chen Jizhou felt calmer and his pace finally became more leisurely. He walked side by side with Jiang Meng, glancing at her sideways, "Next time you feel down, come to me. I should be a little more useful than those movies."

Jiang Meng had no doubt that he was more useful than the movie; he was like a treasure chest, full of strange and fun things. Most importantly, he was generous, always letting her rummage through his things and always welcoming her.

He is the best friend in the world.

Jiang Meng forced a bright smile: "Yes, you're so nice."

There's a big difference between "You're so nice" and "You have such a good attitude".

When she's vulnerable, she becomes very...soft.

The boy lowered his head, touched the bridge of his nose, and avoided Jiang Meng's grateful gaze once again.

Chen Jizhou noticed the serious scrutiny from the side. He raised his eyes slightly and saw that his homeroom teacher, Lao Wu, and the dean of students were both standing on the platform, staring at him. He walked over there and said, "Since you're alright, I'll go and accept the punishment without worry."

Feeling guilty, Jiang Meng called him back: "By the way, was it my phone call yesterday that kept you awake?"

He walked toward the podium with his back to her. Jiang Meng thought he hadn't heard her, but soon Chen Jizhou turned around. He stood in the pure, unbearable sunlight, looking at the girl's bitter expression. The young man's posture was upright and peaceful.

He said, "Of course not, I'm doing it for myself."

...

10:00 AM, History and Politics Intensive Class.

The Chinese teacher walked in as the bell rang, threw the book on the desk, and said, "Read a classic for half the class period, and we'll do a pop quiz during lunch break today."

Someone asked, "Which university should I apply to?"

The teacher's eyes were sharp as an eagle's as he stared at her: "Which book haven't you read? That's the book you'll be tested on."

"I've already looked at it, can I not do it?"

The teacher raised his chin and said, "Go ahead and climb on the roof and tear off the tiles."

No one spoke.

Chen Jizhou got a leave slip from Lao Wu, then ate something before class and didn't return to the classroom until the preparatory bell rang. He usually used the back door.

The Chinese teacher was standing on the podium when she looked up and saw someone striding in with long legs and a carefree attitude: "You're late and walking at the back. I'm telling you, some of you are used to being pampered at home. Come to school and change your bad behavior. Nobody will tolerate you."

Everyone turned around to look.

Before the teacher could finish his sarcastic remark, Chen Jizhou had already obediently retreated, then calmly walked around to the front and finally knocked on the door respectfully: "I'm sorry, teacher, I'm late."

The teacher coldly said, "Come in."

Chen Jizhou returned to his seat and heard his deskmate Wei Zhiwen mutter softly, "It seems like she's going through menopause."

He sat down and put down his backpack. "Don't say that, it was my rudeness."

Chen Jizhou didn't bring any famous books, so he beckoned to Chen Jizhou.

Wei Zhiwen pushed the book over.

Chen Jizhou glanced at it and found the text familiar. "I've been looking at it for two months. Why is your Lin Daiyu still going on about entering the Jia Mansion? When are you going to turn to the next chapter?"

Wei Zhiwen gritted his teeth.

This person was short in stature and not very clever; he snatched the book from the 38th parallel in one go.

"..."

Seeing that he was in a bad mood, Chen Jizhou took another book from his desk, opened it, and then leaned back lazily against the desk behind him, and said to him, "You read the first volume, and I'll read the second volume."

Wei Zhiwen remained silent, staring at that page for another five minutes. After a while, he glanced at the teacher walking out of the classroom and cautiously poked his head over: "What did you do this morning?"

"Sleeping in late, huh?"

"..." How self-righteous.

Wei Zhiwen was used to his carefree lifestyle, so he asked him something serious: "Has my goddess been getting close to that guy surnamed Li lately?"

Chen Jizhou flipped through the book casually: "Which goddess do you admire?"

"Goddess Jiang".

Chen Jizhou's fingers paused, and then the page that hadn't been turned fell lightly to the ground again: "Which one surnamed Li?"

“You know perfectly well what I’m asking,” Wei Zhiwen said, covering his mouth with his hand. “I saw them leave together yesterday.”

The plot Chen Jizhou had just started watching blurred into a hazy blur in his vision, slowly merging into the dim scene of the equipment room. Li Shuheng seemed to have given her something, and they both looked down at it, quite close together, their heads almost touching. As for what happened afterward, they probably left together, right? He went to play basketball and didn't pay attention.

He turned the page: "It's her freedom to choose who she hangs out with."

Wei Zhiwen muttered to himself, "Do you think it's because Lu Yixuan got his revenge, and that kid doesn't like you, so he's deliberately trying to annoy you and steal your girlfriend?"

The teacher entered silently through the back door. Chen Jizhou nudged Wei Zhiwen's foot from below, and he quickly quieted down.

The teacher looked around and stood behind Wei Zhiwen. Looking at his book, he said as he walked forward, "Some people just open their books and start reading from the beginning. They never turn to the next chapter. I'm giving up such important class time for you to sit there daydreaming. I don't know where your mind is wandering. You're not studying for me. Think about it."

Wei Zhiwen bit his lip, lowered his face, and wore a fierce expression that said, "If you keep saying that, I'm not going to live anymore." In his grief, he noticed that the person next to him had smiling eyes.

He suddenly lunged forward with his arm, but Chen Jizhou nimbly dodged.

Wei Zhiwen was even angrier when he failed to get the person to laugh. He gritted his teeth and looked like he was about to cry. "Don't laugh! You're so annoying! I won't let you watch it next time."

Chen Jizhou forced a smile and said, "Okay, okay."

-

In the Jiangnan region, the temperature always fluctuates greatly during the transition from spring to summer. After a rain shower, the temperature rises for a few days.

Jiang Meng thought the book model recruitment was over, but at the end of the month she received a call from the assistant sister who said that the model they had booked in advance had other schedules and couldn't go. She asked if she would be willing to be a substitute.

Jiang Meng sprang up from the bed with a thud; she couldn't be happier!

"Which day?" she asked.

The assistant asked, "How about next Sunday? It won't interfere with your studies?"

"Yes, yes, yes."

Weekends are the best.

"This time we're shooting on location in Yanxi Ancient Town. You should arrive around 2 PM."

Jiang Meng happily paced around the room: "Yes! Thank you, sister, you're so great, you'll definitely make a lot of money!"

She made him laugh: "Don't be late."

"Definitely, definitely, I'll set eighteen alarms."

Jiang Meng was still wondering how to explain it to her parents, but after subtly inquiring at the dinner table, she learned that neither of them would be home for the weekend. Excitedly, she found the contact information of a fellow fan and asked them to add her to the group chat. The concert was being organized by a senior student, who said she would help them buy tickets together.

The next day, Ye Zhaoxu was at home.

She used a semi-open space instead of Jiang Su's study, which was located on one side of the living room. The louvered door of the partition was open, and she was sitting under the blue chandelier at the bar, smoking a thin cigarette while writing with her head down.

Jiang Meng finished school and her homework. She watched TV in the living room for a while, and her mother didn't pay any attention to her.

Ye Zhaoxu received a phone call midway through, said a few words of agreement, and then instructed Jiang Meng: "The air conditioner in the living room has been broken for a while, and it's going to get hot soon, so I'll find someone to fix it as soon as possible. I've scheduled someone to come on Sunday, but I don't think they'll be home. You'll have to entertain them then."

Sunday?

Jiang Meng hesitated for a few seconds: "Could you—"

Ye Zhaoxu didn't look up: "What?"

Jiang Meng: "I feel a little embarrassed being home alone. Could you ask him to come back another day?"

Ye Zhaoxu: "It's hard to schedule an appointment. I called the repairman several times. You don't need to say much to him. He'll leave once he's fixed it. If you're scared, just leave the door open and stand outside."

Jiang Meng looked troubled: "But I might not be home that day."

Ye Zhaoxu stopped writing and finally glanced over: "Where are you going?"

Jiang Meng made up an excuse: "I made plans to go to the library with my classmates."

Is going to the library such an important thing?

Jiang Meng: "Is installing an air conditioner such an important thing? Can't we change the time?"

Ye Zhaoxu stubbed out his cigarette in the water, and instead of sitting at an angle, he raised his face and looked directly at Jiang Meng, asking again, "What are you planning to do?"

"..."

Mom is really smart, and her intuition is incredibly sharp. Jiang Meng felt uneasy under her gaze and kept watching the TV without saying a word.

"A concert?" Ye Zhaoxu asked.

Jiang Meng: "No, the concert is still a long way off. I'm really going out to study with my classmates and have group discussions."

There was no response from the other end.

Jiang Meng thought she had softened a bit, so she added, "I'll finish my homework before I go out."

Ye Zhaoxu asked, "Which classmate?"

She subconsciously said, "Xie Zhuo."

This person isn't mischievous, is a good student, and has always been the best friend to deal with parents.

Ye Zhaoxu: "Xie Zhuo has a professional skills competition in Ningcheng on Sunday afternoon. What are your plans for going to the library with him?"

Jiang Meng was stunned.

It's over.

Oh no, oh no, oh no!

Jiang Meng's back was covered in cold sweat.

It's too late to change her story now; if she makes any more excuses, she'll give herself away.

No, they've already given themselves away.

After looking at her for a while, Ye Zhaoxu asked her seriously, "Jiang Meng, are you in a relationship?"

Jiang Meng was stunned for a moment, then frowned and exclaimed, "Huh?" with an incredulous look on her face: "How is that possible?"

Ye Zhaoxu watched quietly.

Her hesitant, stammering expression just now was clearly different from this eye-roll that screamed, "Don't make false accusations!"

It seems he's not in a relationship, but what he's going to do outside definitely isn't anything important.

It's even more illogical that he wouldn't dare to talk to her.

More than worrying about Jiang Meng wasting her study time going out to play, Ye Zhaoxu was concerned that something might happen to her outside. If she ran into some shady characters, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Ye Zhaoxu was not at home on Friday.

Jiang Meng came up with an idea: she would give the key to the middle school boy next door and have him hold the foreman's place for her, since she definitely needed to go to the filming location. However, when Jiang Meng was about to leave, she realized she couldn't find her key. She usually just hung it in the entryway; how could it be gone?

Jiang Meng searched the entire house but couldn't find it, and she suddenly had a bad feeling.

Jiang Meng tried to open the front door and found that it was locked from the inside. To ensure safety, all the valves on the kitchen appliances were also turned off.

Jiang Meng's heart sank to the bottom.

When she was little, her parents often used this trick to deal with her, afraid that she would sneak out and be unsafe. After moving to a new house, she grew up and went to junior high school. There was no need to lock her up every day. She hasn't been "in jail" for a long time.

Jiang Meng immediately called her mother: "Did you take my keys?"

Ye Zhaoxu: "I told your dad, and he locked the door."

Jiang Meng hurriedly asked, "If you lock the door, how will the air conditioner repairman get in?"

Ye Zhaoxu: "He's not coming. He told me he'd reschedule, but you can't go out either."

Jiang Meng: "I have to get out, or I'll die!"

Ye Zhaoxu said calmly, "You won't die if you don't go out; you'll die if you stop breathing. Why are you thinking about sneaking out all the time at such a critical moment? Can't we wait until after this year to talk about it?"

"But I've finished all my homework! Can't I even go out and play for a bit?"

Do you study just to do homework?

"Don't tell me you're interfering because you care about me!"

Ye Zhaoxu said coldly, "I won't say anything. I don't care if you're just afraid you're living too well, okay?"

Ye Zhaoxu herself admitted that she was not good at raising and teaching children because her personality was not gentle enough, and she was too busy with work. When dealing with Jiang Meng's affairs, she often used direct and harsh methods, as long as the problem was solved. It is unclear whether this can be considered a dereliction of duty as an educator, but she did put more care and energy into her students.

Jiang Meng plopped down on the sofa and buried her face in the cushions.

Finally, they instructed: "Just stay put and read a book. If you can't concentrate on reading, watching TV is fine too."

Jiang Meng sat at her desk, writing furiously on her test paper. She vowed never to talk to them again, and she would never smile again!

She was going to do her homework like crazy, day and night, until she finished it all!

I didn't even sleep, and finally collapsed at home from exhaustion. I'll teach them a lesson they won't forget!

She even fantasized about jumping off the building to prove her innocence and make them regret it for the rest of their lives—no, in reality, there's no such thing as regret for the rest of one's life. In three or four years, they would have another child and quickly forget about her. Wouldn't her sacrifice have been in vain?

Let's forget about it.

Frustrated, she threw the pen down.

Jiang Meng called Xie Zhuo, not expecting him to answer, but the call went through quickly, and Xie Zhuo seemed quite relaxed.

Jiang Meng retorted angrily, "Why did you insist on going to that competition today?"

He said casually, "What competition? I'm at home."

"...?"

Jiang Meng was speechless for a moment.

What's the meaning?

Were we scammed?

She actually got scammed by her mother?!

Jiang Meng was too exhausted to even break down.

She closed her eyes, feeling utterly hopeless, and took a long time to calm herself down before calmly telling Xie Zhuo, "I'm going to jump off the building."

His tone softened: "What's wrong?"

"He was framed by wicked people and imprisoned."

Xie Zhuo slowly analyzed: "I don't recommend it. From the height of your house, your body would look terrible. At best, it would be torn to pieces; at worst, your brains would be splattered on the ground. If I remember correctly, there's an iron fence on the first floor. If you're unfortunate enough to be decapitated, it would be too unsightly. If you really want to end your life, you can hang yourself. Even if your tongue sticks out two meters, at least it won't affect the city's appearance."

Jiang Meng interrupted, a chill running down her spine: "That's enough, you've really gone too far!"

Hang up the phone.

She lay down.

I don't know how much time passed, but the phone rang again.

Upon seeing Chen Jizhou's name, Jiang Meng took the phone and, before he could even speak, interrupted him, announcing to her second friend, "Chen Jizhou, I'm not going to live anymore, I'm going to jump off a building."

His words were cut off, and Chen Jizhou paused, then became interested: "Really?"

He was in high spirits: "Tell me more."

"..."

Jiang Meng really wanted to punch him a couple of times.

But to be honest, she trusted this person's silver tongue completely. She sat up as if she had found a savior and continued speaking quickly: "I won't talk about this now. You're the strategist today, so you have to help me come up with an excuse. I made an appointment with someone I can't stand up, but my mom locked me in the house. I need to find a way to reschedule with them. How can I gain their trust again?"

Chen Jizhou didn't offer her any advice, but instead asked her, "What time?"

Two points.

"Is it important?"

"Very important, a matter of life and death!"

He said earnestly, "Don't reply yet, wait for me."

Not long after the phone call ended, Chen Jizhou rang the doorbell outside.

Jiang Meng rushed over, opened the ventilation door in the middle, and saw her savior standing at the door through the gauze.

He wore a baseball cap, the brim obscuring his eyebrows and eyes. Under the layers of obscuration, all she could see was the clear and smooth lines of his jawline.

Jiang Meng: "How did you get here so fast?"

Chen Jizhou said, "I need to talk to you. I'm already on my way—but the door won't open from the inside?"

Jiang Meng: "The lock in my house is quite special. It can only be used with a key from the inside. There's no lock that you can turn around on. It's specifically designed to work against me."

"Don't you have a spare key?"

“My key has been taken away,” she thought for a moment. “I have a spare, but it’s broken. It’s been years. What good is a broken one?”

He asked, "How is it bad?"

"It broke, it broke in the middle."

Chen Jizhou frowned and repeated in a low voice, "It's broken?"

He lowered his head, thought for less than ten seconds, and then seemed to have made up his mind. He immediately turned around and left, leaving Jiang Meng with the words, "Find it and wait for me for fifteen minutes."