Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Shen Qingyuan tasted the salad; it was quite good. Aside from the price, it was perfect.

Thinking about it, there's something to be done about being alive. If I really died, I wouldn't be able to enjoy this meal anymore. Tsk tsk.

Just then, Song Ting called to ask how Shen Qingyuan was doing. The two chatted for a few minutes.

Song Ting recently went on a blind date and they've been talking for a while, so I have some material to share.

"Shen Qingyuan, let me tell you, you should start dating early. You're not getting any younger, and you're looking for a partner with marriage in mind. Dating just doesn't feel the same." Song Ting said with a hint of melancholy.

According to her, she and her blind dated in a routine manner, going to the movies, having meals, and strolling in the park on weekends. Since Chenyang was so small, they could wander around and finish exploring quickly.

Both of them made time to work towards a common goal; you can't say they weren't dedicated.

Shen Qingyuan played with her spoon and asked, "You didn't like him?"

"I wouldn't say I look down on her. She works in the system, has been promoted to deputy director, which is quite stable, and her financial situation is also good. If I were to go on the dating market, I would consider myself to be marrying above my station."

Shen Qingyuan raised one eyebrow: "So, it's because he's not handsome?"

Nine times out of ten, when a girl complains that she doesn't feel like she's in a relationship, it's because the male lead isn't good-looking enough. Looking at Ye Chuyang's face, even just strolling hand-in-hand down the street, eating at roadside stalls, or shopping at a two-dollar store, a girl's heart would flutter.

Women in the 18th century might have married men for food, but women in this century are in much better economic condition and can now happily patronize handsome and sensible men.

"He's not exactly ugly. To be fair, he's actually alright." Song Ting was quite self-aware, feeling that she was only of average looks and that it was a bit much to ask for a top-tier handsome man to match her. "Of course, he can't compare to a handsome guy like Ye Chuyang."

Why did the conversation turn to him? Shen Qingyuan's heart skipped a beat.

"Is Ye Chuyang really that likable?"

"Hah—" Song Ting said with a hint of shyness, "Who doesn't like a handsome guy, especially one who's incredibly rich now? But I know I'm not worthy of him, so I'll just admire him from afar, like a work of art, something to be admired from a distance but not to be touched."

Artworks should be handled with a touch of playfulness. Shen Qingyuan smiled, her lips curving upwards. "I understand. Liking something without lust is pure."

"You medical people are so direct in your terminology."

Song Ting only had a brief relationship during her final year of university, and their relationship eventually ended, which was inevitable. After all, graduation season is breakup season; for most people, their future is more important than love.

"Shen Qingyuan, we didn't date enough during our school days. Didn't we honest guys who only knew how to study fully enjoy our youth? We're getting old so fast, it's really boring!" Song Ting sighed.

It seems that many women experience anxiety as they approach thirty, believing that their youth is fading and that it will be difficult to find a good partner.

"Perhaps," Shen Qingyuan said.

On the same day, one of her high school classmates asked her what kind of life she wanted to live, and the other asked her if she hadn't fully enjoyed her youth. These were both huge questions, too complex to answer in an 800-word college entrance exam essay.

She was never resentful, at least not six months ago, before her life completely went off track.

If I had known it would end like this, I should have overturned the past ten years and started over.

"It's meaningless." Song Ting suddenly felt afraid of touching a sore spot, although she didn't know exactly what that sore spot was. Song Ting had some guesses about what kind of blow could bring Shen Qingyuan down, but she didn't dare to think about it too deeply.

"I'm referring specifically to romantic relationships. Having missed out on the innocent romance of older men, it's quite difficult to try again now."

Shen Qingyuan hummed in agreement, saying, "Indeed, it's quite difficult."

Once you enter society, everyone becomes more realistic. Dating is for marriage, and blind dates are for marriage. Family background, job, education, and appearance are all weighed and placed on the scales of blind dates.

Of course, taller men also have virtually no chance of getting to know each other.

Shen Qingyuan: "Now that you mention it, I do feel a little regretful."

"Regret what?"

She had asked, but now she'd forgotten. Shen Qingyuan muttered to herself.

About a month ago, on my way home after having hot pot, Song Ting asked me on the phone. She asked if I regretted not accepting Ye Chuyang's advances back then.

If I had known this would happen, I should have enjoyed life earlier, flirted with handsome men, and enjoyed the pleasures of youth. It was quite wonderful.

"Never mind, it's nothing," Shen Qingyuan said.

Song Ting sighed, "I hate people like you the most. You start something and then don't say anything else. You just keep people in suspense for no reason."

Shen Qingyuan smiled and said, "When I get back to Chenyang, I'll help you vet your blind date."

After hanging up, Shen Qingyuan couldn't help but sigh softly. She was actually a rather dull person, becoming increasingly gloomy, and it was rare to still have friends around her.

-

In a hazy state, Shen Qingyuan seemed to have returned to her high school days.

I had just returned to the classroom after dinner, just before evening self-study began. A gentle spring breeze blew outside the window, and dusk was deepening.

Shen Qingyuan was reading a literary magazine; she would read a little something for leisure at this time. She had just finished eating, and the food hadn't digested yet, making her feel a bit lazy; Shen Qingyuan didn't want to use her brain immediately.

Shen Jing'an was a well-known literature and art enthusiast who often subscribed to various humanities and social science publications. Shen Qingyuan had never lacked these books since childhood, and they often circulated among the idle members of their class.

Often, a brand-new book would become worn and old by the time it returned to Shen Qingyuan's hands.

In literature, at least 80% of works are supported by various types of love at their core. Love is something that both teenagers and boys are quite curious about, and Shen Qingyuan is no exception; sometimes she would even exchange a few words with her deskmate, Song Ting.

In that sense, her personality wasn't dull from an early age; she was quite lively in her teens, at least full of curiosity about many things.

For a while, Song Ting also read novels and became quite obsessed with them. However, when the monthly exam results came out, Shen Qingyuan was still firmly at the top of the list, while Song Ting had dropped dozens of places in the grade.

Damn! People are really different.

From then on, Song Ting settled down and focused on her studies. High school students, after all, don't have much else to do besides studying. The school was still under a closed management system, like a pigsty.

Pigs need to eat well to gain weight, and high school students need to study hard to get into university; both will contribute to human society in the future. Different paths lead to the same goal.

Having experienced the joys and sorrows of love on paper at a young age, Shen Qingyuan became somewhat desensitized to the real world, feeling that it was all just that, and of no benefit to social productivity.

Moreover, the quality of the boys around me is worrying; they have childish voices and are far from the glamorous male protagonists in literary works.

Five minutes before evening self-study, the students returned to their seats one after another and quieted down in unison.

There was a crackling sound coming from the loudspeaker. The grade head cleared his throat and said he had something extremely serious to say.

It turned out to be a young couple from Class 8 of the third year of high school who went to a photo studio to take wedding photos and proudly showed them off. The news eventually reached the eyes of the school leaders.

I don't know what they were thinking.

Perhaps it's precisely because they weren't thinking about anything, their minds were filled with the pink bubbles of love.

No. 2 Middle School is a key high school in Chenyang, known for its closed management and strict discipline. It also has eight major prohibitions, one of which is "dating and flirting."

Not everyone is solely focused on university.

Under pressure, courage will emerge. Teenagers, especially young men and women, are at the peak of their adolescence and are most curious about the opposite sex. In a moment of excitement, they declare that they have discovered love.

They were brave enough, but the price was high enough. The head of the grade announced that the two students involved had been expelled from the school.

Looking back now, this approach seems quite inhumane. But at the time, no one objected.

A few boys in the back row were laughing and joking, looking somewhat smug.

Evening self-study has begun.

Shen Qingyuan closed the magazine and took out a thick stack of exercise books. Talk is meaningless; the rules of the world are set by those who already hold power. When one is weak, one can only obey, not resist.

The life lessons Shen Qingyuan learned in his youth were remarkably accurate and insightful. Years later, he experienced them firsthand and deeply.

-

That evening, the boys' dormitory was buzzing with discussion.

"Holy crap, that's awesome! What were these star-crossed lovers thinking? Does anyone know anyone from Class 8?" someone started to say.

"Why are you making such a fuss about it? You didn't even bother with any secrecy!" Class monitor Lu Jiawen sighed. "But it's good, it'll serve as a warning to others. We hope our class doesn't have anyone like that."

Lu Jiawen lives in the city, not far from the school. However, in the senior year of high school, fewer students are day students, and many switch to boarding school. Everyone wants to squeeze out more time to do more practice problems.

“I have a childhood friend from Class 8 who said they were snitched on. The photos were originally uploaded to a social media platform and only two or three people saw them. I don’t know how, but they ended up in the head of the grade level,” said Liu Yang, who slept in the bunk below Ye Chuyang.

“They must have been set up,” Zhang Chi snorted, speaking matter-of-factly. “Now we have two fewer competitors.”

"Surely it's not that serious?" Liu Yang's eyes widened. "There are tens of millions of people taking the college entrance exam. What's the point of losing two people?"

Zhang Chi said, "In short, you can't see into someone's heart, so it's hard to say about these things."

The discussion at this angle quickly came to an end, and some people were curious: "What kind of photos were taken? I really want to see them."

Zhang Chi pulled out a Nokia phone hidden under his pillow. "It's on BBS forums, nothing special. Haven't you guys seen it?"

The school doesn't allow cell phones, and only a minority of students have them, who use them secretly.

The boys all swarmed over to look, even Ye Chuyang, who was washing socks on the lower bunk, turned his head and craned his neck.

Oops, who stepped on my foot?

That's it?

"She's just average without makeup. She's not exactly a celestial beauty!"

"Speaking of which, if you get expelled, can you still take the college entrance exam? It's not worth jeopardizing your future for a girl!"

...

Many boys in that age group have a rather sarcastic way of speaking, and they all chime in with their pickiness about girls' appearances, feeling that the boys who were expelled were not getting the short end of the stick.

The phone was passed around, satisfying everyone's curiosity, and then everyone stopped. Zhang Chi put the Nokia back under his pillow.

Liu Yang sighed and said, "If I could be with Liu Yifei, I could accept giving up college entrance exams."

"It's like she could actually get in." Someone immediately teased, "Besides, Liu Yifei isn't blind, why would she want to be with you, haha!"

Although it was a joke, it did inspire the boys to think: what kind of girl would someone be willing to give up their future for?

Hormones drive them, especially seventeen- or eighteen-year-old male high school students who are at the stage of life when they are most curious about the opposite sex. Moreover, the school repeatedly forbids them from dating, and the more they are suppressed, the more interested they are in exploring.

Everyone fell silent for a few seconds, their minds racing with all sorts of thoughts.

Liu Yang thought for a moment and realized he was indeed dreaming of a toad. So he settled for second best and said, "Well, how about Shen Qingyuan? At least it has to be Shen Qingyuan!"