Chapter 40 Donor "The man... the one next to you...

The sea breeze blew through the white shells hanging on the wooden door, and the collision sounds were fine and ethereal. Zhui Lian's shop was located on the old street of this seaside town.

The shop is not far from the most famous beach here. It mainly sells sunscreen and her own hand-painted postcards.

Tide and time are sometimes words of the same nature, rising silently and then receding.

so--

In the blink of an eye, it has been almost half a year.

This half year, from spring to summer.

Zhui Lian's life is simple to the point of being monotonous.

The shop door opened in the morning, and the sea breeze and sunshine poured in, accompanying her all day long.

As the setting sun dyed the sea surface golden red, she pulled down the shutter door with a "splash", returned to the small room upstairs in the shop, dipped her paintbrush in paint, and slowly painted a few postcards.

Occasionally, she would teach art classes at the town's elementary school. Her gentle personality and beautiful appearance made her very popular with the students. Whenever a little girl pouted and complained to her about her poor ability to draw the sea, she would always remember a time long ago when she had complained the same way to someone.

Then that person once said to her: "Just paint the sea in your heart, don't paint the same as others."

——That’s Qiao Xunli.

But amidst the symptoms of the subtropical monsoon, these memories become increasingly lighter, like seagulls skimming across the water, leaving behind only faint ripples and a vague warmth.

The waves polished the shell until it became smooth, but the turbulent waves of the past twenty years made Zhui Lian feel like a shell that had been polished again and again.

She tried to immerse herself in this tranquility and bury all the sharpness and past.

But beneath the sea level, the undercurrent never stops surging.

She never dared to think about Pei Zhiyu, as if as soon as her thoughts touched this name, her current peaceful life would be broken and gone forever.

But the other party is still everywhere.

He can always be seen in the charity event briefs pushed by social platforms and in the charity sections of local news.

In the photo, the man was dressed simply and had a gentle face, completely different from the gloomy man in her memory who had wrapped the silver chain around her ankle.

The accompanying text often describes him as a well-known young painter who is extremely kind and compassionate. He has donated to student aid funds, established stray animal protection projects, and done countless good deeds.

This sense of disconnection made her feel dazed, and sometimes she even wondered if the thrilling past was just a nightmare.

However, the news that has left the deepest impression on Zhui Lian over the past six months is the one released today: "Old customs in a riverside village have been completely swept away."

Today itself is a special day.

The sky was as blue as a mirror, and the sunshine was too bright, but it made people feel uneasy for some reason.

It is said that a generous donor donated a large sum of educational funds to all the schools in this seaside town. Perhaps the philanthropist has a need for social image and wants to choose a school to visit.

This time, they chose their primary school.

So the school specially organized a small welcome ceremony, and Zhui Lian, as a part-time art teacher, was also entrusted to help maintain order.

In the auditorium, she was distributing newly donated painting supplies to the children.

The children's excited chatter dispelled the inexplicable uneasiness in her heart. After distributing the painting supplies, she took out her phone as usual and saw this pop-up news headline: "Old customs in a riverside village are completely swept away."

The fingertips move slightly.

She clicked in anyway.

Every word in the news was heartbreaking, and the criticism was filled with sadness. It described a village along the river in W City, where there was a bad custom of throwing young girls into the river as sacrifices to ensure good weather and peace in the village.

——Qingjiang.

W City, the bad habit of offering rivers can only be Qingjiang.

Many familiar faces appeared in the pictures posted -

Those who had bullied her and believed in sacrifice were imprisoned.

The light from the screen reflected her face, and a complex emotion surged in her heart. It was not happiness, nor was it complete relief... It was more like a rainy season that had lasted for many years and finally stopped raining.

But the dampness remains in my heart.

There is one more thing... The village of Qingjiang has been closed for many years, self-sufficient, and rarely visited by outsiders. How could it be suddenly inspected?

"Xiao Lian?"

The slightly cool fingertips stopped on the screen, and a concerned male voice sounded in her ears. Zhui Lian, who was still immersed in her memories, felt someone patting her shoulder.

"What are you looking at?"

She turned her head and saw Gu Hong, who had stood next to her at some point.

This small coastal town is a tourist town with an average local economy. Being the principal of a primary school in this town is a tough job with no power but multiple responsibilities, so no one is willing to take it.

Therefore, this role is usually held by young teachers who are sent to the grassroots level for training, such as Gu Hong who is now standing next to Zhui Lian.

Gu Hong is only two or three years older than Zhui Lian, so they can be considered the same age.

He is tall and thin, with a handsome face and a pair of gold-rimmed half-frame glasses. He speaks and acts in a gentle and polite manner. Zhui Lian came to this primary school to work as a part-time art teacher because he invited her after seeing the postcards she drew.

"I didn't see anything." Zhui Lian shook his head and smiled, "Just browsing casually."

At this moment, Gu Hong's eyes fell on the Qingjiang news still displayed on her screen. She sighed and said, "You saw this too?"

He sighed, "It's really terrible. I didn't expect there are still such ignorant and backward places nowadays."

Zhui Lian nodded and said softly, "Yes."

Gu Hong opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something else, but before he could ask again, some enthusiastic explanations came from a distance.

A man was entering the small auditorium, surrounded by other school leaders and town leaders.

That's a man.

He seems very tall and has a very straight figure.

Zhui Lian raised his head.

I saw a light gray.

The man was wearing a well-tailored grey suit.

The gaze is fixed.

Zhui Lian saw the man's face clearly.

A clear and gentle face.

His face is 70% similar to Qiao Xunli's.

Time stopped at this moment.

All the sounds around her faded away like the tide, leaving only the rapid and violent beating of her heart.

Again and again, it hit the chest madly.

——Pei Zhiyu.

Or rather, his common social name—

Yu Peizhi.

The simple campus environment around him was out of tune with him, but he was strangely shrouded in and imbued with the aura of a philanthropist, which dissolved the natural barrier that separated him.

He seemed not to have noticed Zhui Lian. He just went on stage to give a speech, saying some nice and considerate words in a sincere tone, and his eyes humbly swept over all the teachers and students present.

When he glanced at her like this, his eyes accidentally met hers for a moment.

But it passed by as light as a feather, without any of the expected shock or fluctuation.

Pei Zhiyu's eyes were calm, as if he was treating a complete stranger.

The words on the big screen shook and blurred, and Zhui Lian couldn't make out anything.

She withdrew her gaze and no longer looked in the direction of the podium. She just lowered her head and absentmindedly swiped her phone, unconsciously clicking on a news report about Qingjiang.

The welcome ceremony in the auditorium was over, and the town leaders were talking to Yu Peizhi with a smile on their faces. The original itinerary was for Principal Gu Hong to lead this generous donor to visit the campus.

Unexpectedly, Gu Hong's cell phone suddenly rang rapidly.

He picked up the phone and after listening to a few words, his brows knitted tightly together. He said repeatedly, "Okay, okay, I'll be there right away. Don't worry, hold on to the children. I'll be right there!"

After hanging up the phone, Gu Hong looked at the town leaders and Yu Peizhi with an apologetic look on her face: "I'm really sorry, there's an emergency in a class on another campus."

Gu Hong: "There was a conflict between the children and a fight. The situation got a little out of control. I had to go over and deal with it immediately."

When the town leaders heard this, they also became anxious and hurriedly said, "Hurry up, hurry up, the child's matter is urgent!"

But when he turned around and looked at Pei Zhiyu, who had an outstanding temperament beside him, the town leader was in trouble again.

I can't just let the distinguished guests wait, or force myself, a person with only a limited knowledge of education, to give the lecture, right?

His eyes rolled around, and he slapped his forehead suddenly, and had an idea!

"Oh, look at my brain!"

The town leader said to Pei Zhiyu with a smile, "Mr. Yu, you are a famous painter and an artist! You will definitely have more in common with the art teacher."

"It just so happens that our school has an art teacher who teaches well and is very patient. I'll ask her to accompany you around the campus and have a chat!"

Without waiting for Pei Zhiyu to respond, the town leader had already taken out his cell phone.

Beep beep beep——

The call was made.

*

Zhui Lian had just finished teaching an art class to fourth-grade students and was packing up her painting supplies when her cell phone rang.

The three big words "Director Li" flashed on the screen, and she instantly had a bad feeling.

"Hello, Director Li?"

She picked up the phone anyway.

"Teacher Zhui! Are you in school now? I looked at the schedule and you are teaching the second art class to the students of Class 4 (2) this afternoon, right?"

At this, Zhui Lian swallowed the "not here" she was about to say, and could only hum. Director Li quickly continued to explain the situation: "...Yes, that's Mr. Yu who donated a lot of money. You've also taken parents on tours of the school before. Same thing, just show him around the campus and chat with him casually. It shows how much our town values ​​our distinguished guests!"

Director Li: "I have a meeting later, so I'll leave him to you!"

"Director Li, I..."

Zhui Lian's mind went blank. Before she could form a word of refusal, a busy tone came from the other end of the phone.

She held the phone, her heart beating fast, and a chill rose from the soles of her feet.

Before she could recover from her shock, she heard footsteps outside the classroom door and Director Li's enthusiastic voice.

"Mr. Yu, this way please!"

When Zhui Lian looked up, she saw Director Li leading the man in a light grey suit, already appearing at the classroom door.

The light and shadow outlined a slender shadow behind the other person, casting it into the classroom and into her eyes.

"This is our art teacher, Ms. Zhui Lian. She's from a big city and very professional!" Director Li pointed at Zhui Lian and said naturally, "I've already arranged with Ms. Zhui to show you around, so don't worry!"

As if he had completed an important handover task, he smiled encouragingly at Zhui Lian, said a few polite words to Pei Zhiyu, and then turned around and left in a hurry.

The process was so fast that Zhui Lian had no chance to refuse.

In an instant, they were the only two people left at the door of the empty classroom.

A strange and bizarre atmosphere was spreading.

The air froze, and Zhui Lian froze too.

A few steps away, Zhui Lian looked at him, and he also looked at Zhui Lian.

Staring at each other, confronting each other.

Their eyes collided in the air, a silent confrontation.

No one spoke first.

Even during the break, the students in the classroom were curiously leaning forward, their eyes flickering between the handsome donor and their beautiful teacher.

Children are sharp and outspoken.

A boy who was usually mischievous suddenly shouted at the top of his voice: "Brother, the teacher we are pursuing is still single!"

A shocking sound.

The atmosphere in the entire classroom was instantly ignited, and all the children started laughing.

In an instant, Zhui Lian's face turned red.

She felt embarrassed, ashamed, and a little bit angry, but children's words were innocent, and she couldn't possibly argue with them.

But these emotions intertwined together still made her feel almost ashamed, and she wanted to find a hole to crawl into immediately.

She looked away, and even dared not look directly at Pei Zhiyu.

After a long while, Zhui Lian turned her gaze back to look at him.

The other person's face still had that impeccable gentleness, but with a sense of alienation as if facing a stranger. He looked much calmer than Zhui Lian, who was itching all over.

Finally, she bit the bullet and spoke first: "Mr. Yu, let me show you around."

"Um."

Pei Zhiyu answered without any emotion.

*

This visit was grueling.

Even if I had encountered the most difficult parents, the process of communicating with them was not as painful as the short ten minutes of taking Pei Zhiyu on the tour.

On a quiet path on campus, two people were walking one in front and one behind.

There was a physical education class going on on the playground not far away. The wind brought the sounds of children playing, but it could not blow away the almost frozen silence between the two of them.

Zhui Lian walked quickly in front, deliberately keeping a long distance.

In the end, it was Pei Zhiyu who spoke first.

His voice was low and calm: "I didn't know you would be substitute teaching at this elementary school."

The afternoon sun shines through the tall banyan trees on campus, casting tiny spots of light.

Zhui Lian stared at the spot of light to avoid looking directly at the other person.

Pei Zhiyu continued to explain, "This donation and visit were planned long ago and are related to the town's educational cooperation project."

"I donate money to a lot of educational partnerships, it really just... happened upon it."

He paused, as if to add credibility to his words, or perhaps to choose his words carefully, before continuing, trying to sound as relaxed as possible: "Don't be afraid, I'll be leaving in a few days."

There was a soothing tone in his voice, as if he was telling her: I'm not here to arrest you, you can rest assured.

Zhui Lian pursed her lips tightly. In fact, she really wanted to ask him, when did he like to be a philanthropist? Why did he do so much charity and donate so much money? This was not like him.

He is crazy.

Not a Bodhisattva.

But there is no relationship between the two of them anymore.

She didn't want to create any unnecessary connections between them because of such a question. As for whether it was a coincidence or not... it didn't matter anymore. Whether it was a coincidence or intentional, her answer would not change.

As long as he didn't really come to disturb her peaceful life.

Hiding all the twists and turns in her mind, Zhui Lian replied softly, "...Yeah."

The response was dry and without any emotion.

She felt that this futile stroll should end, so she stopped and turned sideways, still not looking at Pei Zhiyu, and whispered, "The school is not big, it's about like this."

Zhui Lian: "Mr. Yu, please feel free to look around. I have something else to do in the shop, so I have to go back first."

After saying that, she turned around and was about to leave, wanting only to escape from this suffocating atmosphere as quickly as possible.

"Chasing pity!"

Pei Zhiyu suddenly called her, with a hint of urgency in his voice that he couldn't hide in time.

Zhui Lian’s back froze and he didn’t look back.

Pei Zhiyu seemed to realize his own gaffe.

He paused, his tone becoming restrained again: "Who was that man...that gentleman next to you? Is he...well, familiar with you?"

This question was asked with a cautious tone.

Zhui Lian frowned and finally turned around and looked at him.

The man stood at the intersection of light and shadow, his face still gentle and elegant, but the bottom of his deep black eyes seemed to still be locked with something.

"Mr. Yu." Her voice turned cold. "This is my private matter. It seems to have nothing to do with you."

Pei Zhiyu was choked by her words, and a trace of embarrassment flashed across his eyes.

He quickly lowered his eyelashes, and his thick eyelashes trembled, casting a shadow that obscured his true emotions.

When he looked up again, his previous impeccable gentle expression had returned, and his words were filled with a hint of apology: "I'm sorry."

"I am the one who offended, I'm just... used to it."

There was deep regret in that voice, but the words "I'm used to it" caught Zhui Lian off guard and made her heart suffocate.

What was he used to? The habit of controlling everything about her? The habit of questioning every member of the opposite sex who appeared around her? Behind this habit was a past between them that could not be easily erased, a past that had been entangled until death.

The feeling of fatigue came over me instantly like a tide.

Zhui Lian didn't want to delve into it any further, and was too lazy to deal with him anymore.

She no longer responded, but turned around indifferently again. This time, her steps were faster and more decisive, without even a hint of hesitation, as if she had not heard the apology at all. She walked back along the way she came and passed the corner of the teaching building.

The gentle and polite mask shattered in an instant, the moment Zhui Lian's back disappeared from his sight.

Pei Zhiyu stood there without moving.

The jealousy could no longer be suppressed and rolled in the depths of his dark eyes.

A kind of madness of being completely ignored came over him. He stared at the direction where Zhui Lian disappeared, his teeth unconsciously clenched.

He made a clear, hateful grinding sound.

The sound was not loud, but it was particularly harsh on the quiet afternoon path.

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Author's words: Pei Gou: I have to restrain myself! Restrain myself! Damn, if she really has a new guy, I'm going to die!