Chapter 25

Cheng Xun washed his face, water droplets still clinging to the side of his face, and came out of the bathroom. The cool water cleared his head a little. He hadn't walked far when he saw Chu Qianmo leaning against the wall with her head down.

Cheng Xun was surprised to find her still waiting there. He frowned, feeling a bit impatient.

Footsteps echoed down the corridor. Chu Qianmo raised her head and walked calmly toward Cheng Xun. Her emotions seemed to have calmed down within a few minutes, and she was composed and at ease.

"Cheng Xun, let's go back together." Chu Qianmo kept a meter's distance, wanting to walk side by side with Cheng Xun.

Every now and then someone would push open the door to the private room, letting out music that was sung in a way that was extremely awful and deafening. There was only one way back. Cheng Xun didn't respond, and Chu Qianmo took it as his consent.

Cheng Xun remained silent. Chu Qianmo glanced at him sideways, then looked straight ahead, let out a sigh of relief, and said as if she had made up her mind, "Cheng Xun, none of your family members are here for the parent-teacher conference today, is that right?"

Cheng Xun raised his hand to wipe the water from his eyebrows. Hearing this, he looked at her strangely, wondering if it was because of the word "also" or because she actually knew about this. Was she very concerned about him?

Chu Qianmo silently reduced the distance between the two by more than ten centimeters. After a light laugh, Chu Qianmo put on a thoughtful expression and slowly said, "During the third year of junior high, there were frequent parent-teacher conferences. My parents worked in another city and were so busy that they didn't even have time to answer a phone call, so they never came once. I hated the noisy scene when my classmates' parents came to the classroom. Their concerned eyes and expressions were very irritating."

"The feeling of being all alone was unbearable. When the classroom was in chaos, I would make an excuse to go to the toilet and sneak out, then hide in the stairwell next to the toilet."

“That’s when I noticed you. You were standing by the railing a dozen meters away from me, leaning against the wall, your gaze seemingly fixed on some unknown direction. The parent-teacher meeting lasted for more than an hour, and we didn’t go back to the classroom until it was over. That’s when I knew we were the same, equally lonely, equally escapist, and trapped in the same emotions.”

Cheng Xun paused, slowing his pace. He did remember the dejected and listless time in his third year of junior high. Because he didn't want to recall it, Cheng Xun lowered his brows, his eyes clouding over.

Chu Qianmo slowed her pace as he spoke, and continued, "We weren't the only two students who didn't come to the parent-teacher conference, but we both chose to hide. At that time, I felt that we were the same kind of people, so I started to pay attention to you. Actually, I had heard of you before, but I never had the urge to get to know you."

"Later, I was glad that you were in the next class. I often caught your eye when I walked down the corridor. After observing you for a while, I found that you really didn't like studying or planning for the future in your third year of junior high. But I actually started to worry about someone who didn't know me. I really didn't want to never see you again after the high school entrance exam. I hope you study hard and stay in the same high school."

"So, I started writing love letters like other girls. I used to despise this kind of thing, but after meeting you, I started writing my fantasies on paper, wanting you to get to know me. I personally delivered all the love letters to you."

Chu Qianmo pursed her lips with a hint of self-deprecation as she said this: "In the end, not only did you not remember me, but you also said that you had never opened or read those letters."

Cheng Xun's gaze shifted to the girl, no longer a casual glance, but a fixed look. Chu Qianmo felt as if burned by that gaze and lowered her eyes.

Cheng Xun listened to her words in silence, and unexpectedly felt a faint resonance. Perhaps it was because they had something in common that no one else cared about, or perhaps it was because the sincerity on her face when she mentioned these things reminded Cheng Xun of herself, who already understood what passionate love was.

After a moment of silence, Cheng Xun asked, puzzled, "Why persist in doing things that will never get a response?"

Chu Qianmo's eyes softened with tenderness: "Because the possibility that you might actually watch it someday makes me happy and gives me energy all day long."

Cheng Xun recalled the last day of the National Day holiday. Sitting by the bus stop, he saw Song Qiuxuan take out a yellow kraft paper envelope. Thinking it was a love letter, his heart pounded uncontrollably. He was very excited and happy at that moment.

Love letters can indeed confirm feelings. Now Cheng Xun knows why: he likes Song Qiuxuan and therefore wants to confirm her feelings for him.

Cheng Xun stopped outside the private room.

"Cheng Xun, why didn't you sneak out of the classroom for this parent-teacher conference? I went to wait for you in the hallway of Class 20, but I didn't see you like before." Chu Qianmo walked up to Cheng Xun and looked up to ask him.

Cheng Xun felt there was no need to explain so clearly. He shook his head slightly. "Actually, you don't need to stubbornly believe that we are the same kind of people just because we have done similar things in the past."

Perhaps because of what he had just said, Cheng Xun seemed more patient and gently told her not to like him for these inexplicable reasons.

Chu Qianmo gripped her sleeve tightly, her eyes revealing a stubborn determination to stick to what she had decided on. Her tone was firm: "We have so many similarities, you know? Only soulmates can stay together forever, and only unhappy people can embrace each other for warmth."

Cheng Xun didn't like that statement. He narrowed his eyes, suppressing his emotions and not refuting her.

With a loud bang, the door was pulled open. It was Chu Qianmo's friend who had noticed she hadn't returned for a long time and was worried about her, so she came looking for her.

Cheng Xun glanced at her indifferently and then stepped into the private room.

My friend followed his gaze and thought he had a very handsome face, but his aura was strangely low.

After Liang Shizhe noticed that Cheng Xun had returned, his mood became extremely low. He stopped joking, drinking, and playing cards. He just huddled on the sofa with his head leaning back, seemingly lost in some melancholy mood.

Liang Shizhe shook his head and sighed softly. It was really strange; they hadn't even started talking yet, and he already looked like he'd been let down.

*

Song Qiuxuan is having insomnia, which is a very rare occurrence.

The sky outside the window was dark and gloomy. She tossed and turned in bed, constantly recalling the scene of walking on the street with her mother that evening.

Song Qiuxuan irritably ruffled her hair, staring into the darkness with her eyes wide open. At this moment, she resembled a rebellious child who had disobeyed her parents and was constantly reflecting on her actions.

She didn't fall asleep until three or four in the morning, listening to the howling autumn wind outside.

The next morning, there was a knock on the door.

"Xuanxuan, you got up so late today. Your dad and I have already finished breakfast and you're still not up."

Song Qiuxuan pulled the blanket over her head, her protesting voice muffled inside. Once woken up, no matter how sleepy she was, she couldn't fall back asleep. She turned over and went to wash up with dark circles under her eyes.

Song Qiuxuan didn't have much of an appetite. She ate two dumplings, grabbed a cup of soy milk, and went out with her schoolbag.

While changing her shoes by the shoe cabinet, she greeted Xu Yanzhen: "Mom, I want to go to the library early today, so don't make lunch for me."

Xu Yanzhen didn't find anything strange, nodded in agreement, and reminded her to remember to put on her coat.

Song Qiuxuan put on her shoes, bent down to straighten her trouser legs, and closed the door behind her.

As she walked into the building, Song Qiuxuan hesitated before taking out her phone, wondering whether she should send Cheng Xun a message to let her know that she had gone to the library early.

She wondered if it would disturb his sleep. Perhaps he had a habit of silencing his phone before bed, or perhaps he had already woken up. Thinking this, Song Qiuxuan longed for someone to keep her company, so she sent the message.

After going down to the first floor, Song Qiuxuan stood at the entrance of the stairwell, sipped the last mouthful of soy milk, and threw it into the trash can next to her.

The paper cup traced an arc and fell with a clatter. At that moment, the phone vibrated several times in succession. Song Qiuxuan picked up the phone and looked down.

Cheng Xun: So early today?

Cheng Xun: It's okay if it's a little earlier.

Cheng Xun: Are you waiting for me at the gate of your residential complex? Should I come to you?

Cheng Xun: Did you bring your badminton racket?

Song Qiuxuan smiled gently and typed back: I didn't sleep well last night and don't have the energy to play badminton. Okay, I'll wait for you at the gate of the community.

Just seconds after sending the message, Song Qiuxuan deleted it. She changed the last sentence to say that she would wait for him at the bus stop closest to the residential area.

Song Qiuxuan didn't seem to have to wait long before a shadow fell over her, and the familiar, refreshing scent of laundry detergent filled the air around her.

She looked up and saw Cheng Xun.