Chapter 12 P - Alone
A week of military training may not seem long, but it's incredibly tough for freshmen who are exposed to the scorching sun like exploding yellow croakers.
In a week, they could only recognize each other by their faces, except for Xing Yu and Chu Beiling, whose names matched their faces.
Both were school heartthrobs. Compared to Xing Yu, who seemed unapproachable but was actually even more so, Chu Beiling gained the praise and admiration of the boys by occasionally teasing their instructors with a smile, thus extending everyone's rest time. He became one of the boys in the class and was also favored by the girls.
Although Xing Yu's world-weary face was more attractive to girls in the throes of first love, they could only watch from afar and dared not approach him. Chu Beiling was good-looking, and apart from being cold to Xing Yu, he was gentle to all girls and knew how to make people laugh and joke. He could easily respond to anyone who tried to talk to him, which made many girls inside and outside the class admire him.
He instantly became a prominent figure among the first-year high school students.
On Friday afternoon, after the military training parade, the week-long military training came to a complete end. A group of people ran back to their dormitories with great joy, ready to pack their things and go home.
Just as Chu Beiling zipped up his luggage, Ms. Li, who was far away in Singapore and had everything under control, called ahead of time knowing that he would be leaving school today.
Li Shuying was always straightforward and got straight to the point: "Is this week's classes over? Uncle Zhao is almost at the door. Why don't you call Xing Yu and go home together?"
When the report was made, Xing Yu had already been packed up and brought over. He would also be responsible for taking Xing Yu back after school on weekends. He's a grown man with hands and feet; can't he walk by himself? Chu Beiling isn't a deliveryman.
Does he expect him to go to and from school with Xing Yu every time? Young Master Chu would never allow that.
Chu Beiling discussed with Li Shuying: "Ms. Li, he has his own things to do. It would be inconvenient for him to take him along. You always teach me not to cause trouble for others. It would be bad if we caused him trouble."
Li Shuying said coldly, "Don't try to change the subject, don't talk nonsense, don't try to be clever. I'll ask your Uncle Zhao, if you don't bring Xing Yu home after school, you're not going home either."
Home.
Does he have a home? If his home is an empty house in Zhalongkou, then he does have one. But what difference does it make whether he goes back or not?
Since he's all alone anyway, he might as well stay at school; it'll be more lively there.
Li Shuying frowned: "Not saying anything again, are you mute?"
Chu Beiling always looked forward to Ms. Li calling from afar, hoping she would care about him and ask how his week at school was going, what happened, and whether he was happy.
But each time, my expectations are dashed.
For some reason, Chu Beiling suddenly thought of her father.
Before he was twelve, his father was still alive. Unlike Ms. Li, who was decisive and only sought perfect results and always wanted the best, his father could always detect his emotional problems immediately and take him to a lively food stall when he was in a bad mood.
They walked home under the moonlight, eating as they went, and their father would tell them many interesting stories about sketching outdoors.
The father who said he hoped his son would just be happy is gone, and no one asks him anymore if he's happy.
Ms. Li only cares about whether he is good enough; she doesn't care about anything else.
Now, with the addition of Xing Yu, who is extremely satisfactory to her and excellent in every aspect, all the needs of her own son have to take a backseat.
Chu Beiling was both annoyed and unhappy, and knew that Ms. Li wouldn't take his words to heart. "You talk to him yourself."
She handed her phone to Xing Yu, who was packing his luggage, and gestured with her chin, saying, "Ms. Li is looking for you."
Xing Yu: "Aunt Li."
He's a master at playing innocent.
Chu Beiling scoffed dismissively, but his body betrayed him, and he couldn't help but lean in to eavesdrop, wanting to know what the two were saying.
Xing Yu glanced at him and immediately put the phone on speakerphone.
Chu Beiling took a step back, feeling embarrassed, and tactically scratched the tip of his nose.
Li Shuying's cheerful voice came through the receiver: "Xiao Yu, Uncle Zhao is already waiting for you at the door. You and Chu Beiling go home together, and then go back to school together on Sunday."
Chu Beiling felt a pang of bitterness and sorrow in her heart. She looked up at Xing Yu and warned him in a low voice, "You'd better refuse, or I'll just throw you out of the car."
Xing Yu glanced at him indifferently and politely replied, "Okay, thank you, Auntie. Thank you for your trouble."
Li Shuying: "If anything happens, remember to tell Auntie right away, don't be shy."
Xing Yu gave a soft "hmm" and handed the phone back to him.
Chu Beiling snatched the phone, wanting to say a few more words to Ms. Li, but she had already ended the call and wouldn't give him a single word.
he:"……"
Chu Beiling stepped forward and grabbed Xing Yu's wrist: "Why didn't you refuse?"
Xing Yu pulled his hand away from Chu Beiling's grasp, glanced at him sideways, and asked, "Why should I refuse someone's kindness?"
One by one, people left the dormitory with their luggage. After a while, the rustling of packing their things and the sound of chatting gradually faded away. Only they remained in the dormitory. The noisy chatter and footsteps in the corridor seemed so close yet so far away.
The whole world was silent.
Chu Beiling tried to calm her breathing: "You don't like being with people and prefer to be alone, so what's with you always hitching a ride in my car?"
Xing Yu replied expressionlessly, "What do you think?"
Chu Beiling's face darkened several shades, becoming even blacker than black paint: "You mean, I'm not human?"
Xing Yu raised an eyebrow and shrugged: "I didn't mean that."
Look at this person, how innocent they are.
Chu Beiling retorted, "So what... does my car smell so good?"
Xing Yu picked up his schoolbag and left, saying as he passed by him, "I'm afraid you won't be able to go home."
"Damn it." Chu Beiling picked up her luggage and quickly caught up with Xing Yu: "Do I need your fake kindness?"
Xing Yu glanced at him and said coolly, "Oh, I see."
Chu Beiling, who was the last to leave, closed the dormitory door and rushed downstairs, driven by a strong competitive spirit, plus the fact that the person in front of him was named Xing Yu.
Even when walking, he didn't want to fall behind him; he had to walk ahead of him.
As he passed by Xing Yu, Xing Yu looked up at him, and their eyes met briefly before quickly looking away.
They left late; the main group had already largely departed, leaving only a few scattered individuals.
The two walked one after the other, with Xing Yu following Chu Beiling's shadow, passing through the tree-lined path on campus filled with osmanthus trees, and heading towards the school gate together.
When they arrived at the school gate, Uncle Zhao, who was parked across the street, noticed them, rolled down his window, and called them over: "Fanfan, over here."
Chu Beiling responded and, without waiting to see if Xing Yu followed, walked across the street on her own.
Just like when they arrived, the two of them each occupied a corner spot and ignored each other.
Uncle Zhao asked, "How was your week at school?"
"Not bad." Chu Beiling glanced at Xing Yu and added in her mind:
I would be happier if it weren't for Xing Yu, that annoying guy.
Uncle Zhao said, "It's inconvenient for your mother to be in Singapore. If you need anything at school, remember to call me."
Chu Beiling certainly wouldn't want to trouble Uncle Zhao, but she still politely agreed.
Uncle Zhao talked about other things, and Chu Beiling politely responded a few times, but then became too lazy to continue. He glanced at the receding street scene outside the window. The other person probably knew that he was not willing to answer, so he looked at Xing Yu. After a few words, they got a similar result.
Uncle Zhao was focused on driving and didn't say anything.
They go home once a week. Chu Beiling didn't want to go to and from school with Xing Yu every time. On the way back to Zhalongkou, he kept thinking about whether to tell Ms. Li that he could take the subway to and from school.
When they arrived at the entrance of Zhalong, Uncle Zhao asked them, "What time is your evening self-study session on Sundays?"
Chu Beiling: "5:30."
Uncle Zhao thought for a moment and asked, "Shall I come pick you up at 3 o'clock?"
Chu Beiling had no objections, but glanced at Xing Yu, asking for his opinion with his eyes. Xing Yu didn't speak, so he took it as tacit agreement: "Okay, then."
As the sun sets, the light in the stairwell changes from red to orange, blending with the black, white, and gray tones, giving their journey home a warm hue reminiscent of old Hong Kong movies.
Just like when he left the school gate, Xing Yu followed Chu Beiling's shadow upstairs.
He stopped on the fifth floor, and Xing Yu paused for a moment before continuing upstairs.
The two went their separate ways.
Chu Beiling put her luggage in the room, then went to the kitchen to boil water. While waiting for the water to boil, the lights in each house at the entrance of the alley came on.
From his angle, he can see what the people in the four-story building across the street are doing.
Through the window, the man living across the street put on his apron and began preparing dinner for his family. In the living room next door, the woman was playing house with their seven-year-old daughter.
Warm yellow fairy lights hung on the living room window, stretching from left to right in three tiers. Light streamed through the glass door, casting a slanted shadow on the balcony.
Ms. Li is busy with her career and rarely returns to China, living in Singapore most of the year. In the past, she had her father to take care of her, so she didn't feel lonely. But after her father passed away, she never experienced that kind of warmth and human connection again.
At this time, the neighbors around were cooking. The soundproofing in their building was not very good, and Chu Beiling could even hear the food being poured into the boiling oil next door, making a "sizzling" sound. Soon, the aroma of sweet and sour pork ribs wafted out.
He twitched his nose and couldn't resist taking a sniff.
It smells so good! I wonder who's making it. I'd like to go over and have a taste.
The water boiled, and the kettle automatically switched off with a "click," like the tolling of a bell signaling the end of a spell, pulling Chu Beiling back from the mundane world to solitude. After a moment, he took out instant noodles and a bunch of snacks from the cupboard.
He filled his stomach with instant noodles and snacks for dinner.
After dinner, Chu Beiling went back to her room to paint. She arranged the still life and set up the lighting. Just as she sat down, a message came in.
In 2012, during the transition from feature phones to smartphones, almost half of their classmates had already switched to smartphones and applied for WeChat accounts, but few people used them. They were still used to using QQ, except for Xu Tunan, who particularly liked using WeChat to find people.
The floor-eating eraser sent a voice message: "Chu Fanfan, wanna hang out this weekend?"
The physical model won't work. Text reply: 【Daytime isn't possible. On weekends, our studio goes out for plein air painting during the day, but we can play basketball together in the evening.】
A shocking sound, like the floor eating an eraser, came through the receiver: "Seriously?! You guys are rolling it like this! How am I supposed to accept this?!"
"My style isn't good enough," she murmured. "I have to keep it up! I don't want to be a lazy youth who ends up studying design!!"
The floor eats the eraser: "Huh?"
The design doesn't work: [I'm going to draw now, this will do.]
After reeling in the line, Chu Beiling took a wool paintbrush, dipped it in some paint, and quickly sketched out a shape to practice coloring.
The deep sound of a cello drifted up from upstairs; Xing Yu was playing the cello again, pausing for a moment—
Chu Beiling put down her paintbrush, changed her painting tools, got up and went to the kitchen to capture the scene of everyday life she had just witnessed in her painting album.
After finishing the painting, the cello music upstairs stopped. Chu Beiling signed it: "The everyday life of Zhalongkou, September 7, 2012, Zhalongkou."
I stared at it in a daze for a while—
Chu Beiling sat back down in front of the easel and continued practicing color.
On Sunday afternoon, Chu Beiling returned to school. Although he was unwilling to bring Xing Yu back to school, he had no choice but to do so because Ms. Li had spoken.
At the appointed time, Chu Beiling went upstairs to find Xing Yu to go back to school together.
The old-style apartment building didn't have a doorbell. It had an iron gate on the outside and a wooden door on the inside. The two doors were tightly closed, so you couldn't see inside. Chu Beiling raised his hand and knocked on the door. At first, he was quite polite, but no one answered.
Chu Beiling felt that Xing Yu was deliberately refusing to open the door for him, and became angrier the more he knocked: "Xing Yu, open the door."
Young Master Chu completely treated the iron gate as Xing Yu's face, venting his anger on it. He didn't care that his hands were red from pounding, and he knocked harder and harder, with a domineering and forceful manner reminiscent of Aunt Xue knocking on Yi Ping's door.
Chu Beiling shouted at the top of her lungs, "Open the door, Xing Yu! Don't think I don't know you're in there!"
He must have knocked too hard, because a resident downstairs opened their door and shouted into the stairwell, "Why don't you knock properly? It's so noisy!"
Chu Beiling had become much more restrained and was thinking about how to get Xing Yu, who was holed up at home and refused to come out, out when Grandma Chen, the neighbor across the street, opened the door.
Grandma Chen recognized Chu Beiling, who lived downstairs, and asked in surprise, "Are you looking for Xing Yu? He went back to school."
"Ah—" Chu Beiling looked bewildered: "When?"
Grandma Chen said, "I went there right after lunch, you didn't know!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
