Chapter 4 The Distance Between Them During the Bitter Summer
The next day, a torrential downpour occurred outside, so the military training for Shen Qingli's class was suspended, and classes began directly.
The last period in the morning was Chinese class. After finishing the lesson, Chen Wei used the last few minutes to handle other matters.
"This is the size list for the school uniforms ordered by our class at the start of the semester. Starting from the first row, everyone writes it down and passes it on. The class monitor will keep an eye on it. Once everyone has filled it out, put the list in my office."
“Okay, Teacher Chen.” Luo Yiqiu sat down and noticed Chen Wei’s gaze directed at her, and immediately replied.
The size chart was handed to Shen Qingli just as get out of class was about to end. She had just filled in her clothing size when the bell rang.
"Alright, everyone go eat first." Chen Wei looked at the students below the podium who were eager to get up when they heard the bell for the end of get out of class, and considerately did not extend the class time.
After saying that, everyone got up and left the classroom in a noisy commotion.
"Qingli, want to go eat together?" Luo Yiqiu turned around and asked her with a smile, "This is my friend, her name is Chen Chaoxi. If you don't mind, the three of us can go to the cafeteria together!"
Hearing her words, Shen Qingli subconsciously glanced at the person next to her, who was the girl who had teased Luo Yiqiu yesterday.
Chen Chaoxi seemed to have noticed her gaze as well, and was gently nudged by Luo Yiqiu next to her with her elbow, clearly indicating that they had already discussed it beforehand.
Facing the expectant gazes of those around her, she had no choice but to nod and say, "Okay, let's go together."
Before this, Chen Chaoxi and she had hardly spoken a word to each other.
Shen Qingli smiled awkwardly. She could clearly sense their discomfort. Although she was grateful that they had come to see her, she still declined, saying, "No need, you can go ahead. I'm here today..."
Just as she was struggling to find a suitable excuse, someone outside the classroom suddenly called out to her, interrupting her: "Ah Li!"
Upon hearing this, the three of them peeked out and found Shen Qingyun standing at the door of their classroom.
The afternoon sun shone on her, making her somewhat sickly face look a little rosy. She held two bottles of pear soda in her hand, waved them at her, and called out with a smile, "Let's go, let's go to the cafeteria for lunch together."
The surrounding crowd stopped in their tracks when Shen Qingyun appeared, looking at her and whispering among themselves as they walked.
Shen Qingli instinctively felt that these weren't pleasant words, and immediately frowned. Just as she was about to walk outside, she heard Chen Chaoxi beside her suddenly say, "You know Shen Qingyun?"
"What?" Her question came suddenly, and Shen Qingli was taken aback before nodding and saying, "Oh, she is my... older sister."
She sounded a little awkward when she said the last two people, after all, in the past ten years or so, she seemed to have never used the word "older sister" with anyone.
She and Shen Qingyun lived in different places and had very little to do with each other in their daily lives, so many people naturally assumed that they were both only children.
The two people standing to the side looked at each other with some surprise upon hearing this answer.
During the conversation, Shen Qingyun probably noticed that she hadn't come out yet, so she squeezed through the crowd and came in first. When she got closer, she saw a girl standing in front of her sister who looked familiar. Seeing that they had been talking, she smiled politely at them and said, "I am Qingli's older sister. I've come to find her to have lunch."
"Oh, hello sister. Well then, we won't bother you any longer." Luo Yiqiu greeted them tactfully, then pulled Chen Chaoxi away first.
Watching the two of them leave, Shen Qingli breathed a sigh of relief and turned to Shen Qingyun, saying, "Let's go then."
-
They were walking to the cafeteria when the rain outside stopped.
As they squeezed together to go to eat, Shen Qingli noticed many eyes looking at them along the way, and people would occasionally pass by and greet Shen Qingyun.
She wasn't used to being stared at by so many people at once, and she became a little flustered. She subconsciously looked at Shen Qingyun next to her, but found that she seemed to be used to it.
"Why does it feel like everyone knows you?" She hesitated for a moment before finally voicing her question.
Upon hearing this, Shen Qingyun, who had just greeted a girl passing by, turned around and met her questioning look. She smiled and explained, "Because I've been at this school for a year, I know a lot of people. But once you get used to it, you'll make a lot of friends too."
Really? Such things probably only happen to likable people like her.
She lowered her head and did not answer Shen Qingyun's question, but just thought about it silently in her heart.
-
After finishing their meal, they strolled slowly back to their classroom.
"How is it like to study at No. 1 High School? Are you getting used to it?" Shen Qingyun asked with concern when she saw that she hadn't spoken.
"Thankfully, the teachers are all very nice."
"If you have any questions you don't know how to answer, remember to ask me. The knowledge points in junior high school and high school are different, so take your time. Don't worry if you fall behind."
"Um."
Afterwards, Shen Qingyun asked her many questions about school, including making friends and whether anyone was bullying her.
She didn't know about Shen Qingli's past at school, so she was extra concerned about her friendships, afraid that she wouldn't fit in.
However, Shen Qingli clearly didn't care much about this. On the contrary, she was indeed a little anxious about the learning progress that Shen Qingyun mentioned.
Many of the questions taught at Suzhou No. 1 Middle School were much more difficult than those in the junior high school she attended in the countryside. Many of her classmates had graduated from junior high schools in the city, and while they seemed to find some basic questions easy to understand, she couldn't remember or digest them well.
Although she had anticipated a gap, she was still a little anxious.
Her grandparents had arranged for Shen Qingyun's parents to bring her back so she could study better. She didn't want to lose face in terms of grades, especially with such an outstanding older sister above her. She didn't want to be outdone and had to at least be as excellent as Shen Qingyun.
-
Thinking of this, she decided to go to the library to find some reading materials to reinforce her past knowledge.
So she said to Shen Qingyun, "By the way, sister, I want to go to the library after school, you don't need to wait for me."
"You're going to the library? Do you know the way? No problem, I'll go with you."
Upon hearing this, Shen Qingli looked troubled and asked, "Mom...would Mom agree?"
Their parents usually protect Shen Qingyun like the apple of their eye; if she came home late with them, they would worry themselves to death.
"It's okay, I'll go to the security booth later and call my mom and the others." After saying that, Shen Qingyun saw that she still had concerns, and continued, "Okay, it's settled then, you don't need to worry about this."
Hearing her say that, Shen Qingli had no choice but to nod.
-
During lunch break, they returned to their respective classrooms. Shen Qingyun was called over by Chen Wei, who said he had something to tell her.
She only just found out that her homeroom teacher was also the grade director of Suzhou No. 1 High School, in charge of all kinds of school affairs.
She sat back down in her seat, recalling the surprised look on Chen Wei's face when he found out they were sisters. She looked up at herself against the glass window of the classroom.
In terms of appearance, she doesn't actually look very much like Shen Qingyun. Shen Qingyun looks like their mother, with small and delicate features and a gentle appearance. Her first impression is that she is an easy-going and good-tempered person.
Her facial features are actually more like Shen's father's; they are bright but aggressive and not easy to approach, which is many people's first impression of her.
From this perspective, they certainly don't seem like sisters.
Just then, a bottle of juice was handed to her; it was the same brand of juice that Shen Qingyun had given her earlier.
She looked up and saw that it was Chen Chaoxi.
"?"
Her sudden show of goodwill surprised her.
Chen Chaoxi noticed her probing gaze and became somewhat awkward as well.
She explained to her that her attitude at noon wasn't because she disliked her; she just wasn't good at talking to people she didn't know well.
After explaining, she steered the conversation back to Shen Qingyun. Listening to her words, Shen Qingli felt that this was her true purpose.
She inquired about their relationship, and from her, Shen Qingli learned that she knew her sister because Shen Qingyun had helped her before.
From her words, she also learned that Shen Qingyun was so famous in this school.
It turns out that she was the top student in the second year of high school for many years, with her grades remaining consistently high. Not only that, she was also a universally acknowledged beautiful girl with a well-known good reputation. Many people assumed that she was the school beauty of Suzhou No. 1 High School.
Hearing this, she recalled the whispers she had heard in the corridor earlier and suddenly it all made sense.
Beautiful and outstanding people always easily become the focus of attention, and a place like school is no exception.
But gradually, she will discover that the people around her are all famous figures from Suzhou No. 1 High School.
Everyone has their own special talents and outstanding family backgrounds, and behind their admiration and envy, there are also many true and false gossip stories circulating.
It seems that she was the only one who never truly integrated into the school, nor did she make many of the friends that Shen Qingyun mentioned. Everyone's impression of her was just that she was a pretty but quiet classmate. She was more like a character who was detached from everyone's youth.
Those precious and beautiful memories of Suzhou No. 1 High School seem to have nothing to do with her. She even feels that if someone asks her to look back on her youth many years later, she can only answer with two words: boring.
Shen Qingli never imagined that Lin Xiaqing would be that variable.
-
After school, Shen Qingyun packed her things quickly, picked up her schoolbag, and went straight to the door of Shen Qingli's classroom.
Standing at the door with her was a tall, thin boy.
When Shen Qingli came out with her schoolbag, she saw Shen Qingyun talking to that boy.
Isn't this the boy who brought Luo Yiqiu here yesterday? She glanced at him and walked over to Shen Qingyun's side.
"Ah Li, you're all packed?" She smiled when she saw Shen Qingli, then turned around and introduced her to the boy, "Yi Xiao, this is my sister, Shen Qingli."
"Oh, hello. I've often heard Qingyun mention you before. My name is Zhao Yixiao, and I'm your sister's classmate." The boy named Zhao Yixiao turned around, politely nodded and smiled at her, and introduced himself.
"Oh, hello." She nodded and returned a polite smile.
The other party was very tactful; seeing that they still had things to do, they didn't say anything more.
Shen Qingyun said something to him and then called her away. They walked towards the front of the corridor, while he remained standing at the classroom door. At the corner, Shen Qingli glanced back unintentionally and saw Luo Yiqiu walk up to Zhao Yixiao. He habitually took the things from the other person's hands, and then the two leaned closer and talked to each other.
...
They remained silent the whole way, and Shen Qingyun seemed to have something on her mind as well, speaking much less.
She escorted Shen Qingli to the library entrance and told her that she would be sitting at the entrance waiting for her.
"Aren't you coming in with me?" she asked.
Upon hearing this, Shen Qingyun shook her head and urged, "I don't have any books I'm looking for, you should go quickly."
Shen Qingli nodded, said she would be out soon, and walked straight into the building.
That year, Suzhou's economy was still very underdeveloped, and the remote town only had one decent library. It was after school, and the library was full of people.
Because Shen Qingyun was waiting for her outside, she didn't plan to stay here for too long. Fortunately, she had asked Luo Yiqiu before coming, so she could easily find what she needed by following the categories on the bookshelf.
Following the bookshelves layer by layer, she came to a secluded corner. Behind the bookshelf in front of her, someone suddenly tripped and crashed heavily into it.
The wooden bookshelf creaked and swayed, and the books on the top shelf fell haphazardly toward Shen Qingli as they bumped into it.
She heard a gasp beside her, and before she could do anything else, someone quickly grabbed her wrist and pulled her aside. She was suddenly very close to that person, and Shen Qingli smelled that familiar fruity scent.
Books rained down at her feet, the loud noise attracting the attention of many people nearby. The caretaker rushed over to apologize, "I'm so sorry, so sorry. Are you alright?"
"It's alright." Looking at the girl in front of her with a face full of remorse, she shook her head, still shaken.
As soon as she spoke, the hand that had been covering her wrist immediately removed.
Shen Qingli noticed his movement, turned around and was about to thank him, but froze when she saw who it was.
Lin Xiaqing stood beside her, subtly creating a small distance between them.
No wonder his scent seemed familiar; it was him. She thought to herself, and said aloud, "Thank you for earlier."
"It's alright, just be more careful next time." With that, he picked up the book in one hand and started to leave.
Seeing that he was about to leave, Shen Qingli hesitated and wanted to go forward to stop him, but she clearly noticed that he had just distanced himself from her, so she ultimately did not move.
Thinking of this, she lowered her head and stared at her wrist. The surroundings were noisy. She pursed her lips and stared at Lin Xiaqing's departing figure, her heart filled with mixed emotions.
It was always his back view. Ever since they met at Suzhou No. 1 High School, he had always left her with a resolute back view, leaving her unsure of what to say or do.
-
Lin Xiaqing walked to the front and registered with the administrator the books she wanted to borrow.
Before leaving, the administrator noticed the red scratches on his arm and kindly handed him a piece of paper, reminding him, "Young man, it looks like your arm is bleeding."
Upon hearing this, Lin Xiaqing instinctively hid her hands behind her back, took the book and the tissues from it, thanked them, and hurriedly left.
A note from the author:
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