Lady
"certainly."
"Bullshit."
Sheng Zhen lied.
Bu Jintao and Sheng Zhen are a negative example of a business marriage. One wanted to enter politics, and the other wanted to enter the business world, but both were dragged down by the other. Fortunately, the Bu family had the financial resources to support them, and they managed to survive and preserve the current "Sheng family".
Sheng Zhen obeyed Bu Jintao's every word, except for agreeing to a divorce. Sheng Qijing's mother was in France, waiting for Sheng Zhen to die.
"Whether it's true or false... so what?"
Sheng Zhen was as arrogant as a rotten apple hollowed out by worms. "Lao Run and Mo Chun are your mother's hard work, not those relatives from the Bu family. These directors look down on Ju Hui. The closer you get to her, the more they will use her as an excuse to make Mo Chun change his surname."
Sheng Qijing leaned back against the wall.
Sometimes he's like a refrigerator that can be opened at will, filled with all sorts of secrets, readily available with the light on. Even his gentle mother, who calls, knows he's "made a stupid mistake."
Sheng Zhen sighed, "But don't worry, I'm still here."
“Mo Chen still bears the surname Sheng. You don’t need to wait five years. Bring Ju Hui to Shanghai in July, and I will personally invite her to Mo Chen’s new artist exhibition.” Sheng Zhen reassured him, “Isn’t this what she wants most?”
A burst of laughter suddenly erupted in the classroom, and Sheng Qijing walked away into the distance.
Sheng Qijing: "What do you want me to do now?"
"Stop associating with these girls. As long as you graduate smoothly, I guarantee that Mo Chen and whoever you like will all be yours."
…
After a while, Sheng Qijing finally put his phone back in his pocket; his figure was practically a ghost in the corridor.
He was in a bad mood, but he had to hide it.
As soon as Sheng Qijing composed himself and stepped into the classroom, he was bumped into by someone.
Ju Hui took two steps back, clenched her fists in front of her chest, her nose round and red from the bump, and opened her eyes to look at him nervously: "You, you weren't hurt, were you?"
Sheng Qijing made a phone call that lasted a full thirty minutes.
Ju Hui finished her whole cup of coffee during this time, and the couple finally decided on the shape of the earthen kiln. One decided to make a Miyazaki Hayao Totoro holding a lotus leaf as an umbrella, and the other decided to make a big frog with its eyes as a spout.
The moment Ju Hui was hit by Sheng Qijing's chest, her thought process, like a long-distance runner, suddenly veered off course. She wondered why the couple had made those two shapes.
It seems that the three of them had just been talking about Master Li, who has big eyes and a Mediterranean hairstyle that makes him look like a cheese cat.
But that's not the point. The point is that Ju Hui had a small hammer in the pocket of her apron, positioned low, right next to Sheng Qijing's...
"A little." Sheng Qijing put one hand in his pocket, and Ju Hui's gaze followed. It was as if he was hiding something. "It hurts a little too much."
"Ah!" Ju Hui almost swallowed her fist. "What should we do? Should I take you to the hospital? Can you still drive?"
"You're giving me a ride, and you're even asking if I can drive?" Sheng Qijing's smile was weary. "Or do you want me to leave?"
"I'm just afraid of hurting you."
He frowned. Ju Hui was really annoying. Every time he teased her, he would be speechless with her cold and hard reply. "It's okay, Teacher Ju, I can still tolerate it."
Ju Hui looked up as Sheng Qijing walked to the corner, bent down to pick up a clay strip, walked back to his seat, sat down, and began to sculpt a small model. Every step he took landed in a place she never expected.
Ju Hui's lips were pressed so tightly they turned white.
She had read a news report about a male high school student who suffered a prostate injury but missed the best time for treatment because he insisted on enduring it. She never imagined that her male pride would cause her to lose the ability to stand up straight.
However, when the man was referring to Sheng Qijing, his prostate seemed capable of going head-to-head with a hammer. She decided to respect his wishes and casually walked over to him, whispering, "If you're feeling unwell, please... tell me right away."
"Is he really just putting on a brave face?" Ju Hui thought.
She saw that his face was frozen like clay.
In the afternoon, we had a hands-on clay sculpting session. We took a bus to the kiln at the foot of the mountain. The clay sculpting studio was spacious and bright. The red of the New Year lanterns in the courtyard shone through the two large windows on the central corridor. Ju Hui and Pu Yin demonstrated roughening the clay inside, while Master Li shoveled clay on the cement ground outside.
The corridor of the single-story house with doors and windows on both sides was not cold. The students stood quietly and listened to Pu Yin's explanation throughout the entire process, while Ju Hui translated next to the couple and glanced at Sheng Qijing's condition.
He seemed somewhat distracted.
Ju Hui, too, used her ears and eyes separately, always managing to focus her gaze on Sheng Qijing.
She was observing Sheng Qijing. At the moment he said "I will no longer pester you," Ju Hui did not feel that she had truly let go, neither he nor she herself.
Ju Hui immediately denied that she and Xu Siran were "going to have a new relationship," but she didn't dare to reach out and grab him.
Sheng Qijing paused for a moment, only saying "the ground is cold," before turning around and going back to his room.
His eyelashes drooped slightly as he stared at the grayish-yellow mud on the table, his expression as sorrowful as if he were looking at a fine bottle of red wine being poured into a river.
These brushing techniques were very basic for him, but Sheng Qijing's absent-mindedness was clearly not due to boredom; he was thinking about other things.
This emotion is nothing like him.
This was the first time Ju Hui had ever looked so closely at his features. A small patch of light and shadow fell over his brow bone, and his profile was hard and cold. The sadness at this moment added a few more strokes to his features.
"Sheng Qijing".
Ju Hui managed to stop him this time.
"That's about it, it's very simple, just think of it as building blocks." Pu Yin finished explaining, put down her fork, rubbed the dirt off her fingers, and followed the figures moving in the classroom from left to right.
Ju Hui pulled Sheng Qijing to her side.
So... you're not going to ask for two hundred anymore?
Mrs. Ida, who was on the next revolving door next to Sheng Qijing, smiled with delight at the sudden appearance of the handsome young man.
Once the foundation is laid, the workers will remain on the same turntable until the kiln is formed six days later. Seeing that Sheng Qijing had not responded, Ju Hui went to his original workstation to get him the clay slab tools.
She likes you.
Mrs. Ida wrinkled her nose and secretly pointed at Ju Hui's back with her muddy hand.
Ju Hui overheard this and secretly came back to refute it, saying that she had only asked him to be a substitute translator.
On the other side, Xu Siran, who had studied in the United States, watched as Ju Hui and Sheng Qijing spent their days together, from day to night, and from night to returning to their guesthouse room together.
Xu Siran's suite was on the first floor in a prime location, with a wooden tea room and a private courtyard. The crisp, rhythmic sound of flowing water, like the chanting of a Buddhist alms bowl, wouldn't disturb him; instead, it reminded him that he had company.
However, looking at it now, this room is separated from the second floor by a corner staircase, making it too remote.
"Sister Pu Yin, is this what you mean by just a wall separating us?" Xu Siran was speechless. "It's like being 500 meters away from Xiao Hui in a straight line."
"Isn't the ceiling a wall?"
Pu Yin was pulled back by Xu Siran and watched Ju Hui and Sheng Qijing leave first. The first day was the most tiring, as they had to make thorough preparations. She wondered how Ju Hui was doing; her neck was in excruciating pain.
"If you don't let go, you'll pull it too tight. Help me stretch it out... Oh yes... That feels better."
-
"good evening."
Sheng Qijing bid farewell to Ju Hui.
"Is something on your mind?"
When Ju Hui saw him holding the room card as soon as he reached the door, wanting to go in, her throat felt sore from holding it in, and she finally managed to ask him the question.
"drop…"
The door to Sheng Qijing's room was opened a crack.
He didn't go in, but turned his head to look at her.
In what capacity does Ju Hui show concern for him now?
Sheng Qijing played the role of a clumsy student who was not familiar with Ju Hui for a day. He didn't know how to roll mud strips and stirred mud too early. He was meticulous, but Mr. Gerald saw through him at a glance. He noticed that the calluses on his palms were in the same place as Ju Hui's.
This reason seemed weak, and Sheng Qijing denied it, but Mr. Gerald then added, "Then she just wants to understand you."
Sheng Qijing did not understand the word "know" as "to recognize".
“Or rather, she wants to kill you.” He shouted OR so loudly that it almost drew Ju Hui’s attention back. “Her eyes are saying that she wants to pry you open and see what’s inside.”
"Do teachers care about their students?" Sheng Qijing's Adam's apple bobbed as he couldn't think of anything easy to say. "I don't confide in people I've only known for a day."
"It's because I care about you, your junior."
Seeing that he was holding the doorknob, Ju Hui quickly stepped forward and slammed her back against the door frame, blocking the door between Sheng Qijing and the door. "Don't run away."
Sheng Qijing: "..."
"—She wants to understand you."
She truly didn't understand him—his preferences, his family, and his birthday, which had long since passed in silence. Sheng Qijing even felt that Ju Hui had forgotten that she had once called him "Teacher Sheng."
"Next time," Sheng Qijing said, lowering his eyes. "I haven't sorted things out myself yet..."
“But I have something on my mind just like you.” Ju Hui shoved her foot through the crack in the door. “Mine is about you. Talk to me and help me sort things out.”
Sheng Qijing was forced back half a step, but then realized something was wrong and leaned back. With just a slight push from him, Ju Hui could fall into the scorching darkness with him, and all they could talk about was whether his bed was big enough.
She tilted her head back, believing herself to be invincible.
Footsteps could be heard not far away.
More than one person went upstairs.
Ju Hui, who was about to pull her foot back and let go, exclaimed, "...!"
"Hey, classmate!" The older office worker among the students called out to Sheng Qijing, who was showing half of his back, "You're back so late even if you don't drink."
Sheng Qijing did not respond.
The older brother, who had been standing still, vanished in the blink of an eye, without even the sound of the door closing.
-
Sheng Qijing pushed her into the room.
He refused to talk, even though Ju Hui took the opportunity to slip her hands to his waist and hug him tightly.
The room was so dark that Ju Hui could only feel him. She pressed herself against his chest, listening to his deafening heartbeat, unsure of Sheng Qijing's emotions.
She never knew her place with his body; she would open her arms to hug him and reach out to touch him. She didn't care what he thought; she figured she had to seize the moment, or she wouldn't be able to touch him tomorrow!
It quickly became quiet outside.
Ju Hui let go of him before he got angry, saying, "I really want to talk to you, don't send me away."
Sheng Qijing remained silent.
They placed Ju Hui in a deserted place.
The windows were tightly drawn, and Ju Hui stared at what might be the light in his eyes. The bitter orange scent from his room permeated the entire space, consuming her last shred of sanity.
Ju Hui stood on tiptoe and kissed what she thought were lips: "Sheng Qijing, I still want to sleep with you!"
It hurts so much.
It looks like she kissed his chin.
Ju Hui lowered her head and covered her mouth, and the room fell silent once again. Ju Hui's vulgar thoughts were probably a joke that Sheng Qijing, who had been punched for no reason, would remember for a lifetime...
"Don't cry."
Sheng Qijing reached out, cupped her cheeks, and used his thumb to wipe away her non-existent tears.
Sheng Qijing said softly, "I like you too."
Ju Hui: "...?"
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