Chapter 208 if-two little guesses 9
The time was particularly difficult to bear. At lunch, Zhang Li and Wang Jiayuan sat next to her, and even Chen Ningning, who she rarely interacted with, came over.
They didn't ask her whether she would go after school, but instead guessed what Tong Zhongyuan would say in their excited voices.
"Date me! Qin Yizhang."
"I don't think so. The campus hunk is cool. I think he'll be more reserved. For example, my girlfriend's position is vacant. It's reserved for you."
"Hahahahahahahahaha..." The three of them burst into laughter and started a new round of speculation.
Qin Yizhang simply couldn't listen any further and ate the whole meal in extreme discomfort.
"You're overthinking it. He can't possibly be suing..." Before she could finish her words, Zhang Li hooked his arm around her shoulders and winked at her.
"You are too naive. I bet Tong Zhongyuan likes you! I saw it last time."
"no……"
The three of them discussed, their voices rising higher and higher, completely drowning out her defenses. Finally, they announced that in order to create a favorable confession environment, they had formed a temporary confession protection team and would not allow anyone near the confession area on the playground after school.
The last class of the afternoon ended, and as the bell rang, dozens of eyes immediately turned to her. Qin Yizhang, despite the pressure, feigned composure as she packed her bag. As she stood up, two voices called her name simultaneously.
"Qin Yizhang."
She gathered herself. The person calling her from her left was Zhang Li, giving her a silly victory sign. The person calling her from her right was Huang Zheng, a male classmate with comparable academic performance who often discussed academic issues with her. He looked at her with a complicated expression, and seeing her questioning look, he hesitated to speak.
"Want to go home together?" he asked with courage.
Qin Yizhang was stunned. They had gone home together before, but today he should have heard Tong Zhongyuan asking her to go to the playground.
"I have something else to do, so I'll be leaving later."
"I'll wait for you at the school gate. When you're done...we'll go home together." He said softly, but couldn't stand the silence for a few seconds, so he added, "I have a question I want to discuss with you."
Qin Yizhang breathed a sigh of relief: "Then let's do it tomorrow. I'll come to school early and discuss it then."
Huang Zheng still wanted to fight for it, but Qin Yizhang had already left the classroom.
On the way to the playground, Qin Yizhang saw several people from Class 7. Perhaps because she felt guilty, she immediately lowered her head when she saw familiar faces. She walked the short two hundred meters with a blush on her face. She knew it was impossible, but the things they talked about at noon kept flashing through her mind.
The playground was no different from any other place. After class, students were playing football and running laps. She cursed herself for being so stupid for caring about what Zhang Li and the others said. How could someone like Tong Zhongyuan confess his feelings in such a public place? No, it wasn't the occasion. It was that he simply had no interest in her. He wouldn't confess his feelings no matter the occasion. In his heart, she was genderless, and she treated him the same way. She never viewed him from the perspective of the opposite sex. In her heart, he was still her childhood playmate.
Her heartbeat calmed, and she stood at the edge of the playground, looking out. Beneath a camphor tree, Tong Zhongyuan, carrying a large travel bag, spotted her and walked into her sight, stopping a few steps away without saying a word.
There was a burst of cheers on the court, and a few girls passed by the tree in groups and looked at them curiously.
"What do you want from me?" Qin Yizhang couldn't stand the silence and spoke first.
"Apologize." He had rehearsed it several times in his mind. "I formally apologize to you. What happened last time was my fault. I acted on my own initiative and did something hurtful. I won't do it again. Will you forgive me?"
The shock left Qin Yizhang speechless. She had thought that Tong Zhongyuan had come to her to smooth things over, but it was definitely not an apology. Tong Zhongyuan had always had a strong sense of self-esteem, and even if it was truly his fault, he wouldn't say sorry. He would only show his apology through actions, such as buying her a bottle of Coke or a piece of chocolate. That was all he could do to show his apology.
The moment she saw the money, shame overwhelmed her. She had only one thought: return the money and never see him again. It wasn't because he'd done anything so awful, but because she felt so ashamed in his presence. At that moment, the only way she could redeem herself from her utter inferiority was to hurt him.
These past few days, she'd felt pain, stubbornness, and anger, but not hatred. How could she possibly hate Tong Zhongyuan? He was just a child living a happy and comfortable life, with parents who protected him from the elements, a comfortable financial situation, and the freedom to make whatever choices he wanted. He lived the most luxurious life a high school student could imagine. It wasn't his fault; it was the luck he deserved. Perhaps he thought she'd forgotten, but she would never forget the day of her mother's funeral. In her heart, Tong Zhongyuan was more than just a playmate; he was a symbol of happiness. Even in her most devastating days, his presence softened her sorrow. If possible, she hoped he could remain this happy forever. And that happiness didn't require her presence. Their ordinary, yet glorious, childhood was gone. They weren't Peter Pans. When it was time to grow up, they did so without hesitation or choice.
When he said, "Will you forgive me?", her heart ached. What had he done that she needed to forgive? How could she deserve Tong Zhongyuan to ask for her forgiveness?
"It's not your fault." All her thorns softened and she looked down at the tip of her shoe. "I'm just too sensitive. I know you're just trying to help me."
Tong Zhongyuan felt relieved, and every pore felt lighter. He had guessed right. Qin Yizhang was soft-hearted. As soon as he apologized, she softened her heart.
"It's my fault for not considering your feelings. I've been reflecting on this for the past few days." He struck while the iron was hot. It was a bit difficult to apologize, but once he really said it, it was out of control. "I will consider your feelings more in the future, okay?"
Qin Yizhang felt even more guilty. She was the one who should have apologized. She looked up at him and said in a low voice, "I was wrong too... I even lost my temper with you."
The tips of her ears were red, the naughty hair at the hairline trembled in the wind, and her voice sounded wet.
His mood was like the evening breeze, fresh and light.
"So we're reconciled?"
She said nothing, but nodded vigorously. The corners of his mouth curled up in amusement; he knew her best. He took the backpack from his shoulder and handed it to her.
"There's an apology gift inside."
Qin Yizhang was stunned: "No need..."
Tong Zhongyuan stuffed the backpack into her arms without saying a word.
"This time, I won't hurt your pride. Return the backpack to me in two days. I'm going home first."
"Hey! Wait a minute!"
She held his backpack in her arms and chased him for two steps, but his pace had widened the gap and left her behind.
"Tong Zhongyuan!" she shouted at the top of her voice.
He turned around, his smile brighter than the golden afterglow. He waved to her and ran down the track, his brisk figure disappearing at the end of the playground.
Qin Yizhang stopped helplessly, holding her bag, and stood there for a moment, stunned. Carrying such a large bag home wasn't an option, so she had to stuff her schoolbag in there to combine them. She opened the bag, and a furry monkey head poked out. It was an oversized Monchhichi.
He had already left the school gates, the melancholy of the past few weeks gone, his steps light and effortless, barely able to walk properly, only to run. She must have seen that Monchhichi. Netizens say it's the trendiest item, and girls love it. Yesterday, he went to the Nanjing Road store and bought the largest size. It turns out these monkeys come in male and female varieties. He first picked one with a bow on its head. While waiting in line to check out, he saw a couple buying a pair of small Monchhichis. The girl held the male, and the boy held the female.
"Please come this way to pay." The cashier raised his hand to greet him.
He hurriedly left the team, put down the female monkey in his hand, and exchanged it for a male.
He held Monchhichi and returned to the line, his ears ringing with the excited cries of the girls as they saw the cute things. He lifted Monchhichi and examined it. Its three-lashed eyes looked at him ingratiatingly. He rubbed its big head. This expression was good. Qin Yizhang, she shouldn't hate you, right?
Qin Yizhang opened the door, put on slippers, threw her travel bag on the sofa, and lay down. She stared blankly at the ceiling for a while, sat up, and took Monchichi out of her bag.
It sat upright in front of her, sucking its fingers, looking at her eagerly with a fawning look. She gently touched its head, and the soft and dense hair arched in her palm. She sighed, such a touch was irresistible. It was strange, why did she feel that this big-headed monkey was similar to Tong Zhongyuan, especially the hair and expression. She pinched its face, and its bib was lifted by her fingers, revealing a golden hourglass. She paused, touched its neck, and hooked out a necklace from its thick hair - a time converter.
"I'm done eating." Tong Zhongyuan put down his bowl.
He Wu looked from him to the now-empty plates in surprise. He'd lost his appetite lately, so his father had been cooking different dishes to get him going. Today, he'd cooked crab with scallions and ginger, beef tenderloin with black peppercorns, octopus with soy sauce, lettuce with oyster sauce, and seafood tofu soup. She'd expected him to show some courtesy and try a few dishes, like he had the other day, but he'd practically devoured all four dishes and the soup. If he hadn't been saving a bite for his parents, she was sure he could have finished it all by himself.
"What's wrong with him?" She looked away from his room.
"I don't know," Tong Yinxu poured his son's leftover tofu soup into his own bowl. "Aren't you worried that he's not getting enough nutrition? Eating too much isn't good for him?"
He Wu said nothing more. Something was wrong. It had been wrong before, and it was wrong now.
Tong Zhongyuan turned on his computer. There were dozens of comments under his post, waiting for feedback from the original poster. He smirked as he read through them one by one and checked the delete button.
This post carrying his tangled, anxious and helpless help disappeared from the Internet, as if it had never existed.
The troubles of the past few days were finally washed away. Although he felt happy physically and mentally, he felt a little empty and bored. He lay on his back on the bed, resting his head on his arms.
What was Qin Yizhang doing now? Would Uncle Qin be home tonight? Was she afraid of living alone? Uncle Qin should buy her a cell phone so she could contact him if anything happened. Or, should he ask his mother to remind him? The problem was, his mother was more clever than a monkey. How could he get her to remind him without making her suspicious? This was a difficult problem, and he needed to think it over. When Qin Yizhang got a cell phone, he would buy one too. That way, it would be much easier for them to contact each other.
She should have seen the necklace, and this time, she will accept it.
He rolled over comfortably, picked up "Dream of the Red Chamber" from the bedside and began to read. He had tried several times before to read this book, but he could never get through it. But last week, when he was in the worst mood, he got into it. Although Jia Baoyu had no other skills, he always managed to make Lin Daiyu laugh.
"'Stop for a moment. I know you're ignoring me. I'll just say one thing, and from now on I'll let go.' Lin Daiyu saw it was Baoyu and was about to ignore him, but when she heard him say, 'Just one word, and from now on I'll let go,' she had no choice but to stop and say, 'I have something to say, please.' Baoyu smiled and said, 'Two words. Do you want to hear them?' Daiyu turned around and left. Baoyu sighed behind her, 'Since it's come to this, why bother in the first place?'"
Tong Zhongyuan smiled knowingly when he read this. It turned out that girls have been like this since ancient times. He had no choice but to finish reading this set of books.
By the time he reached chapter seventy, the atmosphere of tragedy was slowly creeping in. He closed the book, unwilling to read any further. There was no reason why Bao Gege and Lin Daiyu, childhood sweethearts who had grown up together, couldn't be together. The author was simply forcing it, a tragedy for its own sake. With such an ending, it was better not to read it.
He opened the bedside table, reached into the corner and took out a small Monchhichi with a bow, held it in his arms, pulled up the quilt and turned off the light. Unlike the tossing and turning in the past few days, the soft fur pressed against his chest, and in a few minutes his consciousness became blurred. The red ear tips, the fluttering naughty fur, the wet sounds... gently led him to fall into sleep.
Qin Yizhang removed the towel from her head and blew it with a hair dryer for over half an hour, but her hair was still damp. The weather in early autumn was still hot during the day, but a bit cooler at night. Especially on windy days, her windows weren't sealed well, and sometimes there was a whimpering sound, which made her feel uneasy.
After the sound of the hair dryer stopped, the room was too quiet. She threw the hair dryer away, hurried back to her bed, and covered her head with the quilt.
The window was shaking again, the glass emitting a high-pitched whine. She covered her ears, but couldn't block out the creepy sound. She didn't know how much time had passed, but she still couldn't fall asleep. She turned on the light. Monchichi was on the cabinet across from the bed, sucking his finger and looking at her adorably. She jumped out of bed barefoot, ran over, grabbed him, and brought him back to bed.
She hugged Monchhichi tightly, its soft head resting on her swollen chest, quickly absorbing her body heat and becoming cozy. She pulled the quilt up to cover them both. Her heartbeat gradually calmed, and she sighed in relief. She adjusted her posture, comfortably resting her face against its furry head, and fell into a deep sleep.
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