Chapter 36 Extra Chapter 2: High School Reunion
December 25, 2016, Christmas Day.
Huaiqing Ancient Town welcomed its first snowfall of the year.
Dark clouds hung low, and a cold wind howled.
That day, Chen Jianjin finally got results for the matter he had been investigating for a long time.
He should be happy, but he couldn't feel any joy at all.
Because his closest people, along with the people he trusted most, shattered his dream with their own hands.
After leaving the coach's house, Chen Jianjin drove along the highway at high speed.
He wandered aimlessly, and the suicidal thoughts that had arisen in his childhood resurfaced.
When he floored the accelerator, he was eagerly anticipating an unexpected event.
No, there isn't.
It was as if fate was deliberately working against him, granting him a smooth road ahead.
Until the signs for Huaiqing Ancient Town came into view.
Chen Jianjin optimistically thought that perhaps... he should die in a beautiful, scenic place.
But before he could take any action, his car broke down on a street where the snow had been trampled into mud.
Chen Jianjin suddenly felt mocked and wanted to laugh.
He had so many chances on the highway without any car malfunctions, but something went wrong when he slowed down.
Feeling suffocated by the stagnant air in his chest, Chen Jianjin suppressed his bad mood and called a tow truck.
Feeling restless, he suddenly had a strong urge to smoke.
But there were none on the bus.
And just like that, the dilapidated convenience store across the street suddenly came into view.
A gust of wind blew up the wind chimes by the door, making them tinkle crisply.
It's clear that the shop owner is a person with a great appreciation for life.
This shabby little shop still needs some decorating.
A girl wearing a thick white cotton coat sat behind the counter, her head down as she did her homework.
Chen Jianjin glanced at it and only caught a glimpse of the words "Grade 1" on the test paper.
The girl lowered her head and looked down; from his angle, he could only see her slightly pursed cherry lips and shallow dimples on her cheeks.
She was so focused that she didn't even notice the guests had arrived.
Chen Jianjin tapped the table twice with his knuckles, a silent reminder.
The girl looked up as if startled, her round eyes timid yet sparkling.
In an instant, certain memories buried deep in my mind surged up like a tidal wave, with an unstoppable, overwhelming force like a flood bursting its banks.
Song Wan.
Almost instantly, Chen Jianjin remembered her name.
His heart skipped a beat, and for a split second he stared intently at the person opposite him.
A restless feeling stirred within me.
He eagerly awaited, longed for, the next words she would blurt out: that she recognized him.
No, there isn't.
What he thought would happen did not occur.
The young woman calmly stood up and, as she had done with every previous guest, asked in a composed manner, "Hello, what would you like to order?"
Chen Jianjin suddenly lost his desire to smoke. He lifted his eyelids slightly and carefully examined the girl in front of him.
Apart from her height, she really hasn't changed at all.
No, that's not right either. It seems... it looks better.
He remembered that when she was little, she liked to tie a flower bud on each side of her head, making her look like a New Year's picture doll, except that she wasn't as round as a New Year's picture doll.
She simply tied her hair into a loose bun at the back of her head, with many stray hairs falling down behind her ears.
Upon closer inspection, Chen Jianjin discovered that Song Wan had changed in many ways.
She's blossomed and become much prettier.
But some things haven't changed.
For example, her eyes are still as round and bright as ever, like grapes washed clean; for example, her habit of pursing her lips and creating dimples when she's at a loss remains the same; for example…
Unconsciously, as Chen Jianjin counted her differences, his mood calmed down.
Song Wan thought this person was really strange, staring at her incessantly.
"Hello."
Song Wan lost her patience and frowned as she spoke up to remind him.
ha!
Chen Jianjin noticed that even the person's impatient, furrowed, and angry expression was exactly the same as before.
He put his hands in his pockets, as if he had discovered something incredibly fun.
What exactly do you want to buy?
Song Wan's eyes widened slightly.
“Buy…” Chen Jianjin looked around, as if only then realizing the time had changed, and suddenly found that it was already evening.
It's time to eat.
He hasn't eaten a single grain of rice in the six hours since breakfast.
Thinking about it this way, my stomach and intestines seemed to start clamoring for a strike.
Chen Jianjin glanced at the metal shelf, then looked back at the girl and asked teasingly, "Any fast food recommendations?"
Song Wan glanced at him suspiciously, then walked around the counter.
Chen Jianjin followed closely behind the girl.
"This is instant noodles, that's bread, and small snacks like braised eggs and sausages are on the bottom layer."
After saying that, Song Wan returned to the counter.
Chen Jianjin had never eaten these things before. He scratched his brow and leaned out again to ask, "Which one tastes better?"
This person is really troublesome.
Helpless, Song Wan put down her pen, walked to the shelf, and randomly picked a few items according to her own taste, tossing them to him, "These taste better when put together."
Chen Jianjin looked at the thing in his arms, then at the girl who was more than a head shorter than him, and his brows furrowed. "Do you eat a lot of this kind of thing?"
Song Wan didn't catch the concern in the boy's words. She thought he was questioning her recommendation, so she spread her hands and said, "If you're not satisfied with what I picked, you can choose one yourself."
Chen Jianjin did not mean that.
never mind.
He doesn't argue with children.
Although the two were only two years apart, in Chen Jianjin's eyes at that time, the difference between freshman year of college and freshman year of high school was the difference between an adult and a child.
That year, mobile payment had not yet become widespread in rural towns and villages.
After Chen Jianjin paid the bill, he put his wallet back in his pocket, and the wind chimes at the door started ringing erratically again.
"Wanwan!"
A girl who looked about the same age as Song Wan rushed in, with a DSLR camera hanging around her neck. The first thing she did upon entering was to steal a glance at him.
Chen Jianjin clicked his tongue lightly, displeased.
He dislikes being scrutinized, whether openly or subtly.
"Xiaxia".
Chen Jianjin witnessed firsthand how Song Wan's eyes lit up instantly the moment the girl named Xiaxia entered the room, as if a light bulb had been switched on.
Tsk.
I'm even more annoyed now.
Is he really that unrecognizable? Why didn't Song Wan remember him at all?
Chen Jianjin tapped lightly on the glass countertop and asked with a displeased expression, "Do you have hot water?"
Now, Song Wan had no choice but to turn her attention back to the person in front of her.
Upon seeing this, Chen Jianjin sighed softly, seemingly somewhat helpless, and said, "I'm sorry, we are a small supermarket, not one of those 24-hour chain convenience stores."
"...?" Chen Jianjin raised an eyebrow. "Then there's a sign outside that says '24-hour convenience store'?"
"..."
This time, Song Wan was in the wrong. It was because her aunt thought that the chain convenience store was high-end and had good business, so she changed the appearance of her own small supermarket.
"Oh, Wanwan." Fang Xia glanced at the tall, handsome boy in front of her and tried to smooth things over, "Don't you have a kettle here? Help them boil some water, they're all guests."
That person is really annoying.
Helpless, Song Wan went to boil water again.
After boiling the water, she unfolded the folding square table that Song Qinsu usually used, for this meddlesome guest to use.
Fang Xia came over to Song Wan to ask for her homework so she could copy it when she got home.
Of course, she said she just wanted to observe the problem-solving process.
Song Wan was an easily fooled girl, so she generously gave her the homework and, before leaving, reminded her, "If there's anything you don't understand, just ask me on QQ."
Fang Xia gave a perfunctory reply, waved her hand, and left.
After the wind chimes rang, the glass door closed again.
A soft laugh reached my ears.
Song Wan turned her head to look over.
While picking out noodles, the boy, not wanting to miss out on the fun, said, "Believe it or not... she took your homework to copy it?"
Song Wan, of course, didn't believe him and turned her face away, ignoring him completely.
Outside, the cold wind howled, but inside, it was warm and cozy.
The girl behind the cashier puffed up her cheeks and threw a tantrum, just like an adorable little pufferfish.
At this moment, Chen Jianjin felt inexplicably comfortable, like sitting around a stove brewing tea in the cold winter, a sense of peace and comfort spreading from head to toe.
There were no grand events, no deliberate sentimentality, just a bland reunion as tasteless as plain water.
Chen Jianjin didn't know why, but he inexplicably took it to heart.
The cat-like crying face of Song Wan when she was a child gradually overlapped with the delicate, small face in the convenience store.
The girl's smile seemed to have the magic to heal everything.
At first, Chen Jianjin only regarded Song Wan as a sweet candied fruit after taking medicine, and would drive over to take a look whenever he felt uncomfortable.
It was as if this were his Garden of Eden.
However, he has not been seen since that incident at the convenience store.
Deep down, he didn't want anyone to discover his truest thoughts, even if that person was the one he relied on emotionally.
After that, observing Song Wan became Chen Jianjin's source of joy.
He treated Song Wan like a pet.
Seeing others looking glamorous in beautiful dresses and sparkling jewelry, I also want to give her the best.
So he intervened in her life.
Chen Jianjin never expected that money would bring her trouble.
It was a Friday afternoon with torrential rain, and Chen Jianjin was used to coming to see Song Wan a little early after school.
Unexpectedly, he encountered a scene that he would never forget.
The girl ran out of the school in the rain.
The rain was pouring down, but she didn't even have an umbrella, and her school uniform was soaked through.
She seemed to be crying, wiping her eyes as she ran.
A middle-aged man chased after her.
Song Wan was slow and was quickly overtaken.
Chen Jianjin was far away, and the rain was heavy, so he couldn't hear what they were arguing about. He could only tell from their expressions that they were arguing.
Then, the middle-aged man slapped her across the face.
Chen Jianjin's heart skipped a beat, followed by a series of sharp, intermittent pains.
He got out of the car with an umbrella.
The rain was heavy, and Song Wan was soaked to the bone. She walked forward with her head down as if she had lost her soul.
Ahead lay a crossroads with a flashing green light, and the crisscrossing traffic splashed water everywhere.
Chen Jianjin's heart was in his throat.
Finally, before a car came from the side, he grabbed Song Wan's hand and pulled her back.
Chen Jianjin was furious and wanted to teach her a lesson, but when he met the girl's bright red almond eyes, his heart softened completely.
Later, Chen Jianjin learned that the man he had seen at the school gate that day was actually Song Wan's father, a gambler who had come to ask her for money.
Recalling the despair in the girl's eyes that day, Chen Jianjin felt a pang of heartache.
He had once contemplated suicide himself, so he knew that at that moment, Song Wan truly wanted to end her life.
So he devised a plan to send the man to prison.
From curiosity to pity, Chen Jianjin unknowingly fell for him.
She truly noticed the change in his mindset shortly after Song Wan started her senior year of high school, on her eighteenth birthday.
It was Friday after school, and Song Wan and Lian Huaiyang were walking home together when they came across a newly opened cake shop offering discounts.
The boy said he wanted to treat her to cake, so he bought a small piece the size of his palm.
The sunset was beautiful, and Song Wan took a spoonful with a plastic spoon while the person opposite her looked on expectantly.
She smiled and nodded as she looked at the sunset, saying it was delicious, with a shallow dimple at the corner of her lips.
The boy also laughed.
Not far away, Chen Jianjin, who witnessed this scene, felt a bitter taste of vinegar in his mouth. A huge surge of jealousy and resentment surged in his heart. He was so angry that he wanted to go up and beat the boy up.
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