Chapter 14
In mid-June, Fuzhou was hit by a sudden typhoon.
The temperature dropped rapidly throughout the city, the sky became overcast, and the rain, whipped into dense diagonal lines by the wind, pounded against the classroom windows, creating a continuous and irritating noise.
The lush camphor trees on campus swayed violently in the wind.
The morning exercise break was canceled, and the students were all stuck in their respective classrooms.
The air was hot and humid, mixed with the earthy smell of rain and the slight sweat on the boys' bodies.
Sang Sui sat by the window in Class 7, looking at the chaotic world outside. His heart was filled with the terrible weather, and he felt inexplicably annoyed.
Until the long break in the morning.
She got up and went to the water dispenser at the end of the corridor to get water; the only way she could pass was through the window of Class 6.
Just as she walked past with her head down, a suppressed, low cough pierced through the noisy break time and clearly entered her ears.
She paused instinctively, her heart skipped a beat.
Almost instinctively, she looked into Class 6.
Then I saw Liang Fengshen.
Liang Fengshen was sitting in a seat by the window, his head slightly turned to the side, his hand pressed against his lips. His face was paler than usual, and his lips were also pale. The familiar white school uniform shirt he wore now made him look unusually thin and fragile.
His cough wasn't severe, but each cough was tinged with suppressed emotion, and a faint frown appeared between his brows.
He caught a cold.
Did I get caught in this damn typhoon rain on my way to school this morning?
This matter, like a vine, entangled all of Sang Sui's thoughts.
After she finished fetching the water, she was absent-minded all morning.
Until the lunch break bell rang.
Most students chose to take a nap on their desks, and the classroom gradually quieted down, leaving only the tireless clamor of the wind and rain outside the window.
Sang Sui's heart, however, could not find peace.
He's sick. Has he taken any medicine? Is it serious?
The more she thought about it, the more agitated she became. Then she made a decision, almost without hesitation: she excused herself to go to the restroom and quietly slipped out of the classroom. The corridor was deserted, and the sound of the wind and rain was amplified, sounding particularly eerie.
Holding the umbrella that was swaying precariously in the gale, she plunged headlong into the rain.
The short walk from the teaching building to the infirmary was almost swallowed up by the wind and rain.
The icy rain instantly soaked her skirt and socks, clinging tightly to her skin, making her shiver. Oblivious, she returned with the medicine she had finally managed to obtain.
Sang Sui waited all afternoon, and when there was no one in Class Six, he took a deep breath and quickly slipped away.
She quickly walked to the window seat that she had secretly observed countless times.
Liang Fengshen's desk drawer was very tidy, with only a few textbooks and notes. She quickly stuffed the box of cold medicine into the innermost part and covered it slightly with a physics book.
The action was completed silently, but it exhausted all her courage.
After doing all this, she felt as if she had done something shameful and turned to flee the scene.
However, just as she reached the back door of the classroom and was about to leave, she almost bumped into someone who was about to come in.
It's Cheng Xiao.
Cheng Xiao was holding a basketball in his arms, his hands in his pockets, clearly having just returned from playing basketball at the gym.
He was visibly taken aback when he saw Sang Sui rushing out of his classroom in a panic. His gaze lingered on her flustered face for a second, then drifted over her shoulder and thoughtfully glanced in the general direction of Liang Fengshen's seat.
He didn't speak, but a very faint, quick smile curved his lips, a mixture of understanding and a hint of barely perceptible amusement. He didn't point it out, nor did he greet her; he simply stepped aside to make way for her, as if she were just an ordinary student who had wandered into the wrong classroom.
Sang Sui's face flushed bright red instantly, and even his ears burned.
Her instinct was to flee in panic, using the fastest speed she could muster, head down, brushing past Cheng Xiao without a word, and escaping Class Six.
Cheng Xiao's knowing glance sent a chill down her spine more than the typhoon outside the window.
Five minutes later, Liang Fengshen returned from the indoor basketball court with a few boys. He still looked unwell, and the dryness and itchiness in his throat made him cough a few more times.
He walked to his seat and was about to sit down when Cheng Xiao nudged him with his elbow, gestured towards his desk, and said in his usual teasing tone, "Look under the desk, the Snail Girl has been here."
Liang Fengshen looked down in confusion, reached inside, and pulled out the well-packaged box of cold medicine.
He held the medicine box in his long, slender fingers, glanced through it, his face expressionless except for a very faint hint of surprise. It wasn't a brand he was familiar with, nor was it what he expected to receive.
"Who put it there?" he asked, his voice a little hoarse from a cold.
"Who else could it be?"
"I can't guess." Liang Fengshen didn't want to guess at all.
Cheng Xiao shrugged, the image of the blushing girl who brushed past him at the door flashing through his mind. "There's nothing I can do if I can't guess. She's just having a crush on me. I'm not sure if she'd want me to tell her."
Liang Fengshen's gaze lingered on the medicine box for a few seconds, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly: "Who on earth is it?"
"I already said I can't say anymore."
"Fine." He said calmly, preparing to put the medicine back in his pocket.
"No, please," Cheng Xiao grabbed his hand. "It's a token of their appreciation; they went out of their way to buy it for you. Besides, this medicine isn't cheap, and it's very effective. Don't waste it."
Liang Fengshen was silent for a moment.
The discomfort in my throat and the fatigue in my body are real.
He glanced at the raging typhoon outside the window, then finally let go of her hand and gave a faint "hmm".
Liang Fengshen picked up the thermos on the table, went to the water dispenser at the back of the classroom to get hot water, tore open the plastic film of the medicine packet, poured the brown granules into the cup, and the moment the hot water was poured in, a strong and bitter medicine smell spread out.
He held his cup, leaned against the window, and looked at the world outside shrouded in wind and rain, sipping his drink slowly.
The medicine is very bitter.
So who exactly sent this medicine?
Cheng Xiao watched his profile as he drank his medicine and spoke in a casual tone, "Speaking of which, Sang Sui is quite an interesting girl."
He carefully observed Liang Fengshen's expression.
Liang Fengshen's gaze remained fixed on the window, seemingly looking at something, and he responded with a flat, emotionless tone: "Hmm."
A single syllable word, devoid of any emotion.
There was no curiosity, no exploration; it was as if Cheng Xiao had only mentioned an insignificant name, a trivial matter.
Cheng Xiao continued to probe: "Speaking of which, she seems to be quite pretty."
Liang Fengshen reacted: "Why are you behaving so strangely?"
"What's wrong with me?"
"Why are you suddenly bringing up Sang Sui?" Liang Fengshen guessed. "You like her?"
Cheng Xiao nearly choked on his own saliva: "Are you sick in the head?"
Forget it, he doesn't seem like he's going to be a matchmaker at all this time.
After the typhoon ended, the literary society announced a new activity—a grade-level book exchange.
The preparation for the book-sharing event was tedious and meticulous. As one of the people in charge, Sang Sui needed to compile a list of books for each class, design the book-sharing cards, and arrange the booths.
My time after class is almost completely filled.
She was eager to know which book Liang Fengshen would choose.
But even earlier than the book-sharing event is next week's flag-raising speech.
While preparing for the book-sharing event, Sang Sui also had to practice her speech.
Actually, giving a speech under the national flag on Monday is just a small thing, and she doesn't need to speak without a script, but she just wanted to make it as perfect as possible.
She longed to be seen by Liang Fengshen.
Longing for your perfect self to be seen.
In the evening, Sang Sui took several sheets of paper covered with writing and quietly slipped away to the orange grove behind the teaching building.
As the sun sets, the distant sky is bathed in a warm orange-red hue.
During this period, she would come over whenever she had free time, not only to read her speech, but also sometimes to read English texts to practice pronunciation.
It's a secluded place, with only early birds chirping on the branches.
In preparation for her upcoming speech under the national flag, she had to overcome her less-than-standard Mandarin, which was tinged with a Linchuan accent.
She took a deep breath and began to read aloud, pronouncing each word with extra force, trying to cover up her stage fright and nervousness.
"I am Sang Sui from Class 7... Let's work hard..."
"So serious?"
A teasing voice, tinged with laughter, rang out from behind, interrupting her slightly stiff recitation.
Sang Sui was startled and turned around abruptly.
The setting sun's rays filtered through the sparse leaves, falling on Song Shiyue's smiling face.
"Song Shiyue?" Sang Sui awkwardly hid the manuscript behind his back. "What are you doing here?"
People shouldn't pass by here often, right?
Song Shiyue waved two unripe tangerines in his hand and said jokingly, "Stealing tangerines."
Sang Sui looked shocked, his gaze falling on the real "stolen goods" in his hand, and was about to say something—
"Old Song, why are you teasing people again?"
A familiar, clear voice came from the side.
She recognized the voice almost instantly.
Sang followed the sound and looked in that direction, her heart pounding uncontrollably.
Sure enough, the next second, Liang Fengshen and Cheng Xiao emerged one after the other from the deeper bushes.
Liang Fengshen was still wearing a simple white school uniform shirt, with straight shoulders and a slender, upright figure.
His gaze swept over her briefly, but did not linger, and finally settled on Song Shiyue.
Song Shiyue explained with a smile: "It's Cheng Xiao. He caught a cicada in the classroom during self-study yesterday and was caught red-handed by his homeroom teacher. He was punished by having to catch ten cicadas today and bring them to the office tonight to 'hand over'."
Cheng Xiao raised his foot as if to kick Song Shiyue, his face showing a nonchalant embarrassment: "Song Shiyue, can't you give your brother some face?"
Song Shiyue deftly dodged, then became more serious and handed the orange in his hand to Sang Sui: "This orange was ripe and fell to the ground by itself, so it's not considered stealing. Here, take it."
Sang Sui looked at the two unripe fruits, and before she could wave her hand to refuse, she heard Liang Fengshen next to her casually remind her, "Isn't she allergic to oranges?"
The moment the words were spoken, the surrounding air seemed to freeze.
Sang Sui clearly felt his heart pound heavily in his chest with a "thump".
He remembered—he actually remembered.
She casually mentioned that she was allergic to oranges, but he remembered it so casually.
Having a crush is so easy to satisfy; a single glance or a single word can make someone incredibly happy.
A tremendous, indescribable joy welled up from the bottom of my heart and quickly spread to every part of my body.
She lowered her eyelashes, feeling her cheeks burning, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but want to turn up.
"Oh, right, I just remembered." Song Shiyue suddenly realized, withdrew his hand, and said somewhat embarrassedly, "Then we'll go catch cicadas somewhere else, so as not to disturb your studies. Goodbye."
"Mmm," Sang Sui responded softly.
Only after watching the three boys disappear at the other end of the orange grove did she slowly exhale, her palms slightly sweaty from nervousness.
She picked up the manuscript again, but couldn't read a single word. Her mind was filled with Liang Fengshen's words and his handsome profile.
When Sang Sui returned to the classroom, a faint, barely suppressed smile still lingered at the corners of her mouth.
Meanwhile, Zhao Yanqi, He Lili, and Qiao Chunzhao were huddled together, whispering about something, their expressions a mixture of barely suppressed excitement and wistful exclamations.
"Did you really cry a lot? I heard your eyes were swollen."
"That's right, it wasn't like this when I was rejected before. This time it seems like there's absolutely no hope..." Sang Sui put down her schoolbag and casually asked, "Who are you talking about?"
Zhao Yanqi turned her head, her face bearing a mysterious expression typical of gossip: "Who else could it be? Lin Shuning! She went to confess to Liang Fengshen again, but this time she was rejected particularly thoroughly. When she came back, she was crying her eyes out, looking so pitiful."
He Lili chimed in, her tone full of confusion: "Lin Shuning is so beautiful and dances so well, how come Liang Fengshen doesn't even like her? What kind of girl does he like? A celestial being?"
Qiao Chunchao, biting on a straw, mumbled, "Maybe she really does like a celestial being."
As evening fell, the "Old Wang Barbecue" restaurant was bustling with activity. Song Shiyue, Cheng Xiao, Liang Fengshen, and several boys from Class 6 sat around a table, the skewers on the iron plate sizzling and emitting an enticing aroma.
After several rounds of beer, the atmosphere became even more lively, and someone suggested playing Truth or Dare.
The empty wine bottle spun in the center of the table, its mouth pointing several times at Cheng Xiao and Song Shiyue, asking them some harmless embarrassing stories and preferences, which drew laughter from everyone.
Finally, the bottle slowly came to a stop in front of Liang Fengshen.
A chorus of cheers erupted instantly.
"Liang Fengshen! It's finally your turn!"
Truth or Dare?
Liang Fengshen's expression remained unchanged as he picked up his soda and took a sip: "Truth or dare."
The boy who asked the question immediately perked up, winking and asking, "Tell me honestly, do you have someone you like?"
The question caused a moment of silence at the table, and even Song Shiyue put down his skewers and looked over.
Liang Fengshen paused, his fingers holding the glass, as the fine bubbles in the soda rose.
Amidst the expectant gazes of the crowd, he raised his eyes, nodded confidently, and said clearly, "Yes."
Wow!
"Who is it? Is it Lin Shuning?"
Immediately, someone eagerly pressed for more information.
Liang Fengshen gently put down his cup, his tone calm yet undeniable: "This is already the second question."
He paused, and amidst a chorus of boos, added, completely extinguishing any speculation, "It wasn't her."
It's not Lin Shuning.
This answer surprised everyone present, followed by even more intense curiosity, but Liang Fengshen had already leaned back in his chair, making it clear that he would not answer any more related questions.
When Song Shiyue, who was sitting opposite him, heard the words "not her," his hand holding the cup tightened almost imperceptibly.
He lowered his eyes, staring at the orange-yellow liquid swirling in the glass, a complex emotion that even he himself had never delved into swept through his mind.
The barbecue party ended late at night.
Song Shiyue and Liang Fengshen pushed their bicycles side by side on their way home.
On a summer night in Fuzhou, the wind carries a warm and humid scent, brushing against your cheeks.
"Are you feeling unwell today?" Liang Fengshen asked, tilting his head. His voice was exceptionally clear in the quiet night.
Song Shiyue shook his head: "No, what's wrong?"
"You seemed distracted all night."
Song Shiyue gave a somewhat forced wry smile and quickly changed the subject: "What books have you prepared for next week's book exchange event?"
Liang Fengshen walked in silence for a while before speaking, his voice soft and carried on the night breeze: "The Nightingale and the Rose."
Song Shiyue paused almost imperceptibly. (From "The Nightingale and the Rose")
Oscar Wilde's fairy tales.
This is a very sad story.
Young man who loves but cannot be loved, nightingale who loves but cannot be loved.
Song Shiyue fell silent.
He seemed to have guessed who the "person he liked" was that Liang Fengshen was talking about.
The nightingale in the story longs for the boy, while the boy outside the story secretly loves the nightingale.
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