Chapter 15
The typhoon in June completely passed through, and the sky was washed into a clear, highly saturated blue.
The sunlight became intense again, casting dappled patterns of light through the layers of camphor tree leaves onto the asphalt road.
The air was filled with the humid heat unique to summer, as well as the fresh scent of soil and plants evaporating after being exposed to the sun.
Friday after school is always a particularly relaxing time.
Sang Sui was pulled along by Zhao Yanqi, He Lili, and Qiao Chunzhao, and together they rushed towards the food street behind the school.
The air was filled with the aromas of various snacks—the cumin scent of grilled skewers, the domineering smell of stinky tofu, the sizzling aroma of grease from teppanyaki grills, and the warm, sweet fragrance of roasted chestnuts.
The four girls, like birds released from their cages, chattered and flitted between the various stalls.
Takoyaki, grilled cold noodles, fried chicken cutlets... they shared the food, their laughter ringing out.
Zhao Yanqi, munching on a lamb skewer, looked at Sang Sui and said, "When we first met, you never came when I asked you to. I thought you were hard to get along with."
Qiao Chunchao chimed in, "That's right."
“But in reality—” He Lili paused deliberately for a moment, then Zhao Yanqi, Qiao Chunzhao, and He Lili added in unison, “He’s actually a bit of a goofball, hahaha…”
Sang Sui blushed as she was teased.
Finally, feeling refreshed and satisfied, the group decided to go to the newly opened, charmingly decorated milk tea shop at the end of the street to have a dessert and take a break.
Pushing open the glass door adorned with wind chimes, a rush of cool air, mixed with the aromas of milk and tea, instantly dispelled the heat outside.
The store plays soothing background music and has an elegant ambiance.
They had just found a seat when Qiao Chunchao started clamoring to see the menu. Sang Sui, sitting near the aisle, glanced at the counter and suddenly stopped.
Liang Fengshen was standing there.
He was wearing a simple white T-shirt, and his back was straight. He seemed to have just come to pick up his pre-ordered milk tea, and the clerk handed him two pre-packaged paper bags.
He took it, looked down to confirm, and then whispered "thank you." His voice was muffled by the distance, but it felt like a feather gently brushing against Sang Sui's heart.
Sang Sui's heart suddenly raced. She subconsciously lowered her head, pretending to look at the menu, but her peripheral vision uncontrollably followed his every move.
He turned around.
Sang Sui held her breath, her fingers unconsciously gripping the edge of the menu. She saw him walk towards the door, his steps unhurried. Just as he was about to leave, his gaze inadvertently swept over their table.
Their eyes met briefly in mid-air.
Sang Sui's heart nearly leaped out of her chest. She hurriedly looked away, her cheeks burning.
Liang Fengshen seemed to be taken aback for a moment, then nodded slightly to her as a greeting. He then pushed open the door and disappeared around the street corner.
"What are you looking at?" Zhao Yanqi followed her gaze and saw only the closed shop door.
"Huh? Oh, it's nothing." Sang Sui forced herself to calm down.
The remaining people didn't ask any further questions, because the counter was already empty.
Liang Fengshen was gone in just over ten seconds, from entering to leaving. No one else saw him, but she did.
Because I like him, because I care about him, I pay extra attention to every time he appears.
Although the typhoon has passed, Liang Fengshen's cold is still not completely cured.
A group of students returned to school from the food street for evening self-study. Before the bell rang, Sang Sui was staring blankly out the window when he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure walking from the other end of the corridor. The figure was carrying a dark blue thermos and was heading towards the water room at the stairwell.
Liang Fengshen looked much better, though he would occasionally sniffle lightly, his movements showing a hint of languor from recovering from an illness.
He's probably going to get hot water.
Sang Sui's heart skipped a beat.
Almost instinctively, she grabbed her water glass from the table, hurriedly told Zhao Yanqi, "I'll go get some water," and followed her.
There weren't many people in the water room.
She went in and stood right behind him in line.
Being able to stand so close and openly behind him, listening to his slightly heavy breathing due to his stuffy nose, and smelling the faint scent of medicine mixed with refreshing laundry detergent on him, Sang Sui felt her fingertips go numb slightly.
Courage, like tiny bubbles, gathers in the chest.
She took a deep breath and greeted him softly in as natural a voice as possible: "What a coincidence, Liang Fengshen."
Hearing the voice, Liang Fengshen turned around and saw her, only then realizing her presence: "What a coincidence."
"You have a cold?"
Liang Fengshen nodded: "Yes. But it'll be better soon." His voice still had a slight nasal tone and was a little deeper than usual.
"Oh, that's good." Sang Sui picked at her water glass, thinking about what other topics she could bring up to continue the conversation.
Now it was Liang Fengshen's turn to fetch water.
As he unscrewed the lid of his cup, he seemed to remember something and casually asked, "How's your speech preparation going?"
He was referring to his speech under the national flag next week.
Sang Sui was taken aback by his question and hesitated for a moment before honestly replying, "I'm still working on it."
Hot water was poured into his cup, and white steam rose up.
Liang Fengshen's voice, mingled with the sound of flowing water, sounded gentle: "Don't be nervous, you can do it. After all, this isn't a competition without a script."
He paused, turned his head to look at her, his eyes very serious, "I also heard from Song Shiyue that you don't need to feel too much pressure. I think you don't have an accent, at least not in everyday conversation."
"Really?" Sang Sui's eyes lit up instantly. These words carried more weight than any other encouragement.
“Really?” Liang Fengshen replied, his tone certain.
He filled the cup with water, screwed on the lid, and gestured to her, "I've filled the cup. Good luck, goodbye."
"See you next time." Sang Sui watched his departing figure, her heart feeling as if it had been filled with the hot water in his cup, scalding and overflowing.
She couldn't suppress the smile on her face as she filled the water bottle.
The morning suddenly became incredibly lovely simply because he said "no accent".
Over the weekend, Qiao Chunzhao, influenced by some fashion magazine, insisted on getting the most popular "pear blossom" haircut and dragged He Lili, Zhao Yanqi, and Sang Sui along.
In the stylishly decorated hair salon, the hairstylist looked them over, finally fixing her gaze on Sang Sui. She smiled and said, "Oh my, what a lovely young lady with such delicate features! Why are you wearing such thick bangs? They're covering your eyes. A trim and a fresher look will definitely make you even prettier!"
Perhaps the young lady was just trying to attract customers to boost her sales. He Lili and Zhao Yanqi, upon hearing this, felt that what she said did make a lot of sense, so they immediately surrounded her and chimed in with their advice: "Yeah, Sui Sui, you should try it! Your bangs are really too thick!"
When the young lady heard that the deal had potential, she quickly said, "Hey classmate, how about you get some wispy bangs? They're all the rage right now, and they'll definitely look good."
"That's right, trust Tony's judgment."
Sang Sui originally intended to accompany Qiao Chunzhao for a stroll and had no intention of getting a haircut, but she was somewhat tempted by what they said. Looking at her reflection in the mirror with half of her face covered by thick bangs, she thought of Liang Fengshen.
As if guided by some unseen force, she nodded: "Hmm... let's give it a try then."
Qiao Chunchao cut her hair first, and Sang then washed her hair and sat down.
Hearing the crisp "snip" of the scissors beside her ear and feeling the wisps of hair falling down, she felt a little uneasy, yet also a secret anticipation.
Bored while waiting, He Lili and Zhao Yanqi went to the milk tea shop across the street to drink while they waited.
When the hairstylist finished styling with the hairdryer, put down his tools, and smiled as he said "All done," Sang Sui almost held her breath and opened her eyes.
The person in the mirror seemed much stranger.
In the past, her grandmother would cut her hair herself, or she would just get a quick haircut at a shop in town.
At this moment, her thick, heavy bangs disappeared, replaced by thin, slightly curled wispy bangs that vaguely revealed her smooth forehead and delicate eyebrows.
The previously obscured facial contours are now clearly visible, making the eyes appear larger. The person looks refreshed and bright, even revealing a hint of previously hidden gentleness.
"Wow, Sang Sui, so beautiful!" Qiao Chunchao was the first to exclaim.
He Lili and Zhao Yanqi, who had rushed back from the bubble tea shop, also gathered around and praised without reservation: "My God, I knew it! You're like a completely different person."
"It looks beautiful. Sui Sui, you should have gotten this haircut a long time ago."
Several friends wholeheartedly supported me, and although there's probably some "friendship bias" involved, it still made me very happy.
Looking at herself in the mirror, Sang Sui blushed and felt a little embarrassed. She covered her face and said, "Alright, alright, stop praising me. I'm already digging my toes into the ground."
The four girls walked out of the hair salon chatting and laughing.
Just as she reached the entrance of the mall, she bumped into Song Shiyue, who was alone and carrying a bookstore bag.
When Song Shiyue saw them, he paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the four of them before finally settling on Sang Sui, a clear look of surprise flashing in his eyes.
"Sang Sui?" he called out uncertainly.
“Squad leader.” Sang Sui hadn’t expected to meet him here.
Song Shiyue looked at her, his eyes filled with undisguised admiration, and laughed: "You changed your hairstyle?"
"Mm." Sang Sui nodded somewhat shyly.
"It looks pretty good." Song Shiyue looked at her, his tone very sincere.
"Thanks."
Song Shiyue then asked, "Where are you planning to go?"
Sang Sui said, "We're almost ready to go home now. Have fun."
Sang Sui was about to leave with Qiao Chunzhao and the others when Song Shiyue suddenly called out to her, "Sang Sui, wait a moment."
She turned around in confusion.
A rare, slightly embarrassed expression appeared on Song Shiyue's face. He scratched the back of his head and asked hesitantly, "Um, are you free right now? Could you do me a favor?"
Before Song Shiyue could finish speaking, Qiao Chunzhao, He Lili, and Zhao Yanqi exchanged a knowing glance, their faces revealing ambiguous smiles that said, "There's definitely something going on."
Qiao Chunzhao immediately said tactfully, "Then Suisui, you go help the class monitor. The three of us can go for a stroll over there."
After saying that, without waiting for Sang Sui's response, he grabbed the other two and ran away laughing.
The bustling mall entrance was suddenly deserted except for Sang Sui and Song Shiyue.
A summer breeze swept through the mall entrance, carrying the coolness of air conditioning and the scent of sunshine from outside.
Sang Sui sighed, knowing they must have misunderstood something. She looked at Song Shiyue frankly and asked, "What kind of help?"
"I'd like to choose a gift."
"Gift?"
Song Shiyue paused, then lowered his voice, "A birthday gift for a girl."
Sang Sui paused for a moment, then gave a knowing yet slightly teasing smile, lowering his voice to jokingly ask, "Class monitor, so you really do have a girl you have a crush on?"
Song Shiyue blushed slightly at her question, and touched the back of his head a little embarrassedly. Instead, he nodded honestly, his voice even softer: "Mm."
Surprisingly, he didn't deny it.
Sang Sui couldn't help but feel a little curious.
She had guessed that Song Shiyue might like Ming Ying, but she didn't want to ask him directly.
After all, unrequited love is a one-sided affair.
After walking around the mall for a while, Song Shiyue suddenly asked, "What do you think girls like?"
Sang Sui analyzed carefully: "Every girl likes different things. Some girls like romance novels, some like plush toys. It depends on what kind of person she is."
If the object of her affections were Mingying, she probably wouldn't like either of the two options mentioned above.
“She…” Song Shiyue fell into thought.
Sang Sui guessed that he was thinking of "her" at that moment.
Song Shiyue was silent for a while, then shook his head with a wry smile: "It's hard to guess what she would like. She is calm and rational, as if she is happy to have some things, and it's not a big deal if she loses them."
That's really a brain-teasing thing.
Sang Sui then asked, "So, are you planning to confess your feelings, or are you just giving a gift as a friend? We need a scenario to consider."
"I can't confess to her, she wouldn't like me."
"just in case……"
“There’s no such thing as ‘what if’,” Song Shiyue denied very quickly. “She’s too outstanding, and too far away, like the moon in the sky, I can never reach her.”
Even someone like Song Shiyue felt so ashamed when facing someone he liked.
Sure enough, no matter who it is, the first reaction when having a crush is to feel inferior.
In the end, they chose a more practical gift: a hardcover book and hand cream.
The two walked out of the mall as the setting sun painted half the sky red.
Song Shiyue may have been suppressing his feelings for too long and needed someone to confide in, and Sang Sui was just the right person for him.
Then he continued to say to himself, "Actually, I've thought about confessing my feelings, but I don't dare to. Maybe I'm afraid that we won't be able to be friends in the end. Am I being too complicated?"
“No.” Sang Sui shook his head. “I understand you.”
Sang Sui silently said in his heart:
Actually, she and Song Shiyue are the same kind of people.
Liang Fengshen, I wish you would never know my heart, yet I also hope that one day you will know my heart.
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