23. Sorry
Chen Li, with nearly twenty years of teaching experience, was well-versed in handling premature relationships. Promising not to tell the parents was a delaying tactic; she planned to wait until after the final exams and discuss the matter with Xiao Tong at a parent-teacher conference. If Tang Sizhuo kept his promise and cut off contact, his corrective actions and continued excellent grades would be enough for the head teacher to speak up for the student and gain the parents' understanding. If Tang Sizhuo didn't, she would have already used courtesy before force, allowing him ample time for probation, and it wouldn't be considered harsh parenting.
However, the school leaders were still frightened after being bitten by a snake, and they took quick action when they heard the news. They set up teacher duty posts overnight and arranged young teachers to patrol back and forth in the morning and evening to prevent idle young people from taking the opportunity to talk to students.
After Tang Sizhuo was taken home by the driver, Xiao Tong saw that she was listless and thought she had a cold. Fortunately, she didn't have a fever, so she told her to take a hot bath, take some medicine, and go to bed early. The more considerate her mother was, the more anxious Tang Sizhuo became. She felt that this was the calm before the storm and she didn't know when her death would come.
Even though her limbs felt weak and her forehead ached, Tang Sizhuo lay in bed unable to sleep. The slightest movement outside the door would make her hair stand on end and her heart beat faster, fearing that her mother would burst in at any moment and drag her out of bed to teach her a lesson for pretending to be sick.
After a night of anxiety, Xiao Tong was still warm and breezy the next morning. Tang Sizhuo reluctantly reassured herself, but instead blamed herself for her hesitation. Teacher Chen always taught them to keep their promises, and she shouldn't doubt her teacher's determination to lead by example.
It was rare for her to leave before school was over. Zeng Xiasheng must have come yesterday, but he didn't see him. Tang Sizhuo thought about it all the way to school, wondering how to explain to him and ask him not to come again. The thought of not seeing that familiar smiling face again after school made Tang Sizhuo feel even more sad. He was exhausted so early in the morning, and the short distance to the school gate seemed endless.
As he followed the crowd past the school gate, the chatter of his classmates suddenly faded, their heads glancing to the right. Tang Sizhuo looked up and saw a teacher he knew well, but didn't recognize. He stood solemnly beside the gatekeeper. His gaze wasn't fixed on the students, as the guard usually would have, but on the adults who had come to buy breakfast from the stalls nearby.
The subtle change didn't escape the students' attention. During morning reading, everyone covered their faces with textbooks, whispering to each other, trying to figure out the cause. Tang Sizhuo's heart was pounding like a drum, and he kept scratching his fingers on the corner of the desk. He didn't feel the pain until his nail split open. It wasn't until his deskmate noticed him, after blood gushed out, that he took him to the infirmary for disinfection and a Band-Aid. Fortunately, she usually turned a deaf ear to what was happening outside and never participated in gossip, so no one thought to question her. Only Xu Mengyan understood the situation. She frequently glanced sideways at her during breaks, as if about to come over and talk, but Tang Sizhuo's averted gaze ultimately discouraged her.
By the afternoon, the student intelligence network had finally gathered information, achieving a major breakthrough. Students from the next class reported that their homeroom teacher had given a pre-class lecture, warning students, no matter how good their grades were, not to fall in love too soon, to be self-righteous, and to avoid associating with questionable people. Although the teacher didn't name the culprit, when word reached Tang Sizhuo's class, everyone couldn't help but recall her stumbling, distraught appearance the day before.
It was as if the surroundings had gone back to elementary school overnight, and Tang Sizhu began to hear people mention him in deliberately lowered voices.
She wanted to say she wasn't in a premature relationship, that Zeng Xiasheng wasn't a bad person, but the fear that returned from her memory gripped her throat, and she couldn't utter a single word. She was even more afraid of being speculated about and talked about than of curiosity turning to disgust, of her name being woven into a jingle again, used as an attack amidst every joking laugh.
As school was about to end, Tang Sizhuo became increasingly nervous. Before he even went downstairs, he looked toward the school gate through the corridor window.
Zeng Xiasheng was indeed standing there.
The model student never came late or left early, but he waited until the guard locked the door yesterday and saw no one come out. He could only think that she might be sick from the late spring cold. Tang Sizhuo usually had a poor appetite and was very picky even when she was not sick or in pain. Zeng Xiasheng was worried that she had not eaten anything during the day, so he ran to the school gate and picked out a sweet potato with a red core and dripping sugar from the old man tending the oven. After paying, he asked the old man to keep it warm in the oven. When he peeked out and saw Tang Sizhuo coming out of the teaching building, he quickly put it in a bag and held it warm in his hands, hoping that she would have a few bites on the way.
Tang Sizhuo walked to the door with his head held high, his palms almost bleeding from pinching with his nails.
There were people all around her, including teachers who were working overtime to patrol because of her, and students who were talking in groups about her being caught in a premature love affair.
She didn't dare make eye contact with Zeng Xiasheng. Before she even reached him, she hurriedly turned left, following the wall, and walked straight ahead as if she hadn't seen him. In her uncontrolled peripheral vision, she saw Zeng Xiasheng stunned for a moment, then quickly raised his foot to catch up, as if to call out to her. However, Tang Sizhuo didn't turn back when he heard his footsteps. She didn't say hello or anything, just kept walking forward. So Zeng Xiasheng finally swallowed his words and followed her silently.
Tang Sizhuo, disgusted with his own timidity and cowardice, jumped into the car as if fleeing. Zeng Xiasheng stopped at the place where they usually parted, watching the car drive away in confusion.
He stood there for a long time, until his palms, which had been slightly burned and painful, became numb and itchy, and then he slowly came to his senses.
The sweet potato had completely cooled. Zeng Xiasheng tried to put it in his pocket, but he felt a few greasy nuts he'd slipped into his clothes. A car had arrived at the repair shop today, and he'd been busy until Tang Sizhuo's class was almost over. He hadn't had time to use Uncle Wang's bathroom, let alone change clothes. Uncle Wang's son's discarded sports jacket was full of pilling, the edges were ripping, the elbows were worn white, and there were splatters of oil.
Zeng Xiasheng walked back with his head down, a deep sense of annoyance welling up in his heart. Tang Sizhuo had been too close to him lately, her face beaming at the mere sight of him, almost causing him to lose his composure, feeling as if he could see joy in her eyes no matter what. Yet, their lives were never meant to intersect; it was he who had presumptuously approached, forgetting etiquette. She was just beginning to emerge from her shadow, experiencing the joy of friendship among girls in her new class, a time when she was becoming more sensitive to interpersonal relationships. He certainly shouldn't have been waiting for her at the school gate dressed like that.
The next day, Zeng Xiasheng informed Uncle Wang that he had something to do and would be out for a while. After a thorough shower, he changed into his best jacket and jeans, which he rarely wore. After thinking about it, he went to the dessert shop and bought a box of egg tarts, which were one of the few snacks that Tang Sizhuo often had the interest to enjoy.
He was standing by the roadside waiting when there were still a few parents outside the school gate. When he saw Tang Sizhuo coming out, he eagerly went to meet her, wanting to say that he was wrong yesterday and ask if she could stop being angry. However, Tang Sizhuo clearly saw him coming with gifts, but still turned left immediately after leaving the house without paying any attention.
Her attitude was so resolute that it seemed impossible for her to even glance at him from now on. Zeng Xiasheng's mind went blank for a moment. He subconsciously grabbed Tang Sizhuo, wanting to ask what was going on. Suddenly, he heard the middle-aged man's roar, "What are you doing?!"
Zeng Xiasheng, startled, immediately let go. Tang Sizhuo, too, froze in fear. He didn't dare raise his eyes, clutching the strap of his schoolbag tightly as he walked forward. Zeng Xiasheng hesitantly followed her after she had walked a long way. He didn't dare approach, only watching her from afar. She curled herself into a small ball, slipped through the crowd, and disappeared from his sight.
The commotion at the school gate was no surprise to adults, but the students, trapped in their boring daily lives, spread the news by word of mouth and never tired of it. In just one morning, almost the entire grade knew that Tang Sizhuo, the top student who was deified, had been seen flirting with a boy after school the previous day, and their relationship was unclear. All the speculation from the previous two days was confirmed, and any judgment was no longer malicious. Alumni who graduated from the same elementary school as Tang Sizhuo suddenly had their memories activated when they heard the anecdotes about her and men. Years of old news became hard currency in social circles, and there was no longer any need to hide the voices talking about her. During every break in the afternoon, students from other classes would push and shove each other to come over, peeking in at the door and windows, hoping to catch a glimpse of the vixen-like appearance inherited from her mother.
Every minute sitting in the classroom became torture. Tang Sizhuo wanted to go back and hide in the corner of her bedroom. However, things were different now. This was not Xiao Tong's fault, and her mother would not take her away.
Just as school was about to end, a sudden downpour began. Jiang Ming's spring weather was heavy, so her aunt always packed an umbrella for her when she packed her schoolbag. But Tang Sizhuo searched through her bag, tangling her books, homework, and napkins, but couldn't find it. Perhaps she had used it during recess. She felt as if she had lost her memory, her sense of touch blurring, and she couldn't remember anything clearly.
The classmates left one after another, going home or to their elective classes. When Xu Mengyan passed by her seat, she left a note saying that she was waiting for her in the watercolor classroom and wanted to apologize to her, but Tang Sizhuo didn't want to go.
Xu Mengyan was not wrong, it’s just that she couldn’t say “it’s okay”.
The first time Tang Sizhuo skipped class, she shouldered her backpack and headed out into the rain. Her high school spring uniform, a knitted sweater, soaked with rainwater before she even reached the door, drooping heavily, weighing her down so much that she could barely stand up straight. She was blinded by the drenching rain, and she didn't care whether Zeng Xiasheng was at the door. Countless emotions surged within her, but the torrential rain hammered and hammered, pressing her into the ground.
Even as she clung to the wall, Tang Sizhuo could still hear familiar footsteps clattering against the rain. The raindrops above her head were blocked, crackling against her umbrella, breaking through the layers of soil and landing on her unspeakable guilt. Tang Sizhuo walked faster and faster, finally breaking into a run. She wanted to tell Zeng Xiasheng to go back and not get stuck in the mire, but when she opened her mouth, she could taste the earthy smell of raindrops. She worried that after he left, no one would care about her anymore.
The street vendors had dispersed to avoid the rain, and the sanitation workers hadn't had time to clean up the students' leftover trash. As Tang Sizhuo was running, he stepped on a plastic bag and was thrown forward, only to be caught by a hand from behind, which reached out just in time, and lifted him up by the waist.
"Don't run, it's raining."
Zeng Xiasheng's voice was very soft. He quickly put Tang Sizhuo down, then lifted her arm and put the umbrella in her hand.
"I'm sorry. I'm not following you. Don't run away."
He still didn't know what had happened, or why she was angry, but he decided not to ask. He stepped out from under the umbrella, walked into the rain, and turned away as Tang Sizhu's vision gradually blurred.
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