Chapter 33 First Snow Her calmness made him seem like a madman. ...
The next day, Ning Jiu was woken up by a phone call from Yuan Shu.
Today, contrary to her usual commanding tone, she suddenly asked her how her studies were going and whether she was getting used to staying in Jiangcheng.
Ning Jiu was washing up while replying to her. When she finished washing her face and looked up at herself in the mirror, a "Happy Birthday" from the other end of the phone stunned her.
She put down her phone and glanced at the date: December 21st.
Today is her birthday.
Even she herself had forgotten.
Ning Jiu stepped out of the room and found that Yuan Liangjing had bought an unusually lavish breakfast today. The latter said with a smile that she should come home early from school today because Ning Xuan and she had prepared a big cake for her.
She could clearly feel the barely suppressed joy on Yuan Liangjing's face. She suddenly recalled the dreamlike fireworks display last night, the boy's face reflected in the dazzling light and fire, fleeting in an instant.
She calmly sat down at the dining table, casually glancing around her room. All traces of Qiao Bolin's visit the previous night had vanished. "Any good news?"
“There’s been a positive development yesterday,” Yuan Liangjing said in a high-pitched voice. “This morning, the city called to say that there was a problem with the system entry of Wen Xingxiang’s accident case. It was closed in the Lingcheng system, but for some reason, it became unclosed in the Jiangcheng system.”
The case is closed in the Lingcheng system, but it remains unclosed in the Jiangcheng system.
Ning Jiu paused in her breakfast and asked casually.
"This is no small mistake. Is there a result so quickly?"
“We thought it would take a while,” he said, “but luckily we ran into Director Qiao yesterday. Someone of that rank only needs to pay a little attention, and the people below started working overtime to investigate.”
"Qiao Jialing?"
"Yes, Director Qiao Jialing, I didn't expect this year's director to be so young and promising, unlike those who came at the beginning and only knew how to put on airs."
Suddenly remembering something, Yuan Liangjing sighed softly.
"The business license can be issued as usual, but Huang Jianhua seems to have a grudge. No matter how we explain, it's no use. He still refuses to rent the house to us, so your dad has to find another place to rent."
Ning Xuan spent two whole weeks figuring out the location before finally settling on it. The contract was also in its final stages. With the Chinese New Year just around the corner, finding another location with the same price and customer traffic during this period was no easy task.
After breakfast, Yuan Liangjing, as usual, saw Ning Jiu off onto the bus. Just a few minutes into morning reading at the classroom, a thin, cool mist suddenly filled the air.
A girl in the front row exclaimed softly, "Hey, it's snowing!"
Ning Jiu followed the gazes of the others and looked out the window. The originally gloomy sky had turned white at some point, and fine snowflakes were falling from the horizon. At first, it was just a light snow, but by the time the morning reading was about to end, the snowflakes had become denser and denser, and the entire corridor had become wet and misty.
As soon as the morning reading ended and the school bell rang, the students in the entire building rushed to the corridor as if they had made a pact. Several students cupped their hands to try and catch the snowflakes, but the shattered snowflakes landed in their palms, leaving only a few traces of melting water. The noisy corridor carried the purest and most innocent liveliness of their youth, with countless exclamations and laughter rising up, overwhelming everyone.
Ning Jiu leaned against the door, not saying a word, just watching the clusters of white snow falling from the sky. Suddenly, she felt her heartbeat being gently patted by the sound of snow, and she felt a little bit of indescribable joy.
She saw a boy and a girl in the corner of the corridor. The boy smiled gently and brushed the snow off the girl's cheek. The girl was looking at the snow, and he was looking at her. The teacher who was having morning reading saw this and just smiled slightly.
On the day the first snow falls, anything can be forgiven.
Ning Jiu turned her head, looking for something, until she saw the empty seat in the last row and remembered that Qiao Bolin had already gone to Beijing today.
Suddenly, she felt a sharp push on her back. Turning around, she saw Gao Hexin smiling brightly and naturally taking her arm.
"Come on, Sweet Wine, come with me to catch the snow!"
Not to be outdone, Li Mingyuan put his arm around Ning Jiu's shoulder and said, "Sister Jiu, we know a place where the snow doesn't melt easily. Come with us quickly."
Ning Jiu was pushed forward by the two people on either side. The snow was falling heavily, and the fine snowflakes fell on the faces and hair of the boy and girl, melting into a drop of coolness with the blink of an eye.
The three of them joked and played all the way to the playground in front of the teaching building. Gao Hexin found a small garden by the playground, picked up a handful of snow and threw it into the air: "This is the snow baptism of fate!"
Li Mingyuan snatched a clump of snow from Gao Hexin's hand and pretended to shove it down Ning Jiu's neck: "Catch it! This is a snow of friendship, don't miss it!"
"You two..." Ning Jiu laughed as she dodged, then slapped him on the shoulder, "You're like lunatics!"
Laughter mingled with the sound of falling snow, like candy wrappers blown open in the winter wind, floating lightly and clingily in the air, only to abruptly stop in an instant.
At the corner, Wen Yi and Zou Qian had just filled their water bottles and were heading to their PE class when they heard a noise coming from the garden next to the playground.
Following the sound, Zou Qian immediately spotted the girl with her hair in a bun. It wasn't anything special, just that she was incredibly sweet-looking, both innocent and alluring, with an enigmatic charm that drew people's attention at first glance.
He was excited to see someone so pretty and unfamiliar with her; she probably wasn't in the same year as them. He was about to nudge Wen Yi's arm with his elbow when he felt a gust of wind pass by.
Wen Yi walked straight toward the girl.
"Ning Jiu, I didn't do that—"
When Ning Jiu saw him coming, the curve of her lips instantly returned to its straight state, and she raised her hand expressionlessly.
He had already consciously turned his face away, but the loud slap went astray and didn't land on his face.
The previously cheerful atmosphere was suddenly frozen into a silent stillness, as if by snow.
Even now, she feels it's dirty to even hit him.
"Sorry, I thought it was a mosquito, I must have been mistaken." In the dead of winter, Ning Jiu calmly withdrew her hand, not glancing at Wen Yi once, and turned to take Gao Hexin's arm. "Class is about to start, let's go upstairs."
She thought the matter was over. After class, she said goodbye to Gao Hexin at the school gate, but Wen Yi stopped her again.
"Ning Jiu, you have to give me a chance to explain."
He spoke quickly, stood ramrod straight, and his highly recognizable face attracted the attention of many students at the door. Some stopped and whispered among themselves, while others took out their phones to take pictures.
Ning Jiu glanced at him but didn't respond. She quickened her pace, with Wen Yi following behind.
When they reached the next intersection, she couldn't help but turn around and give him the middle finger.
Is this really necessary?
"I do want to teach Ning Xuan a lesson, but I haven't planned to touch the case closure records yet."
Wen Yi doesn't have that ability.
But there is one person who has it.
In the distance, the low hum of car engines could be heard. Ning Jiu stood where the dim lights met the night, her figure slightly ruffled by the evening breeze. She gave him a mocking smile, as if to say, "Stop pretending."
Wen Yi instantly understood the meaning in her eyes and wanted to hold her hand, but she shook him off as soon as he touched it.
"I didn't do it, nor did I ask Ke Shini to do it..."
"Whether you did it intentionally or not, when you reached an agreement with her, you should have expected her to do this step for you."
There was no disgust or disappointment in Ning Jiu's eyes, only a calm understanding.
It was this tranquility that, like a needle, slowly and precisely pierced the depths of Wen Yi's heart.
She really didn't care about him at all anymore.
"How many times do I have to tell you? Uncle Wen insisted on picking up the goods that night. My dad said the rain was too heavy and we should go the next day, but he was afraid that if we left them for another day, we would have to pay extra storage fees, so he insisted on going that day."
“Yes, it’s true that my dad usually goes to pick up the goods, but who could have predicted that accident? He already sold the bar out of guilt to compensate you and Auntie, and moved here penniless. What more do you want from him?” Ning Jiu said, each word sharp and deliberate. “Do you want him to pay with his life?”
These words were like a nerve ending being touched, and Wen Yi's voice almost went out of control.
"Ning Jiu, do you think I want him to pay with his life?" He sneered. "If that were the case, I wouldn't have let you go that night."
"Do you know how my mom has been these past few months? She sits on the balcony every day, not eating or drinking, just staring out the window without moving. Sometimes when I call her, she doesn't even lift her head. Your dad sold his bar? Your dad moved? He still has things to sell, places to move to, but what about my dad?!"
The winter wind slipped into her collar and made the power lines sway gently overhead. For the first time, Ning Jiu felt that this winter was quite cold.
"I'm so ridiculous. When I heard what Ke Shini did, I was still worried about you and wanted to come find you," Wen Yi's sarcastic voice came from beside me. "I didn't expect you could get Director Qiao to intervene. Who is Qiao Bolin to you now?"
"How far have things progressed between you two? If I'm not mistaken, he was downstairs at your place last night. Did you do something you shouldn't have?" he practically yelled. "Ning Jiu, do you really think you can be with him forever? His family background, the gap between you two is obvious. Reality will tear you apart after graduation..."
*Smack*
The slap was delivered with full force, landing squarely on Wen Yi's face. A clear handprint was left on Wen Yi's right cheek, and his ears were ringing.
"You think it's ridiculous, and I think it's pretty ridiculous too."
The stench of blood rose from his throat to his mouth, and stray hairs completely obscured his vision. He heard the girl's voice, now calm again.
“Yuan Liangjing has asked me so many times, and I’ve always kept it from you, telling you to stay in Lingcheng.”
Ning Jiu looked at him.
"Wen Yi, after saying all this, ask yourself honestly, do you truly believe that my father is the one who should bear full responsibility, or is it that the real perpetrator is already in jail and you just want to vent all your emotions on someone who is still standing in front of you?"
Her calmness made him seem like a madman.
Sympathizing with Uncle Wen and Aunt Wen does not mean that she should pay the price for things that are not hers.
People should always look forward.
Ning Jiu withdrew her hand, sniffed, and felt her eyes sting a little.
She turned and continued walking towards the bus stop, but suddenly realized something.
I looked sharply across the street and only caught a glimpse of a figure whose shape I couldn't make out.
......
This is troublesome.
In the following days, Ning Jiu started eating irregularly again.
Without Qiao Bolin's supervision, and coupled with her bad mood these past few days, she mostly ate lunch at nearby convenience stores or vending machines.
She sees herself as someone who isn't particularly empathetic, but she can't remain indifferent to the uncles and aunts who have taken care of her since she can remember.
No matter how indifferent she seemed on the surface, Wen Yi's words that day were like a fine needle, piercing open a wound that had been scabbed over for a long time.
No matter how well the scab forms, it is not truly healed. With just a little pressure, it will bleed again.
Even the usually carefree Li Mingyuan noticed that Ning Jiu was acting strangely, and took the opportunity during a break in the cafeteria to probe her.
"Sister Jiu, is something bothering you?"
"No," Ning Jiu said softly, poking at the carrot in front of her. "I'm done eating."
"......"
Li Mingyuan glanced at the carrot that she had mashed beyond recognition, and exchanged a look with Gao Hexin.
This...it hasn't moved at all.
The result of not eating properly at noon was that I suddenly had a stomachache during the last psychology class.
It had been more than a week since Ning Jiu last had a stomachache. She hadn't prepared any painkillers and was leaning against the back of the chair, trying not to make a sound. A layer of fine sweat had already appeared on her forehead.
Luo Ziwei was halfway through her lecture on the podium when she noticed Ning Jiu's unusual behavior. Her gaze swept past the students and landed on Ning Jiu, her beautiful brows furrowing slightly.
"Ning Jiu, why is your face so pale?"
Final exams are just around the corner. While studying is important, students' health is of paramount importance.
She didn't say much, but directly asked Li Mingyuan to take Ning Jiu to the infirmary for a check-up.
The two finally made it to the infirmary, only to find the door locked. Li Mingyuan cursed under his breath for picking the right time, glanced at his watch—school was over in half an hour—and turned to ask Ning Jiu.
"Sister Jiu, can you still hold on?"
Ning Jiu pressed him down and started walking back: "I already told you I'm fine."
That sound doesn't seem like anything's wrong.
For the first time, Li Mingyuan felt a headache coming on. He glanced at the drowsy security guard at the school gate, weighed his options between reporting to Lao Qin and going straight out, and then suddenly poked Ning Jiu's arm.
"Sister Jiu, let's go to Yinbinglou to buy something to eat."
She glanced at him: "There's still half an hour until school ends."
“I know there’s a low wall over there on the playground. High school sophomores often climb over it to skip evening self-study. It’s right behind the cafeteria.”
Ning Jiu didn't say anything.
“We’re not going out to fool around, I’m taking you to eat and get treatment,” Li Mingyuan said confidently. “Besides, I can carry you over so your feet won’t even touch the ground.”
"......"
Ning Jiu remained silent for a while before Li Mingyuan suddenly realized that Sister Jiu was definitely the kind of model student who would immediately go to Lao Qin to report the situation if something happened. Why did he blurt out "brother" as usual and drag her along to climb over the wall with him?
Just as he was about to confess, he suddenly felt his sleeve being tugged, and heard the girl's gentle voice, just like always.
"If you're going to climb over the wall, don't just stand there. Take advantage of the security guard being asleep and climb over quickly."
Li Mingyuan was stunned for a moment, but quickly came to his senses.
"Okay, Sister Jiu, come up here."
He half-squatted down and let her lie on his back. Ning Jiu didn't hesitate and jumped on.
Li Mingyuan steadily supported her legs and walked towards the other side of the low wall.
The low wall is the only one in the school's perimeter that isn't electrified. I heard it's because the ownership of the green belt behind it is unclear, and it can't be assigned to a specific area of responsibility. Over time, it has become a way for students to skip class.
He turned halfway over, not forgetting to glance back at the security room—the security guard was indeed still dozing, his hat pulled low, the air conditioning blasting intermittently on his collar, the atmosphere quiet and peaceful.
"It's safe."
He steadied himself and was about to jump off the wall with Ning Jiu on his back, but before he could land, his movements froze.
The girl behind him had lost her strength at some point, her soft cheek pressed against the back of his neck, clearly in a state of being overwhelmed by pain.
On a cement path not far from the wall, a boy wearing a black jacket casually open, his tall and slender figure as straight as bamboo, walked across the street.
As dusk cast a slanting shadow behind him, his steps abruptly halted, and a soft golden light outlined the distinct and smooth contours of his eyebrows and eyes.
In the silence, Qiao Bolin's gaze quickly swept over Li Mingyuan on the wall, and the next second—
His gaze fell unblinkingly on Ning Jiu, who had fainted on Li Mingyuan's back.
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