Chapter 163 Exchange
But Su Xia is not something he can afford.
She was far more generous than fate and far more precious than anything he had ever had.
There was someone who loved her just as much as he did, or even a thousand times more than he did. Because of this, the moment Xu Jiqing tried to put himself in Su Xiaojuan's shoes, he could no longer harbor any hatred or resentment towards the woman.
Every word she said was just a statement of reality, without any abuse or insult.
So gentle, yet far more ferocious than a slap in the face.
The pain spread from deep within his body, like a rusty steel nail piercing through his bones.
From sunset to dark, my mind is filled with a videotape of the AB interval that is forced to loop, starting from the sound of kicking the door at the fire scene and ending at this moment, repeating over and over again.
Rewind further.
To how he self-righteously tricked her into getting on the high-speed train first, to the cold wind in the corridor of the Mathematics Department of Jiangnan University.
To the gymnasium equipment room under the sunset, to the night when she sat on the steps in front of the South City subway station, waiting for him.
That bowl of chain store's Family Portrait wontons, and some of the shiny bracelets that he vaguely saw on her wrists but then disappeared one day.
The fan blades above his head were humming as she helped him wipe the water-stained cafeteria table.
Going back further, to the starting point of everything, she invited him to be her deskmate, told him her birthday was April 15th, and gave him the lock with the little white cat printed on it.
It's too heavy.
If there was a balance between him and Su Xia, even if he cut out his entire heart and broke all his bones to press on the other side, he would not be able to balance the weight on the other side.
Separation is essentially a betrayal, but every word Su Xiaojuan said makes sense.
The channel for social mobility is closing, and it is difficult for children from poor families to become successful.
If he still had a bit of responsibility and conscience, he would not think that a few promises about the future were worthy of her best years of youth.
What's more, the person the woman was gambling with was none other than Su Xiaojuan, the person Su Xia had depended on since childhood.
How could he have such virtue that Su Xia could become alienated from her mother because of him?
The hospital's fountain is not drained in winter.
At the bottom of the pond were yellow leaves that had fallen from the path, swirling up and down in the cold wind and rolling towards his feet.
Xu Jiqing squatted by the pool for a while, then stood at the end of the corridor of the emergency ward until nine o'clock, and went to the nurse station to ask about the situation every now and then.
It was not until late at night that he walked back to the guesthouse on the Tsinghua University campus. The nurses were so annoyed that they frowned when they saw his face, and the provincial team's deputy coach and Zhang Jianyuan took turns calling to look for him.
The lobby was bright and empty.
"Why are you back so late?"
Zhang Jianyuan sat on a small sofa against a wall of green plants, a stack of scratched A4 papers and business cards resting on his lap. Seeing his face light up, he waved and waited for someone to approach before saying, "The afternoon's number theory paper should be ready soon."
"Those guys at Peking University are really quick. I guess Xiaofen has already secretly seen it. When you were not at dinner, they chased me all the way to ask about your major."
"I didn't dare to say more, so I just listened to it as your agent."
No matter how good the competition students' grades are, or how stable their mentality is, or how mature they are, they are just teenagers of seventeen or eighteen years old. No one would not be excited to be courted by top prestigious schools at this critical juncture.
Zhang Jianyuan himself was proud of this and lowered his voice, saying, "Peking University is willing to sign with you right now. You can choose any of Guanghua or Yuanpei. If we can finalize it tomorrow, the signing fee will be this amount."
He made the number nine.
Seeing that Xu Jiqing had been standing in front of him without any special reaction, he paused and said, "Of course, they also said that you are very strong in number theory and are a rare talent in basic research."
"If you are interested in pursuing a career in pure mathematics, Kyoto University is one of the best in the country. We welcome you to study mathematics at the Department of Mathematics."
Xu Jiqing pursed his lips and said, "I'll think about it."
"Don't think about it too late," Zhang Jianyuan said with a smile, "Go to bed early. When we go to the lecture venue tomorrow, I guess other schools will start to make efforts. Be prepared to be surrounded and chased all day long."
"I had a brief chat with the school in Hong Kong today. They're not very well-known in mainland China right now, but they're very well-recognized overseas. We'll have to wait for the results to be released, but as long as you're in the top ten, the scholarship will definitely be substantial. If you're in a hurry to use the money, it's an option."
Xu Jiqing said "hmm".
Only then did Zhang Jianyuan realize that something was wrong with his condition.
It is natural to be quiet, but being quiet is different from being silent.
Maybe it's just a feeling.
If the boy was originally a deep pool of still water, then the one in front of him was a vortex of mud and sand at the bottom of the water. He looked motionless, but in fact he was loose and dangerous, collapsing bit by bit.
"When Lin Lang came back, he told me that a young art student had fainted and was admitted to the hospital. Did you go to see her together?"
He tentatively guessed, "The situation is quite complicated?"
Xu Jiqing replied, "Not bad."
I heard the news from the nurses' station.
After taking medicine and being put in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, her condition has stabilized.
It’s just that maybe I was too tense for the past few days and I have been sleeping intermittently.
"I think so too," Zhang Jianyuan breathed a sigh of relief, "Maybe he's just too nervous. It's less troublesome than you boys who always fight at every turn."
The wounds on his head and arms could not be concealed.
He had a fight with some thugs outside the school. This was the explanation he gave after he and Lin Lang colluded with each other.
With the precedent of Li Rui, the coaching staff was only shocked for a moment and did not ask any further questions or accusations.
"Not again."
Xu Jiqing said.
He was still immersed in the conversation he had in the afternoon and wanted to find a quiet place as soon as possible to sort out his emotions. By the way, he wanted to compare all the options he had currently on the time scale of six months, one year, and three years to graduation.
This was not far from the elevator, and a ding sound was heard, indicating that the elevator had reached the first floor.
He said goodbye and prepared to leave.
Zhang Jianyuan hesitated, then asked him one last question, "So, do you have a plan? Mathematics, finance, or something more far-reaching?"
"It will be all right."
Xu Jiqing raised his eyes to look at him, "As long as I can make the most money."
He can do anything.
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