Cheng Jie's perception of Li Kan remained unchanged over the years; he was merely a presentable person. The second year of high school passed by casually, but the second semester of the third year gradually became more difficult.
Countless practice tests and quizzes filled the time of senior high school students. In this time when they had no time to think about anything else, two top students, the two hopes of the arts and sciences classes, were unexpectedly entangled together.
It's not that the two were having a secret relationship behind everyone's back; it's that Li Kan was secretly pursuing Cheng Jie. This was incredibly strange, and even Li Kan's best friend was very puzzled. When did Cheng Jie's charm surpass that of poetry in Li Kan's eyes?
When was it? Only Li Kan himself knew. It was during the winter break of his senior year of high school, when the earth was covered in white snow. According to Li Kan's parents, their son was "filled with poetic inspiration" at that time. Wearing a thick coat and carrying a hot water bottle, he was leisurely strolling in the snow—or rather, searching for inspiration.
No one can guess how long it takes to find inspiration, because sometimes it takes a long time, and sometimes I just walk a few steps out of the house and see the old tree at the door and I immediately go back home.
That night, inspiration failed to strike. Li Kan walked around the school's perimeter twice, and on the third lap, he turned west. It suddenly occurred to him that he hadn't yet ventured west to look for inspiration; he'd been circling east the whole time.
The consequence of heading west was that the hot water bottle in one's arms would no longer keep warm; the water would get cold and, combined with the falling snow and cold wind, would make one shiver incessantly.
Li Kan started walking with a trembling gait. As he shook, he turned around, wanting to go home. He figured he might as well give up on the inspiration in the west.
"Do you need to pee?" It was a low female voice. Li Kan saw Cheng Jie holding a broom and looking at him with disgust. "How about you borrow my toilet?"
"No need." What a joke! He didn't look like he needed to pee at all. It's cold! Cold! A unique sensation in winter!
“You look like you’re about to burst. Don’t you know that holding your pee can kill you?” Chengjie’s expression became even more disgusted: “Just flush it off. You can use my toilet.”
"I didn't need to go to the toilet!" Li Kan straightened his neck, which was tucked into his scarf, and shouted angrily, "I'm cold! I'm cold!"
His shout startled Cheng Jie, who belatedly blushed. Perhaps to cover up the embarrassment of misunderstanding, she didn't dare to look him in the eye and awkwardly said, "You should have said so earlier."
Seeing that Li Kan still looked angry, she added, "I have a hot water bottle at home, I'll get you a new, warm one as an apology!"
"I don't want your stuff!" What kind of attitude is that? What does "okay, okay?" mean? No way! This is his pride! His spine will not be bent by this clean hot water bottle!
"Here you go." Chengjie filled her hot water bottle and handed it to him. Li Kan took it and put it in his pocket.
It turns out that Li Kan's spine can be bent by Cheng Jie's hot water bottle.
"Alright, thanks, I'm going back now." He got up to leave, and Chengjie naturally wanted to see him off. But when she opened the door, wow, the snow that had seemed to be stopping just moments before was now falling even harder than usual.
"Uh, it's okay, I'll just run back." Just as she finished speaking, the weather turned against her, and hail began to fall from the sky with a crackling sound. Chengjie was so frightened that she pulled him into the house and slammed the door shut.
"Heavy snow and hail, the roads will be buried in no time, are you going to run back?" She raised an eyebrow: "Call your family, if all else fails, my family will let you stay overnight."
After saying that, she ran to the kitchen to call her mother, who was washing dishes, and told her that it was hailing outside and Li Kan couldn't go back home, so he might have to stay overnight. Her mother said it was no problem, and the guest room could be prepared and occupied.
"Did you hear me? Go make the call!" Cheng Jie turned around and saw Li Kan looking completely bewildered. She didn't know where she got the courage, but she slapped him on the shoulder.
After informing his mother, Li Kan's night under someone else's roof was settled. He was unwilling; he shouldn't have come to the west, he was really unlucky.
In the living room, Chengjie and her mother were watching a soap opera. Li Kan wasn't interested, but he was too embarrassed to leave, so he tried to distract himself.
This attention shifted to Chengjie, who was wearing fluffy clothes and looked like a cat. Chengjie at home was different from her behavior at school and outside; it was as if she had unleashed her true nature. The quiet, test-taking robot at school only seemed alive at home.
I don't know what in the soap opera tickled her funny bone, but she was laughing so hard in front of the guests that she was doubled over, completely lacking any ladylike demeanor.
Li Kan touched the hot water bottle that he was still holding in his arms. It was no longer needed, as the room was warm, but he still held it like that.
He glanced at the hot water bottle, then at Chengjie, who was smiling brightly. It was like a soap opera heroine bumping into the hero; their eyes met. Suddenly, Chengjie seemed to remember he was also a customer, so she turned around, and just like in the drama, their eyes met.
The hot water bottle looks like it's about to explode?
Li Kan thought to himself, otherwise why would his palms be burning? But then his ears also felt a little hot.
Did the heart stop beating suddenly? It doesn't seem so; it's beating very fast and strongly.
The warm temperature in the room, the warm-toned lighting, and the ticking of the clock gave him a feeling that time was stretching out.
He suddenly remembered a poem.
I want to live with you.
In a certain small town,
Sharing endless twilight
And the continuous sound of bells.
In the hotel of this small town—
The sound of an old clock striking
faint sound
Like time dripping gently.
Sometimes, at dusk, sounds would come from a room on the top floor.
The sound of a flute,
The piper leaned against the window.
Large tulips bloom in the window.
If you don't love me right now, I won't care.
In the center of the room, there was a stove made of ceramic tiles.
Each tile is painted with a picture:
A heart, a sailboat, a rose.
Looking out from our only window
Snow, snow, snow.
You will lie in the position I like: languid, indifferent, and aloof.
The ear-piercing sound of a match being lit once or twice.
The flame of your cigarette went from strong to weak.
The tip of the cigarette trembled, trembled.
Short, grayish-white cigarette butts—even the ash
You're too lazy to even flick it off—
The cigarette smoke then flew into the fire.
What was the name of this poem again? Now I remember, it's called "I Want to Live with You".
And so, with this feeling in mind, the new semester began after the winter break.
Li Kan began pursuing Cheng Jie, using what he considered to be romantic methods.
Sometimes it's a wildflower blooming by the roadside in the early morning, which I quickly pluck; sometimes it's the milk for breakfast, which I slip into my bag without my mother's watchful eye; sometimes it's copying an anonymous poem, making sure every word is written beautifully...
All of this had to be done as soon as morning exercises ended, rushing back to the deserted teaching building, placing it on the table, and leaving immediately.
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