Chapter 49
The female student glanced over casually.
His expression remained unchanged, and he turned his gaze away without any emotion, continuing to stare out the window.
Guan Nan gripped the handrail, and a question, seemingly posed, reached her ears: "Female classmate?"
...female classmate...
Only she and Qi Yang knew this word.
But the "female classmate" was a fake; only she knew that.
Because it was she who lied.
But at this moment, Qi Yang's seemingly questioning "female classmate" actually seemed to be testing him, not as if she didn't know or couldn't guess the truth.
Guan Nan thought for a moment, then replied ambiguously, "Classmate."
The statement neither denied that the person was a "female classmate" nor confirmed that the person was a "female classmate," but only acknowledged that they were classmates.
What was hidden beneath this low-class trick could not escape Qi Yang's eyes and ears.
He glanced down at Guan Nan, his tone somewhat serious: "Guan Nan."
Guan Nan: "Hmm?"
Qi Yang said meaningfully, with a hint of warning, "My responsibility is to watch over you."
In an instant, his keen mind understood his meaning.
Even after they got off the bus, they slowed down and fell behind everyone else. Guan Nan even looked back to make sure no one was behind them.
She then said, "Brother Qiyang, I've told you before, I don't like Fuling."
So, you don't need to worry.
Don't worry, I won't stay here.
People can dislike the parts of themselves that they have.
Over the years, her only unwavering thought has remained constant: to take her mother away from Fuling.
Nothing and no one could hold her back from leaving Fuling.
Even so, is it really not true?
Guan Nan sensed a slight unease and wavering within herself.
But she didn't want to think about it, nor did she want to think about it.
......
In the classroom, Yena, who sat at the back of the class, was worried, "Can we both come to the parent-teacher conference tomorrow? Will it be okay if there are more people...?"
Guan Nan didn't know, so she suggested to her, "You can ask the teacher."
"What's wrong?" Yu Shu teased her, "It's just a parent-teacher conference, and your whole family has to come?"
Yena sighed and counted the heads one by one on her fingers, "Yes, my maternal grandparents, my parents, my uncles and aunts, my aunts and uncles, my brother has to go to class, oh, right, and my great-aunt."
"......"
“”
“”
“They know I’m in Fuzhong. They wanted to come last year but couldn’t, so they’re determined to come this year.” Ye Na said helplessly.
"Your family is having a team-building event here?" Yu Shufu said. "With so many people like this, you'd think it was a tourist group. Why didn't you wait for the campus open day?"
Yena sighed again, "How would I know? They don't listen to me." Then she asked Guan Nan, "Who's coming from your family?"
"My mom," Guan Nan said.
"Jiang Li, what about you?" Ye Na noticed that Jiang Li hadn't said a word all day, so she asked him casually.
Jiang Li didn't even look up, and said in a flat tone, "My sister."
This state of alienation, indifference, and lack of communication with others continued into the evening.
Because of tomorrow's parent-teacher meeting, tonight's evening self-study session is canceled to give students time to pack their belongings. During this break, the teacher placed printed nameplates and put water and tissues on each table.
While everyone else was busy, Guan Nan was the only one with plenty of free time. She packed up her books and left when it was time to go.
Throughout the day, Guan Nan didn't hear any rumors about "puppy love," and she breathed a heavy sigh of relief as her tense state of mind relaxed.
At the parents' meeting, the parents arrived as scheduled with their invitations, but Guan Nan did not see Ran Mingju.
It was Qi Yang who arrived, having changed out of his school uniform. When he saw the disappointment in her eyes, his first words were, "Aunt Ranran is here. She's sitting at the school gate. Go and keep her company."
Guan Nan pursed her lips. "Aren't you coming up?"
"I was going to come up," Qi Yang hesitated, waved the invitation at her, and then told the truth, "I arrived at the school gate early, hesitated for a long time before calling Sister Zhen, and decided to come up instead."
“…Oh.” Guan Nan stared at the name on the invitation.
“Sister Zhen brought me some clothes,” Qi Yang said. “You go and keep Auntie company first. We’ll go back together this afternoon since we have the day off.”
Guan Nan nodded and thanked him again.
When the meeting started, Qi Yang arrived late: "Sorry, I was stuck in traffic."
The class monitor recognized him and didn't make things difficult for him, letting him in.
At the same time, Guan Nan signed Qi Yang's name on the parent-teacher meeting attendance sheet.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Qi Yang sitting down in front of Ran Mingju's nameplate. Next to him, in the spot next to Jiang Yuwen's nameplate, sat a very arrogant and domineering girl. Her clothes and appearance exuded a domineering aura and she was naturally aggressive.
He looked intimidating, and his features bore a resemblance to Jiang Li.
Before leaving the classroom, Guan Nan took a few extra glances.
The stairwells, the Huangjue Road, and the pavilions were all filled with students accompanying their parents to a meeting. They chatted idly and played games. Guan Nan walked straight through them, and along the way, she saw Ye Na leading a large group of students to stroll around the campus.
The two greeted each other, and Yena pointed to a large group of people, shaking her head and shrugging helplessly.
I could vaguely see Yu Shuye happily mingling among them.
......
Jiang Li sat in the milk tea shop carrying Jiang Siyao's bag. He glanced at the woman sitting on the high stool in a daze. At this moment, the school gate was open, without the usual security fences. Students and their parents were coming and going as if they were having fun.
The woman sat on a stool with her phone on the table. She held a cup of strawberry milk tea in her hand, looking nervous and confused, lost in thought.
Jiang Li's phone vibrated; a message had come in. He glanced at it and saw it was from Jiang Siyao, who had specifically requested milk tea.
"Hello, a cup of milk green tea, with ice, full sugar," Jiang Li said to the waiter standing behind the counter.
Waiter: "Medium or large?"
Jiang Li replied with his head down to his ancestor, who had taken time out of his busy studies to attend the meeting: "Large cup, and also individual portions of toppings. I'd like one serving of mochi, one serving of coconut jelly, one serving of pearls, one serving of Oreo, and one ice cream."
"There are pearls in the milk tea," the waiter reminded him. "Other toppings are charged at the normal rate."
"Add as usual, but you need to divide it into smaller portions," Jiang Li replied to Jiang Siyao on the keyboard.
-jiang-: [Why aren't you drinking eight-treasure porridge?]
After paying, Jiang Li put down his phone and glanced at the woman sitting inside.
In my memory, the woman was bright and generous, always confident and walking with a breezy air. Because she was beautiful, she was even more beautiful in her conduct and actions. Every gesture she made exuded innate elegance, and she was the center of attention wherever she went.
When facing men, women, young and old, there is no arrogance or servility, just as the midday sun shines brightly wherever it goes.
But at this moment, she just sat there, doing nothing at all.
However, it clearly gives people a sense of timidity, unease, and inferiority.
Just then, Guan Nan left the school gate, first looked around at the small shop on the left, and then came to the small shop on the right.
Seeing Ran Mingju sitting inside surprised him more than seeing Jiang Li.
"Mom." Guan Nan brushed past him and stood beside Ran Mingju. She carefully examined her face to make sure she was alright before whispering, "Brother Qiyang went upstairs. Shall we go home first, or wait for them to leave together?"
Ran Mingju bought her her favorite strawberry milk. Looking into her dark eyes, she looked like a child who had made a mistake, and her words were somewhat helpless: "I wanted to go, but I didn't dare to go."
"It's okay." Guan Nan put the milk tea aside, took her trembling hand, and comforted her, "It's okay, the teacher will just talk about the learning progress and grades. I study very hard and my grades are very good, so it doesn't matter whether you go or not."
When the phone rang, Jiang Li didn't even glance at it before hanging up.
He kept an eye on what was happening on their side.
Ran Mingju calmed down, swiped her phone screen, opened the WeChat app, and asked Guan Nan how to view the photos. A kind parent had just taken a photo of her and Sister Zhen at the school gate, and Sister Zhen had reminded her to send the photo before entering the school.
After Sister Zhen left, she stared at WeChat for a long time, feeling lost and helpless.
The world has evolved into a form she no longer recognizes.
The train of time seemed to have abandoned her for many years.
Corning is separated from the outside world by only a wall, yet it seems as if an entire century separates the individual from the era.
Although she had never used WeChat before, the icons were simple and clear, so she clicked on each one.
After clicking the "+" sign, several functions popped up below, with photos being the first one available.
Select the photo and send it.
"Guan Guan," Ran Mingju stared at the photo for a few seconds, then spoke in a low voice, "We also..."
Guan Nan spoke first: "Mom, let's take a picture too."
Her words were exactly what Ran Mingju had hesitated to say, and Ran Mingju smiled upon hearing them.
She smiled awkwardly, clearly uncomfortable in front of the camera, and appeared particularly reserved.
Jiang Li, who had been politely invited, held up his phone and pointed the camera at the mother and daughter standing in front of the large stone plaque of "Fuling Middle School": "Auntie, you can relax a bit, you look prettier when you don't smile."
Actually, no. The Ran Mingju I remember had a bright and radiant smile, making her a completely different person from the one I know now.
Guan Nan didn't seem entirely comfortable in front of Jiang Li's camera.
Ran Mingju was still tense.
Jiang Li tilted his head slightly, pointed behind his ear, and said, "What's that?"
Subconsciously, the two looked over at the same time, and the camera happened to capture the subtle moment.
In the video, the mother and daughter are wearing matching outfits, with Guan Nan holding Ran Mingju's hand.
"Thank you." He opened the enlarged photo for Ran Mingju, which made Ran Mingju's eyes crinkle with joy.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Li frowned imperceptibly. This wasn't the familiar scent. In his memory, it should have been "Thank you, handsome young man," followed by a smile, a piece of candy, a pat on the head, or a pinch on the cheek.
He paused for a moment, then opened his phone without further thought: "Auntie, let me add you on WeChat and send you the photos."
Ran Mingju smiled a little awkwardly: "Add me on WeChat, but I'm not very good at using it."
“It’s alright,” Jiang Li glanced at Guan Nan beside him, not giving her a chance to refuse the party, and said gently with his head down, “I’ll teach you.”
"......"
I knew I shouldn't have asked Jiang Li to take photos from the moment I did.
But unexpectedly, things developed to the point that he and Ran Mingju added each other on WeChat.
"If you have any questions next time, you can send me a message. This is a voice message; long press to speak, and release to send automatically. This is a voice call; tap it to select voice, just like making a phone call, but it won't cost you any money. This is a video call; select video to see the person directly and talk face-to-face through the screen..." Jiang Li explained everything to her slowly and patiently, without a trace of casualness or laxity; he was extremely calm and polite.
Ran Mingju nodded. These functions sounded similar to QQ: "I'm still getting used to them, thank you."
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