60 The person I am talking about is you, and the person I like is also you
"Atonement?" Jin Lang's voice was cold, a hint of disbelief lingering in his tone. "Like I said, you don't know me!" Liu Yuwei rubbed her hands together. A sharp barb protruded from the edge of her index finger. She tried to pinch it off with her fingernail, but the raised skin was incredibly stubborn. She instinctively brought her hand to her mouth. "Don't bite!" Jin Lang knew her bad habits well. "There are nail clippers in the glove box!" "Oh!" The trimmed edge of her finger was smooth again. "See, it's not that hard to remove the barb if you find the right method!" Liu Yuwei knew what he meant, so she replied softly, "It's a long story!" Before she could finish her words, the navigation system's female voice suddenly interrupted, "We're about to enter a congested section ahead. Estimated travel time: 10 minutes..." Jin Lang gently reminded her, "We have plenty of time now!" The car had almost come to a complete stop, its surrounding red taillights blending into a single, like countless pairs of prying eyes. "I told you before that I didn't have many friends in junior high school, but that's just my one-sided perception." Her eyes were unfocused on the street lights in the distance, and her memories were like an old suitcase that had been pried open, with dust flying everywhere. "There was a boy in our class named Zhao Fei. He was very quiet and even more silent than me." "And this guy was very strange. He wore long sleeves and long pants all year round, even in the hottest summer. He always kept a distance from others. At that time, everyone rotated seats every two weeks. Although he was not tall, he always sat in the last row next to the brooms and buckets. The girls said that it was because he didn't like to take a shower, and guarding the garbage dump could cover up the stench on his body." "Once I saw a few boys who tripped Zhao Fei and surrounded him and said sarcastic words. I made up an excuse that the head teacher was looking for him and sent them away." "I kindly reached out to help him, but he deliberately avoided me. I was very angry at the time and said he was trying to be a traitor!" "Then one day after school, when there were not many people in the classroom, Zhao Fei suddenly ran up to me and apologized, saying that he had acted subconsciously that day. Then... he rolled up the sleeves of his school uniform..." Liu Yuwei paused, and his narration voice became a few deeper, "His arms were covered with bruises and purple scars!" Jin Lang's breathing quickened as she spoke. "I thought it was one of those bullies from school, so I dragged him to the homeroom teacher. But he stopped me and said it wasn't what I thought." Liu Yuwei remembered the boy's eyes in the twilight, as calm as still water. "He heard my mom was a lawyer and wanted to ask how he could leave his relatives' home and live in an orphanage." "But my mom said there was no legal way..."
"Atonement?"
Jin Lang's voice was cold, with a hint of disbelief in his tone.
"I told you, you don't know me!"
Liu Yuwei rubbed her hands, and a sharp barb appeared on the edge of her index finger. She tried to pinch it off with her fingernail, but the raised skin was extremely stubborn, so she subconsciously brought her hand to her mouth.
"Don't bite!" Jin Lang knew her bad habits very well. "There are nail clippers in the glove box!"
"oh!"
After trimming, the finger edges become smooth and flat again.
"You see, it's not difficult to remove the thorn if you find the right method!"
Liu Yuwei knew what he meant, so she replied softly, "It's a long story!"
Before I could finish my words, the navigation woman's voice suddenly interrupted, "We're about to enter a congested section ahead. Estimated travel time is 10 minutes..."
Jin Lang reminded in a gentle voice, "We have plenty of time now!"
The car almost came to a complete stop, and the red taillights around it connected into one, like countless pairs of prying eyes.
"I told you before that I didn't have many friends in junior high school, but that was just my one-sided perception."
Her eyes were unfocused on the street lights in the distance, and her memories were like an old suitcase that had been pried open, with dust flying everywhere.
"There was a boy in our class named Zhao Fei. He was very quiet and even more silent than me."
"And this guy was very strange. He wore long sleeves and long pants all year round, even in the hottest summer. He always kept his distance from others. At that time, everyone rotated seats every two weeks. Although he was not tall, he always sat in the last row next to the brooms and buckets. The girls said that he didn't like to take a shower, and guarding the garbage dump could cover up the stench on his body."
"One time, I saw a few boys playing tricks on Zhao Fei and tripping him. They were surrounding him and making sarcastic remarks. I made up an excuse that the homeroom teacher was looking for them and sent them away."
"I kindly reached out to help him, but he deliberately dodged. I was very angry at the time and said he was a dog biting Lu Dongbin!"
"One day after school, when the classroom was empty, Zhao Fei suddenly came over to apologize, saying his actions that day were subconscious. Then... he rolled up his school uniform sleeves..."
Liu Yuwei paused, and his voice became even lower. "His arms were covered in bruises and black marks!"
Jin Lang's breathing became rapid as she spoke.
"I thought it was those bullies from school who were bullying again, so I dragged him to the homeroom teacher. But he stopped me and said it wasn't what I thought."
Liu Yuwei remembered that the boy's eyes were as calm as dead water in the twilight.
"He heard my mom is a lawyer and wanted to know how he could leave his relatives' home and live in an orphanage."
"But my mom said that only minors without legal guardians can be accepted by social welfare agencies."
Liu Yuwei then continued to question whether guardianship could be revoked if the guardian treated the child poorly, such as through abuse. Yuyao researched the information and denied the answer.
"I relayed my exact words to Zhao Fei, and he didn't seem particularly disappointed. He just said it was okay and asked me not to tell anyone else."
"During that time, I felt sorry for him, so I became closer to him and would occasionally ride my bike to and from school."
"Then rumors started circulating in class that we were in a relationship. Someone even wrote our names on the blackboard and drew a heart on it during the general cleaning."
Liu Yuwei's mouth curled up into a self-deprecating arc. "It just so happened that I didn't perform well in the monthly exam, and my homeroom teacher also talked to me and asked me to focus on studying."
Seeing her hugging her arms, Jin Lang reached out and turned up the heater by two degrees.
"And then?"
He asked softly.
"After that, I deliberately distanced myself from him."
Her voice was as light as a feather.
"Sometimes when I meet him on the road, I will ride very fast and leave him behind or just change the road."
"Gradually, he stopped talking to me and everything returned to normal. He continued to hide in the corner, and I continued to be my good student."
"Then, when the third year of junior high school started, he didn't show up for a week. Everyone said he had transferred to another school."
In her memory, the ceiling fan in the teacher's office was creaking as it turned, and the head teacher and the math teacher were whispering to each other, but every word still reached Liu Yuwei's ears.
"Then I went to hand in my summer homework and heard the teacher say Zhao Fei had died."
"I was so frightened that I trembled and dropped the stack of homework books in my hands. They told me that Zhao Fei had returned to his hometown for summer vacation and had drowned while swimming in the river. They also warned me not to spread the news and jeopardize the school's reputation."
"I was completely stunned until I received a greeting card on New Year's Day that year."
"Sent from Zhao Fei?"
Jin Lang asked, his voice unusually low.
"Yes, at that time, time mailboxes were all the rage. There was a bookstore on Yuhua Road where you could send letters to your future self. You'd write on the card..."
Liu Yuwei,
It was not my intention to cause you trouble with the rumors in the class before.
I'm sorry, I won't trouble you again in the future.
I wish you a happy new year and a bright future.
Get into your ideal high school and university in the future.
Your good friend,
Zhao Fei.
Liu Yuwei's voice became weaker and weaker. The last few words she said almost instantly disappeared in the low hum of the air conditioner, like a snowflake falling into a deep pool.
She vaguely remembered that her classmates paid no attention to the strange boy who had "transferred" away, and the teachers quickly immersed themselves in the teaching process before the high school entrance exam. Liu Yuwei even went to the city library and searched through all the Acropolis Daily newspapers from the summer vacation. Perhaps because Zhao Fei had died in a foreign land, there was no news of him at all.
A living person just disappeared like that, no one cared, no one recorded it, and no one even cared about the real cause of his death.
"So... you think he didn't drown, but committed suicide."
Jin Lang frowned, "You think Boren died because of you."
Liu Yuwei looked at the neon lights flowing outside the window, and the taillights turned into blurred light bands in her tearful eyes.
“In the beginning, yes…”
She clutched her seatbelt. "Later, I realized I was just the last straw that broke the camel's back."
"What really pushed him to the brink of despair was the violent perpetrators and the unreasonable guardianship system."
"One day, by chance, my mother told me about a public interest lawyer who actively advocated and pushed the Supreme Court to issue a document stating that guardians who infringe on the legal rights of minors can have their guardianship qualifications revoked."
"That's when I realized there's a kind of lawyer who doesn't just do things for money, but can also solve society's deep-seated problems."
"If there were more people like this, legal reforms could have been pushed for sooner, and perhaps my friend back then could have escaped suffering and avoided his own devastating fate."
Her voice choked, and her back straightened up from the seat.
"I can't save Zhao Fei, but what I can do is help more Zhang Fei and Li Fei..."
Jin Lang tilted his head to look at the woman beside him. The orange street light outside the car window slanted in, casting a halo on her, and her whole body was shining brightly from the inside out.
Recalling his original intention, Liu Yuwei spoke quite firmly, but then he thought of the dilemma facing Lao Niu.
An inaudible snort disturbed the silence in the car.
She turned her head to look at Jin Lang's raised mouth, frowned and asked, "What are you laughing at?"
“I think I have good taste!”
"What's the meaning?"
"The person I like is innocent, kind, honest, and clear-headed, and he's also a true doer!"
Like aged red wine swaying in a crystal glass, every word seeped into Liu Yuwei's heart.
Her fingers twisted together again, she lowered her head, her voice muffled, as if wrapped in a layer of wet cotton.
"I'm not as good as you say!"
The man's low laugh came into my ears again, like the overtones of a cello rippling in the night.
"Laughing again!"
Jin Lang held the steering wheel with one hand and loosened his collar with the other, his Adam's apple rolling in the shadow.
"I didn't say it was you..."
"you!"
Liu Yuwei was both embarrassed and annoyed, and was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to fight back. She could only glare at him fiercely, turn her head away, and stop talking.
After slowly passing the red section, the car sped away at high speed. In just ten minutes, the familiar residential building came into view.
After getting out of the car, the two walked side by side towards the depths of the community.
Liu Yuwei's feet suddenly stopped. A big gray rat jumped out from somewhere, its fat body brushing against his trouser legs as it ran past, making a sharp squeaking sound.
She was startled and grabbed the arm next to her almost reflexively.
Jin Lang patted her hands and said, "It's just a midnight snack for the little wild cat!"
Liu Yuwei came to his senses and seemed to be burned by something. He immediately let go and walked forward quickly, leaving his "savior" behind.
When she got downstairs, she spoke slowly.
"Just drop it off here. Thanks for saving me the taxi fare! Come back soon!"
After saying that, without waiting for his answer, she waved her hand and turned to walk into the unit door.
Liu Yuwei trotted over and stopped in front of the elevator, biting her lower lip in frustration. Why did she always feel like she'd lost her composure and run away whenever she saw him?
She kicked the crumbling wall next to the elevator door with her toes, and her black suede boots were immediately stained with white dust.
Hearing footsteps approaching from afar, Liu Yuwei was enveloped by a masculine aura before she could turn around.
A pair of arms wrapped around her waist from behind, and she shuddered. The hair on the back of her neck stood up instantly, and her high heels were already hanging in the air, ready to fight back.
"Don't be afraid, it's me!"
The warm breath brushed against my earlobe, causing a slight shiver.
She twisted her body to try to break free, but was instead thrust into a tighter embrace. She could hear his heartbeat against her chest.
Jin Lang's voice was unusually soft.
"Don't be angry. I saw you were in a bad mood just now, so I wanted to make a joke to liven up the atmosphere."
Seeing that she stopped "resisting" and stood there quietly, Jin Lang lowered his head slightly and rubbed his chin lightly against her shoulder.
"You know, the person I'm talking about is you, and the person I like is also you!"
"Xiaoyu, you are really great!"
The air seemed to have been paused, and Liu Yuwei could clearly feel the blood vessels in his neck throbbing. These words were like pebbles that were thrown into the lake of his heart without warning, bouncing on the surface several times.
She lowered her head and stared at her waist. The hands seemed to be naturally wrapped around her waist like vines. The warmth from the palms seemed to penetrate her clothes and burn her cheeks.
She was racking her brains when the metal door made a crisp "ding" sound. Bright white light illuminated the corridor, splitting the ambiguous figures.
Liu Yuwei looked up and met the yellow-clad delivery boy's gaze, as if she had been caught in an affair. Her blood rushed to her head, and she struggled to break free as if she had been electrocuted. She shook off the people behind her and rushed into the elevator.
Jin Lang quickly pressed the upward metal arrow, leaving half of his body in the shadows.
"I'm going to join the crew tomorrow, so I probably won't be able to see you for a while!"
His voice was hoarse and restrained, and his eyes were dark and turbulent.
Liu Yuwei forced himself to remain calm and nodded, "Okay!"
Jin Lang saw her tense face and smiled bitterly inwardly. He had been impulsive just now. The gentle and soft words he had imagined were just a luxury at this moment.
"If you have time, remember to reply to my WeChat."
His tone became even softer, as if he was soothing a furry cat.
After receiving the vague "hmm...", he slowly raised his hand.
The elevator door slowly closed like a stage curtain, swallowing up the angular face inch by inch.
The floor numbers began to jump, and Liu Yuwei was shocked to realize that his palms were full of sweat.
Author's Note
Lazy Cat on the Cloud
author
05-15
My eyes are so dry that I am crying while typing... I tried my best and will catch bugs tomorrow.
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