The Forbidden Fruit in the Garden of Eden (Part 1)
The Bible records that eternal parable.
Because Adam and Eve stole the holy fruit in the Garden of Eden, the angry Jehovah drove them out of the Garden of Eden. But Jehovah was still not satisfied, so he sent angels with flaming swords in their hands that could be turned at will to patrol outside the Garden of Eden and guard the Tree of Life.
Today, the Garden of Eden must still be like spring all year round, and the bright red holy fruit is still swaying on the branches and emitting fragrance.
But those two ignorant thieves have long disappeared in the long river of time.
"What's this?"
The wind blew in late autumn, making the leaves rustle. I held the paper bag that Jiang Yuanzhou handed to me, feeling a little confused.
"Today is Christmas Eve, so of course there's a Christmas apple inside...wait wait, wait, wait, wait until midnight to open it, and your wish will come true."
Jiang Yuanzhou held my hand as I was about to open it.
I glanced at him sideways. When did this guy start believing this?
Seeing his confident expression, he withdrew his hand with a somewhat amused look, made an "OK" gesture, and turned to leave.
"Lin Nian!" He suddenly called me from behind.
"Hmm?" I turned around and saw him scratching his head awkwardly. "Um... after school, come find me here, okay?"
"What?" Aren't we going home together?
As if he could tell what I was thinking, he quickly added, "Not everyone together, just you. After school, come here, I'll wait for you."
As if he was afraid that I would ask more questions, he pushed his bicycle away in a hurry after he finished speaking.
"Hey! What are you doing?" I grabbed his schoolbag strap.
"It's just... I have something to tell you, it's very important!" Before I could ask, he had already jumped on the bicycle as if escaping, pedaled hard, and rushed out.
"What's the important thing?!" I shouted at his back, but the only response I got was his hands waving randomly with his back to me...
Looking at the guy in front of me who looked like he was running away, I stood there confused for a long time before I remembered to go to the classroom.
By the time I staggered to my seat, most people were already in the classroom.
I threw my schoolbag off my shoulder and was about to put it in my desk when I felt like there was something inside.
He reached out to take the thing out, and his eyelids couldn't help but twitch.
This is also a paper bag, exactly the same as the one Jiang Yuanzhou just gave me.
I looked left and right, but couldn't tell the difference between the two paper bags.
What's going on?
What day is it today? Is it going to rain?
————
"If you ask me, don't worry about it."
Lulu took a big sip of milk tea to moisten her throat before she had time to analyze it for me.
"First of all, Jiang Yuanzhou asked you out, so you should go. We grew up together wearing the same crotchless pants, how could he really trick you into selling you out?"
"Secondly, who cares who gave that apple to the desk? What if it's some bad romance? It's better to not know about it, because you won't be able to get rid of it even if you try."
That makes a lot of sense.
I clicked my tongue twice and gave her a thumbs up.
"As expected of the top science student in our Rocketry class, with clear logic, thorough analysis, and sharp insights!"
She gave me a look that said, "Don't try this on me," stood up and stretched, "Let's go. The bell is about to ring."
I nodded and reached for the cup of milk tea.
As I got close to the straw, I felt something was wrong, so I picked it up and shook it.
It’s empty!
"Xu, Hang, Lu--!" I just bought it and I haven't even taken a sip yet, but this guy drank it all!
————
In the early winter evening, it gets dark early.
When the school bell rang, the sky outside the window was already dark blue.
"See you tomorrow." I waved to Lulu, turned around and walked against the crowd rushing towards the school gate, towards the old locust tree that I had seen this morning.
Jiang Yuanzhou was already waiting there.
This guy actually took off his school uniform jacket and was only wearing a white shirt that was ironed extremely flat. The collar was slightly open, revealing the thin lines of his collarbone.
"You...what's this look?" I twitched my lips. "Aren't you cold?"
"Doesn't it look good?" He lowered his head uncomfortably and tugged at his collar, muttering softly, "I picked it out specially..."
"So, what's the important thing?" I didn't dwell on it anymore. The wind blew over and I couldn't help stamping my feet.
He suddenly became uneasy, his eyes wandered, and his ears turned unnaturally red.
"Um..." He hesitated, "Did you bring the apple I gave you this morning?"
He asked cautiously.
I then remembered the paper bag I had forgotten in my desk drawer and scratched my hair awkwardly, "Uh... I left it in the classroom."
"Lin Nian! You really are..."
He had an expression as if he had swallowed a bitter melon, which left me confused.
"It's okay, I'll run back and get something quick!" I turned around and wanted to rush to the teaching building, but he grabbed my wrist.
"Forget it!" He seemed to have made up his mind, and the palm of his hand holding my wrist was burning hot. "It's the same if I just say it directly!"
say what?
I looked at his flushed cheeks and evasive eyes, and my heart seemed to be hit by something unexpectedly.
A vague guess suddenly popped up in my mind, and my heartbeat accelerated unconsciously.
Wait...it can't be what I think?
"Lin Nian, what... do you think of me?" As soon as the words came out of his mouth, the tips of his ears turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye.
He spoke the following words so fast as if he was reciting them, but he was a little halting.
"We've known each other for so many years and have always been good friends. We grew up together, had fun together. I... I'm an adult now, and we're about to graduate. I'm worried that if I don't tell you now, when we go to college and live in different places, we might not have the chance to tell you anymore."
His chest heaved violently, and he took a deep breath. "I just want to say, Lin Nian, I like you! Not just as a friend, but as a childhood friend! I want to be able to stand by you openly in the future, take care of you, and accompany you. Can you... can you consider being my girlfriend?"
He spoke faster and faster, and his ears became redder and redder. The last few words were so loud that they drilled straight into my eardrums in the empty campus.
The world suddenly fell silent at that moment.
The lingering noise from the distant basketball court, the sound of windows closing in the teaching building, and even the sound of the last dead leaf falling to the ground from the branch, all turned into the roar of blood hitting the eardrums.
It’s true!
He's confessing his feelings to me!
Jiang Yuanzhou is actually confessing to me?
I opened my mouth, but my throat seemed to be blocked and no sound came out.
Jiang Yuanzhou looked at my reaction and seemed a little panicked. He quickly added, "I... I know this might be too sudden and you won't be able to accept it right away. But I've really thought about it for a long time... I'm not asking you to agree right away, I just hope you can consider it and stop... just treating me as an ordinary friend, or someone you grew up with."
He held my shoulders tightly, and the warmth from his palms burned my skin through the thin winter school uniform.
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