Chapter 7 "You can keep it," Jiang Jiaoming said. ...
Jiang Jiaoming's first semester of high school began in the chilly spring.
The spring sunshine wasn't too harsh, and the school held basketball games for several days in a row, so the playground was packed with people. The sycamore leaves around the perimeter weren't very lush, and the trunks were patchy with white and brown spots like old age spots. Tree dust was everywhere, and the prickly downy hairs made people feel lazy and itchy.
It was the end of a ball game, and a group of teenagers were walking towards the teaching building, drenched in sweat. The boy in the middle of the group was also soaked, his jersey clinging to his chest and back, outlining his excellent and muscular physique.
As he walked, he unscrewed the bottle cap, tilted his head back, and gulped down most of the bottle. The golden light shone on his pale neck, surging like waves over his Adam's apple.
“I suddenly remembered,” Zhang Bingjie said, his eyes fixed on the water Jiang Jiaoming had left, “do you know whose feet you spilled this water on?”
"Who is it?" Li Li, standing to Jiang Jiaoming's left, leaned forward and asked Zhang Bingjie, "When did Jiang Jiaoming fall into the water?" He looked closely at the bottle in Jiang Jiaoming's hand; it was clean, and could even be sold as a mirror on a shelf.
“You’re not here, you went to take a dump,” Zhao Wu said. “I accidentally bumped into Jiang Jiaoming with my elbow, and he lost his grip and rolled out.”
"What's there to say?" Li Si said, bewildered. "It just fell off."
"The key is where it fell," Qian Liu said, winking and squinting at Li Si as if he were telling a joke, "Guess where it fell?"
Li Si casually remarked, "It couldn't have fallen into a cesspool, could it?"
“…Aren’t you disgusting?” Zhang San pinched his nose and kicked Li Si across Jiang Jiaoming: “It’s Liang Kongxiang.”
"Really?" Upon hearing the name, Li Si stopped patting his pants and, too lazy to argue with Zhang San, his eyes lit up: "I've never had the nerve to look closely at what she looks like... Every time I see her, she seems so hazy, I can't even make out her features."
“She’s really beautiful,” Zhang San stroked his chin, recalling the Liang Kongxiang he had just seen, and nudged Jiang Jiaoming for approval: “Isn’t that right, Jiaoming?”
Jiang Jiaoming glanced at him sideways, then walked a few steps to the teaching building, shaking off the few people behind him who kept chattering nonsense.
The water in his hand rose and fell in the bottle as he swayed, and the spring sunlight streaming down the stairs softened Jiang Jiaoming's cold and hard face.
A sound suddenly came from above.
"You're so kind! Kong Xiang, you're so kind!"
Jiang Jiaoming paused for a moment as he lifted his foot to go upstairs, stood still, and then looked up at the stairs to the next floor.
Liang Kongxiang was dragged downstairs by a girl. Although she had a helpless expression on her face, she was smiling. The shimmering spring sunshine on her face seemed to drift towards Jiang Jiaoming with every breeze.
He withdrew his gaze, slowly lifted his foot, and Zhang San, Li Si, Zhao Wu, and Qian Liu surrounded him like a gust of wind, their footsteps like the hooves of advancing horses, thump- ...
"Jiang Jiaoming! Why are you walking so fast!" Zhang San shouted, and the whole world looked over. All eyes on the staircase were drawn to Jiang Jiaoming.
Jiang Jiaoming took a step further in, feeling utterly annoyed, and subconsciously glanced ahead.
Liang Kongxiang and Ruan Jiayan were just coming downstairs when they were met by a large group of tall boys who stood in pairs, almost taking up a whole row of seats.
After speaking, he realized who it was and cursed inwardly. He then squeezed closer to Jiang Jiaoming, afraid of accidentally bumping into Liang Kongxiang.
Jiang Jiaoming was pressed tightly against the wall and was irritably trying to push Zhang Bingjie away when he unexpectedly heard Liang Kongxiang speaking.
"Thanks."
Zhang San and the others were slightly surprised, after all, they all knew that Liang Kongxiang was a man of few words, and quickly said, "You're welcome, you're welcome, it's nothing. It's the stairs." After saying that, they squeezed into Jiang Jiaoming's arms.
Liang Kongxiang didn't say anything. Just as she stepped down one step, she heard a voice suddenly come from behind her, the tone of which was a little impatient.
You've thanked the wrong person.
She turned around and saw Jiang Jiaoming standing against the light on the stairs. Zhang San, Li Si, Zhao Wu, and Qian Liu stared at Jiang Jiaoming in astonishment, like sunflowers, not understanding what he was saying.
Liang Kongxiang then turned to Jiang Jiaoming and said earnestly, "Thank you."
Jiang Jiaoming looked at her but didn't respond at first. Liang Kongxiang also looked at Jiang Jiaoming quietly, without any doubt or anger. Her face was cold and indifferent as she simply stared at him calmly, waiting for him to speak.
A few seconds later, Zhang San and his group were getting annoyed, wondering what had suddenly gotten into Jiang Jiaoming.
Before Zhang San could embarrass himself, Jiang Jiaoming casually said, "You're welcome." Then, without giving him another glance, he turned and left.
However, Zhang San and the others knew about Jiang Jiaoming's spoiled nature. They were embarrassed and naturally didn't have a good temper. But he wasn't stupid enough to ask why and get scolded. They chatted about the game for a few minutes and then it was over.
Jiang Jiaoming didn't take it too seriously at first. The continuous spring rain soaked the entire Gongtai City. A row of green plants on Qilimen Street were wilted by the rain. Zhang San and a few others had arranged to play basketball at an indoor basketball court, which was not far from Jiang Jiaoming's home, so he didn't ask the driver to take him and rode his bicycle there himself.
The rain intensified halfway through the journey, turning the streets wet and black. He had intended to ride to the venue in one go, but the road ahead was completely blocked, with every car flashing its red lights and honking its horns incessantly, suggesting there had been an accident.
The rain showed no signs of stopping, and the wind brought a chill. Jiang Jiaoming looked around and found a small shop to take shelter from the rain.
He parked his car at the entrance, went inside to buy a pack of tissues, and just as he finished paying, he bumped into Liang Kongxiang, who was coming in to take shelter from the rain.
Her hair was wet and clung to her face in strands. She was holding a cat curled up in her arms, which was also wet and had its head buried in Liang Kongxiang's arms.
Jiang Jiaoming glanced at it once and then looked away. Although it was raining outside, it was still brightly lit, with light shining faintly through the rectangular high door. The shop was dimly lit, and Liang Kongxiang slipped inside.
He stood at the intersection unwrapping the packaging, the screeching sound particularly loud on the quiet rainy day.
He wiped the rain off his face with a tissue, which was half wet. He then covered his head with the tissue and wiped it a couple more times, making the tissue completely wet. When he took it off, he found that it was not only wet but also torn, and there was probably a lot of white flakes on his head. Jiang Jiaoming felt irritated.
"Excuse me... let me look again."
It seemed to be the cashier's voice. Jiang Jiaoming didn't turn around. He glanced at his phone and realized that the car accident ahead probably wouldn't be resolved for a while.
Never mind, I'll stay a little longer to avoid the rain.
"It seems we're out. The last pack was bought by that handsome guy." The cashier squatted down and rummaged through the drawers, but still couldn't find it. She stood up and apologized to Liang Kongxiang, "I'm sorry, why don't you borrow one from him?"
As she spoke, she started rummaging through her things again, muttering, "...I think I've run out of my own paper too. Could you wait a bit while I call the boss to ask?"
"No need, thank you." Seeing that the rain had subsided and the cat in her arms was shivering, Liang Kongxiang simply took off her apricot-colored coat and covered the cat with it. Just as she turned to leave, a thunderclap boomed from the horizon, and the rain poured down. The gurgling water that had been flowing in the drain at the shop entrance suddenly gushed out.
She was trapped under the shed, the raindrops pattering down like beads from the eaves of the small shop. The surroundings were wet, and the shop was surrounded by green plants. Vines and lush leaves were scattered all over the ground, washed clean by the rain, and the air was filled with the scent of mimosa flowers.
On a rainy day, there were almost no pedestrians with umbrellas on the road. All around was the sound of rain. Liang Kongxiang stared intently at the rows of water columns under the eaves splashing on the uneven cement ground.
After a while, a pair of blue and white sneakers caught my eye out of the corner of my eye.
Liang Kongxiang looked away. She wondered if it was just her imagination, but there seemed to be a third smell in the air besides rain and plants.
Snap.
Something fell at my feet.
Then she saw the boy who had been sheltering from the rain next to her get on his bicycle. Liang Kongxiang looked down at her feet and saw a half-used pack of tissues.
“Hello,” Liang Kongxiang called out to him, reminding him, “You’ve dropped something.”
The boy sat on the bicycle, looking at her expressionlessly, clearly waiting for her to continue.
Liang Kongxiang, holding the cat in one arm, half-squatted to pick up the paper, which was wet and dirty: "Your tissue."
Jiang Jiaoming touched his pocket, as if to confirm that it was indeed the thing he had just dropped, and then said, "I don't want it."
Liang Kongxiang looked at the tissues that were still mostly empty, feeling it would be a waste to throw them away. The cat in her arms was trembling. "Could you please lend me two?"
"casual."
"Thank you." Liang Kongxiang opened the package, lifted the clothes from her arms, and wiped the cat's body. The kitten lazily closed its eyes, its white fur matted together, leaving her hands wet and sticky after touching it a couple of times. Liang Kongxiang smoothed the fur out.
The boy suddenly spoke again.
"Could you use a different word?"
Liang Kongxiang thought he had left, but unexpectedly, Jiang Jiaoming sat on the bicycle with his arms crossed, watching her wipe the cat's body the whole time. After watching, he said, "You can say 'thank you' as soon as you have a mouth."
Liang Kongxiang threw the wet wipes into the trash can. "Is there anything you need me to do?"
"I don't know." Jiang Jiaoming looked at her for two seconds and gave an extremely difficult answer.
He really didn't know.
Standing in front of the convenience store, Liang Kongxiang was thin and frail. Perhaps it was the wind or the rain, but her lips were pale and she looked weak. He didn't know what he could ask her for help with.
"Keep it on credit," Jiang Jiaoming said.
A faint grassy smell filled the air. The bicycle cut through the rain, leaving a trail of ripples. It rode further and further away amidst the rumbling thunder, until it was smaller than the raindrops and Liang Kongxiang could no longer see it.
The thunder grew louder and louder...
It felt like it was right next to my ear.
"Kong Xiang?"
Liang Kongxiang's eyelids twitched. The knocking on the door hadn't stopped. She glanced at her phone; it was 4:20.
"They're here."
The door was locked twice. Liang Kongxiang unlocked it, and Chen Yun breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Liang Kongxiang. Then she immediately glanced at her face and said, "She's alright, not too swollen."
A girl was following behind her, and Chen Yun introduced her: "Starting today, Xin Xin will be with you. Just tell her what to do in your life."
The previous assistant was fired. Originally, it was thought that a middle-aged male assistant could double as a bodyguard and make moving things easier, but who knew that person secretly sold Liang Kongxiang's personal information to scalpers, resulting in Liang Kongxiang being followed by a bunch of stalkers and paparazzi wherever she went. After much thought, Chen Yun felt that a girl would be better. Chang Xin seemed like an honest, reliable, and perceptive girl, so Chen Yun assigned her to Liang Kongxiang. Filming would last for four months, and not having an assistant was definitely inconvenient.
Chang Xin called out "Teacher Liang," and Liang Kongxiang nodded to her as a greeting.
"Okay, I'll head over first. Come to my place after you've washed up, and I'll put on makeup once the swelling goes down." After instructing Liang Kongxiang, Chen Yun then told Chang Xin, "Go and make Kongxiang a cup of black coffee."
After they both left, Liang Kongxiang quickly changed her clothes, putting those memories from her dream behind her.
The past cannot be retrieved; let bygones be bygones. There's nothing worth remembering anymore. After this drama ends, she and Jiang Jiaoming will be just like they were a few years ago—former lovers who never speak to each other again. Nothing special, just like most couples who break up in the world. They'll hold onto their resentment, but eventually, they'll let go.
Each has new companions, each has a future to pursue, and each has a life to live.
She stood in front of the elevator, her tired face reflected in the gray-silver elevator door, which was cut in half by the gap in the door.
bite.
The door opened, and the half-face hidden in the crack gradually disappeared, revealing a cold face. He looked straight ahead, his eyes meeting Liang Kongxiang's.
It was exactly the same face as the one in my dream.
Liang Kongxiang was stunned.
Aren't you coming in?
The sound remained unchanged.
Old faces, old stories, old nightmares.
Liang Kongxiang looked away and went inside.
She stood beside him, very close to the elevator buttons. She raised her hand and pressed the fifth floor button, then scanned another lit button showing the first floor.
It's not even dawn yet, what is he, as a producer, doing up so early?
The small space amplified the emotions hidden in the shadows, and Liang Kongxiang deliberately ignored that strange feeling.
Fortunately, we'll be on the fifth floor soon.
She looked down at the arrow, and just as the door was about to open, a hand came across and pressed the close button.
A note from the author:
----------------------
Jiang Jiaoming, you're doing this on purpose, do you know that?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
