After changing his clothes, Gu Qingyan took out his phone and sent a WeChat message to Shen Zhi Qiu. As expected, it was still a red exclamation mark.
He swiped the screen. During this time, he had sent many messages to Shen Zhi Qiu, but as soon as he angrily wanted to question Shen Zhi Qiu about where she had gone after she disappeared, the message he sent had already been deleted by her.
He initially thought it was just Shen Zhi Qiu being stubborn and making a fuss, but as the days went by, he realized that Shen Zhi Qiu was truly determined to disappear from his life.
She left so decisively that even his attempt to force her to show herself by capturing Zhou Xiaoran failed. It seemed she truly didn't want him anymore.
Thinking of this, Gu Qingyan pressed his temples, which were throbbing with pain.
He leaned his head against the wall, staring blankly at the empty corridor, his thoughts drifting back to many years ago.
In the height of summer, the green branches of trees on the school's tree-lined avenue intertwined freely, the leaves rustling in the wind, and golden sunlight filtering through the leaves, casting beautiful dappled shadows on the ground. He carried his easel on his back and walked towards the art studio with his head down.
Suddenly a basketball fell from the sky, and a girl on the roadside couldn't dodge it in time. It hit her arm directly, and the books in her hand scattered all over the ground.
Gu Qingyan was also startled and looked up.
A slender girl was rubbing her arm in frustration. Her hair was tied in a simple high ponytail, and her innocent face still retained a touch of girlish baby fat. Golden sunlight bathed her fair face, making her features seem to glow. A gentle breeze blew, and stray hairs brushed against her face. She reached up and tidied them, her entire being bathed in sunlight, resembling a beautiful painting.
Gu Qingyan unconsciously stopped in her tracks and stood frozen in place.
A tall boy ran quickly from one side of the basketball court, bent down to help pick up the books scattered on the ground, and then said to the girl somewhat apologetically, "Zhi Qiu, I'm sorry, we were so careless."
The girl looked up, a sweet smile already on her face. "It's nothing, thank you, Brother Mingyu."
"You're going to the teaching building, right? I'll take you there." Si Mingyu didn't hand the book to Shen Zhi Qiu, but instead held it in his arms and said gently.
Just as Si Mingyu was about to take a step, he saw Gu Qingyan a meter away. "Qingyan, are you going to the art studio?"
"Okay, I'm leaving now." Gu Qingyan had already returned to his usual indifferent demeanor, saying this casually before carrying his easel and leaving.
"Thank you, Brother Mingyu." Shen Zhi Qiu's soft voice came from behind, and Gu Qingyan quickened his pace.
It turns out her name is Zhi Qiu.
“Zhi Qiu,” Gu Qingyan murmured.
Huang Lin, who was standing to the side, was stunned for a moment. Then he turned to look at Gu Qingyan and saw that he was still leaning against the wall with his eyes closed. Huang Lin shook his head, thinking that he was hallucinating.
Thousands of miles away, Shen Zhi Qiu felt a chill run down her spine for no apparent reason, and her hand, which was picking grapes, twitched slightly.
"What's wrong, Zhi Qiu?" Zhou Xiaoran asked curiously, noticing her strange behavior.
"It's nothing, I just suddenly felt something was off." Shen Zhi Qiu smiled. "It's probably just the sound of the wind, nothing to worry about."
Zhou Xiaoran carried the basket and walked home with Shen Zhi Qiu.
"I've finally experienced what it feels like to live in a paradise," Zhou Xiaoran said with a deep breath. "It's so wonderful! I almost want to stay here. It's such a rare tranquility!"
Shen Zhi Qiu smiled and replied, "Yes, Grandma likes it very much, so I plan to let her live out her retirement here."
"Yes, the scenery here is so beautiful, and the facilities are all very complete. It's indeed a great place for Grandma to recuperate. But, Zhi Qiu, I've been here for a few days, and I feel that Grandma is quite lucid most of the time. She doesn't seem as seriously ill as you said before."
Shen Zhi Qiu's heart skipped a beat, and she stopped in her tracks. Recently, her grandmother hadn't taken any medicine, but she hadn't experienced the dizziness and blurred vision she used to have. Moreover, she seemed to be just like a normal person in terms of recognizing people and remembering things. It was only occasionally, when the light was dim and Shen Zhi Qiu and Zhou Xiao Ran weren't talking, that her grandmother would mistake them for each other once or twice.
Shen Zhi Qiu pursed her lips, a bad premonition began to spread in her heart, and she couldn't help but shiver.
"What's wrong? Zhi Qiu, are you feeling unwell?" Zhou Xiaoran quickly switched the bamboo basket to her left hand and placed her right hand on Shen Zhi Qiu's forehead to check her temperature.
"It's nothing. I probably smelled some flowers just now, and it made me feel a little nauseous." Shen Zhi Qiu calmly took Zhou Xiao Ran's hand away. She wasn't sure if her guess was right, so she didn't want Zhou Xiao Ran to know such a dark matter for the time being. Besides, what if she was wrong?
"Let's go downstairs first, otherwise Grandma will worry when she wakes up from her nap and sees we're not here," Shen Zhi Qiu urged Zhou Xiao Ran to walk back.
That evening, Zhou Xiaoran went to watch Si Mingyu and Lu Xiaoyu play basketball.
Shen Zhi Qiu sat in the courtyard with her computer in her arms.
"Hehe, is your inspiration running dry?" Lu Jia walked up carrying two exquisite boxes and saw Shen Zhi Qiu resting her chin on her hand while facing the computer. She then teased her with a smile.
"A little." Shen Zhi Qiu smiled and stretched.
"That's perfect, I brought you some small cakes." Lu Jia placed the box on the table like a treasure, then put the water glass aside.
Untying the ribbon, Lu Jia opened one of the boxes, inside which was a cake cut into small pieces. "I noticed you've been craving sour things lately, so I bought you lemons, blueberries, raspberries, green grapes, oranges..."
Looking at the delicate little cakes, Shen Zhi Qiu felt a surge of appetite. She always enjoyed drinking coffee with these desserts while writing. Although the doctor said that as long as she didn't consume too much caffeine, Lu Jia was still a little worried, so she took away her coffee and instead gave her various kinds of herbal and fruit teas.
"Then what is this?" Shen Zhi Qiu pointed to the tightly wrapped box next to him.
Lu Jia smiled and said, "This is durian mille crepe. I used to think you liked it, but I didn't know if your tastes had changed since you got pregnant. They say pregnant women's tastes change, and what you liked before might be the most disliked during pregnancy. So I asked the owner to seal it with plastic wrap, just in case you like it and I open it."
Shen Zhi Qiu's brow twitched. "I really am craving durian mille-feuille."
"How about that? Aren't I thoughtful!" Lu Jia poured tea for Shen Zhi Qiu with a smile, and then began to unpack the durian cake.
Shen Zhi Qiu took a bite of the orange-flavored cake; the sweet and sour taste brought a satisfied smile to her face. Suddenly remembering what had happened during the day, she leaned closer to Lu Jia and asked in a low voice, "Is there any medicine that can impair memory, or even make someone a little dull?"
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