Chapter 33 Warmth [VIP]
Chapter Summary: Do you understand how to use it? Should I teach you again?
The warmth of the rice ball seeped out from the plastic bag and gradually reached Fu Xianyin's fingertips.
She just held the bag, without any intention of eating.
When did it become like this?
After the monthly exam, she was kicked out of the house by Chen Huimei, and Gu Linzhao came to find her.
Even before that, she discovered that she had become dependent on Gu Linzhao.
Or even earlier.
Cheng Zhaozhao sat down next to her and chatted with her; Lin Anxu saw her leg injury and volunteered to buy her exercise books; Chen Nianke pulled her through the snack stalls at the school gate during break time.
She had only been in Beichuan for three days when she told Lin Yujing that Beichuan was a good place and that she had met very kind people.
On the first day they sat at the same table, Gu Linzhao noticed she was in low spirits and bought her a cup of mango pomelo sago.
Like fragrance, like water vapor, it is invisible and intangible, yet it seeps in through the subtle wisps and threads.
It's a very strange feeling.
Just like the best age to learn a language is around five years old, once you've passed that age, no matter how much you study later, you can never reach the level of your native speaker when you learn a new language.
Are these strange feelings also like this?
Is there also an optimal age for receiving, learning, and giving the most accurate feedback?
Perhaps unlike learning a language, the age for accepting feelings is not 5 years old.
However, Fu Xianyin felt that she was definitely not 17 years old.
She's past that age; she passed it long ago.
Therefore, Fu Xianyin thought.
Then I'll just stay a coward forever.
This shouldn't, shouldn't, be considered her fault.
My fingertips were burned by the hot rice ball.
Fu Xianyin instinctively flinched.
never mind.
It was her fault, and she admitted it.
The weight in my hand suddenly felt lighter.
Fu Xianyin turned his head.
Gu Linzhao picked up the plastic bag, tore open the rice ball packaging, and held it to her mouth.
His voice carried a hint of amusement as he lowered his eyes, his gaze fixed on her lips.
He said, "What, do you want me to feed you?"
The pointed edge of the seaweed on the rice ball curled up, and its rough edges traced the lines of Fu Xianyin's lips.
She didn't know what had gotten into her.
But suddenly I really want to, really want to.
I really wanted to just open my mouth and take a bite of this rice ball from Gu Linzhao's hand.
But she didn't.
She simply took the rice ball from Gu Linzhao's hand.
Then take a bite.
Whether it was because they weren't sitting at the same table and didn't have many opportunities to talk, or because Gu Linzhao simply didn't see them, it's unclear.
Fu Xianyin spent the afternoon in fear and trepidation, but nothing happened in the end.
After evening self-study, Lin Anxu took advantage of his position and stepped onto the podium as soon as the bell rang.
He banged on the lectern and shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Tomorrow in PE class we'll be rehearsing for the opening ceremony of the sports meet. Those who signed up for events, remember to go to training!"
Wuhu!
"Great! This is finally starting to look like a sports meet!"
"Where's our class uniform? Where's our class uniform? It's not going to be that ugly outfit from last year, is it?!"
"Could you please ask for leave from evening self-study to go to training? It's the last sports meet, we need to bring glory to our class!"
"Whether it's to bring honor to the class or something else, you know in your heart."
Gao Ying walked in through the front door at some point, and Lin Anxu saw her about to go up to the podium, so he quickly went down with a smile.
Gao Ying: "We won't change the class uniform; we can just wear the one from last year."
"Ah, no!"
"Sister Gao, that dress is really ugly."
"Isn't it yourselves who chose it as ugly last year?"
Gao Ying didn't dwell on the topic for long. She said, "Everyone, practice hard in PE class tomorrow. Make sure the lines are in good formation. The class monitor and the sports committee member keep a close eye on things."
She looked at Lin Anxu: "Have all the project applications been submitted?"
Lin Anxu was a little embarrassed: "The boys' team is full, but the girls' team is still short of one 4100m relay team."
Class 15 is a pure science class, with a total of 45 students, including 10 girls.
Of these ten people, we need to subtract Fu Xianyin, who was holding up a sign, and Song Yaoge, who has already taken leave.
Only eight projects remain to be submitted.
Cheng Zhaozhao signed up for the 200-meter race, Chen Nianke signed up for the long jump to make things easier, and most of the other girls signed up for things like shuttlecock kicking and rope skipping, so the relay team is still one spot short.
Gao Ying took the registration form and looked at it.
She glanced around and then started looking at the people in her class.
For some reason, Fu Xianyin suddenly felt a chill in her heart.
She had a bad feeling.
The next second, Gao Ying called her name:
"Fu Xianyin".
Fu Xianyin stood up reflexively.
Gao Ying said, "Running 100 meters shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Fu Xianyin's heart was filled with a thousand galloping horses.
She agreed to hold up the sign because she didn't want to sign up for any sports events.
If she had known that she would have to announce the project while holding up the sign, she would have preferred not to hold it up at all.
We also have to rehearse, get class banners, and rent dresses. It's really troublesome, isn't it?
However, Fu Xianyin knew that she had no right to refuse.
She could only be thankful that Gao Ying's hard-hitting events did not include long-distance running such as the 1,000 or 3,000 meters.
Otherwise, given her physical condition, Fu Xianyin had no doubt that she might become the first student in Beichuan No. 1 Middle School's history to die at a sports meet.
Gao Ying: "The relay is on the second day, which conveniently avoids the opening ceremony."
Fu Xianyin braced herself and said, "No problem, teacher, I can run."
Gao Ying handed the watch to Lin Anxu, who turned to Fu Xuanyin and gave her a look that said, "I'm sorry, sister, I can't help it."
Fu Xianyin responded with an expression that said, "A brave man goes to his death without saying more."
Gao Ying: "Get your mind back on track. The monthly exam is next week, so don't just think about the sports meet."
"I'm talking to you, Ren Zijun. You're skipping evening self-study to go to training. Do you really want to go to training? Let's see how you do on the next monthly exam."
The boy whose name was called shrank back in the back row.
Gao Ying: "You all need to prepare well for the monthly exam first. After the exam, if you perform well, you can ask for leave from the evening self-study sessions for two days to go to training."
The class erupted in another astonishing shout:
"Thank you, Sister Gao!"
Good luck on your exam!
"Alright," Gao Ying waved her hand, "pack your things and go back to the dorm."
Yin Zexuan is still working on his homework.
Fu Xianyin said goodbye to him before leaving, and then went to find Lin Anxu ahead to gather intelligence.
She tapped on Lin Anxu's table and asked, "Come and see, who else is going to participate in the relay?"
Lin Anxu: "Besides you, there's Ji Zhumiao, Xu Xinyu, and Tian Tian."
Tian Tian is a woman of few words, while Xu Xinyu is quite cheerful.
Fu Xianyin didn't have much contact with them.
Lin Anxu thought she was worried about the competition results and comforted her:
"Don't worry, Sister Gao is only good at challenging projects, but she won't say anything if the results aren't good, especially since you were challenged into it."
Fu Xianyin wasn't worried about the competition results.
She was worried about the training.
Unlike individual events, relays require baton passing and receiving, which takes time and teamwork.
If it were a solo 100-meter race, Fu Xianyin could train whenever she wanted, and even if she didn't train, no one would say anything if she just warmed up her joints before the race.
But relays are different.
Training and getting the team in sync is indeed a troublesome matter.
Not to mention that there's only one week left until the monthly exam.
As she was thinking, Xu Xinyu and Tian Tian walked over.
Xu Xinyu smiled and said, "Let's add each other on WeChat, and I'll add you to a group. We can talk about anything in the group."
Fu Xianyin added her on WeChat and asked, "When do you plan to train?"
Xu Xinyu: "Hmm, what I'm thinking of now is practicing baton passing and such after evening self-study every day. I'll see if I can ask Sister Gao for leave from evening self-study next week. What do you think?"
Fu Xianyin pursed her lips and said, "Starting tomorrow, I can practice with you after evening self-study, but I can only practice for half an hour at most. I can't practice on weekends because I have to review for the monthly exam, and I probably can't ask for leave from evening self-study next week either."
She gave a somewhat apologetic look: "I'm sorry."
Xu Xinyu waved her hand, about to speak, when Tian Tian spoke up from the side.
She said, "We haven't decided who will run which leg yet. We'll run one tomorrow to decide, and then we'll see how to train."
She frowned: "The monthly exams are all over, are you still going to study during evening self-study?"
Fu Xianyin's face showed a hint of apology, but her words did not soften:
"Yes, and there's a city-wide unified exam after the monthly exam, so time is quite tight. Will your teachers not assign homework before the sports meet because of it?"
Xu Xinyu shook her head: "No."
Fu Xianyin was straightforward: "If I have training during evening self-study, I won't have time to do my homework, and I don't want to fall behind."
Xu Xinyu laughed: "Oh, no problem. We can't practice baton passing and such for that long."
She seemed easy to talk to, and pulled Tian Tian away. Before leaving, she said to Fu Xianyin, "How about we practice in PE class tomorrow?"
Fu Xianyin responded with an OK gesture.
After the two walked away, Xu Xinyu pulled Tian Tian aside and started chattering:
"I think Fu Xianyin is a nice person, easy to talk to. I didn't really have high hopes that she would ask for leave from evening self-study, she's a top student, different from us."
Tian Tian: "I don't know if I can run fast."
Xu Xinyu: "There's nothing we can do about whether it's fast or not. Sister Gao just assigned it to her. Sigh, I should have just asked her if she wanted to run the relay. We could have trained for a few more days."
Physical education class is after the long break.
Lin Anxu was excited from the start of the long break. He went to the activity room across the street and took the class sign out of the cabinet.
Fu Xianyin took advantage of the long break between classes to ask Gu Linzhao a chemistry question. After Song Yaoge took leave to go to training camp, it was quite convenient for her to have a seat when she went to ask the question.
"Brother Zhao, give me a piece of paper."
Lin Anxu came in carrying the class sign. Fu Xianyin glanced at it and saw that the sign was covered with a thick layer of dust.
She was somewhat shocked: "Where did you get this newly unearthed antique? Were you even born when this was last used?"
While wiping the class sign, Lin Anxu said, "We used it once at the beginning of the semester for the flag-raising ceremony, and then we haven't used it since."
He wiped the class sign clean and excitedly handed it to Fu Xianyin: "Sis, try it on, how does it feel?"
Fu Xianyin: "Wait a minute, let me finish this problem."
Lin Anxu: "Then I'll take the class sign and go downstairs first. Class will start soon, so you two should hurry up."
He said that and then ran downstairs in a flurry of activity.
Gu Linzhao raised his chin, gesturing for her to continue writing:
"No rush, take your time writing."
Fu Xianyin pouted: "I'm not in a hurry. Isn't it because of you? I'm not afraid of being late if the class monitor is here."
Gu Linzhao tapped the table with his pen: "You're not like before, afraid of losing points, right?"
Fu Xianyin kept talking as she worked: "What nonsense are you talking about? I've already corrected it. How long has it been since I broke any class rules?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Fu Xianyin remembered that she had beaten up Wu Jiacheng in the backstreet yesterday.
She felt a pang of guilt, and just then, Gu Linzhao suddenly chuckled.
Fu Xianyin felt even more guilty after his laughter and didn't say a word in response.
The question wasn't easy.
Fu Xianyin wrote and stopped, and by the time she finally calculated the answer, there was no one left in the class.
She glanced at the time; there were still two minutes until class started.
She wasn't in a hurry. She leisurely went to get her water glass. When she reached the door, Gu Linzhao was holding a familiar white baseball cap and casually put it on her head.
"You think it's too sunny and you don't even know to bring a hat?"
Gu Linzhao's somewhat helpless voice came from above.
The brim of Gu Linzhao's hat was pulled down so low that Fu Xianyin had to look up to see his face.
She stuck out her tongue: "I forgot, I'll go buy it when I remember."
"Hopefully you'll remember that winter is coming."
Gu Linzhao teased her.
Fu Xianyin was holding a water glass in her hands, and for some reason, she didn't even bother to adjust her hat.
Gu Linzhao walked beside her, tugging at her sleeve when they reached the stairs, and quickly letting go when they reached flat ground.
When the two arrived at the playground, the line was already formed.
The PE teacher asked, "Where are the ones holding up the signs?"
Fu Xianyin quickly raised her hand: "Here it is, teacher."
She casually shoved the cup into Gu Linzhao's hand and jogged over to the PE teacher to get the class sign.
Gu Linzhao chose a shady spot, placed Fu Xianyin's cup there, and then returned to the group.
To be honest, Gu Linzhao's hat really helped a lot.
The class sign wasn't very light, and Fu Xianyin's arms started to ache after walking around it once. She lent the sign to Cheng Zhaozhao and the others behind her to use as a sun, while she herself was in the shade because she was wearing a hat.
Lin Anxu and the PE teacher adjusted the formation on the side, while Fu Xianyin turned around and glanced at Gu Linzhao.
He was tall and stood in the last row. The sunlight was so bright that he could hardly open his eyes, and his brows were slightly furrowed.
It was clearly his hat, but it didn't block out the sun at all.
Fu Xianyin felt a pang of guilt.
But there's only one point.
The degree was completely insufficient for her to return the hat to Gu Linzhao.
Seemingly noticing her gaze, Gu Linzhao turned his eyes over.
Fu Xianyin tapped the brim of her white baseball cap, clasped her hands together in front of her face, and shook them slightly—a gesture of thanks.
Gu Linzhao's lips curled up slightly, and his furrowed brows relaxed a little.
Fu Xianyin then made a peace sign with her hand and placed it on the side of her head, like rabbit ears.
She smiled and bent her fingers.
The crowd was noisy, and the PE teacher was still adjusting everyone's positions.
The two of them, one in front of the other and one behind, were having this private yet open exchange, separated by the noisy and chaotic crowd.
"Beep"
The whistle blew, and the PE teacher said, "Come on, let's walk one more lap."
Cheng Zhaozhao hurriedly handed the class sign to Fu Xianyin.
Just as she was about to turn around, Fu Xianyin saw the boy standing in the last row purse his lips, then extend his finger and bend it slightly at her.
It was as if it was responding to her.
The training session ended after the second lap.
Lin Anxu went to help Cheng Zhaozhao time her 200-meter time, while Chen Nianke was taken by her teacher to walk with a group of people who participated in the high jump and long jump events.
Xu Xinyu pulled Tian Tian and Ji Zhumiao over and said, "Do you have a spot you'd like to run to?"
Fu Xianyin thought for a moment and asked, "How did you decide on this before?"
Tian Tian: "I ran the 200 before, so I ran the third leg. Xu Xinyu is fast on the curves and has a good ear to the gun, so she ran the first leg."
Fu Xianyin: "So I'm number two or four?"
Xu Xinyu pulled Fu Xianyin towards the track: "Why don't you and Ji Zhumiao run a race and see who's faster and runs the last leg?"
Fu Xianyin looked at Ji Zhumiao.
The latter nodded: "Okay."
Tian Tian: "I have a whistle, but I didn't bring a stopwatch. Do you guys have stopwatches?"
Xu Xinyu: "No, how about I stand behind and visually estimate?"
Tian Tian: "No, record their seconds. It would be best to do it several times to avoid any special situations."
When Fu Xianyin heard the words "test several more times," her heart trembled.
If we do multiple tests, how many tests would we have to run?
At her current physical condition, she can only sprint a hundred or two hundred meters at most.
The two were discussing whether to borrow one from the PE teacher when Ji Zhumiao, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up.
She said, "The class monitor seems to have it, why don't we go ask her?"
"Okay." Xu Xinyu nudged Fu Xianyin: "Go borrow it."
After saying that, she winked at Fu Xianyin discreetly and whispered, "You two were deskmates before, and you were close. Why don't you ask him?"
Fu Xianyin: ...
Before she transferred here, had no one other than Lin Anxu ever sat next to Gu Linzhao?
She tilted her chin up and narrowed her eyes: "Where is he?"
Ji Zhumiao pointed to the other end of the playground, where he was standing with the physical education teacher.
“Well then,” Ji Zhumiao said.
"Let's go then," Fu Xianyin said.
The two walked towards Gu Linzhao, with Xu Xinyu calling out from behind, "Remember to tell him to come and help with the test! Or teach him how to use a stopwatch, I don't know how!"
They weren't the only class having physical education class.
Fu Xianyin saw a figure on the track that made her unhappy.
Wu Jiacheng's class was also preparing for the sports meet. Wu Jiacheng had probably signed up for an event and was walking towards the high jump and long jump equipment.
Since they were both heading to the same destination, Fu Xianyin suddenly clicked her tongue in annoyance.
Unexpectedly, Ji Zhumiao, who was standing to the side, asked, "What's wrong?"
Fu Xianyin made an excuse: "It's too sunny."
Ji Zhumiao: "You're wearing Gu Linzhao's hat and still getting sunburned?"
Fu Xianyin: "Ah, it's so sunny!"
She belatedly realized what was happening and turned to ask, "How did you know this was Gu Linzhao's hat?"
Ji Zhumiao pursed her lips and said, "I've seen him wear it."
Fu Xianyin remained silent.
Ji Zhumiao remained silent.
The two walked to the long jump equipment, where Cheng Zhaozhao had just finished running the 200 meters and was there with Lin Anxu to check their results.
"Hey bro, you're having PE class too?"
Lin Anxu saw Wu Jiacheng and asked.
Wu Jiacheng nodded and pointed to the high jump equipment: "Let's practice."
As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Anxu saw Fu Xianyin and waved, calling out, "What's up, sis? Need to borrow something?"
Fu Xianyin didn't even glance at Wu Jiacheng, and said, "Ah, let's borrow a stopwatch, let's run the 100 meters and see who runs which leg."
Lin Anxu instinctively reached out to hand her the stopwatch, but someone beside him beat him to it.
The stopwatch strap was still on Gu Linzhao's wrist, but his arm had already stretched out.
Wu Jiacheng glanced at Fu Xianyin, then at Ji Zhumiao, and asked, "You've also applied for a project? What project is it? Can I come and cheer you on?"
Fu Xianyin had no intention of paying attention to him at all.
She reached out and removed the lanyard from Gu Linzhao's wrist.
Lin Anxu said, "My sister signed up for the 4100 relay. You're going to cheer her on? Aren't you afraid your classmates will call you a traitor?"
After he finished speaking, he and Wu Jiacheng burst into laughter.
Ji Zhumiao's gaze fell on Fu Xianyin's fingers.
The lanyard wasn't tight enough, so Fu Xianyin loosened it by pinching the elastic buckle.
Her hands were cold, her fingertips were cold, and the backs of her hands were cold. Occasionally, she would brush against Gu Linzhao's skin, but it was only a light, unintentional touch before she quickly let go.
Gu Linzhao lowered his head and watched her untie the rope.
The black lanyard was around his wrist, but it came loose when the girl hooked it with her finger.
Her bent knuckles almost brushed against the back of Gu Linzhao's hand, little by little, down to his fingertips.
Until the black lanyard completely left his hand and fell into her palm.
"alright."
Fu Xianyin put the lanyard on her wrist and then tightened it.
How do I use it?
She asked it casually.
Gu Linzhao paused for a moment: "You don't know how to use it?"
Fu Xianyin pressed a few buttons, and the stopwatch started working.
She was about to say "I know now" when a hand enveloped her hand.
"This, reset to zero."
Gu Linzhao pressed down on her finger with a little force, and then pressed the stopwatch button.
"This is a timer."
His hands were large enough to envelop hers; his palms were dry and slightly rough, as if calluses from playing basketball had formed.
"This is a pause."
A warm sensation came from the back of her hand, and Fu Xianyin felt her originally cold palms getting slightly warm.
"Pause and press again to continue."
The stopwatch, which had stopped, started ticking again. Gu Linzhao stood very close to her, his body slightly turned to the side, leaning towards her.
"This is the end."
The last pressure came from behind her fingertips. Fu Xianyin felt the breath by her ear gradually fading away, and the warmth in her hands disappeared. A gust of wind blew, and the back of her hand, which had been warm, became cold again.
The leaves rustled, and Wu Jiacheng and Lin Anxu seemed to be talking about something.
But all the sounds that came to Fu Xianyin's eyes were just indistinct noises, as if they were covered by a layer of cloth, airtight, and not a single sound could escape.
She could only hear one sentence.
"Do you know how to use it?"
Do you want me to teach you again?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com