Chapter 42 Chapter 42
This was not just a momentary "angry remark" by Ren Li.
She thought about it and was troubled for a whole day.
The results of this monthly exam were not accidental. She felt that it was time for her to wake up and she could not continue to be indifferent like before.
She didn't know if her choice was right or wrong. Since God had already made her pay a heavy price to understand this truth, she wanted to "correct" everything now, while there was still time, to return everything to its original state.
She also wanted to be like Zhang Xintong and deal with everything else without distraction, but her heart had betrayed herself unknowingly. When she came to her senses, she found that she had fallen in love with Wen Shuo.
Ren Li was scared.
Although Wen Shuo has said that he doesn't like Ji Nian, he is Wen Shuo, Wen Shuo from No. 4 Middle School, and there are always too many people around him. She has seen how Wen Shuo and Ji Nian are together, and it was so natural. She is sensitive inside and doesn't want to have wild thoughts all day long just because she cares about Wen Shuo.
What's more, she was very hurt by the rumors flying around. Wen Shuo neither clarified nor denied them. She didn't want to go on like this anymore, and was trapped in a vortex every day wondering whether a boy liked her or not.
The college entrance examination is only a few months away. Her single-threaded brain cannot handle so many complicated things. If she has to choose one thing to study, the result is already obvious.
Sure enough, after she said this, Wen Shuo got angry.
"You really are..." Wen Shuo thought for a long time, "So you spent a whole day thinking with your little head, and finally came to this conclusion."
Ren Li explained that her grades had dropped and she no longer wanted to be distracted by other things. She said she and Wen Shuo would still be friends, but they would only see each other less often.
"The kind where we don't contact each other..." Wen Shuo's jaw tightened as he said these words, "Okay, I get it."
He stood up. Ren Li was still sitting on the stool, so she looked up at him, not knowing what he meant.
"So, you agreed?"
Probably no one is better than Ren Li at adding fuel to the fire.
So, what next?
Wen Shuo turned around to leave, but when he reached the classroom door, he stopped, turned around and walked back.
He packed up the half-eaten cake on the table and put it into the box. "Do you still want to go with me today?"
Ren Li felt a little discouraged. She felt that she had gone a little too far today, but since she had made the choice, she had to at least take the first step today.
She shook her head, and Wen Shuo's patience was finally exhausted, so he turned around and walked outside, not forgetting to take the box of cake with him before leaving.
Ren Li kept looking at him until Wen Shuo's back disappeared from her sight.
She thought several times that if Wen Shuo came back, should she apologize to him, and then the matter would be over, and the two of them would continue to be friends like they are now, as if nothing had happened.
But Wen Shuo walked straight out of the classroom without looking back.
Ren Li only felt that her chest was heavy and every breath was painful.
But the words have been said, there is no chance to regret.
She kept cheering herself up in her heart: Teacher He is right. At this critical moment, studying is the main contradiction. No matter what, she at least made a "correct" choice.
She finally gathered some strength, packed up her things, locked the classroom door again, and walked out of the teaching building.
-
Returning to the familiar neighborhood, Ren Li stood at the door of the apartment building. It took her a long time to muster up the courage to step up the stairs.
When he opened the door, the situation was worse than he had expected, because Ren Quan was there too.
He had probably hurried back from Lin Yuan's call, not even having time to change into his suit. Ren Li called out "Dad" unenthusiastically, changed his shoes, and then sat down obediently on the sofa in the living room, ready to face the storm.
Unexpectedly, Ren Quan welcomed her with open arms as usual: "Who bullied our precious daughter again today? Look, her mouth is pouting up to the sky, you could hang a soy sauce bottle on it."
Lin Yuan winked at him and said, "Stop joking and get down to business first. Lili needs to go to bed early later."
Ren Quan: "Don't listen to your mother. There's no real business. Nothing is more important than seeing my daughter."
Ren Li was originally sad, but now she was amused. In front of her father, she was still the beloved little girl, so she pouted and couldn't help but burst into tears again: "Dad..."
Ren Quan quickly handed her a tissue: "What's wrong? Our Lili is still so crybaby."
Ren Li wiped her tears and spoke vaguely: "No, I was very brave today..."
"Yes, I heard it all from your mother." Ren Quan wiped her tears and said, "It's because of that kid Lin Jiacheng. I heard from Old Lin that he has already taught him a lesson. Old Lin was the same before. He was very naughty when he was in school. His son is probably the same.
Besides, it’s not your fault that someone likes you. It just means our Lili is excellent. Besides, even if Lili likes someone else, Dad doesn’t think it matters…”
Before he could finish his words, he saw the look in Lin Yuandaoren's eyes and quickly changed his words, "But Mom and Dad still hope that you will put the overall situation first and focus on your studies."
Ren Li nodded and said, "Dad, please sign me up for a tutoring class. I want to go to that class on weekends."
This was the first time she had been so proactive in using the weekend to enroll in a tutoring class. Lin Yuan found it a little unbelievable: "Have you thought about it? If you have, you can't regret it after you sign up."
Ren Li nodded vigorously: "I've thought about it. Many of my classmates are taking tutoring classes, and my test scores this time are not ideal, so I want to improve them."
It was rare for her to be so active in studying. Lin Yuan felt that being called as a parent this time was not a big deal. Instead, it had a very good effect. She thought that it was fortunate that she had transferred Lili to another school in advance. She was very pleased that the teachers at No. 4 Middle School were proactive and responsible.
Ren Li stopped crying and ate the strawberries that Ren Quan handed her. After a while, she said, "Also, Mom, I don't want to take the school bus anymore. Can you help me with the procedures for living on campus?"
Although Lin Yuan has had a very hard time balancing work and caring for Ren Li over the past two years, she doesn't feel tired. After a busy day at work, she returns home at night to see Ren Li's smiling face. Even if it's just to warm her some milk or just to see her lie down to sleep, Lin Yuan feels happy.
She knew Ren Li was devastated by her declining grades, but she was still worried that she had never experienced group living before and would not be able to adapt to living on campus. So she advised her, "Why do you suddenly want to live on campus? Living on campus is not as good as being at home. At home, you can eat and sleep well."
But Ren Li was determined: "I want to give it a try. Besides, I'll be going to college next year, so there's nothing wrong with getting used to living on campus in advance. Besides, the school is close, and I can come back on weekends. Only in school can I focus on studying wholeheartedly. I'm no problem."
The procedures for living on campus at this time were also very troublesome, but since Ren Li had finally made up her mind, Ren Quan felt that he should support her decision: "Okay, since you want to give it a try, then give it a try."
-
The formalities for boarding on campus were quickly completed. Ren Li didn't know how Ren Quan had managed it, but perhaps it was a stroke of luck. One day, Teacher He called Ren Li to his office and said that a female student who was living abroad had just gone abroad and her bed was vacant, so Ren Li moved in.
She was assigned to a building very close to the playground. Although she and Zhang Xintong were not on the same floor, they were at least in the same building.
Ren Li revealed the news to Zhang Xintong in advance, and she was extremely happy.
After moving into the school dormitory, the two of them were together almost 24 hours a day, going to the classroom together, eating together, and walking back to the dormitory together under the starlight.
Life seems to have become simpler, so simple that it is just a straight line between three points.
Because she lived on campus, Ren Li could focus more on her studies. She took the initiative to ask Lin Yuan to replace her with an old phone that could only make calls and send messages, and most of the time, she locked the phone in the cabinet.
She and Wen Shuo haven't been in touch for some time.
From that day on, Wen Shuo, as she "wished", never spoke to her again.
They are like two intersecting lines, which move further and further away after a brief intersection.
However, no matter how little contact two people have, it is inevitable that they will run into each other. After all, they are in the same class and will see each other every day.
The weather is getting colder.
Because of the fight between Wen Shuo and Lin Jiacheng on the basketball court, on the Monday after the monthly exam, both of them took turns to make self-criticisms at the flag-raising ceremony. Compared to Lin Jiacheng's eloquent speech for several minutes, Wen Shuo's review was incredibly brief and not very heartfelt, but because of his halo as a "good student", the matter was over.
The school basketball tournament was drawing to a close. Class 17's points were reset to zero in the first game, and with Wen Shuo unable to play in the subsequent games due to a foot injury, Zhou Qi's team had a mixed record. As of the final game this Friday, they had already missed the finals.
Although the points are not ideal, the overall ranking is not too bad. At least I am the first in the key class and can get a consolation prize.
In order to cheer everyone up, Teacher He decided to lead the team personally to the basketball court to cheer everyone up during Friday's game.
In the final battle, Wen Shuo finally played again after a long absence.
The class we faced on Friday was Class 3, which was ranked at the bottom. The first half of the game was relatively easy, but after a short while, Class 17 scored several goals and the score gap became more and more obvious.
Ren Li stood in the bustling crowd, her eyes always unconsciously drawn to Wen Shuo on the field.
She had originally just come with everyone to take a look, but when she saw Wen Shuo standing on the court, for some reason, she began to inexplicably worry about his foot injury.
She wasn't sure if a sprained ankle would have a significant impact on someone who plays basketball regularly. She'd researched online and found that without proper treatment and rest, it could leave serious side effects.
Although she and Wen Shuo no longer have any contact, she should still care about the classmates who have contributed to the honor of the class.
Wen Shuo took a break midway through the match. Ren Li stood outside the court, watching him flex his ankle, a serious expression on her face.
Is this a relapse of an old injury? Ren Li pondered, feeling a little worried.
She quietly retreated from the crowd.
Wen Shuo turned his head and just happened to see her turning and leaving.
Ever since they celebrated their birthday together that day, he has actually been paying attention to Ren Li silently.
He was not without some soft spots, and would also feel pain and sadness because of what Ren Li said. He had also made up his mind to ignore her, but there were many things that could not be controlled by oneself.
Later, he accepted his fate. What else could he do? He couldn't stop paying attention to Ren Li, even when he was angered by her excessive words.
He still couldn't understand why Ren Li would choose between him and studying. After all, in his eyes, there was no conflict between the two things. He had tried it and found that liking someone would not affect his studies.
But Ren Li chose to give up on herself and pushed him away again.
Looking down, Wen Shuo felt his ankle swell up again from the accumulation of old injuries. He rubbed it casually and then returned to the court.
The second half was much easier, with Class 3 practically routed and ultimately giving up. It was a thrilling match, and Wen Shuo rediscovered the joy of playing basketball for the first time in a long time.
It was not until the end of the game that Ren Li reappeared from the crowd.
Seeing that she had been gone for such a long time and hadn't come back, Zhang Xintong felt sorry that she hadn't seen the exciting game just now: "Lili, where were you just now? Why did you come back just now? The game is almost over."
Ren Li wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead and answered casually, "The bathroom is a bit far. What's the score now? Who won?"
Zhang Xintong: "Don't worry, it's us. With Wen Shuo here, there's no way we can lose."
Hearing Wen Shuo's name, Ren Li's expression froze. She turned her gaze back to the basketball court and almost instantly saw Wen Shuo looking over her.
After a brief eye contact, Wen Shuo turned his head back and continued to play the game seriously.
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