Chapter 47 Chapter 47
After coming out of Ren Li's ward, Wen Shuo's mood was obviously much better.
The long-standing inner uneasiness in my heart finally disappeared, replaced by a feeling of relaxation and joy.
He felt that Ren Li still cared about him. She would get jealous and suddenly turn her head against him, but she would still take the initiative to hold his hand when she was vulnerable.
Wen Shuo even thought about the scene in the near future where he and Ren Li would go to Shanghai to attend university together. At that time, he would definitely not let Ren Li escape from him again.
When we are young, our thoughts are often simple, and we never think that we will have regrets throughout our long life.
It was still early, so Wen Shuo did not go directly to school, but went to the convalescent department behind the Yihe Hospital first.
A while ago, Mr. Wen's high blood pressure recurred. He spent more than half a month in the hospital for recuperation before his condition gradually improved.
He is no longer in serious condition and was scheduled to be discharged from the hospital last week. However, the old man could not stay at home, and there were many elderly comrades in the nursing home. Chatting and playing chess every day was more comfortable than at home, so he simply stayed here for a few more days.
Wen Shuo had been able to think of this yesterday because he had visited last week. He had called late at night, his tone somewhat anxious, startling the old man. After a few probing questions, he realized he was calling about his "classmate" to inquire about his situation.
Later, the old man helped him to settle the matter. Although he didn't have time to go there last night, Wen Shuo still felt that he should go there before returning to school.
It was still early, and he didn't want to disturb the old man's rest, so he went to the convenience store outside and bought a can of cold coffee.
The side effects of staying up late are obvious. After drinking two cans of coffee, Wen Shuo finally recovered. Thinking that the old man would get up by now, he went back.
The building of the sanatorium was easy to find. The nurse at the registration desk on the first floor remembered Wen Shuo and didn't call to confirm. She let him in after he registered.
Following the route in memory, he walked to the special needs center on the second floor. Wen Shuo knocked on the door, and the old man's cheerful voice came from inside: "Come in."
Wen Shuo pushed open the door, and to his surprise, there was already someone in the room.
A man in formal attire was sitting on the sofa in the outer living room, talking to Mr. Wen. When he heard the noise at the door, he turned around.
He looked to be in his thirties or forties, with a gentle, calm, yet dignified expression. The moment he locked eyes with the man, Wen Shuo felt a surge of nervousness for some unknown reason.
Wen Shuo just felt that the man looked familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere, but he couldn't remember where he was.
"Well, you're here." The old man greeted him, "It's cold outside, come in and sit down."
Wen Shuo walked in, took off his coat, and sat on the sofa opposite the man: "Grandpa, who is this?"
"Oh, this is your Uncle Ren, an old subordinate of mine." Old Master Wen said, "He happened to be here today for something. He heard that I was hospitalized here, so he came over."
At a short distance, Wen Shuo nodded to the man, "Hello."
"This must be your grandson," Ren Quan said. "He's grown up so much, and he's quite a handsome man."
From the moment he entered the door, Ren Quan had been silently looking at Wen Shuo.
He had always known Wen Shuo. Back when he was still serving in the municipal party committee, he often heard Wen Shuo mentioned this name.
However, when they met suddenly today, Wen Shuo was really a little beyond his expectations.
Because whether it is temperament or appearance and figure, Wen Shuo is one of the most outstanding ones.
The old man laughed heartily after hearing Ren Quan's words. It's said that generations apart are close, and the old man loves to hear people praise his grandson. He was now completely refreshed:
"Yes, they've already surpassed me in height. It's really hard to believe they've all grown up. They'll be going to college next year too. No wonder they say I'm old."
Ren Quan: "How can that be? You are still as skilled as ever."
The old man laughed again, as if remembering something, and asked, "Your daughter is in high school now, right? I remember she is about the same age as Wen Shuo."
Ren Quan: "Yes, I'm a senior this year, in No. 4 Middle School."
As the old man spoke, he took an orange from the fruit basket, peeled it, and handed it to Wen Shuo: "What a coincidence, this kid is also in No. 4 Middle School, maybe he knows him."
Wen Shuo threw a slice of orange into his mouth and listened to the conversation between the two people in a disjointed manner. He originally planned to sit here for a while and then leave, but when he heard the old man start to "introduce" himself again, he didn't take it to heart.
After all, No. 4 Middle School is so big, no matter who is mentioned, he will just say he doesn't know them.
Mr. Wen asked Wen Shuo: "Do you know anyone named Ren at school..."
"Ren Li." Ren Quan added.
"Yes, Ren Li."
Wen Shuo raised the orange to his lips and stopped.
He finally figured out why he felt that Ren Quan looked familiar.
It turns out that he is Ren Li's father.
Wen Shuo originally thought that he would have to wait for a while before he could see the other party, but he never expected that they would meet today in such an unexpected situation.
For the first time, he knew what it was to be nervous.
Wen Shuo was just thinking about how to answer appropriately to avoid being scrutinized by Ren Li's parents in the future, when the old man seemed to recall something:
"I still remember when she was little, you brought her to the office a few times. She was so cute, wearing a little red dress, and she smiled at everyone she saw. She was so adorable, everyone who saw her couldn't help but praise her."
He turned around and said to Wen Shuo, "Why do I remember that? You guys met each other when you were kids. Do you remember?"
Wen Shuo was a little confused: "Have we met before? When? Why don't I have any recollection of it?!"
"Really? Did I remember it wrong?" Mr. Wen turned back and continued chatting with Ren Quan. "By the way, you're going to be transferred soon, right? The public notice will be released in a few months."
Ren Quan: "Yes, you are well-informed. But things like this are uncertain. Although I have passed the assessment and selection, we will have to wait and see."
"It would be great to be able to change jobs. You are still young and capable, so promotion is a certainty..."
They started talking about work again.
Although the old man is retired, he still has many people around him and his relationships are still there. The two chatted for a while, and Ren Quan got up to leave because he had other things to do.
Wen Shuo stood up, watched him leave, and unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.
After Ren Quan left, the old man took Wen Shuo aside and chatted for a long time.
He hadn't seen Wen Shuo for a while, so naturally he asked about everything, big and small, from studies to daily life, and Wen Shuo answered them all seriously.
It was almost time for school when the old man asked the driver to take Wen Shuo to school. When Wen Shuo left, he was still standing on the balcony, looking at the people downstairs, and only returned to the ward when he could no longer see them.
-
In the classroom, Ren Li's desk was empty for several days.
The final exams were approaching, and Ren Li couldn't afford to waste time. Although she was sick, she was discharged from the hospital after receiving an IV drip for a day.
In order not to infect people at school, she chose to isolate herself at home.
Having a fever was so painful. Ren Li sat at the table and knew for the first time what it felt like to have a head full of mush.
To keep up with her studies, she would hold her head up to finish each problem, then return to bed to recuperate. She even asked Zhang Xintong at school to take a photo of her homework every night, then print it out and finish it carefully.
Ren Li had already transferred the money Wen Shuo had paid for the hospitalization. The price was so ridiculously high that Ren Quan took the bill and studied it carefully for a full two minutes, frowning.
But no matter what, she was still very grateful to Wen Shuo. Thank him for sending her to the hospital in time. She was thankful that her brain was not burned.
Wen Shuo accepted the transfer, but didn't say anything else.
So there was one more item in the recent chat history, and other than that, there has been no update for a long time.
The two people seemed to have returned to being strangers again, as if everything that happened in the hospital that night had never existed.
Fortunately, by the time of the final exam, Ren Li had almost recovered.
Lin Yuan had been very busy these days. To prevent Ren Li from being distracted, she ended her business trip early and applied for a work-from-home plan so she could take better care of her.
Although Ren Li had emphasized that she was fine at home, Lin Yuan still blamed herself for choosing to go on a business trip that day and not being able to get to the hospital in time.
Ren Quan, busy with official duties, stayed with her in the hospital for a day before hurriedly leaving. Of course, Ren Li didn't blame him, but she did regret the message she had sent him that night. It had done nothing more than increase his worry, without any real benefit.
During the final exams, Ren Li returned to campus.
This was the last exam of the first half of the senior year, and it would determine the citywide rankings, so everyone took it very seriously. Ren Li wasn't as overwhelmed as she'd imagined; on the contrary, she felt unusually calm.
The examination period went smoothly.
No. 4 Middle School has always been very efficient, and the ranking came out a few days later.
Being sick didn't affect Ren Li's performance; she was surprisingly steady. And judging by her citywide ranking, she was pretty good.
In two days, winter vacation will begin. The atmosphere in the classroom is very lively during this period. After class, I often hear everyone talking about their plans for winter vacation:
"How do you like your winter vacation this year?"
"Of course it's a day trip to the canyon, hahahaha, cough cough, I was just kidding. I heard that Mr. He's methods of catching people have been upgraded. Anyone who has played the game knows it."
"Really? How did they do that?! Damn, could it be that Old He secretly added us as his friend using a fake account?"
…
Ren Li sat quietly at the desk, but the only thing in her mind was the English composition she had not finished memorizing.
How do I use advanced sentence structures? Do I need to memorize some specifically? The word memorization app I used before seemed pretty good. Can you recommend it to Xintong?
She even felt that she had become a little obsessed with learning recently.
On the day of the holiday, Teacher He stood on the podium and, as usual, emphasized to everyone the precautions to take during the holiday.
Ren Li listened attentively, and inexplicably recalled the day when she first came to No. 4 Middle School. She stood on the podium of Class 17, facing the many curious eyes in the audience, and stammered out the self-introduction she had memorized.
Where has the time gone? Everything that happened in these days flashed through my mind, clear yet blurry.
After the Chinese New Year, there are only three months left until the college entrance examination. Among countless mock exams and city-wide rankings, three months will only be a moment.
She was thinking vaguely that Teacher He had already finished the final safety instructions at the podium.
The class representatives began handing out winter vacation homework. The classroom was in turmoil, and Teacher He took advantage of this break to call a few students who were "under special attention" out to the corridor.
As expected, Wen Shuo was the first one to be called.
After hearing the name, Ren Li's fingers that were organizing the documents suddenly paused. She unconsciously looked behind her and saw Wen Shuo calmly standing up from the table and then walking out through the back door.
She still cared about Wen Shuo intentionally or unintentionally. Although she didn't want to do this, her body's subconscious movements would still betray her.
"Lili, what are your plans for winter vacation?" Zhang Xintong asked. "Are you going on a trip?"
Ren Li had previously discussed with Lin Yuan whether to travel during this winter vacation.
Later, the whole family decided that, given the unique circumstances of this year, her senior year tutoring was definitely more important than traveling. So, they all canceled their travel plans and stayed in the city to cheer her up.
Ren Li said: "I think he will stay in this city and go to cram school."
After hearing about the cram school, Zhang Xintong couldn't help but give her a thumbs up: "Awesome, you're the best. But where are you going to attend? Is it still the same Xueyuan Road as last time?"
"No, my mother found me a new place. The college is too far away, and I have to get up early every day to go there. So, please let me go."
"That's true."
"Xintong, what about you? Are you going to travel during the holidays?"
Zhang Xintong thought for a moment and said, "I'm not sure yet. In previous years, my mother would usually invite Aunt Zhao and her family out for a trip, but this year, it's not certain. Zhao Manyue will be going to the United States to study after the New Year, so she should be busier than usual.
But this is a good thing. I don't have to meet Zhou Qi this year, otherwise it would be awkward. So this year must be pretty boring. How about we make an appointment during the New Year and go to the temple fair together or something?
"Okay." Ren Li said, "Zhao Manyue is Zhou Qi's sister, right?"
She still remembered this girl. After all, the experience of catching dolls was quite special.
"Yes. I think I told you before."
Ren Li: "Yeah. So is Zhou Qi also planning to go abroad?"
"I don't know. I just heard it from my mom." Zhang Xintong shrugged. "But studying abroad is pretty normal. From what I hear, quite a few students from our school are going abroad next year. They've been preparing for a long time, and they should apply after the New Year."
When she said this, her tone seemed a little envious. "It's great to be able to see this vast world. It's great."
Ren Li asked: "Will you go too?"
Zhang Xintong: "Me? Forget about college, it's too expensive. If I have the chance, I'll probably do it during graduate school."
When talking about studying abroad, Ren Li inexplicably thought of Wen Shuo.
So, will Wen Shuo also go to study abroad?
Ren Li vaguely remembered that she seemed to have discussed this topic with Wen Shuo. In the blue morning, when it was snowing outside.
They had many conversations before, some boring and some useful. But that day, she was groggy from a fever, her brain's CPU was about to overload. She seemed to have talked about something important with Wen Shuo, but it seemed not to have happened.
Finally, Ren Li came to a conclusion in her heart that perhaps Wen Shuo would also choose to study abroad like Zhao Manyue.
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