Chapter 29
In the days that followed.
During class, Lin Li couldn't help but turn to look at Tong Yao.
The teacher was lecturing, and he was looking around aimlessly.
Lin Li's seat was changed again.
The corner by the window in the back row forms a diagonal line with Tong Yao in the first row by the door.
Unless he stands up, he can't even see the hem of Tong Yao's clothes.
Political class.
Lin Li secretly moved the table behind Tang Yue and the others.
He poked Tang Yue with his pen, but out of the corner of his eye he saw Li Jiahao playing a game on his phone on the table.
So he's not acting anymore? But thinking that Li Jiahao could still make a name for himself even without studying, Lin Li stopped caring too much.
Tang Yue felt someone poking her. Without turning around, she leaned back, the back of her chair against the wobbly desk behind her, and lazily asked, "What?"
Lin Li lay on the table, her fingers idly picking at a scratch left by some senior colleague, her voice muffled: "I don't know, I'm bored."
Tang Yue was silent for two seconds, then suddenly pulled a novel with curled edges from under the table, and handed it to him without turning her head: "By the way, aren't you studying?"
Lin Li took the book and said, "I'll study it later." Then she immediately moved the table back.
The teacher warned him that if he was caught moving tables and chairs again, he would be sent to sit in the hallway...
After returning to his seat, Lin Li noticed the book Tang Yue had given him.
Midnight Ghost
Lin Li "..."
Or should we just focus on studying?
Lin Li smiled and quickly stuffed the book into the desk drawer.
This week, Lin Li is on duty. Because the seating arrangement has changed, he has been assigned to Wang Hao's group.
After school, Wang Hao and his friends quickly finished cleaning up and grabbed their basketballs to go downstairs.
"Lin Li, wanna play ball?"
Lin Li glanced out the window; it was already late. She shook her head and declined.
By the time Lin Li finished packing her schoolbag, the classroom was already empty.
I just stepped out of the classroom.
I need to go to the toilet.
As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Lin Li subconsciously turned his head to look at the end of the corridor. That shadowy corner resembled a silent, gigantic maw, making him unconsciously swallow.
Almost simultaneously, all sorts of ghost stories I'd heard on campus over the years—the sound of dripping water, red handprints, footsteps in the dead of night—uncontrollably flooded my mind.
Lin Li's lips twitched.
He tried to comfort himself with materialism: "There are no ghosts in the world..." But he immediately extinguished this thought as soon as it arose.
Nonsense! He was a ghost for a real period of time in his past life!!!
Just then, he suddenly remembered a rumor: a few years ago, a girl in the high school was called to the office after evening self-study, and later... she jumped off the roof of that building.
She...is she still around?
Just then, a gust of cold wind swept through the room, brushing against the back of his neck. Lin Li's hair instantly stood on end!
run!
There was no time to think; the instinct for survival had already taken over his body. In a blur, Lin Li sprinted down the corridor, covering the distance from the classroom to the school gate in just ten seconds, gasping for breath while clutching his knees.
On the basketball court, Wang Hao and a few of his buddies were preparing for their final round of shots when they saw Lin Li rush out of the teaching building as if she were being chased by a ghost, her face pale, and she plunged into the night without looking back.
The group stopped what they were doing and turned to look at the school building from which he had rushed out.
The sky was almost completely dark by now, and the entire teaching building stood silently in the night, its windows pitch black, without a single ray of light, as if it were silently gazing at them.
"Oh my god..." Wang Hao muttered to himself, holding the basketball.
A boy next to him unconsciously rubbed his arms, his voice trembling slightly: "Hao, Brother Hao, I think... how about we call it a day?"
"It's really weird," another boy added quietly.
The group exchanged glances, silently packed up their things, and the once bustling basketball court was instantly cleaned up.
_
The next day
Lin Li stood at the bus stop with dark circles under her eyes, looking as if her soul had been ripped out.
I hadn't thought about it before, but after I got home, I felt like ghosts were everywhere, and I couldn't sleep at all.
He always felt like someone was watching him.
At this moment, he is facing the wall in contemplation of the billboard, muttering to himself: "Prosperity, democracy, civility, harmony..."
A slender hand gently patted his shoulder.
"ah--!!!"
A scream shattered the morning tranquility. Lin Li jumped three feet high like a startled cat, startling Tong Yao behind her.
"What are you doing?" Tong Yao clutched her chest, still shaken.
"You scared me to death!" Lin Li clutched his wildly beating heart, panting heavily. Seeing Tong Yao's puzzled look, he leaned close to her ear mysteriously and said, "I have a feeling that there's a ghost watching me."
A warm breath brushed past her ear, and Tong Yao's body stiffened: "There are no ghosts in this world."
“Yes!” Lin Li shook his head seriously and grabbed her arm. “And it’s nearby.”
On the way to school
They didn't run in the end—because Lin Li held onto Tong Yao's sleeve tightly to prevent her from running.
"Just let me hold your hand for a little while! I'm scared."
"No." Tong Yao refused decisively, but her ears turned red.
Lin Li guessed that it was because she was traumatized by the last time he licked her hand: "I swear I will never lick you again!" He said, ignoring her struggles, and directly grabbed her hand.
The moment their palms touched, both of them froze for a moment. Lin Li forced herself to remain calm and took a deep breath: "Let's go."
This time it wasn't just holding wrists, but truly holding hands. The warmth of the boy's palm seeped through her skin, and Tong Yao awkwardly turned her face away, but didn't pull away.
After walking a few steps, Lin Li pressed her advantage: "Can I hold your arm?"
Before she could answer, he had already taken her arm and leaned his head on her shoulder. From a distance, it looked as if Tong Yao had a giant human-shaped pendant hanging on her.
"That's enough." Tong Yao sighed helplessly, but did not push him away.
"I was really scared," Lin Li said, sounding aggrieved. "Last night, every time I closed my eyes, I felt like someone was watching me."
That's your misconception.
"I don't care," Lin Li muttered, hugging him even tighter. "I won't let go!"
_
break
Tong Yao looked at Lin Li, who was standing in front of her desk, and felt a slight pain in her forehead.
"What did you say?" She thought she had misheard. "You want me to go with you... to the bathroom?"
Lin Li clutched the tissue tightly in her hand, nodded solemnly, and her eyes were filled with genuine fear.
"I'm a girl," Tong Yao emphasized, word by word, trying to awaken the other person's common sense.
"I know." Lin Li nodded again, her expression unwavering, as if stating a perfectly natural fact.
He even leaned forward and lowered his voice: "It's just... what if that 'thing' follows me into the men's restroom? Can you wait for me at the door for a bit?"
Tong Yao took a deep breath and caught a glimpse of Xu Feng turning his head to look at them.
"Xu Feng? Could you please accompany this person to the restroom?"
"No!" Lin Li refused decisively.
"If you don't come with me to the bathroom, I'll hold it in until I die!"
Lin Li sat down on Tong Yao's table, puffing out her cheeks.
"Who are you threatening?" Tong Yao asked coldly, rubbing her forehead.
Lin Li's shoulders trembled, and she jumped off the table. She tearfully complained:
"I don't love you anymore! You said you liked me before!"
You won't even come with me to the bathroom!
Tong Yao looked at Xu Feng's gossipy expression and sighed helplessly.
"Did we ever love each other? When did I ever say I liked you?"
Lin Li: "You clearly wanted to kiss me before—"
Before he could finish the sentence, Tong Yao pinched his lips to stop him from speaking.
"Ugh! Ugh!" Lin Li groaned, expressing her dissatisfaction.
"I'm not going." She released her grip decisively and lowered her head, pretending to read a book.
Lin Li didn't leave; he just stood there, staring at her with the eyes of an abandoned puppy.
One minute later.
Tong Yao slammed the book shut and stood up resignedly.
Lin Li's eyes lit up instantly, and he followed closely behind her. This method really works!
At the entrance to the men's restroom, Tong Yao stopped and leaned against the wall with her arms crossed: "Hurry up!"
"You're not allowed to leave!" Lin Li reminded him worriedly.
Watching his figure disappear behind the door, Tong Yao sighed helplessly. Looking up, she met the shocked gazes of Tang Yue and Chen Yan.
She turned her face away expressionlessly, not seeing me.
Two minutes later, the school bell rang.
Lin Li hasn't come out yet.
"Lin Li, class is starting!" Tong Yao called out impatiently.
"Take a dump!" Lin Li's voice quickly came from the toilet.
Tong Yao's face immediately darkened!
How can anyone be so shameless!
"If you don't come out in the last 10 seconds, I'm leaving." Tong Yao didn't want to stand there any longer, so she turned around and prepared to leave.
Lin Li panicked immediately while in the cubicle.
They finished quickly and ran out.
Tong Yao looked at Lin Li, and the veins on her forehead throbbed.
"handwashing!"
Lin Li ran back to wash her hands and came back.
Tong Yao ignored him and turned to walk back.
"Hey, wait for me!" Lin Li quickly caught up. "How about you come with me to the bathroom tomorrow too?"
Don't even think about it.
"Then... I'll go with you to the bathroom next time?"
"roll."
This is the first time Tong Yao has ever sworn.
_
Before we knew it, it was already the end of December.
After today, the physical education exam will be tomorrow.
Evening, at the school gate.
"let go."
"No! I'm scared."
Tong Yao looked at the boy who was clinging to her arm and wouldn't let go, and her lips twitched.
"A week has passed, are you still afraid?"
"Okay!" Lin Li nodded.
Actually, he wasn't afraid anymore. He realized that even if there were ghosts, they couldn't hurt him. He felt uneasy for a few days, but then he returned to normal.
But it's a good opportunity to hold hands with Tong Yao and keep pretending!
Tong Yao sighed helplessly.
The two continued walking forward, hanging there, until Tong Yao saw a familiar figure.
"let go!"
Lin Li was about to refuse, but the voice seemed to carry a hint of seriousness, so he thought about it and let go.
"What's wrong?"
"My dad came to pick me up."
Upon hearing this, Lin Li took two steps back in fright. If Tong Yao's father saw what he had just done, he'd probably kick him to death, right?
Tong Yao, Dad...
"dad!"
Lin Li's eyes widened.
"That's my dad, why are you yelling at him?"
Tong Yao glared at Lin Li, then walked away.
Lin Li watched as Tong Yao walked up to a middle-aged man. The two exchanged a few words, and suddenly he saw the man glance in his direction.
He had intended to hide, but when Lin Li saw the man's face clearly, he was stunned.
Tong Yao and her mother both have fair skin, while Tong Yao's father has a dark complexion with a yellowish tinge.
And her cheeks were sunken, and she was very thin.
These characteristics all matched the colorectal cancer patients that Lin Li had learned about that night.
_
After shaking off Lin Li, Tong Yao walked towards Tong Ming.
"Dad, why are you picking me up today?"
Tong Ming smiled and said, "I took a couple of days off, went out to buy some groceries, and then came to pick you up from school."
Who is that boy?
Tong Ming said, looking in Lin Li's direction.
Tong Yao calmly replied, "Classmate." But her fingers unconsciously tightened around the strap of her schoolbag.
Tong Ming glanced at Lin Li and, seeing Lin Li's blank expression, said, "This kid looks like a silly goose, all dumb."
Tong Yao nodded: "He is quite dull."
Tong Yao's father arrived on an electric scooter, and Tong Yao got on the scooter.
He turned his head and saw Lin Li still standing there dumbfounded.
Dad's right, what a silly goose!
-
Lin Li didn't know when she got home.
He was sitting in a chair with a serious expression, staring blankly at his phone.
The phone screen lights up.
Search pages related to colorectal cancer patients.
Symptoms and survival rate of advanced colorectal cancer
How to persuade a family member to undergo a colonoscopy or gastroscopy.
How teenagers can cope with a family member's cancer diagnosis
How could he tell Tong Yao? Every day he delayed, the cancer cells would rage on in Tong Yao's father's body for another day. If he spoke up now, he might still have a better chance of surgery and a cure.
"Tong Yao, believe me, your father will die of colon cancer this year. Take him for a checkup immediately!"
Will she be scared? Will she cry? In her previous life, Tong Yao must have felt so helpless when she lost her father. Why was I so stubborn back then, and not by her side?
Lin Li felt increasingly heartbroken as she thought about it, and tears streamed down her face.
However, without telling Tong Yao that he is currently only a 16-year-old minor and has no relation to Tong Yao's father, he cannot force an adult to go to the hospital, and he does not have enough authority to persuade the other party to take it seriously.
He could only do it through Tong Yao, and the process of transmission itself could be devastating to Tong Yao.
But what if it's not cancer? What if Tong Yao performs poorly on her exam after learning this news?
I'll tell her tomorrow, after the physical exam.
"Just one more day... just one more day..." he whispered silently to the cold air.
Tong Yao cannot lose her father!
Lin Li closed her eyes, her nails digging deeply into her palms.
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