Chapter 23: He was discovered here.
That said, Ning Yanzhao has recently broken through her own limitations and done something she had never done before.
Here's what happened: Ning Yanzhao used various roundabout methods, and finally, one evening this week, taking advantage of the opportunity of accompanying the class monitor to Class 1 to inquire about the spring outing arrangements during evening self-study, she "openly" came to Class 1. Then, while the class monitor was chatting enthusiastically, she casually asked the student number one in Group 1 of Class 1, "Hey, why is someone in your class absent from evening self-study?"
Ning Yanzhao immediately realized her question was riddled with holes. Couldn't An Nianyu have gone out to ask the teacher a question or get water during break time? However, the kind-hearted student, number one in group one of class one, didn't notice Ning Yanzhao's poor acting. While continuing to do her homework, she very kindly and casually answered her question: "Oh, you mean that empty seat in group five?"
"Yes, I spotted an empty seat right away, it was so conspicuous." No way, Ning Yanzhao was impressed with her own ability to make things up; thankfully, no one called her out.
"So you must be talking about An Nianyu? He's often absent from evening self-study sessions."
Since no one exposed Ning Yanzhao, she continued, "Does your homeroom teacher know that he doesn't come to evening self-study?"
The student said matter-of-factly, "I know, and the other subject teachers who supervise evening self-study also know. But the teachers who have good grades don't care, since they can get better grades than us ordinary people no matter whether they study or not. It's infuriating to think about. Since the teacher tacitly approves, maybe his parents have spoken to the teacher."
That's true. Students with good grades are always more likely to be favored by teachers. As long as they maintain good grades, a little bit of willfulness can be accepted by teachers and parents.
Why didn't Ning Yanzhao notice this problem before? It's because, coincidentally, nine years ago, when she occasionally passed by, An Nianyu was there. Thinking about it now, it's really strange.
However, on both occasions when Ning Yanzhao traveled through time and passed by Class 1, An Nianyu was not there.
However, Ning Yanzhao quickly realized that it was probably because she was just thinking about time travel, which saved her a lot of time studying, so she became more relaxed. Yes, that must be it.
And so, the very next day, just as Ning Yanzhao finally learned that An Nianyu had rarely attended evening self-study sessions, and that she had simply not noticed before, he appeared here.
Was it a coincidence, or was he always here on the days when An Nianyu didn't come to study?
Ning Yanzhao truly felt that she had never thought the answer was so close to her before. She felt that as long as she took the step of asking the question, the answer would be within reach.
Ning Yanzhao held the comic magazine and guessed how much time had passed until An Nianyu looked over.
For some reason, Ning Yanzhao's first reaction was not to greet him directly, but to cover her face with a comic book magazine, and then, like a thief, quickly moved behind the bookshelf while covering her face.
Ning Yanzhao had clearly decided to change herself this time, but when the person in question was not far away, she ran away again.
Ahhh, Ning Yanzhao practically has that last-minute escape syndrome!
When Ning Yanzhao finally managed to mentally prepare herself and came out from behind the bookshelf, she found that the seat An Nianyu had been sitting in was empty, indicating that he had already left the bookstore.
"Why."
"What are you doing here?" Just as Ning Yanzhao turned around regretfully, she was met with An Nianyu's question.
This was the second time Ning Yanzhao had been in a "thief-like" situation since the last time in the stairwell. Hearing An Nianyu ask the same question, she was unsurprisingly startled again and couldn't help but gasp.
"You like reading comics?" Before Ning Yanzhao could answer, An Nianyu asked again after seeing the book in her hand. He didn't know she had such a hobby.
"No, I'm helping a student who lives on campus and can't leave. She wants to read it during the spring outing, but she's worried it will be sold out by the weekend, so she asked me to buy it for her tomorrow. As for whether I like comics, I'm alright. I prefer black and white comics to color ones, I feel like I can see the details of the artwork better." Ning Yanzhao said, holding up the books with both hands, along with her "buying on behalf" notes, and showing them to An Nianyu to prove that what she said was true.
"I'm not a teacher, you don't need to be so nervous."
"Hehe..." How did An Nianyu find out?
"And you, what are you doing here?" What an abrupt change of topic! Ning Yanzhao almost wanted to beat her chest in frustration.
“Study, this is the test paper I was just working on.” After An Nianyu finished speaking, he took out the test paper and showed it to her, just like Ning Yanzhao had done earlier.
"Studying? Since you were studying here just now, then aren't you in the school classroom for evening self-study? Speaking of which, the class monitor and I went to your class to discuss the spring outing, and I don't think we saw you there." Ning Yanzhao ignored An Nianyu's slightly teasing gesture and asked again, pretending to be casual.
"Yeah, sometimes I don't go."
"So, is there a reason why you don't go to evening self-study at school?" Ning Yanzhao finally asked the question that had been puzzling her a little.
"Something came up at home."
"Something came up at home" is a simple and straightforward reason.
Since An Nianyu said he had something to do at home, Ning Yanzhao felt it was inappropriate to ask any further questions. She could only pretend to be regretful and say, "I envy you. You don't have to participate in the small tests that might come up at any time during evening self-study."
“There’s nothing to envy.” Ning Yanzhao didn’t notice the fleeting look of gloom in An Nianyu’s eyes when he said this.
"Sigh, everyone feels differently about everything. I'll go now after I finish shopping. I wish you all the best in your studies." Ning Yanzhao felt that she knew nothing about An Nianyu. The road from unrequited love to open love was truly long and arduous.
"Wait, let's go together."
"Huh? Why?"
"Because it was raining outside, I also needed to take the bus home."
"So it's raining?" It really is. It was sunny just a moment ago, and then suddenly it started to drizzle. It seems like the days when Ning Yanzhao met An Nianyu were often either snowing or raining.
Let's go.
"Yes, thank you."
"It's okay." It was always the same bland conversation. Did everyone else react like this to someone they had a crush on? Ning Yanzhao didn't know.
As the two of them stood together at the bus stop, Ning Yanzhao still couldn't figure it out. Even though it was raining, how did she end up standing with An Nianyu again? Everything seemed to happen too naturally.
"Do you hate me?" An Nianyu finally asked the question that had been bothering him for months.
"Huh?" How could that be? No matter which time or space Ning Yanzhao is in, her favorite person of the opposite sex is An Nianyu. How could she say she hates him? This misunderstanding and accusation are far too serious.
At this moment, Ning Yanzhao's expression appeared to An Nianyu as...
"Then why haven't you replied to my messages on QQ?"
A message from QQ? Oh no, it's probably because Ning Yanzhao in this timeline has been in a coma due to a car accident for the past few months, and her phone was crushed by the car, so her parents can't log in and don't know how to check their QQ messages. That's why they haven't replied to An Nianyu's QQ messages for the past few months, and Ning Yanzhao, who has only been here for a day or two, has also forgotten about it.
"I was in a car accident and spent several months in the hospital, so that's why..."
"What?" It turned out that Ning Yanzhao had been in a car accident. An Nianyu was really negligent as a classmate. He didn't even know this and misunderstood her. He had known that Ning Yanzhao hadn't been to school. He had also asked a few classmates in Class 2 about it. They all said that Ning Yanzhao had broken her leg, but when he asked them how she had fallen, they didn't know. He just didn't expect it to be for this reason.
Are you alright?
"You asked me yesterday too. I'm fine, I'm all better now, thank you for your concern."
As Ning Yanzhao chatted, she suddenly found herself running out of things to say. So, feigning nonchalance, she asked a question she was somewhat curious about: "An Nianyu, where do you plan to go to university? The capital or S City? But with your excellent grades, you can even study abroad." Just as Ning Yanzhao remembered, An Nianyu had chosen to study abroad in the second semester of his junior year.
"I'm not sure, what about you?"
"If my grades are good enough, then of course I'll go to the university in the best city in our country. Not only are there abundant learning resources in the university, but I've also heard that there are countless attractions and museums to visit in big cities. There are also various parties and anime conventions, and different activities every weekend. Just thinking about it makes me feel wonderful."
"You make a lot of sense."
"Of course."
Ning Yanzhao attended university in that city. Although it wasn't the best school in the city, she still enjoyed a lot of resources. Whenever there were any large-scale events, the first stop was usually that city.
Ning Yanzhao went to register for university for the first time before the start of her freshman year. It was evening when she arrived near the school.
Then, a large variety show concert was being held at a large stadium near the school. Ning Yanzhao saw that the posters at the entrance of the stadium not only featured well-known stars from all over the country, but also overseas superstars. It was her first time coming to such a big place from a small city, and she was indeed amazed just by passing by the stadium.
Ning Yanzhao spent four years in that city and still felt it wasn't enough. If the city's cost of living hadn't been so high, and if her personal abilities hadn't been so outstanding, she might have stayed in that city to work. But small cities also have their advantages; the pace of life isn't too fast, and overall it's quite comfortable.
"Then maybe we can go together then."
"Huh?" For some reason, Ning Yanzhao felt that An Nianyu was completely different from usual today. How to put it, you could say he was unusually "extroverted" and his emotions were particularly outward.
"What do you mean by that?" Ning Yanzhao asked softly, looking down at her toes, whether it was as classmates or something else.
What did An Nianyu say? What did he mean by "we can go together"? It's easy to misunderstand. Does it mean they'll go to the same university? And because of this, Ning Yanzhao's face turned very red.
"The next bus to arrive is route 48. Passengers who need to take this bus, please prepare in advance and have your boarding code or other ticket purchase methods ready. Boarding is permitted, and passengers can disembark first..." Recently, the city where Ning Yanzhao lives has rebuilt its bus stops, enabling buses to transfer for a certain extent, just like subways. As a result, announcements have been installed and will be broadcast before the bus arrives.
"The bus you need is coming."
"Do you still remember?" Ning Yanzhao and An Nianyu got off at the same bus stop on that snowy winter night. Because of the time travel, several months have passed in the blink of an eye.
"Of course." As for Ning Yanzhao, An Nianyu would remember everything he knew.
"Then..." the question from earlier.
"I'll let you know later. Your car has arrived. You can go back now. See you on the spring outing."
"Oh well."
"good evening."
"good evening."
An Nianyu watched Ning Yanzhao's departing figure, recalling what he had heard about last time, and walked towards the bus stop in the opposite direction with a sense of relief.
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Author's Note: I have a day off this week, so I'll only be updating two chapters (7000 words each). Next update will be on Tuesday. [Sad face]
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