Chapter 7: How did he end up here?
"Nianyu, why are you walking so fast? Don't rush your studies. Wait for me!" Ye Fanghuai didn't know what was wrong with An Nianyu today. He was happy one minute and unhappy the next, but he could never figure him out.
An Nianyu watched as Ning Yanzhao and her female classmates boarded the bus and left, so she changed the direction she was originally going to take and said, "I'm not studying anymore."
"Why aren't you studying again? But I'm glad you've figured it out. Let's go play games then?" Even though the two had been best friends since childhood, Ye Fanghuai still didn't understand An Nianyu, and he was getting more and more confused.
Since Ning Yanzhao stood him up, An Nianyu didn't need to make a point of setting aside this time. However, he didn't want to play games right now: "I'm not going. I'm going home to sleep."
"Oh dear, you're such a spoilsport. Well, at least buy me some milk tea to soothe my wounded heart."
An Nianyu: "...", she really didn't know where to begin complaining.
"I've never seen anyone love milk tea as much as you."
"I didn't know this stuff was so delicious before, but once I got hooked, I couldn't stop eating it. I believe that if you try it more, you will definitely fall in love with it too."
"Be careful of high blood sugar as you get older."
"Okay, okay, I won't drink it anymore after today."
Ye Fanghuai drinks milk tea at least several times a week, and his classmates laugh at him as the "Milk Tea Prince." He also knows that An Nianyu is right; drinking too much milk tea is indeed bad for your health.
Ye Fanghuai's belief in life is to enjoy the moment, but the realities he faces always conflict with his desire to do whatever he wants. It's a real dilemma; life is truly complicated.
However, Ye Fanghuai was actually saying this on purpose. He saw that An Nianyu seemed to be in a bad mood, but he didn't expect that his joke would make him look even worse. Was it because of too much academic pressure?
If it were Ye Fanghuai, he would think that with the pressure of studying, one should eat and drink something delicious to comfort one's soul.
However, An Nianyu always dealt with negative aspects of this person, whether it was related to studies or anything else, by remaining silent.
Ye Fanghuai shook his head inwardly. The adults in the "outside world" always think that children who have not yet entered society have no worries and only need to think about studying. In reality, they have simply forgotten that they were also students once, and that they also had their own troubles. Yet they have all sorts of misunderstandings about children.
Everyone has worries that are not defined by age, everyone has their own secrets, and there are many things that are indeed beyond our control. Sometimes, not asking too many questions is the best choice.
"Let's go, this is the last time." An Nianyu interrupted Ye Fanghuai as he was lost in thought.
"Oh, in that case, thanks a lot, brother. I'll bring you some local specialties my mom brought back from her trip in a couple of days. My mom misses you a lot and kept asking when you're coming over for dinner." Ye Fanghuai thought, let's worry about the future later. Let's just be happy today. Life is already so short, it's most important to live the life we want.
"No need to be so polite, just say hello to Auntie for me. I'll visit her next time I have the chance." Not only are An Nianyu and Ye Fanghuai close, but their parents have also been friends for many years. In the past, the directions they took home overlapped quite a bit, and they often stayed overnight at each other's houses when they were young. It's just that An Nianyu's family moved away a couple of years ago, and now they live a bit further apart.
...
However, Ye Fanghuai ultimately did not ask An Nianyu to pay, since it was just a joke, and he knew that An Nianyu did not like sweet drinks. After thinking it over, he ordered An Nianyu a glass of lemonade that was not so sweet.
"Here you go, brother." Ye Fanghuai handed the lemonade to An Nianyu, but he didn't take it. Was it still too sweet?
"What's wrong? You've been acting strange just now, or did you receive some bad news?" Ye Fanghuai noticed that An Nianyu had been looking serious ever since he saw the phone.
Have you told anyone my QQ number?
"I swear I absolutely didn't. May I be struck by lightning if I lie. Is there something wrong?"
Just as An Nianyu was about to take out his phone to scan the QR code to pay, he received a friend request message from Ning Yanzhao via QQ, which made him feel a little strange.
An Nianyu rarely uses QQ accounts. She only recently downloaded one because she couldn't upload a game file via WeChat. She hasn't added anyone except Ye Fanghuai, including her classmates. If Ye Fanghuai didn't tell her, how did Ning Yanzhao know?
An Nianyu took the lemonade from Ye Fanghuai: "No, I'm leaving now, thanks." Then she quickly walked back home.
Ye Fanghuai, since he was no longer traveling with An Nianyu and was used to his behavior, felt that An Nianyu's state today was understandable.
Since the plan to play games together today had fallen through, Ye Fanghuai watched An Nianyu's departing figure, then shook his head and sighed while drinking his milk tea. Finally, he shouted, "Nianyu, see you at Sunday evening self-study."
In response to Ye Fanghuai, An Nianyu raised his right hand and waved, as if to say goodbye.
Meanwhile, Ning Yanzhao lingered at several adjacent bus stops for a while before taking another bus going in the opposite direction to the previous one to go home.
Ning Yanzhao's home is not near the bus stop like her school, so she still needs to walk a bit after getting off the bus to get home.
Because taking the same bus as usual would have meant waiting for half an hour, Ning Yanzhao chose to take a different bus going in roughly the same direction. As a result, the place where she got off was a little unfamiliar to her at first, since she rarely goes there.
"Today is the last day of the Wucai Bookstore's opening event. There are many discounts for teachers and students. Welcome to come and see!" From afar, Ning Yanzhao could hear the Wucai Bookstore, which was not far from the bus stop, broadcasting its opening event announcement.
"Huh? So this shop opened around this time of year?"
Wucai Bookstore was once a relatively large bookstore in the small city of M. It not only had various famous works, study guides, sports equipment, but also audio-visual albums and some children's toys. Although the store is very popular now, it has gradually shrunk in size over the past few years due to the continuous impact of online shopping and e-books and the decline of physical books.
In fact, it's not just bookstores; a few years later, the same applies to physical clothing stores and some snack retailers without brand names. This is because the pace of change in the times is just too fast. In a very short period of time, a place can undergo earth-shattering changes.
Speaking of which, Ning Yanzhao remembered that she used to occasionally go to this colorful bookstore to buy supplementary textbooks when she was in her second and third years of high school. She didn't expect it to be open now. Since she was passing by, she decided to go in and take a look.
Based on her memory, Ning Yanzhao went in and bought some study guides that she had tried and thought would be helpful for her studies, intending to learn some advanced material in advance.
Assuming she stays here, Ning Yanzhao will still need to focus on her studies.
Although Ning Yanzhao had already learned this knowledge and should theoretically know everything, compared to others who study every day, she was lagging behind in another way. In fact, apart from English, she hadn't studied any other subjects for a long time.
One of Ning Yanzhao's study plans was to free up study time for English so that she could focus on other subjects where she needed to improve her scores more urgently.
When Ning Yanzhao was in college, she had a relatively relaxed period of time, so she worked as an author on a certain novel website.
For her, the feeling of writing at that time was similar to that of taking the college entrance examination.
Making a lot of money from writing novels and scoring high marks on the college entrance exam are similar in some ways. When it comes to whether one can achieve success in either of these two things, "talent" and "effort" are always the most frequently discussed topics.
If you don't succeed despite putting in the same amount of effort, people will think that your "study methods" are wrong, whether it's writing a novel or taking the college entrance exam.
Failure to write a novel stems from failing to observe what the market needs, not adapting to the market, and not learning the copywriting and writing techniques of viral articles. Similarly, failing to achieve high scores in the college entrance examination or other exams is due to not studying the right test-taking methods, not grasping the key knowledge points, and not understanding what the examiners want to test.
Making a lot of money writing novels and getting a high score on the college entrance exam are objectively weighed: the former is based on how much money one actually earns, while the latter is based on the final score achieved.
Aside from being a genius, for an ordinary person, writing a novel or consistently producing high scores in exams is a process that requires long-term accumulation. However, for her now, time is also limited.
Ning Yanzhao knew she wasn't a genius, so she needed to make the most of her limited time. With her current English level, English was indeed a subject she could score high marks in without needing to review, although she felt a little sorry for her English teacher. But given the current situation, there was nothing she could do about it.
After choosing her study guides, Ning Yanzhao also browsed the album section and saw a new album by a singer that Jing Yiran liked. She promptly bought it, planning to give it to her as a birthday gift, which happened to be next week.
After Ning Yanzhao collected everything she needed, she went to the bookstore counter to pay. While the bookstore staff were scanning the prices of the items, she stared blankly out the glass window of the bookstore as usual. But at first glance, she saw a figure that seemed somewhat familiar—An Nianyu's back.
However, Ning Yanzhao thought about it and felt it was impossible. Not only had she already explained it to him on the Penguin account, but she also roughly knew that An Nianyu's home was not actually nearby. Perhaps the time after evening self-study and the fleeting encounter just now were just coincidences.
"Okay, this is fifty yuan in total. Will you pay with WeChat, Alipay, or cash?"
Seeing that Ning Yanzhao didn't react, the bookstore receptionist patted her on the shoulder as a reminder, "Hello, student, how would you like to pay for your items?"
"Huh? WeChat, I guess."
"Okay, I'll scan your code. Here's your shopping bag. Thank you for your support, and happy shopping!"
"Thanks."
After paying, Ning Yanzhao walked out of the bookstore with her purchases, but she could no longer see any familiar figures. It was indeed just her imagination.
When Ning Yanzhao got home, her mother was cooking, and her father hadn't come back yet. So she first made a plan for the homework she needed to finish that night, and then sorted out what had happened recently. After she finished these things, dinner was served. Tonight, there would be her favorite fried shrimp and salted sausage.
"Where's Dad? Isn't he eating with us?"
"He went to the company where he does plumbing and electrical work for dinner today. The boss treated all the workers to a meal, so it was just the two of us eating together."
"Oh, okay, Mom. Is Dad still this busy lately?"
"well enough."
"Has he mentioned leg pain or anything lately?" Ning Yanzhao asked casually.
"I've never heard of it. Why do you ask that?"
“I…I dreamt that my dad was too tired from work and his legs hurt so much that he couldn’t climb the stairs.”
"You silly child, how can you take your dreams seriously? Dad is healthy, don't worry."
"Dad should take on fewer jobs and not work so hard."
"There's nothing hard about it. Just focus on your studies and don't worry about us."
In loving families, parents and children always feel that they don't give each other enough. Now that Ning Yanzhao says these things to her parents, it seems like she is "superfluous" to them because she is not financially independent.
Looking at the delicious food on the table, Ning Yanzhao pondered her thoughts and finally smiled and said to her mother, "I know, thank you and Dad."
Although it was very cold outside, it was very warm inside, not only in terms of temperature but also in every other aspect.
After having dinner at home, Ning Yanzhao prepared to take the barbecue skewers out for a stroll, as she had somewhat postponed her plan.
Ning Yanzhao and An Nianyu's words were indeed true. Because of the intense studies after starting high school, Friday was basically the only day she would take a stroll with barbecue skewers, except for winter and summer vacations and other holidays of more than three days.
Although studying is demanding, necessary exercise should not be reduced.
Ning Yanzhao sat on the stool by the door, tied her shoelaces, and then picked up the skewers. "Skewers, skewers, let's go out and play!"
"Yanzhao, go to the small supermarket across the alley and bring me back a bottle of soy sauce." At this moment, her mother, who was writing something in the living room, suddenly remembered and said.
"good."
"Alright, everything's ready, let's get started with the skewers!"
The kebab clearly enjoyed going out with its little owner; its tail wagged incessantly, and its eyes were wet with tears—it was incredibly cute.
Ning Yanzhao put a dog leash on the barbecue skewers, and after walking out of the alley, she went to the small supermarket. She not only bought soy sauce for her family, but also bought herself an ice cream.
Ning Yanzhao held the leash of a dog with one hand and carried a plastic bag of soy sauce, while happily eating ice cream with the other.
After school on Friday, I enjoy the weekend. After a delicious dinner, I go out for a walk with the dog, buy an ice cream, and leisurely stroll home. It's a rare moment of relaxation.
Ning Yanzhao thought that eating ice cream in the dead of winter would be quite a unique experience, until she saw a person wearing a No. 1 Middle School uniform standing at the entrance of a familiar alley.
An Nianyu? What's he doing here? So what happened at the bookstore wasn't just her imagination?
To be precise, it was An Nianyu's back view that others might not recognize, but Ning Yanzhao, who had secretly loved him for so many years, knew it was him at a glance.
There's something really amazing about this: Ning Yanzhao is clearly nearsighted, but she can always spot that figure accurately in a crowd, even without wearing glasses.
Unlike the first time she traveled through time and saw An Nianyu carrying a cardboard box at the entrance of an alley after evening self-study, Ning Yanzhao's heart skipped a beat today.
What is An Nianyu doing here? Is he here to confront her and demand an explanation? Is he really that serious?
Indeed, Ning Yanzhao had heard people say that An Nianyu hated being lied to. Even if she had a reason for what she did today, it was only what she thought she had a reason for. Even if she explained it clearly, others would still not understand why she did what she did. Now she was going against An Nianyu's sensitivities.
Even if it wasn't someone she liked, Ning Yanzhao would still feel guilty if she stood them up. So what if the person standing in front of her now was someone she liked? She finally understood what it felt like to be "bewildered and helpless in the wind."
Although Ning Yanzhao had already added his QQ account and explained her reasons in the friend request message, she thought he had seen it and that he wouldn't come, but that didn't mean she wouldn't feel guilty if she saw him.
Furthermore, the reason why An Nianyu is still here is also crucial. Could it be that he didn't see the Penguin account friend verification message in the first place?
Or perhaps An Nianyu was waiting at the school gate for someone who wouldn't be returning, and after waiting too long without her contact information, he was worried something might have happened to her, so he had no choice but to wait there? Although that's a bit of a stretch…
Right, Ning Yanzhao suddenly realized that she had forgotten a very important factor: what if An Nianyu didn't bring her phone at all today? She was really confused; she had taken everything for granted.
In the brief few seconds it took to see An Nianyu's back, Ning Yanzhao had already racked her brains. An Nianyu was standing at the entrance of the alley, which was her only way home. Unless she could hide outside and wait longer until An Nianyu left, she could avoid their first encounter after standing him up. But in the end, she still chose to go up to An Nianyu and explain in person.
Of course, if Ning Yanzhao could just close her eyes and teleport home, and then erase An Nianyu's memories, that would be great, but unfortunately she can't.
I don't know how other people's crushes are, but Ning Yanzhao is usually a person who considers herself very brave. However, she always panics when she sees An Nianyu. Now, due to her actual psychological age and various experiences, she has made progress. Before, she didn't even dare to talk to him.
It's really not easy to be open about having a crush, Ning Yanzhao sighed inwardly.
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