Chapter 40 Making Up for Regrets There's a pen on it that he wrote for her himself...
What happened after that night, like the ending of any youth story, was tinged with regret and sadness.
The distraught girl stumbled out of the senior high school building, silently bidding farewell to this one-woman show called "unrequited love" with tears streaming down her face.
For the last two years of high school, Zhu Liushuang only saw He Ming's one-inch photo on the honor board at the school gate.
In the photo, he is wearing a simple white shirt, with delicate features and a serious expression, like a proud young man straight out of a comic book.
She knew he had been admitted to a prestigious finance-related university in Shanghai. She often saw new female students standing in front of the honors board, pointing at his photo and whispering excitedly.
When Zhu Liushuang entered her senior year of high school, the school invited outstanding alumni of No. 1 High School to return to the school to give a lecture.
When her friend excitedly told her that He Ming was also among them, Zhu Liushuang's hand holding the pen suddenly went empty, and the black pen fell to the ground.
She frantically crouched down to look for the pen. It was right at her feet, but she couldn't find it.
For some reason, a few tears welled up in my eyes.
Startled, Tian Xingyu thought something terrible had happened and helped her up, asking her all sorts of questions.
No one knew that Zhu Liushuang had hidden a map of China in her diary. On the map, she had connected the distance between Gucheng and Haishi with straight lines.
She even inquired in detail about the long-distance bus schedule from Gucheng to Haishi.
There are four trips a day: two in the morning, one at noon, and one in the afternoon.
The bus departs on the hour, and the fare is 78 yuan.
But He Ming didn't show up at that alumni presentation. Zhu Liushuang sat in the audience, waiting anxiously for two and a half hours.
In the end, their hopes were dashed.
Indeed, how could someone like him be so enthusiastic as to return to his alma mater to share his experiences with younger students?
As the music ended and the crowd dispersed, Zhu Liushuang chuckled self-deprecatingly, took her friend's hand, and calmly left the lecture hall.
The vine in my heart continues to grow wildly.
That weekend, she secretly went to the long-distance bus station and used her saved pocket money to buy a ticket to Haishi.
She wanted to wait until after the college entrance exam to visit his school one last time.
————
The next day at noon, Zhu Liushuang received a WeChat message from Tian Xingyu.
[Waaaaah, did you go to Haishi later? I woke up at this hour and saw your message, it's so heartbreaking, tears are streaming down my face.]
Did you go?
Of course, I didn't go.
After her anonymous confession failed, she tore the expired train ticket to shreds, completely extinguishing her unrealistic hopes.
No. Ah Yu, back then, I was actually a coward.
After typing those words, Zhu Liushuang smiled silently.
But fate seemed to favor this coward.
【No way, you're so brave! Go for it—Shuangshuang, let's try our best to win over Senior He, and then beat him up!】 Tian Xingyu sent a voice message with exaggerated gestures.
Zhuang Xiaoqian was still in the office, and Zhu Liushuang cleverly clicked "convert to text." She could already imagine Tian Xingyu's expression when she said that, and a smile appeared in her eyes.
Okay, I'll give it a try!
She answered decisively.
"What's making you so happy?" Zhuang Xiaoqian asked, peeking out from behind the computer.
Zhu Liushuang couldn't help but touch the corner of her mouth: Was it really that obvious?
"Stop touching it...it's almost sticking up to the sky!" Zhuang Xiaoqian exclaimed dramatically.
Zhu Liushuang covered her mouth shyly and explained, "Actually, it's nothing. I was just chatting with my best friend, and she's being quite funny."
Zhuang Xiaoqian didn't press for details. Instead, she casually sent a document to Zhu Liushuang's DingTalk account, saying, "The team building trip plan for this year is out. I'm showing it to you in advance."
"Isn't this the HR department's responsibility? How did you find out so quickly?"
Zhuang Xiaoqian said smugly, "Then we have to see who transferred the money. Hehe—I just added someone from the travel agency and chatted with them for a bit to get firsthand information."
Seeing that Zhu Liushuang showed little interest, Zhuang Xiaoqian urged, "Quickly open it and take a look. This year it's a road trip, the Anhui-Sichuan-Tibet route, which is much more interesting than in previous years."
"When? If it's by car... I don't have a car."
"In mid-August, there will be rafting, bonfire parties, off-road vehicle experiences... If you're lucky, you might even catch a Perseid meteor shower." Zhuang Xiaoqian strongly encouraged, "If you don't have a car and have nothing else to do, you can carpool! Three days and two nights, don't miss this opportunity."
Mid-August was the day when Zhu Liushuang's mother needed to be hospitalized for a physical evaluation.
She opened her phone's calendar and checked the time: "Forget it... I'd better not go. It's too hot in mid-August, too much trouble. Besides, those people in the tech department are really annoying, I don't want to be with them."
"No way... I'll be so bored if you don't go, I'll be missing company. You didn't go to the team building last year because your mother had knee surgery. If you don't go again this year, be careful Mr. Guo might have a problem with you!" Zhuang Xiaoqian's tone changed, and she said seriously, "The company's team building is partly to help employees relax. And of course, it's also to strengthen team cohesion."
Zhu Liushuang understood what Zhuang Xiaoqian meant, and frowned, hesitating.
"I have more good news for you. The technical department isn't going back this time. General Manager Guo has given them orders to stay and work on overcoming the difficulties at the company."
"Oh, I see..." Zhu Liushuang's face lit up with joy. "Then who should we share a ride with?"
Zhuang Xiaoqian covered her mouth and said mysteriously, "Your brother-in-law!"
"Who?" Zhu Liushuang thought she had misheard, so she asked again, "Your husband? We can bring family members to the team building this year?"
“Capitalists aren’t that generous. You can’t bring your family.” Zhuang Xiaoqian walked up to Zhu Liushuang and explained the reason. “Our company is already small. Last year, we went on a four-day trip to Qiandao Lake with the head office. This year, the head office upgraded the benefits and changed it to an overseas trip.”
"so?"
"So we missed the train to go abroad! If the technical department stays behind, there are only about ten people in total... I heard that Zhonghe's partner is a cousin of our boss Guo, so we just packed him up and gave him to Zhonghe."
This was the first time Zhu Liushuang had ever heard of such a connection.
She couldn't help but open the PDF document and browse it: "Sister Zhuang, you're really well-informed."
"Of course!" Zhuang Xiaoqian turned her head triumphantly. "We'll share a room then."
"Don't you live with your brother-in-law?" Zhu Liushuang asked, puzzled.
"It's so boring to share a room with him. Besides, his firm has the money, and the hotel rooms they booked are two levels higher than ours," Zhuang Xiaoqian complained.
"Zhonghe is that rich?" Zhu Liushuang glanced at Zhuang Xiaoqian and asked casually, "How many employees does their firm have? Do they all go?"
She knew perfectly well the purpose of her question.
I just wanted to know if He Ming was going or not.
"Of course, unless there are special circumstances. Anyway, my husband told me that their firm's team building trips are always a huge affair every year, with the whole group going together." Zhuang Xiaoqian raised her voice slightly, "That's why I advised you to go. It's a company benefit, so why not take advantage of it? This time, since we're going with Zhonghe, our meal allowance has been increased."
"Besides... you might get to know some talented young people during the team building activity," Zhuang Xiaoqian emphasized. "What a great opportunity!"
Zhu Liushuang, however, had little interest in the promising young talent.
After all, He Ming is all she cares about right now.
However, if he goes too, then she has nothing to hesitate about. Her mother's hospital evaluation can be arranged a few days in advance, as long as it doesn't overlap with the team-building activity.
Just as she was planning whether to subtly inquire with Lin Hui, another message from Tian Xingyu arrived.
[Holy crap! Ye Xingzhi still hasn't accepted my transfer from last night. What is he trying to do?]
[His real intention is something else entirely! He probably just wants to add you as a friend, right?]
Zhu Liushuang replied thoughtfully.
After a long while, Zhu Liushuang still hadn't received a reply from Tian Xingyu. She simply stopped waiting, closed her phone, and continued her afternoon work.
The phone vibrated.
[You were right! He said he wouldn't accept the 3000 yuan; consider it a favor I owe him. As for how to repay him, I'll keep him on my friend list and see later.]
Zhu Liushuang smiled knowingly.
So what are you going to do?
Tian Xingyu responded very quickly this time.
Since he won't accept it, I'll just keep him as a friend. Why not take advantage of a freebie?
Zhu Liushuang had a premonition that her best friend's long-broken relationship might one day be rekindled. Of course, she didn't immediately point it out, but simply sent a "You're right" emoji.
As evening approached, Zhu Liushuang received a call from Tian Xingyu.
On the phone, she excitedly told Zhu Liushuang that she had recalled an incident about He Ming.
"Shuangshuang! I passed by No. 1 High School this afternoon and casually strolled in. While resting by the basketball court, I suddenly remembered something. Do you remember that period in the second semester of our first year of high school, I often dragged you to watch Ye Xingzhi play basketball? Occasionally, Senior He would also be there..."
How come I don't remember?
That spring, the double-petaled late-blooming cherry blossoms on campus were in full bloom.
The school has two basketball courts. One is located next to the gymnasium, and it's large and lively. Groups of boys often gather there to play basketball.
The other basketball court is hidden behind the student dormitory. It is not only small, but the basketball hoops are also very old.
Tian Xingyu often dragged Zhu Liushuang to the large basketball court. Ye Xingzhi, who was outgoing in high school, often played games with boys from other classes. But sometimes, he would also stroll around the small basketball court and play with He Ming.
Zhu Liushuang didn't want to accompany Tian Xingyu to watch the games every time, acting as a boring third wheel.
Until one day, she saw He Ming on the small basketball court.
At that moment, Zhu Liushuang was taking out her math test paper, ready to practice, just like any other day. But before she could even sit down in the stands, she saw a familiar figure walking straight toward the field.
Later, she learned that He Ming would appear whenever Ye Xingzhi came to the small basketball court to play basketball.
However, she was unsure of the timing, so she readily agreed to Tian Xingyu's invitation to "watch the game".
"Back then, I watched Ye Xingzhi play basketball, while you were focused on doing math problems. Thinking about it now, you didn't agree to go to the basketball court with me just to secretly watch Senior He, did you?" Tian Xingyu continued on the phone, "Once you asked me a trigonometry question, and I didn't understand it either..."
"Didn't you ask Senior Ye for help later?" Zhu Liushuang remembered that when she came back from the bathroom, the blank questions on the test paper were filled with messy handwriting.
“Yes, I did ask Ye Xingzhi first. But that guy was so arrogant, he just wouldn’t tell me… Actually, the answer to that question was written by Senior He.” Tian Xingyu seemed to be trying hard to recall. “I can’t remember the exact words, but after Senior He finished writing it quickly, he did say something like, ‘If your friend doesn’t understand, he can ask me again.’”
All I could hear was a busy signal.
Zhu Liushuang tried to recall which exercise paper she had written that problem on.
"Shuangshuang, are you listening?"
"Shuangshuang? It's really nothing significant! I just wanted to tell you that although Senior He seems unapproachable, maybe that's just an appearance. Otherwise, he wouldn't have offered to help with the problem. Otherwise... someone as proud as Ye Xingzhi wouldn't have shamelessly pestered him to be his friend."
Zhu Liushuang blinked, then came to her senses and said, "Thank you for telling me this, Ayu."
Her voice was soft and slow, like a dream.
After getting home from get off work, Zhu Liushuang immediately ran into the storage room and frantically searched for her old books and exercise books.
Years have passed, and many old things have been lost somewhere. Several cardboard boxes were emptied, and the back of my shirt was soaked with sweat, but I still couldn't find any trace of the exercise books.
"Mom—where are my high school books and materials?" she shouted into the living room.
"What are you looking for in such a hurry?" Gu Chunling asked, holding a spatula as she walked to the door of the storage room and peered inside.
Zhu Liushuang wiped the sweat from her forehead and said, "I'm looking for the practice papers for the first year of high school."
Gu Chunling chuckled dryly twice: "Mom sold your high school books and materials a long time ago! Right after the college entrance exam. The money from selling them was only about a hundred yuan, and it all went into your phone purchase budget."
"Oh—I forgot." Zhu Liushuang dusted off her hands and her face fell.
"What's wrong? You look so down," Gu Chunling asked worriedly. "Is there something important up there?"
Yes, there is his handwriting written for her.
In a corner she never knew, he had already solved the problem for her.
"Nothing—Mom. I just suddenly remembered I needed to find something. Since it's already been sold, there's no need to look for it anymore." Zhu Liushuang said nonchalantly, turning and leaving the storage room.
That being said, a sense of regret will inevitably creep into one's heart.
In a moment of impulsiveness, Zhu Liushuang rushed into the bedroom. She opened the workbook on her desk and took a picture of a comprehensive accounting problem with her phone.
The image loaded on the screen in a few seconds and was then delivered to the recipient's phone.
[Senior, I've run into another difficult problem. Could you please write out the solution process for me? /Please/Please]
If you're busy with work, I'll reply when I have time. I'm not in a rush, thank you.
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Author's Note: Waaaaa, Shuangshuang is so cute. Since we can't find the workbook, let's have our senior do one more problem!
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