Chapter 86: Let's Talk
Chapter 86: Let's Talk
On Saturday, Cheng Bing went to Zhang Qing's house for lunch.
Zhang Qing was happy throughout, while her mother secretly wiped away tears several times as she saw Cheng Bing downstairs.
When I returned to school in the afternoon, only Wang Wei was sleeping in the dormitory. Hearing Cheng Bing return, he greeted him in a sleepwalking manner: "Brother Bing, you're back."
"Are you all alone?" Cheng Bing asked.
"Chen Yu went home, Xiao Yang and Nian Ge went to play badminton and haven't come back yet. Li Mingqi is studying in the classroom."
Cheng Bing nodded: "Oh."
He left just after ten o'clock. Fang Yuenian and Meng Xiaoyang were still fast asleep and hadn't gotten up yet, so he didn't ask them about their plans for the day.
On the way back, Cheng Bing stopped at the supermarket and bought some snacks. She stuffed the bag and all into Fang Yuenian's closet. She noticed that his closet was messy again these past two days, so she tidied it up for him.
The badminton court is located in the cultural and sports center. Meng Xiaoyang works part-time there during the summer vacation and is very familiar with the management staff. He feels right at home when he comes in.
But when the game started, the scene became a bit heartbreaking. Fang Yuenian, a rookie with long arms and legs, was being tossed around all over the court, while Meng Xiaoyang, on the other side of the net, was basically standing still and playing calmly, which was annoying to watch.
After playing for less than an hour, Fang Yuenian was exhausted and rolled to the side to drink water.
Meng Xiaoyang sat down next to him and said, "How is it? Did you vent some of your bad mood?"
“I don’t have any bad mood,” Fang Yuenian said defiantly while drinking water. “You asked me to come out and spar with you, and you still say I have a bad mood.”
Meng Xiaoyang laughed, "You don't appreciate kindness. Who was it that had insomnia last night? Tossing and turning, the bed kept shaking, it was so noisy."
Fang Yuenian panicked: "That's because I drank two cups of milk tea!"
“Okay, okay, it’s all milk tea’s fault,” Meng Xiaoyang said good-naturedly. “Then who was pretending to be asleep this morning? Cheng Bing called you before leaving the house but you didn’t respond.”
Fang Yuenian paused.
His facial expression became somewhat uncomfortable.
In the morning, Cheng Bing called his name three times softly by his bedside, but he pretended not to hear it and refused to listen to the words, "I'm going to Zhang Qing's house for dinner."
"I……"
After watching him for a while without getting anything out of him, Meng Xiaoyang said, "I think Cheng Bing has had a tough time. I couldn't do it if I were in her shoes."
Fang Yuenian looked at him: "Really? Aren't you and He Linjie on pretty good terms now? You've been studying together quite a bit, haven't you? He Linjie comes to school on weekends almost as often as Li Peixiang, oh no, he probably has."
“He Linjie won’t do it himself…” It was still too harsh to say it out loud, so Meng Xiaoyang shut up. After a long while, he said, “That’s different.”
Fang Yuenian finished her water, stared at Meng Xiaoyang for a while, and asked him with certainty, "Is the skewer in your hand the same as He Linjie's?"
Meng Xiaoyang raised her hand, and on her slender wrist was a string of multi-jeweled wood beads. She didn't know what kind of wood it was, but it looked quite exquisite.
“Aunt Fen bought it and had it blessed at a temple, saying she was afraid we’d get hurt again. Didn’t you get another one of your amulets too? Don’t tell me Cheng Bing didn’t arrange it for you.”
Both of them insisted on steer the conversation back to each other, but Fang Yuenian didn't want to talk about it. She silently touched the two amulets wrapped together around her neck and abruptly changed the subject: "Actually, I've always been curious about how you two made up. Li Peixiang said he went on a trip with his family and came back, and you two were fine again, like nothing happened. What exactly happened this summer? You didn't go back to him..."
“Hey, hey, hey,” Meng Xiaoyang interrupted him, “We’re just friends. Nothing happened during the summer vacation. Aunt Fen invited me over for dinner every day, so I went a few times.”
Fang Yue Nian blinked: "So, he didn't confess to you again?"
"What confession? I already told you he didn't understand," Meng Xiaoyang suddenly stood up and looked down at him. "It's my turn to ask you, Fang Yuenian, did you and Cheng Bing have a fight?"
Fang Yuenian was stunned: "No."
Meng Xiaoyang didn't believe it and shrugged: "You two haven't spoken much these past few weeks, you haven't eaten together, and you haven't gone home together..."
“Wait a minute,” Fang Yuenian raised her hand, “Was that my idea? We haven’t been home for a month, everyone is so busy, and their class always tries to extend class time. It’s such a tense thing to grab food, he can’t make us wait.
Moreover, when Zhang Qing's parents delivered meals, they would sometimes bring an extra portion for Cheng Bing to eat together.
Meng Xiaoyang rolled her eyes at him slightly and said, "Really? I thought you were upset because the rumors about him and Zhang Qing were spreading all over the school."
Fang Yuenian's face turned pale instantly.
He hesitated for a long time, but couldn't say anything.
Meng Xiaoyang wanted to blurt out the truth and ask directly, "What exactly is going on between you and Cheng Bing?" But after thinking it over, he swallowed the words.
After a long silence, he sighed and said, "Why don't you talk to Cheng Bing?"
Cheng Bing spent the entire afternoon studying in her dormitory.
When Fang Yuenian and Meng Xiaoyang returned from playing ball, they saw Wang Wei lying on the bed asleep as soon as they entered the room, while Cheng Bing was sitting upright in her seat, quietly writing something. The contrast was so stark that Fang Yuenian was momentarily dazed, and Cheng Bing had already looked over.
"You're back?" Cheng Bing stood up.
"Hmm," Fang Yuenian said, "Why didn't you go to class? You came back early?"
Cheng Bing said, "It's quite early."
Fang Yuenian said "Oh" and then fell silent. She opened her closet to get her clothes and found them neatly arranged, with an extra bag of snacks.
His heart skipped a beat. He turned his face toward Cheng Bing and slightly raised his chin.
He used to do this to Cheng Bing all the time, as if to say he understood, it was okay, and everything was alright. But he hasn't been using it much lately. Cheng Bing smiled faintly, and after she finished smiling, she didn't sit down to do her homework. Instead, she watched Fang Yuenian take out the bag of snacks and turn them upside down one by one.
Meng Xiaoyang's gaze swept over Fang Yuenian like an X-ray, and he said, "Fang Yuenian, stop flipping through it. Go take a shower first, or you'll catch a cold."
It was already November, and the weather was quite cool. Fang Yuenian really needed to take a bath, but Meng Xiaoyang wasn't in such a hurry; he hadn't even broken a sweat.
Fang Yuenian saw that the bag of snacks was full of his favorite foods, and a smile appeared on his face. "Okay, I'll be quick."
He grabbed two pieces of clothing, walked over to Cheng Bing, stopped, and asked, "Are you busy tonight?"
Cheng Bing said, "No."
"Okay, let's go out for a walk in a bit."
Cheng Bing nodded: "Okay, go wash up."
Fang Yuenian then entered the bathroom with light steps.
The path leading to the school history museum is the quietest, so quiet it's almost serene. The museum isn't often open. Across the road from the main entrance, nestled among the trees, stands a bixi (a mythical tortoise-like creature) carrying a stone tablet. The inscription on the tablet records the school's magnificent history. A middle school may seem ordinary, but its ability to survive the vicissitudes of time is quite significant.
Fang Yuenian and Cheng Bing took a long walk on campus. After a while, they stopped at the feet of the bixi (a mythical tortoise-like creature). Fang Yuenian asked, "What did we eat today..."
Cheng Bing said, "What did you watch yesterday...?"
The two paused, and Cheng Bing said, "You go first."
Fang Yuenian smiled and said, "I watched a movie in Norwegian. It was very good, but it sounded so strange."
Cheng Bing smiled and said, "We ate home-cooked meals made by Zhang Qing's parents."
Fang Yuenian said, "How is Zhang Qing doing? She seemed quite cheerful yesterday."
"Hmm," Cheng Bing said casually, "She did quite well in her midterm exams this time."
"And what about you?"
Cheng Bing looked at him: "What? Midterm exams? They were alright, weren't they?"
“No,” Fang Yuenian looked into his eyes in the darkness, “I’m asking, how are you?”
Cheng Bing was slightly taken aback.
“I’ve wanted to ask you this for a while,” Fang Yuenian said slowly, “but you’re in class for 17 hours a day, so I really can’t find the time.”
“I’m fine,” Cheng Bing said in a low voice. “Let’s have dinner together all day tomorrow.”
Fang Yuenian smiled and asked, "Isn't Zhang Qing coming to school for self-study tomorrow?"
Cheng Bing raised her eyes, seemingly trying to discern any hidden meaning in his words from his face, but instead met Fang Yuenian's gentle and calm gaze.
This Fang Yuenian, the Fang Yuenian of this moment, is very different from the Fang Yuenian of the past ten years or so. Cheng Bing always thought he understood Fang Yuenian very well, having witnessed all kinds of emotions, but now he suddenly felt that a person's change might happen in an instant, and he might not be able to capture it in that instant. By the time he noticed it, the change had already occurred.
He looked at him and said softly, "Maybe I should come."
"Aren't you going to study together?"
What are you worried about?
Fang Yuenian's expression turned serious, and after a few seconds, she looked away, saying, "I'm worried that you'll be affected."
He chuckled softly again: "Perhaps it's unnecessary to worry. You're all in the top ten."
“She influenced me,” Cheng Bing said after a long pause.
Fang Yuenian immediately frowned.
“I could have studied with you, eaten with you, or watched Norwegian movies in your class. Now, you’re not even interested in talking to me.”
"I'm not..."
“You’re angry with me,” Cheng Bing said, no longer looking at him. The bixi’s head, which was so close to hers, had been touched until it was smooth and shiny. She reached out and stroked it as well. “And you’re not even telling me you’re angry.”
Fang Yuenian suddenly felt very frightened.
He was so dependent on Cheng Bing that he knew how hard it was for him and was genuinely worried that he would be influenced by Zhang Qing. But among these worries, he had to admit that there was an unreasonable anger.
This is not good.
Given Zhang Qing's situation, as a classmate, Cheng Bing did his best to help him. This shows Cheng Bing's character. He has always been a very good person. He must also be under pressure and very tired. As a good friend, I am still adding to his burden.
This is really bad.
“Brother Cheng,” Fang Yuenian called him hesitantly, “It’s not that I don’t want to talk to you, I just think you’re too tired and I don’t want to bother you.”
Cheng Bing's gaze was fixed on his face. "Really? Not angry at all?"
Under his gaze, Fang Yuenian couldn't lie and could only say, "Probably, a little bit."
"Which little bit?"
Fang Yue Nian let out a sigh of relief.
It's really not easy to admit that you're petty, but luckily there's no one else here.
He lowered his voice and said, "They said that Zhang Qing used up his pen refills to make you a bookend, the one I saw on your desk yesterday?"
Cheng Bing hadn't expected him to bring this up, and nodded with a frown, "Mm."
"Then what should I give you?"
Cheng Bing's heart suddenly stirred.
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