Chapter 87: The Taste of Fluttering Hearts
Chapter 87: The Taste of Fluttering Hearts
Cheng Bing always used a book stand, which made her classmates think that it must be something special.
Otherwise, how could such a... guy have been sitting on his desk for two or three years?
The bookend that Zhang Qing made for replacing ballpoint pen refills was truly ingenious. It was placed on the three of their desks, and they would look at it whenever they had a spare moment.
Nevertheless, the old wooden bookend, which was not young and had an unremarkable appearance, still had a place on Cheng Bing's desk.
“It’s on my desk,” Cheng Bing said. “You didn’t see it; it’s probably blocked.”
"Oh." Fang Yuenian nodded.
"The bookend that Zhang Qing made wasn't for me; it's just that the three of us use it together. I should have told you sooner."
"..."
Fang Yuenian choked for a while, then sighed, "Mine really is too ugly. You still have a use for it now, so you might as well take this opportunity to throw it away. I'll make you a better one later."
Cheng Bing chuckled softly, "I'll throw away the good stuff whenever you give it to me."
His smile made Fang Yuenian feel even worse.
Seeing that he didn't speak, Cheng Bing leaned closer and looked at him, asking, "Anything else? What else is there?"
Fang Yuenian involuntarily shrank her head back, "No, there isn't any."
Cheng Bing was satisfied. She sat up straight and said slowly, "I won't date her too early."
"Huh?" Fang Yuenian opened her mouth, "Uh...you decide what to do, I trust you, yes, I trust you."
He spoke rather haltingly, so Cheng Bing's perception of his "belief" was somewhat questionable. Cheng Bing asked, "Then will you have dinner with me tomorrow?"
Fang Yuenian hesitated, "Why don't you just stay with Zhang Qing? You've already come this far, so why don't you work a little harder and wait until she's feeling better before making a decision?"
Cheng Bing pursed her lips. "I study with her, but I don't need to eat with her. Her parents brought me food twice, but I've already told them not to bring it anymore. I was busy recently and missed your meal times, so I ate alone several times."
Fang Yuenian's eyes widened: "What?"
Holy crap, how come I didn't know about this?
"Why didn't you call me? They might not be able to wait for you, but I could have waited for you."
Cheng Bing looked at him: "Really? That time you saw me eating the food her dad brought with Zhang Qing, you were so angry your face turned red, and you haven't mentioned waiting for me since."
Whether his face turned red that day or not, it's all in the past now, and Fang Yuenian can deny it. But today, at this moment, his entire face has genuinely turned bright red.
"Nonsense, nonsense!" he cried, almost speaking in his dialect. "How could such a thing happen?"
Cheng Bing said, "Li Peixiang was so angry when he saw Meng Xiaoyang go to He Linjie's place for dinner, and you still comforted him."
Fang Yuenian: "How can they be the same? Back then, He Linjie hadn't even confessed to Meng Xiaoyang yet."
Cheng Bing frowned slightly: "What?"
Fang Yuenian realized something was wrong and blurted out Meng Xiaoyang's private information.
"He Linjie later confessed to Meng Xiaoyang?" Cheng Bing had already received the information and quickly extrapolated from it, "So that's why they got back together this semester?"
“That’s not how it is,” Fang Yuenian hurriedly said. “It’s a bit complicated. Anyway, they’re friends now. Meng Xiaoyang doesn’t want to talk about it, and I only figured it out today.”
Cheng Bing's expression changed slightly.
Suddenly I felt very irritable, so irritable that I unconsciously rubbed the head of the bixi a few more times.
Fang Yuenian craned her neck to look at him: "Brother Cheng? What are you thinking about?"
Cheng Bing suddenly turned her head, and their gazes met lightly, like a pendulum, creating a "buzz" in both of their minds.
"You're still bothered by Zhang Qing's confession to me," Cheng Bing said, emphasizing each word, "aren't you?"
Fang Yue Nian froze instantly.
"I……"
Do you mind?
Honestly, I do mind.
He could come up with a whole host of reasons. For example, whenever Zhang Qing is mentioned at school, Cheng Bing inevitably comes to mind. Despite being two top students, the topics of conversation are either about anxiety or pointless gossip, at most with the addition: "Cheng Bing is really amazing." For example, Fang Yuenian would enthusiastically try to drag Cheng Bing out for noodles on the weekend, but couldn't find her, time and time again, until he got too lazy to call her anymore.
The first two months of my senior year of high school were certainly not a pleasant experience.
“Confessing your feelings isn’t the most important thing,” Fang Yuenian said quietly. “You’ve been entangled with her throughout high school, which is too annoying. But you’re definitely not wrong, and she shouldn’t be blamed either. No one can be blamed. However, you could have had your own three years of high school, instead of being forced to take on someone else’s responsibilities for no reason. That doesn’t make sense.”
He had been relatively calm, but at this point, his blood boiled, and he slapped the back of the hand that was resting on the turtle's head. "Tell me, doesn't this make no sense?"
Cheng Bing was startled when he slapped the back of her hand with a crisp "smack".
Not only that, Fang Yuenian didn't even pull his hand back.
Her heart pounded uncontrollably in her chest. Cheng Bing stared blankly at the hand, then suddenly flipped her wrist and grabbed it completely. Before Fang Yuenian could react, she said in a deep voice, "It's unreasonable, but the impact she has had on me is far less than the impact of you being angry about this. Fang Yuenian, I will handle this matter well, don't worry. And don't be angry with me, okay?"
That soft "Is it okay?" felt like a light pinch on Fang Yuenian's heart.
I felt both sore and lightheaded, as if I were immersed in warm water.
Fang Yuenian forgot that her hand was still being held tightly by him. Looking into his eyes, she couldn't help but murmur, "Brother Cheng..."
The atmosphere between the two became very strange.
Behind the stone tablet, in this small, private space, the cold wind of this early winter night carried a forbidden air, stirring ripples in their hearts, making it impossible for them to find peace.
After a long silence, Cheng Bing finally spoke.
“Fang Yuenian,” he said, “come here.”
Fang Yuenian's shoulders trembled slightly, stunned by his unyielding tone, and her heart pounded.
Seeing that he didn't move, Cheng Bing pulled him over with force.
For rural boys, after their childhood, there may not be many more opportunities to embrace others so closely.
After all, such behavior is contrary to the simple and rustic life in the countryside in various situations, and it is not quite in line with the mentality of a teenager. At an age when they are eager to grow up, they are unwilling to easily show dependence to others. Their inherent shyness and innocence limit their behavior.
Fang Yuenian nestled in Cheng Bing's arms, his head held high, his eyes vacant. He looked bewildered, as if trying to confirm something, and secretly bit his lip.
The pain jolted him awake. He shuddered, and his first thought was, "Damn, why am I so happy?"
What am I thinking?
Cheng Bing suddenly whispered in his ear, "Tell me, are you going to have dinner with me tomorrow?"
"You..." Fang Yuenian stammered, "Eat, then eat."
Are you still angry?
Fang Yuenian felt like dying. Did the question have to be asked like that?
Ask me again and I might have to...
“No, no,” he said, his mouth dry. “From now on, I’ll wait for you to eat every day, okay? You can invite Zhang Qing along, I have no objection, we can eat together.”
Cheng Bing said softly, "Okay."
Although he was determined to put those chaotic thoughts behind him, he didn't want to let go at that moment.
Fang Yuenian spends every day with Meng Xiaoyang. They talk about many things, such as their tragic unrequited love and confession, their childhood sweethearts who have reconciled, and even Li Peixiang might be involved, stammering and not daring to tell the truth.
Does Fang Yuenian understand those things?
Will my affection become betrayal?
He was deep in thought, and after a long while, he heard Fang Yuenian squeeze out a sentence: "Don't hold me like this, I can't breathe."
Cheng Bing suddenly let go.
Fang Yuenian breathed in fresh air again, panting several times. When she looked up, her cheeks were even redder than the sunset.
Cheng Bing was initially embarrassed, but the next moment, she suddenly caught a glimpse of mutual understanding and excitement in his eyes.
Their eyes met, burning with an intense heat that seemed to set them ablaze.
"I, we..." Fang Yuenian struggled to avoid eye contact, forcing herself to regain her composure, "Let's go back to the dormitory."
Cheng Bing felt a sudden emptiness in her heart, and her rationality returned instantly.
It's not the right time.
It's not the right time for anything.
"And one more thing," Fang Yuenian said before she could finish, "don't talk about Meng Xiaoyang's matter outside."
Cheng Bing's previously calm heart was stirred again. Looking at him, she couldn't help but say, "If I were to ask Li Peixiang if he likes Meng Xiaoyang, do you think he would tell me the truth?"
Fang Yuenian was startled: "Don't joke around, you can't ask such a question."
"So what do you think? Does he like it?"
Fang Yuenian was taken aback by the question.
"I don't know, I don't even know if he's gay..."
“Then observe it for yourself,” Cheng Bing said calmly. “Take some time to observe it more, and you’ll know.”
Fang Yuenian was suddenly jolted.
He seemed to already know.
Suddenly, a thread connecting the chaotic thoughts appeared, and many things quickly became clear, as if only a final veil of mystery remained. Once it was lifted, everything would be clear.
Courage became the only thing needed.
Cheng Bing stood up, composed herself, and reached out her hand to him: "Come here."
Fang Yuenian couldn't think too much, so she grabbed his hand and stood up.
—They tacitly let this opportunity pass.
But it wasn't all without progress. At least Fang Yuenian stopped worrying about trivial matters, and Cheng Bing no longer had to worry about Fang Yuenian's emotions.
When the midterm exam results came out, Zhang Qing indeed ranked in the top ten again.
Fang Yuenian made an agreement with Meng Xiaoyang and the others that if Cheng Bing couldn't make it to dinner, he would wait for her by himself and wouldn't eat with them.
Li Peixiang commented after the fact: "It should have been done a long time ago. Your brother Cheng was all alone and helpless. If you had gone and participated, you could have shut others up."
Time flies, and as the semester drew to a close and winter arrived, they had a wild snowball fight in Momei Square.
Then, as the New Year approached again, Cheng Bing and Fang Yuenian shared their birthday cakes and birthday noodles on New Year's Eve, celebrating another birthday together.
No matter how important or significant a day is, whether it's a birthday or the Lunar New Year, it will eventually pass. The sound of firecrackers will stop, and their high school years will come to their final semester.
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