Chapter 28 Junior Year
After the start of school, the hip-hop dance club recruited a group of freshmen. The most notable of these was Xia Yanran, a student from the Communication Department. Standing 5'7" tall and sporting a face reminiscent of a real-life Barbie doll, she captivated the hearts of many of the seniors the moment she signed up for the hip-hop dance club. She quickly became a school sensation, with her social media accounts, dorm building, and room number all exposed. Even her daily whereabouts became a hot topic of discussion. Nan Jiu had received more than one message asking for Xia Yanran's contact information.
For a period of time after that, Nan Jiu could hear the male members of the club talking about Xia Yanran from time to time.
Things took a turn for the worse three weeks after school started. Xia Yanran was spotted at the school gate getting into an older man's car and not returning to her dorm room all night. Rumors that Xia Yanran was being kept by someone quickly spread. Someone went to ask Xia Yanran's roommate if she hadn't returned to the dorm. After her roommate confirmed it, the rumor that Xia Yanran had been out all night hanging out with an older man was inadvertently confirmed.
Countless boys who wanted to pursue Xia Yanran were instantly disillusioned. Once the image of a goddess fell from grace, she was endlessly trampled upon. Some even went to Xia Yanran's social media account to ask her how much she charged per night.
Although Nan Jiu was incredibly busy preparing for dances and filling in for classes after school, she still managed to hear about the incident due to its magnitude. Since the news broke, Xia Yanran hadn't been seen in the club since. Her absence only fueled the spread of rumors, and even the boys in the club had become frivolous when discussing her privately.
The vice president's point was that no matter what happened, she couldn't just sit out club activities forever; she had to ask her about it. Nan Jiu stopped her, telling her to "give her some time to deal with it."
Nanjiu hadn't expected Xia Yanran, who had been hiding in the dorm for a few days, to find her. She messaged Nanjiu, saying she wanted to see her, and they met in a quiet corner of the school library.
After not seeing her for a few days, Xia Yanran looked much more haggard, her cheeks a little sunken. She couldn't tell if it was because of Nanjiu's position as president, or if Xia Yanran felt he wouldn't look at her with the same tinted glasses as others. Regardless, she chose to contact Nanjiu first, telling her she wasn't as bad as the rumors spread. As she spoke, her eyes reddened with grievance, and she lost control of her speech several times.
Nan Jiu sat across from her, his eyes fixed on her face, and listened to her story calmly. She didn't ask any questions, nor did she question what secrets were hidden behind her hesitation.
Xia Yanran asked Nan Jiu helplessly what she should do?
Nanjiu narrowed his eyes slightly: "The best response is... that man happens to be your father."
Xia Yanran fell silent and moved her eyes to the windowsill.
"So it's not this kind of relationship?" Nan Jiu's gaze was fixed on her face.
The "relationship" she mentioned was something she could present publicly to clear Xia Yanran of the rumors, whether it was her father, a relative, or any other relationship that could be explained.
However, when this was mentioned, Xia Yanran suddenly fell silent. Throughout the conversation, she simply repeatedly emphasized the troubles those false rumors had caused her.
Nan Jiu wasn't the principal, nor was she the dorm manager. She was merely the president of a club. Based on her one-sided account, she couldn't make a definitive judgment on Xia Yanran's case. She could only offer Xia Yanran two suggestions: "If it's not true, you'd better explain the situation as soon as possible. If possible, ask the other party to cooperate. It would be best if the school stepped in to curb the rumors. If this method proves difficult..." Nan Jiu paused for a few seconds, not wanting to make up for Xia Yanran's feelings, and didn't say anything. "Hurry up and look for an apartment. Move out. Four years of college will fly by. Who will know you if you move to another city after graduation?"
Xia Yanran understood what Nan Jiu meant. She didn't stay for long. She thanked him, put on her mask, and got up to leave.
Nan Jiu sat by the window, watching her back as she walked away, his eyes gradually becoming fixed.
Everyone experiences, to varying degrees, situations where emotions become uncontrollable or where one's actions are forced upon them. As for Xia Yanran's situation, she didn't know the full story and couldn't comment. However, she believed that a decision at this stage, which could affect her future path—her studies, her diploma four years from now—was the worst mistake she could make. She suggested that Xia Yanran stay away from the center of the storm, simply because she saw that she was on the verge of collapse. If she continued to stay in the dorm, the isolation and covert bullying would sooner or later ruin her path to further education.
Nan Jiu stood up and walked out of the library. Her eyes swept across the rows of bookcases, and she suddenly remembered that she had promised to send books to Song Ting when she returned.
After returning to the dormitory, Nanjiu sorted out the relevant books, packed them, sent them to the express station before evening, and sent them back to Maoer Lane.
Since Nanjiu took over the hip-hop dance club, she's perhaps not as strict as the previous president. She often turns a blind eye to many matters, as long as they don't infringe on the club's interests. But the biggest difference between her and her predecessors is her keen eye for revenue generation. She's not afraid of commercial performances, brand partnerships, venue rentals, and other opportunities to generate income. Her first day in office was a simple, blunt statement: "I'll ensure everyone enjoys a good life in the coming years."
Today, she has indeed provided some club members with extra income, which has greatly consolidated Nan Jiu's prestige in the street dance club.
Although Nan Jiu couldn't offer any substantial assistance regarding Xia Yanran's situation, she sternly emphasized during the club meeting that no one should discuss Xia Yanran's affairs. If they knew that a club member was behind this, they would have no chance of getting any awards, bonus points, or even a chance to win a prize in the comprehensive assessment.
What is brought to the surface are school honors, and what is not brought to the surface are the competition qualifications, event places, and performance opportunities that can continue to make money.
When it came to personal interests, even the biggest gossip had to be cast aside. The entire hip-hop club united and stopped discussing the matter. This, in turn, provided Xia Yanran with a temporary shelter from the elements. When she didn't have classes, she stayed at the hip-hop club instead of returning to the dorm. Nan Jiu turned a blind eye and let her do what she wanted.
The club had activities during the National Day holiday, and Xingyao's classes would resume after the 3rd. Nan Jiu sent Song Ting a message, telling him that she would not be going back and that she had plans for the holiday.
During the holiday break, shopping malls and amusement parks were bustling with activity. Nanjiu and the club members rushed from morning till night to two performances. Afterward, everyone clamored to go out for barbecue, and it was already evening when they returned to school.
A group of people chatted and laughed as they walked to the school gate. As they were about to turn in, Nan Jiu caught a glimpse of a familiar SUV parked under a streetlight. She paused briefly, then turned to her companions, saying they needed to go shopping and that they should go back first and not wait for her.
Nan Jiu separated from the main group at the school gate. She first ran to the other side of the road. When she saw the crowd go away, she came back, opened the car door, and jumped into the passenger seat.
"Why are you here?"
Song Ting glanced at her furtive appearance, and said with a hint of intrigue in his tone: "Did I disturb you?"
"No." Nan Jiu quickly lowered her head and glanced at her phone. She saw that Song Ting had sent her a message over an hour ago, saying he was at the school gate. She had been so busy playing that she hadn't noticed.
She looked up and asked, "Have you been waiting for so long? Why didn't you call me?"
"You said you had an event today. Since you didn't reply, I thought you weren't done yet."
Nanjiu put away his phone and fastened his seat belt: "Let's go."
"Where are you going?"
"Go ahead, I'll tell you how to get there."
Following Nanjiu's guidance, we drove to a deserted area near the school. There was a wetland park next to it, and after nine o'clock, there were basically no people there.
Song Ting was about to stop by the roadside, but Nan Jiu pointed at the bushes ahead and said, "Drive forward and drive the car into them."
Although Song Ting didn't know the purpose of doing this, he still stepped on the accelerator lightly and drove the car into the dark bushes.
When the car came to a complete stop, he asked, "What are you doing here?"
"There's no one here." Nanjiu told him.
Song Ting's eyes flashed with a subtle expression: "No one, then what?"
Nanjiu didn't say anything. It was just a subconscious reaction without thinking about what happened next.
"Did you come here specially to see me?"
Song Ting leaned sideways, his arm reaching for the back seat. The distance suddenly closed, a familiar aura trapped in the small space. Nan Jiu tilted her head, her gaze fixed on his Adam's apple, where a small, deep shadow rose, like a silent decoy. As he picked up his things and looked away, his eyes met hers. Nan Jiu's eyes felt as if burned, and she glanced away.
Song Ting handed her the things in his hand: "I'm going out of town on business, and I'll bring you some food when I pass by here."
Nanjiu took it and looked at it. They were all beautifully packaged local specialties. She smiled and said, "Why do you like buying local specialties everywhere?"
“Who else likes it?”
"My dad."
“…” The atmosphere fell into silence for a moment.
In Fengshi in October, the weather was neither too hot nor too cold. Even without the heater on in the car, the temperature kept rising. It had only been over a month since we last met, but when we met again, there was a sense of strangeness between us.
Perhaps because Nanjiu hadn't seen much autumn, he felt a sense of unfamiliarity. He wore a long-sleeved, thin, earth-toned knit top, a simple and sober style that accentuated his broad frame.
Compared to Song Ting, Nan Jiu still looked like she was in summer. She was wearing a performance costume, a short top and an A-line skirt, which looked both sweet and hot.
"Have you received the book?" Nanjiu picked up a topic casually.
"received."
"Hmm...some of my annotations are a bit messy, so just ignore them."
"It came out right after I received it, and I haven't had time to read it yet."
Even with the lights off, the darkness inside the car wasn't completely black. The night lights of the distant wetland park shone faintly through the dense trees, casting dappled shadows. No insects chirped outside the window, but the subtle rustling of fabric was remarkably clear in the still air.
Song Ting's left hand rested on the edge of the brown leather-wrapped car window. The mottled light cast a shadow on his silhouette. The shadows of the trees swayed gently, and his voice echoed in the car: "Can you not go home tonight?"
After a long silence, when he spoke again, Nan Jiu's heart inexplicably tightened, and she suddenly turned her gaze to look at him. After understanding what he meant, her heartbeat became faster.
"There is an inspection." She paused and replied.
"What time?"
"11 o'clock."
Another moment of inexplicable silence. Nanjiu's eyes were fixed on the numbers ticking on the central control screen. They had only a little over an hour together, and every second was slipping by. She glanced at him again, the spot of light just barely covering his face, revealing the shape of his lips from the gloom. The cold lines of his lips, however, felt soft and warm when kissed, like sinking into a sponge, enveloping him from every angle.
Nan Jiu pursed her lips, set her souvenir aside, and unbuckled her seatbelt, the leather making a subtle sound. She nimbly turned around in the car and straddled Song Ting.
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