The Ending (Part 1)
During the summer, Lu Er prepared for the CET-6 exam while still working part-time. In her spare time, she would occasionally consult Jiang Zhun about translation.
She decided to pursue translation studies as her future academic path. This semester, she registered for the CATTI Level 3 translation exam, and will focus on preparing for the Level 2 exam during her first-year summer break. In her second year, she will take translation courses at universities such as Beijing Foreign Studies University and Beijing Language and Culture University.
Wen Fei lived in the school dormitory for one semester and then moved out. It is said that he bought a room in Haidian District and lived outside.
Ruan Xiyan joined the school's student union and was busy like a spinning top from Monday to Sunday.
As for Sheng Jiao, perhaps because they are not in the same school, she has had less contact with them in the past few months, and she is not as active in speaking in the group.
In early May, there was a five-day holiday. On the second day, Lu Er suddenly received a call from Sheng Jiao, who asked her to come to her apartment.
The phone call came unexpectedly, but Lu Er still rushed over. Sheng Jiao's apartment was in a prime location in Chaoyang District, not only close to the subway station and surrounded by commercial streets, but also very close to Sheng Jiao's university.
This was Lu Er's first time visiting Sheng Jiao's rented apartment. She knocked on the door according to the address, but there was no response for a while.
Sheng Jiao poked her head out from the stairwell: "I'm here."
Lu Er followed her into the room on the next floor: "Aren't you staying in 402?"
"After living there for half a semester, I sometimes felt that it was more convenient to be alone, so I rented room 502 as well, and occasionally I would stay in room 402."
Lu Er sat on the sofa, observing Sheng Jiao's condition. She was wrapped in an air conditioning blanket, wearing only a slip dress underneath.
With a bare face, unwashed and uncombed hair, Sheng Jiao often appeared this casual at home. Lu Er had bumped into her a few times, so she wasn't surprised.
But today, her eyebrows drooped, her eyes were dark-rimmed, her skin was swollen and bloodless, and she looked frail and weak. To put it bluntly, she looked like she had taken some kind of drug.
"Is there something you need?" Lu Er poured her a glass of warm water.
"Thanks." Sheng Jiao took the warm water and sipped it a few times. "I just want to ask you something."
Lu Er adopted an expression of being all ears.
"Have you slept with Ruan Xiyan?"
Lu Er was genuinely startled, but she quickly regained her composure, her eyes remaining calm as she shook her head and looked at her: "...Why are you asking this?"
Sheng Jiao didn't seem too surprised, and pouted, "...Okay, I admit this question is a bit private."
Lu Er had a vague idea: "You...have a boyfriend?"
"..." After a long pause, Sheng Jiao stammered, "He's not my boyfriend."
The most surprising thing about Sheng Jiao since she started university more than half a year ago is that she hasn't been seen dating anyone. Sheng Jiao once told Lu Er that she dated a guy with curly hair when she was abroad, but they broke up in less than three months.
Over the years, countless men have pursued Sheng Jiao, both domestically and internationally, but she hasn't been interested in any of them. To be specific, she found them all uninteresting.
Right now, Sheng Jiao showed no sign of cheering. She was pulling at her hair, half agitated and half frustrated, and said, "I don't know how to say it, you know... because I drank alcohol, and then... you know..."
Have safety measures been taken?
Sheng Jiao nodded repeatedly, like a chick pecking at rice. Lu Er was silent for a moment, then asked her, "When did this happen?"
"Last year... National Day."
Lu Er thought for a moment: "Do we know each other?"
"..." Sheng Jiao fell silent for a long time. Lu Er consciously avoided the topic. "Does that person have a boyfriend?"
"No, I don't think so." After saying this, Sheng Jiao rested her face in her hands, her eyelashes drooping. "You might blame me for not protecting myself. I admit... I'm an adult and I still don't have any rationality."
Sheng Jiao's birthday came early; she turned eighteen in the second half of her junior year of high school, and by last year's National Day holiday, it had been a while since she turned nineteen.
Lu Er looked at her without much emotion: "So what kind of relationship do you two have now?"
“My friend did that kind of thing… how can we be friends now? We try to avoid each other as much as possible, it’s so awkward. It’s been a long time, but I still have this lingering feeling… I’ve never told anyone, but it feels much better to tell you now.”
Lu Er could tell that Sheng Jiao was pretending to be cheerful. Faced with such a situation, she didn't know how to comfort her. After carefully considering her words, she said, "...If you need me, just call me anytime."
"Thank you." Sheng Jiao rested her head on her shoulder, remained silent for a moment, and then suddenly said, "If you and Ruan Xiyan don't know how to put on a condom, I can teach you."
Lu Er: "..."
-
After the CET-6 exam that year, Beijing welcomed summer.
Taking advantage of the summer vacation, Lu Er also went to see Mi Tian. Mi Tian had the same short hair as always, but this time her hair was uneven, looking like it had been haphazardly done with scissors.
When Lu Er asked, Mi Tian scratched the back of her head shyly: "I cut this myself. My mom used to help me cut it, but now I have to cut it myself. It looks a bit ugly."
Lu Er learned that Mi Tian's father, Sun Jing'en, had remarried in recent years. His wife had become pregnant two years ago and gave birth to a boy.
Like eight-year-old Lu Er, eight-year-old Mi Tian is an outsider in this family.
Mi Tian had already finished self-studying the fifth-grade textbook and skipped a grade to enter sixth grade this year. Lu Er wanted to give her a wallet containing 10,000 yuan given to her by Teacher Mina, as well as some of her scholarship money and savings from part-time jobs.
Mi Tian shook her head: "Sister Xiao Er, you should keep the money yourself. My mother left me enough, and you need this money too. Besides, it's from your mother, I won't take it."
Lu Er looked at her as if he were looking at his past self.
She understood herself, so she stopped insisting.
Ruan Song has an empty house in Sui City, and Lu Er went to Sui City for summer vacation to work part-time and stayed there temporarily. Ruan Xiyan moved in with her and also brought the cow cat and Mao Mao with her.
“Ruan Xiyan,” she said, sitting across the table, tapping his hand lightly with her pen, “you haven’t memorized any vocabulary words in three days.”
Ruan Xiyan half-retracted his hand from stroking the white cat: "Teacher Xiaolu, there's no rush for the Level 4 exam." The white cat took the opportunity to jump out of his arms.
This white cat was a stray cat that Lu Er found near her home. It always had a pair of timid, round eyes.
With Ruan Xiyan's consent, Lu Er took it home, gave it a bath, and had it spayed/neutered. They named it Mantou (Steamed Bun). Now, thanks to the careful care of Ruan Xiyan and Lu Er, the white cat has grown into a perfectly round, white steamed bun.
Ruan Xiyan took the CET-4 exam last year, but his score was far below the passing mark. He said he would take the exam again after he was fully prepared, but he forgot to register this spring.
Lu Er didn't hold back: "I've already finished my CET-6 exam, and you haven't even passed your CET-4 yet."
Ruan Xiyan had no choice but to obediently start memorizing the vocabulary.
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