Chapter 31, Part 3: His Phone Call. He was her entire youth...
Yu Kui was stunned for a moment, not expecting her to say such a thing.
“Sometimes you’re really annoying,” Tao Jiang continued, “Why are you able to live so well? What makes you so capable of living so well?”
“Sometimes I’m really jealous of you,” Tao Jiang said. “You make me feel like a joke.”
“You…” Yu Kui stood up, looking at her eyes reddened with resentment, and didn’t know what to say.
She had no idea that Tao Jiang hated her so much, nor did she remember doing anything to hurt Tao Jiang.
Tao Jiang looked away and continued walking out.
Yu Kui subconsciously followed, but Xie Xingzhi stopped her, saying, "She has mental problems, don't worry about her."
Yu Kui pulled her hand away from his. "I also have something to say to her. You should eat first."
After saying that, she chased after Tao Jiang out of the library, saying, "Wait."
Tao Jiang walked quickly, seemingly not hearing her voice. Yu Kui jogged up and stopped her. "Can we talk?"
Tao Jiang stopped and said in an unfriendly tone, "Why did you chase after me?"
Yu Kui took out a list of art school entrance exam candidates that she had kept hidden in her down jacket pocket for who knows how long. "Here you go."
Tao Jiang looked at her expressionlessly, "What is this?"
“Your acting is very good,” Yu Kui pursed her lips and said softly, “There are still art schools you can apply to now, and you can take the exam during the Spring Festival, so it won’t affect your studies later.”
Tao Jiang paused, not expecting Yu Kui to give her this.
“Your acting is excellent,” Yu Kui paused, then continued, “I’ve wanted to tell you this before, but I was afraid it would be too presumptuous. But I want you to have more options in your life, even if you hate me now.”
Tao Jiang stood there without saying a word. She stared at Yu Kui's fair and clean face and realized that her eyes were very clear, like calm lake water, making people unable to help but trust her.
"Arts exam?" Tao Jiang scoffed. "Just because you think I'm suited to be an actor doesn't mean I have to become one. Mind your own business."
She threw the recruitment list on the ground, raised her chin, and said sarcastically, "You think I can't get into university, so you're making me take the art exam? Are you trying to humiliate me?"
Yu Kui took a step back, bent down to pick up the list from the ground, and said softly, "I didn't humiliate you."
She patted the snow stains off the list. "I also feel like I'm meddling, sorry."
Tao Jiang stiffened, looking at her slightly dejected appearance, she couldn't describe the feeling in her heart, "I can't possibly participate in the art exam."
She sneered, "If my family knew what you were suggesting to me, they would definitely yell at me."
"I can't take the art exam, and I can't become an actor."
"I understand." Yu Kui felt a little sad, but didn't insist. "Then I'll go back first. Goodbye."
Tao Jiang didn't say anything, turned around and boarded the bus that had just arrived at the station.
Yu Kui watched her leave, realizing she had been too naive. She had secretly printed out the school list without considering whether Tao Jiang would accept it.
Tao Jiang was right; she was just being nosy. Yu Kui bought two cups of fruit tea and returned to the library, where Xie Xingzhi was flipping through a comic book.
Yu Kui handed him one of the milk tea cups, "Have you finished the test?"
"You've been working on papers all morning, you should relax a bit," Xie Xingzhi said, handing her the book. "What did you say to her just now?"
"I won't tell you," Yu Kui shook her head, "Let's eat first."
"good."
On her way home, Yu Kui threw the list of art exam schools into the trash can. Looking up at the dark sky above, she thought that she and Tao Jiang really couldn't be friends. They should just continue to be ordinary classmates and go their separate ways after the college entrance exam.
On the second day of the Lunar New Year, Qin's mother brought Qin You to visit her family to offer New Year's greetings. She said with a smile that Qin You's grades had improved last semester and she planned to let him apply to a key university in the city.
“He’s my only child, and I don’t want him to go too far away,” Qin’s mother said with a smile. “I think local universities are all pretty good, so let him try harder.”
Yu's mother nodded in agreement. "Qin You's grades have always been excellent."
"Where's your Yu Kui? Has she set any goals yet?"
Qin You, who was sitting to the side, turned to look at Yu Kui, who was sitting on a single sofa, watching the TV intently.
"It depends on her own wishes," said Yu's mother. "We'll decide after the college entrance exam. She can stay in the local area or go somewhere else, as long as she's happy."
Qin's mother was somewhat envious upon hearing this, saying, "I can't be as carefree as you guys."
Qin You kept his head down and didn't say anything.
After lunch, Qin's mother took him away.
The two families may seem to get along well now, but their relationship has never been the same as before.
"Why aren't you and Yu Kui talking anymore?" Qin's mother asked helplessly. "She used to like you so much."
"There's nothing to say," Qin You said calmly. "We're no longer friends."
"You!" Qin's mother was so angry that her forehead throbbed. "You're such a stubborn person."
Qin You ignored her and went into his room to text Tao Jiang, saying he was going to take her out to play tomorrow.
With the start of the second semester of her senior year, Yu Kui returned to her intense studies, daring not to slack off in the slightest.
Her grades consistently ranked first in her grade, making her a key student for teachers to monitor.
Spring has passed, and early summer has arrived.
As Yu Kui emerged from the classroom, the gentle rays of the setting sun illuminated the corridor, gradually calming her previously restless heart.
She heard Tao Jiang making a phone call behind her: "Go to the milk tea shop and wait for me. My phone is malfunctioning right now, and I can't hear you very well."
After hearing something said on the other end of the phone, Tao Jiang chuckled and said, "What am I supposed to do? Of course, you have to buy it for me. Otherwise, what am I supposed to use? I won't even be able to message you later."
Yu Kui looked at the phone in her hand; it was a model from last year, but it still looked very new.
"Okay, I'll come find you right away. Take me to buy a phone this weekend."
As she passed by Yu Kui, she left behind a faint fragrance, which smelled wonderful and reminded Yu Kui of a bright spring day.
Tao Jiang did not apply to an arts school, and her grades did not improve much. Her homeroom teacher was very worried about her and asked several classmates to help her, but the effect was not significant.
The homeroom teacher had no choice but to keep putting pressure on her, hoping she could catch up as soon as possible. But Tao Jiang didn't take these worries to heart. Yu Kui once overheard her making a phone call at the end of the corridor, saying that the homeroom teacher was deliberately targeting her, even though she had already tried very hard. But the homeroom teacher still couldn't see it.
Yu Kui felt extremely upset at the time and wanted to step forward to argue, but when the words came out, all that remained was the coldness of "we have different paths and cannot work together".
Yu Kui followed her toward the school gate, watching her run across the road and into the milk tea shop across the street.
She turned around and boarded the bus home, not seeing the intimate moment when Qin You took Tao Jiang's schoolbag from behind.
“Look, my phone is really broken,” Tao Jiang complained. “The screen is all scratched up, and the call volume is so low. I don’t care, you have to figure out a solution, or I won’t contact you tonight.”
"Okay." Qin You took the phone and checked it for a moment, then said, "I'll take you to buy it this weekend."
"Okay." Tao Jiang's eyes curved into a smile, and she immediately hugged his arm. "I knew you were good to me."
Qin You blushed slightly and held her hand tightly.
"By the way, you should still tutor me," Tao Jiang said after thinking for a moment. "The exam is in a month, and I don't want to be criticized by the teacher to my face every day anymore. It's so annoying."
“Okay,” Qin You was almost always willing to grant her request. “Which school do you want to apply to? I’ll go with you then.”
Tao Jiang was stunned. "You're a better student than me, how could you possibly go to the same university as me?"
“Even if we’re not in the same university, I want to be in the same city as you,” Qin You said firmly. “I don’t want to be separated from you.”
Tao Jiang smiled enigmatically, "You're that reluctant to part with me?"
"You're my girlfriend, we're definitely going to be together." Qin You looked into her eyes and said with utmost seriousness, "Unless I die, you can forget about getting rid of me."
"Nonsense!" Tao Jiang glared at him. "Who's your girlfriend? It's not even close to happening yet, and you still dare to ask for a title."
"Will you give it to me or not?" Qin You pressed on, not wanting her to run away. "Don't you know whether I like you or not?"
"Stay away from me," Tao Jiang took two steps back. "We're still students, why are you saying these things?"
“We’re all adults now,” Qin You said. “We can make our own decisions about some things.”
Perhaps it was because he had spent so much time with Tao Jiang that Qin You understood her better the more he interacted with her. She was beautiful and enjoyed manipulating people's hearts; she always gloated as she watched him go crazy for her.
Qin You knew about her flaws, but he never minded. As long as she was happy, he was willing to do anything for her, even if she let him down.
But now, he needs a clear answer: whether to become boyfriend and girlfriend, or to continue dragging it out.
“This is a bubble tea shop,” Tao Jiang’s smile paused slightly. “Are you sure our relationship is going to change here, especially since you haven’t even formally confessed your feelings to me yet?”
Tao Jiang looked disgusted and said, "You don't think I'd just agree to it so easily, do you? Don't tell me you don't know the necessary steps to becoming boyfriend and girlfriend, and that I need to teach you?"
Tao Jiang instantly took control of the rhythm, and Qin You was completely at a disadvantage, but he didn't feel uncomfortable. "Okay, I'll prepare."
He stared at Tao Jiang without moving, his eyes overflowing with affection.
Tao Jiang curled her lips into a smile, "Look at you, you're really worthless."
"I'll do anything as long as I can be with you."
Tao Jiang gave a light snort, took her milk tea, and went with him to eat nearby.
Over the weekend, Yu Kui was studying in her room when she suddenly received a call from an unknown number. She hung up without thinking, until the number sent a text message: "This is Qin You."
Yu Kui's heart skipped a beat. How could it be Qin You?
Since she blocked all of Qin You's contact information, they lost their last bond.
Qin You... why did he send a text message? Does he want to tell her something?
The next moment, the phone rang again. Yu Kui stood there stunned for a few seconds, but it felt like a lifetime had passed.
Her fingertips trembled slightly as she took a deep breath and answered the phone.
She didn't speak, listening quietly to the noise on the other end, wondering where Qin You was.
"Yu Kui?" Qin You's familiar voice rang in her ears, and Yu Kui's body stiffened. She hadn't expected it to really be him.
"Can you hear me?" Qin You's voice was somewhat anxious, as if he were in a great predicament. "Can you hear me?"
Yu Kui should have hung up on him and shown him through her actions that they had broken off all contact.
But she couldn't do it; she kept hoping he would contact her, even if it was just over the phone.
He was someone she had liked for a very long time, her best playmate when she was a child, and her whole youth.
“I can hear you,” she heard herself say, “Qin You, I can hear you.”
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