Chapter 42 Extra: Song Yang: Nightmare or Dream?
The most intense argument between Shen Yi and Song Yang occurred after the results of the city-wide second mock exam for senior high school students were released.
Compared to the first mock exam, his score dropped significantly, and his ranking also declined considerably.
Shen Yi's hand holding the exam paper trembled slightly.
Song Yang, on the other hand, lay on the table pretending to be an ostrich.
Jiang Yue tried to ease the tense atmosphere: "We can't entirely blame Song Yang; this math test was indeed quite difficult."
Shen Yi said coldly, "Don't speak up for him. It's normal for his score to drop, and his ranking to fall is his problem."
Shen Yi rarely showed such a serious expression. Jiang Yue shook her head helplessly at Song Yang, patted Shen Yi's shoulder, left a "communicate well" and returned to her seat.
Shen Yi didn't scold Song Yang; he simply refused to speak to him.
After that incident, Shen Yi realized that Song Yang held an irreplaceable and important place in her life, so she mustered up the courage to ask him to stay in China to study, as she wanted him to be by her side.
Song Yang was shocked and awkwardly left, saying he needed to think about it. After two sleepless nights, he finally agreed, blushing.
From then on.
Song Yang then began to live a hellish life.
Shen Yi created a study plan just for him, and he had a bunch of top students around him to rely on. Song Yang and Jiang Jiabao often sat at the same table.
Let's learn math together.
Yes.
His biggest problem is math; he can only get a few points by guessing a few questions. If he and Jiang Jiabao took the same test, it's really hard to say who would win.
Fortunately, they made their decision early, and the Song family was wealthy. When Song's mother heard that her son wanted to study hard, she was overjoyed and spent a lot of money to hire a famous teacher.
After more than a year of relentless practice problems, his math scores have improved significantly, at least enough to pass and not drag him down too much.
But what's going on this time?
Seeing that Song Yang had no intention of explaining, Shen Yi, who had been talking for so long, got angry and simply turned her face away, no longer looking at him.
The last class is over.
Today is Friday. Shen Yu has been admitted to Imperial University and will come back every week. As usual, everyone will gather at Xu Qingzhe's house today to eat and drink for free.
Shen Yi had already packed her schoolbag and was about to get up, completely ignoring Song Yang beside her.
Song Yang knew she was angry, so he reached out and grabbed the other strap of her backpack, saying ingratiatingly, "I'll help you carry it."
Shen Yi didn't even look at him. She tried to snatch it a few times but failed, so she simply let go and walked outside.
Jiang Yue caught up in two steps: "Yiyi, don't take it out on me!"
Shen Yi paused, waited for Jiang Yue for two seconds, and then walked downstairs hand in hand with her.
In the evening, after dinner.
Everyone noticed the strange atmosphere.
Shen Yi took Jiang Yue out to buy fruit, and during this time, Song Yang honestly explained the whole story.
The exam paper was placed between Wen Que and Xu Qingzhe.
The two exchanged a glance.
Xu Qingzhe was very direct: "You did this on purpose?"
Wen Que nodded.
Both of them had the same thought after looking at the test paper: if it wasn't intentional, he wouldn't have answered even the easy questions wrong. Song Yang's problem-solving approach for the essay questions was correct, but he still made all sorts of mistakes along the way.
Shen Yu stroked his chin and added fuel to the fire, concluding: "Because you've entered your rebellious phase and can't stand us managing your studies so much, so you're deliberately trying to annoy us like this?"
Song Yang covered his head with his hands, innocently denying, "...I really didn't."
He's not an idiot.
He suffered so much in his studies, and he knew that Shenyi would be unhappy if he did poorly on the test, so why did he do that?
"Then why?"
Shen Yu leaned closer to him and asked curiously, "If it wasn't intentional, why couldn't you tell us?"
Xu Qingzhe replied with a serious expression: "Chen Yi is the one who has worried about you the most and done the most for you in this matter. You can keep it from us, but if we keep it from her, she will be sad."
If possible.
He didn't want to speak up for Song Yang, much less take on the role of a "spiritual mentor," but everyone could see how much she cared about Song Yang.
“…Oh, I didn’t mean to hide it from her, I was just thinking about how to bring it up.”
At this point, Song Yang's expression became complicated, and his ears even turned a strange and inappropriate red in everyone's eyes.
"Okay, then tell me about it."
A cold snort came from the doorway. The girl crossed her arms and glared at him angrily.
＊
Running away won't help!
Shen Yi turned and left. Song Yang bumped his leg on the table, wincing in pain, but that didn't stop him from staggering after her.
The night was dark.
At the forked alleyway, two people stood one in front of the other, their shadows stretched across the ground.
Song Yang quickly caught up and grabbed her wrist: "Wait for me!"
Shen Yi wasn't really angry with Song Yang. Seeing that he was willing to come out with her, she stopped and said, "Explain yourself."
Song Yang lowered his head, clutching the hem of his clothes. His legs and body were stiff and rigid. Like a puppet that had just learned to walk, he moved step by step toward Shen Yi.
Until the two people get closer.
Shen Yi could feel a warm breath on her forehead, and she could also hear Song Yang swallowing nervously.
Shen Yi felt a strange unease that she couldn't quite explain. She took two steps back, not looking at Song Yang, and muttered with some dissatisfaction, "Just say what you have to say."
Song Yang, however, was like a puppy that didn't know how to read its owner's mind. In this situation, he habitually clung to her, almost cornering her.
He leaned his back against the wall, feeling heavy.
She reached out to create some distance between them, but unfortunately her hand landed on the boy's chest.
Her windbreaker was open, revealing only a thin T-shirt. Shen Yi could feel the warmth of her palm and her heart, which seemed to be beating faster because of her touch.
The moon hangs in the sky, but it's not very bright tonight.
Fortunately, they were close enough that Shen Yi could see the boy's bright eyes and his beautiful lips opening and closing at that moment.
"I didn't mean to, really, you have to believe me. It's because... because I had a dream before the exam, and I almost missed my exam that morning. Then I kept thinking about that dream uncontrollably, which affected my performance."
Don't be angry anymore. I'll rewrite that test paper tomorrow, and I'm sure I'll do better than before.
I will study hard. I don't want to go abroad. I want to go to university in the same city as you. That's what we agreed on, and I will definitely keep my promise.
Because... I want to be with you forever.
...
Shen Yi felt her heartbeat quicken at that moment.
Shen Yi instinctively wanted to pull her hand back, but a warm, large hand covered the back of her hand. Song Yang's other hand rested on Shen Yi's shoulder, preventing her from escaping. He bent down slightly and looked directly into her eyes.
His voice was sincere: "Chenyi, you have to believe me, I will definitely do what I promised you."
"……I see."
Shen Yi pursed her lips, feeling as if she were being held completely in Song Yang's arms. It seemed that if either of them moved even half a millimeter closer, the distance between them would become negative.
Despite the still chilly weather, she felt her face and even the roots of her ears getting hot.
Shen Yi realized...
This feeling stems from her being a little shy.
Having known Song Yang for so many years, sharing a childhood friendship, and having had many physical interactions, if she always reacted like this, she might as well have jumped off a building long ago.
But this time is different.
What exactly is the difference?
Was it because he said... he wanted to be with her forever?
But does he even understand what "forever" means?
I'm so distressed.
This stalemate couldn't go on, so Shenyi could only try to reason with him: "I've already told you I understand, so please let go first."
So close...
There's simply no way to think properly anymore!
Song Yang remained stubborn: "I don't want to. You look angry."
Shen Yi felt somewhat helpless.
All right.
Perhaps Song Yang was right; he had fooled her with this way of "showing loyalty," but she didn't really understand his explanation.
Song Yang is not a coward.
What kind of nightmare could terrify him so much that it would affect his exam the next day? This has never happened before!
unless……
Suddenly remembering a nightmare she had once had, Shen Yi tensed up instantly and asked, "What did you dream about?"
Shen Yi never expected that her question would elicit such a complex expression on Song Yang's face.
That was something she had never seen before in all these years.
First came confusion, then embarrassment, and finally a mixture of shyness and helplessness, ultimately transforming into an expression that was almost soulless.
Chen Yi's curiosity has doubled!
She grabbed Song Yang's wrist, stopping him from running away, as if she had discovered some kind of breakthrough: "Why won't you answer? What kind of dream was it?"
Yes.
This is the biggest point of contention in the whole affair.
Song Yang could have explained earlier, or in front of everyone, but even after apologizing, he has consistently chosen to avoid the topic.
The boy's head had drooped down at some point.
His hair had grown a bit longer, and from this angle it mostly obscured his eyes, as if he were avoiding Shen Yi's gaze. He answered softly, "...If I had to say, it would be a beautiful dream."
His voice was too low for Shen Yi to hear clearly, but seeing his expression, she realized that nothing bad must have happened and she wasn't so nervous anymore. She just angrily pushed Song Yang away: "Fine, don't tell me then!"
She doesn't even bother asking!
Shen Yi didn't retract his force, and Song Yang was in a daze. Such a simple push resulted in Song Yang staggering back two steps and falling to the ground.
The ambiguous atmosphere from just now has completely vanished.
Song Yang looked up at Shen Yi with a somewhat confused expression, as if he hadn't yet realized what had happened.
Feeling guilty after doing something wrong, Shen Yi didn't care about arguing with Song Yang for a moment. She quickly bent down to help him up, saying, "Are you alright? Come on, hold my hand..."
When it rains, it pours.
Shen Yi intended to pull Song Yang up from the ground, but unexpectedly twisted his ankle and fell directly in his direction.
The moment Shen Yi fell, there was none of the romantic way she would fall in an idol drama—
Shen Yi was tripped by Song Yang on the ground again and fell to the side. Fortunately, Song Yang caught her in time at the last moment. In the end, the two of them fell to the ground in a mess, but at least they didn't hit their heads.
Adhering to the principle of lying down wherever one falls, Shen Yi simply rolled to the side and lay down, looking up at the moon in silence.
God.
Why does she always seem to encounter such bad luck?
Suddenly.
Everything went black.
Song Yang placed his hand over her eyes.
He leaned close to her ear and whispered, "I dreamt that... you took my hand first."
Shen Yi: "...?"
I don't understand.
Is physical contact like holding hands really that important?
She simply reached out and grabbed the hand Song Yang was using to block her eyes, responding impatiently with a curt, "Hmm?"
That's it?
Perhaps because of the temporary loss of sight, his hearing became more acute. Shen Yi seemed to hear Song Yang swallowing saliva next to his ear. He continued, "...He...he hugged me again."
Shen Yi pulled away the hand that Song Yang was using to cover her eyes, sat up from the ground, looked at Song Yang sitting beside her, and opened her arms wide.
Seeing that Song Yang seemed stunned, Shen Yi simply pulled him up and hugged him, asking, "And then?"
She wants to see.
Is she a devil? What did she do to make Song Yang so distracted?
Song Yang looked at Shen Yi with an extremely complex expression.
The girl's innocent and slightly sullen appearance made him feel even more unable to say those words, and his greedy selfishness had nowhere to hide in front of her.
But it's too late now.
Impulse overcame reason. Song Yang stared into Chen Yi's eyes and said, "And then... you kissed me."
Perhaps he was a little dazed from the fall, or perhaps he was angry all day and had a belly full of rage. At this moment, his instincts made him act according to Song Yang's instructions.
Just a second before their lips touched, Shenyi's mind belatedly began to work.
etc.
This doesn't seem right.
The two remained in this "confrontational" posture, their breaths mingling at that moment.
Shen Yi unconsciously swallowed.
Her hands, which had been hanging naturally at her sides, braced themselves against the ground to support her body, and her head tilted back as if fleeing, trying to avoid what was about to happen.
Song Yang was never one to read the room.
He wouldn't give Shen Yi a way out, or perhaps because his face was redder than an apple at that moment, and his already not-so-high-spec CPU was on the verge of exploding, he just leaned in and asked, "Why did you stop?"
"...How...how was I supposed to know you were going to say something so shameless!"
Shen Yi turned her face away shyly, instinctively reaching out to push Song Yang away once again, but this time, she froze in mid-air as if possessed, and then silently put her hand down.
Perhaps Song Yang wasn't the one who understood Shen Yi's thinking best, but he was the one who knew best about her habit of saying one thing and meaning another.
He understood what Shen Yi's body language meant. She showed no intention of pushing him away, which meant that at this moment, she absolutely did not reject his approach.
This seems like some kind of suggestive signal.
Song Yang simply reached out and cupped Shen Yi's face, forcing her to look into his eyes, and said, "Yi Yi, why won't you kiss me? Do you hate me?"
"I...I..."
Shen Yi was somewhat at a loss. Why did Song Yang have to ask such a pointless question? How could she possibly dislike him? In the end, she could only shake her head frantically in response.
"I hope you don't dislike it."
Now that things had come to this point, Song Yang wanted to confess his feelings in one go. Otherwise, he wasn't sure if he would still have the courage to express his feelings when he opened his eyes tomorrow.
He slowly released his hands from Shenyi's face and closed his eyes tightly: "Because I like you."
Silence seemed to be the answer.
So much time passed that Song Yang began to wonder if Shen Yi had suddenly disappeared, but then he felt a warm touch on his chin, which was gone in an instant.
Instinctively, Song Yang opened his eyes, only to see Shen Yi staggering away, leaving behind the words: "Then, then it depends on your performance. I don't want a long-distance relationship!"
Her back view looked very calm, and if she didn't move her hands and feet in unison, no one should have noticed anything unusual.
It's alright though.
Song Yang couldn't tell, because he was currently covering his chin, completely petrified from excessive excitement.
What just happened?
Is what he thought correct?
Feeling inexplicably parched, he quickly got up and followed, but then, realizing his face was burning red, he decided to stand at the doorway for a while longer in the cold air.
Of course, what Song Yang didn't say was that the dream didn't end there.
But what happened afterward, even if he had three layers of shame, he still couldn't bring himself to talk about it.
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