Chapter 44 Chapter 44
After that meal, everything seemed to return to normal. Bigbang was busy juggling year-end announcements and concerts, and Lia was back to her schedule of final exams and album production.
The arrangement work was nearing completion, and she began to take on more responsibilities, no longer just doing basic file archiving. Teddy even gave her a lot of autonomy in the song she created.
She was fully responsible for the arrangement. She wished she could split herself into several parts, running on different tracks. One second she was reviewing in the study room, and the next second she was in the recording studio proofreading the tracks. During the days of final exams,
In order to save time on the road, she even stayed overnight at the company, slept for a few hours, and then rushed to school. Fortunately, the result was not bad.
The final exam results were unexpectedly good, and the new girl group's first album production was successfully entering the final stages. And the grade-specific field trip had finally arrived. The bus bumped along the narrow country road.
The wheels rolled over gravel, kicking up a fine cloud of dust. On either side lay the empty fields after harvest, a vast expanse of brown mud stretching as far as the eye could see. Sparse rice stubble swayed in the cold wind, and occasionally a few black birds could be seen taking off from the edge of the fields.
The air was filled with a mixture of chill and earth. Lia rolled down the window halfway, and a gust of cold wind rushed in. The train car was bustling with activity. The students were noisy and
They gestured to see who brought what snacks, who checked the weather forecast in advance, and who secretly brought playing cards - the tension and depression of the final exam was swept away.
"Children, Cheese!" The girl sitting in front of Lia turned around to take a photo and greeted with a smile. Xia Qing immediately reached out and made bunny ears on Lia's head. "Click—" The picture froze. "What are you listening to?"
Lia leaned against the window, her eyes fixed on the small TV in the car ahead, headphones dangling from her ears. Xia Qing leaned in closer, trying to see the song playing on her phone. "English listening." Lia raised an eyebrow. "?!!!"
The people around her were shocked. Lia smiled and reached out to take off her headphones. "Just kidding, I didn't hear anything."
The year-end MAMA Awards were being replayed on TV. The artists on the stage were performing hard, and the director would occasionally cut to the reactions of the audience.
Bigbang is the biggest star this year. Most of the awards at the grand ceremony were given to them, and the length and scale of their stage performances far exceeded those of other artists.
Kwon Ji-yong seemed quite interested in the school trip. After dinner that day, he sent her a message a few days later, asking when she was leaving. "I haven't been on a school trip yet." "Take more pictures," he said.
Even though she already knew the MAMA winners, Lia still watched the video with gusto. These moments became more and more frequent—seeing him on TV made her feel at ease.
When the distance was far enough, she didn't have to guess what he meant by a certain sentence or what he was thinking at the moment. Xia Qing looked at him for a few times, then turned away with a lack of interest.
The TV was too small, and from their position they could only see tiny figures moving around on the stage. "Didn't you say Xiaoyu would be there too?" She pulled two lollipops from her bag and handed one to Lia.
"There's a sudden change on set." Lia took it and unwrapped the candy. The sweet strawberry flavor exploded in her mouth, with a hint of berry tartness at the end. Yu Seung-ho hadn't shown up.
The filming was postponed at the last minute, and it happened to coincide with the school trip schedule. He only hurriedly took the final exam and then rushed back.
"I'm not surprised that you did well in the exam. I didn't expect Xiaoyu to do so well too." Xia Qing sighed, "I'm the one who goes to cram school diligently every weekend." When it comes to studying, talent probably also depends on it.
Lia was diligent and her final grades were consistently high. To everyone's surprise, Yu Seung-ho, who had been on the set for almost the entire second half of the semester, also scored above average. "Aren't you better than him?"
"That's different. I put in a lot of time in and out of class." Xia Qing frowned, feeling somewhat discouraged. In the past, she hadn't worked hard, so she wasn't upset no matter how bad her grades were. But this semester, she had really tried hard, and it was inevitable that there would be a gap.
"He works harder than you think." Lia tilted her head, "He didn't fall behind when he was on the crew." For a while, she even got up in the morning and checked her MSN messages, which often contained questions left over from his late-night studies.
"I'm going to fight you good students!" Xia Qing bit her lollipop and pretended to make trouble. Lia smiled and begged for mercy. Outside the car window, gray-white fields quickly passed by. * In the afternoon, the bus finally stopped at the gate of the rural school.
This school's campus is completely different from those in Seoul. The teaching building is only two stories high, and the playground is like a slightly larger open space in front of the gate. There are several rows of bamboo planted on the back hill, rustling in the wind.
There weren't many students attending school here, only about ten per grade. Those from more affluent families were mostly sent to schools in nearby towns.
The dormitory was located behind the teaching building. It was a run-down, grayish-white exterior, weathered and partially peeling, revealing the masonry structure beneath. Students were assigned to live there in batches.
The school had prepared bedding for the night, but since most local students lived in the village, the dormitory had been vacant for a long time and was covered in dust. The teacher in charge organized everyone to fetch clean water and began a thorough cleaning.
Lia, Xia Qing, and two other girls were assigned to a room on the first floor. "A senior from high school said I had to clean it myself, but I didn't believe her," Xia Qing said, grunting as she fetched a bucket of water and slammed it onto the floor.
Lia took the rag from another girl and began mopping up the dust. Normally, no one did these chores at home, so it felt new and exciting. For a moment, the entire building echoed with the students' laughter. Soon, it was dinnertime.
The teacher told the students to pack up and prepare to go to the village hall for dinner. "The village committee said they'd host a welcome party for everyone, and they've already started preparing," the homeroom teacher called from the corridor, urging everyone downstairs.
It gets dark early in the countryside, and it becomes dark just after six o'clock.
Dim streetlights shone on the streets. The villagers had already set up a long table in front of the meeting hall. Steaming hot home-cooked meals filled the tables, and pots of soup simmered on several wood-burning stoves. "Wow—are those fried pumpkin pie?"
"What kind of dish is this? It smells so good!" The students looked at it and exclaimed in amazement. Several smiling grandmothers called out to them, "You must be hungry. Come and eat!" Lia lined up at the back and sat at a table in the corner with Xia Qing.
The food was simple, but perhaps because of her afternoon's work, it was surprisingly delicious. Rice with crusty rice, beef stewed with radish, braised fish with soy sauce... all flavors she rarely tasted. She finished two bowls of rice in a row before stopping.
Xia Qing also ate quite a bit, even burping loudly when she put down her bowl. "If only I could eat rice cooked on this big stove every day, it's so delicious!" She patted her belly and sighed.
Lia looked at the empty bowl with a lingering look and nodded. After dinner, the students split into two groups: half returned to the dorms to clean up, while the other half stayed to help clean up. Lia, clumsily clearing the dishes, carried a plastic basin borrowed from a villager.
"Let me do it." A hunched grandmother came over and tried to take the basin from her. Lia quickly dodged, saying, "No, no, no, just leave it there and let us do it."
I've already eaten a full meal, so why should I ask the old man to wash the dishes? Grandma stood by with a smile, not arguing, but just handed over a pair of rubber gloves: "Put these on, don't hurt your hands."
Lia took the gloves and continued to put the dishes back into the basin. Grandma stood beside her, her back hunched, and said kindly, "You did it quite neatly. It doesn't look like you've done it for the first time."
"It's really my first time." Lia smiled, "I don't often do this at home."
"Children these days are so smart." Grandma bent down to pick up a fallen spoon and casually said, "When my grandson lived here, he wouldn't let me work. As soon as we finished eating, he would rush to wash the dishes, saying that my waist was not good."
Lia replied softly, "He's such a nice guy." "He's quite good," Grandma smiled. "Now he tries to come back to see me whenever he's free—but he's busy with work, so he can't always be by my side."
As she spoke, she slowly put away the washed dishes. Lia nodded. ... That night, the girls gathered in the largest room in the dormitory. It was already dark outside at eight o'clock.
Because they were not allowed to go out, more than a dozen people huddled together in a circle.
Mattresses were moved into a circular shape, with pillows, snacks, and playing cards piled in the middle. People were blow-drying their hair, applying facial masks, or browsing their phones—all gathered in groups of three or four, making a lot of noise, no one wanting to go to bed early.
Xia Qing pulled Lia along, and they each hugged a pillow and squeezed into the crowd to join in the fun. "How about a game of truth or dare?" someone suggested, and everyone immediately agreed.
The rules of the game were simple—you drew playing cards, the person with the highest card took the punishment, and the person with the lowest card decided what the punishment was. In the first round, Xia Qing drew the highest card.
A girl sitting not far from her raised her hand gently: "I'm the youngest." "Come on! I choose the big dare!" Xia Qing was ready to die. The girl's eyes turned and she came up with an idea.
"Send a message to the first guy in your address book and just say 'Do you like me?'" "Wow!!" Everyone exclaimed. Lia's eyes widened. Was this such a big deal?
"Leave some room for error..." Xia Qing said with a bitter face as he pulled out his phone and opened the address book. A girl leaned over and stared at the screen anxiously. "He's saved!" Xia Qing breathed a sigh of relief. "It's my cousin!"
"Ah—" the girls hissed. Xia Qing happily sent the message, and the next second, she received a reply—"Are you crazy?" Everyone laughed. The first round had gotten off to a good start, and no one dared to let down their guard.
There wouldn't be any more easy tasks like "making faces" in the "Dare or Dare" game, so the girl who won the second round carefully chose truth or truth. "Among the boys in the class, do you have an ideal type?" "Ohhhh—" The booing started again.
The girl's face flushed crimson. "Class...class monitor, right?" "!!!!" "I like good students!" She risked her words, triggering another round of laughter. ... Lia tilted her head and winked at Xia Qing.
Are you running away to pee? If you keep playing, you might be next. Xia Qing nodded in understanding. The two were about to sneak away. "Let's make a deal, you can't run away today!" the girl who had just drawn the smallest card added.
"Of course, of course. Otherwise, the previous losers would be in big trouble," the others chimed in. Lia's vision darkened. She gritted her teeth and played two more rounds. Sure enough, in the fifth round, she drew the King of Spades.
She weakly raised the cards in her hand: "...I choose Dare." It was better than being asked "Who do you like?" "Quick, who's the youngest?" "It's me..." Xia Qing raised the three of hearts in her hand with a confused look on her face.
Everyone started to jeer: "Mission! Mission!" "No slacking!" someone shouted. Xia Qing looked embarrassed, the villain representing friendship and the villain representing the justice of the game fighting fiercely.
"Send a message to the first person in your address book, and just say 'Save me!'" "Oh, and don't reply within five minutes!" she added. "Eh—" "What? That's too easy!" Everyone booed.
"It's better than those 'Do you like me?' or 'Do you miss me?' I'm being innovative!" Xia Qing said confidently. Lia gave her a grateful look and took out her phone.
"Oh, I'll change it. I still won't reply for three minutes, so as not to cause any trouble." After thinking for a moment, Xia Qing said again. Everyone nodded in agreement. It was just a game, and no one wanted to make any mistakes.
Lia opened the address book. There weren't many people in it. The first one was— "To be confirmed?" the girl next to her read out loud. "Who is this?" "..." Lia was a little stunned. She herself had forgotten who it was.
The other party sent a message after the incident, and she deliberately changed the note at the time, thinking of finding a time to confirm. But life became so busy afterwards that she forgot about it. The message page still has the conversation record: "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, thanks for your concern." This was a real risk. — "Save me!" She pressed send, feeling uneasy. Everyone retreated, preparing for the next round. "Ding—" The message came back.
"Why so fast?" someone came over. "Three minutes!" Xia Qing reminded with a smile while shuffling the cards. Lia nodded and was about to put her phone down. The next second, the phone rang. She subconsciously glanced at Xia Qing.
The rule is that you can't reply to messages, but it doesn't say you can't answer the phone, right? Xia Qing nodded: "Answer it? Why are you in such a hurry?" - You can't even wait three minutes. "Hello?" "What happened?" A hint of anxiety came from the receiver.
"...Xiao Yu?" The girls, who had been so noisy just a moment ago, suddenly fell silent, more than a dozen pairs of eyes fixed on them. The person on the other end seemed stunned by the question, and after a long pause, they muffled a "hmm."
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