Chapter 18
The conflict at the school gate, like a stone thrown into a stagnant pond, created considerable ripples in the tranquil Class 3 of Grade 1. Although Lu Baiyan handled the situation swiftly and decisively, there were more than just one or two witnesses. Rumors, like vines in the dark night, silently grew and spread.
"Have you heard? Xu Nianlei's dad is an alcoholic. He's blocking her at the school gate demanding money!"
"Lu Baiyan was so cool back then, he just stood in front of her!"
"Is there really something going on between them? Otherwise, why would the class monitor be so protective of her?"
"Who knows... But given Xu Nianlei's family situation, tsk tsk..."
These whispers, like cold needles, pierced Xu Nianlei relentlessly. She became even more silent, almost shrinking herself into a transparent shadow. During breaks, she no longer left her seat, always keeping her head down, as if another safe world was hidden within her books. Whenever she sensed someone watching her, her shoulders would instinctively tense up, like a startled bird.
Lu Baiyan witnessed all of this, his heart heavy and sore, as if weighed down by a soaked cotton ball. He knew the destructive power of rumors, especially to someone as sensitive and vulnerable as Xu Nianlei. He couldn't intervene; that would only make things worse. He could only try, clumsily yet resolutely, to create a small patch of rainless sky for her in his own way.
In math class, the teacher assigned a rather challenging function problem. The classroom was filled with the scratching of pens on paper, occasionally punctuated by sighs of frustration. Xu Nianlei stared at the problem, her brow furrowed, her fingers unconsciously curling. The key to solving this problem required a clever substitution technique, which was a hurdle for her, given her less-than-stellar foundation.
Lu Baiyan barely hesitated, smoothly writing down several solutions on the draft paper. He noticed the pause beside him; out of the corner of his eye, he saw her biting her lower lip, her eyes filled with frustration. He stopped writing, hesitating for a moment. Explain directly? Too deliberate. Ignore it? He couldn't do that.
He picked up the eraser and, pretending to be careless, knocked it to the ground. The eraser rolled to Xu Nianlei's feet.
Xu Nianlei paused for a moment, then subconsciously bent down to pick it up. Just as she looked down, Lu Boyan quickly and naturally pushed nearly half of his draft paper, filled with his problem-solving ideas, toward her, using a pencil case to perfectly block most of his view, revealing only the key lines of substitution steps and the direction of the final answer.
Xu Nianlei picked up the eraser, straightened up, and her gaze inevitably swept over the draft paper. Her eyes widened suddenly, like a lost person in the dark suddenly seeing a distant light. She immediately understood the subtle transitions, a look of sudden enlightenment flashing across her face, before she quickly lowered her head, her cheeks slightly flushed, as if she had done something wrong and been discovered.
She quickly began calculating on her draft paper, her pen moving smoothly once again.
Lu Baiyan calmly put away the draft paper, as if nothing had happened. Only he knew that in that moment of her sudden realization, his tense nerves relaxed slightly.
This is just one of countless tiny moments. When she was on duty, he would silently wipe away the top of the blackboard that she couldn't reach; when distributing homework, he would gently place her notebook on the corner of the table instead of passing it around like others; during group discussions, when she hesitated or blushed, he would use a few precise questions to guide her towards the right line of thought instead of giving her the answer directly.
His help was quiet and discreet, carefully protecting her fragile self-esteem to the greatest extent possible.
However, while the storms at school can be avoided, the chills at home are hard to prevent.
On Friday evening, Xu Nianlei arrived home almost forty minutes later than usual because her physics teacher had gone overtime to explain a difficult problem. Pushing open the heavy door, a sense of oppressive atmosphere almost suffocated her.
Wang Xiuqin wasn't busy in the kitchen as usual; instead, she sat upright on the old sofa in the living room, her face as gloomy as the sky before a storm. The television was off, and the house was eerily quiet.
"You still know how to come back?" Wang Xiuqin's voice was not loud, but it was as sharp and cold as an icicle.
Xu Nianlei's heart tightened, and she explained in a low voice, "Mom, the teacher went overtime to explain a very important question..."
"Overtime?" Wang Xiuqin suddenly stood up, rushed to Xu Nianlei, and almost poked her nose with her finger. "I've asked around, other classes have already finished school! Only your class teacher is keeping us late? You're kidding me! Tell me! Are you hanging out with that Lu Baiyan again? Huh?"
"No! Really, no!" Xu Nianlei shook her head frantically, tears welling up in her eyes. "It's really because the teacher went overtime. You can go ask..."
"Why should I ask!" Wang Xiuqin abruptly interrupted her, her voice suddenly rising and becoming sharp and shrill. "Let me tell you, Xu Nianlei! Don't think I don't know your little schemes! Just like your father, you're despicable to the core! How old are you and you're already thinking about seducing men? Is it because his family is rich and powerful that you want to climb the social ladder? Bah! You should take a piss and look at yourself in the mirror!"
The foul language came like poisoned arrows, raining down on her. Xu Nianlei trembled all over, her face deathly pale. Those offensive words felt like red-hot irons, searing her every inch of her body. She wanted to defend herself, to scream, but her throat felt like it was being choked by an invisible hand, and she couldn't utter a sound.
"I raised you with great difficulty and sent you to school hoping you would make me proud! Not so you would learn those shameless things!" Wang Xiuqin became more and more agitated as she spoke. She snatched Xu Nianlei's schoolbag, roughly unzipped it, and shook all the books and stationery inside onto the ground. Then she stomped and kicked them frantically.
"I'll teach you to study hard! I'll teach you to be just like your deadbeat father! Disgusting! Why don't you just die out there!"
The books were torn, pages scattered across the floor, covered in dirty shoe prints. Xu Nianlei watched as her treasured study materials were trampled upon, and saw her mother's face contorted with rage. A wave of immense despair and humiliation washed over her like an icy tide. She felt as if her soul had left her body, hovering in mid-air, coldly observing this absurd and cruel scene.
Finally, as if she had exhausted all her strength, or as if she was disgusted to the extreme, Wang Xiuqin suddenly pushed her out the door.
"Get out! Don't even think about coming home tonight! Go die outside!"
"Bang!"
The heavy iron door slammed shut in front of her, the loud noise making her eardrums ring. The motion-activated lights in the hallway turned on because of the noise, casting a dim yellow light on her lonely figure and the mess at her feet.
The world fell eerily silent in an instant. Only the faint, suppressed sobs and intermittent curses of a mother could be heard coming from inside the door.
Xu Nianlei slowly, very slowly, squatted down, curling up in the cold, dusty corner of the stairwell. She didn't cry, but simply buried her face deep in her knees, her shoulders trembling slightly. The early autumn night wind blew in through the stairwell window, carrying a biting chill, but it was nothing compared to the coldness in her heart.
She remembered the tissue Lu Boyan handed her, his back as he stood in front of her, the clear handwriting on his draft paper, and the earnest look in his eyes when he said, "You shouldn't be treated like that"... Those fleeting, illusory moments of warmth seemed so ridiculous and unattainable against the backdrop of the cold reality at this moment.
She and Lu Baiyan were never from the same world. He lived in a sunny, orderly greenhouse, while she was destined to struggle in the gutter and among the thorns. Any closeness, any trace of lust, would only bring her deeper disaster.
She didn't know how long she sat on the cold ground, until her legs went numb, until the lights in the stairwell went out again, plunging her into complete darkness. Only then did she slowly, supporting herself against the wall, stand up and, like a wandering soul, incline step by step, downstairs. She couldn't go home; she could only find a 24-hour fast food restaurant, or perhaps spend the long night on a park bench.
Just as she stepped out of the building and into the cool moonlight, she was unaware that not far away at the street corner, a slender figure was hidden in the shadow of a sycamore tree, silently watching her departing, frail figure that seemed as if it might vanish at any moment.
Lu Baiyan clenched his fist, his nails digging deep into his palm.
He had "foreseen" it all. He knew Wang Xiuqin would have a fit because she came home late, and he knew Xu Nianlei would be kicked out of the house. He left home early, using the excuse of buying reference books, and stayed there. He considered going directly to her and giving her a place to stay, even if it was just finding her a hotel.
But he couldn't.
He knew Xu Nianlei's sensitivity and despair at that moment; any form of charity or pity could be the final straw that broke her back. He could only watch helplessly as she endured it all alone, walking into the cold night.
That profound sense of powerlessness almost tore him apart. The cycle had given him foresight, but not the freedom to change everything at will. Every tiny intervention could trigger an unpredictable chain reaction. He had to walk a tightrope, carefully balancing, trying to carve out a sliver of breathing space for her within the cracks of fate.
He watched the figure disappear around the street corner, his chest tightening so badly he could hardly breathe. There were no stars in the night sky, only a crescent moon casting a cold, pale glow.
"Leilei, hang in there a little longer." He said silently in his heart, "I won't let you walk alone in the dark for too long."
He turned and disappeared into the deeper night, beginning to contemplate his next, more meticulous, and less noticeable "intervention" plan. He needed greater power, not just to stand in her way, but to weaken the harm inflicted upon her at its root.
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