Scalding tears
Jiang Jingshu just watched Xie Zhijin quietly, seemingly without hesitation, and then she quickly ran towards the boy in front of her.
Xie Zhijin also took a step toward Jiang Jingshu.
The two of them, each holding a bouquet of flowers, ran towards each other.
At this moment, Jiang Jingshu suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of relaxation, as if the emotions imposed on her had been washed away.
She became even more determined to fulfill that promise.
As Xie Zhijin handed the words in his hand to Jiang Jingshu, Jiang Jingshu also happened to reach out her hand.
As if they were telepathically connected, they spoke at the same time, "Happy graduation."
"What beautiful jasmine flowers." Jiang Jingshu took the bouquet of jasmine flowers Xie Zhijin gave her. This bouquet was much more beautiful than any other bouquet he had given her before. Holding the flowers, Jiang Jingshu said to Xie Zhijin, "I like them very much. Happy graduation, Xie Zhijin."
"Jiang Jingshu," Xie Zhijin said blankly.
Jiang Jingshu looked up at him, while Xie Zhijin simply held the sunflower in his hands.
"Xie Zhijin, see you at the amusement park tomorrow at eight o'clock." Jiang Jingshu didn't say much, but simply made an appointment with him for their next meeting.
They agreed on a time to reveal the secret.
In Xie Zhijin's eyes, the person he regarded as a sunflower gave him a bouquet of sunflowers.
—
The morning after the college entrance examination ended, Jiang Jingshu got up early, put on new clothes, and even sprayed on the perfume that Xie Zhijin had given her.
Before leaving, she told the system, "I'm going to tell him this secret."
The system didn't say much, only congratulating her for finally living in the present and following her heart.
Jiang Jingshu practically ran out the door, stumbling and staggering towards the place they had agreed to meet.
At 7:40, Jiang Jingshu arrived at the entrance of the amusement park. The amusement park was not open yet, but she immediately spotted Xie Zhijin at the entrance.
Xie Zhijin was dressed casually in a white t-shirt, seemingly having dressed up intentionally. Jiang Jingshu walked towards Xie Zhijin.
Jiang Jingshu, who thought she had arrived early, never expected that Xie Zhijin had arrived even earlier than her. She couldn't help but ask, "Xie Zhijin, have you been waiting long?"
"I just arrived." Xie Zhijin said simply, looking at the girl in front of him, "Jiang Jingshu, this place opens at nine o'clock."
Jiang Jingshu froze on the spot. "Nine o'clock?" After receiving Xie Zhijin's affirmative expression, Jiang Jingshu sighed. "Why didn't you remind me?"
"Because I wanted to see you an hour earlier."
Jiang Jingshu looked up, and her eyes met Xie Zhijin's.
“This way I can spend an extra hour with you. Forgive my selfishness, Jiang Jingshu.” Seemingly afraid of Jiang Jingshu’s reproach, Xie Zhijin said, “The weather is so nice today, how about we take a walk outside?”
Next to the amusement park is a park with beautiful landscaping, and many people come here to exercise in the morning.
Jiang Jingshu and Xie Zhijin walked side by side without saying a word for a while.
Birds fly in the sky, and everyone in this space is free.
"Xie Zhijin." Jiang Jingshu suddenly stopped and looked at the boy beside her. The boy was a head taller than her, so Jiang Jingshu could only stand on her tiptoes.
Xie Zhijin gently supported Jiang Jingshu's shoulder. He didn't make her stand on tiptoe, but instead lowered his head slightly and asked her what was wrong.
Jiang Jingshu looked into Xie Zhijin's eyes. He had looked down at her like this more than once, and suddenly many images of him appeared in Jiang Jingshu's mind.
He who stood in front of Jiang Jingshu, he who stood up for Jiang Jingshu, he who bowed his head and apologized to Jiang Jingshu every time, he who taught her math problems, and many other versions of himself.
As fragments of memories about him came together in her mind, Jiang Jingshu continued to stare directly at Xie Zhijin in front of her.
These memories flooded Jiang Jingshu's mind, and a surge of immense impulse and courage welled up within her. Jiang Jingshu actually tiptoed, gently hooked her arms around his neck, and nestled herself in his embrace.
Love has the magic to make people impulsive.
Xie Zhijin froze instantly. He felt Jiang Jingshu's warmth on his body and the cool touch of her arm on his neck. He subconsciously asked, "Jiang Jingshu, are you cold?"
"Why do you ask that?" Hearing Xie Zhijin's voice, Jiang Jingshu realized that she was already in Xie Zhijin's arms. She was a little shy, but she did not let go of the hands that were hooked around Xie Zhijin's neck. She just buried her head slightly in the boy's chest. She was greedy and did not want to let go of those hands.
"Your arm is so cold." Xie Zhijin's hands were behind his back, and he clenched his fists nervously until Jiang Jingshu's voice came. She said, "Xie Zhijin, can you hug me?"
Xie Zhijin shook his head, his clenched hands still behind his back. He said, "Jiang Jingshu, did you fail your college entrance exam?"
"I didn't fail the exam."
"Then what is this?" Xie Zhijin's voice trembled slightly as he felt the warmth of the girl in his arms and the fragrance of jasmine surrounding her—the perfume Xie Zhijin had bought for her.
It's too close. This distance is far too close for Xie Zhijin.
"I'm confirming something." Jiang Jingshu subconsciously moved closer to Xie Zhijin, and the breeze carried her words to Xie Zhijin's ears.
Xie Zhijin's voice was hoarse, and the question that had been lingering in his mind seemed to have an immediate answer. He asked Jiang Jingshu, "Confirm what?"
"I'm checking to see if my heart rate is well above the normal range right now." She released her grip on Xie Zhijin's neck and stepped back to a safe distance.
Feeling the warmth in his arms disappear, Xie Zhijin suddenly relaxed, but Jiang Jingshu's words put him back on high alert.
A gentle breeze was blowing, and both of their hearts seemed to be in turmoil.
"Xie Zhijin, I'm confirming my feelings for you." Jiang Jingshu finally looked directly at Xie Zhijin, her cheeks flushed, and her breathing seemed to become rapid. "Just now, my heart rate exceeded the normal range. Perhaps this is the feeling that I'm attracted to you. It's not because you like me that I like you, nor is it because of the so-called suspension bridge effect."
Jiang Jingshu's voice wasn't very loud, but Xie Zhijin felt that her voice was all he could hear in his head at that moment.
"Jiang Jingshu, what are you saying?" Xie Zhijin's expression was serious, but his cheeks were tinged with the same color as Jiang Jingshu's.
"I said, I like you." Jiang Jingshu finally said those words.
"You always ask me if I hate you. I want to say no, I don't hate you. What I hate is myself for not daring to say that I like you. Actually, my feelings for you are very, very strong."
When she got emotional, Jiang Jingshu seemed to choke up a bit. She said, "I never hated you. After I realized I liked you, I subconsciously ran away and stayed away. But you always appeared in time. You told me again and again that you liked me, but I pushed you away again and again."
At this moment, Jiang Jingshu dared not look up at Xie Zhijin. She just lowered her head and said, "I'm a coward. I don't dare to reciprocate your feelings. I'm not good enough and I don't deserve your love. Besides, besides," Jiang Jingshu's big tears fell, but they didn't fall to the ground. Instead, they landed in Xie Zhijin's palm.
She continued, "Besides, there won't even be a future between us, but I still like you. I like you, and I hurt you." She wiped away her tears. "I don't want to cry. Since I came into this world, I've always cried very easily. It's not a big deal. I didn't cry when I was beaten or neglected before, but now that I know someone likes me and cares about me, I just want to cry."
Xie Zhijin listened to Jiang Jingshu speak, his hands still wet with her hot tears. His voice was hoarse as he said, "Jiang Jingshu, may I hug you?"
Jiang Jingshu looked up at him, her eyes red, and threw herself into Xie Zhijin's arms. Feeling his strong chest supporting her, her tears flowed even more freely. "This is the first time I've ever felt such a hug. Xie Zhijin, you've made me understand what a hug feels like."
"Jiang Jingshu, let's go ride the Ferris wheel later. Tell me everything you want to say." Xie Zhijin gently patted Jiang Jingshu's back, his voice as soft as if he were coaxing a child. He said, "Jiang Jingshu, if you want to cry, then cry. If I could, I would be willing to catch your tears, and so would my hugs."
Jiang Jingshu sniffed. "I have so much to tell you, but I don't know how to tell you. I know it's all a fantasy to you, and you won't believe it, but I don't want to keep it from you, Xie Zhijin." Jiang Jingshu's mood seemed to have calmed down because of Xie Zhijin's embrace. She cried for a while, and Xie Zhijin gently handed her a tissue. Only then did Jiang Jingshu realize that Xie Zhijin's eyes also seemed a little red.
It would be a lie to say he wasn't sad. Seeing the girl in his arms crying so heartbrokenly, Xie Zhijin couldn't help but be affected by her emotions, especially when he caught her hot tears. He felt just as sad as she did.
No, it wasn't sadness, Xie Zhijin thought. What was this emotion? He couldn't explain it.
He just felt sorry for her. He realized that she was probably heartbroken. At this moment, he even began to resent himself for repeatedly confessing his feelings to Jiang Jingshu and making her feel that she owed him so much.
He knew that her sadness was partly due to him.
He blamed himself and felt remorseful. He felt he had no right to wipe away Jiang Jingshu's tears, because those tears were for him.
He could feel the burning passion in Jiang Jingshu's eyes, and the words she had said, "I like you," echoed in his mind.
He told Jiang Jingshu, "I like you too, I like you a lot, I like you a lot. I'll believe whatever you say. As long as it comes from your mouth, I, Xie Zhijin, will believe it, I'll believe everything." As if to express that he truly believed every word Jiang Jingshu said, Xie Zhijin repeated it many times. He believed.
He wanted to hear the story Jiang Jingshu told him, no matter how bizarre it was, he would believe it.
A gentle breeze blew by, and Jiang Jingshu's red, tear-stained eyes seemed to sting a little. Xie Zhijin took her to wash her face. Jiang Jingshu's makeup had been smudged by tears, so Xie Zhijin immediately booked a hotel room, bought her makeup remover, and had her clean it up.
Looking at her tear-streaked face, Jiang Jingshu couldn't help but sigh. She splashed water on her face, seemingly trying to clear her head.
In her eighteen years of life, this was the first time she had ever lost control like this.
It was the first time she had felt a firm embrace, the first time she had felt her emotions being caught, and the first time she had cried so freely.
For the first time, she was willing to unravel her feelings and explain them step by step to the person she cared about.
After removing her makeup, her eyes still seemed a little red. She gently rubbed her eyes and told herself that she must control her tears when she told Xie Zhijin about it later.
You can't cry anymore.
She made up her mind and opened the bathroom door, only to see Xie Zhijin's worried eyes.
Seemingly caught off guard by the sudden opening of the bathroom door, Xie Zhijin panicked for a moment. He quickly said, "Let's rest here for a bit. I'm going out for a bit, I'll be back soon. Shall we go to the amusement park together?"
Seemingly afraid that Jiang Jingshu would refuse, Xie Zhijin turned and left immediately after speaking.
Jiang Jingshu had no choice but to wait for him there.
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