Chapter 12 Chapter 12 The Second Wish
A closed space can quickly increase favorability, and sick people are often more vulnerable, making it a perfect opportunity to take advantage of someone's vulnerability.
Li Shanyue brought hot water and fed Jinglin the medicine, and said a few words of comfort. The atmosphere was good and the favorability level was steadily increasing.
Although Li Shanyue's care was not meticulous, at least she really cared about him.
Jinglin was sick and alone, and Li Shanyue felt the same way. When he was sick before, his father ignored him and only scolded him for wasting money on medicine and medical treatment. He secretly used his cell phone to call his mother, but the service was turned off, so he buried himself in the quilt and cried.
"Is there anything I can help you with?" Li Shanyue asked enthusiastically.
"There's lunch in the refrigerator that Auntie made for me, but I want to eat something fresh. Is that convenient?"
"No problem!" Li Shanyue thought of herself wanting to eat the food her mother cooked when she was sick, and agreed very readily.
The kitchen lit up in a warm yellow light. Li Shanyue opened the refrigerator door, which was packed full and neatly arranged, with many ingredients he had never seen before. He found tomatoes and eggs layer by layer and prepared to make tomato scrambled egg noodles.
Watching Li Shanyue busying around, System 05 thought, he is such a... uh, cute and enthusiastic puppy.
But this is also good.
"This refrigerator is twice as big as the one I have at home." Li Shanyue shrugged and said, "It's like a double-door refrigerator."
System 05 almost laughed out loud.
Li Shanyue said while cutting tomatoes: "Actually, I cook delicious food. Since my mother passed away, I often cook for myself."
System 05: [What do you like to eat?]
Scrambled eggs with tomatoes are simple, easy to make, and nutritious. I like to add some green onions. Sometimes when my dad isn't home for a long time, I make hot pot for him. Ha, he has no idea.
Li Shanyue and Jinglin had little to say, but it rambled on and on about it, seemingly endlessly. System 05 listened as he recounted stories of haggling with vegetable vendors, buying spoiled veggies while trying to make a killing, getting ripped off by an agent after taking a part-time job to earn money, and nearly suffering from heatstroke inside a doll. Li Shanyue's family wasn't particularly poor, but his father was incredibly stingy with him. His financial difficulties left him feeling ashamed in front of his classmates, and Li Shanyue only dared to discuss these matters with System 05.
Anyway, System 05 knew everything about his past, so there was nothing to be ashamed of. Besides, those bad experiences were quite interesting to talk about now.
System 05: [So dangerous, what happened next?]
Li Shanyue shook her head smugly. "I was so smart! I ran away as soon as I saw something was wrong. I heard the guy was caught later... It's a little sour, and there's not enough salt, but it's better to eat it lightly. It tastes pretty good, I wish you could try it."
Li Shanyue really wanted System 05 to taste his best dish, so he could only describe it as follows: [This sour taste is like watching someone always be number one, and no matter how hard you try, you can never catch up. After being number two for many years, looking back, second place doesn't seem so bad after all.]
System 05: [Sounds good.]
Li Shanyue chuckled, feeling pretty good about herself: [The noodles are ready, I'll go find a bowl.]
System 05 watched him busy. Compared with Jinglin and the others, Li Shanyue's character card was very thin. The only special event was his parents' divorce. Those minor pains and grievances, struggles and efforts were not in the data card.
When Li Shanyue walked into the bedroom, she found that Jinglin had actually pulled out the needle himself.
"Don't we need to call for help?" Li Shanyue was horrified.
"No, it's already done." Jing Lin showed the back of his hand
There was indeed no problem, so Li Shanyue helped him go out to eat. The tomato and egg noodles looked very tempting under the light. Jing Lin sat down and said, "What you cooked looks delicious."
"Try eating it first... Can your hands handle it? Do you want me to help you?"
Li Shanyue was already making a gesture to feed him. Jinglin hesitated for a moment and was about to answer when the doorbell suddenly rang.
"I'm coming in." Gong Yuan's voice came.
Jinglin: ...
Li Shanyue: ...?
System 05: …!!!
Gong Yuan knew the password to Jinglin's house and had been there several times before, so he could go straight in. He changed his shoes and smelled the faint fragrance in the air. He said calmly to the two people with different expressions, "Jinglin, how are you feeling? ... Li Shanyue, you're here too. Did you cook the meal? It smells so good."
"I'm much better now, thank you." Jinglin said.
Li Shanyue stood aside and watched them chat. After they finished, she said, "It's so late. I'll go home first."
Gong Yuan asked, "Do you want me to send someone to take you there?"
"No need, you should take care of him." Li Shanyue put on his schoolbag, waved his hand and left.
The door closed gently, Gong Yuan sat down and leaned back, with no intention of taking care of Jinglin at all.
Jinglin picked up the chopsticks and took a bite. The noodles were chewy and wrapped in the aroma of scrambled eggs with tomatoes. The slightly sour taste stimulated the taste buds, as if there was a gentle force soothing the stomach. It was indeed very delicious.
While he was eating, Gong Yuan was waiting beside him. Jing Lin finished eating seriously, put down his chopsticks, and turned to look at Gong Yuan: "You just came to watch me eat?"
"You can treat me to a meal together, I don't mind."
Jing Lin looked at him steadily for a while: "You seem a little different from before." In his eyes, Gong Yuan used to be as fragile and cold as a porcelain doll, but now he is much more lively.
Gong Yuan said nonchalantly, "People always change. Sometimes, even just a difference in their perspective can make them look like two completely different people..."
He sat up straight, propped his chin with his hands, looked at Jinglin, and said softly, "Look, Li Shanyue has also undergone a huge change."
Gong Yuan stared at him: "Tell me about Li Shanyue. When did he start to change, and what specific changes did he undergo?"
Jing Lin was momentarily lost in thought. When had he first noticed Li Shanyue? He'd been in the same class as Li Shanyue in their freshman year of high school, but for two years, he hadn't made much of an impression on her. It seemed like last semester, when Li Shanyue suddenly and vividly appeared in his mind. Li Shanyue's grades were improving. He could be seen running in the playground every day before evening study. He was in charge of the potted plants in the classroom. The teachers seemed to like him, too. And then there was that summer vacation incident. In short, he was a nice guy... But he didn't really care about Li Shanyue until Gong Yuan transferred in.
Li Shanyue's changes probably started half a year ago.
"It's mainly study and sports. His grades have improved rapidly and his personality has become more cheerful." Jing Lin said something vaguely. Gong Yuan listened very carefully, as if he was thinking about something.
Jing Lin waited for a while, then suddenly asked, "Do you like Li Shanyue?"
Gong Yuan came back to his senses from his thoughts and looked at him with a half-smile: "Why do you say that?"
"Li Shanyue saved you, so you came to the school specifically to find him."
Gong Yuan remained noncommittal: "That doesn't mean I like him."
Jing Lin said calmly: "You are not here to see me today, but to see him."
Gong Yuan's behavior was too obvious, at least in his eyes. At school, Gong Yuan's social circle was limited to the two of them, and more often, it was only Li Shanyue.
In Jinglin's memory, Gong Yuan had never been so proactive towards anyone.
Gong Yuan propped up his chin and squinted his eyes: "I did come to visit you. You already had a cold, but you insisted on taking the exam. You delayed it for three days, and it got even worse."
Jinglin: "I can't just skip the exam because I'm sick."
"You will definitely be first anyway."
Jinglin lowered his eyes and remained silent for a long time. The ticking of the clock echoed in the room.
"Not necessarily... This time I'm only 5 points higher than the second place. If I make even the slightest mistake, I'll fail." Jing Lin crossed his arms and exhaled softly. His heart was beating heavily, like the slow and steady ticking of a clock. "Gong Yuan, you don't understand. I can't fall behind."
Jinglin looked at Gong Yuan.
Are they the same kind?
No, at least Gong Yuan never worries about failure.
At the age of four, he began piano lessons. His parents bought him the best piano and hired the best teacher. The first time he sat down at the piano, he knew he had to be the best. At the Children's Piano Competition, he was among the first to perform, and after they finished, he listened to every contestant's performance backstage.
The rhythm, the emotion, the degree of completion... those music were not pleasant to him at all, but instead were like a hammer hitting his chest.
He didn't have an absolute advantage in winning the gold medal, and Jinglin didn't breathe a sigh of relief until the results were announced. His body had been stiff for so long that he couldn't even smile when he received the award.
He has the best piano teacher and the best conditions, but if he can't win, he's nothing.
He ranks top in every exam. Is it because he is exceptionally good? No, it is because his parents hired the best tutors for him and provided him with the best educational resources.
If he can't win, then he's nothing.
There are many talented people in No. 10 Middle School. Most of the students work very hard, especially the top students. It is not easy to maintain the first place. The joint examination of five schools makes Jinglin realize that if he relaxes a little, he will be squeezed out.
"You're so arrogant, thinking you can always win." Gong Yuan said, "I used to know a guy who had never lost before, so when he failed for the first time, he paid an unbearable price."
He stood up: "It's better to lose once early, then you will get used to it."
Jinglin looked at him in confusion, and after thinking for a while, he couldn't figure out who Gong Yuan was talking about.
"Unlike you, I've failed many times. So what if I fall? People are always on the ground." Gong Yuan, or rather Chen Mu, patted his shoulder. "I'm leaving now. Get well soon."
After he left, Jinglin remembered that Gong Yuan did not answer the original question.
He didn't know whether he wanted Gong Yuan to admit it or deny it.
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