Chapter 26
Cheng Xun also suffered from insomnia that night. Chu Qianmo's last words kept echoing in his ears: she said that only unhappy people can hug each other for warmth. He thought to himself, "Bullshit, I don't believe it." But perhaps the night stirred up his emotions, and Cheng Xun uncontrollably let his mind wander all night.
Cheng Xun took the bus to find Song Qiuxuan.
Autumn mornings are strange; the sky is gray and always looks like an overcast day. Cheng Xun sat by the window, his eyes fixed on the sky.
His short hair had grown a bit longer, past his eyebrows, and it was making his eyelids a little itchy. His homeroom teacher even reminded him to get it trimmed on Friday.
Liu Zhanyan casually asked him why his parents hadn't come to the parent-teacher conference. He repeated the same explanation he had given Song Qiuxuan. Liu Zhanyan looked unconvinced, thinking he hadn't told his parents and was just making up an excuse.
The bus swayed, and for some reason, Cheng Xun felt nauseous.
When the bus arrived at Song Qiuxuan's residential area stop, Cheng Xun was the only one who got off. Breathing in the fresh, cool air, he felt much better.
Cheng Xun saw Song Qiuxuan holding her schoolbag, leaning back against the billboard behind her. Her eyes were downcast and half-closed, as if she were asleep.
She wore a light yellow coat, tilted her head, and her small face was almost buried in the thick coat hood. Her body lines were soft, like blurred light and shadow.
Cheng Xun took a few steps closer and then saw her raise her head.
"Have you had breakfast?" Song Qiuxuan rubbed her eyes in a daze and asked Cheng Xun, who was standing in front of her. She looked up at him while sitting, and he seemed taller. He was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and looked aloof and cold with no expression.
"Have you eaten?" Cheng Xun sat down on the bench next to her, put his hands in his pockets, and turned his head to look at her.
Song Qiuxuan nodded: "I ate."
"You really didn't sleep well, you've got dark circles under your eyes." Cheng Xun leaned a few centimeters closer to her, a teasing smile in his eyes.
Song Qiuxuan, who was very conscious of her image in front of him, hurriedly and without any restraint raised her hand and gently pushed Cheng Xun's shoulder when she heard him say that.
Cheng Xun leaned back using the force, raised her hand and grabbed Song Qiuxuan's slender wrist. Cheng Xun's first reaction was how thin she was, and then she subconsciously tightened her grip.
In the dim sunlight, Cheng Xun's smile faded, his gaze turned deep, and he fixed his gaze on that hand.
Perhaps he hadn't slept enough and wasn't fully awake, when he had an absurd thought: he wanted to hold that hand forever.
Even though Cheng Xun had only held her wrist, Song Qiuxuan felt completely enveloped by his presence. She tried to break free, but failed, and her earlobes, exposed to the autumn wind, felt hot.
After sensing her intention to leave, Cheng Xun released his grip and let go as if nothing had happened. He turned his head away, lowered his hand, and rubbed the lingering touch on his fingertips, his expression inexplicably becoming forlorn.
The person who was joking just a second ago seemed to become very sad the next second. Song Qiuxuan was a little confused. She picked up her schoolbag, stood up, and tried to lighten the mood by saying to Cheng Xun in a cheerful tone, "Let's go, I'll take you to a nearby breakfast shop."
Cheng Xun looked up: "Didn't you eat?"
Song Qiuxuan said with a confident expression, "I guessed you hadn't eaten, so I'm going with you."
Cheng Xun silently looked up at her; the wind seemed to have stopped.
Most of the people around her were dressed in black, white, and gray, which made Song Qiuxuan's yellow stand out brightly and full of vitality. Behind her was a bustling traffic, but all the background blurred in Cheng Xun's eyes. He felt that he had become very strange, and he actually experienced unprecedented joy and peace of mind on an ordinary morning.
*
The breakfast shop was quite crowded. Cheng Xun managed to find a table with a few empty seats. He ordered a bowl of wontons, and Song Qiuxuan sat opposite him. She sat there quietly, holding her schoolbag, her eyelids drooping as if she was about to close them, then suddenly opened them again.
Perhaps because he was used to staying up late, sleeping only a few hours wasn't so hard for Cheng Xun. He scooped up a wonton, took a bite, and looked up. Through the steaming white mist, he saw Song Qiuxuan's sleepy appearance and couldn't help but find it amusing.
"Why don't you go home and catch up on some sleep?" Cheng Xun recalled that two or three weeks ago, he was drowsy during morning self-study. When Song Qiuxuan turned around and saw him, she reasonably pointed out that his study efficiency was very low and kindly reminded him to rest as soon as possible after returning home from evening self-study.
"Huh?" Song Qiuxuan blinked slowly, her long eyelashes fluttering.
The wontons were too hot, so Cheng Xun put down her spoon. "Didn't you tell me that I'm less efficient at studying when I'm sleepy? You didn't sleep well last night, so why are you rushing to the library today?"
Song Qiuxuan lowered her eyes. She also wanted to know why. She could see Cheng Xun every day now. They spent a lot of time together. Even when they weren't together, they would still send each other messages. Their relationship was like that of close friends.
But Song Qiuxuan still felt it wasn't enough. She wanted to tell Cheng Xun that she actually liked him, that she cared about him, and that she explained problems to him with more patience than she had ever shown to anyone else. All of this was because she liked him. This idea completely contradicted Xu Yanzhen's warning. She had walked into a dead end and couldn't get out.
The wisps of steam rising from the bowl lessened, and Song Qiuxuan pursed her lips, lost in thought for what seemed like an eternity, before suddenly snapping back to reality when she heard a crisp sound of a spoon hitting the rim of a bowl on the table to her left.
"There's no lesson to be learned, it was just a well-intentioned reminder," Song Qiuxuan said, giving him a reproachful look.
Song Qiuxuan explained calmly, "I'm not as tired as you think, and I might even get more and more energetic as I work on the problems."
It sounded like a sophistry, but Cheng Xun didn't call him out on it. He nodded seriously and said, "I believe you."
After Cheng Xun finished eating the wontons, the two walked out of the shop together.
After walking about ten meters, Cheng Xun suddenly said, "Shall we change our study location today?"
Song Qiuxuan: "Hmm? Where to?"
"Coffee shop, aren't you sleepy? Drink coffee to wake up."
Song Qiuxuan's gaze, which had been fixed on the toes of the shoes, shifted to Cheng Xun's face. Why did he always seem to be considering her best interests? Every time they went out, Cheng Xun appeared so casual and indecisive, leaving the next step entirely to her.
Song Qiuxuan: "I've never had coffee before. I've heard it's very bitter. Does it really have an energizing effect?"
“You’ll see once you try it. The study environment in the coffee shop is also very good.” After a pause, Cheng Xun suddenly realized a possibility he had overlooked: perhaps Song Qiuxuan wanted to go to the library. So he changed his mind and said, “You’re used to the library, so you can also take your food there.”
Song Qiuxuan quickly said, "Let's go to the coffee shop."
In the coffee shop, the two ordered two coffees and sat side by side, their study materials spread out on the table. Cheng Xun had recently been focusing on more difficult science problems, and Song Qiuxuan would sometimes discuss problem-solving strategies with him in a low voice.
After the waiter brought the coffee, Song Qiuxuan took a sip, wrinkled her nose, and looked like she was suffering from the bitterness.
Then Cheng Xun saw it, turned his head away and chuckled softly. Song Qiuxuan thought he was mocking her and nudged him with her elbow in annoyance. But Cheng Xun didn't mean it that way. He thought Song Qiuxuan's little expressions didn't seem funny; on the contrary, they were kind of cute and charming.
Song Qiuxuan put down her cup and said softly, "I usually order milk tea with 70% sugar. I'm just not used to coffee that's a bit bitter."
Cheng Xun didn't hear what she said clearly, but he saw her lips move and she mumble something.
Cheng Xun braced himself on the leather sofa, leaned closer, and brought his ear close to hers, frowning in confusion: "What?"
"Never mind if you didn't hear me." Song Qiuxuan pushed him away again, but her heart still raced when Cheng Xun suddenly got close.
When it was lunchtime, they went to a ramen shop near the coffee shop for lunch.
Song Qiuxuan glanced at the menu on the wall and said, "Boss, I'd like a bowl of beef noodles without chili."
"Okay." The shopkeeper glanced at the boy standing behind the girl and asked, "Young man, what would you like to eat?"
Cheng Xun gestured with his chin toward Song Qiuxuan: "Same as her, I want it medium spicy."
After ordering, Song Qiuxuan and Cheng Xun sat down at a table in the middle of the restaurant. It was lunchtime, and the staff were very busy. They cleared away the bowls and chopsticks but forgot to wipe the table, leaving a few drops of oil stains.
After Song Qiuxuan sat down, she glanced at the table and was about to reach for a tissue to wipe it when a hand swept across her face and deftly wiped the area in front of her table clean.
Cheng Xun simply wiped the table clean for her without any hesitation.
Cheng Xun threw the oil-stained paper into the trash can, sat down, and met Song Qiuxuan's somewhat bewildered and surprised gaze. He said casually, "My side was dirty too, so I just wiped it off."
Sometimes Cheng Xun is good at ruining the atmosphere. Song Qiuxuan looked at him with a half-smile. She hadn't said anything yet, but after his explanation, the feeling that he was thoughtful just now vanished instantly.
By noon, the sun broke through the clouds and the temperature rose. Cheng Xun took off her sweatshirt and wore only a white long-sleeved shirt.
Song Qiuxuan's gaze wandered, looking left and right, before finally settling back on Cheng Xun. She watched as he stretched out his arm and pulled off his hoodie, revealing a glimpse of his lean waist.
Song Qiuxuan lowered her head in embarrassment, but fortunately the clerk brought over the ramen at that moment.
The clerk put down two bowls of ramen and was about to turn around in a hurry when Cheng Xun called him back.
"Only one bowl is medium spicy." Cheng Xun looked at the two bowls of ramen that were both floating with bright red chili oil. "Did you serve the wrong ones?"
"Oh? I'm sorry, the store is too busy." The young man turned around and quickly apologized.
Cheng Xun said, "It's alright, we can just get a different bowl."
The waiter was very polite and humble. Perhaps a more easy-going person would have said it was okay and to just eat it as is. Cheng Xun's tone sounded quite calm, but he insisted on getting a different bowl.
This reminded Song Qiuxuan of something that happened a long time ago. She and Xu Yanzhen were eating at a shop one night, and the owner had served her vegetable noodles as tomato noodles. Song Qiuxuan wanted to tell the owner, but Xu Yanzhen stopped her, saying that she should be considerate of the owner, who was busy all day long and had a tough job.
If Cheng Xun weren't here, perhaps Song Qiuxuan would understand now that the staff was too busy to handle the situation, and she would have made do with what she had.
The company of parents is the most important and precious thing, but in many moments, Song Qiuxuan realizes that Cheng Xun's company is different from theirs.
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