Chapter 27
"Take a look at this problem too, I have no idea how to solve it," Song Qiuxuan said softly, tugging at Cheng Xun's sleeve.
Cheng Xun's hand holding the pen was suddenly pulled, and the pen drew a long black ink mark on the draft paper with a hissing sound as the pen tip pierced through the paper.
Song Qiuxuan saw Cheng Xun practicing calligraphy. He usually placed the calligraphy model under the draft paper and imitated the characters stroke by stroke. At this moment, the neat handwriting on the draft paper was ruined.
"I'm sorry." Song Qiuxuan's expression turned somewhat apologetic, and she immediately let go of his hand.
"It's alright, we don't keep these draft papers anyway. If they get torn, we'll just turn to another page." Cheng Xun said calmly, a hint of amusement still lingering in his eyes at her overreaction. He then turned to another page.
Song Qiuxuan took back the test paper she had handed over and looked at Cheng Xun with a strange expression.
After a moment of contemplation, Song Qiuxuan spoke her mind: "Cheng Xun, I've noticed that you have a particularly good temper."
Cheng Xun was taken aback. His handsome face changed several expressions in an instant: secret joy, disbelief, and finally, his eyelashes drooped, as if he were a little depressed.
Because Song Qiuxuan realized she was completely wrong, Cheng Xun still had a very clear understanding of himself. He was just showing her the good side of himself, hiding the indifference and darkness deep inside.
"Can I always think that way?" Cheng Xun leaned back on the sofa, his posture and expression becoming somewhat casual, a smile playing on his lips. The soft light from the coffee shop illuminated his handsome features.
"Of course," Song Qiuxuan said with a smile. She felt that Cheng Xun was starting to become narcissistic at this moment, and he was smug after being praised.
Cheng Xun nodded with satisfaction, then took her test paper and looked at the second-to-last question she pointed to.
They stood very close together discussing the topic.
Time flies, and Song Qiuxuan always feels deeply moved during joyful and happy moments.
At the next table was a young man who started typing furiously on his keyboard as soon as he entered the store, looking like he was suffering greatly.
During this time, Song Qiuxuan heard her answer a phone call. She lowered her voice and said to the other end that she was busy with a project at her internship company.
It turned out to be a college student. Song Qiuxuan glanced to the side discreetly, but was not noticed by the girl. However, Cheng Xun did catch her.
Cheng Xun also heard that sentence, but he asked knowingly, "What are you peeking at?"
Song Qiuxuan quickly looked away, shook her head, and buried her head to continue writing her questions.
At six o'clock, Song Qiuxuan and Cheng Xun agreed to go to the mall for barbecue.
However, just as she stepped out of the coffee shop, Song Qiuxuan's phone rang. She took it out and saw that it was Xu Yanzhen calling.
Before this, Song Qiuxuan had sent her a message saying that she was having dinner with her classmates that night. This phone call indicates that Xu Yanzhen hadn't noticed the message.
Song Qiuxuan accidentally pressed the speakerphone button, and her voice was very loud: "Xuanxuan, are you not back yet? Tonight, Mom made your favorite braised fish and eggplant with minced meat."
Cheng Xun stood under the dim sky, holding his phone and about to make a reservation for a barbecue restaurant, when he heard the static mixed with sound beside him, and his gaze, which was fixed on the phone screen, suddenly paused.
Song Qiuxuan looked conflicted. Cheng Xun noticed this and mouthed that they would eat barbecue another time. Song Qiuxuan then told Xu Yanzhen that she was about to take the bus back.
After hanging up the phone, Song Qiuxuan turned to look at Cheng Xun. He seemed to have quickly accepted that she couldn't go to the barbecue with him, and he looked relaxed and at ease. She wondered if he was putting on a show to make her feel more at ease.
“Cheng Xun, the person sitting next to us in the coffee shop just now was a college student.”
"Yes, I know."
Song Qiuxuan brushed aside the fallen leaves that had landed on her long sleeves, her tone inexplicably wistful: "I'm still a college student about to graduate, it feels so distant."
Will we still walk side by side on the streets at dusk like we do now?
Will we still study together, play badminton together, and eat a bowl of hot ramen together on weekends?
Song Qiuxuan had a lot to say, but in the end, she only made a lukewarm remark.
Cheng Xun, his hand holding the phone in his pocket, stared at the empty sidewalk ahead. He was thinking about what she had said and organizing his words to reply, but his thoughts suddenly drifted back to the phone call he had made not long ago.
You could feel her mother's concern just from her words. She said she had made her favorite dishes and reminded her to be careful as it was getting dark before hanging up.
Although Cheng Xun had never received a similar call, he wasn't too envious. He simply deeply felt their difference. Without a doubt, Song Qiuxuan was a happy person. This kind of ordinary, enduring happiness was something many people could only dream of but never obtain.
He then remembered what the girl named Chu Qianmo had said.
He immediately regretted listening to her strange words, which made him uneasy whenever he thought about it.
Seven years from now? That sounds like a long time.
A vague anxiety welled up inside her, a certain thought so strong that it made her heart race. This was the first time Cheng Xun had ever felt this way. She couldn't see or grasp it clearly, as if a piece of her heart had been ripped out, and there was nothing to fill it, leaving her feeling extremely empty.
"Cheng Xun? Aren't you listening?" Song Qiuxuan raised her hand and waved it in front of his eyes.
Cheng Xun's eyes slowly cleared, and he shook his head in a daze before looking at Song Qiuxuan.
“It does seem very far away in my imagination,” Cheng Xun replied. The autumn wind blew against his face, making him squint. He said in a light tone, his words ambiguous, “If we get into the same university in the future, maybe we can explore the same scenery together.”
Cheng Xun used very careful wording, only making a hypothesis.
Although Cheng Xun really wanted to maintain the current relationship with Song Qiuxuan in the future, or even take it a step further, the idea of agreeing to study in the same city or the same university was too far-fetched. Who could predict the future?
“Maybe we’ll get into the same university. There’s still a long time, anything is possible.” Song Qiuxuan was unaware of his thoughts. She lowered her head, intertwined her fingers, and cautiously probed.
Under the streetlights, the shadows of tree branches cast on the ground twisted and turned as the two figures walked past.
A soft laugh rang out from Cheng Xun in the wind. It was indeed a pleasant dream. He repeated in a low voice, "Anything is possible."
“Jiangwu University,” Song Qiuxuan said. “My mother most hopes that I will get into Jiangwu University.”
This is a reasonable expectation, after all, Jiangwu University is a well-known top university.
During the summer vacation, Cheng Xun heard almost every day that Cheng Ting's admission to this university had made his parents the talk of the town among neighbors, relatives, and colleagues, earning them a lot of face.
So when he heard Cheng Xun from this university again, he subconsciously raised an eyebrow.
"To be honest, she only developed this strong desire after learning that the top scorer in the college entrance examination went to Jiangwu University. It was like an obsession that she really wanted me to get in too," Song Qiuxuan said. "The top scorer in the science stream is your brother."
Cheng Xun paused, "Is there such a connection?"
"Yes, actually I really hope I can pass the exam."
Cheng Xun smiled and said, "I wish you success in your exam." He still didn't mention anything about taking the exam for Jiangwu University together.
An indescribable bitterness spread through Song Qiuxuan's heart, but she covered it up with a smile.
*
The next day, they went to a barbecue restaurant together as they had hoped and ordered a set meal for two. Cheng Xun became very attentive and considerate again, basically holding the metal tongs to grill the meat.
The politeness and courtesy Song Qiuxuan had shown when they first met vanished in an instant. She began to take Cheng Xun's kindness for granted and gradually accepted and enjoyed it.
Song Qiuxuan felt indulgence from him. Before this, she rarely encountered such tolerant and unreserved kindness around her. Her parents' love for her was undoubtedly deep, but love must contain expectations and constraints.
It was Monday again, and it was raining. When Song Qiuxuan got on the bus, she saw Cheng Xun. He was sitting in the back row, his hands casually resting on the seat in front of him. When their eyes met, he raised his chin at her, his eyes filled with a smile.
Then Song Qiuxuan swiped her card and sat next to him, and they chatted casually.
Rain isn't so bad, Song Qiuxuan thought, glancing at the trickling stream of water flowing down the glass window.
When they arrived at the station, Cheng Xun suggested sharing an umbrella. Song Qiuxuan really wanted to agree, but at school, any slight movement between the opposite sex would cause gossip to spread everywhere.
The first day of school was out of necessity, but now that Song Qiuxuan has an umbrella, the situation is different.
Song Qiuxuan shook her head and said she would just hold the umbrella herself. Cheng Xun's expression changed slightly. She was neither angry nor annoyed, just like the sun being temporarily obscured by a passing cloud.
Song Qiuxuan added, "If we share an umbrella, we'll easily get splashed by the rain."
"It's much better if everyone carries an umbrella. It makes walking easier, helps avoid puddles, and you don't have to worry about the other person getting wet."
Outside the school gate, Cheng Xun nodded thoughtfully, agreeing with her words: "It sounds like there are indeed more advantages to each person holding their own umbrella."
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