Chapter 31
Cheng Xun would leave early and return late on weekends. Cheng Rongken and Zhang Yuyun at home didn't find it strange or ask any questions. They assumed that he was having a carefree time outside and spending all his time in internet cafes.
Cheng Xun had no idea what his parents were thinking, but he didn't take the initiative to explain where he had gone. He knew they wouldn't care about these things, or more accurately, they wouldn't care about him.
Two days after the start of winter, Cheng Xun was on his way home from the library with Song Qiuxuan by bus. When they arrived at their stop, he hadn't walked far when a torrential downpour began.
It didn't happen suddenly; the dark, heavy clouds had been hanging in the sky for most of the afternoon, and finally gathered their strength and descended at dusk.
Large raindrops pelted him, and Cheng Xun was soaked to the bone when he reached the bottom of his apartment building. He quickly went home and took a shower.
Unexpectedly, the rain gave him a cold.
The next morning, Cheng Xun was not woken up by the alarm clock, but woke up feeling uncomfortable. Her nose was blocked, making it difficult to breathe, and she felt a little cold.
Cheng Xun lifted the covers and got up, coughing softly as he walked out of the bedroom to get some hot water. He caught a glimpse of Zhang Yuyun busy in the kitchen. Recently, Cheng Ying had become obsessed with sandwiches, so she got up early to prepare them.
Cheng Xun stood in front of the water dispenser with slumped shoulders, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed a glass of warm water.
"Cheng Xun, were you coughing just now?" Zhang Yuyun came out wearing an apron, her brows furrowed as she asked uncertainly.
Cheng Xun paused for a second before putting down his cup: "Yeah, I must have caught a cold from being caught in the rain yesterday."
"Then hurry up and wash up and go out to buy medicine." Zhang Yuyun's tone was somewhat anxious.
Cheng Xun walked to the door and was about to reach for the doorknob when he heard this. He stopped and turned to look at Zhang Yuyun.
“Colds are easily contagious. Cheng Xun, hurry up and go out before Cheng Ying gets up.” Zhang Yuyun said, and hurriedly arrived at Cheng Ying’s bedroom door. She opened it a crack to observe her and breathed a sigh of relief when she found that Cheng Ying had not gotten up.
"Do you have enough living expenses? If not, I'll transfer it to you via my phone." Zhang Yuyun turned and glanced at him.
Hearing her previous words, he thought she was worried about him, but he was proven wrong. Cheng Xun turned his head away and smiled mockingly with his back to her. He remained silent and went into the house.
Because he went to the pharmacy to buy medicine, Cheng Xun arrived at school a few minutes later than usual. On his way from the bike shed to the teaching building, he met Liang Shizhe, who was so sleepy that he could barely keep his eyes open.
"Cheng Xun, good morning." Liang Shizhe put his arm around Cheng Xun's shoulder and yawned, "It feels like we haven't seen each other in ages."
"Really? We just played basketball together in PE class last week." Cheng Xun's throat itched, and he couldn't help but cough.
Liang Shizhe exaggeratedly stepped back a step, saying, "You have a cold?"
Cheng Xun glanced at Liang Shizhe because he was afraid that the germs would be transmitted to him, and said indifferently, "Hmm."
Liang Shizhe smiled apologetically and began to genuinely care about him: "Did you take your medicine?"
Cheng Xun said, "I bought it but didn't drink it."
Liang Shizhe nodded knowingly. A few steps to the stairwell, he glanced at Cheng Xun and noticed that she was in a bad mood, probably due to a cold. He swallowed the question he wanted to ask.
Cheng Xun was getting a little impatient with his half-hearted attitude: "What?"
Liang Shizhe's eyes immediately turned meaningful: "You're dating that girl in your class?"
Cheng Xun answered without thinking, "Yes."
"Holy crap!" Liang Shizhe exclaimed in shock. "Do you know this is puppy love?"
Cheng Xun lowered his eyelids and pursed his lips into a straight line, as if he was struggling with some kind of thought. When he reached the entrance of the stairwell, he held onto the handrail before stepping onto the stairs.
He suddenly hated this age. Being with someone he liked was defined as puppy love, and he had no way to escape his home where he felt no warmth or love.
Liang Shizhe continued to earnestly advise, "You'd better hide well so the homeroom teacher doesn't find out."
Only when they reached the corner of the stairs did Cheng Xun reluctantly speak: "I know."
Looking at Cheng Xun, who suddenly seemed exhausted, Liang Shizhe changed the subject, "I heard your grades have improved a lot again."
Cheng Xun nodded calmly.
Liang Shizhe felt that Cheng Xun's behavior today was very strange. He was proud of his improved grades before, but now he was acting calmly. He was becoming more and more unpredictable.
Upon reaching the third floor, he waved goodbye to Cheng Xun, saying, "I'm going back to the classroom now."
Cheng Xun responded that he was about to turn onto the stairs when Liang Shizhe quickly took two steps back.
Cheng Xun turned around upon hearing footsteps and asked, "Is there anything else?"
“There’s a new barbecue restaurant that opened on that street near the internet cafe we frequent. I tried it and it was really good. Why don’t you come with me to try it this weekend?” Liang Shizhe suggested, then, as he reminisced about the delicious barbecue, he felt hungry.
Cheng Xun had already promised Song Qiuxuan that she would spend the weekend with her, and didn't want to suddenly change her mind, so she simply refused.
*
After the last class in the morning, Cheng Xun was a little listless. He wanted to close his eyes and rest on the table for a while, but he fell asleep right away.
Song Qiuxuan and Sun Shan usually go downstairs together a few minutes after class ends, when the cafeteria is no longer packed.
She glanced at the clock, stood up, and was about to walk out of the classroom when she caught a glimpse of Cheng Xun slumped over the desk, and she stopped in her tracks.
Song Qiuxuan knew that Cheng Xun had a cold this morning, so she subconsciously thought that Cheng Xun was not feeling well, which made her too weak to walk to lunch.
Song Qiuxuan stood by the table, looking at Cheng Xun with a worried expression. She hesitated for a few seconds, wanting to wake him up and tell him to bring him food back, but she was afraid of disturbing his rest. In the end, Song Qiuxuan left the classroom and decided on her own to pack some light food to take back.
Considering that bringing back lunch too late might disturb her classmates' lunch break, Song Qiuxuan explained the situation to Sun Shan and decided not to go to the school cafeteria with her.
Song Qiuxuan hurriedly packed two boxed meals from a small restaurant outside the school.
When I returned to the classroom, there were only a few students.
Song Qiuxuan carried the lunchbox in one hand, stuffed the books on the table into the table's drawer with the other, and then placed the lunchbox on the table, which was covered with two sheets of used draft paper.
She turned and looked at Cheng Xun for a few seconds, then bent down and nudged his shoulder: "Cheng Xun."
In a short time, Cheng Xun had a dream, a beautiful and enchanting dream. He was reluctant to wake up. When he was pushed back, he shrugged and frowned with some annoyance.
But the sound of "Cheng Xun" overlapped with the one in his dream, and the sense of reality pulled him back to reality. He suddenly opened his eyes.
Song Qiuxuan was still calling his name. Cheng Xun lifted his eyelids, his vision still blurry from just waking up. Song Qiuxuan's face, so close to his, gradually became clear.
Cheng Xun could clearly see her long, thick eyelashes. His gaze moved down to her small nose, and then to her lips that kept uttering his name.
Song Qiuxuan noticed that he was awake, pointed to the lunchbox behind him and said, "Cheng Xun, I packed lunch for you. Get up and eat."
Cheng Xun propped himself up by rubbing his short hair with one hand, looked up at Song Qiuxuan, and whether he didn't hear clearly or was surprised, he made a puzzled "Hmm?".
Song Qiuxuan noticed the nasal tone in his voice, and she patiently explained, "I saw you were sleeping soundly and feeling unwell, so I packed lunch for you."
Cheng Xun leaned back in his chair, his gaze falling on the boxed lunches on the table in front of him. He stared at them for a moment, a mix of emotions welling up inside him.
Looking at Cheng Xun, who seemed to have a gloomy expression and was staring straight ahead without saying a word, Song Qiuxuan asked with concern, "Don't you have an appetite? Don't you want to eat?"
Upon hearing this, Cheng Xun immediately shook his head, smiled, and said to Song Qiuxuan, "Thank you."
During the meal, Cheng Xun was unusually silent, eating with his head down. As he ate, a sudden soreness welled up in his nose for no apparent reason. He felt too embarrassed and lowered his head even further, his hair almost completely covering his eyebrows and eyes.
Song Qiuxuan, who was sitting in her seat and making the most of her time to eat, was completely unaware of what was happening behind her.
Cheng Xun was full after eating more than half of the food. Holding the disposable chopsticks, he looked at the remaining three-quarters of the food and thought that he could not waste it, so he forced himself to continue eating and finally finished it all.
"Can I take the trash to the bin outside the classroom and help you while I'm at it?" Song Qiuxuan asked Cheng Xun while tidying up the mess on the table.
"No need, I'll help you." Cheng Xun stood up quickly, appearing eager to help.
Cheng Xun returned after throwing out the trash, as if a meal had given him a boost of energy. He pulled out his calligraphy practice book, took out his draft paper, and began practicing calligraphy with great concentration.
*
A new claw machine arcade opened at their usual shopping mall, and they were having a promotion on game tokens for the opening day. After school on Friday, Song Qiuxuan and Cheng Xun decided to go and try it out.
Upon arriving at the store, Song Qiuxuan enthusiastically inserted coins and tried to operate the device. Each time, the doll was just a hair's breadth away from falling into the box. Song Qiuxuan stubbornly played for ten minutes, but in the end, she came up empty-handed.
Cheng Xun leaned against the machine, watching her play, a smile in his eyes and on his lips.
Song Qiuxuan was extremely frustrated by the torment. She turned her head and saw Cheng Xun laughing. Instead of comforting her, he was mocking her. Song Qiuxuan couldn't help but feel annoyed. She stuffed the coin into his hand and gave up her spot: "You try to catch it. Let me see how good you are."
Cheng Xun put the coin in, his tone sarcastic: "Not that great, but probably better than you."
After saying this, Cheng Xun received a weak punch to the arm, which only deepened his smile.
With a thud, the doll fell into the box. Cheng Xun bent down to take it out, raised an eyebrow, and looked at Song Qiuxuan with pride and smugness: "It seems that not only is your strength superior to yours, but it is also extremely outstanding. You caught it on the first try."
Song Qiuxuan pretended not to care and pursed her lips.
Later, the doll belonged to Song Qiuxuan. She took the doll and walked home with Cheng Xun, chatting about the sports meet the week after next.
Song Qiuxuan laughed and said, "Cheng Xun, you'd better prepare well. I'm really looking forward to the feast."
Cheng Xun sounded very proud: "Don't worry, I'm very confident."
Upon reaching the gate of the residential complex, Song Qiuxuan waved goodbye. Cheng Xun watched her walk a few steps forward before turning and leaving as well.
"Xuanxuan, it's been a while since school let out, and you're only just getting back?" Xu Yanzhen emerged from behind a large tree in the residential area, her gaze seemingly casually sweeping towards the gate.
Song Qiuxuan, who was walking with her eyes down, was startled for a moment by the sudden familiar voice. She looked up and tried to hide the doll behind her back as if she were trying to cover her ears, but after a moment of panic, she lowered her hands.
"Did you go out with your classmates?" Xu Yanzhen asked with a gentle smile.
Song Qiuxuan answered truthfully, "Yes, I went to win a plush toy."
Xu Yanzhen came to Song Qiuxuan's side and pushed her shoulder to walk towards the outside of the community: "Xuanxuan, you and Mom go to the supermarket to buy things."
Song Qiuxuan could sense Xu Yanzhen's strangeness, but she couldn't guess the specific reason. She felt a little flustered. Had Xu Yanzhen seen her and Cheng Xun return?
"Was the classmate who walked you to your apartment complex the boy who sat behind you? I remember him." Xu Yanzhen spoke casually, as if she were just chatting.
Song Qiuxuan gripped the doll tightly and nodded.
“At the previous parent-teacher meeting, I could tell you two had a good relationship.” Xu Yanzhen continued as she walked into the supermarket, “Have you been spending all your weekends with him lately? Aunt Liu from the same building told me she’s seen you walking with a boy a few times.”
Song Qiuxuan wasn't good at lying, especially in front of Xu Yanzhen. She pursed her lips and admitted, "We went to the library to study together this weekend."
Xu Yanzhen frowned, her expression turning sour. She stopped talking and went to the shelf to pick up a bottle of seasoning.
Apart from the owner and the women wearing headphones watching short videos, there was no one else in the supermarket. Xu Yanzhen was about to go around to another shelf when she suddenly stopped and turned around to stare angrily at Song Qiuxuan following behind her.
"Song Qiuxuan, as far as I know, your male classmate's grades are much worse than yours. You must have tutored him quite a bit. There's no need to continue this unequal relationship. Don't let me see you and him going to the library again, and don't let me hear from others that you two are getting close. You're both so young. It won't look good if word gets out."
Song Qiuxuan didn't understand why Xu Yanzhen judged people by their grades. She said helplessly, "Mom, don't say that."
Xu Yanzhen raised her voice: "Why can't I say it? I've been through your age. I know all too well how restless your hearts are at that age. How can you concentrate on your studies when you're with someone of the opposite sex? Besides, his grades aren't good, and he'll only drag you down. I absolutely won't allow this stumbling block to stand in your way."
Song Qiuxuan explained weakly, "It's not as serious as you say. How could my grades be so bad if I could get into No. 1 High School? He didn't drag me down. In fact, my grades improved in this monthly exam."
Seeing Song Qiuxuan jumping up and down in a panic to protect the boy, Xu Yanzhen became even angrier, feeling a lump in her throat that she couldn't swallow.
She sighed heavily, her hands trembling slightly, and pointed at the doll beside Song Qiuxuan, saying, "Is it because of these little things that you were moved to talk back to me for him? What else did that boy give you? Mom would buy you more and better things."
Song Qiuxuan shook her head, not wanting to argue any further.
At that moment, a terrifying possibility flashed through Xu Yanzhen's mind. She took Song Qiuxuan's hand and asked in a low voice, "Song Qiuxuan, you and he are just ordinary friends, right?"
Song Qiuxuan looked at Xu Yanzhen's face, which was filled with excessive worry. She was clenching her hands tightly, and the wrinkles between her brows were furrowed together, as if she had doubted that Xu Yanzhen would collapse and be unable to bear it.
Song Qiuxuan froze for a moment, then forced herself to nod.
*
The supermarket owner leaned back leisurely in his chair, humming a tune with wired headphones on. He had just finished paying for the mother and daughter when the young man came over.
The shop owner took off his headphones, looked up, and saw a tall, thin, and handsome young man. The shop owner remembered that he had entered the store earlier than the mother and daughter, and assumed that he was picking out snacks after browsing for so long. However, he only brought a bottle of iced mineral water to pay for the meal.
"Just a bottle of mineral water?" the shopkeeper said.
"Um."
"Don't drink anything iced in this weather," the shopkeeper said after he paid.
Cheng Xun's eyes were somewhat unfocused. He didn't hear what the shopkeeper said clearly, but he gave a perfunctory reply and then walked out of the supermarket with the cold bottle in his hand.
Because the boy was so quiet, the boss looked up at his back with a strange expression. For no reason, he saw a strong sense of loneliness in this complete stranger.
As darkness fell, Cheng Xun glanced up at Song Qiuxuan's apartment complex, but quickly looked away and continued walking.
Cheng Xun's mind kept replaying the words he had overheard from behind the tall shelves, the words of Song Qiuxuan's mother. He realized that what she said didn't seem to be entirely unreasonable.
Cheng Xun really didn't want Song Qiuxuan to be caught in a dilemma, but at the same time he was a little curious about what Song Qiuxuan would choose. Would she subtly tell him not to go to the library together anymore, not to eat together on weekends, and to try to keep her distance and go back to being ordinary classmates, or would she choose to pretend that nothing had happened?
Why would anyone be curious? Because no one has ever chosen him before.
But it would be too cruel to make her choose, Cheng Xun thought. It shouldn't be like this.
Back home, in the evening, Cheng Xun made up an excuse about having something to do over the weekend and told Song Qiuxuan on his phone that he wouldn't be going to the library that weekend.
That night, Cheng Xun neither studied, practiced calligraphy, nor played games. He lay silently on his side in bed, the moonlight shining on his face, making him look lost and dejected.
The quiet bedroom made the sounds outside the door even clearer. Cheng Ying made a video call to Cheng Ting after dinner, and the call had been going on for an hour without ending. The family gathered on the sofa, chatting and laughing with him.
In the dimly lit bedroom, the phone rang and the screen suddenly lit up. Cheng Xun sat up, picked up the phone from the bedside table, read the message, and then put it down. He turned to the side and closed his eyes.
Song Qiuxuan: Okay.
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