Chapter 12 Guardian
Jin Zhao returned to the classroom and entered through the back door. Meng Yanxi was already in her seat.
Before class even started, Luo Heng turned around and was talking to him. Meng Yanxi leaned back lazily in his chair, his long legs stretched into the aisle, his right hand casually twirling a pen. A dark red spot on the inside of his wrist, whether it was a mole or a birthmark, swayed with it.
Jin Zhao's heart started racing for no reason. She tried to calm herself with her breathing, but it had almost no effect. She took two more deep breaths, which were better than nothing, and walked over to Meng Yanxi.
Meng Yanxi noticed someone behind her, but instead of turning around, she simply withdrew her leg.
Jin Zhao stood still. Luo Heng noticed her, stopped talking, and gave Meng Yanxi a wink. Only then did Meng Yanxi turn around.
Their eyes met, and Jin Zhao could even feel the blood rushing to her head. She was afraid she would blush, but there was nothing she could do about it.
"I..." Her voice was even softer than expected.
The school bell rang at the same time, and unsurprisingly, her voice was drowned out by the sound.
Jin Zhao felt that he probably hadn't heard her speak, so she didn't say anything and walked past him with her head down.
In the first English class, the English teacher arrived at the classroom two minutes late, saying that a student had come to the office to ask a question and apologized for the two-minute delay.
Jin Zhao absentmindedly opened her textbook.
In fact, she was absent-minded all afternoon.
Meng Yanxi may seem aloof, but he's almost never alone. One minute it's Luo Heng looking for him, the next it's Lu Jingyue, or it's some guy who's looking for Luo Heng casually striking up a conversation with him, making it difficult for Jin Zhao to find an opportunity to talk to him.
Si Tian secretly showed her the post on her phone, and then gestured for her to look at Ji Haoxuan's new seat. Ji Haoxuan hadn't come to class that afternoon, and the empty seat made Si Tian's breasts feel sore: "Evil people will be punished by evil people. This kind of person should be properly taught a lesson by Meng Yanxi!"
But Jin Zhao felt uneasy. This matter had nothing to do with Meng Yanxi. He had gotten involved for no reason and was only implicated by her blunder.
Finally, school was over in the afternoon. Not wanting someone to beat her to it again, Jin Zhao went straight to Meng Yanxi's side as soon as class ended. But even so, Luo Heng was still one step ahead, grinning and asking, "Want to play basketball for a bit?"
Jin Zhao, no longer able to contain his nervousness, quickly asked, "May I speak to you in private?"
Meng Yanxi sat in the chair, yet her aura was terrifyingly powerful. Her dark, peach-blossom eyes slightly raised, revealing a sense of superiority.
"Would you like to speak to me in private?" he asked again.
The classroom was unusually lively after class, with voices and laughter coming and going, hitting Jin Zhao's face with a warm sensation.
Her fingertips unconsciously clenched, and she nodded gently: "Mm."
Meng Yanxi didn't say whether it was good or bad, and straightened up.
It wasn't until he walked past her that she realized what was happening and hurriedly chased after him.
The boy was tall and had long legs, taking large strides, and Jin Zhao almost lost him. He spun around in place before realizing that Meng Yanxi had gone upstairs.
Their classroom was on the top floor, and above that was a small attic. In the summer, the cramped space was stuffy and humid, and no one dared to come up. Now, although it was the end of October, the air was still muggy, and even breathing felt dry.
Jin Zhao thought he wanted to talk here, so she followed him. However, Meng Yanxi only waited for her for a moment before continuing up the stairs and opening the door to the rooftop.
The light from the rooftop broke through the darkness of the stairwell, and Jin Zhao spoke up to stop them: "The school prohibits students from going up to the rooftop."
The boy held onto the rooftop door, his slender yet powerful body half bathed in sunlight and half shrouded in shadow. The bright half seemed edged in gold, while the half hidden in darkness resembled an unfathomable undercurrent.
"Do you also want to be secretly photographed and have your photos posted online?" Meng Yanxi asked back.
Jin Zhao stepped forward without hesitation.
The setting sun shone like gold, dyeing the clouds on the horizon crimson, like rouge infused with the scent of wine. The boy turned the corner, leaned against the wall, one long leg slightly bent, and quietly watched her.
There was no one on the rooftop; it was so quiet you could hear the wind whistling past your ears.
Jin Zhao stood there for a few seconds, walked up to him, and said softly, "I'm sorry."
Meng Yanxi lowered her eyes, her gaze following the corner of her eye to her: "Why are you apologizing?"
"The bag I gave you last week, with all that food... and the love letter, I thought it was for you, like before."
"Love letter?" Meng Yanxi asked back.
Jin Zhao's face flushed, and she didn't dare to look at him. Her gaze fell on the iron railing not far away, with its mottled rust.
"Hmm, I thought it was for you, so I didn't open it to check. I didn't know..." she said softly.
Meng Yanxi: "I didn't see it."
Jin Zhao looked up in surprise: "What?"
Meng Yanxi: "I said, I didn't see any love letters."
"How could this be?" Jin Zhao exclaimed in surprise. "I clearly put it inside."
Meng Yanxi remained silent, her expression indifferent.
His face was so convincing that Jin Zhao had no doubts and immediately began to reflect on where she had lost the love letter. But she had indeed put the envelope in his windbreaker. Could it be that she was already forgetful at such a young age?
Jin Zhao wanted to ask again if anything else was there, but Meng Yanxi spoke first: "Is there anything else?"
"No, no... no, there was." Jin Zhao stammered, trying to organize her thoughts. "What I meant was that the food was indeed given to me by Ji Haoxuan, but I misunderstood and that's why I gave it to you..."
"So you want me to give those things back to you?" the boy interrupted her.
"No, no." Jin Zhao quickly denied it. "What I mean is, this has nothing to do with you. It's my problem. You don't actually need to give Ji Haoxuan's mother money. I will go and talk to her and make things clear."
She felt ashamed; her cheeks burned and her heart pounded.
"Jin Zhao." Meng Yanxi suddenly called her name.
Jin Zhao suddenly froze, looking up at him in astonishment.
This was the first time Meng Yanxi had called her name. Before this, she had always thought that Meng Yanxi didn't remember her name at all, just like he didn't remember that his previous deskmate was named Wu Fei, and Wu Fei was even his legendary girlfriend.
She couldn't describe how she felt at that moment, only that the sleeping bird in her chest was about to awaken and start chirping again.
But the boy was clearly unaware of the extent of his influence on her; he remained expressionless, his eyes even somewhat cold: "Have you ever considered that I did this on purpose?"
"...Huh?" Perhaps the birds were chirping too loudly, because Jin Zhao looked at him blankly.
"You don't really think it's such a coincidence that I gave her money and someone just happened to take a picture; that I explained the whole story and someone just happened to pass by and overhear me, do you?" The boy's eyes were full of sarcasm. The blackness in his pupils was deeper than ink and colder than a deep pool. His inhumanity reminded people of the snow-capped mountains on the mountaintops, where the snow still does not melt even in the height of summer.
Cold and detached. This young man, who should have been full of passion, seemed to have detached himself from the world. He coldly observed the sorrow, joy, and desires of others.
Jin Zhao couldn't understand why she would see such a world-weary sentiment in the eyes of a privileged young man who was the center of attention.
"You did this on purpose?" she murmured. "Why would you do this?"
She seemed to have asked a ridiculous question, and the boy's lips curled up: "Protecting needs a reason, but teaching doesn't; just disliking it is enough."
Jin Zhao: "..." What a terrifying worldview.
Meng Yanxi straightened up and walked past her.
Jin Zhao was still immersed in the terrifying shock brought about by his values when Meng Yanxi suddenly stopped and turned to look at her: "Although I have said this before, and you don't seem to have taken it to heart at all, I still want to remind you again that kindness will not make your situation better."
Jin Zhao: "Then what should we do?"
The boy, with one hand in his pocket, gazed at the fiery clouds on the horizon; the bright, scorching color turned cold in his dark eyes.
Meng Yanxi: "Using any means necessary."
*
The post had a strong impact. Although Meng Yanxi ultimately upheld her moral principles and did not report Ji Haoxuan's mother to the police for extortion, public opinion itself is a sharp knife that can wound people invisibly.
Ji Haoxuan was the first to be affected and suffered greatly. In the subsequent monthly exams, his ranking fell further and further behind.
He had approached Jin Zhao, who, out of a sense of divine compassion, explained the whole misunderstanding to him. Just as she had explained it to Meng Yanxi, it was all perfectly clear and straightforward.
Ji Haoxuan was still persistent in asking her, "Do you like me?"
Jin Zhao didn't understand why he was still so insistent on asking such a ridiculous question. When he caused her to be humiliated by his mother and to be the subject of rumors spread about her by her classmates, he should have realized that there were many things more important to her than liking him. Besides, she really didn't like him at all.
At that moment, Jin Zhao looked into the boy's eyes; he was so cowardly, yet so innocent. She suddenly remembered Meng Yanxi's cold gaze and his words to her about using any means necessary.
For a moment, she did have the urge to nod.
Admittedly, she didn't like him, but he had hurt her so badly. If Meng Yanxi hadn't interfered, she would be the one being attacked by public opinion now. In this world, public opinion attacks on girls are always a thousand times more terrible, vicious, and despicable than those against boys.
She still shudders when she thinks about the rumors she heard in the toilet stall that day, all because of him and his mother. Why can't she retaliate?
With just a nod from her, giving the boy a sliver of illusory hope, he would become utterly and irrevocably trapped in this terrible web of unrequited love. Driven by his rebellious nature, the boy might even defy his mother for her sake, committing unexpected and foolish acts.
In the end, she simply walked past him indifferently, leaving behind a curt remark: "You're overthinking it."
But around the corner, they bumped into Meng Yanxi and Lu Jingyue.
Two tall, handsome young men stood side by side in front of her, whether out of embarrassment at the awkward situation or out of blatant eavesdropping, it was hard to tell. But from Meng Yanxi's disappointed eyes, Jin Zhao knew it was the latter.
She thought that if it were Meng Yanxi, he would definitely nod and say he liked it. He might even kiss Ji Haoxuan, as long as he could teach Ji Haoxuan and his mother a lesson.
But she couldn't do it.
She didn't want to teach anyone a lesson; she just wanted to protect herself.
Whether others are good or evil, clean or dirty, what does it matter to her? She only wants to improve herself.
*
October passed quickly, followed by November, December, January... and the winter vacation arrived as scheduled.
That time on the rooftop was the last time Jin Zhao and Meng Yanxi spoke that year. After that, the two would occasionally meet, brush past each other, and all that remained in their ears was the sound of the wind as the boy walked by and her own heartbeat.
Although Meng Yanxi sounds a bit ruthless and his values are even more terrifying, Jin Zhao will never forget that passionate young man who was willing to get injured and risk his life to save a stranger “bad girl” in the alley next to the bar that night.
Even though he didn't like her.
But there was nothing that could be done about it; they were indeed worlds apart, and her encounter with him was more like a mistaken intrusion into a heavenly home.
*
That Spring Festival, the family celebrated the birth of a new member, and many guests came, especially Lin Yao's family. The Jin family's small house couldn't contain all the joy. When Jin Wenhui asked Jin Zhao if she wanted to go back to the countryside with her grandparents for the New Year, Jin Zhao nodded, and Jin Wenhui visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
On New Year's Eve, Jin Zhao returned to his old home in Jinjue Town with his grandparents. The three of them put up couplets, set off fireworks, and stayed up all night.
Jinjue Town is located deep in the mountains, and transportation is not very developed. After getting off the high-speed rail, it takes more than two hours by car to get there. There is no pillar industry, and in the past, most of the young and middle-aged people went to work in the city. In recent years, with the booming tourism industry, Jinjue Town has gradually become richer. The town is beautiful with clear waters and green mountains, and it is also home to the famous Jinjue Temple, which is very efficacious. Incense burns continuously throughout the year, especially on the first day of the lunar month. Before dawn, long queues form outside Jinjue Temple, and everyone is waiting to offer the first incense.
On the first day of the lunar new year, Jin Zhao did not go to offer incense as the first person to do so, but he still went to Jinjue Temple with his grandparents to worship the gods and offer incense.
There were many people that day, shoulder to shoulder, and Jin Zhao knelt in the crowd to worship Buddha.
After the Meng family's religious ceremony was completed, Meng Yanxi was led by the abbot through the inner hall, and he immediately spotted her in the crowd.
A sixteen-year-old girl knelt devoutly on a prayer mat, her hands clasped together, her eyes closed, her fair face gazing up at the Buddha. The sun rose, and a ray of light reflected from the Buddha's golden statue, shining directly on her face.
The golden light was bright and clear, as if a layer of Buddha's light had been applied to her face, illuminating even the fine downy hairs on her face.
Meng Yanxi suddenly stopped.
At the same time, a monk struck a handbell on the side.
"Thump—"
The sound of the bronze chime is long, powerful, and resonates deep within the heart.
-----------------------
Author's Note: The remaining two chapters will be updated tomorrow during the day. Next chapter will feature Meng Yanxi falling in love.
This chapter will give out 33 red envelopes. Don't ask me why I didn't give out 66, because 66 isn't enough to fill all the envelopes... The campus arc is really cold, but there aren't many campuses left, so don't give up!
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