Chapter 13 Passerby "Why are you crying?"
"2017.11.08 Sunny"
Happy birthday, I wish you happiness every day.
This is the wish I made.
——Excerpt from Tao Shuran’s Diary
*
Tao Shuran was at a loss as he suddenly became the protagonist of this birthday party.
The breath against her back could not be ignored. Liang Yuanjing was a whole head taller than her, and at the moment he lowered his head slightly. Perhaps he himself did not notice that his warm breath was spraying freely on her neck.
Tao Shuran's whole body tensed up.
The heat from the burning candles was about to burn her.
The teachers patrolling the various floors of the teaching building quickly noticed the bright light and only heard a cry of surprise.
Fang Qingyi pushed her and shouted, "Ranran, make a wish quickly. I see the teacher coming from the other side."
Without thinking twice, Tao Shuran closed his eyes and blew hard, blowing out all the candles.
Fang Qingyi ran out with the cake in her hand, and did not forget to instruct them to clean up the remaining "crime tools" on the table.
The four men split into two groups.
Liang Yuanjing took away the lighter on the table and some cake accessories.
The teacher's footsteps were just around the corner, and the tense atmosphere was instantly raised to a high point.
Tao Shuran's heart was about to jump to his throat. He had never done such a crazy thing before.
However, the madness she didn't expect was yet to come.
At the critical moment, Liang Yuanjing suddenly took off his school uniform jacket and covered her head with it.
He reached out and grabbed her wrist, and as the teacher stepped into the front door, he pulled her out through the back door.
The wind was howling, blowing up the fallen leaves all over the ground, and also sweeping up her lost and throbbing original heart.
In the endless darkness, all the bright light sources gathered on the boy's face. Tao Shuran stared at his profile in a daze.
Finally, they ran all the way to the lowest rooftop.
The balcony door was locked, but Liang Yuanjing was familiar with the place. He reached out and shook it, then unlocked it.
He made a gesture to her to keep quiet, then walked in holding her wrist, not forgetting to put the padlock back in its original place.
Tao Shuran was very quiet.
Liang Yuanjing glanced at her, and at this moment, his attention turned back and his eyes fell on the two people's clasped hands.
He let go immediately.
He whispered, "I'm sorry."
Tao Shuran retracted his arm, raised his other hanging hand slightly, and gently pressed it on the wrist that his hand had just grasped. It seemed as if a small flower had sprouted there, swaying gently in the breeze, making people feel itchy.
Maybe because she didn't say a word, the silence made the atmosphere a little awkward.
Liang Yuanjing took the initiative to ask: "What wish did you make?"
She swallowed, trying to muster up her courage, and whispered, "I wish I could get into Qing University next year."
Liang Yuanjing became interested, turned his head and looked at her and said, "Do you want to go to Qing University?"
Suddenly she turned around and looked into his pair of dark, star-like eyes. Tao Shuran's heart was pounding and she lost all ability to think.
Even though reason told her that skipping classes at night was not something a good student should do, even though reason told her that this was full of loopholes.
But as soon as she saw him, she couldn't contain her excitement and joy.
She wanted to just look at him quietly, eager to say one more word to him.
Tao Shuran asked softly: "Is it not possible?"
Liang Yuanjing immediately realized that she had misunderstood. In fact, he didn't have much impression of this sensitive girl.
Most of the time they met was at Fu Changpei's home. She was very quiet and hardworking, not saying a word, as if she was racing against time to practice every question.
Sometimes she would come to him carefully with a question and ask him. At that time, the distance between them was too close. When he lowered his head, he could see her eyelashes trembling like butterfly wings.
He smiled and said in a voice so soft that only the two of them could hear—
“It will definitely happen.”
For some reason, when Tao Shuran heard someone say this, he just thought it was a polite remark to deal with the situation.
But when Liang Yuanjing said this, her discouraged and timid heart suddenly swelled up like a hydrogen balloon.
She raised her eyes to look at him, and just as she was about to say something, she heard the sound of conversation not far away.
Liang Yuanjing made a "hush" gesture to her, stood at the door with his hands in his pockets and observed for a while. When he saw a light approaching, he waved at her.
Tao Shuran immediately followed him without hesitation.
They hid together in the narrow gap of the stairwell. With the moonlight shining through, Tao Shuran's eyelashes trembled as she caught the ambiguous factor floating in the air.
She sincerely hoped that this moment could last infinitely long.
After a while, the sound in the corridor disappeared, and Liang Yuanjing lent a hand and pulled her out.
He pointed forward vaguely: "Go down this staircase, turn left and you will reach your class."
Tao Shuran thanked him and said with his head down, "I'll go back to class first."
It seemed as if everything was just a beautiful fantasy dream of hers.
On the way back to the classroom, Tao Shuran realized that he was holding Liang Yuanjing's coat in his arms.
There are surveillance cameras on both sides of the school corridor. There is no guarantee that a teacher who wants to get to the bottom of the matter will check the surveillance cameras the next day. He covered her tightly with a coat.
Tao Shuran wondered with some disappointment, is he so considerate and thoughtful to every girl?
She sighed and slowly turned back.
Under the bright moonlight, Liang Yuanjing was seen standing at the end.
He had his back to her, his tall figure casting a long shadow on the ground. He tilted his head slightly, revealing his superior profile, and was talking on the phone with someone.
Out of politeness, Tao Shuran stopped behind him and waited for him quietly with the clothes in her arms.
The content of the call came into her ears uncontrollably.
Tao Shuran didn't know who he was talking to, but he could see the gentle expression on his face clearly.
The call lasted a long time, but he never showed any impatience.
"Missed you?"
Liang Yuanjing laughed softly, his voice close to the microphone, seeming extremely helpless, and his voice was full of doting.
"think."
"I missed you so much."
Tao Shuran felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar and took a sudden step back.
It was also at this time that Liang Yuanjing seemed to notice the movement behind him.
When he was about to discover her, she turned around quickly and sneaked through his world like a passerby again.
Tao Shuran squatted down uncomfortably at the handrail at the corner of the stairs.
She felt a wave of pain in her heart, a pain that came for no reason, just like her inexplicable emotions.
You shouldn't be jealous or hateful.
Tao Shuran said this to herself in her heart.
But these emotions still bubbled up uncontrollably like boiling water. She hugged herself uncomfortably, tears welling up in her eyes, but she held them back.
I just thought silently in my heart that I was really happy tonight.
It's really sad.
*
They never saw each other again after that night.
Tao Shuran truly understood the meaning of the word "passerby". In his life, she was nothing more than the chirping cicadas in summer and the falling leaves in autumn. Once the season passed and the monsoon blew, nothing would be left.
She lowered her eyes, consciously distanced herself from his world, and put away all her delusions.
But as a legendary figure like him, he is always a hot topic in the class.
It was a belated winter sports meeting, but when it was held, Zhou Wu came over and repeatedly ordered them not to meddle with the younger students. Except for the students participating in the competition, everyone else should stay in the classroom and study on their own.
In the morning, everyone was relatively calm and each of them was doing exercises in class.
In the afternoon, when the news of Liang Yuanjing's participation in the high jump competition spread to the class, it immediately caused a small stir.
Wen Fangfang stood up quickly and went downstairs with a few good sisters.
Fang Qingyi asked her, "Of course, do you want to join us in the fun?"
Tao Shuran paused and shook his head.
"You guys go ahead. I haven't finished the homework that Teacher Zhou assigned me yet."
The classroom suddenly became quiet, while in contrast, the playground not far away was filled with cheers.
Tao Shuran was writing the questions silently, but the scene of that night kept appearing in his mind unconsciously.
She couldn't help but explore and think over and over again, who was that girl who made him so gentle and affectionate?
Did he already have someone he liked?
Secret love is like a green fruit hanging on a branch, Tao Shuran thought a little melancholy, today she finally tasted the sourness and astringency of this fruit.
After finishing a page of questions, Tao Shuran picked up his thermos and slowly walked towards the water room.
She still couldn't control her heart and couldn't help but look towards the playground.
It seemed like a voice in her heart was telling her, Tao Shuran, go to the playground and take a look.
As if by magic, Tao Shuran came to the playground.
Fortunately, the playground was crowded, so she was able to pass by unnoticed.
In the crowd, Tao Shuran saw Liang Yuanjing at a glance.
He had just finished a long-distance running race and had not had time to take off the number plate on his back when he hurried to the high jump competition venue.
The cheers around him continued, the boy's deep eyebrows raised, and his raised arms revealed smooth lines, which could not be concealed. The boy's high spirits were also unforgettable and passionate.
Tao Shuran stood aside, watching him quietly.
Look at his sharp eyes, his running-up, taking off, flying into the air, passing the pole, and with a powerful explosive force, he leaps out a perfect arc in the air.
Tao Shuran once heard a high jumper say that every moment of jumping is actually accumulating strength to soar into the sky.
So Liang Yuanjing, are you breaking through yourself for this dream every moment?
"Liang Yuanjing is so handsome!"
"Did you know he broke the school record in the high jump?"
…
Tao Shuran walked back slowly. Suddenly, the voices of conversation stopped and Wen Fangfang led a group of young sisters to stand in front of her.
"Tao Shuran, why are you here?"
"Didn't you say you couldn't come?"
Tao Shuran raised his eyelids to look at her and asked softly, "Can't I come?"
Her nonchalant attitude made Wen Fangfang angry, thinking of the rumors in the class during this period and the growing distance between her and Liang Yuanjing.
Wen Fangfang asked her maliciously, "Do you know if Liang Yuanjing has someone he likes?"
Tao Shuran's eyes glared, a look of sadness inadvertently welling up on her face. She turned her face away and said, "I don't know."
"Do you like Liang Yuanjing too?"
Tao Shuran was a little overwhelmed by this questioning and didn't know what to say for a moment.
Her silence seemed to become a ladder for Wen Fangfang to become more and more aggressive.
"You know the saying, 'A leper wants to eat swan flesh?'"
Wen Fangfang sneered, turned her head and talked to the person next to her, but her playful eyes fell on her face unscrupulously.
He said maliciously, "Some people are the best at pretending."
Tao Shuran raised his head slightly and looked straight into her eyes.
"If you have a problem with me, you could have just pointed it out to me, instead of making sarcastic comments behind my back like a cowardly rat."
"Why would I be afraid? Do you think no one knows about what happened to you at Xianyao No. 1 Middle School? I'm telling you, I'd have asked my friends to investigate you thoroughly!"
Wen Fangfang was furious. She pulled out a handful of photos from her pocket and threw them fiercely in her face, shouting, "Tao Shuran, do you really think you're some kind of celestial being?"
"You're just an ugly duckling. Do you think coming to the Affiliated High School will transform you? In fact, the poor and humble nature that comes from a small place in your bones will never change!"
The photos floating in the air, along with Wen Fangfang's sharp words, pierced down like icicles.
When Tao Shuran saw the images on the printed photos, his pupils suddenly constricted and even breathing became difficult.
She opened her mouth to say something, but a sharp pain in her stomach forced her to squat down.
In the field of vision, Wen Fangfang was walking away with the pace of a winner, and the gazes of onlookers were cast from all directions.
Tao Shuran squatted down and picked up the photos one by one along with her broken heart.
She finally couldn't help but shed tears, bringing with her the sadness and grievances from the past memories.
…
Liang Yuanjing happened to pass by.
The high jump competition ended hastily. He lived up to everyone's expectations and won the first place. Fu Changpei put his arm around him and said that he would celebrate for him in the evening.
The two were discussing whether to have hotpot or barbecue when they suddenly saw a girl crying in a corner.
Fu Changpei tugged at his sleeve: "Isn't that Tao Shuran?"
Liang Yuanjing squinted his eyes and saw that it was indeed this girl. She lowered her head and bent over, and her loose school uniform hung down, almost covering her entire body.
There was always laughter around her, but she was the only one crying sadly here.
There was also a mess on the ground.
He glanced at it and saw a pile of photos. They were too far away to be clear, and he didn't intend to look at them clearly.
I walked over slowly, turned slightly sideways, and just asked, "Why are you crying?"
The familiar voice seemed like a dream.
Tao Shuran raised her head with red eyes, and really saw Liang Yuanjing.
She immediately lowered her head in panic, wanting to take all the photos away. To her surprise, Liang Yuanjing's eyes were not on the pile of photos.
From beginning to end, he turned slightly to the side, his eyes naturally raised. Not far away, the sun was falling below the horizon, and his pupils were also reflected in the skylight.
Liang Yuanjing asked her in a low voice what was wrong, and at the same time, he took something out of his pocket with his other hand and handed it to her.
Tao Shuran looked down and saw a cartoon-shaped White Rabbit candy.
Like coaxing a child, Liang Yuanjing asked her in a low voice -
"Who bullied you?"
The author has something to say:
----------------------
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
