Chapter 48 Never Fall Twenty-five-year-old Tao Shuran will no longer...
Waking up from countless nightmares, in the pitch-black night, Tao Shuran covered the corner of the quilt and gasped for breath.
"Tao Shuran, we've broken up, so let's not see each other again."
This sentence was deeply embedded in Tao Shuran's mind like a nightmare. The courage of her youth disappeared from the moment her secret love failed. When she finally left, she didn't even have the courage to look back.
But Tao Shuran could imagine Liang Yuanjing's expression.
With his arrogant personality, being teased and rejected by her, he must have felt disgusted from the bottom of his heart.
During his last two years at Qing University, Tao Shuran lived in a state of self-loathing.
She didn't dare to hear any more news about him and stayed in the Linchuan campus like a turtle retreating into its shell.
The last time I heard from him was on graduation day.
Compared to the summer vacation during his senior year of high school, this time, Tao Shuran truly felt the reality of separation.
Fu Changpei couldn't make it back because he was interning in Shanghai, and Fang Qingyi chose to go to a remote city to teach in her junior year. In such a big campus, she was the only one left to take graduation photos.
No one knows what happened that summer vacation.
All we know is that the bright girl who always had a smile on her face is gone forever, and the ending of Fang Qingyi and Fu Changpei parting ways in the north and south is always a pity.
The moment the photo froze, Tao Shuran's smile fell.
Everyone around her was throwing their bachelor's caps high and cheering for graduation, but she was the only one thinking sadly that her lonely and brave youth was finally coming to an end.
After taking the photos, Lin Tingzhou came to find her.
"Congratulations, your wish has come true."
This year, Tao Shuran was officially admitted to the Cultural Relics Restoration major of Qinghai University and became Lin Tingzhou's true student.
She occasionally heard news about Liang Yuanjing from Lin Tingzhou. She knew his current situation and that he had gone to the American Aeronautical University for an exchange study.
In his life without her interference, he was working towards his dream of soaring into the sky at a rapid pace.
Tao Shuran smiled, and most of the time she didn't take the initiative to talk, just treating him as a passerby in her life.
Later, I met Zhao Zhengnian at the door of the restoration room. He came back to his alma mater to give a speech. He had won many competitions in the past two years and was in the limelight, looking very high-spirited.
The moment he saw her, he was stunned.
"You're still here?"
Tao Shuran said "hmm" softly.
Over the years, everyone has left, and it seems that she is the only one who has stayed where she is.
Zhao Zhengnian raised his eyebrows: "Do you have any news about Ajing?"
"No." Tao Shuran rubbed his fingers, turned his head, and tried to speak calmly, "He and I have no contact for a long time."
"Really? It's been four years since you broke up, right?"
Zhao Zhengnian took a deep breath and said, "You two are really playing big games. What happened? Is it that serious?"
Tao Shuran knew that they had broken up in a hurry.
But compared to their ending, their beginning was more like a child's play.
When the sweet waves of ambiguity recede, those memories that have been chewed over and over again turn into a sad bitterness.
Tao Shuran gradually savored the emotions at that time. Because she liked his natural affection, she slowly indulged in his gentleness and thoughtfulness.
He doesn't like her.
It's just that she was too immersed in the role.
Thinking of this, she smiled and said with a relaxed look, "I broke up with him."
"Zhao Zhengnian, you've always known this, right? We're not really in love."
Zhao Zhengnian touched his nose: "But I feel that Ajing really likes you a little bit."
"I've never seen him treat a girl like that."
He couldn't help teasing, occasionally laughed evilly, and was considerate and caring in every possible way. Zhao Zhengnian was surprised when he first learned that they were in a fake relationship.
How could Liang Yuanjing, who had been harassed by suitors for who knows how many years, come up with the absurd trick of fake love right after entering college?
This is not in line with Liang Yuanjing's style at all.
It is somewhat consistent with his duplicity.
"It doesn't matter anymore."
Tao Shuran looked at him with clear eyes: "I will no longer be so narcissistic as to have the illusion that he likes me." Zhao Zheng sighed deeply, as if he felt sorry for this pair of unhappy lovers.
He lowered the brim of his hat, carefully guarding against being spotted by his enthusiastic fans, and leaned in close to ask her in a low voice, "Tao Shuran, have you kept up with Fang Qingyi's updates over the years?"
"Is she doing well?"
"It's pretty good. I have things I enjoy doing and like-minded friends. As for my relationship..."
Tao Shuran paused and said, "Things that cannot be forced."
Zhao Zhengnian deeply agreed with this statement.
He has been traveling around in recent years, moving between several cities at home and abroad, and rarely returns to Fuqing.
"Are you about to graduate from graduate school?"
Zhao Zhengnian said with a hint of emotion: "I really don't know if she will come back on the day you graduate so we can all get together."
"No more."
Tao Shuran lowered his head and muttered to himself.
Amidst all the changes in the world, she always remembered Liang Yuanjing's words "goodbye".
He is a man of his words.
And she didn't have the courage to meet him again.
*
In the summer when he officially graduated from graduate school, Tao Shuran hurriedly took two group photos and then received a notice from Lin Tingzhou that he would go to Beicheng to participate in a large-scale cultural relics rescue activity.
It is said that an ancient tomb from the Southern Song Dynasty was discovered in a village in the north of the city, and an archaeological excavation lasting at least one year is required.
This was a rare opportunity to practice, so Tao Shuran naturally had no chance of refusing it.
Most of the accompanying personnel were old classmates from the restoration group. As Lin Tingzhou's last student, Tao Shuran was the youngest sister in the entire school.
After getting off the airport, I took the transfer bus to North City. The bus was driving on the bumpy road and I felt a strong push on my back.
Tao Shuran was leaning back in her seat with a mask on to catch up on her sleep when she suddenly heard someone calling her name. She opened her eyes slightly and heard Gu Songnian holding his schoolbag and turning his head to talk boastfully to the people in the back row.
"Let me tell you, that's my junior sister. She's amazing, and her hands are incredibly steady. You all saw that painting and calligraphy piece at last year's international art exhibition, right?"
"It was my junior sister who repaired it. The painting was completely broken into pieces. Several veteran artists came to see it and shook their heads, saying it was impossible to repair it. But my junior sister picked up the pieces and pieced them together again."
"She just graduated from graduate school this year and is only 25."
After hearing the last sentence, Tao Shuran finally couldn't help but open her eyes. She took off her mask, sighed, and looked over helplessly.
"Gu Songnian, you're using me as a sign again, aren't you?"
Gu Songnian raised his eyebrows. "Isn't this the truth? I heard that Old Man Yuan from the watch group really wants to recruit you to their group. He's asked Teacher Lin several times, both openly and covertly, but Teacher Lin refuses to give in."
"That's because our group is small to begin with, and we don't even have enough people."
Tao Shuran sighed helplessly. Ever since the first day of school, when Gu Songnian heard that she was admitted as a top student in her major with excellent grades, he had an inexplicable admiration for her.
He obviously started school a year earlier than her, but he acts like her fanboy.
"You take care of him."
There was no other way, so Tao Shuran looked for help towards Jin Boyu who was sitting beside her.
She didn't want to become famous before she even arrived in North City.
Jin Boyu smiled gently and handed her the neck pillow from his bag.
"If you sleep with this, your shoulders and neck will feel much more comfortable."
Tao Shuran whispered "thank you".
Lin Tingzhou has long passed the retirement age. In the past two years, he has not had enough energy and no longer takes on new students.
Therefore, there were only three of them under her command. At that time, Lin Tingzhou had not planned to recruit new students, but she felt that Tao Shuran was a good seedling and it would be a pity not to train him personally.
Besides, the two guys in the group are never very careful when doing their work, so it would be nice to have a girl to give them some pointers.
Once you reach the north city, you have to take a local bus to the village.
I heard that after arriving in the town, you still have to take a village bus and walk along a mountain road to reach the final destination.
After such a long journey, even the strongest body couldn't bear it. When changing trains halfway, Tao Shuran got off to take a breath.
She leaned against a dilapidated street lamp to rest. Not far away, a faint crescent moon hung in the night sky.
Tao Shuran looked up and silently swallowed the dry and hard-to-chew biscuits in his hand.
Actually, I have no appetite.
But in order to conserve her energy, she had to eat.
Before coming, Lin Tingzhou actually considered whether to bring her with him. Beicheng is close to the border, with high mountains, long roads and dangerous terrain. The difficulties are greater than he had imagined.
As a girl, Tao Shuran was born with a physical disadvantage, which she had already felt during the more than ten hours of repair work.
But she took the initiative to find Lin Tingzhou, she only had one sentence -
"If you can do it, then I can do it too."
At that moment, Lin Tingzhou knew that he had not recognized the wrong person.
This girl is stubborn and will stick to her mind once she makes up her mind.
The temperature difference between day and night in North City is huge. Tao Shuran buttoned his coat and looked up towards the wind.
In the peripheral vision, a pair of clean and slender hands reached out, and Jin Boyu unscrewed the cap of the mineral water bottle and handed it to her.
He spoke in a tone that showed he was familiar with her living habits: "The conditions here are poor, so you can just make do with what you drink. I'll get you some hot water once we get into the village."
Tao Shuran has the habit of drinking hot water.
Actually, it’s just because my stomach is not very good. I always feel uncomfortable drinking too cold water, but in fact, there is nothing wrong with drinking normal mineral water.
She doesn't have to have hot water, just like she doesn't have to like someone. She has gotten used to being single over the years, and there's nothing wrong with this kind of life.
However, Jin Boyu insisted on keeping her habit. He was the oldest and seemed to always be the most conscious in taking on the responsibility of caregiving in this sect.
Tao Shuran smiled, took it, tilted his head back, took a sip, and said casually, "It's okay, it's all the same."
When they arrived at the village, the village chief came in advance to arrange accommodation for them.
Unexpectedly, there was a girl hiding in the team. The village chief slapped his head and shouted, "I didn't notice there was a girl. There are not many empty rooms in the village. It's too late to make room tonight."
Tao Shuran quickly said: "It doesn't matter, just treat us equally."
As soon as she finished speaking, Gu Songnian, who was standing beside her, pulled her sleeve and reminded her quietly, "Junior sister, I just checked. We all live in a large bunk bed that can accommodate six people, the kind where you sleep on one bed."
"How do you sleep as a girl?"
Tao Shuran pursed her lips, wanting to say that it was nothing, as long as she could come here, she could endure any hardship.
But then she thought, even if she could endure this hardship, others would definitely feel inconvenienced.
In a flash, she suddenly thought of Fang Qingyi.
They had been in contact some time ago, and Tao Shuran vaguely remembered that Fang Qingyi seemed to have been teaching in a village in the north city recently.
If they live not far away, you can also stay at her place for a night.
Thinking of this, Tao Shuran immediately called Fang Qingyi.
I didn't expect that she was here too. What a coincidence. Fang Qingyi decided on the spot and asked Tao Shuran to come and sleep with her at night.
The accommodation issue was temporarily resolved, and Tao Shuran felt relieved.
For the first opening banquet, everyone prepared unique local dishes, which also served as a warm-up before work began.
The overly spicy taste, with strong onion, ginger and garlic flavors, gave Tao Shuran a sense of intimidation at the first bite.
She was a little uncomfortable with the climate and had no appetite, so she sneaked out when there were many people around.
Before leaving, she couldn't help but sigh that she was even worse at this kind of situation than before.
It was completely dark when we came out. The only advantage of being away from the bright neon lights of the city was probably that the stars were very bright.
Tao Shuran held a bottle of sparkling water and drank it slowly with his head tilted back.
After a while, someone made a sound beside her. She didn't notice it and was startled.
Almost fell down.
Jin Boyu slowly supported her.
"Do you like looking at the moon?"
Tao Shuran was stunned. She looked at the vast night sky, but she didn't expect anyone to notice that she was only looking at the moon.
She hummed, and said softly—
"The moon hangs high in the sky and never sets."
"In fact, it's not just the moon that won't set." Jin Boyu turned his head and touched her nose with a smile.
He jokingly said, "You, the companion moon star, are also high and bright."
Tao Shuran was stunned. Over the years, except for that person, no one else could appreciate the meaning of her WeChat name.
The reason why she has not changed for so many years is very simple, it is a pure love that began in her teenage years.
No matter what, she would never choose to forget.
In the night sky, when a planet moves near the moon, the astronomical phenomenon of "moon companion star" appears, and the star closest to the moon is called the "moon companion star".
She wants to be a companion star to the moon, the brightest and shining star next to the crescent moon.
And until today, although the moon is no longer there, the bright and shining dream has never been abandoned for a moment.
In fact, every time she tried hard, Tao Shuran would think of Liang Yuanjing. His persistence and unwillingness to give up always pushed her forward.
She always tried not to think about him, but she felt that he was everywhere.
At this moment, Jin Boyu tilted his head and asked her——
"Thinking about someone?"
His heart skipped a beat, and Tao Shuran smiled calmly.
Question: “Is it obvious?”
"My eyes are about to burst into tears."
She rubbed her eyes subconsciously, then reacted after a while and said angrily, "Brother, you're teasing me again."
Jin Boyu smiled and said, "When will you share your story with us?"
"No."
"how?"
Tao Shuran was rarely stubborn: "Never tell."
Not speaking means not missing.
Twenty-five-year-old Tao Shuran no longer has that lonely and courageous love.
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The author has something to say: I wonder if any readers have noticed that the secret love diary at the beginning of the chapter has come to an end here.
Our Xiaoran will never be sad again [burst into tears][burst into tears]
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