It was another Wednesday of the new week, and at noon, Shen Bai Yao came back from the cafeteria, drinking yogurt while walking, with worry written all over his face.
Because "Zhao Xu" disappeared inexplicably, she had been internally exhausted for almost a week, unable to eat or sleep well.
Just like today at noon, she came to the meal window in a daze. When she came back, she already had a plate of egg fried rice in her hand.
Shen Baiyao stared at the plate of egg fried rice and couldn't throw it away, so he pinched his nose and took two bites.
It's not as unpalatable as imagined.
She sat in her seat, away from the excitement of her classmates chatting before lunch break, and drank the medicine to treat the cold, and then the medicine to treat the stomach.
In the past, when her mouth felt bitter, that person would hold a large box of milk dates and fruit candies in front of her.
And now...
Shen Bai Yao's mouth was bitter and he took a sip of yogurt. At the same time, he blamed his incompetent father for "provoking" their feelings.
"Are you okay?" Tang Jiali noticed that she had a bad temper. He pushed a box of pork floss and shellfish in front of him, tilted his head and smiled, "Eat some of this."
Shen Bai Yao shook his head, biting the straw absentmindedly, and looked towards the sea outside the window.
The sunshine is like crushed gold shavings, falling down one after another, shining on the blue, embellished with golden yellow, forming a green shirt, and flowing into the distant coastline.
She held her chin and looked at the sea quietly, but she didn't know that there was already chaos inside and outside the class.
"Chen Bai Yao!"
"Bai Yao!"
Shen Baiyao was still looking at the sea, while Tang Jiali was looking at her. Neither of them realized what happened until Jin Rumo made an earth-shattering shot.
"What are you doing!" Tang Jiali shrugged his shoulders in fright, covering his chest.
Jin Rumo expressed his innocence, "Brother, are your ears stuffed with meat floss? Your enemies are coming to your door! You just know how to eat!"
"What?" Tang Jiali didn't know what was going on. He stretched his head and looked in the corridor, and found that several boys were gathered in front of the door of Class 6. People from inside and outside the class who came to watch the excitement had already surrounded the door.
Jin Rumo looked at today's heroine who was still in a daze, and shouted quietly and anxiously: "Bai Yao, Bai Yao!"
Tang Jiali kicked him lightly under the table, "Did you call Bai Yao?"
"Huh?" Shen Bai Yao, who was obsessed with the sea view outside the window, finally reacted and looked at the two of them blankly.
"Outside the door..." Jin Rumo pointed outside, feeling a little embarrassed, "A boy came to you to express his love."
Two people at the same table: "?"
At this time, the heroine did not realize the seriousness of the matter and was still sitting in her position, at a loss.
The boy leading the door looked familiar from a distance, but Shen Bai Yao couldn't remember who he was. He could only see him looking over the crowd, staring at him with a burning gaze, which made people feel awkward.
Next to the boy, there was a large group of people gathered. Apart from those who came up with ideas, they were probably the atmosphere group who came to embolden him.
Shen Baiyao wanted to treat it coldly and pretend not to hear, but the shouting outside the door became louder and louder, which she could not ignore.
"It's really noisy." Tang Jiali crossed his hands on his chest and glanced coldly outside. His usually sunny features were now covered with clouds.
Jin Rumo quickly pushed the person down and persuaded him: "Xiao Tangtang, impulsiveness is the devil."
Here, Shen Bai Yao pressed his ears, but he couldn't cover up the noise outside. One of the boys had the courage to step into the class with one foot and shouted:
"Classmate Chen Baiyao! Can you please come out for a moment? My friend wants to say a few words to you."
What does it mean to just say what you say and act like you're trying to block people?
She recalled the unpleasant experience at the beginning of school again and couldn't help but frown.
But leaving people outside all the time is not that easy after all, let alone recruiting the teacher is even more unclear... After going back and forth, Shen Bai Yao decided to make a quick decision, got up and walked out.
Naturally, two generals, Heng Ha, the flower protector, followed closely behind, one on the left and one on the right. As soon as she spoke, they drove away these boys.
Shen Bai Yao walked outside, with no trace of emotion on his face, "Who's looking for me?"
All the stars in the atmosphere group stepped back one after another, leaving only today's other protagonist in front.
The boy is tall and thin, with wheat-colored skin and somewhat arrogant and handsome features.
Shen Bai Yao thought about it, and although he looked a little familiar, he still couldn't remember who it was.
Behind Tang Jiali, the radar hanging on the top of his head was beeping. He recognized the boy the moment he looked at him:
The boy who brought drinks to Shen Bai Yao in physical education class last semester!
The surname is Gu, I can’t remember the name clearly.
Not only that, this man also frequently appeared at the door of Class 6, which made people upset just to see him.
Tang Jiali saw that he almost had the words "the evil spirit will never die" written on his face. Before the girl could say anything, he took a step forward, but was quickly pulled back by Jin Rumo's quick eyes and hands.
"No, what's the matter with you? Your name is Shen Bai Yao?"
Tang Jiali said at a volume that only two people could hear, "I can change her name for her."
Jin Rumo was speechless and responded with a few dry laughs.
Holy gold, it made me laugh.
When Shen Bai Yao saw that the boy opposite him had not spoken for a long time, he was not impatient. He asked first: "What do you want to see me for?"
In fact, Gu Xiao came to see a girl today mostly because of the instigation of his friends. A small part of it was because he really had something to say sincerely.
"I..." Gu Xiao's voice was hoarse and he lowered his head in embarrassment. On his wheat-colored face, a blush immediately spread from his cheekbones to the back of his ears.
After almost a minute of mental construction, he took a deep breath, his eyes suddenly brightened, and he said solemnly:
"I like you!"
As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere of the whole room undoubtedly exploded. Those who knew and didn't know, those in and outside the class, a large-scale human relapse scene was performed online. The wailing sounds came one after another, echoing in the corridor. When the senior brother came, he felt like he was Out of place.
How could Shen Bai Yao cope with such a situation? Putting her in public view was tantamount to a public execution.
When the eyes of those watching the show all turned towards her, the girl lowered her head as if she had been burned, staring straight at the gaps between the marble tiles.
It's not that she wants to get in, but that she expects "Zhao Xu" to come up from underneath.
Shen Bai Yao peeked around with his peripheral vision, feeling very at a loss. He only hoped that the person who had been by his side would fall from the sky and save him from the fire and water.
At the same time, Shen Yunian, who was not far from the school, was rushing to school aggressively with her schoolbag on her back. It was not that she had foreseen her daughter's predicament in advance.
But at this moment, she desperately wanted to get rid of Feng Zhaoyun behind her.
Nothing else, I just think he is old and cumbersome.
When she takes one step, he takes three steps closer.
An hour ago…
Although Shen Yunian didn't want to go to school, pretending to be missing was not a problem, so after sleeping at home today, he had breakfast and lunch and went to school alone.
When she went down the stairs, she had already got into the car.
Unexpectedly, Shen Yunian had just left the community and was walking towards the driver's master when a man suddenly appeared in front of the car. He didn't know what he said to the driver, but the driver drove away happily.
Only Shen Yunian was left messy in the wind, and Feng Zhaoyun was standing on the opposite side of the road, running towards her eagerly.
Seeing this, Shen Yunian rolled his eyes and turned to leave.
"Nian Nian." Feng Zhaoyun stopped in front of her, his face full of expectation, and there was a little innocence in the expectation, making Shen Yunian want to kick this piece of cotton over.
Is this person crazy?
Shen Yunian took a deep breath and began to type: "You took my car away, and you didn't drive here when you were done!"
"What's wrong? Are you carrying me to school?"
Feng Zhaoyun calculated in advance that it would take nearly an hour to walk from her "home" to school.
This must be what he wants. Being able to walk side by side with his wife and chat about everyday things is what he wants.
"If you are willing...it's not impossible." After hearing this, Feng Zhaoyun lifted up his suit and really had the tendency to kneel down on one knee.
"Get out!"
After Shen Yunian said this word, he turned and left.
Feng Zhaoyun followed and coaxed softly: "Are you angry? Do you want me to carry your schoolbag?"
Shen Yunian strode forward without looking back and said, "I tell you, these days I will be called for questioning by the police from time to time."
"I took the opportunity to tell him that there is always a strange man following me."
Feng Zhaoyun followed suit, the smile in his eyes getting deeper and deeper, "If I go in, will you be willing to do it?"
Shen Yunian's disdainful laughter escaped from his nose, "I'm quite willing to do so." Then the conversation changed, "But for the sake of Bai Yao's future, you'd better not mess with me."
Just like this, one person criticized and the other responded, and the one-hour journey was shortened a lot.
Shen Yunian relied on his youth and moved almost at a constant speed throughout the whole process, but he still couldn't hide the consequences of cutting corners in his usual physical education classes. After walking into the old city where the High School Affiliated to the Normal University is located, he finally showed a tendency to lose.
And behind her, Feng Zhaoyun, although he was nearly forty years old, his physical fitness was no worse than that of young people. He was out of breath and his heart was not beating as we walked together.
"You want me to carry it for you..."
Shen Yunian interrupted him countless times, "I'm still useful, so I don't need to trouble you."
To outsiders, the relationship between the two seems indescribably weird.
When it comes to fathers and daughters, it is extremely common for a father to love his daughter.
However, it is really inappropriate for a daughter to yell at her father.
An old man cast a displeased look at Shen Yunian, making her unable to argue for a moment, and she simply gritted her teeth and quickened her pace.
Dark clouds gathered in the sky, as heavy as a cover, oppressing the city. The stagnant water vapor in the air mixes with the fragrance of flowers and trees, spreading into the whisper of the breeze.
In a word, it's going to rain.
Approaching the school gate, Shen Yunian was finally able to rest his sore feet. He turned around and softened his tone and said, "You should go back quickly. It will start raining later and there won't even be a place to hide from the rain nearby." .”
Hearing these words of concern, Feng Zhaoyun felt a little happy at first, then put away his smile and pursed his lips.
He looked at the person in front of him with a deep gaze, as if he had a thousand words to say.
For a moment, he really didn't want to let her go back to school.
I just want to hold her hand, find a place where no one is around, and have a heart-to-heart talk with her.
Because he really wanted to ask:
Why don't you tell me in advance about such a big thing?
Why do you want to risk your life?
Am I not a trustworthy person?
I really can't bear the pain of losing you anymore.
Shen Yunian looked at his deep eyes, as if he could see through his thoughts. He couldn't tell any jokes, so he said instead:
"Sorry, I didn't mean to worry you."
The two looked at each other, and Feng Zhaoyun's stern face broke the ice first, unable to restrain the raised corners of his lips.
He held his wife's hand as if no one else was watching. She hurriedly pulled her hand back like a frightened rabbit, but he held it tightly, not letting her leave.
"Do you have any illness?" Shen Yunian pulled his hand out like a tug of war, but to no avail.
The falling raindrops hit the palms of the two people's hands, but within a moment, the cool rain strands connected into one sheet, trapping the two of them.
No matter how she dragged him, the man was determined not to let go, and he didn't say anything, which almost made the impatient Shen Yunian suffer from myocarditis.
Standing in the drizzle, she suddenly saw a figure holding an umbrella at the school gate.
The dark green umbrella was slightly raised, revealing the young man's delicate eyebrows. The broken pool of water on the ground was reflected in his eyes and blended into the misty rain.
He stretched out his hand to catch the raindrops, like jade beads falling on the plate, trying to stay but disappearing, eventually disappearing into the lines in the palm of his hand. When can I meet him again in my dream when I can't hold this rain?
Shao Yu looked at the two people pulled by the rain from a distance, as if the continuous spring rain was caught in his eyes, making it difficult to calm down.
Shen Yunian squinted his eyes for confirmation before he recognized who it was and raised his hand to stop him.
That Yuli figure is like a splashed ink painting, mottled in the phantom-like haze, gradually fading away.
He also left the dark green umbrella behind, perhaps because he was afraid that she would get wet.
What Shen Yunian didn't know was that since the day she mysteriously disappeared, Shao Yu would stand at the school gate every day, memorizing books and waiting for her to come back.
After the person had gone away, Feng Zhaoyun let go of his hand, as if nothing had happened, and there was still a decent smile on his face.
"Can you give me a call tonight..."
Shen Yunian thought to himself that this man looked very upright, but in fact he was very smart, and he was more serious than a child.
She was too lazy to care anymore, plugged her ears, and said loudly:
"What are you talking about? The rain is too loud to hear... That's it, I'm leaving."
……
Before Shen Yunian walked up to the third floor, he heard the roar of monkeys in the stairwell. He was eager to take a bite of fresh melon, and then he quickened his pace and ran up.
Class 6 was on one side of the small staircase. She had just gone up to the third floor, and at a glance she saw her daughter surrounded by a group of people.
Shen Bai Yao is definitely a little more cheerful than at the beginning of school, but only a little.
It was still difficult for her to cope with this kind of situation, and her expression was so reserved that others couldn't help but start to suffocate on her behalf.
After the boy said the shocking "I like you", after the bystanders moaned for a while, Shen Yunian quietly appeared behind Gu Xiao and said quietly:
"It's so disrespectful, what can you say?"
As soon as she said this, everyone turned around and looked at her in confusion.
Shen Bai Yao blinked hard, and was so excited that tears welled up in the corners of his eyes. The person who was in his heart one second really came out of the cracks in the ground the next second.
At this moment, it was as if no one around her existed. She crossed the crowd, ran towards him, and gave him a bear hug.
"Where have you been?"
"They all said you were missing..."
Do you know I'm worried about you?
Of course, Shen Bai Yao, who was not good at expressing emotions, would not be able to say the second half of the sentence.
She leaned down slightly and rested on Shen Yunian's shoulder, finally letting out her worries and guilt.
Although Shen Bai Yao tried his best to suppress his cries, Shen Yunian could still feel that wet and hot tears seemed to seep into his shoulders, slowly flowing into his heart, giving his body an equal amount of soreness.
Shen Yu patted her daughter's back young and softly, put away her boldness, and turned to gentleness: "It's okay, I'm asking for leave, not going into the sea of fire."
"What's wrong with this?"
"Is this rejection?"
People around were talking a lot. Gu Xiao, who was left aside, felt a little embarrassed and asked tentatively: "Um... do you hate me so much?"
Shen Bai Yao was still immersed in the emotion of regaining something. He buried his face in someone else's shoulder and didn't hear him speak.
Tang Jiali, on the other hand, acted as a substitute and gloated: "This is already a rejection, don't be too sad."
Even so, when he and Shen Yunian looked at each other, he couldn't help but put away his smile. How could he dare to say anything? Stand at attention instead.
After all, today is different from the past, and the words behind that photo were enough to make him respect it.
Shen Yunian waved his hand and directly took action to resolve the embarrassment for his daughter.
"It's all over, let's go back and study hard."
Not getting a clear answer, Gu Xiao still had the last trace of fantasy and asked: "Shen Baiyao, do you really not remember me?"
Shen Bai Yao finally woke up from his own world. Hearing this, he looked at him blankly and shook his head without any hesitation.
"Sorry, you are a very good classmate, but I..."
Don't know you.
Knowing this was the result, Gu Xiao couldn't hide his disappointment, but he smiled with relief.
Whatever, let’s do it.
Gu Xiao took out a letter from his pocket, judged briefly, and chose to hand the letter to Tang Jiali.
"Are you..." Tang Jiali pointed at himself, unable to believe it, "Me?" He took the envelope hesitantly.
Out of politeness, he certainly wouldn't look.
But out of inexplicable hostility, his eyes couldn't move, as if he wanted to see through the envelope to see the words deep inside.
"It's okay, just watch." Gu Xiao's eyes were red and his voice was hoarse.
"Because I can see that you and I... have similar ideas."
Tang Jiali's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly glanced not far away. When he saw that his deskmate was not paying attention, he felt relieved and said angrily: "When... did you like her?"
Gu Xiao said without thinking: "Second day of junior high school."
"Isn't it a coincidence?" Tang Jiali looked like he was sorry to see each other so late. Amid the horrified gaze of the other party, the two of them held hands.
"I am also in the second grade of junior high school."
Seeing his love rival sadly exiting the stage, Tang Jiali opened the letter with his consent. Although the writing was ordinary and pretentious, it was more sincere in emotion:
+When I first met you in the second year of junior high school, I was probably destined to end without any illness.
+You may never know how much I miss you since you transferred to another school in the third grade of junior high school.
+ This time it’s my transfer school, and the next time we meet is far away.
+This time I will leave all my secret loves in the past.
It turned out that he was about to transfer schools, so he came to express his love in a hurry.
Tang Jiali put away the envelope and returned to the dessert shop where he first met Shen Baiyao two years ago.
The sweetness of years ago spreads candy-colored ribbons into the air across time, tightly connecting the boys and girls at both ends of the fate.
After going around and around, they met again.
Thinking of this, Tang Jiali curled his lips and smiled, his eyes shining with pink stars, like the sweetness of a spilled strawberry milkshake.
I don't know if it was Jin Rumo's illusion, but he saw the beauty of a villain succeeding in his friend's face.
But what a coincidence, your love rival is going to transfer to another school, and so is your friend.
He lost his wife and lost his troops.
……
In the evening, mother and daughter returned to the dormitory together. Shen Bai Yao showed a rare expression of dependence. He hugged each other's arm tightly and refused to let go.
"So you really ran away from home because of a quarrel with your aunt?" Shen Bai Yao still refused to believe this statement.
How could Shen Yunian reveal everything about his dealings with gunmen? How scary would that be?
"If I said that you ignored me and I was sick at home for several days, would you believe it?"
Hearing such a shameless statement, Shen Bai Yao pushed her hard and pretended to look down, "Then you'd better go home."
With this strength, Shen Yunian forgot about the pain in his legs and ran towards the dormitory building with all his strength, shouting as he ran:
"Whoever loses, please eat."
Shen Bai Yao was tall and had long legs, so he was at a disadvantage and ran in the direction of the full moon.
The wind blew past my ears, blowing away the barriers of a few days ago, and everything seemed to be back to the original laughter.
Only Shen Bai Yao knew that because the jump of the pointer disrupted the established stability, some things could never go back no matter what.
One short and one high chasing each other under the dim street lights. The old-fashioned lighting lengthens the shadows of the years and stretches in every corner of the memory.
Many, many years later, when Shen Bai Yao thought of this scene, the first thing he thought of was the street lamp lighting up the night, then the yawning expression of his "friend", and finally the running shadow.
She couldn't explain why she liked to step on the shadows under the street lights.
Maybe because when you close your eyes, you can hear the rustling of leaves, the intermittent chirping of cicadas, and the sound of dead grass blown by the wind, just like a rewinding MP3. With just a few words, you can piece together the broken past.
……
After returning to the dormitory, Shen Bai Yao went to get a basin of hot water and put it under the bed.
Looking at the rising heat, Shen Yunian felt uncertain and shakily put his feet close to the water.
Unexpectedly, Shen Bai Yao slammed her feet into the water, and the ensuing howl attracted sideways glances from the entire corridor.
"It's about to be cooked!" Shen Yunian tried his best to pull his feet out, but he couldn't resist the strength of his hands.
After a while, Shen Yunian's feet finally got used to the hot water, feeling so comfortable that he let out a long sigh.
Afterwards, he felt a smooth blood circulation, and an inexplicable comfort flowed throughout his body. Shen Yunian, who had been nervous for many days, finally relaxed completely at this moment, his eyelids also trembled, and he lay directly on the bed.
Shen Bai Yao moved the bench, hugged the doll she had sewn, and sat across from her, saying, "Don't sleep, I'm not responsible for taking your feet out."
"If you fall asleep, just soak your feet in it all night."
Thinking of the horrifying scene with soaked hair, Shen Yunian suddenly opened his eyes wide, not daring to sleep again. He sat up again and found that the doll was still there, and was stunned for a moment.
Shen Bai Yao felt the relief brought by the hot water, raised her head and took a deep breath. The warm light favored her at this moment. This scene could not be happier for her.
Even if her feet turn into jellyfish, she still hopes that this warmth can stay a little longer.
Just a little longer.
"Let's go see a movie next week. McDull is showing again."
Shen Yunian rubbed his eyes that were about to become sticky and asked: "Which one?"
Shen Baiyao: "The one about "Pineapple Oil Prince"."
Shen Yunian thought about it for a moment, then suddenly realized and said, he couldn't stand it any longer, so he lay down again.
Shen Bai Yao resisted the urge not to step on her instep and lowered his head in thought.
McDull has his Pineapple Oil Prince.
Didn't she have her own pineapple oil princess?
"That's right!"
Shen Yunian suddenly started acting like a corpse, startling Shen Baiyao who was still distracted.
She looked up at the ceiling and said in a daze:
"We may have to do something first before looking for the Pineapple Oil Prince!"
(End of chapter)
The author said: You can watch the movie Pineapple Oil Prince. It roughly means that McDull has been dependent on his mother since he was a child, but his father has never appeared. One day Mrs. Mai told McDull about the legendary experience of McDull's father, the Pineapple Oil Prince.
The first encounter between Xiao Tang and Bai Yao will be written as a side story.
The finale will be in the next two chapters, I’m a little reluctant to leave this story TAT