Chapter 370: Confusion at First Meeting

The spring equinox in late March comes when the sun shines brightly.

The sun and the moon are in the sky, and the black bird does not refuse the cold of peach blossoms. In many early mornings, when Zhang Yunqi was running, holding a glass of milk and reading the news under the newspaper rack, he clearly felt that the vitality was growing upward from the depths of the earth.

Spring grass is growing again.

There are traces of flying birds in the sky.

On the way to school, there is the fragrant smell of fried dough sticks. The students in the lower grades are always brimming with youthful vigor. The boys sit on bicycles that make all kinds of noises and talk loudly. The girls wear their always loose school uniforms and smile in the swaying shadows of the trees.

For high school students like them, many of these scenes seem to have passed for centuries. Everyone is always in a hurry, reading in the morning and studying at night in the scorching heat, and trudging through the mountains of questions and the sea of ​​books.

This is life in senior year of high school.

Everyone is constantly striving for a goal.

Because everything seems to be going well, as if as long as you work hard, you can realize your dreams.

When I first saw it, I felt that my dream seemed to be within reach, and it couldn’t even be called a dream anymore.

This hardworking girl has already mastered the three years of high school knowledge. She is among the top two in her grade in all seven subjects. She has always been the first in the Jiangchuan City Eight Schools Teaching Alliance high school entrance examination for a whole year. There are not many high school questions that can stump her now.

As for the college entrance examination, she, who has studied hard for ten years, is not confused at all now. She only feels steadfast after all the hard work, and has the expectation of seeing the stars and the sea after walking alone in the dark night.

Moreover, unlike other senior high school students, the closer it gets to the college entrance examination, the more time this girl has.

She no longer needed to spend a lot of time on high school knowledge, but even so, Chu Jian wanted to spend more time on the vast amount of books, newspapers reflecting news and current affairs, and editorials that analyzed social phenomena incisively. She had no interest in caring about the frivolous, frivolous, and meaningless anecdotes in school like other classmates.

If one were to describe in one sentence what this girl wanted in the last period of her senior year, it would probably be to use deprivation to empty herself of all sensual pleasures and remove noise from temporary things.

Many things cannot be done just because you want to.

Chu Jian participated in a symposium on the recent uproar in school regarding the unknown whereabouts of tuition fees.

She herself did not have a deep understanding of this matter. She was selected by the school leaders as an outstanding representative of senior high school students for some unknown reason. But after really understanding it, she felt that this matter was meaningful and the school should respond positively to the legitimate demands of the students. Like other student representatives, she had the idea of ​​doing something.

The first thing they did was very simple. They asked the school to publish a detailed list of how the tuition fees were spent. If the school did not publish it, they would take further action to protest. As for what specific action to take, they are still discussing it.

On this day, Chu Jian was writing a simple draft of an action plan regarding the tuition fee issue when Yu Qingqing from the class suddenly came over and called her.

Chu Jian asked, "What's wrong? Qingqing."

Yu Qingqing smiled and said, "Do you have time, Chujian? I want to chat with you."

Chu Jian nodded and said yes.

Yu Qingqing turned and walked out of the classroom, and Chu Jian stood up and followed her out.

In the corridor, Yu Qingqing saw that there was no one around and asked, "I heard that you are the student representative who is handling the tuition fee issue?"

Chu Jian nodded and said yes.

Yu Qingqing suddenly lowered her head and picked at her nails, whispering, "Xiao Kai did this."

Chu Jian was stunned: "What do you mean?"

Yu Qingqing then told him the whole story. After she finished, she warned him, "Don't tell anyone about this."

I was still very surprised after hearing it for the first time. Wang Xiaokai was very enthusiastic about this matter at the beginning, and he even took the lead in writing a joint letter to make the matter a big deal. I didn't expect that he had selfish motives.

She said, "Xiao Kai was selfish and his actions were wrong, but fortunately the thing itself was right. Qingqing, why are you telling me this?"

Yu Qingqing seemed a little flustered: "I'm really worried. I feel uncomfortable holding it in my heart, but I don't know who to tell. And he's in this state now, I don't know what to do."

After a pause, she changed the subject and said, "By the way, which university is your Zhang Yunqi going to apply to?"

Chu Jian shook his head: "I don't know yet."

Yu Qingqing sighed, "I'm confused too. You know, Kaizi's grades are not good. He probably won't be able to get into a good school. He doesn't work hard either. I've talked to him about this many times. I've become numb. I can't see clearly anymore. I've been having nightmares lately..."

When he first saw her, he could already tell from Yu Qingqing's words that she was extremely disappointed in Wang Xiaokai.

It is understandable that this disappointment comes from family, pressure from the college entrance examination, and confusion about the future. They are also in premature love. Girls' intuition tells them that this is a very dangerous signal.

She didn't know what to say when she first met him, but she wanted to find time to persuade Wang Xiaokai. Maybe this was why Yu Qingqing came to her. But, Yu Qingqing's troubles were also shared by her and Zhang Yunqi.

"By the way, this is for you." Yu Qingqing interrupted Chu Jian's thoughts. She took out a small gift box from her pocket, handed it to Chu Jian, and said with a smile, "Happy birthday."

I was stunned when I first saw it.

She naturally knew that today was her birthday. In the morning, her mother cooked four red eggs as a birthday present for her. It had always been like this before, so she was used to it and thought it was good.

This was the first gift she received from a classmate other than Zhang Yunqi. It was a bit difficult, but she didn't want to hurt Yu Qingqing's kindness, so she said thank you several times and even offered to treat her to a meal in a few days.

After Yu Qingqing left, Chu Jian stood in the corridor holding a gift and stared at the white clouds in the sky. The situation of Yu Qingqing and Wang Xiaokai made her think about her and Zhang Yunqi's problems and future. Her goal for the college entrance examination was to enter Tsinghua University.

All the teachers and classmates around me know this.

This is not just an academic ideal, but also because of the man who gave birth to her but did not raise her, the man who abandoned his wife and daughter.

During these ten years, every night when she read by lamplight, she had been longing for the day when she could stand in front of that man, not to take revenge on him or to make demands on him, nor to tell him how much struggle, pain and despair she and her mother had experienced over the years.

She just wanted to stand in front of the man, look at him silently, and tell him in silent language that she could grow into a towering tree even without him.

This has been the girl's obsession for almost a decade.

A desire that must be fulfilled!
However, what made her increasingly panicked was that she didn't know which university Zhang Yunqi wanted to apply to. She wanted Zhang Yunqi to go to Tsinghua University with her, but she didn't know how to ask him. Or rather, she was a little afraid to ask Zhang Yunqi and then get an unwanted answer.

Because of Zhang Yunqi's grades, he was admitted to Tsinghua University...

Thinking of this, Chu Jian turned his head to look towards the classroom. Zhang Yunqi's seat was empty. He had taken another leave today.

She suddenly felt a little depressed.

After school in the afternoon, Chu Jian went home alone to eat.

At noon and in the evening when students are out of school, Zhang Ji Qifengdu Fish Noodle Shop is the busiest. Zhang's mother and Chu Jian's mother are always busy in the shop. In the past, Chu Jian and Zhang Yunqi would wait in the shop until the customers had almost finished eating before eating together. Later, Ji Ling and Chun Lan came, there were more people, and they had to go to class in the evening, so the four of them cooked and ate at Chu Jian's house.

Now Ji Ling went to Lijin for the art exam and will be back in a while. Chunlan seldom eats at home for some reason recently, and Yunqi is probably out entertaining officials. So, today, Chu met someone for dinner.

Having dinner alone on my 18th birthday.

She bought 50 cents of cabbage at the vegetable market near the community. Being alone, she just wanted to keep it simple. But when she was about to check out and go home, she remembered that the honey at home was used up, so she bought another bottle of local honey and a pound of celery.

She was afraid that Zhang Yunqi would feel uncomfortable after drinking too much at night, and honey and celery juice could help him sober up.

After buying the things, Chu Jian went home.

When I arrived at the door of my home, I heard a slight noise from inside. I pushed the door open and saw the familiar tall and thin figure wearing an apron, busy in the kitchen.

"You're back? School was over a long time ago, why are you so late?" Zhang Yunqi looked back at her with a calm smile on his face. That kind of smile always makes people feel at ease when they first meet. As long as he is by my side, it doesn't matter if the world collapses.

"I went to the market to buy some vegetables," she whispered. She didn't know why, but after being with this boy for a long time, she became more and more vulnerable and more and more likely to feel wronged.

Zhang Yunqi took the plastic bag from her hand and said: "Why is it cabbage again? Do you eat this every day when I'm not home for dinner? You're already so thin, how can you gain weight in the future?"

"I can't eat much when you're not around." Chu Jian said in a low voice, looking at his toes.

"I'll try to go home for dinner in the future." Zhang Yunqi could clearly sense that Chu Jian was not in a good mood. He reached out and touched her clear little face, and said with a smile: "Shall we wash the vegetables together?"

Chu Jian nodded and said ok.

For just two people, Zhang Yunqi prepared three light dishes: steamed sea bass, old hen stewed with chestnuts, and stir-fried cabbage.

During the meal, Chu Jian said, "You took a day off today to take care of things at the company. I thought you had a social event tonight."

Zhang Yunqi said: "No, I was busy with other things."

Chu Jian hesitated for a moment and asked: "Do you have time to accompany me to evening self-study tonight?"

Zhang Yunqi nodded and said go.

After hearing this, Chu Jian couldn't help but say: "The college entrance examination is just a few months away. You have such a good talent for studying. Can you put other things aside for the next few months and study hard together?"

A person's energy is limited, and Zhang Yunqi cannot have everything he wants. Most of the time, he faces a broader society and does not have much time to focus on studying. But at this moment, looking at the girl's clear eyes, there seemed to be a hint of heartbreaking pleading in them.

Zhang Yunqi nodded: "Okay, sure."

Chu Jian was particularly serious about this matter: "Can it really be done?"

Zhang Yunqi said: "Sure. But tonight doesn't count. Starting tomorrow, I will focus on studying. Except for Sunday, I will not take a day off. I will study hard with you every day."

When Chu Jian saw this, a smile appeared on his little face: "Okay."

Zhang Yunqi smiled and put the freshest fish belly meat in Chu Jian's bowl: "Is the food delicious tonight?"

Chu Jian smiled and put another piece of cabbage in Zhang Yunqi's bowl: "Delicious."

It's a bit strange. Ji Ling likes to eat fish, Chu Jian also likes to eat fish, and Zhang Yunqi is a good cook, but he himself doesn't eat fish much.

I knew this when I first met you.

******
PS: The next chapter will be updated tomorrow morning.

(End of this chapter)