MNL Chapter 35
by VolareThe night wind carried a chill, rustling the leaves as they fell. Shen Yan turned his head to glance outside, his expression indifferent.
Even though school had ended, many classrooms still had their lights on, with many students still buried in their studies. So, when Shen Yan saw that the door to Class Four’s classroom wasn’t locked, he naturally didn’t think much of it.
Because only the lights at the front of the classroom were on, it wasn’t until he entered that he noticed someone standing beside his seat. Although the person was facing the window, Shen Yan recognized the slender figure at a glance.
Hearing the footsteps, Xu Jing turned around and picked up his backpack from the chair.
There was no one else in the classroom. Shen Yan stuffed his books into his desk drawer, turned off the lights, and left the classroom as well.
On the way, Xu Jing’s cold voice came, “I wasn’t waiting for you, don’t overthink it.”
Shen Yan hummed in agreement, readily saying, “I wasn’t overthinking it. I thought you must be standing there admiring the night view.”
This olive branch was offered somewhat unexpectedly. Xu Jing turned to look at Shen Yan, only to see a faint smile in his eyes, and asked, “What’s going on today?”
Xu Jing was taken aback, and replied, “Someone said there were good things in the dormitory, so everyone went to see.”
Class Four was very famous in the grade, not only because of the presence of Shen Yan and Xu Jing, but also because Class Four had been ranked first on the DiligenceDiligence Board four consecutive times since the start of the semester.
The Diligence Board, which was updated monthly, calculated scores based on each class’s average monthly exam scores, the number of students voluntarily staying after school to study, and various other factors that reflected students’ diligent study habits. The top three classes in terms of overall score made the list.
Academic performance was a sure thing, but the latter two factors were highly variable. Therefore, making the list required not only strength but also luck, and Class Four happened to have both.
Shen Yan asked again, “Then why didn’t you go see?”
Xu Jing snorted, “Boring.”
“True.” Shen Yan nodded. “After all, watching the night view is more interesting.”
After saying that, Xu Jing fell into contemplation. Why did Shen Yan’s words always have a double meaning, making him feel like an idiot?
After thinking for a long time without understanding, Xu Jing was too lazy to bother and casually changed the subject, “What did the teacher want with you?”
After a moment of silence, Shen Yan replied, “Told me to study hard.”
Specifically calling the top student in the grade to the office, only to tell him to study hard.
Xu Jing’s tone was a bit annoyed, “Shen Yan, do I look stupid?”
Shen Yan smiled, “Believe it or not.”
The smile didn’t reach his eyes, looking fake.
Xu Jing frowned and said sharply, “Don’t smile.”
“Why?”
“You smile like a ghost.”
“…” Shen Yan raised his eyebrows and said, “Then I’m the best-looking ghost.”
Xu Jing snorted, more like the most narcissistic ghost.
Not getting the information he wanted, Xu Jing was a little unwilling. He pinched his palm and said, “If you’re willing, you can tell me some things.”
The words were quite touching, but the tone wasn’t very good, sounding like he was saying, ‘You better hurry up and thank this young master for his great kindness.’
But tonight, the moonlight was dim, shining on people with a hazy glow. It seemed that as long as the voice was lowered a little, that tender emotion would spread out, disturbing the other person’s mind, recklessly and excessively.
Shen Yan didn’t take it to heart, “For example?”
Xu Jing looked at him, seriously, “The past, or the present.”
Shen Yan’s smile faded.
The past, huh?
That wouldn’t be very pleasant to hear.
He looked at the road ahead, and memories quietly assailed him.
That year, in late autumn, the woman on the hospital bed was covered in tubes, her pale face distorted by pain. One hand gripped the bedsheet, while the other stroked the boy’s face, tears constantly streaming down. “Xiao Yan, remember, no matter what happens, you have to live on.”
The boy’s lips trembled, but he couldn’t say a word, only looking at the woman with red eyes.
“Forget all this, don’t carry hatred, be good, and keep living.”
The woman’s voice grew softer and softer, like a breeze about to dissipate, “Promise me, live on…”
Memories surged, followed by ferocious faces, harsh shouts, and a glass being smashed hard against the floor, the exploding shards cruelly tearing apart all the warmth in the room.
Even he himself didn’t want to think about these unbearable pasts, so who would want to listen? It was like taking an extremely bad movie and dissecting it frame by frame. Watching it too much would only cause disgust from the bottom of one’s heart without any resonance, and it wouldn’t change what had already happened. It was superfluous and meaningless.
So, what was there to say?
Shen Yan sneered inwardly, and his pace slowed down. He wanted to ask Xu Jing a question: so what if he told him? What would happen then? Would Zhong Yiqiu come back to life because of it? He didn’t need useless concern and sympathy. It was a waste of time.
However, the aggressive words were like a bird about to fly out of its cage, but at the last moment, they stopped at the edge of his lips.
If he spoke now, these harsh words would be enough to make the person next to him turn around and leave, and after tonight, Xu Jing would no longer pay attention to him.
“Why aren’t you walking?”
Xu Jing subconsciously thought that there was something wrong with what he had just said, and a few traces of nervousness arose in his heart.
Theferocity in his eyes slowly dissipated. After calming down, Shen Yan returned to his nonchalant appearance, his voice without a trace of emotion.
“Thank you.”
Xu Jing was stunned, “Thank you for what?”
“I don’t know.” Shen Yan paused, and then said, “Thank you for being good-looking.”
“…”
What nonsense.
Halfway down the road, Xu Jing said, “You’re not quite what I initially thought.”
“Oh?” Shen Yan asked, “How are you different?”
“At first, I thought you were a very impolite weirdo.”
Shen Yan recalled the scene of their first meeting and explained, “I don’t like meddling in other people’s business.”
Xu Jing hummed in agreement. If the roles had been reversed back then, he might not have done much better than Shen Yan. At most, the door wouldn’t have slammed so loudly.
“What about now?” Shen Yan suddenly became curious and asked, “What kind of person do you think I am now?”
After thinking for a while, Xu Jing said thoughtfully, “Like a king.”
Hearing this, a few traces of surprise flashed across Shen Yan’s face.
He had never heard such an evaluation before.
“Why?”
Xu Jing turned his head, not answering.
Shen Yan seemed to have thought of something and smiled, “If I’m a king, then what are you, a warrior fighting for me?”
Xu Jing snorted and said, “You’re really good at flattering yourself.”
Shen Yan reached out and hooked his arm around Xu Jing’s shoulder, dragging out the last syllable with a meaningful tone, “Then otherwise, my queen?”
“…” Xu Jing turned his head and gave Shen Yan a look, “Get lost.”
Shen Yan’s shoulders trembled slightly, and he chuckled softly.
There were hardly any stalls set up by the roadside tonight. The two originally wanted to buy some late-night snacks casually, but looking at the flies buzzing everywhere, Shen Yan frowned and said, “Eating this really won’t poison us to death?”
Xu Jing said expressionlessly, “I don’t know, why don’t you try?”
Seeing that they were almost home, Shen Yan stopped in front of a supermarket, “What do you want to eat?”
Xu Jing thought he was going inside to buy snacks, so he said directly, “No need.”
He didn’t know if his words had been heard, but he saw the person in front of him leave the sentence “Wait for me here” and walk into the supermarket.
Xu Jing looked inside and found Shen Yan heading towards the refrigerated section with practiced ease, bending over as if looking for something. The supermarket door curtain was transparent, and this position was perfect for seeing Shen Yan’s every move, except that it blocked part of his profile. Xu Jing took two small steps back, completely unaware that his current posture of peeking was like a perverted stalker.
But in fact, before Shen Yan, Xu Jing had never seriously looked at anyone, let alone had a concept of who was good-looking. In Yan Zhe’s words, in Xu Jing’s eyes, everyone had two eyes and a mouth. What was so strange about that?
The person in question also agreed with this point.
But until he met this person, he found that some adjectives always appeared in his mind from time to time. Especially when he saw Shen Yan’s lips, he actually found them sexy, and even had a strange impulse. This obscure emotion and abnormal psychology annoyed him, but he still couldn’t control it.
Before long, Shen Yan paid and walked out from inside. Xu Jing hastily looked away.
Damn it, he had actually stood here staring at Shen Yan’s face for a full ten minutes.
Was he sick?
“Let’s go.” Shen Yan said.
Xu Jing wanted to divert his attention, so he looked at the bag Shen Yan was holding, but before he could see what was inside, he was interrupted by a cell phone ringtone.
He took out his phone and found that it was Yu Qianfang’s call.
A call at this time was probably not a good sign. Xu Jing didn’t hesitate for a moment.
“Aunt Fang.”
“…Xiao…Xiao Jing.”
The voice on the other end of the phone was intermittent, hoarse and unclear, completely different from Yu Qianfang’s usually pleasant voice. It sounded like it was caused by crying for a long time, and then several rough male curses came from there.
Xu Jing’s expression changed instantly, “Aunt Fang, where are you?”
The other side suddenly became quiet.
Shen Yan had already noticed that something was wrong, reached out and took Xu Jing’s phone, and turned on the speakerphone.
“Stinky, stinky bitch, who are you calling, huh? Tonight, even if the King of Heaven comes, it’s useless. Hurry, hurry—hurry up, where’s the bank card?”
His speech was slurred, obviously drunk.
“Xiao Jing, save…save me, I’m at…” Yu Qianfang’s voice was trembling badly, but at the critical moment, she lost her voice again.
“Where?!”
But then he only heard two beeps, and the phone showed that it had been hung up.
The last time he saw Yu Qianfang in the hospital, he felt that something was wrong. Someone who was always exquisite and loved beauty, someone who would dress up carefully even to go to the vegetable market, how could she allow herself to become like that, unless she really encountered something unavoidable.
But why didn’t he ask more at the time! The more Xu Jing thought about it, the more he blamed himself, and cursed a dirty word in a low voice in frustration.
“Where does she live?”
The steady voice was like a tranquilizer at this time. Xu Jing looked at Shen Yan inexplicably, and then reacted in the moment their eyes met.
Two sprinting figures quickly disappeared at the fork in the road, and the sudden footsteps aroused a burst of dog barking.