SYLM Chapter 8
by VolareChapter 8 “Good Thing You’re Here”
The bus traveled a few stops, and with each stop, the space on the bus became a little less crowded.
By the last few stops, the originally packed bus only had five or six people left.
Gu Wan Jun and Chen Lu were among them.
…
The second to last stop before the final destination.
The back door of the bus opened, and Chen Lu and Gu Wan Jun got off one after the other.
From the simple conversation just now, it was clear that Chen Lu was going to a place just across the street from the old residential complex where Gu Wan Jun was temporarily staying.
It was almost midnight, and there were hardly any people on the street, and even the passing vehicles were few and far between.
Looking at the old residential complex across the street, hidden in the darkness and snow, Chen Lu pursed her lips. She didn’t understand why Gu Wan Jun would live so far from the school.
Meanwhile, Gu Wan Jun, standing beside her, was also feeling complicated emotions.
Looking at the old residential complex in front of her, which wasn’t much better than the place she lived, Gu Wan Jun remembered what Zheng Wei had said about Chen Lu supporting herself with her writing income.
Was she living in this remote old residential area to save money?
Thinking of this, Gu Wan Jun felt a pang in her heart, but in order not to let this emotion affect Chen Lu, she quickly adjusted her mood.
Accompanied by a puff of white breath, Gu Wan Jun’s gentle voice carried a hint of concern:
“Ah, it’s so cold. It’s getting late, you should go home quickly.”
“Teacher, do you need a flashlight?”
“Hmm?”
The cold wind howled, and Gu Wan Jun’s ears were wrapped in her scarf, so she didn’t hear what Chen Lu said. It wasn’t until she saw the other girl unzip her winter school uniform jacket and take out a small flashlight from the inside pocket that Gu Wan Jun understood what Chen Lu meant.
“No need, your residential area looks pretty dark, you should use it yourself. I’ll be there in a minute.”
As she spoke, Gu Wan Jun subconsciously glanced at the residential complex across the street where she lived. She thought that even if the lighting conditions were poor, they should be about the same as the complex in front of her.
But with just that one look, Gu Wan Jun’s expression froze, and she instantly felt a chill all over her body.
Across the street, in the residential complex where she lived, there wasn’t even a dim light, let alone any streetlights. Looking over, all she could see was darkness, and nothing else. The trash cans at the entrance of the complex were piled high, and the plastic bags were blown by the night wind, flapping wildly, making a sound that would scare anyone.
Gu Wan Jun’s heart sank.
This was the first time she had returned to the complex at this hour since becoming the homeroom teacher, and she definitely lacked the experience of needing a flashlight to go home late at night.
But then again, how could the complex be so dark? Were there no lights at all?
…
On the other side, seeing that the usual smile had completely disappeared from Gu Wan Jun’s eyes, Chen Lu’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, as if she understood something. She proactively explained:
“Teacher, there used to be two streetlights in the yard of your complex, but last month some people got drunk and had a fight, and they broke the lights. It looks like no one has come to fix them yet.”
“…Ah, is that so…” Gu Wan Jun subconsciously swallowed.
She was most afraid of the dark, but in front of a female student who was younger than her and probably more easily scared, Teacher Gu still forced out a smile:
“It’s okay, I can just use the flashlight on my phone.”
“But Teacher—”
“Okay, it’s getting late, you should go home quickly, and be careful.”
Afraid that her expression would give her away in the next second, Gu Wan Jun interrupted Chen Lu and said goodbye in a hurry.
…
Across the street, at the entrance of the residential complex.
Everywhere she looked was pitch black.
The flying snowflakes brushed against Gu Wan Jun’s cheeks in patches, and the cold wind howled and screamed in her ears, resonating with the crunching sound of her footsteps on the snow, becoming the only source of sound that Gu Wan Jun could hear. Even though she had turned on the flashlight on her phone, the faint light seemed to be swallowed by the cold wind and had no effect at all.
Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid, it’s okay, it’s okay…
Gu Wan Jun kept encouraging herself in her heart as she approached the entrance of the complex. She had left in a hurry in the morning and didn’t wear gloves, and her hand holding the phone was already red and trembling from the cold.
It’s only a few steps to home after entering the complex, don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid…
Gu Wan Jun repeatedly recited in her heart.
11:40 PM Beijing time.
Standing at the entrance of the complex, which was as dark as an abyss, Gu Wan Jun stopped, her expression troubled.
Although Gu Wan Jun was a party member and a staunch materialist, she couldn’t help but let her imagination run wild whenever she faced this kind of pitch-black darkness.
She could only blame her active mind, and blame herself for reading that novel called “The Cage” written by Chen Lu during the day. This scene was no different from when the heroine in the novel was killed, was it?
…
Her feet, which she had been stomping to and fro, were almost frozen. With no other choice, Gu Wan Jun closed her eyes and steeled herself, planning to run all the way home in a moment.
Yes, that’s what she’d do.
Gu Wan Jun affirmed her idea in her heart, and just as she was about to take off running, a beam of bright light suddenly cut through the darkness in front of her, and the light was getting closer and brighter from behind her.
Turning her head in the direction of the light, Gu Wan Jun’s heart was shaken. The person who had come to rescue her with a flashlight was none other than Chen Lu.
…
Chen Lu trotted all the way to Gu Wan Jun, her ears, exposed to the air, were already red from the cold. Their eyes met, and before Gu Wan Jun could react, Chen Lu had already spoken:
“It’s almost twelve o’clock, it’s not safe in the complex without lights, Teacher, you should use my flashlight.”
As she spoke, Chen Lu handed over the flashlight, and the bright beam swept away a large area of darkness.
It would be a lie to say that she wasn’t touched by this gesture, but considering Chen Lu’s personal safety, Gu Wan Jun glanced at the flashlight and didn’t take it. “No need, it’s only a few steps to my place after I enter the complex—ah!”
A sudden scream tore through the cold, howling night. A wild cat with green eyes suddenly jumped out of nowhere, scaring Gu Wan Jun. In her panic, she subconsciously closed her eyes and grabbed the arm of the person next to her!
…
The familiar scent of white tea suddenly came close. Perhaps it was diluted by the cold wind, but it still made Chen Lu’s heart race, as she wasn’t used to intimate contact. She felt like her whole body had stiffened!
Despite not knowing what had happened and not being used to intimate contact, Chen Lu still instinctively and deftly protected Gu Wan Jun behind her, her eyes scanning the surroundings warily.
Only when she saw the wild cat with green eyes not far from them did Chen Lu dare to lower her eyes and breathe a sigh of relief.
She skillfully took out a small plastic bag from her school uniform pants pocket, poured out a small handful of cat food, and softly comforted Gu Wan Jun:
“It’s okay, Teacher, it’s just a cat.”
Chen Lu’s intention was to say that it was just a cat, and there was nothing to be afraid of.
But as soon as she finished speaking, the hand clutching her arm trembled even more violently. Gu Wan Jun closed her eyes, her voice clearly shaking:
“I know it’s a cat… I was scratched by a cat when I was little, so I’m afraid…”
“…”
Looking at Gu Wan Jun, who was so scared that she didn’t dare to open her eyes, Chen Lu was stunned for a moment, feeling a rare sense of helplessness and anxiety.
Besides the gentle and inclusive first impression, it was the first time she had seen this new homeroom teacher so vulnerable.
…
There was no time to think about anything else at the moment. Realizing that Gu Wan Jun was really scared, Chen Lu subconsciously softened her tone, trying her best to reassure her: “It’s okay, these cats near the complex don’t actively attack people. It will leave once it’s full.”
“…”
Hearing what Chen Lu said, Gu Wan Jun dared to slowly open her eyes after a few seconds.
The cold wind, mixed with frost and snow, stung her face.
After opening her eyes, Gu Wan Jun saw that Chen Lu had somehow produced a small handful of cat food. The girl scattered the cat food on the ground, and then pulled her away a little. After a while, the small cat with blue-green eyes walked over to the cat food and started eating.
“You this is…”
Gu Wan Jun hesitated, she looked at the small cat that had scared her, and then tilted her head to look at Chen Lu, a few traces of doubt and confusion appearing on her face. Because she was scared, she never let go of Chen Lu’s arm.
“Stray cats often come out to forage for food near the complex at night. I always feed them when I see them. I was just about to tell you not to be scared by them.” Chen Lu explained.
“Is that so… You scared me to death. I’m very afraid of cats, good thing you’re here.”
Gu Wan Jun breathed a sigh of relief, and the words came out of her mouth unconsciously.
The speaker may not have meant anything, but the listener definitely took it to heart.
The sentence “Good thing you’re here” fell into Chen Lu’s ears, but it also burned in her heart. She felt that her arm, which was grabbed by Gu Wan Jun’s hands, was almost devoid of blood, but the other party didn’t seem to want to let go.
…
“Teacher,” Chen Lu blinked.
“Hmm?”
“Um, my arm is a little numb…” Chen Lu moved her grabbed arm.
As soon as she finished speaking, Gu Wan Jun was stunned for a moment. Only then did she realize her series of actions and expressions just now.
Wait, was she so scared that she had her student protect her?
That porcelain-like, gentle, and elegant face quickly turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye. Gu Wan Jun immediately let go of her hand and took a half step back, wishing she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into!
“I’m so sorry, in that kind of situation, the teacher should have been protecting you, but instead, I made you protect me and comfort me…”
As she said this, Gu Wan Jun didn’t even dare to make eye contact with Chen Lu. If it weren’t for the magnolia red scarf around her neck, the girl would definitely have noticed her blushing face.
“Um… is your arm okay?” In the midst of the embarrassment, Gu Wan Jun started making small talk.
“It’s okay, it’s just numb. I just need to move it around a bit.” Chen Lu said truthfully.
“Ah… That’s good, that’s good.” Gu Wan Jun bit her slightly cool lips and said with concern, “It’s almost twelve o’clock, you—”
“Teacher, the snow is getting heavier and heavier, you should take the flashlight and go home quickly.”
“No, then you—”
“I have a spare flashlight, don’t worry.”
As soon as she finished speaking, before Gu Wan Jun could react, Chen Lu directly stuffed the flashlight into the hands of the person in front of her, and then rushed into the wind and snow without looking back.
The flashlight stuffed into her hand still retained the girl’s body temperature. Gu Wan Jun held it tighter, and she stood there for a long time, until the wind and snow completely blurred Chen Lu’s figure, then Gu Wan Jun retracted her gaze and turned to enter the complex.