MNL Chapter 119

Chapter 119 Extra 1: Cherish the Journey.

In mid-June, Xu Jing received a call from the principal of Linhe No.1 High School, saying that the school wanted to invite him back to give a speech on the day of the school’s centenary celebration, sharing some study skills and college entrance examination experiences. Xu Jing couldn’t get away because of his studio, so he refused on the spot. A few days later, Liang Yin called again, also for this matter. Liang Yin had taken great care of him during his three years of high school, especially during the time after Shen Yan left. Liang Yin secretly helped solve many of the troubles he caused; otherwise, even if his grades were good, he wouldn’t have been able to graduate smoothly.

The midday sun shone into the bedroom through the curtains. Under the repeated bombardment of the alarm clock, the person on the bed finally struggled to get up. Dressed vaguely, Xu Jing glanced at the mirror and instantly woke up.

“Shen Yan!” a roar came from the bedroom.

Two seconds later, a man in home clothes appeared slowly at the door, his handsome face naturally revealing a hint of a smile.

“What’s wrong?”

“Didn’t you take what I said last night seriously?” Xu Jing pointed to his neck, his hair standing on end, “How am I supposed to see people today?”

Shen Yan didn’t speak, looking up and down at his masterpiece of the night, seeming quite satisfied.

The hickeys on his neck were densely packed together, so obvious that anyone could tell what he had experienced last night. Thinking that he had to go to school to give a speech later, Xu Jing became even more annoyed.

Xu Jing, who hadn’t woken up naturally, was already a volatile gas can. Seeing the gas can hovering on the verge of exploding, someone immediately stopped while they were ahead, walked forward, and hugged him from behind.

Xu Jing tilted his head, dodging the kiss that came up, and said coldly, “Don’t try this trick, it’s useless.”

The person behind him paused, and after a while, said in a low voice, “I’m sorry.”

Perhaps his ears were itching from the sound, Xu Jing couldn’t help but turn his gaze from the mirror to the face buried on his shoulder. When he met Shen Yan’s gentle eyes, the stubborn stone in his heart almost wavered again.

No one in this world can resist being looked at with such eyes. If there were, they would only be blind.

Who said this trick was useless? This trick was simply foolproof.

Xu Jing pressed his tongue against his back molars, almost laughing out of anger.

“Seriously, is this all you learned when you went abroad for those few years?”

Shen Yan gently rubbed Xu Jing’s face with his hair, and said smoothly, “No, maybe it’s because I missed you so much during those years that I learned it on my own.”

Xu Jing has always been the type to respond to softness but not hardness, and Shen Yan is very clear about this. He was very good at taking advantage and acting innocent during his student days. Now, with age, this skill has become more and more skilled. Every time he makes a mistake, he can very accurately grasp the soft spot in Xu Jing’s heart when he is furious, and his words are all heartbreaking.

Sure enough, there was a subtle change in Xu Jing’s expression.

Then, another sentence came from his ear, “I like you too much, sorry.”

“…”

Damn it.

In the end, the gas can’s morning grumpiness didn’t erupt at all. Holding back a stomach full of fire, he put on a high-necked shirt in the 36-degree heat, covering the hickeys completely.

Even the thought of hitting him turned into a gentle kiss, landing on the corner of the mouth of a tea art master fox.

Linhe City’s economy has developed rapidly in recent years. In addition to the large-scale renovation of tourist attractions, the schools are no less impressive, especially Linhe No.1 High School. Even the trash cans in the classrooms have been replaced with 360-degree rotating smart models, now resembling a noble academy. Sure enough, it still proves the unchanging law: the so-called alma mater is that it starts renovating as soon as you graduate.

The principal looked the same except for his white hair. Because Shen Yan was silent throughout the process, and wore sunglasses that covered most of his face, the principal didn’t recognize him, thinking he was just a friend Xu Jing brought to visit.

After chatting in the office for a while, the celebration ceremony began. Xu Jing’s speech was scheduled at the beginning. Shen Yan stood under a big tree by the platform, listening attentively like thousands of students on the playground.

The former teaching building was still uniformly green and white, and some even had peeling exterior walls, but now, whether it was the color scheme or the lines, it had become very artistic. Shen Yan turned his head to look at the towering European-style building, and many memories flashed through his mind like a movie.

The male voice coming from the platform was steady and gentle. The young master, who used to find it troublesome to say more than three sentences in a row, was now willing to give a speech on stage. Time has passed, and he has really changed.

Although Xu Jing’s speech time was very short compared to others, the applause from the audience was very enthusiastic when it ended, especially during the question-and-answer session arranged by the principal. It was clear that the students were very interested in this once-sensational college entrance examination champion, and everyone raised their hands in a rush.

The microphone was first given to a tall boy whose wild hairstyle and strong physique resembled Cha Fei’ang from back then. He asked, “Senior, in the face of talent, is hard work really worthless?”

“What kind of person do you think deserves to be called talented?”

The boy blurted out, “It’s the kind who is awesome without much effort.”

The students on the side laughed.

“This world never lacks such people. There will be such existences in all walks of life. Talent can indeed affect a person’s upper limit to a great extent, but it only affects, not determines.” Xu Jing paused, his gaze swept over the group of youthful faces, and said lightly, “So there is no need to mystify talent. Whether you succeed depends on your desire for success. As long as you have enough determination, perseverance is also a kind of talent. This kind of talent and innate ability are worthy of determining your upper limit.”

Applause broke out, and more and more people raised their hands. Later, they asked questions one after another for half an hour, and Xu Jing patiently answered them one by one.

Finally, the microphone was given to a girl who looked a little timid, but her eyes were firm.

“Senior, what do you think is the most important thing in the process of realizing your dream?”

Xu Jing thought for a while and replied, “Faith.”

Obviously, this answer resonated with many students, and there were all kinds of discussions for a while.

“Can I ask what your faith was back then?”

Perhaps because everyone was very interested in this answer, the entire playground suddenly became quiet. In such an atmosphere, Xu Jing’s voice was like a heavy stone falling into the water, stirring up a large area of ​​water.

“My faith.” Xu Jing’s voice paused, his eyes locked on the man with his arms folded under the shade of the tree, and the corner of his mouth raised slightly, “Comes from my lover.”

The students’ cheers and screams pierced the eardrums. Under the cover of the sunglasses, Shen Yan seemed to have no reaction, but before Xu Jing withdrew his gaze, he found that the man, who looked extremely calm, reached out and covered his lips, unable to stop the smile at the corner of his mouth.

The school celebration activities were rich, but neither of them liked to join in the fun. They took this time to stroll around the campus.

All the way to the honor roll in front of the teaching building, Shen Yan stopped. It was full of students who had achieved excellent results in the college entrance examination over the years. Looking at it, the profiles were all very outstanding, but even though Linhe No.1 High School’s strength had greatly improved over the years, it still hadn’t produced a provincial champion again.

“If you had taken the college entrance examination back then, the top spot would have been yours. I took away the honor that belonged to you.”

Shen Yan smiled lightly, “Honor can’t be taken away, but I’m very curious, how did your English suddenly improve in that year or so?”

Xu Jing replied, “It doesn’t count as improvement, just the sea of ​​questions tactic.”

During that time, he used all the time he missed Shen Yan to do questions. Over time, conditioned reflexes became a habit, and he devoted himself wholeheartedly to studying.

“Isn’t it the effect of faith?”

Seeing Shen Yan’s smug face, Xu Jing certainly didn’t want to admit it, snorted softly, turned his head and continued to look at the honor wall.

There were many familiar faces on it, like Ye Lanshan, who was recommended to Tsinghua University back then, Lin Hai, who was eighth in the province in the college entrance examination, and Gu Qianqian, Lu Haichuan, and Wen Yi, who set the highest score record for a single subject… Xu Jing withdrew his gaze and suddenly asked, “Have you ever regretted it?”

“Regret?” Shen Yan said, “I regret not going to college with you, giving others a chance to take advantage.”

After a long silence, Xu Jing said, “You know what I’m referring to.”

“I know, but I don’t care about those things.” Shen Yan reached out and touched Xu Jing’s head, taking advantage of him without any politeness, “Because your honor is my honor.”

Xu Jing dodged and lowered his voice, “Public place, pay attention.”

Shen Yan was about to say that no one saw, when a gentle female voice came from behind.

“You two are here.”

The two turned their heads at the same time. The people around them had changed a lot over the years, but the one in front of them still looked the same as before, gentle and young.

Xu Jing called out, “Teacher Liang.”

Liang Yin nodded, her gaze slowly moved to Shen Yan, as if waiting for something.

Two seconds later, Shen Yan took off his sunglasses and also called out, “Teacher Liang.”

Liang Yin then smiled and said, “Shen Yan, it’s been many years since I last saw you.”

“You still remember me.”

“How could I forget? I recognized you when I saw your back on the playground. When did you come back?”

“This year.”

Liang Yin nodded and said, “That’s good.”

As the saying goes, every teacher has a unique white moonlight complex towards their first class of students, and Liang Yin is no exception. Her eyes were particularly gentle and kind, but because she looked at them for too long, Shen Yan and Xu Jing couldn’t help but feel a little unnatural.

Later, Liang Yin took the initiative to offer to take them around the campus. Along the way, the two also heard a lot of gossip. Zhou Yan became a grandfather last year and has retired home to take care of his granddaughter. Li Qin got married at the beginning of the year and recently took maternity leave. A new batch of intern teachers has entered the school, and the office is as lively as a market every day.

And many of their classmates have now started their own businesses and achieved fame and fortune in their respective fields. Like Ye Lanshan, who returned from studying abroad and has established her own brand company, Lin Hai is preparing to pursue a doctorate after completing his master’s degree at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. In addition, there are also excellent students who were once the pride of the teachers who went to jail for some shady reasons, and some who unfortunately passed away.

“A person’s life is neither long nor short. In short, it’s just about living well and cherishing the journey.” Liang Yin looked at them, as if implying something.

From the outside, it is indeed impossible to see any changes in Liang Yin over the years, but time is always merciless, and unconsciously leaves traces on a person, whether it is in the eyes or in the state of mind.

Thinking this way, perhaps Liang Yin is the one who has changed the most.

Under Liang Yin’s guidance, they toured the entire school. Later, Liang Yin was called to a meeting by another female teacher. At this time, it was not early, and the two prepared to leave.

When they arrived at the school gate, the bell rang just in time, and Xu Jing turned his head.

The four big characters of Linhe No.1 High School were shining golden in the afterglow of the setting sun. The figures in school uniforms shuttled between the playground and the teaching building, their steps so light and free, unrestrained, fearless, as if they could cross time in one step.

In an instant, Xu Jing suddenly felt that this feeling was very familiar, as if he had also been running forward without hesitation yesterday, but after careful recollection, he realized that this kind of thing had actually been a long time ago for him.

On the way back, seeing Xu Jing looking out the window, Shen Yan asked, “What’s wrong?”

Xu Jing came back to his senses and shook his head, “It’s nothing, I just suddenly feel like I’m a little old.”

Shen Yan paused, and smiled somewhat in amusement, “Why do you say that?”

Xu Jing thought for a while, not knowing how to explain, but he imagined in his mind that if it were another ten years, he might suddenly start with a “back in the day” as the answer.

When waiting for the red light, Shen Yan turned his head, his eyes scanning Xu Jing’s face like a detector, making Xu Jing’s scalp tingle. Finally, he couldn’t help but reach out to block Shen Yan’s eyes and push him back.

“Drive carefully.”

A dozen seconds later, as the car started, Shen Yan added, “You’re really good-looking.”

“Superficial.”

“Truth.”

Xu Jing raised his eyebrows, “If I wasn’t good-looking, we wouldn’t have been possible in high school?”

“No.” Shen Yan said sincerely, “It would have been impossible in this lifetime.”

Xu Jing: “…”

You don’t have to be so honest.

Shen Yan asked again, “Are you afraid of getting old?”

Xu Jing didn’t speak.

When he was standing at the school gate just now, he tried to recall his life over the years, but after racking his brains for a long time, he couldn’t even find the source, and only felt a strange emptiness, as if these seven years had passed in the blink of an eye, and he had wasted seven years.

At some point, it started to drizzle outside, and the raindrops slowly slid down the car window, sometimes clear, sometimes blurry.

The familiar music prelude sounded in the car, this was an old song that he and Shen Yan both liked very much.

Xu Jing listened quietly like this, until the last line of lyrics sounded.

“You ask me where is the most beautiful place in the world, the answer is by your side.”

Xu Jing turned his head to look at the person next to him, but found that those peach blossom eyes were already filled with smiles, as if they had been looking at him like this for a long time.

Xu Jing’s heart moved, but he blurted out inexplicably, “Let’s have hot pot tonight.”

After saying that, he himself felt that it was ruining the atmosphere, but Shen Yan responded with a smile, “Okay.”

“Eat at home.”

“Okay.”

“You’re in charge of making it.”

“Okay.”

Xu Jing couldn’t help it, “Is everything okay?”

Shen Yan nodded, “As long as you’re here, everything is okay.”

Xu Jing’s lips moved, and he muttered in a low voice that it was really cheesy.

Just as he turned his head, a young and good-looking face was reflected on the car window, the gentle smile reaching the bottom of his eyes.

Shen Yan hummed a little tune all the way, and Xu Jing listened all the way. Listening and listening, those uneasy emotions also dissipated like car exhaust in the sky above the city, and his heart became calm and soft.

Yes, as long as this person is by his side, even if the road ahead is long, what is there to be afraid of?

Tonight’s hot pot must be delicious, Xu Jing thought.