MNL Chapter 98

Chapter 98: Farewell “See you when school starts, boyfriend.”…

In the past, Shen Yan always did the cooking alone in the kitchen, while Xu Jing was responsible for lying on the sofa, waiting to be fed. But this time, watching that figure moving back and forth, Xu Jing suddenly felt a strange sensation in his heart. Why did this scene make him feel inexplicably sad?

The smell of smoke lingered in the living room. Xu Jing frowned, bothered by it. In the end, he went into the kitchen to help Shen Yan finish their first meal of the New Year.

Amid the crackling sound of firecrackers, the two quietly finished their dumplings. All the way to the bed, Shen Yan didn’t ask why Xu Jing had suddenly come, and Xu Jing didn’t mention the smoking either, because they both knew the reason behind it.

The three-minute fireworks display outside the window finally ended. Shen Yan’s low voice sounded in his ear, “Did you make a New Year’s wish?”

Xu Jing didn’t answer, but looked at Shen Yan and asked, “Will it come true if I make one?”

Shen Yan hummed in affirmation, saying, “It will come true if you make one.”

Xu Jing grasped the hand that was casually resting on his hair and said, “I hope Shen Yan will always be by my side.”

After a moment of silence, Shen Yan gently turned over and buried himself in the crook of Xu Jing’s neck. Xu Jing’s chin was tickled by the prickly hair, so he rubbed it against him, hugged Shen Yan, and patted his back like he was coaxing a child.

But instead of an answer, he was greeted by a series of uneven breaths. Shen Yan was nestled against his chest, his brows furrowed, his body tense, and he didn’t seem to be sleeping soundly.

Xu Jing had originally wanted to go to the bathroom to take a shower, but he couldn’t bear to leave him in this state. He coaxed him unconsciously for half an hour until Shen Yan seemed to be sleeping more peacefully. Only then did he lift the quilt and plan to get out of bed, but a cold hand reached out from behind and quickly grabbed the corner of his clothes.

Shen Yan opened his eyes slightly, his voice low and hoarse, “Where are you going?”

Xu Jing: “…”

So much for the coaxing.

Xu Jing sighed softly and said, “Taking a shower.”

Shen Yan closed his eyes after hearing this. He didn’t know where he got the strength from just waking up, but he pulled Xu Jing back with all his might, unreasonably saying, “You’re not allowed to go.”

“I’m sweaty.”

“Yeah, you’re not allowed to go.”

“…Why?”

Shen Yan’s muscular arms tightly encircled Xu Jing, using his sleepiness as an excuse to become increasingly unreasonable, threatening, “If you say another word, I’m getting up.”

Xu Jing frowned and asked, “Getting up to do what?”

Shen Yan opened his eyes, “Getting up to f*ck you.”

“…”

Xu Jing’s body stiffened, and he said dryly, “You should just go to sleep.”

“Okay.”

After saying that, Shen Yan still clung to him like an octopus, refusing to let go. Xu Jing couldn’t move at all and could only stare blankly at the ceiling, feeling utterly hopeless. Later, when he saw that Shen Yan had closed his eyes, Xu Jing thought he was asleep. As soon as he moved, the person leaning on him woke up again like a police dog.

After repeating this several times, Xu Jing completely gave up the idea of showering. Otherwise, if Shen Yan continued to sleep like this, his brain nerves would definitely go on strike the next day.

So, on a two-meter-wide bed, the two of them spent the whole night squeezed into the corner. Xu Jing had never slept so miserably in his life. When he woke up, his back ached. Just as he was about to curse, he turned his head and saw Shen Yan’s exquisite handsome face, smiling at him, saying, “Good morning, boyfriend.”

Xu Jing averted his gaze, swallowing his curse with a lack of self-respect, and weakly replied, “Good morning.”

Shen Yan asked, “Didn’t sleep well?”

“Try being woken up five times in one night?”

His sleep quality was already poor to begin with. At home, Qin Xin getting up to drink water in the middle of the night could wake him up, let alone Shen Yan’s way of sleeping, completely disregarding the life and death of the person next to him.

“Sorry.” Shen Yan withdrew his extremely offensive hand, looking sincere, “I missed you too much.”

Xu Jing: “…”

Forget it.

At noon, the two went to their usual hot pot restaurant. Because it was the first day of the New Year, the restaurant was packed. After the dishes were served, Xu Jing’s gaze paused for a moment at the table next to them. Shen Yan saw this and called the waiter over.

“Please bring us a serving of that dessert.”

The waiter said apologetically, “Sorry, you two handsome guys, that coconut glutinous rice cake and ice dumpling soup is our restaurant’s new product. Because it’s free, we only make a hundred servings a day, and it’s already sold out. You can come again next time. This dessert won’t be taken off the menu anytime soon.”

Xu Jing glanced at Shen Yan, seeing his expression that he had too much money to spend, and wanted to laugh. After the waiter left, he said, “Let’s eat it when school starts.”

Shen Yan hummed and said, “What a pity.”

“What is?”

“He missed a good opportunity to get rich.”

Xu Jing paused and asked, “If he sells that dessert for three thousand, would you still want it?”

Shen Yan raised an eyebrow and said, “As long as you want to eat it, I’ll add two more zeros to his price.”

“…”

If it were someone else, Xu Jing would only sneer at such words, but if it was Shen Yan, he firmly believed it, because this person could really do it.

The hot pot meal lasted nearly two hours, and in the end, both of them were so full that they decided to take a walk outside to digest.

Although the snow had stopped in Linhe City, the snow cover had not yet melted. The two rows of slender crabapple trees on Qing’an Street were sleeping in a soft white expanse. The flowers had long fallen, leaving only crabapples hanging from the branches, like they were coated in a layer of crystal clear syrup.

Xu Jing stepped on the soft snow, holding Shen Yan’s cold hand, and strolled through the romantic crabapple forest, heading south along Qing’an Street. The warm sun broke through the clouds, casting gentle light and shadows under their feet. They unconsciously walked through all the places they had been to before.

The crabapple flowers fell silently, just like them, but in this season, as long as they could feel the other’s warmth from the palms of their hands, silence was far better than sound.

Until dusk, Shen Yan took Xu Jing to the train station.

The train roared into the platform.

Shen Yan ruffled Xu Jing’s hair and said, “See you when school starts, boyfriend.”

This time, Xu Jing didn’t dodge, but replied, “Yeah, see you when school starts.”

“Remember to miss me.”

Xu Jing hummed softly, “Depends on my mood.”

“Dear passengers, G×××× train from ×× station via this station to ×× station is now boarding.”

A calm, emotionless voice came from the hall. Xu Jing reached out and hugged Shen Yan, saying, “I’m leaving.”

In a place where no one could see, Shen Yan gently kissed the side of Xu Jing’s neck, saying, “Send me a message when you get home.”

“Okay.”

The lights of the train station flickered, and the suitcase made a dull sound as it dragged across the snow. The people passing by hurried along.

Without verbose words, without unnecessary actions, they said goodbye as simply as usual. However, not long after entering the station, Xu Jing suddenly felt a jolt in his heart. It was a very strange feeling, strong, like a premonition. He stopped in his tracks and suddenly turned back.

However, the figure he wanted to see again had been completely submerged in the crowded crowd. Xu Jing couldn’t go against the flow and could only be pushed forward. He kept turning his head back, but he couldn’t see that person again until he passed through the ticket gate in the last second.

After getting on the train, Xu Jing immediately sent a message to report his safe arrival. Shen Yan replied in seconds with a pink cat waving emoji, and added a sentence, “Take care.”

After staring at the chat box for a long time, Xu Jing forcibly suppressed the anxiety in his heart, thinking that perhaps he had just over-interpreted his emotions, and that there was nothing wrong at all. Wasn’t Shen Yan doing well over there? His body warmed up, and his mood was finally no longer as heavy as before. Xu Jing watched the scenery flowing outside the window and fell asleep unconsciously.

It was dark when he got home. Qin Xin and Xu Huaiyang were sitting on the sofa watching TV. After seeing him, they simply said, “You’re back,” and didn’t ask anything else. It seemed that this cover was indeed quite good. They would never have imagined that in such a short amount of time, he had gone to Linhe City and back.

Xu Jing took a shower as he wished, and then sent a message to the meritorious Qin Yan, informing her that he had arrived home. A few minutes later, Qin Yan replied with a six-second voice message.

“Okay, dear nephew, next time we meet, Auntie will be there to drink your wedding wine.”

When Xu Jing heard this, he stared at his phone in a daze for a long time. When everyone else questioned, disliked, or even despised their relationship, Qin Yan was the only one who could say such a thing.

Although such a thing was far away and almost impossible for them, Xu Jing couldn’t help but imagine that scene, but the more he thought about it, the more terrified he became.

Forget it, the world doesn’t understand romance, and the future is too far away, Xu Jing thought as he sat at his desk. He might as well write the love letter he promised someone.

As a result, he had trouble starting, racking his brains to write a single “Shen” character, only to cross it out two seconds later. At the same time, many pretentious words flashed through his mind, the kind that could make even himself feel disgusted.

Sure enough, writing a love letter was difficult, even more difficult than his damn English composition. Xu Jing sighed softly. Who told him to always keep his word? Besides, it was Shen Yan he had promised, so it was worth a thousand pieces of gold.

And so, a person who could write a perfect score essay with his eyes closed fought at his desk until three in the morning, only to squeeze out a piece of nonsense that didn’t even count as a beginning: “To Shen Yan.”

·

On the morning of New Year’s Eve, Gu Qianqian insisted on being discharged from the hospital. Although Liang Ge’s brain was slow, he understood the meaning behind it: she didn’t want to delay him from going home for the New Year.

But even though he returned home, when he thought that on such a joyous occasion, Gu Qianqian could only be accompanied by her grandmother’s portrait, Liang Ge felt particularly heartbroken. In the end, he couldn’t help but sneak into that alley. To his surprise, Gu Qianqian’s every move was very normal, whether she was washing clothes, cooking, or reading and doing homework. But it was precisely because she was too normal that Liang Ge felt like it was the calm before the storm.

Until halfway through the vacation, Liang Yin suddenly announced in the class group that she would randomly select five students to conduct home visits. When the students in other classes heard this news, they felt like they were facing a formidable enemy, wishing they could start burning incense and praying that they wouldn’t be selected. But the students in Class One were different. They couldn’t wait for Liang Yin to come to their houses.

Later, Liang Yin selected four students whose final exam scores had declined significantly, and one was recommended to her by Liang Ge.

That day, Liang Yin didn’t go to Gu Qianqian’s house, but invited her to a nearby park. The two talked a lot. It was the first time Gu Qianqian had said so much since her grandmother’s death.

Finally, Liang Yin asked, “What do you want to do in the future?”

Gu Qianqian stared at the ground and said softly, “Teacher, I studied science because I wanted to become a doctor in the future, but now that my grandmother is gone, none of this matters anymore.”

Liang Yin simply shook her head after hearing this, saying, “Qianqian, the death of relatives, the departure of friends, and the separation of lovers are all inevitable propositions in our lives. No one will stay in your life forever. Step out of time, accept it calmly, and become yourself. This is also the meaning of life for each of us.”

Gu Qianqian was silent for a long time, not saying anything.

Liang Yin placed her hand on Gu Qianqian’s thin shoulder and patted it gently, saying, “You are a very excellent girl. No matter what occupation you pursue in the future or what kind of person you become, you will be a student that your teacher is proud of.”

Gu Qianqian’s eyelashes fluttered, and it took a long time before she replied, “Thank you, Teacher Liang.”

Liang Yin smiled gently and said, “It’s getting late. I’m going to Cha Fei’ang’s house later. In short, I hope that after school starts, we will still see the spirited class monitor, Gu Qianqian, in Class One.”

Gu Qianqian nodded seriously.

After Liang Yin left, Gu Qianqian didn’t leave, but leaned against the swing in the park and said, “Come out.”

The shadow under the bare ginkgo tree nearby moved, but there was no reaction.

“Then I’m leaving.”

As soon as she said this, the tall figure reluctantly moved out from behind the tree. Liang Ge scratched his head, looking embarrassed, “Would you believe me if I said I was just passing by?”

Gu Qianqian looked over and said, “What did I tell you before?”

Of course, Liang Ge remembered. Gu Qianqian had told him not to lie.

“Okay, actually, I just wanted to see if you were doing better. I didn’t mean to stalk you.”

Gu Qianqian asked, “Just stalking?”

Only then did Liang Ge lower his head, his tone very weak, “You knew?”

“Yeah, peeping tom.”

“…”

Liang Ge felt even more ashamed after hearing this. He secretly raised his eyes, seeing that Gu Qianqian’s expression was normal and she didn’t mean to blame him. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief and explain, “I know this behavior is very perverted, but I’m really not a creep. I’m just worried about you.”

Gu Qianqian stood up without saying a word and turned to leave.

Liang Ge quickly followed, anxiously saying, “Can I take you home?”

“Whatever.”

This tall guy followed Gu Qianqian, becoming a veritable little follower, but he still didn’t feel ashamed. On the contrary, he enjoyed it, saying, “Actually, you’re also someone I’m proud of.”

Gu Qianqian looked straight ahead, her tone calm, “What person?”

Liang Ge was stunned, and said cautiously, “Friend?”

Gu Qianqian hummed. She didn’t say anything else on the way back, but her pace was fast. The person behind her had to jog to keep up. At the end, when they parted, Liang Ge’s head heated up, and he couldn’t help but shout at Gu Qianqian’s back, “It’s temporary! It’s just temporary!”

Perhaps such a voice had been drowned out by the wind and snow. Gu Qianqian never turned back.

But what Liang Ge didn’t know was that the corners of the girl’s lips, who had disappeared at the end of the alley, were slightly raised, revealing the first smile in so many days.