DF Chapter 33
by VolareSheng Jia recently needed a breakthrough, a breakthrough to deepen her friendship with Song Ji’an.
Or perhaps it should be said, she needed a breakthrough that would allow her to show more friendliness to Song Ji’an in a natural way.
Song Ji’an has her own steps when it comes to making friends, something Sheng Jia had quietly sensed a long time ago.
She can always sense the extent to which her relationship with Sheng Jia has developed. Occasionally, she might tentatively reach out to see if she can push her luck a little further. Once she notices Sheng Jia’s displeasure, she immediately retracts her feelers. If she finds Sheng Jia is letting her do as she pleases, she immediately marks her territory, pushing the relationship between the two a step further.
For example, first exchanging WeChat contacts with Sheng Jia, then developing a special connection with Sheng Jia, and then quickly forming a circle of friends with her as the core, including Sheng Jia in it, and then turning Greenery Cafe into their gathering place. It’s clear that Song Ji’an is the chain that connects all of this.
If Song Ji’an wasn’t there, Xu Lijing and the others wouldn’t necessarily come to Greenery Cafe every day.
She is not aggressive, but her behavior is very planned. This is not for any particular purpose, it’s just a habit she has cultivated since childhood.
When facing Sheng Jia, she seems to weave an airtight net, gradually encroaching on the other’s world. If there is a final goal, it is probably to form an unbreakable friendship with Sheng Jia and completely enter Sheng Jia’s heart.
Sheng Jia can sense all of this.
And the events that happened at the marathon could have been another catalyst for the relationship between the two, but Sheng Jia was not in a good state afterward and missed the period for the warming of friendship. Sheng Jia herself couldn’t take the initiative to repair it either, as that would not be in line with her personality and would seem very strange.
So after the marathon event, the relationship between Song Ji’an and Sheng Jia did not improve substantially.
Jingjiang No. 1 High School implements a policy of combining relaxation and rigor. Especially after a large event like the marathon, the midterm exams came quickly.
This time, Sheng Jia was still Grade/Year One, but she was no longer the Grade/Year One who had a big lead over second and third place.
Sheng Jia’s strong points have always been her strong mathematical logic ability and the extremely high accuracy of her science subjects, but after analyzing the test papers this time, it was discovered that many of the marks she lost were actually giveaway questions.
This wasn’t a matter of level, but of meticulousness. Teacher Liu Yidong had been with Sheng Jia for more than two years and had never found this type of mistake on her test papers.
Sheng Jia’s practice volume is huge. For many questions, she has almost formed muscle memory. It is impossible for her to make such low-level mistakes under normal circumstances, unless she is absent-minded.
Out of keen intuition, Liu Yidong talked to Sheng Jia.
This was a rare occurrence.
After all, Sheng Jia has always been famous for being worry-free. The teachers who have taught her can count on their fingers how outstanding, smart, and sensible she is.
Even the classmates in the class felt confused.
After Sheng Jia came out of the office, there was still not much expression on her face. She used very simple reasons to cover up Liu Yidong’s tactful inquiries and promised that she would pay attention next time.
Liu Yidong is a teacher who respects her students. She could see that Sheng Jia probably did have some difficulties that she didn’t want to say directly. She didn’t force her. She has always maintained an equal attitude towards her students. Since Sheng Jia promised her, she believed that it was something that Sheng Jia could handle. Sheng Jia never easily promises things she is not sure of.
Liu Yidong couldn’t get anything out of her, but Song Ji’an, who walks to and from school with Sheng Jia every day, had already noticed something.
Starting last week, she felt that Sheng Jia’s mood was not right.
It wasn’t any specific emotion, but that her attitude towards people was colder and more indifferent. In the past, she might have participated in the jokes and banter of their group of friends, just like when Su Zhaolin had just met them. She would even tell deadpan jokes with them in a serious manner.
But this week, she was too silent.
As the person closest to Sheng Jia, she always paid special attention to Sheng Jia’s every move.
In the eyes of Xu Lijing, Su Zhaolin, and the others, Sheng Jia was probably still as usual, quietly listening to what they were saying. As long as she didn’t want to, her presence wouldn’t be too high.
But in the past, Sheng Jia, even when silent, would listen attentively. She was respecting everyone in her own way, but now she would often be absent-minded from time to time.
It was too rare to use the word absent-minded on Sheng Jia.
She is an extremely determined person, and such people rarely become absent-minded.
Just like Song Ji’an herself.
She also rarely becomes absent-minded.
Because they know what they want to do, every step they take has its own goal. They don’t waste time, and there are few moments of confusion.
At that time, she felt that something was wrong with Sheng Jia, but who would believe her if she said it?
With such a slight change, even if she didn’t know whether it was real or not, Song Ji’an began to worry.
She didn’t act too outrageously, she just spent more time looking at Sheng Jia, and then discovered more of her problems.
The tip of the pen that unconsciously stopped when doing practice questions, the gaze that lingered on the scenery outside the window for a long time, and the grades that even the homeroom teacher noticed were not right this time, all confirmed that her guess was correct.
On what day did Sheng Jia start to feel strange?
Song Ji’an thought carefully.
Her thoughts returned to the day after the marathon at school, Sheng Jia’s fragile face and pleading tone in the infirmary.
She thought something must have happened that weekend when Sheng Jia didn’t answer her phone.
If she took the initiative to ask, Sheng Jia, that tight-lipped gourd, would definitely not tell her.
So Song Ji’an decided to adopt the most primitive and simple method, and pulled in Su Zhaolin and Xu Lijing.
After the dismissal bell, Sheng Jia left the school alone.
During this period, Xu Lijing, Zhang Jing, and Zhao Yijia signed up for a famous teacher’s tutoring class, preparing to cram key knowledge together, twice a week. Today happened to be the tutoring time.
And Song Ji’an, who sticks to her every day, also said that she had something to do at home today. After answering a phone call, she left in a hurry.
This was a rare occasion when Sheng Jia didn’t have the chattering laughter and jokes in her ears after school. She walked silently towards Sanzhong with her bag on her back, and didn’t notice a long string of little tails sneaking behind her.
“Is it really okay for us to just follow like this?” Xu Lijing said in a low voice, “Sheng Jia won’t notice, right?”
This was the first time Song Ji’an had done such a thing. She crouched down and hid behind the flower bed, watching Sheng Jia’s figure walk away, and answered, “It shouldn’t be. If she found out, she would have turned around and caught us in the act.”
Following Sheng Jia for a few days – this is the most primitive method Song Ji’an came up with.
They are by Sheng Jia’s side every day. Even if Sheng Jia has something to do, she probably won’t do it in front of them, but it’s not certain when they are not by her side.
Of course, she didn’t expect that after telling Xu Lijing and the others about this outrageous idea, she would get their almost unthinking approval.
They may not have been so keenly aware of Sheng Jia’s problems, but after Song Ji’an analyzed it with them in detail, they were still willing to do this with her. This was for the friendship with Song Ji’an, and also for the help they had received from Sheng Jia in the past.
Young people are always so enthusiastic. After a little discussion, they decided on a plan to follow Sheng Jia for the next three days. Today is the first day. They are not very skilled yet, but at least they haven’t been discovered by Sheng Jia. And this day passed very peacefully. The group followed behind Sheng Jia all the way, and safely sent her home.
The change happened on the third day.
It was already Sunday night. Song Ji’an and Xu Lijing were quietly following Sheng Jia behind her this night. The remaining three had something to do today and didn’t have time to come.
They noticed something was wrong when they had just sent Sheng Jia to the entrance of the neighborhood.
Usually, Sheng Jia’s neighborhood is always dimly lit, especially after ten o’clock in the evening. Most people in the neighborhood have already turned off the lights, but today, there were many old ladies standing in front of the neighborhood, talking about something. Suddenly, when they saw Sheng Jia coming back, they immediately called out to her.
“Sheng Jia! You’re finally back! You don’t know, your house has had a disaster! Where’s your mother?”
It was hard to not hear this voice. Song Ji’an and Xu Lijing exchanged a look. With many days of tacit understanding, they quickly found a bush and crouched down, hiding their figures.
“Isn’t my mother at home?”
Xiyanghong, who was standing at the door, saw Sheng Jia’s reply and quickly winked at her, saying in a low voice, “Go away, good child, don’t go home yet.”
Usually, Xiyanghong can’t help but say a few gossipy words behind her back, but her heart is good. Seeing her gaze, Sheng Jia turned around and was about to obediently leave, but a loud roar came from the neighborhood, “Isn’t that Sheng Jia? Stop right there?”
Sheng Jia’s turning footsteps paused slightly. She saw two tall and burly men with a gangster air walking out of the neighborhood, carrying a used paint bucket in their hands.
When Xiyanghong saw this, she and her mahjong friends quickly stood in front of Sheng Jia. The few old ladies said angrily, “If you have any conflicts with Huaiying, go talk to her yourself. Don’t vent your anger on a child for adults’ matters.”
The tall man chuckled and laughed, “Her mother privately occupied my elder brother’s house. She’s so old, doesn’t she know to be ashamed? This mother and daughter personally sent my elder brother to jail, and they still have the face to live in her father’s house?”
“Don’t talk nonsense, do you think we don’t know what happened in this matter?” Xiyanghong became angry as soon as she heard this, “He deserved to go in. Do you think you can justify yourselves by saying this? If you really have the ability, go talk to the law and ask the law to give the house to you. Can’t do it? If you can’t do it, you come to bully their orphaned mother and daughter. I spit on you, you lowlifes.”
Her plump silver perm was like a battle robe, fluttering in the air. Although she wasn’t very tall, she was very imposing with her hands on her hips. When her fiery temper came up, she pointed at the two and cursed, “I warn you, don’t come here to bully Sheng Jia, a child. Shameless things, do you really think that the people in our neighborhood are all vegetarians?”
“Old thing, why are you meddling in other people’s business?” The short man also cursed. His gloomy face looked at Sheng Jia, and he smiled sinisterly, “Niece, your mother is really something, knowing we would come, she deliberately hid out and let you come over, right?”
“But it’s okay, your mother is gone, but you can’t leave. You still have to go to school.”
This was a blatant threat. After saying this, they just smiled maliciously and left.
Xiyanghong spat again. She stamped her feet in anger, and quickly pulled Sheng Jia, who had been silent, and said, “Don’t be afraid. Don’t go home tonight, find a classmate’s house to stay overnight? We’ll talk about it when your mother comes back.”
From beginning to end, there was not much expression on Sheng Jia’s face, but she lowered her head and glanced at Xiyanghong’s fluffy hair and the old reading glasses on her wrinkled face, and only said very lightly, “It’s okay, thank you. I hope you won’t quarrel with others for me next time.”
Otherwise, she wouldn’t know how to repay this favor. In fact, she already didn’t know how to repay it now.
She is not used to having someone stand in front of her.
“You child!” Xiyanghong glared at her back and scolded, “You’ve been like a stubborn donkey since you were a child.”
But Sheng Jia had already walked into the neighborhood with her schoolbag on her back.
Xiyanghong and the others had come to the door to intercept Sheng Jia. Now that they saw Sheng Jia was fine, they chatted with each other for a while and then dispersed.
Song Ji’an in the bushes saw that there was no one at the door, and then released Xu Lijing, who had been tightly pulled and had her mouth covered.
“Why are you pulling me?” Xu Lijing glared at her fiercely after breaking free.
Song Ji’an felt that she was even harder to hold down than a piglet during the New Year, and answered somewhat helplessly, “If I didn’t pull you, what were you going to do?”
“Of course, I’m going to help Sheng Jia.” Xu Lijing said.
“But we can’t help her now. Are you going to go up and beat those two people up? Can you beat them? Even if you beat them, can you help Sheng Jia solve the problem?”
Song Ji’an’s series of questions calmed Xu Lijing down. She suppressed the anger in her heart after a moment of silence.
“Then what are we going to do now?”
Song Ji’an pursed her lips. She beckoned to Xu Lijing. After the two got up, they walked into this neighborhood that she had been to countless times but had never entered.
They didn’t go directly to Sheng Jia’s building. The walls between the buildings in the old-fashioned neighborhood were all hollow carved structures. They chose the building opposite Sheng Jia’s building, and then climbed to the corresponding floor.
From the hollow carvings of this building, they could see the inside of the opposite floor.
The sensor lights flickered on and off. Song Ji’an and Xu Lijing squatted down, bringing their eyes close to the gaps in the carvings. When the sensor lights flickered on again, they finally saw the full view of the opposite side.
They saw that the narrow stairwell was full of dazzling red paint. Sheng Jia stood in front of the door as silent as a tree.
She didn’t enter the door, nor did she touch the wall covered with paint. They couldn’t see what her expression was at the moment.
After an unknown amount of time, she turned around and went downstairs. She got a basin of water from somewhere, and with a rag, she silently wiped the paint off the wall, but her movements became faster and faster, and the force became greater and greater. Until the end, she released her hand as if she had lost her strength. After taking two steps back, she fell and sat on the steps of the corridor.
At this moment, Song Ji’an felt for the first time that Sheng Jia’s shoulders were so thin, so thin that even the bottom of her heart was filled with a astringent pain.
Xu Lijing clung to the wall crevice, grinding her teeth a little, “Can’t we go over and help her now? Those bastards, according to what those grandmas said, must have been bullying Sheng Jia and her mother for a long time. They are really shameless.”
Song Ji’an didn’t reply. Her gaze was still fixed on the opposite side, as if she wanted to stare a hole in Sheng Jia’s back.
“Song Ji’an, say something.” Xu Lijing grabbed her sleeve anxiously.
Song Ji’an then came back to her senses. She withdrew her gaze and said slowly, “Let’s go back, I know how to help her.”