Spend Summer Chapter 13
byWhat exactly was so unspeakable?
Shen Wan slammed heavily onto the ground, letting out a muffled groan. Her eyes, usually devoid of emotion, now flickered with a raging fire.
Shen Jianye sneered and spat on the ground. He crouched down and patted Shen Wan’s face, his voice echoing in the empty room. “What, still not convinced? Tell me, where’s the money?”
Shen Wan lightly licked her lip. The taste of rust filled her mouth. Finally, she shook her head. “I don’t have any. It’s all spent.”
Shen Jianye’s face turned even redder. He stood up abruptly and gave Shen Wan’s leg a vicious kick. “To hell with you!”
Shen Wan curled up on the cold floor, watching him drink as he left. A long time later, she let out a mocking laugh.
It started as a low chuckle, gradually growing louder. But as she laughed, an itch tickled her throat, leading to an uncontrollable cough, as if she were about to cough up her very lungs.
Shen Wan slowly crawled to her feet. A faint pain seemed to radiate from the two spots where she had been kicked, yet at the same time, it felt like nothing at all.
She moved toward the bathroom step by step. Looking at herself in the mirror, her hair was a mess, her face was flushed, and a few tears had been forced out from the corners of her eyes by the violent coughing.
Picking up a comb, Shen Wan slowly untangled her hair, then stood barefoot under the shower.
Lukewarm water poured down from her head, flowing all the way to her feet before disappearing into the drain.
The water left no trace, but the filth it washed away was caught by the drain cover, remaining by Shen Wan’s feet.
Shen Wan stared at it silently for a long time before snapping back to reality.
No matter how difficult, life had to go on. Time waited for no one.
Shen Wan put on the clean clothes hanging nearby and scrubbed the sweatshirt that had just been splattered with blood.
She was used to such things. Her only regret was that she couldn’t finish her study plan for the day.
Locking the door from the inside, she sat on a stool and took out the medicine Li Yuanfang had given her, spraying it on her injuries.
First her abdomen, then her leg.
Actually, the best method would have been an ice pack, but Shen Wan didn’t have any ice, so this would have to do.
After finishing, she sighed. Checking the time, it was already past midnight.
Lying in bed, Shen Wan slowly closed her eyes.
.
The moon went to sleep, and the morning sun rose, peeking into the room through the cracks.
Shen Wan sat up abruptly, cold sweat pouring down her forehead. She leaned against the wall to catch her breath, her eyes scanning the surroundings warily. Only after finding no danger did she slowly calm down.
Getting out of bed, Shen Wan put on her shoes and looked down at the alarm clock on the corner of the desk.
Her expression froze. She hurriedly grabbed her backpack, washed up, and locked the door in one fluid motion.
By the time she ran to the school gate, she was still a step too late. The bell for morning self-study had already rung.
For once, Shen Wan felt a surge of irritability. The sunlight overhead was piercing. She desperately needed a cold soda to soothe her mood.
After speaking with the security guard and registering her late arrival, Shen Wan walked inside.
Stepping onto the second floor, Shen Wan immediately saw Li Yuanfang standing at the door. She hurried forward and stopped in front of her. “Sorry, Teacher. I’m late.”
Li Yuanfang didn’t care about the lateness. Instead, she asked with concern, “Did something happen to delay you?”
A twinge of pain seemed to throb from the injury on her abdomen. Shen Wan’s haggard face softened slightly as she shook her head. “It’s nothing. I just accidentally overslept.”
Looking at Shen Wan’s exhausted expression, Li Yuanfang didn’t believe her excuse. However, she didn’t know what to say for a moment. Finally, she nodded. “Alright then, hurry into class.”
Shen Wan nodded in agreement. As she turned, she left behind a word of gratitude. “Thank you.” It was unclear what exactly she was thanking her for.
Ji Zhao had already spotted Shen Wan through the window. She was extremely anxious, her brow furrowed.
Seeing Shen Wan approach, she immediately whispered, “Why are you so late today?”
The moment she saw Ji Zhao, Shen Wan’s tense nerves finally relaxed. The lingering, faint, yet very real pain that had been swirling in her heart was suppressed in an instant.
She passed behind her, leaving a faint scent of citrus.
It wasn’t until she sat down that Shen Wan answered Ji Zhao. “It’s nothing. I just woke up late.”
Like Li Yuanfang, Ji Zhao didn’t believe her. Her gaze circled Shen Wan repeatedly, but unfortunately, she couldn’t see anything.
Suppressing her worry, Ji Zhao forced herself to focus on the morning self-study.
The sound of reading was clear, birds chirped, and the wind rustled the leaves gently.
.
As soon as the bell rang, Ji Zhao immediately moved closer to Shen Wan.
Yesterday’s injury was suddenly bumped, and Shen Wan couldn’t help but let out a low hiss of pain. “Sss—”
Realizing what happened, she quickly swallowed the cry of pain, but Ji Zhao’s sharp senses had already caught it.
Ji Zhao’s ears practically perked up. She stared straight at Shen Wan’s shoulder, her brow tightly knit and her lips pressed thin. Her usually bright face became exceptionally serious.
Even though she knew she couldn’t escape the questioning, Shen Wan still tried to struggle. She quickly changed the subject. “Let’s go eat first?”
Ji Zhao looked up, their eyes meeting.
After a few seconds, Shen Wan was the first to look away, feeling so guilty she didn’t know where to look.
Finally, Ji Zhao spoke. “Let’s eat first.”
To be honest, Shen Wan hadn’t expected Ji Zhao to actually agree. She thought she would keep pressing for answers.
Although she knew this was only a temporary measure that wouldn’t last long, Shen Wan breathed a sigh of relief in her heart.
At the very least, she had gained some time to organize her thoughts.
Lin Jiayue, who had been eavesdropping with perked ears, felt slightly relieved. She turned around, her voice cheerful. “Food time, food time! Let’s go, let’s go!”
Her deskmate, Sang Zhiyu, gave a reserved nod.
Sang Zhiyu was the newly moved deskmate. She had a somewhat reserved personality but had been getting along well with the three of them over the past two days.
Shen Wan stood up and took the lead.
It was the same familiar trio: flatbread and rice porridge.
Meanwhile, Ji Zhao and the other two were eating wonton soup.
Shen Wan ate very little. Perhaps because she had been kicked in the abdomen yesterday, there was a faint pain when she swallowed. She stopped after eating only half of her flatbread and slowly sipped her rice porridge.
Seeing her like this, Ji Zhao’s swallowing also slowed down. She took a frustrated gulp of her soup.
Shen Wan thought Ji Zhao would ask about her injuries after breakfast, but to her surprise, Ji Zhao didn’t say a word. She just silently worked on her exercises, not speaking at all.
Seeing this, Shen Wan’s brow furrowed slightly. Silence surrounded the two of them. She felt uncomfortable and even a bit afraid.
Ji Zhao had always been the one to take the lead in their conversations. Seeing her cold demeanor now, Shen Wan truly didn’t know how to handle it.
She could only force herself to focus on the lesson, but the words went in one ear and out the other.
.
By noon, Ji Zhao still hadn’t spoken.
The cafeteria was noisy, but the atmosphere among the four of them was stagnant. Even the usually lively Lin Jiayue kept her mouth shut.
Although they were eating together, for the first time, Shen Wan felt that the distance between them was vast.
Her fingers trembled uncontrollably, veins bulging. Her thoughts were a tangled mess.
Does she not want to be my friend anymore?
It was such a strange feeling. Shen Wan pursed her lips and slowly raised her hand to her chest. Her heartbeat was faint, as if her breathing was about to stop.
Is she going to leave?
That makes sense. Haven’t I been used to this all along?
No friends… what does having no friends matter…
Anyway… a person like me will only bring trouble to others…
Shen Wan repeated these words to herself, numbly brainwashing herself.
But… why does it hurt so much?
No… no. She was the one who approached me first. She can’t leave!
Her thoughts were seized by another voice. A paranoid light flickered deep in Shen Wan’s eyes. Her fingers gripped the hem of her clothes, the skin on her neck tensing.
Ji Zhao finished the rest of the noodle soup in her bowl, looked up, and suddenly spoke. “Deskmate, let’s go for a walk on the playground.”
Although it was phrased as a question, her tone left no room for refusal.
Shen Wan looked up abruptly. The dark emotions in her eyes turned into tiny sparks of light. She immediately nodded in agreement. “Okay.”
After saying that, she put down her utensils and stood up straight.
Ji Zhao almost wanted to laugh, barely managing to hold it back.
She walked in front, and Shen Wan followed obediently behind her, her mood like a little deer frolicking through the woods, leaping with joy.
The playground was filled with all kinds of students. Some were planning to return to the classroom after eating, some were walking hand-in-hand, and there were boys playing basketball, pouring out their youthful passion…
.
Following Ji Zhao, Shen Wan stepped onto a shaded path. Sunlight filtered through the branches of the old camphor trees, scattering on the road like bits of broken gold.
It was very quiet. The trees formed a natural barrier, cutting off the noise from the playground, leaving only the rustling of the wind through the leaves.
Ji Zhao suddenly turned around. Shen Wan, who had been staring at her, almost bumped into her and hurriedly came to a stop.
Even though she had told herself all morning to stay calm, Ji Zhao’s tone was still laced with displeasure when she finally questioned Shen Wan.
“So, can you tell me how you got your injuries?”
Shen Wan avoided her gaze and looked at the ground. A pair of yellowed shoes came into view.
The shoes had been bought a long time ago. They didn’t fit very well anymore, and the color had long since faded, but they were one of only two pairs she could wear out.
After a long time, she heard herself say, “I accidentally bumped into something on my way home yesterday.”
Ji Zhao clenched her fists tightly, staring at Shen Wan for a good while, but she still didn’t see her look up.
Her anger flared even more. Ji Zhao restrained herself from lashing out and gritted her teeth as she continued to ask, “How did you bump into it?”
“The light in the stairwell was broken. I didn’t see.” As she said this, Shen Wan despised herself in her heart.
Lying. She hated lying, yet she had done it plenty in her life.
Ji Zhao clenched her jaw, her chest burning with rage. She blurted out, “Shen Wan, do you even see me as your friend? What exactly is so unspeakable?!”
Shen Wan’s trembling eyelashes stilled. She looked up slightly, her eyes revealing exhaustion, as if covered by a thin mist. Her face was pale.
Instantly, Ji Zhao’s words got stuck in her throat, unable to be spat out or swallowed.
She paced in a circle, hand to her forehead. The more she thought about it, the angrier she got—so angry she wanted to laugh. “You! You’re something else!”
Shen Wan stared at her, watching from where she stood as she walked further and further away.
The wind moved the leaves, the rustling sound echoing.
Cold… so cold…
It felt like being trapped in a web, her mouth and nose firmly stuck. The more she struggled, the tighter it wrapped around her. A sense of suffocation washed over her.
Shen Wan moved her feet sluggishly and sat on the edge of a flower bed. She lowered her head in silence, her mind a fractured mess.
She didn’t know how much time had passed, but it was long enough for her body to start feeling numb.
She raised her eyes, which were now bloodshot.
It was time to go back and study…