Spend Summer Chapter 14
byIn this moment, she stood against the light, and she was chasing the light.
Shen Wan’s thoughts were mechanical. Just as she was about to stand up, a familiar voice suddenly drifted from behind her, forcing its way into her ears.
Shen Wan…
Shen Wan’s movements froze. Her logic told her this was fake, a mere hallucination. After all, no one would come back after a fight, especially after fighting with someone like her.
But she still turned her head with a sliver of hope. In that instant, Ji Zhao’s figure was reflected in her pupils.
Ji Zhao was walking briskly toward her, clutching a bottle of a drink. The bottle was blue; it was coconut juice.
Shen Wan’s gaze followed Ji Zhao’s footsteps, watching as she came to a stop right in front of her.
She watched as Ji Zhao’s lips parted slightly. For you. Her smile was brilliant, the corners of her eyes curving upward, her tone gentle.
Shen Wan was unable to react for a moment. Her brain, which could usually solve difficult problems with ease, had gone on strike. She stared at her blankly.
Ji Zhao stuffed the coconut juice into Shen Wan’s arms and grumbled with a hint of feigned arrogance, Fine, if you don’t want to say it, then don’t. I was just too impatient earlier. This is for you.
As she spoke, she bent down and extended her right arm toward Shen Wan.
The midday sun was so dazzling, filtering through the leaves and spilling over Ji Zhao. It wrapped her in a warm, golden halo of radiance, even the tips of her fingers shimmering with flecks of gold.
She wore her hair in a high ponytail. The breeze was mild, blowing her hair until a few strands brushed against Shen Wan’s cheek, bringing a slight itch.
Shen Wan slowly reached out her right hand and gripped it cautiously, as if afraid of disturbing this sacred scene.
In this moment, she stood against the light, and she was chasing the light.
The spring day that Shen Wan had anticipated for an entire winter finally seemed to have truly arrived.
Following Ji Zhao’s strength, Shen Wan stood up.
A thousand thoughts swirled in her mind, but at this moment, only one remained: follow her!
.
They returned to the classroom together, where the students were sitting neatly in their seats.
Shen Wan returned to her desk, unscrewed the cap, and took a small, careful sip of the coconut juice. It had the faint, refreshing sweetness of coconut.
Shen Wan squinted in satisfaction, a slight curve hooking the corners of her eyes as her expression turned lazy.
Resealing the cap, Shen Wan carefully placed the coconut juice on the corner of her desk.
Ji Zhao, who had been observing from the side for a long time, let a smile escape her lips, but her tone suddenly shifted. Do you remember the medicine I left with you?
Hearing this, a hint of confusion appeared in Shen Wan’s eyes. She tilted her head slightly, her voice trembling faintly. Hmm?
Ji Zhao held out her hand and said, Take it out. I’ll help you apply it. That stuff works quite well. Her tone carried a seriousness that brooked no refusal.
Shen Wan instinctively wanted to decline. She didn’t actually feel much regarding the injuries on her body; she had long since grown used to them.
But meeting Ji Zhao’s stubborn and determined gaze, Shen Wan’s words of refusal jammed in her throat. She looked down and took out the ointment stored in the box. Her fingertips touched the cool packaging, but a sliver of warmth rose in her heart.
The ointment box was covered in English letters. Shen Wan had never seen it before, but it looked like it must have been quite expensive.
Ji Zhao took the ointment and stared straight at Shen Wan’s shoulder.
Shen Wan lowered her eyes and obediently took off her school uniform jacket, rolling up her sleeve to reveal her arm.
The moment it was uncovered, Ji Zhao’s eyes shook, and her breath hitched.
Shen Wan’s skin was already so white it seemed to glow, like a sheet of translucent white paper or fine mutton-fat jade. Consequently, the spreading bruises of blue, purple, and black on her arm appeared even more shocking and particularly eyesore.
Ji Zhao gritted her teeth. The heartache surging in her eyes could not be suppressed, nearly overflowing.
She twisted open the cap, took hold of Shen Wan’s wrist, and squeezed out a bit of white ointment. Using her fingertip to dab the cream, she gently massaged the bruised area in circles.
First, the cool ointment touched the skin, gradually becoming warm through the massaging motion as it sank bit by bit into the muscle.
Shen Wan kept her eyes downcast. She could clearly feel that warm sensation spreading from her arm to her heart. Her heartbeat lost its rhythm, and she couldn’t tell if the sour ache was from the wound being massaged or from this overly intimate gesture.
Shen Wan felt at a loss. Her fingers curled slightly, and her breathing became erratic.
This continued until the ointment was fully applied. Only when she felt Ji Zhao’s fingertips leave her skin did Shen Wan softly exhale the breath she had been holding for a long time, feeling a sense of relaxation after the tension.
But in the next second, an indescribable sense of loss welled up, much like the cooling ointment.
She calmed her heart, stared down at her arm, and suddenly asked, Zhaozhao, was this ointment bought for me?
Though it was a question, her tone carried a sense of certainty.
Ji Zhao suddenly smiled and replied, You noticed? I wanted to give it to you back then, but I was afraid you wouldn’t take it, so I could only use that excuse.
Her tone carried a soft, coquettish quality, her voice rising at the end. Her eyes were sparkling like a puppy wagging its tail, wishing the whole world knew of her brilliant idea, her pride impossible to hide.
Shen Wan’s vision seemed to be covered by a mist of water. So… it really was bought for her.
Shen Wan didn’t speak again, afraid that the moment she opened her mouth, she would sob. She took out her textbook and pretended to study.
Then, she truly became focused, immersing herself in the vast ocean of learning.
Ji Zhao secretly laughed to herself. She knew exactly what Shen Wan was thinking right now. To prevent her from getting embarrassed and defensive, Ji Zhao also settled down to study.
.
During the time that followed, listening to the teacher explain new concepts and solving difficult problems, Shen Wan felt incredibly happy.
When the long break arrived, she was still roaming through the sea of knowledge.
Ji Zhao quietly called out to Lin Jiayue, and the two of them walked out of the classroom together.
Seeing that Shen Wan and Ji Zhao had made up, Lin Jiayue returned to her lively self. With a rising tone, she teased, Sister Zhao, you finally made up with Sister Shen. You have no idea, I was scared to death.
Ji Zhao was familiar with Lin Jiayue’s theatrical personality and said, Thanks for your concern! However…
She shifted the topic. I remember you saying that Wanwan’s family situation is bad. What kind of bad?
Lin Jiayue’s mouth snapped shut. She laughed awkwardly, scratching her head and looking everywhere but at Ji Zhao.
Ji Zhao frowned. What? Is it inconvenient to say?
Lin Jiayue sighed, her finger unconsciously picking at her cheek. Actually, I don’t know much either. I only know that Sister Shen’s family conditions are poor. As for anything more, you should ask Sister Shen yourself.
After thinking it over, Lin Jiayue still spoke her mind. Sister Zhao, I don’t know if I should say this, but I really feel that since Sister Shen isn’t willing to say it, there must be a reason. That is her right.
Even though we are friends and it’s only natural to worry about her, sometimes we have to respect Sister Shen’s wishes. Besides, I think—when that day comes, Sister Shen will tell you herself.
Ji Zhao nodded thoughtfully. True, I was being impulsive. Telling someone voluntarily is different from being interrogated.
Hearing this, Lin Jiayue felt relieved, showing a wide grin.
She changed the subject. Anyway, Sister Zhao, I need to go to the restroom. Bye!
Ji Zhao nodded and waved her hand.
Lin Jiayue turned quickly and rushed toward the restroom, disappearing in a moment.
.
By the time Ji Zhao returned to her seat, Shen Wan was taking small sips of the coconut juice.
Seeing Ji Zhao return, her eyes blinked a few times, serving as a greeting.
Ji Zhao’s irritable heart was smoothed over, and she returned the smile.
The next period was English class. Shen Wan had already taken out her notebook and textbook, waiting for the English teacher to arrive.
Two minutes before class started, the scattered sound of reading began, eventually growing louder as everyone took the last bit of time to quickly memorize the knowledge points discussed yesterday.
Zhou Guowei walked in clutching his textbook. He clapped his hands in satisfaction and said, Stop now. I’m going to pick a student to recite what we covered yesterday.
The students collectively buried their heads in their desks. Shen Wan and Ji Zhao did not; they looked at the blackboard with steady gazes.
Zhou Guowei gave a secret laugh and said, I see the top student in our class is very confident. Then let’s have Shen Wan do it.
Shen Wan stood up. Recalling the information in her mind, she began to recite, Regarding relative clauses, they function like adjectives and are used to modify nouns or pronouns…
As she spoke, Shen Wan picked up the coconut juice from the corner of her desk. Let’s use this as an example: I’m drinking the coconut juice that my deskmate gave me.
The meaning of this sentence is that I am currently drinking the coconut juice my deskmate gave me. The clause after ‘that’ is used to modify ‘coconut juice.’ ‘That’ can be omitted. This is a relative clause.
Shen Wan put down the coconut juice and looked at Zhou Guowei.
Zhou Guowei clapped encouragingly and said, Shen Wan did a good job, and the example was excellent. Now we all know that the coconut juice was given by Ji Zhao.
As soon as these words came out, the students burst into laughter and teased them.
Old Zhou is right. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were showing off the juice.
How can you call that showing off the juice? Did you forget the suffix? That was given by our Sister Zhao.
Why doesn’t Sister Zhao give me a bottle? She only gives them to our Sister Shen.
Shen Wan’s cheeks burned slightly. She hadn’t thought much when giving the example and had instinctively picked up the juice. Now, hearing her classmates’ teasing, a wave of shy embarrassment welled up in her heart.
Ji Zhao laughed and shot back, I’m just not buying one for you. You want my coconut juice? Keep dreaming.
Ooh, look at that…
A chorus of catcalls and teasing rose in the classroom.
Zhou Guowei quickly took control of the discipline, making a gesture for silence. Alright, alright, let’s continue with the lesson!
In an instant, everyone became quiet again.
Shen Wan slowly sat down, lightly biting her lower lip.
.
After that, it was the usual routine of classes and meals, nothing new.
Perhaps because he had vented and felt better, Shen Jianye hadn’t returned for the past two days. Shen Wan felt that living alone was quite nice.
The next day at noon, Shen Wan habitually stood up to wait to eat with the other three, only to see Ji Zhao and Lin Jiayue take out two lunchboxes.
Shen Wan’s gaze was confused as she watched Ji Zhao open the lunchbox.
The lunchbox was sky blue. The moment the lid was lifted, steam rose from it.
This was the first time Shen Wan knew that lunchboxes with such good insulation existed. It had a built-in thermostat that would automatically heat the food to ensure the meal didn’t get cold.
Shen Wan pursed her lips, her expression falling. Since they brought food, they definitely wouldn’t be going to the canteen.
As this thought popped into her head, Shen Wan took the initiative to say, I’m going to the canteen. See you in a bit.
Having said that, she took a step, but her wrist was suddenly grabbed.