JFWCM Chapter 57

Street Encounter

Street Encounter

On the weekend, Jiang Wan’yuan, Yi Shang, Lin Jichuan, and the others finished an exhilarating round of Honor of Kings. Still basking in the joy of victory, Jiang Wan’yuan heard her mother’s voice calling from the living room, “Wan’yuan, tidy up a bit. We’re going out for dinner with relatives. Don’t dawdle!”

Jiang Wan’yuan responded and said into her phone, “Guys, my mom’s calling me out for dinner. Let’s call it a day for now. We’ll play again next time!”

Her friends responded from the phone. Lin Jichuan shouted, “Alright, Jiang Wan’yuan, you’d better go godlike next time!” Zhang Yao said with a laugh, “Go ahead and have fun. Remember to bring back some tasty treats to share with us.” Lin Yue chimed in playfully, “That’s right, that’s right. And tell us if anything interesting happens with your relatives.”

Yi Shang said gently, “Okay, go ahead. Be careful.” Hearing Yi Shang’s words, Jiang Wan’yuan felt a honey-like sweetness in her heart. She replied, “Okay, Yi Shang, don’t play for too long either. Bye-bye!”

Jiang Wan’yuan put down her phone, quickly tidied up her room, went to the washroom for a quick wash, put on a light jacket, and joined her mother in the living room. The mother and daughter went out and headed towards the restaurant along the street.

The warm sunlight shone on the street, and the interstellar greenery along the roadside swayed in the wind, making a soft rustling sound. Jiang Wan’yuan and her mother walked and chatted. Suddenly, Jiang Wan’yuan’s eyes lit up. Wasn’t that familiar figure up ahead none other than Yi Shang?

Yi Shang was wearing a simple white shirt with black pants, carrying a black backpack, radiating her usual cool and aloof aura. Jiang Wan’yuan broke free from her mother’s hand and ran towards Yi Shang like a happy little bird, “Yi Shang! Yi Shang!”

Yi Shang heard the call, turned around, and saw Jiang Wan’yuan running towards her. A gentle expression instantly replaced her usual cool demeanor. Jiang Wan’yuan ran up to Yi Shang and asked with a grin, “Yi Shang, where are you going?”

At this moment, Jiang Wan’yuan’s mother also walked over and greeted Yi Shang with a smile, “Yi Shang, what a coincidence. What are you up to?”

Yi Shang nodded politely and said softly, “Hello, Auntie. I’m going to the library to borrow some books.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Wan’yuan’s eyes darted around, and she said, “Yi Shang, we’re just about to go for dinner. Why don’t you join us? The more, the merrier.”

Yi Shang hesitated for a moment. Seeing this, Jiang Wan’yuan grabbed Yi Shang’s arm, shook it gently, and pleaded, “Yi Shang, please come along. It’s not too late to go to the library after dinner. And I might even be able to go with you after we eat.”

Yi Shang looked at Jiang Wan’yuan’s expectant eyes and then at Jiang Wan’yuan’s mother, who also said with a smile, “Yes, Yi Shang, come have a simple meal with us. Don’t stand on ceremony.”

Yi Shang nodded slightly and said softly, “Then I’ll trouble you, Auntie.”

Jiang Wan’yuan smiled happily, hooked her arm in Yi Shang’s with one hand and her mother’s with the other, and the three of them walked towards the restaurant together. Along the way, Jiang Wan’yuan chattered about the fun things that had happened during their game just now, sometimes imitating Lin Jichuan’s excitement when choosing a hero, and sometimes mimicking Zhang Yao’s cute voice when playing Cai Wenji, making Yi Shang and her mother smile from time to time.

When they arrived at the restaurant, some of the relatives had already arrived. Jiang Wan’yuan pulled Yi Shang over and introduced her to everyone, “This is my good friend, Yi Shang. We happened to run into each other today, so I invited her along.” The relatives greeted her warmly, praising Yi Shang for being well-behaved, sensible, and having an outstanding aura.

Everyone sat around together, ordering food and chatting. Jiang Wan’yuan sat close to Yi Shang and whispered to her, “Yi Shang, don’t be shy. Just think of this as your own home.” Yi Shang nodded slightly, a subtle smile on her lips.

The dishes were served one after another, and the table was filled with a variety of tempting interstellar delicacies. Jiang Wan’yuan enthusiastically put food on Yi Shang’s plate, “Yi Shang, try this. It’s a silver moon fish, unique to the interstellar world. It’s very delicious.” Yi Shang accepted the food from Jiang Wan’yuan and said softly, “Thank you.”

During the meal, Jiang Wan’yuan’s older female cousin asked curiously, “Wan’yuan, how did you and Yi Shang meet? You two seem to have a really good relationship.”

Jiang Wan’yuan’s eyes sparkled, and she excitedly talked about their encounter at school, from their first meeting on the way to school to later participating in research projects and various school activities together, and how their relationship gradually became closer. Jiang Wan’yuan described everything vividly, looking at Yi Shang from time to time, her eyes full of sweetness.

After listening, the cousin said jokingly with a smile, “Judging from Wan’yuan’s description, your feelings for each other are extraordinary. Yi Shang looks cold, but I didn’t expect her to get along so well with Wan’yuan.” Jiang Wan’yuan’s face turned slightly red, and she secretly glanced at Yi Shang, who still had her usual indifferent expression, but the tips of her ears were slightly red.

After dinner, Jiang Wan’yuan said to her mother, “Mom, I want to go to the library with Yi Shang. I’ll come home later.” Her mother nodded with a smile, “Okay, go ahead. Be careful and come back early.”

Jiang Wan’yuan and Yi Shang said goodbye to everyone and walked out of the restaurant hand in hand. The afternoon sun became softer, and there were not many pedestrians on the street. Occasionally, an interstellar flying car zoomed past.

Jiang Wan’yuan turned her head to look at Yi Shang and said with a smile, “Yi Shang, I’m really happy today. I was able to have dinner with you and go to the library with you.” Yi Shang tilted her head slightly, looked at Jiang Wan’yuan, and said softly, “I’m happy too.”

The two of them arrived at the library. The library’s architecture was full of futuristic technology. The huge transparent dome allowed sunlight to fall evenly into every corner of the building. The library was very quiet, with only the occasional sound of turning pages.

Yi Shang walked straight to the area with science and technology books, while Jiang Wan’yuan followed behind her, curiously looking at the dazzling array of books on the shelves. Yi Shang stopped in front of a row of bookshelves, her eyes searching the shelves. Finally, she pulled out two books about interstellar energy conversion and quantum computing.

Jiang Wan’yuan picked up a book about the mysteries of interstellar plants and said to Yi Shang, “Yi Shang, look at this one. It seems very interesting. Maybe it can provide inspiration for our next research project.” Yi Shang took the book, flipped through it briefly, and nodded, “It does have reference value. Let’s borrow it together later.”

After borrowing the books, the two of them went to the library’s leisure area. The leisure area was furnished with comfortable sofas and small coffee tables, and surrounded by green plants, creating a peaceful and pleasant atmosphere. Yi Shang and Jiang Wan’yuan found a window seat and sat down. Jiang Wan’yuan couldn’t wait to open the book on interstellar plants and began reading it carefully.

Yi Shang opened the book on interstellar energy conversion in her hand and began to read intently. Sunlight streamed through the window and shone on them, coating their figures with a golden edge. After who knows how long, Jiang Wan’yuan suddenly looked up at Yi Shang, her eyes revealing a hint of curiosity, “Yi Shang, you’re really focused when you read. It feels like nothing around you can disturb you. How do you do it?”

Yi Shang closed her book, thought for a moment, and said, “Maybe it’s a habit. When I’m immersed in knowledge, I tend to ignore the things around me. Besides, this knowledge is very attractive to me. It allows me to forget about time and other things.”

Jiang Wan’yuan rested her chin on her hand and nodded thoughtfully, “I want to learn from you and be more focused when I read in the future. By the way, Yi Shang, look at this book. It says there’s an interstellar plant whose flowers can release a special wave that can resonate with human brainwaves, thereby relieving stress and regulating emotions.”

Yi Shang took the book and carefully looked at the relevant content, saying, “This phenomenon is very interesting. If we can study it in depth, it might be applied to interstellar medicine or psychotherapy.”

The two of them then discussed the contents of the book, from the characteristics of the plant to the potential applications, getting more and more involved as they talked. Before they knew it, the sun was gradually setting in the west, and the sky was dyed with brilliant sunset clouds.

Jiang Wan’yuan looked at the time and said in surprise, “Oh, Yi Shang, time flies so fast. It’s so late already. We should go home.” Yi Shang closed her book and nodded, “Okay, let’s go.”

The two stood up, put the books back in their place, and walked out of the library. The lights outside had already come on, contrasting with the sunset glow in the sky, forming a beautiful scene. Jiang Wan’yuan and Yi Shang walked slowly, hand in hand.

Jiang Wan’yuan leaned on Yi Shang’s shoulder and said softly, “Yi Shang, today was so wonderful with you. I hope we can have more days like this in the future.” Yi Shang slightly tightened her grip on Jiang Wan’yuan’s hand and said softly, “We will. There’s plenty of time in the future.”

After escorting Jiang Wan’yuan to her doorstep, Yi Shang looked at Jiang Wan’yuan and said softly, “Go in. I had a great time today. Good night.” Jiang Wan’yuan said with a smile, “Good night, Yi Shang. See you at school tomorrow.”

Jiang Wan’yuan walked into her house, and Yi Shang turned and left. Jiang Wan’yuan stood at the door, watching Yi Shang’s figure gradually disappear at the end of the street, her heart filled with sweetness. After returning to her room, Jiang Wan’yuan sat by the window, looking at the sunset glow that had not yet completely dissipated in the sky, and fell asleep with a smile, recalling the moments she had spent with Yi Shang today.

The next day, Jiang Wan’yuan arrived at school early, eagerly anticipating seeing Yi Shang. When she walked into the classroom, she found Yi Shang already at her seat, reading a book. Jiang Wan’yuan tiptoed behind Yi Shang, suddenly covered her eyes, and asked with a smile, “Guess who I am?”

The corners of Yi Shang’s mouth turned up slightly, and she said softly, “Besides you, who else could it be?” Jiang Wan’yuan released her hand, sat down next to Yi Shang, and said excitedly, “Yi Shang, I had a dream last night that we developed a magical treatment device based on the contents of that interstellar plant book, which helped many people relieve stress.”

Yi Shang looked at Jiang Wan’yuan, her eyes full of tenderness, “It seems that this book has really given you a lot of inspiration. Maybe we can study this idea in depth, and maybe it can really become a reality.”

At this moment, Jing Xiao, Zhang Yao, and Lin Yue also arrived in the classroom one after another. Jing Xiao saw them and said loudly, “Hey, where did you two go after dinner yesterday? Did you sneak off on a date?” Jiang Wan’yuan blushed and said, “Don’t talk nonsense. We went to the library and borrowed some very interesting books.”

Jiang Wan’yuan took out the books she had borrowed from the library and introduced the interesting content of the books to everyone. Everyone sat together, discussing back and forth, from the wonderful properties of interstellar plants to the research projects that might be derived, and the atmosphere was very lively.

Yi Shang looked at everyone, her heart filled with warmth. In this interstellar campus full of fantasy and challenges, her affection for Jiang Wan’yuan, as well as her friendship with her companions, made her life rich and colorful. And in the future, they will explore more unknowns and create more beautiful memories together.