“By the way, are you going to the library after school today?”
“I’m not.” Meng Kefei shook her head. “I found a job nearby. So, I’m going to work.”
Tang Yuanyuan was surprised to hear that. “Work? Fei, why are you working out of the blue? Didn’t you say you were going to study hard? If you start working, won’t it affect your grades?”
“It’s fine; I’ll just have to put more effort into studying.”
She followed beside Meng Kefei, then she asked seriously and sincerely, “Are you short of money? We’re best friends. I have more than enough allowance to spend. You should just stick to me.”
In response, Meng Kefei smiled. “No, thanks. My job isn’t difficult; I’ll be fine by myself.”
“But…”
“Yuanyuan!” Her voice became sterner. “I really don’t need it. That is your allowance, not mine. Think about it; how can I possibly spend your money?”
“But, I don’t mind.”
“I do!” The smile disappeared from her face. “You come from a well-off family. So, this amount of money may seem insignificant to you. However, I am different from you! I grew up poor! Your monthly allowance is equivalent to my yearly living expenses! On the surface, asking me to mooch off your allowance may seem like you are being kind to me. But, what does it sound like to me?! I’m not the type to reach out and beg for charity. So, can you not take me to be that sort of person?”
After hearing that, Tang Yuanyuan was shocked for a long time. Then, she said, “Fei, that wasn’t my intention. I just—”
“That’s enough; stop talking. I’m leaving.” Without waiting for her to respond, Meng Kefei turned around and left, leaving her behind.
Tang Yuanyuan stood there blankly and subconsciously gripped the edges of her clothes, not knowing what to say.
After school, Meng Kefei was the first to leave the classroom. Thus, Tang Yuanyuan trailed behind Meng Kefei and watched her as she left the school. She wanted to follow Meng Kefei and check out the place she was working at. However, she saw a familiar figure when she arrived at the school gate. “Chufeng?”
Zhong Chufeng’s eyes didn’t look too good. The dark circles under his eyes were very severe, his eyes were bloodshot, and he seemed much thinner. When they last met two days ago, he seemed to be in a good mood. What happened?
“Is school over?” Zhong Chufeng watched as Tang Yuanyuan came toward him. He reached out and thought of patting her head. Then, he seemed to reconsider it and stopped mid-motion before pulling his hand back. Instead, he brought up his other hand, which held a bottle of yogurt drink. “For you.”
Tang Yuanyuan glanced around him and found that he only had a bottle of yogurt drink on him.
“What are you looking for? I only brought a bottle of yogurt drink. Aren’t you on a diet? Why do you still want to eat so much?”
His voice sounded slightly hoarse as if he had not slept all night. Even so, his tone was indulgent and his gaze on her was gentle. Still, for some reason, she had a feeling that he looked very sad.
“Chufeng, what happened to you?”
When the little girl stood in front of him, gazing at him worriedly and asking him this, he nearly had an emotional breakdown. He desperately wanted to tell her, ‘Don’t care for me anymore. No matter in what way it is, be it as a brother or as a friend. Please reject me harshly.’ He couldn’t stop himself from coming to look for her, yet he hoped that she would not care for him. If she did that, he could finally give up on her forever.
That’s probably how loving somebody works. I know things wouldn’t work out. Even so, as long as the other party is nice to me, no matter how small the kindness is, it would fan the flames of hope again, making me think that I still have a chance. Even if there is no hope, I still want to gaze at her like this. It’s enough to just watch her quietly.
“Chufeng?” She pursed her lips before softly saying, “Something seems wrong with you. Do you want me to accompany you to the hospital?”
Initially, he wanted to reject her offer. However, before the words came out of his mouth, he changed them. “Okay. I might be under the weather. Let’s go to the hospital.”
“Okay.”
Afterward, the two of them prepared to go to the hospital. However, the moment they turned around, they came face-to-face with Yuchi Yishu, who was standing not far from them.
“Yishu?” As soon as Tang Yuanyuan saw Yuchi Yishu, her fair face blushed. Then, she hastily ran over to him.
Yuchi Yishu narrowed his eyes. His gaze met with Zhong Chufeng’s for a moment before landing on Tang Yuanyuan again. “Is school over? Where are you going?”
“Chufeng seems to be sick. I’m planning to go to the hospital with him.”
“He’s sick?” He looked toward Zhong Chufeng before answering, “Then, I’ll accompany you guys there.”
“Sure.”
After that, Tang Yuanyuan tried to pull Zhong Chufeng forward. He took several steps forward, then suddenly said, “Let’s not go. If we go to the hospital now, the doctors are probably already off duty. We’ll see how things go tomorrow.”
Tang Yuanyuan frowned at his words. “Chufeng, there will be doctors on duty. If you are feeling unwell, you need to go to the hospital. Don’t drag it out until tomorrow. What if your condition worsens?”
As he looked very sickly, she was sincerely concerned for him since they usually hung out together.
“I’m fine.” He smiled hollowly. “My body is stronger than stone. I’ll buy some medicine at a pharmacy and sleep it off at home.”
Truthfully, his current condition was caused by his drinking last night, and his bloodshot eyes came from staying up late. He had wanted to spend a little more time with her. Even so, now that Yuchi Yishu was there, he immediately lost interest. After all, he did not want to see the two of them together. It was one thing to accept it, but whether he could bear to witness it was another matter altogether.
“Still—” Tang Yuanyuan started to say something, but Yuchi Yishu pulled her to his side by her thin, pale wrist. “Let him be. He’s not that weak. He’ll be fine after a good rest.”
As soon as Yuchi Yishu spoke up, Tang Yuanyuan could only agree to it and said nothing more. Zhong Chufeng watched this scene unfold before him and the color in the depths of his eyes darkened. Sure enough, she listens to him no matter what he says. He mocked himself in his heart, then stepped forward and shoved the yogurt drink into Tang Yuanyuan’s hands. Then, he turned around and left.
After Zhong Chufeng walked off, Tang Yuanyuan raised her head to look at Yuchi Yishu. “Yishu, is Chufeng unhappy about something?”
Zhong Chufeng had clearly agreed to go to the hospital, but the moment Yishu appeared, he changed his mind about going. Although she did not know if she was the reason for it, she couldn’t help but feel that the tension between them was palpable.
“Yishu, are you quarreling with Chufeng?”
Yuchi Yishu replied helplessly, “We are not. He is just having a bad day; don’t mind him.”
There were certain matters one had to go through. If one failed to act when one should, it would invariably lead to more trouble. He might suffer now, but his wounds would heal with time. When the time comes, he would no longer be in this position.
“I’ll bring you out for dinner. Let’s go.”
Yuchi Yishu took Tang Yuanyuan’s hand in his and walked in the opposite direction Zhong Chufeng went. Tang Yuanyuan gazed at their joined hands, and a look of joy surfaced in her eyes.
