After leaving the school, Yang Qianfan looked back at the gate with a heavy heart, reflecting on his past. He sighed, "How did I never realize that passing through this gate was such a joyful thing over the past three years?" Just as he was lost in thought, Zhu Hui suddenly ran out of the school and called out to him.
"What, do you want to blame me too?" Yang Qianfan asked expressionlessly, as if he had become numb from their torment.
"No, no, it's not that. I'm just really sad," Zhu Hui said, her eyes glistening.
"What's there to be sad about? If this place doesn't keep you, there will always be another place that will," Yang Qianfan scoffed coldly, showing a dismissive expression.
"But I really don't want to see you expelled like this," Zhu Hui said, lowering her head in thought. "How about I accompany you to the hospital to apologize to that old lady and ask for her forgiveness? Then we can write a reflection and submit it to the principal. Maybe the principal will change his mind and let you stay in school."
Yang Qianfan became agitated upon hearing this and retorted angrily, "Apologize for what? I did nothing wrong! Why should I apologize to that damn old woman?"
"You..."
"Zhu Hui, if even you don't believe me, then I have nothing more to say." After cutting her off, Yang Qianfan turned away in frustration.
Initially, it seemed that Yang Qianfan's expulsion was a done deal. However, unexpectedly, on the third day after the incident, a dramatic turn of events occurred. The police investigated and confirmed that Yang Qianfan was indeed innocent. The old lady's son had been struggling due to difficult family circumstances and couldn't find the driver responsible for the accident. Unable to pay for the expensive medical bills, he resorted to desperate measures by trying to extort money from Yang Qianfan.
Although Yang Qianfan was exonerated, he had suffered a significant emotional blow. For several days afterward, he spoke little and kept to himself, isolating himself from everyone. Zhu Hui noticed his distress and felt guilty. She approached him to apologize, but he remained indifferent and cold.
Unable to gain Yang Qianfan's forgiveness, Zhu Hui felt an unbearable weight pressing down on her heart. After school one afternoon, she didn't go home but instead went alone to the banks of the Yangtze River to let the cold wind cool her thoughts. Coincidentally, she found Yang Qianfan there as well.
"What a coincidence! What are you doing here?" Zhu Hui exclaimed with surprise and joy upon seeing him.
"I came here for some fresh air to clear my mind," Yang Qianfan replied coldly without even looking at her.
"So you came here seeking peace of mind because you're feeling down too!" Zhu Hui said with a smile. After pondering for a moment, she asked, "Are you still upset about that incident?"
Yang Qianfan ignored her.
"Do you know why I'm feeling down?"
Yang Qianfan continued to remain expressionless and silent.
"I felt down because I saw you were upset," Zhu Hui said, biting her lip, a hint of regret flashing in her eyes. She earnestly added, "Yang Qianfan, I'm sorry. Please forgive my lack of trust in you, okay?"
"That's not okay. I'm really angry right now. Anyone can distrust me, but you can't. Do you understand?" Yang Qianfan turned to her, his voice rising as if the words had been bottled up inside him for a long time, finally bursting forth.
"What should I do now?" Zhu Hui asked, distressed. Her lips trembled, and tears began to well up in her eyes again.
"Don't cry. Let me tell you, your tears don't work on me anymore," Yang Qianfan replied coldly.
Zhu Hui felt his words hit her like ice and fell silent for a while, forcing a smile through her tears.
"How about I perform a little show for you now?" she suggested.
"Save it! It's useless. Even if you sang 'Female Accompanist' a thousand times, it wouldn't matter," Yang Qianfan said firmly, leaving no room for leniency.
"Then how about I take you on a roller coaster ride? It's really fun."
"I remember someone once told me that the thing they feared most was riding roller coasters. I don't want to wade into this mess again," he replied.
Before Yang Qianfan could finish his sentence, Zhu Hui suddenly leaned in close and quickly pecked him on the cheek like a dragonfly landing on water, leaving him momentarily stunned.
"That was my limit. Please forgive me, okay?" Zhu Hui said, her cheeks flushed as she looked at him with her big, watery eyes, pleading with her hands clasped together.
Yang Qianfan covered his cheek where she had kissed him, momentarily frozen in shock, but soon his heart soared with excitement and an irresistible itch grew within him.
"Is one kiss all you want?"
"What else do you want then?"
"At least two kisses!"
"Ah—more kisses?" Zhu Hui looked at him with a troubled expression.
"If you don't want to, then forget it," Yang Qianfan said with a stern face, giving her a cold glare.
Zhu Hui looked at him and sighed helplessly. She agreed to his request and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Only then did Yang Qianfan smile contentedly and ask, "Do you know what day comes after?"
"The Lantern Festival!" she replied.
"Besides being the Lantern Festival, it's also Valentine's Day. What do you plan to give me then?"
"What do you want? It can't be too expensive!"
"I want a pair of gloves, and they must be knitted by you. If one finger is missing from the gloves, you have to let me kiss you once. If two fingers are missing, then you owe me two kisses..."
"Don't tell me that if ten fingers are missing, you'll want ten kisses!" Zhu Hui interjected nervously.
"You wish! If ten fingers are missing, then you have to let me kiss you countless times."
"What if there's an extra finger?" Zhu Hui blinked her eyes, curiously asking again.
"If there's an extra finger, that's easy. At most, I'll let you kiss me once until you're satisfied."
"Ugh—you're so disgusting!" Zhu Hui made a gagging gesture at him in disdain.
"If you don't want to kiss, then a touch will do!" Yang Qianfan leered.
"You're so vulgar!" Zhu Hui shuddered at his lewd words and asked, "What would you give me then?"
"I'll give you countless passionate kisses, how about that?" Yang Qianfan joked.
Upon hearing this, Zhu Hui's face turned as red as a rising sun. She playfully pushed him away, pretending to be stern as she said:
"Hey, I'm being serious with you. What will you really give me?"
"What do you want me to give you?"
Zhu Hui thought seriously for a moment and then happily replied:
"I want a box of extra-large chocolates; I love chocolate the most."
"Hey, technically, the chocolate should be a gift from you to me."
"But you just asked me for gloves."
"There's no helping it; it seems that speaking up first isn't always a good thing." Yang Qianfan smiled and shook his head, revealing a rather helpless expression.
"Yes!" Zhu Hui said, shivering and sneezing involuntarily. It was only then that she realized the wind on Jiang Mian had become increasingly fierce. Concerned that she might catch a cold, Yang Qianfan took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders, saying thoughtfully, "It's getting late; I think it's better if I take you home early!" With that, he suddenly reached out his hand to Zhu Hui.
"What are you doing?" Zhu Hui asked in confusion as she saw him extend his hand.
"Your hand," Yang Qianfan replied gently, giving her a slight smile.
Upon hearing this, Zhu Hui finally understood. Blushing, she extended her hand, and Yang Qianfan took it, leading her back home.
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