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墨書 Inktalez
"Classmate Jiang," Feng Ning called him with a smile.
Jiang Wen's expression changed several times; he wanted to speak, pressed his lips together, and remained silent.
"You are not my guilty pleasure. Even if you were, that would be in the past." Feng Ning felt a bit ashamed for two seconds and cautiously looked at him: "Jiang Wen."
Every time she called his name seriously, Jiang Wen's heart couldn't help but race.
"We have shared the friendship of having bought Seven Degrees Space together. Don't worry, I acknowledge you as a friend and won't mess with you anymore." She added a hint of flattery and nudged his arm.
"......"
Jiang Wen remained silent, but his face grew increasingly grim. "You fought for me, and I drank for you. In ancient times, what would this be? This is a bond of life and death!" Feng Ning waved her hand confidently and said, "So, let's put the past grievances behind us. We should cherish this simple friendship we have now, how about it?"
Her words felt like needles pricking his nerves. Jiang Wen struggled to calm himself down. "Is playing dumb really that fun?"
Feng Ning smiled sincerely, "What am I pretending to be dumb about?"
The wind blew gently, around twenty degrees, outlining her figure. The sports meet had ended, and there were few people left on the playground. Next to them was a green iron fence; across it was the basketball court where the sounds of boys laughing and joking drifted through the branches.
Lin Junjie sang sadly at the end of a song: How do I express love? My heart feels so heavy...
Jiang Wen felt desolate inside, his tone icy. "What kind of bad luck did I have to become your guilty pleasure? After you bully me, you casually end it with a 'let's be friends.' You really think this is great? You’re happy now; what about me?"
"What about you? Just deal with it. Are you blaming me?" She found it utterly baffling; they were having a good conversation, and suddenly he was angry again.
"You make me... feel so miserable."
Why does she still act indifferent when he feels so miserable?
She treats him so poorly, constantly dousing his hopes with cold water, yet he remains irresistibly drawn to her. He has struggled against it; reason tells him not to demean himself, but emotionally, he continues to sink deeper.
Jiang Wen had never encountered anyone as frustrating as Feng Ning in his entire life.
The first time they met, she effortlessly tricked him out of his clothes.
Later, it was not just a piece of clothing that Jiang Wen lost to her deception.
He had always looked down on others' affections, but now, his punishment had finally arrived.
Feng Ning took in the pale hue of Jiang Wen's face.
After a moment of serious consideration, she tentatively suggested, "Why not focus less of your energy on me? Maybe it won't hurt so much."
"......"
Without saying a word, Jiang Wen turned and walked away.
Feng Ning stood there, watching him disappear into the distance. Her brows furrowed as she pondered whether the Peacock Young Master’s heart had shattered once again...
*
That night at the sports meet, things were quite relaxed. Xi Gaoyuan called a few members of the school team to go out for karaoke.
After a few bottles of alcohol, the group loosened up and belted out Beyond's "Glorious Years" into the microphone.
Cheng Jiajia arrived tonight, accompanied by her new athlete boyfriend from a couple of days ago. She wore light makeup, her lips adorned with floral-scented gloss, and she had applied Givenchy perfume behind her ears and on her wrists.
In their circle, which consisted of wealthy young men and women, dating was essentially a game of random pairings, and casual flings were common. It was like a combination of permutations; for instance, if today you were the boyfriend of her best friend, tomorrow you might find yourself paired with her instead. So when everyone saw Cheng Jiajia walking in arm-in-arm with someone else, it was nothing out of the ordinary; no one was surprised.
The boys nearby were making a ruckus, while Pei Shurou sat alone on a high stool, sipping sparkling wine intermittently.
Cheng Jiajia thought for a moment before approaching her with a glass in hand. She called out softly, "Shurou."
"Hmm?"
"You’re not mad at me anymore, right?"
Pei Shurou turned to face her. "What would I be mad about?"
"I confessed to Jiang Wen a while back."
Pei Shurou patted her shoulder. "I don’t mind at all." She clinked her glass against Cheng Jiajia's. "We're just having fun; as long as you're happy, don't take it too seriously."
"And you...?" After a brief moment of eye contact, Cheng Jiajia hesitated but finally asked, "Do you like him?"
Zhao Binlin suddenly shouted, "Hey, does anyone have Jiang Wen's number? When is he coming?"
"He should be here soon; he just messaged that he’s still on his way."
Just then, the door to the private room swung open. Jiang Wen walked in, and most of the girls in the room turned their attention to him. Oblivious to the stares, he chose a seat at the far edge.
Xi Gaoyuan banged on the table. "Why did you come alone?"
Zhao Binlin smoothly went to the karaoke booth and chose a song, "Sentimental Type," handing the microphone to Jiang Wen while clapping his hands. "The next performance is all yours, Jiang Young Master."
A group of people laughed and shouted, "Wow, when did the headliner become a romantic hero?"
Jiang Wen lazily cursed, telling them to cut the song. Noticing his lack of enthusiasm, the others decided not to tease him further.
Xi Gaoyuan played for a while before coming over to squeeze in beside him. "So, did you like the song they picked for you today? Did you dare to express your feelings?"
He was referring to the song "How Should Love Be Said."
In the afternoon on the playground, Jiang Wen had been walking laps with Feng Ning, while a few onlookers stealthily followed behind. However, they stood far enough away that they couldn't hear what the two were saying.
Bringing up a sensitive topic, Xi Gaoyuan hit a nerve with Jiang Wen. He asked, "Are you really that bored?"
"Oh, looks like you're not too happy," Xi Gaoyuan said as he opened a can of beer and handed it over.
"I don't want to drink," Jiang Wen replied, turning his head away.
Xi Gaoyuan retorted, "Dude, why are you out having fun if you're in such a bad mood?"
Jiang Wen fell silent for a moment.
After arguing with Feng Ning (which was one-sided), he felt restless and hadn't even eaten dinner. He turned down Zhao Binlin's invitation to go out that night and returned to his dorm alone.
Once he was alone in the quiet, her words replayed in his mind over and over. Each replay made his heart ache anew.
He was angry—angrier the more he thought about it—angry at her and angry at himself. The chaotic emotions swirled within him; it would have been better to just hang out with them instead.
"I was going to ask you how the battle went today, but I guess there's no need now," Xi Gaoyuan said, taking a sip of his drink and snorting. "I should have ordered you a song, 'Awakening Moments.'" As he spoke, he began to sing, "If I had known that heartbreak was inevitable, why did you have to be so deeply in love?"
Jiang Wen looked at him with a cold smile. "Have you ever liked someone else?"
Xi Gaoyuan exaggeratedly exclaimed, "What kind of question is that? Of course I have."
"Then she wasn't the one you should have liked, was she?"
Xi Gaoyuan chuckled. "Are you talking about Feng Ning?"
In just a minute, his expression changed several times. Jiang Wen turned away, continuing to stare at the table in front of him. Suddenly, he said, "Liking her is just wasting time and life."
His voice was low, uncertain if he was speaking to someone else or to himself.
"Well said! You've finally woken up! Just looking at her face shows she's heartless! She's really cruel," Xi Gaoyuan remarked.
At that moment, he had no idea how many more times his brother would come to this realization in the future. Still reveling in his misfortune, he added, "There are plenty of fish in the sea! Our top pick is in high demand, right? So many girls are waiting with their love tickets."
Jiang Wen slightly hunched over with his eyes closed. After a moment of silence, he rubbed his forehead and said, "Forget it... just leave."
Xi Gaoyuan huffed in annoyance. "Fine, I'll go. If you don't want to listen, then I won't bother talking!"
*
After the sports meet ended, the teacher made significant adjustments to the seating arrangement in class. Feng Ning was moved to the front row because she liked chatting during lessons. Meng Taoyu even specifically requested to continue being desk mates with Feng Ning.
Once the midterm exams were over, time flew by quickly. With so many trivial matters on her plate, Feng Ning completely forgot about everything outside of studying and working.
When she thought of Jiang Wen, it was still because she heard others discussing the midterm exam results. Feng Ning had stabilized her position in the top three of the grade, while Jiang Wen had directly fallen out of the top ten. The teacher Tie took him to the office to talk for an entire class period.
That night, she returned to her dormitory, pondering how to comfort Jiang Wen and share some study insights with him. However, when she opened WeChat and sent a "hi," she found that she had already been blocked by him.
Feng Ning: ...
Forget it.
Days passed like pages in a book, turning one after another. On Christmas Day, it snowed moderately.
At noon, while Feng Ning was eating in the cafeteria, her phone suddenly vibrated. It was an unfamiliar number. She answered it without much thought, "Hello?"
The voice on the other end was anxious: "Are you Zhao Fanyu's parent?"
"Uh??" Feng Ning paused her chopsticks. "Zhao Fanyu, what happened to him?"
After hanging up the phone, Feng Ning hurriedly went to the Academic Affairs Office of the elementary school.
Zhao Fanyu was dirty, his pants covered in mud and snow, sitting silently on a chair.
"Are you okay?" Feng Ning quickly walked over and took his hand to check him from side to side.
"It's not him who's in trouble."
Seeing Feng Ning dressed like a student, the teacher frowned. "Who are you to him? Where are his parents?"
"I'm his sister." Feng Ning sighed in relief. "Wait a moment, I'll call his mother."
Last time, Zhao Fanyu went out to eat KFC, and the phone number left was Feng Ning's. Usually, Zhao Huiyun is busy with work, so whenever Zhao Fanyu has something at school, he directly contacts Feng Ning.
The teacher briefly explained the situation. During lunch break, Zhao Fanyu got into a fight with a classmate at the stairway. In the scuffle, he accidentally pushed a passing girl down the stairs, resulting in her leg being fractured.
Feng Ning took Zhao Fanyu away, and they hailed a cab to rush to the city center hospital's inpatient building. After getting out of the car, they saw Zhao Huiyun waiting at the entrance with two boxes of high-end nutritional products.
Zhao Huiyun has a fiery temper and immediately wanted to hit Zhao Fanyu when she saw him. "You little brat, why can't you spare me some worry for once?"
Zhao Fanyu was scared and hid behind Feng Ning.
Feng Ning stepped in to stop her and advised, "Sister Yun, don't be impulsive. Let's go upstairs and see what's going on first."
They entered the elevator.
Feng Ning put an arm around Zhao Fanyu's shoulder in a comforting manner. "Make sure to apologize properly later and remember to be polite, okay?" Zhao Fanyu had just been scolded by his mother and was on the verge of tears as he nodded fearfully.
The girl’s hospital room was on the VIP level in a suite. They waited outside in the living room for a while before a nurse led them inside.
Upon entering, Zhao Huiyun put on an apologetic smile and sincerely said, "Oh dear, children don’t understand things. I’m really sorry about this. We will definitely cover the medical expenses, and I’ve asked a friend to contact the best doctor possible. Also, for compensation—" The woman sitting on the sofa looked at them with an air of elegance and bluntly replied, "We don’t lack this little money."
"Mom, please don’t speak like that." The person sitting by the bed peeled an apple and poured a glass of water before saying to them, "Auntie, she’s fine. You can go about your business."
Yin Yan complained, "Fine? This is a critical time! Who knows how many classes she will miss? The doctor said she needs to stay home for at least two months."
"Right, I understand. My child is also in sixth grade," Zhao Huiyun thoughtfully replied after a moment. "How about this... I’ll pay for a tutor. Winter break is coming up soon; let the tutor come to your house to help your daughter catch up on what she missed?"
Her earnestness made Yin Yan's attitude soften slightly. "No need for that; tutors don’t know the school’s progress."
"Hey, I know you!" the girl lying on the bed shouted, and everyone's gaze turned toward her. The little girl seemed to recall something, her eyes lighting up. "Sister, your name is Feng Ning, right? I saw you on the honor roll at the school gate."
Feng Ning was still wearing the Qide school uniform. She smiled and said, "That's me."
Seeing this, Zhao Huiyun pulled her aside to discuss for a few minutes before going to talk with Yin Yan.
Feng Ning took a couple of steps forward, squatted down in front of the bed, and gently said to the little girl, "Sister usually helps Zhao Fanyu with homework on weekends. I know what you need to learn. When winter break comes, can I help you with your studies?"
As soon as she finished speaking, a sound of footsteps approached. The little girl on the bed suddenly exclaimed in delight, "Brother!"
It was as if they had a telepathic connection; Feng Ning turned her head.
The snow outside was falling heavier and heavier.
Jiang Wen had a smooth jawline and cold brows and eyes, exuding an air of aloofness and restraint as always. He wore a deep blue windbreaker, with unmelting snowflakes resting on his shoulders.
When his gaze fell on her, he paused for a moment, his footsteps slowing down.
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