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墨書 Inktalez
During dinner, Feng Ning suddenly remembered something. "I think it was last year's New Year's Day party, not Christmas. Our class representative was singing 'Old Boy,' and his voice sounded like a duck—really terrible. You know I’ve never liked that song; it always reminds me of my dad. So, I slipped out alone to get some fresh air."
Qilan listened intently. "And then?"
Feng Ning swallowed her food and took a sip of water. "Then he followed me out—the guy who came to find me today. He was sneaking around like a thief, which was really funny."
She had been in a bad mood that day, but when she turned around and saw Jiang Wen's awkward expression, she couldn't help but laugh.
Qilan had never heard her mention this before and was a bit curious. "Does he like you?"
Feng Ning nodded without hesitation, a smile on her lips. "Yes."
"What kind of person is he?"
Feng Ning thought for a moment and described him to her mom: "He's a good student, just slightly worse than me in grades. But he's really handsome." She laughed. "However, he has a terrible temper; he gets angry easily if you tease him. He's quite arrogant too; at first, he wouldn't even look at people properly."
"An excellent guy."
Feng Ning slapped her forehead and chuckled. "Mom, I finally understand why ancient emperors liked those brainless consorts with big chests."
"Why?" Qilan asked, amused by her daughter's nonsense.
"Sometimes it's interesting to meet someone completely different from yourself. Watching him live happily and beautifully makes you think, well, life can still go on."
"Stop talking nonsense," Qilan scolded her.
Feng Ning pouted. "That's pretty much what I mean."
Time passed like flowing water, and Zhao Binlin noticed that Jiang Wen had been acting a bit strange lately.
What exactly was strange about him? It was hard to say, but he was clearly much quieter than usual.
And then—
"Why do you disappear every time you have a break? You don't answer my calls or respond to my messages," Zhao Binlin asked him in confusion. "Are you secretly going out to visit prostitutes?"
Jiang Wen rested his chin on one hand, remaining silent. He stared at the blackboard, writing notes at a rapid pace.
"I can't shake the feeling that you're hiding something from me."
Not receiving a response, Zhao Binlin grew a bit anxious and couldn't help but nudge him. "What's wrong with you, Jiang Wen? Feng Ning is gone, and there are no competitors left, yet you're still so enthusiastic about studying?! You never used to take notes!"
Jiang Wen's expression darkened as he sighed lightly and glanced at him. "Can you please stop being so loud and let me have some peace?"
"Sure enough, you react whenever Feng Ning is mentioned."
Kicking his chair with his foot, Zhao Binlin asked, "What happened at her home?"
"What's it to you?"
Zhao Binlin replied, "Aren't I just concerned about her?"
"Are you really that close to her?" Jiang Wen raised an eyebrow, wearing a sarcastic expression.
"?"
"Who gave you the right to care?"
“.......”
Zhao Binlin was rendered speechless by his sharp remarks, unable to respond. He raised his hand and slapped his own face, saying, “Alright, I admit I was rude.”
During the long break, several class representatives moved through the classrooms distributing papers. Jiang Wen finished counting a few test papers and, ignoring Zhao Binlin's shouting, left the classroom and walked to the large office on the same floor.
Standing in front of the photocopier, he inhaled the scent of ink. The machine emitted a soft beeping sound as he spaced out.
The Biology Teacher passed by with a cup of water and glanced over, saying, “Jiang Wen, here to print something again?”
Jiang Wen nodded.
*
It was another Saturday, and today was a bright sunny day with an unclouded blue sky. Just past seven-thirty, Feng Ning leaned against a streetlight pole, sipping soy milk. She felt extremely tired and yawned twice in quick succession.
A taxi pulled up, and someone got out.
As Jiang Wen approached, Feng Ning handed him another cup of soy milk. “Have you eaten breakfast?”
Jiang Wen shook his head.
“Do you want some Pan-fried Buns?”
Jiang Wen declined, saying, “No, thanks.”
“How about some Shumai?”
Jiang Wen shook his head again.
"Try it, it's really delicious!"
Jiang Wen said, "I didn't have an appetite this morning, I can't eat these dry things."
"I understand, precious young master."
He frowned, "Don't call me that."
"Why aren't you eating? Are you trying to extort my breakfast?"
She led him forward, occasionally popping a small bun into her mouth. Near Rain River Alley, there was a famous old noodle shop that had been open for over a decade. It wasn't far, and Feng Ning walked ahead, guiding Jiang Wen inside to sit down.
At this time, there weren't many customers, and the shop owner personally came over to greet her. Upon seeing Jiang Wen, her eyes lit up: "Hey, Ning Ning, who is this?"
"This is..." Feng Ning joked lightly, "my teacher."
"Oh, your teacher is so young." The owner brought them each a cup of Mung Bean Water. "Are you having Shredded Pork Noodle or Caiyu Noodles?"
"I’m not eating." Feng Ning pointed at Jiang Wen across from her. "Just get him a bowl of Shredded Pork Noodle."
Five minutes later, steaming noodles were served at the table, topped with a sprinkle of tender green scallions, looking very appetizing. Jiang Wen finally didn’t complain and took the initiative to break apart a pair of chopsticks.
She bit into her Pan-fried Buns.
"How much does it cost to take a taxi from your place?"
Jiang Wen swallowed his food before answering, "I don't know."
"Hmm?"
"I gave a hundred, but I didn't pay attention to how much change he gave me."
Feng Ning widened her eyes, almost spitting out the soy milk in her mouth. "Are you doing charity work or something?"
"......"
The families had discussed it earlier; on Saturday, Shuang Yao's mom would go to the hospital to keep her company, while Zhao Weichen's mother would go, and Feng Ning would stay home to rest.
Last time Jiang Wen came to see Feng Ning, he sent her a message after he got back.
Feng Ning thought about it for a long time and discussed it with Qilan before not rejecting him.
—He would help her catch up on lessons during the break.
Qilan was in the hospital, and there was only a big yellow dog at home. The Mahjong Room was slightly larger, but it hadn't been cleaned in a long time and was full of dust. Feng Ning could only bring Jiang Wen into her own room.
Before opening the door, Feng Ning asked, "Do you know how to play Mahjong?"
"No."
Feng Ning patted her chest. "I'll teach you another day."
Jiang Wen silently followed Feng Ning into her room.
Feng Ning's room... how should one describe it? It was much more youthful than she was. Although the color scheme wasn't pink, it exuded warmth everywhere. There was a white dreamcatcher, wind chimes hanging on the balcony, stickers of Chibi Maruko-chan and SpongeBob SquarePants all over the place, and a few comic books casually tossed on the table.
This was Jiang Wen's first time entering a girl's room; the air had a faint scent of laundry detergent. He felt slightly awkward, his eyes carefully avoiding wandering around.
Feng Ning bent down and moved two folding tables to the windowsill, pushing them together and taking out some cushions.
Jiang Wen set his backpack aside and looked around, "Are we studying here?"
"Yes, take off your shoes and come in," Feng Ning replied.
Feng Ning was already sitting cross-legged.
Jiang Wen responded with a silent expression.
"I've been studying here before," Feng Ning said as she pulled the curtains wide open, revealing a beautiful autumn view. The warm sunlight streamed in just right. "Look, you can see into the yard next door. There's an old man who likes to relax under the tree. When I'm bored, I enjoy watching him. Sometimes I call out to him from a distance to scare him, and other times he gets so mad that he comes over to complain to my mom. Hahaha."
As she talked about something that made her happy, she cupped her face with her hands and smiled mischievously.
Jiang Wen mimicked Feng Ning and tucked his legs in. However, being tall with long legs made him feel a bit cramped in the small space. He adjusted his sitting position, opened his backpack, and took out his books, notebooks, and papers one by one, placing them on the small table.
Feng Ning flipped through the photocopied papers. "Wow, did you print all of these yourself?"
"Of course."
"That's impressive." She was extremely touched. "What have I done to deserve having Qide, the Campus Heartthrob, come here for one-on-one tutoring? I must have saved the galaxy in my past life!"
Jiang Wen felt pleased by her words and discreetly hid his pride. "You helped my sister with her studies."
"Huh? What's wrong with helping your sister? Our boss paid for it."
Feng Ning pulled out a pen and cheerfully flipped through the papers while still joking around. "Helping your sister with her studies, and in the end, the brother still..."
"Then you can just owe me for my tutoring fees."
As soon as he finished speaking, she immediately covered her ears and acted stubbornly. "I didn't hear anything! What I didn't hear doesn't count!"
When she put her hands down, Jiang Wen snorted coldly and continued, "I said, you will pay back the money you owe me later."
Feng Ning weakly responded with an "oh," "So how much is your tutoring fee?"
"Calculated by the hour." Seeing her listless expression, Jiang Wen suppressed a smile and added, "Two hundred per hour."
"You're such a rogue, why don't you just rob someone!" Feng Ning took a deep breath and decisively pointed to the door, "Let's go."
"What?"
"I can't afford that price, so you should leave now." Feng Ning leaned back, "Even if I have to sell everything I own, I still can't afford your lessons."
"Then how much can you accept?"
Feng Ning made a peace sign.
Jiang Wen found it amusing and played along, "Twenty?"
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