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墨書 Inktalez
Cheng Jiajia paused for a moment, "You didn't cry."
"Ah, what?" Feng Ning was distracted while talking to them. Seeing that no one else spoke, she plugged in her headphones and glanced at her phone screen again.
Teacher Guo was enjoying the performance of the comedy show, chuckling to herself. Her eyelashes fluttered lightly, and her eyes sparkled like stars fallen from the night sky.
Jiang Wen felt a lump in his throat.
When Jiang Wen returned to the dormitory, the main light was off, leaving only two desk lamps on. He tossed aside a magazine that Zhao Binlin had carelessly discarded and sat down on his chair.
Zhao Binlin turned over in bed, poked his head out, and whispered, "Xi Gaoyuan went to the cinema with his girlfriend last night to watch the premiere of Avengers. He was asleep before nine today."
Jiang Wen nodded.
"And you?"
"What about me?"
"What were you doing with Cheng Jiajia?"
"Studying in the classroom."
"Come on, keep pretending." Zhao Binlin's face was full of mischief, like a conspirator. "You need to be more proactive with the girl. How can you score if you don't take the initiative? And how can you experience the joys of life without scoring? Just put your heart into it; today a date in the classroom, tomorrow a date in bed—how wonderful!"
Jiang Wen fiddled with his phone, ignoring Zhao Binlin's crude remarks.
Having long gotten used to his indifference towards relationships, Zhao Binlin didn't mind: "Are you texting Cheng Jiajia? So serious?" He craned his neck awkwardly until he finally saw the colorful graphics on Jiang Wen's phone screen—it was a new racing game.
"Boring, really boring," Zhao Binlin sighed deeply, muttering to himself. "Of course, dating can't be more interesting than playing games."
The sports meet arrived as scheduled.
Qide Sports Meet has traditionally allowed students to not wear uniforms for three days.
After a brief gathering on the playground, teacher Tie instructed the class leader to take them to the stands of Class Nine to sit down.
Due to an incident in the previous year where someone sneaked out during the sports meet and got into trouble, leading to parents causing a scene at the school, this year they took it more seriously and enforced stricter rules. teacher Tie repeatedly emphasized that no one was allowed to run off and that they had to check in at designated times.
The weather was scorching hot, and several girls paired up, sitting together and chatting to pass the time.
Jiang Wen had an injury on his knee and didn’t sign up for any events. He wore a white baseball cap to shield himself from the sun and was watching videos on his iPad. As lunchtime approached, large clouds gathered, darkening the sky, signaling another impending rain.
When Jiang Wen looked up, he noticed someone standing in front of him, though he didn’t realize when they had arrived. His reaction was delayed as he looked up from below.
Wearing ripped jeans and a black t-shirt with a skull necklace prominently displayed, the person looked very cool. Jiang Wen’s surprise slowly accumulated. After a brief silence, he asked, “What are you doing standing here?”
They had been in a cold war for many days.
Feng Ning raised an eyebrow slightly and countered with a question: “Do you remember what I’m wearing? I specifically wore this for you.”
His expression changed, and he stubbornly replied, “I don’t remember.”
“How could you not remember? I don’t believe you.” Feng Ning smiled happily, looking quite confident. “Weren’t you infatuated with me at first sight? How could you forget what I’m wearing?”
“Who’s infatuated with you?” Jiang Wen suddenly stood up, extremely agitated. “This is so boring!”
He ignored his iPad in his frustration. Embarrassed and angry, he walked away briskly as if fleeing, while she followed leisurely behind him.
The two of them exited the school gate, took several turns through a few streets, and arrived at the familiar alleyway where Feng Ning casually blocked his path.
Jiang Wen finally slowed down, speaking harshly, “Don’t follow me.”
Feng Ning continued to smile, her eyes sparkling playfully. “If I follow you, you get angry; if I don’t follow you, you still get angry. So what do you actually want?”
“I want you to stop following me.”
"Don't you want to know why I came to find you?"
"No."
She lifted her chin and pushed his shoulder repeatedly, "You're being so contradictory. How long are you going to keep pretending? Huh? Little kids who tell lies get longer noses."
Jiang Wen was taller than Feng Ning, yet he stumbled backward until she pressed him against the wall, leaving him with nowhere to retreat. "What do you want from me?"
She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his earlobe lightly, like a dragonfly touching the water, just a hint of warmth. "I want it this way."
Jiang Wen's back stiffened, his heart raced wildly, so intense that his face turned red. He was at a loss for words, stammering in shock, "Y-you..."
Feng Ning leaned in like a rogue and whispered teasingly in his ear, "That mole on your abs is so sexy; let me touch it."
Jiang Wen's body went rigid, feeling as if a part of him had collapsed, and his vision became blurred.
Not willing to give up, she moved in closer, their bodies pressed tightly together, the skull necklace digging into his chest painfully.
Seeing he had no reaction, Feng Ning put away her nonchalant expression and said sadly, "Jiang Wen, I regret it. Please don't be with other girls. I don't know what to do anymore. It hurts so much inside that I can't focus in class or sleep at night. I think about you every day—about how you’re hot and cold with me, about how you ignore me."
"You feel hurt too?" He accused her as if he had lost his mind. "You don't feel hurt at all! If you did, why are you still watching comedy shows?"
"I’m finding joy in my suffering; I’m putting on a brave face."
In the distance, thunder rumbled ominously from the clouds. Within a minute, large raindrops began to fall. Pedestrians hurried along the street, breaking into a run to find shelter from the rain; no one cared about what was happening in this corner.
"You’re lying." Jiang Wen was finally losing it; he felt dizzy and his voice sounded particularly aggrieved. "You clearly don’t like me."
Feng Ning looked at him steadily and softly said amidst the sound of rain, "I like you; you're my little prince."
They were both soaked through.
Jiang Wen watched helplessly as she affectionately took his hand, intertwining their fingers, making his heart sink further.
Feng Ning held his hand and playfully kissed it near her lips before leaning in to kiss his lips.
After just two seconds of hesitation, he instinctively extended his tongue. A tingling sensation spread from his tailbone throughout his body.
--- Ding ding ding... ding ding ding...
The alarm on the Apple phone rang on time in the dim morning light, waking him from this absurd and nonsensical dream.
Like a fragment of memory, Jiang Wen's back was drenched in sweat. He calmed his breathing, caught between dreams and reality, his mind still in a haze, staring blankly as he struggled to regain his senses.
Disappointment, embarrassment, frustration—various complex emotions swirled together. He lay in bed with his eyes closed, then opened them again, staring at the ceiling until his mind finally cleared.
He reached down under the blanket and felt something sticky. A few seconds later, he thumped the bed and cursed under his breath.
*
On Friday, the eve of the holiday, the classroom was particularly restless.
Today it was Feng Ning's turn to clean. After the last self-study period ended, she diligently swept and mopped the floor until the tiles shone brightly. Once she finished cleaning, everyone had already left the classroom.
She closed the doors and windows, turned off the fan, checked the power supply, and with satisfaction, Feng Ning clapped her hands before heading downstairs with her backpack.
Shuang Yao had plans today and was going out to dinner with her family, so Feng Ning had to take the bus home alone.
After leaving the school gate and passing by a small shop on the roadside, she slipped in to pick up a chocolate-flavored ice cream. Just a few steps later, she suddenly heard someone calling out.
Feng Ning licked the sugar residue from her lips and turned around to see an SUV slowly slowing down. The window rolled down, and Zhao Binlin leaned out from the passenger seat. "Feng Ning, where are you going? Do you want a ride?"
"The bus stop is just fifty meters away; it goes directly to my house. No need to give me a ride."
"Who else is with you? Are you all going out?" She was curious and bent down to take a look; she didn't recognize the driver, but the person sitting in the back was quite familiar.
Jiang Wen was sitting in the car. When he saw Feng Ning holding a nearly melting black ice cream with her usual smile, their eyes met unintentionally.
He stiffened all over and immediately turned his head away.
Zhao Binlin cheerfully said, "Tomorrow after we finish eating, let's go have some fun, Jian Tang?"
Feng Ning nodded, "Right, you’re coming, right? I’ll book a table for you guys when I get back."
"Is it okay if we bring two more people?"
"Sure." Feng Ning readily agreed, then straightened his face and said seriously, "But don’t bring too many; I don’t want to end up completely wasted."
A car honked behind them, and Feng Ning waved his hand. "Alright then, see you tomorrow. You guys hurry up and don’t block the road."
"Hahaha, okay, see you tomorrow."
Feng Ning nodded a couple of times. "And you guys, driving underage is not allowed. Be careful and don’t get caught by the traffic police."
Chi Chiyang laughed happily, "She’s so interesting."
"Right? She's hilarious."
Chi Chiyang was eager to join in. "Where are you guys going to drink tomorrow? Take me with you."
After saying this, he subconsciously glanced at Jiang Wen. Seeing that he had no expression, Chi Chiyang secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He hadn’t forgotten how black-faced Jiang Wen had been when he mentioned wanting to pursue Feng Ning. He had even felt a bit sorry for him at the time. But just a couple of days later, Jiang Wen quickly got together with Cheng Jiajia, and his attention shifted away from it.
After all, he himself changed partners every week; everyone was just having fun, so why take it seriously?
Dinner was at Xi Gaoyuan's newly opened chain restaurant. It was a family gathering night, and those with girlfriends brought them along. There were over ten people in total, and they booked a private room for a lively meal.
After dinner, some single friends started teasing and insisted that the couples present kiss one by one. As soon as this suggestion was made, the atmosphere became even more lively.
Everyone was having a great time; Xi Gaoyuan took the lead and embraced his girlfriend for a minute-long kiss. The others quickly followed suit.
They were laughing and joking, while Jiang Wen looked at the messy table full of cups and plates, but he wasn't really focused.
Zhao Binlin tilted his head and asked, "What's wrong with you today? You've been daydreaming all day."
Just then, the crowd turned their attention to Jiang Wen. The girls pushed Cheng Jiajia forward, while the boys nudged Jiang Wen, all chanting, "Kiss, kiss, kiss, just one kiss!"
"Everyone else has kissed; you can't back out now!"
Pei Shurou smiled lightly, not at all anxious. Others might not understand, but having grown up with Jiang Wen, she could tell at a glance whether he had feelings for Cheng Jiajia.
Cheng Jiajia was half-heartedly complying, her face flushed as she was pushed closer by the others.
She slightly tilted her face up, just about to kiss him when Jiang Wen turned his head away.
Cheng Jiajia froze for a moment, seemingly calm as she turned aside.
The crowd was disappointed that the show didn't go as planned; they sighed and murmured. Xi Gaoyuan, frustrated by the situation, couldn't help but scold, "Come on, Jiang Wen, do you have to be such a coward?"
Zhao Binlin grabbed his shoulders and shook him, mimicking a line from a movie's male lead with gritted teeth. "Jiang Wen, I hate it when you act like a stone!"
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