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墨書 Inktalez
Qinglan was originally a lively, cheerful, willful, and uninhibited girl, but when her gaze met An Shaojie's in the air, there was an indescribable shyness and charm in her eyes. Her heart raced like a fawn, thumping wildly.
He was someone she had known since childhood, someone she had played with innocently. She thought of him merely as "Brother Shaojie."
However, her heart was racing as if she were in love at first sight! She couldn't control herself!
Even "Brother Shaojie" couldn't withstand her gaze; after saying just one sentence, he shyly dared not say another. The tall and slender boy lowered his head and sat back down.
Although Qinglan and An Shaojie were not as close as other classmates from the same village, Qinglan preferred to enjoy this mysterious and wonderful relationship.
Winter quickly passed, and after the New Year, spring arrived.
After experiencing several rare winter snowfalls before the New Year, bright sunshine finally came after the Spring Festival. Although it was already spring and the sun was shining brightly, the signs of spring had not yet appeared; everywhere was still barren grass and thin water.
Just as school started again, An Shaojie visited Shaw Min's school.
Due to make-up classes during the winter break, Shaw Min returned to school on the sixth day of the New Year, while An Shaojie only came back after the Lantern Festival.
Before coming to school, Bai Cuifen prepared some leftover food from the New Year for him and Shaw Min to take to share with their dorm mates. Naturally, Shaw Min's portion was brought by An Shaojie to be handed over to Shaw Min.
On that day, the weather started off bright but suddenly turned gloomy. However, for An Shaojie, even though he could see light rain falling from the sky, he wouldn't bring an umbrella; after all, it was just an overcast day.
That day happened to be the beginning of the school term and it was a Saturday, so there were no formal classes. An Shaojie went around noon and returned around two in the afternoon when light rain had already begun to fall.
By around two-thirty when he reached the school gate, the rain had become quite heavy. An Shaojie jumped off the bus; his jacket did not have a hood, so he had to cover his head with his hands.
After walking a few steps, the rain intensified into a downpour.
An Shaojie couldn't help but think that even if he ran, it would take about fifteen minutes to reach his dormitory; today he might get completely soaked.
"Brother Shaojie!"
An Shaojie was just about to start running back to his dorm when he suddenly heard Qinglan calling him from behind.
Yes, it was indeed Qinglan. An Shaojie didn't need to turn around to know it was her; in the entire school, only she called him that, and her voice was easily recognizable due to her accent and its clarity.
Qinglan was holding a light-colored floral umbrella and ran over to An Shaojie, raising the umbrella above his head.
"Are you going to Sister Shaomin's place?" Qinglan asked.
An Shaojie remained silent, unsure how to refuse the umbrella that Qinglan held over him.
After all, the relationship between him and Qinglan was no longer as it used to be, marked by an irreconcilable hostility. In the past, if he found himself in such a situation, he could have directly rejected her or even shouted at her angrily, or simply pushed her away.
Now, he could only turn and continue walking forward.
Qinglan jogged behind him, holding the umbrella. However, because An Shaojie was too tall, Qinglan had to hold the umbrella high, which made it look quite strenuous for her.
"Brother Shaojie, is Sister Shaomin doing well?" Qinglan tried to make conversation.
An Shaojie finally slowed down a bit, hesitating on whether or not to respond to Qinglan's question.
Taking shelter under someone else's umbrella without any deep-seated hatred made it seem rather ridiculous and awkward if he chose not to answer her.
However, there was another part of An Shaojie's mind that was causing trouble; if he responded to her question, it would open up a situation between them that he couldn't predict.
Deep down, he had always been resistant to that situation.
In the past month or two, the relationship between him and her had improved, but it had not progressed further due to his resistance.
He had grown accustomed to their unspoken, ambiguous connection, a delicate thread that kept them close yet distant. Perhaps he feared the emergence of a new dynamic, afraid of changing the nature of their relationship, afraid of what a new bond with her might entail.
Moreover, there was something lingering in his heart, a shadow that prevented Qinglan from entering it.
Even more so, he feared that if their relationship changed, he would be trapped.
Being trapped was the last outcome he wanted!
He was both insecure and proud, self-respecting yet vulnerable, unwilling to let anyone into the depths of his heart to see the oasis within.
How could he allow himself to be vulnerable in front of her?
All along, he had resisted her with his indifference, refusing to let himself fall. How could he fail? How could he fail in front of her?
Thus, An Shaojie still did not respond to Qinglan's question, but a soft part of him made it impossible to push her umbrella away.
The rain outside had grown heavier. Refusing Qinglan's umbrella at this moment would not only be an unwise choice but also require courage. Besides, he no longer disliked her as much.
The two shared an umbrella, walking together in the rain, their pace gradually slowing as if they were taking a leisurely stroll.
Yet, neither of them spoke.
Or perhaps only one was asking questions while the other offered no response at all.
Silence! Only the sound of the rain pattering against the umbrella!
Outside the umbrella was a hazy curtain of rain, surrounded by damp air. Inside the umbrella, two silent individuals could hear each other's trust and heartbeat.
This atmosphere lingered for a while, and An Shaojie seemed to feel that it was filled with an ambiguous aura, as if it were about to reveal the secrets he had hidden and suppressed in his heart, making him feel uneasy all over.
Rather than feeling uncomfortable, it would be better to awkwardly chat! An Shaojie suddenly realized that his earlier stubborn silence was actually a mistake.
Now, he hoped Qinglan would ask him something to break this ambiguous silence.
Qinglan seemed to sense this too, or perhaps she understood An Shaojie.
"Um, um." The damp and still chilly early spring air made Qinglan shiver. "After this semester, we will be separated into science and arts classes, Brother Shaojie. Are you planning to study science?"
Qinglan slightly raised her head and asked An Shaojie.
"Oh, um." An Shaojie finally spoke up. Although it was just two words, to Qinglan, it felt like a thousand words.
Indeed, this simple response was something Qinglan had been looking forward to since she was three years old. She had waited fourteen years for it, from innocent childhood to pure adolescence.
"Let's study science." An Shaojie felt that his previous answer was too brief and added another sentence.
He suddenly lowered his head to look at Qinglan. Initially intending to glance at her casually, he unexpectedly found Qinglan looking up at him. When he looked at her, he caught sight of her slightly raised face, her delicate chin that curved upwards, and her small yet straight nose. Her face was dampened by the raindrops and covered with a layer of mist; the wet strands of hair on her forehead and temples clung to her face. Such a delicate little face! It was An Shaojie's first time seeing her so closely! His heart trembled lightly, and he quickly shifted his gaze forward towards the hazy curtain of rain and the misty mountains and waters.
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