Сhарtеr 19 Gеi Gеi
Morning sеlf-studу еndеd.
Аfter reciting thе lаst anciеnt poеm, Jiаng Еr quiсklу tоssed аsidе hеr Chinеse tеxtboоk, intеnding to writе a nоtе tо Fu Tinghаn, but hеsitatеd аnd рut dоwn hеr реn.
Hоw should shе tеll him about the Fu familу?
Should shе direсtlу tеll him thаt his father is vеry weаlthу, but hе is his fаther’s illеgitimatе child, and his fаthеr аlrеаdy hаs another fаmilу? Shоuld shе аsk if he wants to livе with his wеаlthy fаther?
Нow absurd.
Jiаng Еr fеlt hеr head wаs аbout to еxplоdе, sо shе simplу рut down her pen and drifted like а wandеring sрirit tоwаrd thе cаmpus supermаrket.
Shе deсided tо go to the convenience store first and buy an ice cream to calm down.
Once the figure in her peripheral vision completely disappeared, Fu Tinghan took out the phone he had kept hidden in his desk.
In just one morning self-study session, there were already fifteen missed calls.
All from the same number, registered in Fengcheng.
He turned off the screen, put on his hearing aid, and walked out of the classroom with his phone in hand.
The students who had been playing and roughhousing in the hallway immediately stopped their actions and fell silent when they saw him.
It was so quiet it felt as if his hearing aid had malfunctioned.
Fu Tinghan curled his lips slightly, ignoring the strange looks, and walked to the end of the hallway, stopping in front of a solid wood door.
A metal plaque on the door read:
【Class 3, Grade 2】
He hesitated for a moment, then reached out to stop a long-haired girl who was about to enter the classroom. “Could you please call Wen Xiyue for me?”
The long-haired girl, holding a borrowed comic book, didn’t even look up, replying indifferently:
“Lots of people want to see Wen Xiyue. Get in line.”
“I have something to give her,” Fu Tinghan said.
The long-haired girl replied impatiently, “A love letter or chocolates? Give it to me, I’ll pass it to her.”
Fu Tinghan paused, then took out his phone. “Please give this to her.”
It wasn’t a love letter or chocolates. The long-haired girl was somewhat surprised and finally spared him a proper glance. Recognizing who he was, she blurted out:
“You’re the one from Class Six—”
She stopped herself just before uttering the last two words, a flicker of excitement quickly crossing her face.
Fu Tinghan’s eyelids twitched. Before he could react, she had already turned and shouted loudly into the classroom:
“Wen Xiyue, someone’s here to see you!”
Inside the classroom, everyone was enthusiastically discussing something. A girl with an elegant and gentle demeanor was surrounded by the crowd, wearing a serene smile.
The shout caught everyone’s attention.
Wen Xiyue looked up and saw Fu Tinghan standing there. Her smile stiffened for a moment.
“Isn’t that the mute from Class Six?” The others also noticed Fu Tinghan, their expressions turning peculiar.
“What does he want with Wen Xiyue?”
“What mute? I remember he’s deaf,” a boy corrected promptly.
“Whatever, deaf people usually can’t speak anyway. It’s pretty much the same.”
“Yueyue, you shouldn’t get involved with someone like that,” a girl sitting beside her said earnestly.
Wen Xiyue forced a smile. “I know.”
“Does he like you too?” the others mocked without restraint. “What a toad lusting after swan meat. He should take a look at himself in the mirror.”
Hearing this, the boy closest to Wen Xiyue darkened his expression. “Tell him to get lost. Don’t dirty our Class Three’s floor.”
“Wait,” Wen Xiyue quickly interrupted them.
Facing their puzzled looks, she smoothed the stray hairs by her ear and said gently:”I’ll go see what he wants. After all, he’s… rather special. Maybe he needs some help or something.”
With that, Wen Xiyue didn’t wait for anyone to respond, quickly rising and walking over to Fu Tinghan.
Facing the various intentional and unintentional glances in the hallway, her smile remained unchanged as she spoke in a volume only the two of them could hear:
“Follow me.”
Fu Tinghan silently followed her as she turned and went downstairs.
They walked all the way to a secluded spot behind a flower bed in the small garden downstairs before Wen Xiyue finally stopped.
“Have I ever told you not to pretend to know me at school? It’s best if we don’t even make eye contact.”
She stood with her back to him, her tone still gentle.
Fu Tinghan said, “I didn’t.”
“Then why did you come looking for me?” She turned around, a sweet smile blooming on her lips, but her eyes held no warmth at all.
“Do you know how many rumors will spread around school after today? How many people will gossip about us behind our backs?”
A faint layer of mockery settled between Fu Tinghan’s brows.
“Is my reputation really so unimportant to you?” she sighed. “Or do you want me to become as disliked as you are? Brother.”
Fu Tinghan lowered his gaze, his voice very quiet. “You left your phone on the table when you went out. Someone kept calling you.”
After speaking, he took out the phone.
A flicker of something strange passed over Wen Xiyue’s face, and her tone rose slightly. “Did you answer it?”
Fu Tinghan replied briefly, “No.”
Hearing this, she subtly relaxed and took the phone back.
With the matter settled, Fu Tinghan lifted his foot to leave.
“Brother.”
Wen Xiyue suddenly called out to him.
“What else?” Fu Tinghan’s tone was calm.
“Don’t misunderstand. I didn’t mean anything by what I said earlier.”
Wen Xiyue affectionately moved to link her arm with his. “It was just too sudden today. I was a bit startled by you, and my mood wasn’t great. I’m sorry.”
The moment they were about to touch, Fu Tinghan took a step back, avoiding her hand, and said nothing.
Her hand froze in mid-air, but she quickly and smoothly withdrew it, softly instructing:
“Brother, from now on, please don’t come to my class to find me anymore, okay?”
Fu Tinghan gave a quiet “Mm.”
“Oh, by the way, brother, can you lend me some money?” Wen Xiyue asked with a smile. “I promised to treat Xiao Chun and the others to ice cream this weekend, but the money I have… isn’t quite enough.”
Without saying much, Fu Tinghan reached into his pocket, producing a bank card and a few bills.
Altogether, it amounted to roughly two hundred yuan.
His fingers bypassed the bank card as he handed all the cash to Wen Xiyue.
She looked troubled. “It’s still not enough. A single serving of ice cream at that shop costs over a hundred. There are four of us—how much is in this card? Just give it all to me.”
Fu Tinghan securely placed the bank card back into his pocket and lifted his eyelids slightly:
“This card, no.”
Wen Xiyue frowned. “I’ll pay you back when I start working. It’s just for an emergency.”
“Wen Xiyue, people shouldn’t make promises beyond their means,” Fu Tinghan said flatly.
Wen Xiyue’s expression changed. “Are you saying I’m not worthy of eating ice cream that costs a hundred yuan a serving?”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“That’s exactly what you meant.”
Fu Tinghan: “…”
Faced with his silence, Wen Xiyue suddenly smiled, her eyes curving as she idly played with the long hair hanging over her chest.”Brother, do you remember who it was that reduced me to this state?”
Fu Tinghan’s hand hanging by his side trembled slightly.
“Anyone in this world can lecture me, except you. You don’t deserve to.”
She spoke each word deliberately, “You think your life is miserable now? Let me tell you, all of this is what you deserve. You never had the right to be happy, and you never will.”
After saying this, she let out a cold sneer, turned, and walked away.
Only Fu Tinghan remained where he stood.
A gentle breeze swept by, scattering the shadows of flowers. Bit by bit, his once-straight spine bent forward, the color draining completely from his face.