The rainstorm mended what had been broken between us. I stopped asking about his comings and goings, stopped pressuring him to attend school. It felt like a weight had been lifted off my chest. Even Li Zi remarked that I seemed much happier lately. I knew it was because of him—because things felt like they had gone back to how they used to be. We started meeting up occasionally again for meals and chats, and it was like stepping back into the past.
A week later, Chen Qiao Luo returned to school. The first time I saw him in the hallway, I thought I was hallucinating.
He noticed me too and ran over, waving a hand in front of my face. “What’s the matter, Miss Zhu? Staring at me like that—don’t tell me you’ve suddenly fallen for me!”
His teasing snapped me out of my daze. I smacked his hand away and retorted, “Get over yourself, Chen Qiao Luo. Even if you were the last man on earth, I still wouldn’t fall for you, so stop dreaming.”
Feigning hurt, he clutched his chest dramatically. “Zhu Yun Hao, you’re so heartless!”
“Yes, yes,” I shot back with mock exasperation. “Haven’t you heard that women’s hearts are the most ruthless?”
We were bickering as usual when we ran into Gu Yu in the hallway. My steps faltered, and my heart skipped a beat.
Gu Yu’s gaze landed on me briefly before shifting away.
I froze in place, unable to move, until I heard Chen Qiao Luo’s voice, tinged with sadness: “Zhu Yun Hao, do you still like Gu Yu?”
I turned to look at him. His eyes held an emotion I couldn’t decipher—deep and vast like the ocean. Stammering slightly, I replied, “Of course not! I, Zhu Yun Hao, am someone who can let go when it’s time. If Gu Yu doesn’t like me, there’s no reason for me to keep liking him, is there?”
Chen Qiao Luo said nothing for a long while, just staring at me. Finally, he lowered his gaze and said softly, “Zhu Yun Hao, could you please stop liking Gu Yu?”
There was so much sadness in his voice that it caught me off guard. I didn’t know how to respond. Just as I opened my mouth, he suddenly lifted his head again, his usual playful smirk returning. “Haha, silly Zhu Yun Hao, I was just messing with you. Look at you, so scared!”
“Chen Qiao Luo, how dare you trick me!” I shouted, chasing after him, ready to hit him. But he dodged quickly, laughing as he ran.
And so began a game of cat and mouse in the crowded school hallway.
I chased him all the way to the rooftop. With nowhere left to run, I couldn’t help but smile triumphantly. “Chen Qiao Luo, you’re the one who ran up here. If you come quietly and accept your fate, I might consider letting you off.”
Ignoring me, he walked over to a pile of junk near the edge. Reaching behind it, he pulled out a few cans of beer.
Surprised, I walked over and clapped him on the shoulder. “Wow, Chen Qiao Luo. Hiding this kind of thing in a place like this, huh?”
“Of course,” he said with a grin, handing me a can. Then, he sat down on the floor without hesitation.
Just as I was about to sit down like him, he stopped me and stood up. Confused, I watched as he took off his school uniform jacket and spread it on the ground. Then he turned to me with a smile and said, “There. Now our grand Miss Zhu won’t have to sit on the dirty floor.”
The unexpected gesture sent a wave of warmth through my heart. I sat cross-legged on the jacket and cracked open a beer, clinking my can lightly against his.
The sound of the school bell ringing drifted to our ears, but neither of us made any move to leave. It had been a long time since I skipped class. Whenever I was with Chen Qiao Luo, it seemed I became a completely different person.
I wasn’t sure how much time had passed. By the time we finished our second can of beer, he finally broke the silence.
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