As the matter of Jiang Ren’s self-criticism concluded, Meng Ting returned home after school. As soon as she entered, she heard Shu’s Father apologizing.
A man in his mid-forties impatiently waved his hand: “Enough, how many times have you said these words? If it weren’t for the fact that we’re cousins, would I have let you drag this out for so long? The interest I calculated for you isn’t much, I’ve been more than fair. Anyway, I need to pay for a house this week, you must repay, no negotiation.”
Meng Ting came in, and Shu’s Father quickly said: “Tingting’s back, why don’t you go to your room first?”
Meng Ting’s knuckles were pale as she looked towards the middle-aged man sitting on the sofa drinking water.
The middle-aged man was called Du Dongliang, Shu Zhitong’s cousin.
Meng Ting had a deep impression of him. In her previous life, after the Shu family’s house burned down, he was the one who led the accusations that Meng Ting was a harbinger of doom. He claimed she had caused the death of all her relatives, and later Shu’s Father angrily cut off contact with him.
The year Shu’s Father died in a laboratory accident, Du Dongliang offered to adopt Meng Ting.
At that time, Du Dongliang was scolded by his wife, who pulled his ear and berated him in the street.
“What’s this? You won’t raise your niece and nephew, but you want to raise this money-losing good? Is it because she’s pretty and tender? That little vixen’s looks have bewitched you, haven’t they!” The words were harsh.
They only found out at the hospital later that Meng Ting’s face had been disfigured by the fire. Du Dongliang immediately dropped the subject.
At that time, Shu Lan cried heartbrokenly. Meng Ting hugged her, her voice hoarse: “Don’t be afraid, we’re almost adults, we can support ourselves in the future. When I get better, I’ll take good care of you all in place of Dad.”
But she didn’t see the resentment in Shu Lan’s eyes.
And now, the same thing was happening.
Du Dongliang had come to collect the debt. He was in business, had some money, and had bought a house in the city center of H City. He was even thinking of buying a sea-view property.
This year, housing prices weren’t high, but they would multiply several times over in about two or three years.
Shu’s Father, at his wit’s end, finally took on some dangerous experimental work as an assistant and ultimately died from radiation exposure in the laboratory.
Du Dongliang turned his head, his beady eyes fixated on Meng Ting’s face. He swallowed, looking somewhat dazed.
Meng Ting didn’t follow Shu Zhitong’s instruction to return to her room. She clenched her fists tightly, put down her schoolbag, and avoiding Du Dongliang’s nauseating gaze, said: “Shu Father, I’m going out for a walk.”
Only when she went out did she realize it was getting dark outside. The winter wind was a bit cold.
Meng Ting hugged herself and finally went to the area near the school.
Meng Ting didn’t return to her school but went to the neighboring vocational high school instead.
The vocational school hadn’t closed its gates yet, and the bare willow branches danced in the wind. Meng Ting slowly looked at the bulletin board, one faded promotional poster after another.
She carefully read through them.
Piano competition…
Piano lessons…
Further down, there were various dance competitions. Ballet, Latin…
Her fingertips traced over them, a faint smile appearing in her eyes. Then she memorized the numbers in her heart. Some were for competitions that had already ended, while others hadn’t started yet.
Around the corner of the bulletin board, under the phoenix tree, some boys were smoking.
Meng Ting smelled the smoke and her footsteps halted.
He Junming offered a cigarette to Jiang Ren, but Jiang Ren didn’t take it. Everyone could see he wasn’t in a good mood.
There had been a call from the Jiang family.
Father and son were still in a cold war. Chairman Jiang scolded him for not studying well, and Jiang Ren sneered and retorted. The father and son had a big argument.
He Junming took a drag on his cigarette: “Ren-ge if it’s not working out, why don’t you just go back? It’s not like staying here is doing any good.”
Jiang Ren ignored him, his expression unpleasant.
He Junming didn’t dare to persuade him further and suggested: “Want to go play at the bar?”
“No.”
He Junming winked suggestively: “Let’s go play, Lu Yue and the others are there today, a bunch of girls. They say they’re celebrating Lu Yue possibly being recommended for university admission.” Perhaps Lu Yue had heard the news in advance, or she had met the criteria for the annual recommendation quota.
Jiang Ren snorted: “Lu Yue?”
He Junming quickly nodded: “Yeah, that beauty from No. 7 High School’s third year.”
“If you like her, you go.”
He Junming coughed awkwardly. He did quite like Lu Yue. But today, Lu Yue had coquettishly asked him to invite Jiang Ren to come too. Her intentions were pretty clear, wasn’t it awkward for him to go?
He Han lit a cigarette: “Recommended admission? That’s impressive.”
“You bet, anyone who can get into university is impressive.”
Even the usually quiet Fang Tan said: “It is indeed. Jiang Ren, why don’t you go and have some fun?”
Jiang Ren wasn’t interested. He flexed his wrist: “Not interested.” His expression was blank, his mood somewhat sour after arguing with his father.
He Junming finally couldn’t hold back and grumbled: “Ren-ge, when have you ever admitted fault? Yet today you read a self-criticism in front of the whole school. Do you still like Meng Ting? But even after all this, she hasn’t come to see you. Is it worth it?”
He Junming’s face was flushed with excitement: “Lu Yue is not bad either. She’s also good at studies, gentle, and beautiful. Why don’t you consider her? At least you’d live happily.”
Meng Ting lowered her long lashes.
She had just arrived in time to hear this conversation.
The sky was darkening, and she looked at her toes. In her heart, she agreed with He Junming’s words.
Yes, senior Lu Yue was different from Shen Yuqing, she was quite nice. She indeed didn’t like Jiang Ren, couldn’t feel his pain, and wouldn’t get closer to him because of his efforts.
She just wanted to get into a good university, let her father enjoy his later years, and then find a suitable person to spend her life with.
Jiang Ren wasn’t a suitable person. The young man was too sharp. He was domineering and obsessive, from a well-off family, destined to walk a different path from her.
However, just as she was about to turn and leave.
Jiang Ren kicked He Junming in the backside: “Get lost, don’t piss me off.”
He Junming was kicked out, and as he looked up, he saw the equally stunned Meng Ting.
His mouth fell open, and after a while, he recovered, his mouth twitching: “Classmate Meng Ting, what a coincidence.”
Meng Ting nodded, apologizing somewhat awkwardly: “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop on your conversation.”
Her voice was soft and sweet, like summer honey, making people’s hearts tremble.
He Junming quickly waved his hands: “It’s fine, it’s fine.”
Meng Ting smiled and turned to leave.
Jiang Ren’s face didn’t look good. He suddenly stood up and chased after her.
He Han clicked his tongue: “He Junming, you foolish roe deer, you’re done for.”
Fang Tan also laughed unkindly: “You’re finished.”
They all knew how much Ren-ge liked Meng Ting, he practically treasured her. But He Junming had just been trying to drive a wedge between them, hadn’t he?
He Junming’s face turned ashen. He stubbornly said: “I was just telling the truth. Meng Ting is so hard to pursue, it’s like we’re not even in the same world. She’s too beautiful, too pure. Lu Yue doesn’t mind Ren-ge’s past. If it were me, I’d choose Lu Yue. What about you guys?”
He Han finally spoke after a long pause: “You want to hear the truth?”
He Junming nodded.
“I’d choose Meng Ting.”
“F*ck! What about you, Tanzi!”
Fang Tan: “Meng Ting.”
“No way, you guys!”
He Han struggled to tell the truth: “Although Meng Ting is hard to pursue, she’s…” He coughed, “She’s Freaking beautiful.”
Not just beautiful, but her voice was sweet too. When she smiled at you, your heart would race like crazy. Moreover, Meng Ting had a kind of girlish innocence and sweetness that Lu Yue and the others didn’t have.
Fang Tan stubbed out his cigarette and said: “While Ren-ge isn’t here, I’ll be honest too. Girls like Meng Ting are the kind of girlfriends everyone wants. You don’t want her because you know you can’t pursue her, and you don’t dare to try.”
“…”
Meng Ting hadn’t gone far when Jiang Ren grabbed her wrist.
He was somewhat irritated and urgent: “What did you hear?”
Meng Ting looked at him and said softly: “I didn’t hear anything. Let go of me, Jiang Ren, I need to go home.”
Jiang Ren held her chin, making her look at him: “They were just joking, don’t take it to heart.” He said, “There’s nothing between me and Lu Yue.”
Meng Ting nodded and said: “Oh.”
His face darkened, his eyebrows sharp, looking somewhat fierce: “You don’t believe me?”
She quickly shook her head: “I do.”
Her tone was serious, obediently agreeing.
Jiang Ren smiled: “Mm, I don’t like her.” He looked into her eyes. Meng Ting’s heart was pounding. Before he could say his next words, she pushed him away, her tone soft: “I believe you, I need to go home now.”
There was a hint of amusement in his eyes: “Hey, Meng Ting. You’re so smart, you’ve guessed what I’m going to say, right? Whether you want to hear it or not, you have to. I like you.”
He took her hand and placed it on his chest: “Really, I only like you. Can you feel it?”
Beneath the young man’s firm muscles, his heart was beating violently.
Meng Ting’s face turned red: “You’re still a student, can’t you stop thinking about these things?”
Jiang Ren couldn’t help but laugh, his chest shaking: “Are you lecturing me?” He was about to die laughing, how could she be so cute? Only she would still think of him as a student.
He smiled somewhat mischievously: “Classmate Meng, I’m not good at studying, my mind is full of this nonsense. Won’t you save me?”
The way he said “Won’t you save me?” had a teasing lilt to it.
Meng Ting’s face was completely red, her tea-colored eyes moist: “I don’t want to talk to you.”
Jiang Ren said: “Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda, isn’t that right? Good student, are you so heartless as to watch a classmate fall into depravity?”
Her ear tips were red, and she wanted to beat him to death: “Can’t you talk properly? I want to go home.”
He chuckled: “Alright, I’ll let you go.”
But when she started to leave, Jiang Ren suddenly changed his mind.
He hadn’t seen Meng Ting for a long time, and it had been really hard. He had wanted to find her countless times, but remembering the looks in people’s eyes when he returned from the police station that day, especially the looks from those girls at No. 7 High School, he was afraid to see the same in her eyes.
He had a lot he wanted to tell her.
After leaving the hospital that day, when she didn’t wear his clothes, he hadn’t smoked since.
Even when he felt bad, he could endure it.
Thinking of her, he could endure anything.
But now she had come.
This time, she had come to the vocational school on her own, after school hours. What was she doing here? This time, it wasn’t him shamelessly seeking her out, she had come of her own accord.
Meng Ting had taken several steps when she felt a force from behind. She lost her balance and was pressed against the wall by him.
It was winter then, but his chest was burning hot.
The young man’s brows were filled with amusement, but his tone was fierce: “I’ll let you go after you tell me, why did you come to our school, hm?”
Meng Ting patted his arm, extremely anxious: “No reason, aren’t you annoying, Jiang Ren.”
She certainly wasn’t going to tell him she wanted to participate in dance and piano competitions to earn money.
Jiang Ren chuckled: “When I was in jail before, I always felt that finding you again would be bad for your reputation. I thought I should stop liking you, not implicate a good student.”
She widened her eyes, looking at him. It was so good that Jiang Ren could understand this!
He was moved by her expression of joy, surprise, and almost a smile.
Then Jiang Ren smiled, mercilessly patting her rosy cheeks: “But what can I do? I just realized, every time I see you, I fall for you all over again.”