The peaches exchanged for the living room furniture ended up not being eaten after all. Father Shu took them to the laboratory.
By early April, H City had completely shed its early spring chill, and the weather was exceptionally bright. Stepping outside, the dazzling sun warmed everyone.
Meng Ting had two matters weighing on her mind.
One was a national dance competition in June. Dancing was not easy, requiring years of foundational skills and a flexible body. She had been practicing since the winter break, and her condition had improved significantly. However, whether she could win an award was still uncertain.
In her previous life, she hadn’t danced since she was fourteen.
The other matter left her rather silent.
In her past life, in late April of this year, her maternal grandfather had fallen and broken his leg. At nearly seventy years old, a broken leg had left him weak. He passed away within two years.
At that time, Meng Ting had gone with Shu Zhitong to see him once.
In the countryside house, the old man lay immobile. The old woman wiped her tears while grabbing a broom to chase them away.
Her grandparents were in their thirties when they had her mother, Zeng Yujie, and they deeply loved their only daughter.
However, their only daughter had stubbornly run off with a frivolous man.
The grandparents had cried and scolded, but when they saw Zeng Yujie’s determination, they disowned her.
Later, when Zeng Yujie became pregnant out of wedlock, the old couple, who had taught in the countryside all their lives and maintained high moral standards, further distanced themselves from their daughter.
Zeng Yujie was proud and never returned, even after her death. She raised her daughter alone in the big city, enduring countless hardships and taking on all sorts of grueling work.
Zeng Yujie might not have been a good daughter, but she was an excellent mother. She later gave all her love to Meng Ting.
In her previous life, when Meng Ting was chased away by her grandparents, she felt both angry and disheartened.
She had once been saddened by her grandparents’ coldness, wondering why they wouldn’t acknowledge her mother. Zeng Yujie had made a mistake, but she never even had a chance to make amends.
It was disheartening that the two elderly people were left alone and struggled to get by on their retirement pensions.
They didn’t acknowledge Zeng Yujie, nor did they acknowledge Meng Ting.
Later, when Meng Ting’s face was disfigured and Father Shu passed away, she had nowhere to call home. She thought of her grandmother but still didn’t go back. However, at eighteen, she finally understood why her grandmother had cried while chasing her away.
They were nearing the end of their lives and would be a heavy burden.
Zeng Yujie was the daughter they had raised for twenty years; how could they not have any feelings for her? They chased Meng Ting away hoping their young granddaughter wouldn’t have to bear such a heavy burden.
Just as later, when Meng Ting was so distressed, she chose not to return to avoid causing her grandmother pain.
Given another chance at life, Meng Ting wanted to go see them.
Even though they had never been present in her life for a single day, her grandfather had spent his entire life teaching and nurturing others, earning much respect. Even if they weren’t her grandparents, they deserved help.
Meng Ting didn’t hesitate. She had saved some money and planned to ask for leave from school in April to make a trip to the countryside.
She couldn’t remember exactly which day her grandfather had his accident, but to avoid any mishaps, she planned to leave before mid-month.
When the dance competition prospectus was first published, Meng Ting had already filled out the form and submitted it. This competition had many rounds, with the first-place winner receiving a sponsorship of 100,000 yuan!
This was the competition she had participated in at fourteen in her previous life.
It was also the competition where she had once won first place but lost her mother forever.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she filled out this form. In the end, she gently closed her eyes and wrote “Meng Ting” in the name field.
After submitting the form, Meng Ting began packing for her trip to the countryside in F City.
She told Shu Zhitong that she wanted to go back and see her grandparents. The elderly had aged, and despite all the grudges, she wanted to see them on behalf of her mother.
Shu Zhitong was very pleased and fully supported her: “Once Dad finishes his busy work in the next few days, he’ll accompany you.”
Meng Ting quickly shook her head: “Father Shu, you’re busy. The local customs there are simple and honest; nothing will happen. I’m just going to take a look. Mom said Grandfather has a peculiar temper; he might get angry if you come.”
Shu Zhitong was stubborn and principled, but he greatly respected Meng Ting.
After Meng Ting explained her reasoning, he finally nodded. The next day, he gave Meng Ting a gift.
Meng Ting opened the box to find a small, elegant white mobile phone.
The phone model was very old-fashioned, but it could make calls and send text messages without any problems. Meng Ting accepted it with a smile.
She would use it to report her safety to Shu Zhitong, which would put his mind at ease.
Getting leave from school was even easier.
But she couldn’t tell the truth. After all, why couldn’t she wait until summer vacation to visit her grandparents? Besides, the matter of reincarnation was too bizarre; Meng Ting couldn’t possibly reveal it.
For the first time, she had to lie to Teacher Fan Huiyin: “Teacher, I need to go for my final eye rehabilitation treatment. It might take a while, about half a month.”
Fan Huiyin readily agreed and even signed her leave slip. Meng Ting let out a small sigh of relief.
Meng Ting’s small savings amounted to 1,000 yuan.
It had taken her three whole years to save up.
She had originally intended to find an excuse to give this money to Father Shu, but now she couldn’t do that.
This year, buying a plane ticket wasn’t as expensive as it would be later. It cost just over 300 yuan, leaving her with 700 yuan, which she carefully put away. If her grandparents were unwilling to take her in, she would need to find a place to stay.
This money should be enough.
However, once it was used up, she wouldn’t have money for new dance costumes.
She was so poor.
But there were more important things to consider. A person’s well-being was paramount.
Her flight was on the morning of April 12th.
It was said to be very hot in F City.
Meng Ting carried her luggage as Shu Yang and Father Shu saw her off. Before boarding, she waved to them, her smile gentle and radiant, more beautiful than the April morning light.
The other passengers were all captivated.
Shu Yang frowned, worried about her for the first time. He ran over to ask her, “Will you be okay on your own?”
Meng Ting nodded.
Shu Yang was silent for a moment, then said, “Remember to let us know you’re safe.”
Meng Ting smiled and agreed.
Her gaze towards Shu Yang was gentle. In either life, this brother of hers was cold on the outside but warm-hearted.
It wasn’t until she was on the plane, looking at the vast expanse of white clouds, that she finally felt some concern. She didn’t even know how her grandfather had been injured; could she successfully change the course of events?
April 13th was the day when the vocational high school released the English mini-test scores.
Jiang Ren had studied hard for half a month, becoming irritable to the point where He Junming and the others didn’t dare provoke him.
Some people are just not naturally suited for studying.
He Junming took advantage of Ren’s bathroom break to secretly look at Jiang Ren’s English test paper. He burst out laughing—it was too miserable.
This was worse than not studying at all.
Ren had completed the test conscientiously.
The result was 25 points in English.
He Junming had guessed 31 points! This guy had guessed B, C, and D, and his accuracy was quite high. He Junming’s shoulders shook with laughter, and He Han couldn’t help but join in: “Hahahahaha!”
He Junming said, “You just can’t give up, because only by trying do you know you’re not capable. Ren is going to make me laugh to death, hahaha!”
Jiang Ren, who had just returned from the bathroom, gave a cold laugh: “Who are you saying isn’t capable?”
He Junming: “…”
He Han put his arm around Jiang Ren’s shoulders: “Don’t be angry, Ren. I glanced when we were in the bathroom together. You’re very capable.”
Their group often spoke with sexual innuendos, but fortunately, they were seated in the last row.
Jiang Ren slapped him on the head, also laughing: “F*ck off.”
However, looking at the English test paper with 25 points, he couldn’t help but scratch his head.
Studying was truly a painful and difficult thing.
Especially since he had no foundation. Take English, for example. He only knew a few words like “I, you, is, am, are.” What use was knowing just a few words? Could he do a single-choice question or a reading comprehension?
He Junming said, “Ren, forget about this. Even if you called Zhang the bookworm to take the test for you, he couldn’t do it.”
Jiang Ren didn’t respond, looking at the bright red crosses, preparing to look up some words.
He Junming was his deskmate. The classroom was noisy, so he leaned closer to Jiang Ren and asked softly, “Do you like her that much?”
His feelings were something he would never confide to anyone except Meng Ting. Jiang Ren pushed his head away: “Get lost, you smell of cigarettes.”
He Junming: “…” You’ve only quit smoking for how long?
He scratched his head: “Ren, let me give you some advice. Why don’t you ask Meng Ting to tutor you?”
Jiang Ren’s hand paused. He was very tempted, but he wasn’t stupid: “She won’t agree.”
He Junming said, “I heard from people at No. 7 High School that Meng Ting spent a lot of money on her eye treatment. She applies for scholarships and grants every year, so she must need money.”
Jiang Ren knew this too. He clicked his tongue, but she didn’t care for his dirty money. Meng Ting didn’t like taking advantage of others; even when someone gave her a peach, she wanted to repay with a pomegranate.
He Junming raised an eyebrow: “How can paying tuition fees be the same as giving gifts?”
Jiang Ren still felt Meng Ting wouldn’t agree. She disliked him so much.
He said lazily, “I know what I’m doing.”
Before the vocational school had even let out, he skipped class to wait for her at No. 7 High School.
No teacher in the world could compare to Teacher Meng. When teachers lectured, he felt it was like a lullaby, like chanting sutras. But when she spoke, everything was laced with honey. He loved to hear whatever she said.
If she were willing to give him a kiss for improving his grades a bit, he’d gladly give her his heart.
Jiang Ren didn’t have high hopes, but even if it didn’t work out, it would be good to see her for a moment.
However, as he waited in the opposite corridor, watching intently from the moment they were dismissed, he didn’t catch a glimpse of her.
Finally, when Zhao Nuanchun, who was on duty, came out, Jiang Ren went over to ask her: “Where’s Meng Ting?”
He looked fierce, and his temper and reputation were bad. Zhao Nuanchun was terrified of him: “Sh-she’s on leave.”
Jiang Ren frowned: “Why is she on leave?”
“I-I don’t know.”
Jiang Ren turned and left.
For a good student like Meng Ting to take leave, it must be something important. He considered various possibilities in his mind, finally thinking of one person.
Meng Ting’s sister, Shu Lan.
This was the second time he called Shu Lan.
Shu Lan, sitting on the bus, was grinding her teeth. Meng Ting, Meng Ting, always Meng Ting!
Why did everyone like Meng Ting?
This morning, when she encountered the handsome Xu Jia from upstairs, he also asked where Meng Ting had gone.
Shu Lan’s fingers dug into the seat, her mind turning. She guessed that the reason Jiang Ren was calling her was because Meng Ting surely hadn’t told him about the terrible relationship between the sisters. He only knew her as Meng Ting’s sister. She spoke with a surprised tone: “Oh my, didn’t my sister tell you? She left for F City yesterday to see her grandparents. Xu Jia knows too, he even went to see her off. I thought you…”
She quickly stopped herself.
But it wasn’t hard to guess what was left unsaid. She had told Xu Jia, and they had even seen her off, but she hadn’t told you. To someone unimportant to her, even if she left his life and world, it was none of his concern.
The other end was quiet for a long time before the call was disconnected.
Shu Lan felt both excited and uneasy.
She had lied, but she was more eager for Jiang Ren to believe in Meng Ting’s “fickleness.”
In her view, if such a proud person as Jiang Ren knew that Meng Ting had someone she liked, and he persisted, he would lose his last shred of dignity.
Jiang Ren hung up the phone and returned to his apartment without a word.
On his room’s desk was a pile of study materials. As he looked at them, he gave a cold laugh.
For the first time, he realized how simple it was for Meng Ting to exit his life.
He didn’t know when she left or when she would return.
She was afraid of bad students, so he would be a good student. These nauseating formulas, grammar rules, and vocabulary words—thinking of her made everything seem good.
But to Meng Ting, Jiang Ren was just an irrelevant stranger.
He closed his eyes.
Walking into the bathroom to shower, he needed to cool down.
Jiang Ren thought that this year had truly been a failure for him.
Attending a subpar high school, falling out with his family, developing an illness of unknown duration.
And falling in love with a girl he wasn’t worthy of.
A girl whose heart belonged to someone else.
Water flowed down his black hair.
It ran over his sharp eyebrows and eyes, his defined profile.
He was breathing heavily.
Suddenly, he remembered that twilight when the little girl deliberately put on a stern face and gave him three pomegranates. Every part of her was beautiful; even when she didn’t smile, it melted his heart. Jiang Ren raised his hand to turn off the faucet and punched the wall.
F*ck!
He had to go.
That year, a vulgar and even morally wrong joke began circulating in the vocational school: If she doesn’t like you, why don’t you rape her? Dare you go to prison for her? At worst, you’ll be out in a few years and still be a good man.
This was a disgusting, crude joke. He should have ignored it and laughed it off.
But he was already sick, and he wasn’t a good person to begin with.
At that time, he didn’t know why he thought of her, and then he thought, he dared.
He dared to go to prison for life for her, even commit murder and arson!
But rape was not okay.
She hadn’t even cried, and he would already soften.
He could harm the world for her, but he would never harm her because of himself.
Jiang Ren wiped away the tears with an expressionless face. The veins in his arms bulged, hinting at some underlying illness. He took some suppressive medication and then began booking flight tickets. At that moment, he felt like a barrel of gasoline, just waiting for a spark to ignite.
He managed a smile. She might wish to see Xu Jia instead. She probably hoped that someone like him, a lingering shadow, would never appear in front of her again.
Yet, she might be destined for disappointment.