Chapter 12

Alone in the surging crowd, Wang Jinglu felt somewhat uneasy.

She had never been a girl with a strong, outgoing personality, never.

For example, eating. She liked to eat slowly and savor her food. If her elder sister, Wang Jingsnow, needed ten minutes to finish a meal, then in the same situation, she would need about fifteen minutes.

For example, studying. From childhood to adulthood, she had never deliberately pursued any particular grades. She just focused on learning the knowledge points her teachers required and completed the homework assigned with meticulous care.

For example, playing the piano. It wasn't something she had asked to learn. When she was about five or six years old, one day her elder sister, Wang Jingsnow, told their parents she wanted a piano. A few days later, a piano appeared in their home. At first, her sister practiced every day, working on finger techniques and learning pieces with a private tutor, while she just watched and listened. Later, her sister said, "Secondy, come over. Starting today, I'll teach you to play the piano." And so, she began to play the piano.

For example, transferring schools after her second year of high school. She had never thought about going to a film academy. Why would she? She wasn't particularly fond of movies, and she didn't know what she could do after graduating from a film academy. Become an actress? Or write scripts? ... She had no idea.

If she had to choose, she would prefer a teacher's college or a women's college. After graduation, she could teach students and have a stable income, just like Uncle Li next door. How wonderful that would be!

But her sister said, "Secondy, you know, we are girls, and this is a man's world. So, as girls, we must be strong! Only by becoming stronger than men can we freely choose the love and life we love! However, we are lucky compared to other girls. We have talent, and we all have it. So, compared to others, we might find a more convenient path to success. That path is art!"

So, I'll sing, and you'll act!

And so, her sister said she would transfer her to a new school, said she would arrange private lessons for her, and said she would have her take the entrance exam for the Capital Film Academy. Thus, after her second year of high school, she would go to the capital.

And so... she was such a person.

Quiet and unassuming.

But today, the sports car parked under the teaching building and the man standing in front of her with a smile suddenly pushed her into the surging crowd.

When he called her, for a moment, it felt like everyone was watching.

She approached hesitantly, somewhat surprised and nervous, gripping the strap of her shoulder bag tightly.

Zhao Yumin immediately noticed her nervousness.

"Sorry, Xiaoxue, maybe I shouldn't have come to find you at this time? I scared you, didn't I?" He said gently, his eyes full of tender concern as he looked at her face.

Wang Jinglu looked up at him.

Then, she turned back to look at the girls, her good friends. But at this moment, they all stood there laughing and chatting, their youthful faces filled with envy and surprise... but no one thought Wang Jinglu needed help.

She turned back, looking at him timidly.

His eyes were dark and bright, but not intimidating, instead, they had a warm glow.

"Yumin... Big Brother, hello."

Zhao Yumin shook his head and smiled, "It seems we're really falling into a romance novel."

Heaven help him, he really meant to make a small joke, really meant to make the cute and beautiful girl in front of him less nervous.

But it didn't work.

Wang Jinglu's face remained tense, with no sign of a smile.

"You came to find me... for something?" she said.

He "ah"ed, turned around, opened the car door, and took out a beautifully packaged small box from the passenger seat. As he handed it to her, he smiled and said, "Actually, nothing. I had coffee with a friend this afternoon and found the desserts at that café were quite good, so I got an extra one, thinking you might like it... Sorry, I really didn't know my sudden appearance would scare you! How about we talk outside?"

Wang Jinglu first looked at the small box he handed her in surprise. When he mentioned "outside," she instinctively shook her head, "No, no, I have to... " She urgently pulled out some test papers from her bag to show him, "I have to go home and study!"

As she spoke, she suddenly heard someone calling a familiar name, and her heart trembled. She instinctively wanted to turn and look at the teaching building behind her, but halfway through the motion, she stopped—abruptly.

At that moment, she suddenly felt very wronged.

But she shook her head and said, "Thank you, but no. If you have nothing else... " She pointed to the school gate, clearly meaning: I'm leaving.

Zhao Yumin shrugged, took back the small box, and smiled self-deprecatingly, "No problem, it was too abrupt of me! So... maybe I can drive you home? Oh, right, you have a bike! Sorry... So, um, okay..." He made a polite gesture, very gracefully, "You go first, okay?"

Wang Jinglu looked up at him, nodded, said "Goodbye," and then turned and walked into the crowd as if fleeing.

Behind her, a few girls laughed and called out, chasing after her.

Behind them, Zhao Yumin looked at the exquisite box of pastries in his hand and shrugged.

When he turned to look again, Wang Jinglu's figure had already disappeared among the bikes and the crowd. He retracted his gaze, a confident smile on his face, and got into the car.

"This is the classical beauty of Chinese women... isn't it?" He said to himself in the car: "A girl with such classical beauty is worth loving, isn't she?"

...

After Wang Jinglu left, Liu Qiang and a few others finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Wang Jinglu really didn't accept! I told you, that guy must have been overconfident and came on too strong..."

"Of course, Wang Jinglu is Qianzi's girl, how could she change her mind for such a pretty boy..."

"Hey, Li Qian, do you want us to go down and give that guy a good beating, to teach him a lesson?"

Li Qian covered his forehead with his hand and then turned to face everyone.

"Stop it, stop it, all of you, stop it!"

"Let me reiterate, Wang Jinglu and I are neighbors and good friends, but just friends. We're not dating, she's not my girlfriend, and she's not my woman!"

"Tsk! Stop pretending, you were so nervous just now, do you think we're blind?"

"But... if you think you can handle it, look, that's a Lamborghini. A guy in his twenties driving a Lamborghini, either his family is very rich or very rich. So, if you have the guts to beat him up, I won't object, I'll even cheer for you..."

"Tsk!"

"Go to hell!"

"Unfeeling!"

"How could I possibly know you!"

...

That afternoon, Li Qian didn't practice his guitar.

After everyone had left school and the campus suddenly became empty, he sat alone on the rooftop, leaning against the guardrail with his guitar, lit a cigarette, and slowly finished it before turning and going downstairs.

...

After dinner, Li Qian wrote swiftly.

In his previous life, his handwriting was good, and in this life, it was also good. The difference between the two lifetimes wasn't too significant, so after the memories from both lifetimes were almost completely merged, his handwriting improved, but it wasn't so different that people familiar with his writing would notice.

A 1000-word essay, if typed on a computer, would be easy, but writing by hand was less pleasant. He started copying it when he got home after school and continued for nearly half an hour after dinner before he finally finished.

He shook his wrist and put away the three essays.

Then, he thought for a moment, went out of his bedroom, and told his mother, who was watching TV, that he was going out. He changed his shoes and left.

The destination, of course, was the rooftop.

However, just as he climbed to the fourth floor, his phone rang.

He took it out and, as expected, it was from Wang Jinglu. But perhaps because of what Li Qian had said last time, this text message wasn't blank.

Two words: Rooftop.

So, he put his phone away and waited on the fourth floor.

Not long after, the sound of a door opening, closing, and footsteps climbing the stairs came from the third floor.

Then, one person stood on the fourth floor, and the other stood at the corner of the stairs between the third and fourth floors. They looked at each other and then turned and climbed the stairs in unison.

The time was 8:13 PM. Under the night sky, Jinan was brightly lit, and it seemed that every breath, every roar of a machine, and every flicker of a light... was swallowing and spitting out desire and restlessness.

On such a night, there was not a breath of wind.

If you looked at the thermometer, the temperature didn't seem high, but the air felt thick, making people subconsciously feel irritable.

The two of them habitually leaned against the guardrail.

Li Qian thought she would start with something like, "Why did you come out so quickly today?" or "Why didn't you text me when you came out first?"

But she didn't.

She remained silent.

After about three minutes—maybe one minute, maybe five—Li Qian turned to look at her and said, "During dinner, my parents discussed getting an air conditioner for my room, but I opposed it. I wanted a computer, but my dad opposed it, saying he should buy the computer first. My mom opposed that, saying we should get the air conditioner... Hey, even if it's not funny, can you at least crack a smile?"

Wang Jinglu didn't speak, not even turning to look at him.

Li Qian rubbed his nose and looked up at the starry sky, bored.

"Hey..."

A moment later, Wang Jinglu suddenly called him.

Li Qian turned to look at her, "Hmm?"

She also looked at him, her eyes behind the glasses dark and sad, a bit lost, and a bit helpless.

"You won't just ignore it, right?" she said, "I know you must have seen it!"

Li Qian frowned and spread his hands, "How can I not ignore it?"

"It was all my dad's idea," she added.

"So...," Li Qian said, "What do you think I can do about it?"

"But, but..." She couldn't finish her sentence.

Li Qian looked at her.

She pouted in a huff and kicked him, unreasonably.

Of course, very lightly.

"You can't just ignore it!" she said.

Li Qian took a deep breath and fell silent.

Wang Jinglu looked at him seriously, as if waiting for a definite answer.

Of course, she wanted a definite answer! She knew she couldn't handle this, but he could! If he said, "Don't worry, I'll take care of it," she could trust him with it!

What about Zhao Yumin, her dad, her sister? It wouldn't matter; he could definitely handle everything! Just like when he always managed to make her laugh after making her cry as a child.

He was good at this!

Or rather, if he wasn't good at it, he had to learn to be!

Because he was him.

After a long silence, Li Qian raised his eyebrows and turned to look at her, his expression strange.

Wang Jinglu saw his expression and looked nervous.

"There is a way...," he said.

Her eyes lit up, and she said excitedly, "Tell me!"

He hesitated, his expression becoming more conflicted, "Of course, if we do that, I'll have to make a sacrifice, but, hey... okay! The way is... Hey, girl, you look pretty. How about we get married tomorrow?"

Wang Jinglu's eyes widened, a bit confused.

After a long while, she came to her senses, her face a bit red, her eyes a bit moist, her breathing a bit quick...

It was indeed a good way!

Although it sounded a bit silly and funny coming from him, and a bit annoying, it was indeed a feasible way!

Once the boy and girl get married, what can the parents do? They say, "Better to destroy ten temples than to break up one marriage," right?

As for Zhao Yumin... he would be instantly out of the picture!

But...

"You wish! I won't marry you!" she said.

Then she quickly turned away, pouted, and said softly, "I don't care what you do, but you can't just ignore it!"

Li Qian sighed, turned to look at the distant, glittering traffic, and said nothing.

After a moment, Wang Jinglu cautiously turned to look at him, saw him still lost in thought, and kicked him lightly with her foot, "Hey, what are you thinking about?"

Li Qian looked at her with a sullen face, then turned back.

"What else, thinking of a way!"

As he spoke, he rubbed his forehead in frustration.

Wang Jinglu slowly smiled: If he was thinking of a way, it meant he was already taking care of it!

That was good!

Suddenly, her mood lightened.

She kicked him again, "Hey, do you have any plans this weekend? Let's... let's go climb Qianfo Mountain?"

Li Qian turned to look at her, shook his head, "If you want to go, go by yourself. I'm not going. I have to watch a movie this Saturday!"

Wang Jinglu pouted slightly, "Then I'll watch a movie too!"

"You don't like watching movies," he said.

"But I like it now."

"..."

"Hey, is there any movie you really want to see? Why did you suddenly think of watching a movie?"

"No. We'll decide when we get to the cinema. Whatever is showing, we'll watch it."

"Okay, that works. Let's decide when the time comes."

After saying this, they both fell silent again.

The night was still lazy, without a breath of wind.

The air seemed thick, making people subconsciously feel they needed to open their mouths to breathe.

The buildings in the distance were faintly visible, with occasional lights still on, lonely and full.

The traffic on the road was bright, one car after another, lonely and bustling.

The fifth floor across the street was silent tonight.

The whole world was chaotic, but the whole world was silent.

It seemed that only two people were left in the world.

He and she.