Chapter 21: Mom Said
“You’re back.” Chu Jingyi’s expression was unreadable. “I thought you weren’t coming back.”
Though her tone was calm and peaceful, Lu Li felt a pang in his heart. She was being too calm. He gave an awkward laugh. “Why are you here?” As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized his stupidity. The subtext of this sentence was too heavy, the most direct interpretation being “You shouldn’t be here.” As expected, Chu Jingyi’s shoulders twitched slightly, and her voice became even more subdued. “I’m going back to the classroom. I won’t disturb you two.”
Watching Chu Jingyi turn and walk away, Lu Li noticed that she was holding a bottle of watermelon juice. Yes, why couldn’t she be here? Wasn’t the canteen right next to the playground? An Baili nudged him. “Li, go after her. Don’t let her be sad.” Lu Li didn’t move. “Aren’t you jealous?”
“You took a perfect girl out of a perfect world, and now you want to abandon her?” An Baili pecked Lu Li on the cheek. “She and I are very similar, like two ends of a scale. I’m at the bottom, she’s at the top.” There was a hint of self-pity in her tone.
“I’ll come back to you later.” Lu Li snapped out of his daze and hurriedly chased after Chu Jingyi. The bell for class rang, but Silly Goose didn’t go to the classroom. Instead, she walked briskly towards the botanical garden, not noticing Lu Li following behind. Lu Li looked back at the teaching building, where the sound of “Class begins! Stand up!” was coming from, and felt a pang of worry. Apart from the time she accompanied him to clean the activity classroom, Silly Goose had never missed a class. For this girl, what could be more important than class?
The soil in the botanical garden was soft, emitting the unique earthy smell of the aftermath of rain, perhaps the smell of earthworms or rotting leaves. Lu Li used to love this smell. It was like the boundary between life and death, like a transition between ending and beginning. He heard the sound of suppressed sobs, coming in bursts, as if trying to hold back, yet also like a silent release. On the bench under the osmanthus tree, the Class Monitor sat alone, constantly wiping her tears with her small hand, her nose about to bubble.
Lu Li felt his pockets and took out a pack of tissues. Fortunately, he had the habit of carrying tissues and painkillers. When going out with girls, he always had to be prepared for emergencies. Lu Li carefully walked to Silly Goose’s side and handed her the tissues.
“Wipe your face. You’ve cried so much your face is a mess.”
The wind blew through Chuanhai, lifting the golden osmanthus blossoms, swirling them like rain. Lu Li’s outstretched hand stopped amidst the shower of petals.
“Liar! Liar…” Chu Jingyi glanced at him, her eyes red. She didn’t know what the feeling in her heart was. Just like last time, it was uncomfortable, tight in her chest, as if a huge boulder was blocking her chest, and as if someone was pricking a balloon in her chest with a small needle. “I don’t want to be friends with you anymore. All you do is lie to me, lie to me…”
They had made a pinky promise, and he had made a solemn vow.
“If we were just friends, why would you be sad?” Lu Li pulled out a tissue and wiped her nose, but Chu Jingyi turned her head away, refusing to let him touch her.
“Be good, wipe your nose. It’s dripping into your mouth. Is it sweet?”
“Waaah~” It would have been better if he hadn’t said anything. As soon as Lu Li spoke, Chu Jingyi’s suppressed sobs turned into loud wails. “Why do you always bully me?!”
Have I bullied you? Lu Li was stunned for a moment. At times like this, it was better to just admit it. Chu Jingyi feeling this way could only mean that in their relationship, she had always been the one giving in. Lu Li wanted to hug the girl, but she forcefully broke free. “I’m never going to talk to you again!”
Lu Li couldn’t tell if it was anger or sarcasm. He hesitantly took half a step back. “I’m sorry, I was planning to talk to you about this today.” Yes, it was just his luck that he had just reconciled with An Baili and was caught by Silly Goose, as if the Three Fates were manipulating the threads of destiny.
“You clearly said you hated Baili, and I, I even wanted to improve your relationship…” The girl sniffed hard. “Why did you lie… why did you deceive me… Lu Li, do you think I’m a fool?”
Yes. Lu Li was stumped by this innocent girl. He couldn’t help but reflect on whether he had always underestimated Chu Jingyi’s intelligence. Was she really a silly girl? From elementary school to high school, she had always been the Class Monitor, always responsible for class affairs, never making any mistakes or omissions, always the shining goddess in everyone’s eyes. Was such a perfect girl really a Silly Goose?
“In front of the person you love most, you will look like a child. Everyone has a child in their heart that never grows up, that’s our true nature. The so-called growth and maturity is just locking that childlike innocence in a cage. Only the person you love most can release that child. Love is a time machine that goes straight to the heart, taking you back to the purest state of human nature. Those who are slick and sophisticated simply don’t love enough.” A blonde woman from his memory had said this to him, but the memory was so vague and thin.
Perfect family background, perfect appearance, perfect abilities, perfect character. This was the perfect girl, Chu Jingyi. But behind this perfect girl, there was actually a hidden flaw: she had no friends. Her straightforwardness and innocence once again left Lu Li’s heart restless.
He was wrong.
“Lu Li, my mom told me.” Chu Jingyi wiped her tears and stood up resolutely, her eyes red, but the determination in them was something Lu Li had never seen before. “If a pinky promise is broken, you just have to walk backwards fifty steps, and it’s like nothing ever happened.”
“Really…” Your mom said… In the past, Lu Li would have scoffed inwardly, but now he only felt ashamed. Compared to Chu Jingyi, he was the one who had been tainted by the chaotic world.
“We’ll walk backwards fifty steps, and we won’t be friends anymore!” The girl gritted her teeth as she said this. “I don’t want to be deceived by my good friend anymore.”
“Can I still contact you in the future? About the game?”
“No! Chu Jingyi never, ever, ever, ever wants to see Lu Li again!”
Lu Li suddenly laughed freely. He handed the tissues to the adorable girl. “Wipe your tears. I’ll walk with you.”
“Okay!”
Chu Jingyi took the tissues, hesitated for a moment, and then blew her nose with the tissue Lu Li had given her. There was no trash can around, and the girl didn’t want to litter, so she foolishly held the dirty tissue. Seeing Lu Li looking over, she hid her hand behind her back so he wouldn’t see.
“How do you walk backwards? Won’t you fall?” Lu Li asked.
Chu Jingyi took a few steps backwards, pouted slightly, and looked at him with dissatisfaction, her gaze seeming to say: “Just walk like this!” Lu Li’s expression was unreadable, but he smiled gently. Chu Jingyi was familiar with that smile. Besides Lu Li, her father also smiled like that. They always liked to hide their true selves behind a false smile. Chu Jingyi had never told them that she could easily discern the emotions behind their smiles, good and evil, sincerity and hypocrisy. She had never misjudged anyone.
Everyone thought she was too simple, as if she were a blank sheet of paper.
One step, two steps.
The little girl’s steps were firm, as if nothing could shake her – from now on, she would cut ties with Lu Li.
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