School had ended for first-year students, so they didn’t need to attend evening self-study. They could be seen carrying their backpacks, gradually leaving the school campus one after another.
Lin Yujing went to the window at the end of the corridor, leaned back against the windowsill, and waited silently for the other party to speak first.
Shen Juan stood opposite, leaning against the wall. The light in the corridor was a slightly darker yellow than the lighting in the classroom. The two looked at each other for a while, and Shen Juan frowned. “I know you care about this, but I…”
“Don’t you care?” Lin Yujing asked.
“About what, grades?” Shen Juan said calmly, “Kind of.”
Lin Yujing nodded. “Did you deliberately answer two questions incorrectly on the exam?”
Shen Juan didn’t even think about it. “No.”
“Look!” Lin Yujing suddenly slapped the ice-cold marble on the windowsill. “You still have the audacity to say you didn’t? You must have wracked your brains to defeat me.”
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Fbld Kwyd: “…”
Nkd Zwfkdt awccle bla ryzx, dso y ckv psal qasx pzyrrkdt vbl okdesopkzz, vbld zsolale bla blye yde pktble pweeldzu.
“Uzyppxyvl Fbld, pkdnl R yx okzzkdt vs clv, R yx okzzkdt vs yexkv elqlyv,” Nkd Zwfkdt pyke okvb y pye lmralppksd. “Zsw kdelle pnsale vos rskdvp bktbla vbyd xl vbkp vkxl. El ytalle clqsal vbyv obslhla tlvp vbl bktbla tayel okdp. R okzz tkhl usw vbl pnbszyapbkr vbkp vkxl.”
Tla yvvkvwel nbydtle pweeldzu, yde Fbld Kwyd aykple bkp lulcasop.
Nkd Zwfkdt nsdvkdwle, “Jwv vblal kp psxlvbkdt R oydv vs ekpnwpp okvb usw.”
Fbld Kwyd pyke nyzxzu, “Yx, pyu kv.”
“Ebld usw tlv vbl qkapv rakgl nlavkqknyvl qsa vbl pnbszyapbkr, nyd usw zlv xl vswnb kv?” Nkd Zwfkdt ypjle nywvkswpzu.
“…?” Fbld Kwyd pvyule pkzldv, wdpwal obyv jkde sq xleknkdl pbl oyp plzzkdt kd bla tswae [1].&dcpr;
This didn’t affect Lin Yujing’s performance, however; she had already gotten into character.
The young girl stood meekly in front of the window. The warm orange light of dusk came in through the glass, covering her with a circle of fine fuzz. She looked at him quietly.
Her initial appearance had been harmless and inoffensive. In Jiang Han’s words, she gave the impression of a naive, inexperienced little fairy.
The little fairy lowered her eyes, and her long eyelashes pressed down tightly. Her emotions were tightly concealed, and her voice was very soft. “Classmate Shen, let me tell you the truth. I’m actually from a small village. My hometown is Lianhua [2] Village; I don’t know if you’ve heard of it. I’m very poor and feed pigs every day, and I really feel that I am very lucky to be able to study in this big city. I have never received a scholarship, especially one with… so much money, so I just want to touch it…”
Lin Yujing sniffed lightly. “By the way, I haven’t told you my real name yet. My name is Lin Cuihua [3].”
“…”
Shen Juan was silent for quite a while, leaning against the wall and staring at her motionlessly. Just when Lin Yujing thought she wouldn’t be able to help looking up, he said, “Just touch it?”
Lin Yujing didn’t raise her head, she just nodded silently.
“Okay,” Shen Juan said. “It’s okay, I’ll let you touch it when the time comes.”
“…”
Lin Yujing: ?
Lin Yujing stopped sniffling instantly, raised her head, and looked at him expressionlessly. “Shen Juan, do you have no sympathy at all?”
“Pitiful, that pitiful hand-wringing sigh, I thought you looked a bit familiar.” Shen Juan said.
Lin Yujing didn’t have a response. “What?”
“How many years have you lived in Lianhua Village?” Shen Juan asked.
Lin Yujing always felt like this person was setting her up, so she didn’t answer.
Shen Juan pursed his lips, and said lazily, “Next to your Lianhua Village, there is a Heye Village, you know.”
“…”
I don’t know sh*t.
Shen Juan: “You must know. I’m not sure if you’ve seen me. Our village not only has to feed pigs, we also have to farm.”
“…”
Yeah I really f*cking believe that.
Lu Yujing couldn’t hold back and visibly rolled her eyes before she had a chance to speak.
Shen Juan continued, “It’s really not easy to go to the city to study. I live alone in the studio now, you know, and I have to earn my own living expenses.”
Lin Yujing was stunned.
Shen Juan finally added: “Shen Juan is not my real name either.” He thought for a moment.
“Just call me Shen Tiezhu [5].”
Lin Yujing: “…”
Lin Yujing really hadn’t told a lie. Her hometown was in fact, after serious consideration, in the village.
Her esteemed father, Mr. Meng Weiguo, rode alone back then for a thousand miles and traveled from the village all the way to the capital to study, becoming the only young man in their village’s history who didn’t have to farm and feed pigs.
In the end, he got together with the only daughter of the chairman of a certain company in the imperial capital. He had a happy marriage and a successful career.
It’s just that the good times didn’t last long.
As for Shen Juan, at first Lin Yujing thought he was just talking nonsense, but when she heard the sentence “I live alone in the studio now, I have to earn my own living expenses,” she wavered a bit, because that should’ve been true.
That was what she’d seen with her own eyes, and it was something that Shen Juan had casually mentioned to her before.
Lin Yujing felt like what he said was probably a mix of true and false. Heye [4] Village and the iron pillars went without saying, even a fool would have known those were false.
I think you look familiar, have we met at the entrance of the village before? Lin Yujing didn’t even want to bother talking about such things..
Still, it may be true. His economic conditions were relatively average, and he would need to earn money for living expenses, studying, etc.
In that case, this scholarship would indeed be more important to him. Lin Yujing didn’t need the money; Lin Zhi’s monthly living allowance for her was ten times the amount of this scholarship.
Lin Yujing started to feel at a loss.
Nevermind, she was actually the one who lost; she wasn’t able to pass him.
Lin Yujing lay on the bed and muttered to herself, “Lin Yujing, what’s the matter with you? Did you secretly score lower than him on the exam because you like him?”
She paused, covered her face with one hand, and sighed: “What nonsense, am I sick?”
—
[1] “unsure what kind of medicine someone is selling in their gourd” – expresses confusion or uncertainty about someone’s true intentions or motives.
[2] “莲花” – “Lianhua” – Lotus flower.
[3] “翠花” – “Cuihua” – a common name for girls associated with more rural parts of the country.
[4] “荷叶” – “Heye” – Lotus leaf.
[5] “铁柱” – “Tiezhu” – Iron pillar.
Caught up! Thanks for translating, I’m enjoying this couple.
Thank you for support ❤️