Qingteng's Mind - Middle School Era

Answer to Chapter 1403
Ke Mengnan stared at the letter in front of her for a full three hours.

Sunlight streamed in through the window in front of the desk, first at an angle, then directly, and finally slowly shifting westward. The light and shadow on the letter paper changed again and again, but the words on it remained the same.

He wrote so many pages that he wasted several sheets of paper.

Each one only has the first few words:

"Hello," "Long time no see," "I heard you got first place in the midterm exam, congratulations," and then I couldn't write anymore.

It's not that I have nothing to say. It's that I have so much to say, so many questions to ask, but I don't know where to begin, let alone how to put them on paper.

He wanted to ask about that letter.

The letter was signed with two names—He Shiling and another girl's name.

That was the first time he received a letter from her. His heart was pounding so fast when he opened it, but when he saw the signature at the end, his heartbeat went awry.

Did she write it? Or did two people write it together? Or did another girl write it using her name?
If it really was written by her, why would she put someone else's name on it?

If she didn't write it, then who is that girl? And why use her name?
These questions, like a tangled mess, had been weighing on his mind for a long time. On the day of the physics competition, he had hoped to find a chance to talk to her, but there were too many people, and he had no opportunity to speak at all.

Last week I mustered up the courage to go to Yunling Middle School, but it was closed because of the spring outing. Yesterday, I returned from my holiday, and I didn't see her on the bus either.

So he decided to write a letter.

I've been thinking about it all night, but I haven't even written a few words in the letter yet.

He didn't even know how to begin writing the title. He Shiling was too formal; Shiling was too awkward; and Ling'er was probably too intimate for her.

What worried him more was that if he replied, what if the person who replied was someone else?
What if someone else sees this letter?

What if she never wrote him a letter at all?
What if she doesn't want to receive his letter?
He looked up at the window; the sun was shining brightly, and he could faintly hear laughter coming from not far away.

He looked down at the few scraps of paper again; they contained only a few lines of text, the rest of them blank.

Those blank spaces held all his hesitation, anxiety, and unspoken words.

Ke Mengnan sighed and put down her pen.

He recalled the afternoon he first met He Shiling—in the park, she accidentally knocked his book over, and the thread-bound Song Dynasty poetry book fell into the lake. She didn't have time to apologize, and disregarding her twisted ankle, she rushed to retrieve the book.

Thinking of the three new books she bought later, his gaze slid across the corner of the table. They sat there quietly, from school to home, and then from home to school. Wherever he was, those three books were there.

I remember the sudden rain that day, and the song I heard under the eaves in the rain...

At that time, he thought this girl was very interesting. Although she didn't seem to notice him, he guessed she didn't dislike him.

They later arranged to ride the bus together. She was late, but he still managed to see her, which made him very happy. Later, they bumped into each other on the bus, and she smiled at him gently, a smile as light and gentle as a spring breeze.

He began to believe that she would slowly begin to see him.

Later, during the physics competition, she walked towards him. In the crowd, although everyone was wearing the same school uniform, he spotted her at a glance. He wanted to go over and say hello, but ultimately held back.

There are too many people.

This is a physics competition, and he's just there to make up the numbers. His purpose in coming here is to see her, but she's not. She's here to participate in the competition, and he can't affect her performance.

Then came that letter.

The letter that both delighted and confused him.

What should he do?
How should he ask?
How can he untangle this mess?

He could find the answers to any difficult problem in physics competitions. But this problem was more difficult than any competition question.

He heard a car horn outside the window; it was the sound of a bus arriving at the stop. He glanced out the window instinctively—it was the bus stop where they had first waited for the bus together.

Today is the first day of the May Day holiday. Will she come here? If he goes out now, will he run into her?

He shook his head, dismissing the thought.

Keep writing. He picked up his pen again and wrote on a new page:

He Shiling: Hello.

Then, it stopped again.

The sunlight continued its westward shift, casting a warm orange-red hue on his face. Holding his pen, he fell into a new silence as he stared at those five words.

And those unspoken words, those unresolved confusions, those questions he wanted to ask but dared not, were all hidden in the blank spaces of the letter, like seeds in spring, waiting for the right moment to sprout. Perhaps next time they met, he could ask her directly.

Perhaps next time he writes a letter, he will be able to finish it.

perhaps……

He didn't know what "maybe" meant.

The sky outside the window gradually darkened, and the evening breeze rustled the papers on the desk. A corner of the few discarded letters was lifted by the wind before falling back down, like a silent sigh.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, training at the taekwondo gym had already ended.

Geng Xinyu changed her clothes, slung her bag over her shoulder, and walked out of the dressing room. Zheng Yifan stood at the door, looking at her.

"When will you come next time?" he asked.

Geng Xinyu glanced at him: "Not sure."

Zheng Yifan laughed: "Next week? The end of the month, or summer vacation?"

Geng Xinyu glanced at Zheng Yifan: "I don't know."

"Then let's do it during summer vacation, since we both have time then."

Geng Xinyu was taken aback and looked at Zheng Yifan. What was he saying? Who was "us" with him?
“Okay, it’s a deal,” Zheng Yifan said with a smile. “Let’s go.”

Geng Xinyu then noticed that Zheng Yifan had changed out of his training clothes and into a beige casual suit, smiling at him with the same smug look as before... infuriating!
Geng Xinyu didn't say anything, but walked towards the door.

Zheng Yifan followed.

"I heard your class went on a spring outing last Sunday?"

Just as I reached the stairwell, Zheng Yifan's voice came from behind me.

How did he know? Geng Xinyu paused, then looked relieved, stepped downstairs, and hummed in agreement.

"Is it a reward?"

Zheng Yifan quickened his pace to stand shoulder to shoulder with Geng Xinyu. What's wrong with this girl? Before, she would at least glare at him and kick him a few times. Now, she's being so perfunctory.
"Hmm." Geng Xinyu hummed, slowly heading downstairs. Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at the person beside her, a flicker of doubt crossing her mind.

They knew this person liked to cause trouble, but this wasn't on campus or in a taekwondo gym. They were in a stairwell, with only the two of them and no audience. Who was he putting on this show for?

"And what about my reward?"

Zheng Yifan's words made Geng Xinyu pause in her tracks and look at him. His reward? He really is being hypocritical, having already thanked him.

Whether it's tutoring or workbooks, it wasn't something she asked for.

“Treat me to lunch,” Zheng Yifan glanced at his watch. “It’s 12:30.”

"Ha!" Geng Xinyu rolled her eyes, quickly walked downstairs, took a few steps, then stopped, took a bottle of Wahaha from her backpack and threw it over:

"Your lunch and reward."

Although she didn't even want to give him a bottle of water, it was precisely because of his workbook that Xiaolingzi won her bet with Xiaofei, and she was very happy.

Let's take this opportunity to repay his gratitude.

Zheng Yifan caught it quickly: "That's too stingy, this isn't lunch."

"...Whatever, this is all I have, take it or leave it."

After speaking, Geng Xinyu quickly walked downstairs and pushed open the glass door. The wind chimes tinkled once, and her figure disappeared into the afternoon sunlight.

Zheng Yifan stood there, watching the glass door sway gently, the smile on his lips never fading.

Some things really don't need to be asked.

What's meant to come will come.

Just like our encounter today.

Just like some questions, there will be an answer someday.

Just like the confusion, anxiety, and unspoken words of youth, they will gradually find their own direction over time.