Qingteng's Mind - Middle School Era

Chapter 1417 Thoughts
Sunlight streamed in obliquely through the window.

Zheng Yifan sat in his seat, twirling his pen, gazing at the bright blue sky outside the window.

It's been over a month since I last received a letter from Xu Ji. That kid hasn't written back since.

Although Xu Ji always wrote the letters and he never replied, and although he never asked Xu Ji to continue writing, the boy was still grateful to him and would write at least one letter a month.

What's going on now? It's been over a month, and there's been absolutely no news.
Have you forgotten about him?
Or... should I write a letter and ask them myself?

He recalled that yesterday afternoon, he had inadvertently seen Ke Mengnan mailing a letter outside the school.

I really wanted to go and ask who it was written to. Was it the pink letter to Yun Ling?
But then I thought better of it.

Everyone has their own privacy and their own little secrets. Since he doesn't talk about it, I won't ask.

We'll find out eventually anyway, so there's no rush.

The next second, he rejected his previous idea.

He would never write a letter to Xu Ji.

He's very busy too, okay?
Zheng Yifan looked down at the exercise book in front of him. The book had been flipped through many times, so much so that the edges were slightly worn, and he knew the problems inside by heart.

But life is indeed a bit boring.

He raised an eyebrow and smiled, then casually pulled over the notebook next to him and tore off a page.

The pen tip touched the paper and wrote two words:

"Light rain".

After writing it, I felt something was wrong.

Can such an important matter be handled with such casual paper?

This is the first time he's ever written to her, he can't just be so casual, can he?
When Xu Ji wrote to him, he even bought illustrated stationery.

Illustration paper...?

He opened the drawer and rummaged through it. He remembered that when he had Xu Ji copy down the important, difficult, and easily mistaken questions before, Xu Ji had bought ten colorful notebooks with illustrations inside.

We used six books at the time, and there were four left.

Before he left, Xu Ji forced him into his bag.

Where did you put it?

Zheng Yifan searched through all the drawers, but still couldn't find it.

Those four title pages seemed to have vanished into thin air.

He sighed, looking at the torn notepad in his hand, the two words "Xiaoyu" lying quietly on it.

Forget it.

He crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it into the corner of the drawer.

He's not as pretentious as Xu Ji, so I'd better not write it.

The sunlight outside the window was still bright, warming one's heart.

Some thoughts, once they arise, can no longer be suppressed.

"What are you doing?"

Lin Xiaoyao's voice suddenly rang out from behind.

Zheng Yifan's hand trembled, almost dropping the pen. Without turning his head, he said with disdain, "Would you die if you didn't scare people from behind?"

Lin Xiaoyao chuckled, pulled up a stool next to him, sat down, and looked around.

"Nobody's here!" Zheng Yifan glared at him irritably. "What are you looking around for? Just say what you have to say."

Lin Xiaoyao moved her stool forward, leaned closer to him, and lowered her voice: "Have you noticed that Anan has been acting strangely lately?"

Zheng Yifan paused for a moment, his pen still in his hand.

"Especially after returning from the physics competition in mid-April," Lin Xiaoyao continued, "it felt even stranger. Have you noticed?"

Zheng Yifan glanced at him: "A little."

"Right!" Lin Xiaoyao slapped her thigh, moved her chair forward, and put her hand on Zheng Yifan's desk. "I knew it, my sixth sense is pretty accurate."

“I mean—” Zheng Yifan smiled brightly and pushed his arm off the table, “You! You’re even stranger than him. Not only are you suspicious all the time, but you also have that gossipy look on your face. If you’re so curious, just go ask him.”

Lin Xiaoyao was speechless; she opened her mouth but couldn't utter a word.

“I didn’t know that before,” Zheng Yifan squinted and looked him up and down. “You’re such a gossipy person?” Lin Xiaoyao’s face flushed. Just as he was about to defend himself, Zheng Yifan shook his head and turned the page of the notebook in front of him.

"There are only about thirty days left until the college entrance examination," he said calmly. "You should focus on your studies."

Lin Xiaoyao was taken aback upon hearing this, then pursed her lips and stood up.

“I’ve discovered it,” he said, pointing at Zheng Yifan, “you have a problem too.”

After saying that, without waiting for Zheng Yifan to react, she stretched out her long legs and walked towards the back door of the classroom.

Zheng Yifan watched his retreating figure as he walked out of the classroom, snorted, and turned around.

What problem could he possibly have?
He just felt that life was getting a little boring.

I had a much more comfortable and enjoyable time at Yunling Middle School.

He leisurely twirled his pen and gazed out the window. The sunlight was perfect, making one's heart flutter with a pleasant warmth.

How about... I find another excuse to ask Teacher Song for leave this weekend and go for a stroll around Yunling Middle School?
Once he made up his mind, his mood instantly brightened considerably.

Write a letter? What kind of letter?

It's better to go there yourself.

What should we write?

A voice suddenly sounded behind me.

Lin Yijie's hand trembled, and he hurriedly covered the papers on the table with his sleeve.

"What are you yelling about?" He didn't turn around, his tone annoyed that his secret had been exposed. "This is a classroom, not a playground."

Guo Kai chuckled and leaned closer, raising his chin without batting an eye: "What are you writing? A love letter? Are you afraid I'll see it?"

Lin Yijie ignored him and tucked the thing under his sleeve into the book.

Guo Kai wasn't annoyed. He sat down next to him and nudged him with his elbow: "Hey, why haven't I seen those two messengers these past two days?"

Lin Yijie paused for a moment as he turned the pages of the book.

“No,” he said.

"No?" Guo Kai raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? Did you not see them, or did they not come?"

Lin Yijie didn't speak, but looked at Guo Kai expressionlessly.

Guo Kai looked at him for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed: "Alright, alright, I won't ask anymore. You know what's going on in your heart."

He stood up, patted Lin Yijie on the shoulder, and walked towards his seat.

Lin Yijie lowered his gaze, looking at the stacks of books in front of him, unable to concentrate on a single word.

Does he know?

He didn't know it himself.

The sunlight outside the window was still bright, warming his heart. But the unease in his heart just wouldn't go away.

It's been five days.

She didn't write back.

The two girls who delivered the letter never appeared again.

Everything seems to have returned to the way it was before, yet everything also seems different.

He began to regret not replying more clearly in his previous letter. Why had he just been polite and perfunctory, copying some meaningless lyrics from song lyrics?

But what could he say?

They hadn't exchanged a single word. All he knew was that her name was Geng Xinyu, she was in the second year of high school (5), had excellent grades, and her handwriting was beautiful, just like her personality. She also wrote well, and her talent was evident even in her casual letters.

He knew that the radio station would be broadcasting her articles in April.

He knew nothing else.

What will she think? Will she feel he's being cold and indifferent? Will she feel he doesn't want to receive any more letters from her?
Lin Yijie sighed and stuffed the letter from his sleeve into his desk.

Oh well. What's meant to come will come, and what's meant to leave can't be kept.

If she stops writing letters, then...

Does that mean the relationship has come to an end?