Age of Legends

Chapter 230 A Good Homecoming

Wang Shuowei has said "damn" many times in his life, but looking back, that day in high school was the day he said it the most.

A series of whirlwind events suddenly connected.

For example, there was that time not long ago when the two of them ate noodles together at the noodle shop outside. At that time, Wang Shuowei thought Zhang Chen was really lacking. He had eaten at so many famous restaurants near Yude with him. Since he was going to have a meal with Shen Nuoyi, why didn't he choose a high-end and classy restaurant?
Now he suddenly realized that the most important thing about a meal is not what you eat, how many delicacies you have, or how exquisite and abundant it is, but who you eat with.

He suddenly realized the awkwardness he felt when he, Zheng Xue, Zhang Chen, and Shen Nuoyi went to that noodle shop again. It turned out that their exaggerated and seemingly funny banter was just like two light bulbs in front of someone else, noisy to hear and annoying to see.

Surprisingly, Wang Shuowei felt alright. Seeing Pei Yan there had initially made him feel like his youth was coming to an end, and all his past feelings of longing and reluctance towards Shen Nuoyi would die at that moment. But now it seemed like he'd narrowly escaped death; his buddy had actually saved the day! The misguided Shen Nuoyi had been steered onto their path. But there was no denying it, since it was Pei Yan over there; it was quite possible that they would be leading Shen Nuoyi astray from her bright future.

Zheng Xue wasn't so shocked. Perhaps she had expected it. During the time when her deskmate and Zhang Chen were arguing and giving each other the cold shoulder, she had noticed that Shen Nuoyi often seemed absent-minded and lost in thought. She had considered that possibility a little, but she didn't dare to think too deeply or boldly. Because of how much Shen Nuoyi valued friendship, she might also be apology to Zhang Chen because she valued her friendship with him. Zheng Xue had also seen many times that Shen Nuoyi was interested in Zhang Chen.

Zheng Xue once thought that it was normal for Shen Nuoyi, who was loyal and sentimental, not to want to lose Zhang Chen, a friend she had watched grow up with since childhood. But now Zheng Xue understood that Zhang Chen, who was like a peasant from the Third Division and Fourth Hospital, actually had his day.

Not to mention, the way he stepped forward despite the public opinion and stood shoulder to shoulder with Shen Nuoyi was incredibly manly and handsome.

……

For the students in Class 5 of Senior Three, the scene before them left them completely stunned, as if Rainbow Six Siege had parachuted in and dropped a stun grenade into the crowd without warning, leaving them all dizzy and unable to see reality.

The boys in Class 5 slowly woke up, feeling a sudden sense of suffocation. If Pei Yan's arrival might have made them feel pressured and annoyed, Zhang Chen's sudden appearance and Shen Nuoyi's official announcement made them feel like there was no air around them at all!

After all that, I thought the big boss was at another school, Pei Yan from the School of Foreign Languages. Turns out the real devil was right beside me, and Zhang Chen suddenly revealed his true colors.

What was even more bewildering and shocking were the teachers at Yude High School. Wang Changchuan had just given Pei Yan a thumbs-up to commend his courage, but now he was caught off guard. This boy looked vaguely familiar. Oh, his name seemed to be Zhang Chen… According to the student rankings, Pei Yan was probably among the top fifty in the city. Being in the top fifty didn't mean there were many students ahead of him who were better than him. Once you were in the top fifty, they were all probably exceptional individuals. Sometimes, the difference in rankings could be just a matter of a moment's hesitation on a single question.

As for Zhang Chen, Wang Changchuan's sophisticated big data mind performed a fuzzy search and determined that Zhang Chen's ranking at Yude School was around 200th, which meant he was probably around 1000th among all students in Rongcheng.

The gap between the top 50 and the top 1,000 is already enormous.

So doesn't Zhang Chen understand that some things might be interesting, anecdotes, or a beautiful story between schools in front of a student like Pei Yan, but might have the opposite effect in Zhang Chen's eyes?

As expected, Zhou Ming, hiding in the classroom, turned pale upon seeing this scene. His first reaction was probably that the top student from the Foreign Language School had come knocking, because Shen Nuo from his class was famous, and Shen Nuo was really that remarkable. Besides, he couldn't do anything about it, and the principal couldn't say anything either; at most, this matter would develop into a communication between the two schools. But Zhang Chen's appearance was completely different; it had become Zhou Ming's responsibility, Zhou Ming's problem.

It's still unknown whether the principal will hold Zhou Ming accountable.

So his face turned ashen, and he stood on the podium like a frozen sculpture.

More noise and uproar spread throughout the teaching building. Pei Yan's face turned extremely ugly. Shen Nuoyi felt that it was the first time she had ever seen Pei Yan show such an expression.

As Pei Yan's best friend who spent three years of junior high school together, Shen Nuoyi certainly wouldn't want Pei Yan to be in this situation if she had a choice. But many things don't have a plan or what ifs.

It's as if she no longer has the capacity to consider Pei Yan's feelings. She's not a diplomat who can handle everything perfectly, nor is she a prophet who can always see the best course of action. She's just an ordinary high school girl. When she was younger, she could always quickly figure out what she wanted and make choices quickly, but it seems that the older one gets, the harder it is to make decisions. And all she can do now is follow her heart and leave no regrets.

What if this path is wrong...?
Since I don't have any great wisdom, I can only trust my own judgment and go all the way down this path.

So Shen Nuoyi was holding Zhang Chen's hand back at this moment, her hands trembling slightly, and she was also a little confused, but in the end, they were holding hands, bound together, and relying on each other... without backing down.

Pei Yan's eyes were filled with a melancholy that countless girls might later describe as "pitiful and pitiful." He gazed at Shen Nuoyi and said, "It's my fault. It seems I'm a little late!"

Everyone held their breath while waiting for Pei Yan's reaction, but his words came as if he had casually put everything down, and it seemed as if he was taking all the blame upon himself.

It was his fault; he was late.

Just this one sentence is guaranteed to win the hearts of countless broken girls after today. Even Zhang Chen couldn't help but praise him; he was so dashing and truly had great manners. Zhang Chen never used the word "manners" to describe a group of high school students, but at this moment, Pei Yan truly displayed the manners that came with his high emotional intelligence, high IQ, excellent family background, and stable emotions.

It makes one sigh that some people truly "only realize their worth when they meet them." But unfortunately, Shen Nuoyi is already under his control, and he's not going to let her go.

Moreover, although Pei Yan's words seemed quite elegant and graceful, Zhang Chen sensed the underlying sharpness within them.

What do you mean you're late?

what?
What do you mean you're late?

You're telling me, "Justice may be delayed, but it will never be absent!"?

It's late, but it's here!
What do you mean? Are you implying that I'm the big bad guy who stole Shen Nuoyi? You arrived too late, so you made a huge mistake, and now you're planning to turn the tables by slaying the dragon, right?
So these words aren't some regretful resignation of giving up, but a declaration of war!

Do you still believe that the Stars and Stripes will never fall and that God will protect America?
To be honest, Zhang Chen still has to thank Pei Yan.

If he hadn't made such a show of blocking the door today, triggering a huge wave of public opinion, he might not have been able to see Shen Nuoyi standing shoulder to shoulder with him at this moment.

Zhang Chen, having been reborn, has always tried to keep a low profile. Firstly, it's true that many things are better left unsaid and focused on gradual development. Secondly, a smooth high school life is a pleasant experience in itself. Being an observer of the scenery and immersing oneself in it doesn't necessarily require experiencing anything extraordinary.

Only when those years have passed do people realize the value of those days when they were lost and couldn't see the future, those days of endlessly doing practice problems and reading books. Only those days when they met eyes with that clear-eyed man in an unexpected corner of the vast campus and gazed at each other for several seconds without looking away are treasures that they can cherish for the rest of their lives.

Back then, you could actually see the Milky Way every night when I passed by. The springtime scenery I experienced every day was a heart-stirring experience of youthful exuberance.

The figures we said goodbye to yesterday, we meet again the next day, so I feel that life can be like this, a non-stop cycle of missing and meeting.

But the summer that year when the college entrance exam came was too short, too short to say goodbye properly, and I didn't get to say goodbye to that figure properly, so we really never saw each other again.

And now.

He could feel the warmth of Shen Nuoyi's hand, which was slightly sweaty, probably from nervousness amidst the stares and commotion of the crowd.

Zhang Chen applied more force and sensed the same response from Shen Nuoyi.

The goodbyes that were not said in the previous life need not be said in this life.

The two continued on their way.

The passing crowd parted as if cleaving through waves, and Pei Yan was immediately pushed to the side.

The two walked out of the teaching building where evening self-study had ended, and held hands as they continued forward in full view of everyone, toward the brightly lit school gate in the distance, causing a chorus of shouts and uproar behind them.

They left all the troubles and waves behind.

At this moment, the starry sky above and the moonlight that belonged to the youths were both draped over them.

I fear not the long years of this life, for the moonlight will always be my companion...

Goodbye to Hometown.

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　I wrote this incredibly well!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)