Age of Legends

Chapter 372 Each strives in their own way, though separated by a thousand miles, they share the same wind (Part 9)
Zhang Chen chatted with Wang Shuowei, his godparents, Xu Ming, and others from morning until after lunch. Wang Shuowei was going to play football at the provincial stadium, while Zhang Chen had other plans and went to Liulin Road, where he met Shen Nuoyi, her cousin Qin Tangxi, and several other girls.

His dates with Shen Nuoyi were squeezed in whenever he could. They could only see each other every day when he was learning to drive at driving school. After he got his driver's license, he was busy attending various family events and gatherings, so he rarely had time to date alone.

For example, today, Shen Nuo's family is hosting a dinner party. As a Tsinghua student, she is naturally the main person to be seen by all the guests and cannot be absent. As a result, she can only arrange to meet Zhang Chen near the restaurant after dusk so that they can take a walk along the riverbank.

As it turned out, Qin Tangxi's father was hosting the dinner today. Qin Tangxi and many of her classmates were also there. Qin Tangxi's father, Qin Liping, had good relationships with his daughter's classmates, partly because he was a businessman and had many friends.

Seeing Qin Tangxi and her group of girls next to Shen Nuoyi, Zhang Chen was still a little stunned.

Shen Nuoyi was a little embarrassed: "They... insisted on coming with me when I came out."

"Zhang Chen, gege!" Qin Tangxi waved to Zhang Chen and then introduced one or two girls who were staring intently at Zhang Chen. "These are my classmates. They all want to see you. After all, there isn't even a picture of you in the newspaper. They wouldn't believe me if I told them what you look like!"

Several girls looked on with a mixture of amusement and curiosity to see who this person was who had defeated Pei Yan, the most handsome boy at Rongwai School.

Then, amidst the rustling sounds, they exchanged opinions in hushed tones.

"Not as stunning as Pei Yan..."

"What do you know? He's the kind of person who grows on you. Like Tony Leung, he has a lot of charm."

"That's true... after all, he's a genius who got a perfect score on his essay..."

In fact, before this, after Shen Nuoyi publicly announced the existence of her boyfriend, not only her relatives and friends found out, but also Qin Tangxi's relatives, friends and classmates were quickly swept up.

This is also why Shen Nuoyi's mother, Ning Wenjing, kept a close eye on him during this graduation season. She made sure he told her what time he would be home at night. Although she didn't explicitly state how late he couldn't come home, she only asked when he would be home and offered to pick him up if he was too late. This already imposed many restrictions.

Although I've tacitly accepted the fact that my daughter has a boyfriend—after all, she's an adult now that she's finished the college entrance exam, and she's achieved excellent results—her intelligence and the stability she showed after the family's upheaval demonstrate that, at least from a developmental perspective, she's already a fledgling eagle spreading its wings. How could I possibly interfere at this point? Besides, it wouldn't make sense; she has to grow up eventually.

She couldn't control her daughter, though she trusted her daughter. However, she imposed certain restrictions for safety reasons and to prevent any "accidents."

However, most of the freedom is still granted.

For example, today, Shen Nuoyi used the perfectly legitimate excuse of having an appointment with Zhang Chen to leave early. Of course, the consequence was that Qin Tangxi and the other girls followed her without a second thought.

So Shen Nuoyi's expression was indeed a bit unpleasant. After all, she and Zhang Chen hadn't spent much time together during this holiday, and they would soon be going to different universities. Of course, she didn't like having someone acting as a third wheel at this time, but she couldn't show it out of politeness.

Qin Tangxi, of course, noticed her older sister's displeasure. Her sister was always straightforward, unlike her older sister who could portray a thousand different faces. She could even openly show her displeasure and give her a hard time. This was why Qin Tangxi had always been somewhat afraid of her. However, this time she simply pretended not to see Shen Nuoyi's sour face, going all out to satisfy her classmate's infatuation with Zhang Chen.

Fortunately, Qin Tangxi's classmates, whether out of respect for Zhang Chen and Shen Nuoyi or simply out of some "awareness," followed far behind Zhang Chen and Shen Nuoyi as they strolled along the riverbank, without disturbing them. In light of the girls' behavior, Shen Nuoyi took pity on them and bought everyone an ice cream at a newsstand with a drink counter by the roadside.

"As expected of the beautiful and kind-hearted School Beauty Shen!"

"Thank you, Sister Shen!"

"I'm so happy! Sister Nuoyi treated me to a snow doll! I really want to take it home, I can't bear to eat it!" These girls were being rather exaggerated, their attitude towards Shen Nuoyi resembling that of devoted fans. Those who had taken the ice cream discreetly distanced themselves further away, completely displaying an attitude of knowing their place after being bribed. Today, everyone was acting as female bodyguards, escorting the prince consort ahead alongside the female commander.

So Zhang Chen and Shen Nuoyi walked ahead in this strange atmosphere, while a group of fashionable high school girls dressed in summer clothes watched them stroll down the street.

“I really couldn’t shake my sister off. The adults at the dinner table all told me to take them with me… Don’t feel uncomfortable.” Shen Nuo glanced at him. The setting sun peeked over the treetops in front of them, making her dark eyes reflect the ripples of the river beside the embankment.

"A little." Zhang Chen's words made her pause slightly. "Now it's making it difficult for me to hold your hand."

Holding hands...

Shen Nuoyi still has an image to maintain. She usually puts on airs in front of Qin Tangxi and her classmates. It's not that she's put on airs because others call her "school beauty," maybe a little, but more so she interacts with them in this way so she doesn't have to socialize.

She wasn't used to chatting and laughing with Qin Tangxi and her group of unfamiliar classmates and acquaintances; it wasn't her personality.

However, Zhang Chen clearly raised a crucial question. The issue was that while they were now a couple, she was too proud to act intimately with Zhang Chen in front of others. After all, it was Qin Tangxi, and there were several of Qin Tangxi's close female classmates there, whose families knew them. Whatever happened between the two of them today would be completely transparent to their families' social circles back home.

Even though Shen Nuoyi possessed the heroic spirit of a woman who conquered Tsinghua University and overcame countless difficult problems, she couldn't muster such courage at this moment, nor could she lower her pride.

Zhang Chen knew she was shy, so he was just teasing her. Seeing Shen Nuo's ears turn bright red, he felt like he'd really messed with her. After all, the girl was very different now. Although they were practically childhood sweethearts and occasionally bickered, they'd never really gone to the point of teasing each other. He had considered being a little bolder sometimes, but she always managed to refute him with her dignified demeanor and chivalrous spirit.

Now, her flushed face seems so vulnerable, as if she could be bullied and toyed with at will.

Of course, this kind of thing still requires a slow and gentle approach.

Just as Shen Nuoyi was struggling with the issue of holding hands with Zhang Chen in public, Zhang Chen changed the subject.

"Leaving tomorrow?"

Hearing this, Shen Nuoyi's mood darkened again, and she softly hummed in agreement: "Tomorrow my mom and dad are taking me to the capital to see some relatives there. They're going to take us sightseeing for a few days, and then it'll be about time to go to university to register."

Zhang Chen nodded: "It's okay. I'll come find you at university."

"Mmm..." Shen Nuoyi responded softly again. Going to university brought hope for the future, but parting with Zhang Chen and the end of her high school years made her reluctant to leave.

Like the last rays of the setting sun, the scene of the riverbank and willow trees was painted like an oil painting. Shen Nuoyi's light-colored long shirt and jeans outlined the slender figure of the girl. He and Zhang Chen stood side by side, as if they were people in a painting.

The distant scenery in the picture is bright and joyful, like a brand new journey for the two.

Their long shadows stretched across the embankment, overlapping closely on the stone path, as if using light and shadow to tell unspoken stories of tenderness.

(End of this chapter)