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After the military training ended in the afternoon, the homeroom teacher, Shan Qingrong, informed everyone that they were to stay in the classroom for evening self-study until 9:30 PM when the school day would end.
Upon hearing this, the students all cursed the school's stupidity in their hearts. They had trained all day, weary to the bone, and had been looking forward to going home to rest. Instead, they were now expected to attend evening self-study.
Without even handing out textbooks, how were they supposed to have evening self-study?
Seeing the students' resistant faces, Shan Qingrong said cheerfully:
"There's no helping it; it's the school's rule. How about this—tonight, I'll show you all a movie."
Fourth Middle School's classrooms were multimedia-equipped, with computers and projectors that were often used during lessons, which made it very convenient.
Hearing about the movie, the students' mood improved slightly. Watching a movie at school was still a delightful experience.
Only Xue Yuantong's face remained downcast. She hadn't been aware of the evening self-study beforehand and if it lasted until 9:30 PM, despite it being summer and already completely dark by that time, she would have to walk three kilometers alone on the river dam, which was a terrifying thought.
Although she considered herself incredibly brave, the idea of walking on a dark road alone... if she were to encounter any bad people along the way, the more Xue Yuantong thought about it, the more frightened she became. Her face turned deathly pale, and various terrifying scenarios kept emerging in her mind.
Due to the military training today, she hadn't brought her phone. Her mother had gone to the village to help her grandparents harvest peanuts and would not be home for the next few days, so no one would be coming to pick her up.
It was all over now; Xue Yuantong was very upset.
She wanted to stand up several times and tell Shan Qingrong that she needed to go home early, but it was too embarrassing. If Shan Qingrong asked her for a reason, what could she say?
Say she was afraid of walking at night?
Laughable, just laughable. How could Xue Yuantong be afraid of something as trivial as a dark road?
With the lights in the classroom turned off, Shan Qingrong started playing "Spirited Away" for everyone, projected onto the screen.
Xue Yuantong's face changed hues in the shadows, her emotions fluctuating.
Jiang Ning had seen this movie in his past life, the first day of military training ending just as it did today.
Watching it again now, he felt a different kind of sensation.
Jiang Ning used to enjoy watching movies in class because coming to school was meant for learning; playing with his phone was always done sneakily, but to watch a movie openly gave him a sense of triumph.
This kind of permitted defiance was not often found in life. In his school days, he furtively played with his phone, and later when he joined the workforce, he secretly slacked off at the company. Always in secrecy, it seemed a lot had changed, yet at the same time, nothing changed at all.
Regardless of the present or the future, rules were everywhere, and Jiang Ning's life was filled with compromise and helplessness, never achieving true freedom.
Jiang Ning quietly appreciated the movie until 9:30 PM arrived, and then he found Xue Yuantong in the square in front of the classroom.
"It's quite late, and it isn't safe to walk at night. Let's go back together."
Upon hearing this, Xue Yuantong, while walking, said confidently:
"It's nothing; I've walked in the dark many times. It's not worth mentioning."
Jiang Ning was silent for a moment.
Xue Yuantong wished she could slap herself in the face. She had been anxious all through the evening self-study hour, thinking of various ways to get home. She could have taken a taxi, but she had already spent the money she had brought with her.
When Jiang Ning finally offered, she had reflexively turned him down.
Now, Xue Yuantong felt as if her future was cast in darkness.
Her rejection was expected by Jiang Ning. He really could have ignored Xue Yuantong, especially since she had turned him down several times before. But he pondered digging into her family's matters.
"You know I often go to the river dam at night, right? The dam isn't safe, and there are often drunk men around. Last time I looked carefully, there was a grave every so often in the adjacent field. Sometimes, in the dead of night, there are people sitting on the graves talking. It's really creepy," said Jiang Ning casually.
These words silenced Xue Yuantong.
"Before your aunt left, she asked me to look out for each other in times of trouble. If something happened to you on your way home, I would definitely feel terrible about it."
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"Fine, fine, fine, I won't say another word, I'll ride with you." Xue Yuantong crossed her arms and huffed,
"I'm not afraid of walking at night, it's just that seeing you cycle alone in the evening is quite pitiful, so I reluctantly agreed to keep you company."
Jiang Ning watched Xue Yuantong's affected manner but didn't call her out.
When Shen Qing'e left school, seeing Jiang Ning chatting with Xue Yuantong ahead, her expression changed. It had been several days since Jiang Ning had contacted her, forcing her to go shopping on her own, and she suddenly felt unaccustomed to it.
She glanced at Xue Yuantong several times; though her face was clean, she was excessively short, just like a primary school student, and she often had a stern face. Jiang Ning's taste was really something else.
"Shen Qing'e, let's go," a classmate called out to her.
"Mm hmm, sure," Shen Qing'e responded. She didn't greet Jiang Ning; it was completely unnecessary. Back in their town's middle school, she used to find Jiang Ning somewhat unique, but now at Fourth Middle School, he was utterly ordinary in class, just an average student.
As for herself, in just two days since the start of school, she had become the focus of discussion among the boys in class. During the afternoon military training break, a sunny, handsome boy from the next class brought her a cola, inciting envy among the other girls. Bathed in those girls' gazes, Shen Qing'e smiled sweetly.
She was staying at her sister's house and, with the future assistance of Jiang Junlong from Second Middle School's experimental class, her grades would undoubtedly soar, far outstripping Jiang Ning.
She and Jiang Ning were no longer on the same path; the gap between their futures would only widen. As for those past memories, she held no affection and would bury them in her recollections.
Shen Qing'e got into her sister's sedan at the school gate and, looking through the window, she saw Jiang Ning pushing his bike with the short Xue Yuantong following behind.
The sedan started and headed toward the neon-lit city center. In the rearview mirror, a vast expanse of grey suburbs loomed, reminiscent of a run-down village, which was precisely the direction toward which Jiang Ning was pushing his bike.
A faint smile played on Shen Qing'e's lips.
…
Jiang Ning pushed his bike, walking along with Xue Yuantong silently following behind.
Jiang Ning got on the bike and tipped his toes on the ground:
"Come on, get up."
Xue Yuantong said, "You ride first, I'll jump onto the back in a bit."
Jiang Ning pushed down on the pedal, the wheels spun, and the mountain bike moved forward slowly.
Xue Yuantong took a running start behind him, her short legs kicked…
And she jumped into the air, missing the seat.
Jiang Ning pretended not to see and slowed down the bike once more.
Xue Yuantong took a deep breath and tried again but still failed to mount.
Jiang Ning stopped the bike, and the atmosphere suddenly stiffened. Xue Yuantong's face flushed red with embarrassment. She felt like she was going to die from shame.
After a long while, Jiang Ning broke the silence:
"Yeah, the military training instructor was quite strict. Today's training intensity was over the top, and the boys from our formation were complaining they couldn't take it."
Xue Yuantong followed up, "Ah right, right, military training is nothing to me, it's just that my shoes don't fit well and are really uncomfortable, you know?"
"I get it, I get it," Jiang Ning said, his expression a mix of a smile and a non-smile.
Xue Yuantong pretended not to see Jiang Ning's face and looked away.
"Get on."
"Alright." Xue Yuantong finally got on the bike, sitting sideways, finding the back seat cushion soft and not at all uncomfortable.
As the mountain bike picked up speed, Xue Yuantong's hands tightly gripped the edge of the back seat, her body close to Jiang Ning.
She had never been so close to a boy before; the night wind brushing against her forehead made her heart beat slightly faster than usual.