Тhе tеmрeraturе in Сitу В hаd alreadу bеgun to droр.
A cоld wind sеереd in thrоugh a small сrack in the window, whistling as it blew, mаking Zhаng Lu Li, who wаs weаring shоrts аnd а T-shirt, shivеr invоluntаrilу.
Nоticing his rеaction, Zhаng Lu Rаng got uр to closе the window.
Just аs he reасhеd thе windоw, Zhаng Lu Li bеhind him suddenly sроke.
Нis tоnе was lоw and hоаrse, cаrrуing the sоund of someоne on the vеrgе оf teаrs.
"Brother, wаs it wrоng fоr me tо skiр а grаdе?"
Zhаng Lu Rang wаs tаken аbaсk and turned аround. "Whаt?"
Zhаng Lu Li didn’t rеpеаt himsеlf.
А moment latеr, Zhang Lu Rang understood.
Нe reaсhed out tо push thе windоw shut, seаling the only crack completely.
The temperature in the room instantly stopped being so chilling.
Warmth gradually filled the air.
"A Li, it’s not your fault," he answered earnestly.
Zhang Lu Li looked up and met his eyes.
They were filled with tiny specks of starlight.
It was the light of relief.
In 2009, Lin Mao moved to City Z to settle down due to work.
Before leaving, he said to Zhang Lu Rang, "Don’t compare yourself to anyone."
Zhang Lu Rang hung his head and said nothing.
In 2010, Lin Mao took leave and traveled from City Z to City B.
He walked into Zhang Lu Rang’s room.
Zhang Lu Rang turned toward the sound and looked at him.
His face still held a touch of childishness, the lines of his features soft and gentle.
He was still a child who hadn’t fully grown up.
"It’s not that I want to compare myself to him... It’s that everyone compares me to him."
Lin Mao’s throat tightened, and for a moment, he couldn’t find any words to say.
"Do you blame A Li?" he asked.
Zhang Lu Rang remained silent, shaking his head slowly.
Thinking about it carefully, Zhang Lu Rang had never once lost his temper with Zhang Lu Li.
Everyone praised Zhang Lu Li and belittled him.
Yet he never gave up on himself or let himself fall into despair.
Lin Mao didn’t know when he had become so quiet and reserved.
Slowly, he had put on a cold mask, appearing indifferent to the world.
In reality, he was gentle to the core.
Even though the world had not been kind to him, he still chose to treat it with kindness.
What a wonderful Zhang Lu Rang.
Before returning to school, Su Zai Zai took Short Legs out for a walk.
As she passed by Zhang Lu Rang’s house, she happened to see a young man walking Su Su.
He looked relaxed and casual, dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, wearing a pair of gray slippers.
Soon, he noticed Su Zai Zai standing nearby.
Lin Mao’s lips curved slightly, as if he recognized who she was.
His expression softened, and he let out a light chuckle.
Su Zai Zai suddenly felt as if she had been caught by an adult for dating too early.
Flustered, she nodded at him and immediately turned to leave.
Lin Mao stood there, lost in thought.
He remembered the day he passed by that empty lot.
A boy pedaling a bicycle, a girl carefully holding on from behind.
A bright smile hung on his lips.
It was the Zhang Lu Rang from long ago.
The Zhang Lu Rang Lin Mao hadn’t seen in many years.
Chapter 39
I want to get into Z University because it’s in the city where she is.
—Zhang Lu Rang
Back at home.
Su Zai Zai untied Short Legs’ leash.
Freed from its restraint, the little dog ran around on its short legs.
It quickly scurried to the corner where the pet water dispenser was placed and began drinking.
Su Zai Zai watched it for a moment before teasing, "Zhang Xiao Rang, you know, you should be grateful our building has an elevator."
As she spoke, she walked to the coffee table and poured herself a glass of water.Afterwards, Su Zai Zai walked over to Little Short Legs and rubbed its head.
"Didn’t I tell you to bark when I call you like that?"
Su Zai Zai squatted beside it for a while.
Soon, she stood up, went to the bathroom to wash her face, cooling down her sun-warmed cheeks.
Water gushed noisily, and Su Zai Zai inexplicably began to space out.
Snapping back to reality, she turned off the faucet.
She pulled two tissues from nearby to dry her face.
Su Zai Zai returned to her room and took out her phone from her pocket again.
The screen still showed the message Zhang Lu Rang had sent at eight o’clock last night.
—Why did you hang up?
Su Zai Zai hesitated for a moment, unsure how to reply.
Yesterday, hearing his words, "How do you always guess right?" she thought he was responding to her saying, "Because I’m not by your side."
In a moment of excitement and shyness, she hung up the phone.
But after thinking for a while, she felt that Zhang Lu Rang’s meaning seemed to be...
How do you always guess when I’m in a bad mood?
Su Zai Zai felt a bit embarrassed.
She thought for a long time and concluded that the latter guess was probably correct.
Moreover, hanging up the phone after hearing he was in a bad mood...
Su Zai Zai didn’t dare to reply at all.
But leaving it unanswered wasn’t an option either.
Su Zai Zai made up her mind and sent two messages.
Su Zai Zai: I laughed a bit yesterday and accidentally hung up the phone.
Su Zai Zai: Then I fell asleep.
After sending them, she breathed a sigh of relief and began packing her things to return to school.
After a moment’s thought, she suddenly felt something was off.
Su Zai Zai immediately picked up her phone and typed two new messages.
—Last night, hearing your words, I couldn’t help but burst into tears.
—I accidentally hung up the phone.
Zhang Lu Rang: "..."
He was speechless.
Zhang Lu Rang didn’t dwell on it and sent a voice message.
—"Have you done the problems?"
Su Zai Zai felt a bit frustrated and also sent a voice message.
"No, you’ve only been gone for a day, and I haven’t adjusted my mood yet."
"Study hard," he said.
After graduating from high school, he would be an adult.
Zhang Lu Rang wanted to stay in Z City, where Su Zai Zai was.
He wanted to always have her by his side.
The gears of time kept turning, never stopping.
On June 8, 2014, the college entrance exam students walked out of the examination halls.
Excitedly throwing books, screaming, and hugging each other with tears in their eyes.
Along with this came Su Zai Zai’s senior year of high school.
Su Zai Zai sat at her desk and pulled her grade slip from one of her books.
Her eyes moved from left to right.
Stopping on the second number.
Math: 98 points.
Su Zai Zai pursed her lips and stuffed a few math analysis books into her backpack.
Then she left the classroom and headed toward the dormitory.
At night, the surrounding temperature was cool and somewhat comfortable.
The leaves rustled, making a "shasha" sound.
Yet, Su Zai Zai inexplicably felt a bit restless inside.
She returned to the dormitory and quickly took a shower.
After washing her clothes, she was about to climb into bed and turn on the small lamp to study.
Just then, she noticed Jiang Jia, on the lower bunk, looking annoyed as she threw her phone heavily onto the bed.
Su Zai Zai blinked and asked curiously, "What’s wrong?"
Everyone in the dormitory knew about Jiang Jia and Guan Han’s relationship.
So Jiang Jia didn’t mind and sighed, speaking directly."Guan Han, I don't know what he's thinking, it's so annoying. We're already in our senior year of high school, and he's still glued to his phone all the time. He won't listen no matter what I say."
Su Zai Zai's mood was a bit low because of her math score.
She wasn't sure how to comfort her.
After hesitating for a moment, she still said, "Try talking to him properly."
Jiang Jia took her phone back and sent a few messages to the other person, her eyes already reddening.
She wiped her eyes and said softly, "It's no use. I've said it many times. If he keeps this up, there's no way we'll get into the same university."
Xiao Yu looked over and comforted her, "Hey, don't cry..."
"I'm really annoyed. He's even affecting my own motivation to study."
Su Zai Zai zoned out for a while before suddenly asking, "If you can't get into the same university, will you break up with him?"
Jiang Jia nodded without hesitation. "Absolutely."
Su Zai Zai's expression stiffened, and she didn't say anything more.
She lowered her head, looking at the blinking notification light on her phone.
She turned on the screen.
Su Zai Zai: Lùràng.
Zhang Lu Rang: Just finished evening self-study.
Zhang Lu Rang: What's up?
She didn't reply and instead sent a WeChat message to Mother Su.
—Mom, please sign me up for a math tutoring class.
Su Zai Zai got into bed and opened her chat window with Zhang Lu Rang again.
She thought for a long time but couldn't figure out what to say.
Soon, another message came from the other side.
Zhang Lu Rang: The other party is typing...
Su Zai Zai laughed out loud.
All the heavy and irritable feelings disappeared because of his one sentence.
After thinking for a moment, she still asked.
Su Zai Zai: Lùràng, what was your English score last time?
Zhang Lu Rang: 124.
Su Zai Zai: !!!
Su Zai Zai: Wasn't it 110 last time? That's amazing!
Zhang Lu Rang's pursed lips curved upward slightly.
Then, suddenly feeling a bit uneasy, he asked: What about your math?
There was no reply from the other side.
"I woke up in the middle of the night yesterday and saw your light was still on..." Jiang Jia took a bite of her bread, frowning. "What time did you sleep?"
"Ah, I didn't notice."
"With your grades, you can definitely get into a top-tier university."
Su Zai Zai stirred the porridge in her bowl with a spoon, the steam rising before her eyes.
Suddenly, her nose tingled with emotion.
Jiang Jia looked concerned. "What's wrong?"
Su Zai Zai changed the subject.
"Jia Jia, how have things been with Guan Han lately?"
Jiang Jia shrugged, speaking indifferently. "Same as always. If I don't look for him, he doesn't look for me. Anyway, we're not in the same class anymore. If I don't see him, I don't feel annoyed."
"Don't you like him anymore?" Su Zai Zai asked softly.
"What does liking matter?" Jiang Jia let out a bitter laugh. "He never thinks about our future, so why should I put so much effort into him?"
"..."
"We're not like you and Zhang Lu Rang. Long-distance relationships never end well."
Su Zai Zai tightened her grip on the spoon.
If she couldn't get into Z University.
There would still be four years of long-distance.
A relationship with more separation than togetherness.
She didn't know if Zhang Lu Rang would still want that.
Su Zai Zai didn't reply to him again today.
Zhang Lu Rang irritably ran his fingers through his hair.
Suppressing the urge to call her, he opened a set of science practice papers and started working on them.
Because he was in a bad mood, he didn't notice how late it had gotten.
After finishing.
Zhang Lu Rang picked up his phone again and glanced at it.The chat box with Su Zai Zai displayed "typing..."
Zhang Lu Rang paused, raised his eyes, and looked at the time in the upper left corner of the screen.
Two in the morning.
His expression instantly turned cold as he sent a message over.
—Still not sleeping?
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