Qi Lan didn't wake up until the next afternoon.
She had a tube inserted into her and tried hard to open her eyes.
Feng Ning had been guarding the bed. She held Qi Lan's cold hand, tears falling down her cheeks. "Mom, you scared me to death. I thought you didn't want me anymore."
Qi Lan was in a very bad mood, staring at her daughter's face, unable to speak. Shuang Yao's mother felt sad, turned her back, and her eyes were red.
Qi Lan's condition has been relapsing, his health has not improved much, and he spends most of his time sleeping.
Another week passed before she found out about Feng Ning's suspension from school. She was furious: "Aren't you just kidding me? In a couple of days when you feel better, I'll take you to school and explain things to the teacher, and you can continue to go to school."
Feng Ning stiffened his neck and said, "I'm not going to school. I want to accompany you."
Qi Lan raised her voice slightly, "Even if you accompany me, you can't skip school."
In front of the bed, Feng Ning hugged her and said, "Mom, don't be angry. I'm just taking a leave of absence. I will go to school. When you get better, I will go to school and get into the best university. I promise you."
Qi Lan's heart was slightly touched and she fell silent.
After several minutes, she sighed helplessly: "You are so stubborn, just like your father."
Feng Ning followed her words: "I am just stubborn, I am just stubborn." She put her face in Qi Lan's palm, "Mom, you must treat your illness well, don't leave me alone, I don't have a father anymore, I don't want to be alone."
It rained for a few days and the temperature dropped suddenly.
Feng Ning was returning home after buying groceries. When she turned into the alley, she suddenly paused and saw someone across the street.
Sitting on the bench under the bus stop, wearing a light-colored sports jacket with the zipper open, a black sweatshirt underneath, dark blue jeans, and white sneakers.
As expected of the school hunk, he is dressed so fashionably even when skipping classes.
She leaned against the tree trunk and watched for several minutes.
He lowered his head as the endless stream of cars passed by, not knowing what he was thinking. There was a shade of trees above his head, and a thin layer of yellowing autumn leaves under his feet.
At this time, the kindergarten and primary school students nearby were all out of school. A few children, carrying colorful schoolbags and holding the candied haws they had just bought, ran by the roadside, laughing.
Jiang Wen suddenly came back to his senses when he noticed someone sitting down next to him.
Feng Ning said slickly, "Where did this handsome guy come from? How did he get lost in front of my house?"
Jiang Wen looked at her.
Feng Ning leaned back and turned his head to look at him, "Who should I ask for the address?"
Jiang Wen sat there without moving, hesitated for a moment, and gave the answer: "Shuang Yao."
"You've become smarter now. You know how to attack indirectly." Feng Ning puffed his cheeks.
"Why don't you go to school?"
"how?"
"Your family..."
"Yeah." Feng Ning looked at the orange sunset that had climbed up to her calves. The sunlight stretched her shadow very long. She twisted her ankle and said nonchalantly, "My mother is sick, and I have to take care of her."
"Can't we hire a nurse?"
Feng Ning smiled and pretended not to hear.
Jiang Wen was silent for a long, long time. He said seriously, "I can help you."
"Thank you." Feng Ning seemed to be in deep thought. "I am so touched. You helped me, how can I repay you?" She teased him, "How about giving yourself to me."
Jiang Wen knew she was joking, and was silent for a moment. He had no expression on his face, and answered silently in his heart.
OK.
“I’m serious,” he said.
She chuckled, "I know you're serious."
Feng Ning had thin shoulders, her head lowered, her hair covering her face. Jiang Wen couldn't see her expression, "So, are you... still going to school?"
"Not yet, but I will be able to go to school in the future." Feng Ning crushed a leaf, "If I don't go to school, do I have to drop out of high school and become a part-time worker? Although it's not difficult to make money with my ability, I promised my mother that I will get into the best university in the future to bring honor to our Feng family."
He was quiet.
Feng Ning suddenly realized that Jiang Wen's legs were very long. He bent his legs slightly, and even if she stretched her legs, she still couldn't reach that position.
Feng Ning swung his feet and smiled, "When I'm not here, the class is more harmonious, isn't it?"
He finally spoke and hummed.
"That's good. Iron Lady should be happy. Finally, no one disrupts the classroom discipline."
She was still the same as always, talking a lot, and couldn't stop chattering. "But there must be someone who misses me. Xiao Meng got a new deskmate. She called me at night and said she missed me so much that she cried. She is not used to not having me to help her with her homework."
He looked at her chattering and suddenly asked, "You answered her call, why didn't you reply to my message?"
Feng Ning was stuck for a moment, "Ah? Didn't I reply?"
"No."
Feng Ning didn't know what to say for a moment and touched his nose.
Jiang Wen stared at her intently, "I'm not used to it either."
Feng Ning realized what he was saying and reacted, seeming surprised.
Feng Ning didn't come to class for the first two weeks.
The text messages he sent fell on deaf ears, there was no response, and no one could contact her.
Jiang Wen always had a slight illusion. Whenever he heard a girl laughing, he would neurotically think that Feng Ning had returned.
But every time I turned around out of habit, the seat was empty.
Before I could think about it, my throat tightened. My heart ached a little, like being pricked by a needle, not unbearable, but long enough to be ignored.
He thought of how Feng Ning had deliberately made faces to annoy him, and Jiang Wen suddenly felt a little confused. It was still full of excitement, everyone was talking and laughing, nothing had changed.
Why is he the only one who feels so sad
After a long while, he digested his emotions and said, "I don't know why I came to you, but I..."
Feng Ning turned her head to look at Jiang Wen. He had never been like this in front of her before. She was a little hesitant and didn't know what to say.
With that said, the rest of the sentence was much simpler. Jiang Wen finally said what he had been thinking about for a long time: "Feng Ning, I want to help you."
For some reason, Feng Ning understood what he wanted to say in an instant.
Not that I can help you.
Yes, I want to help you.
In the hospital, Qi Lan asked, "Why did you come so late today?"
"Just now on the road, I met a boy from our former class and chatted with him for a few words."
Qi Lan was a little surprised: "Did he come to see you specifically?"
"Yes." Feng Ning pulled down the small table, put the thermos on it, and adjusted the height of the bed.
"What did you say?"
"Things at school."
Qi Lan didn't ask her any more questions.
While eating, Feng Ning suddenly thought of something, "I remember it was last Christmas, no, not Christmas, it was the New Year's Day party. Our class sports committee member was singing "Old Boy", and that duck voice was really bad. You know, I didn't like listening to this song since I was a child. Whenever I heard it, I would think of my dad, and then I sneaked out to get some fresh air."
Qi Lan listened carefully, "Well, then what?"
Feng Ning swallowed his food and gulped down a mouthful of water: "Then he followed me out, the boy who came to see me today. He followed me like a thief, it was really funny."
She was in a bad mood that time, but when she turned around and saw Jiang Wen's awkward look, she suddenly laughed for no reason.
Qi Lan had never heard her mention this before, so she was a little curious: "He likes you?"
Feng Ning did not hesitate, but nodded directly with a smile on his face: "Yes."
"What kind of person is he?"
Feng Ning thought about it and described him to her mother like this: "He is a good student. His grades are just a little bit worse than mine. But he is very handsome." She smiled, "But he has a bad temper. He gets angry at the slightest provocation. He is very arrogant and doesn't even look at people in the eye at first."
“Excellent boy.”
Feng Ning slapped his forehead and laughed, "Mom, I finally understand why ancient emperors liked those big-breasted and brainless concubines."
"Why?" Qi Lan felt much more relaxed after listening to her daughter's nonsense.
"It's actually quite interesting to occasionally meet someone who is completely different from you. Seeing him so beautiful and living a happy life, I feel that, well, life can still go on."
"What nonsense." Qi Lan glared at her.
Feng Ning pouted: "That's probably what it means."
As time passed, Zhao Binlin discovered that Jiang Wen was acting a little strange recently.
It’s hard to say exactly what’s strange about it, but he’s obviously become much quieter.
besides-
"Why do you disappear every time you have a holiday? You don't answer my calls or messages." Zhao Binlin asked him suspiciously, "Did you secretly go out to have sex?"
Jiang Wen propped his chin with one hand and remained silent. He stared at the blackboard and wrote quickly, making up his notes.
"I always feel like you're hiding some secret from me."
Being ignored, Zhao Binlin got a little anxious and couldn't help but push him, "What's wrong with you, Jiang Wen? Feng Ning is gone, and there are no competitors, but you are still so enthusiastic about studying?! You never took notes before!"
Jiang Wen's face looked grim. He sighed and looked at him, "Can you stop making so much noise and let me be quiet for a while?"
"Sure enough, you bastard, you react whenever Feng Ning is mentioned."
Kicking his chair, Zhao Binlin asked, "What happened in her family?"
"None of your business."
Zhao Binlin: "Aren't I just concerned about her?"
"You have a good relationship with her?" Jiang Wen raised his eyes and made a sarcastic expression.
"?"
"Is it your turn to care?"
“… … .”
Zhao Binlin was so angry that he lost his voice and had nothing to say. He raised his hand and slapped himself, "Okay, I am sorry for offending you."
During the break, several class representatives were walking around the classroom handing out papers. Jiang Wenqing counted the papers and, ignoring Zhao Binlin's shouting, he left the classroom alone and walked to the large office on the same floor.
Standing in front of the copy machine, the smell of ink filled his nose. The machine made a soft beeping sound, and he was lost in thought.
The biology teacher passed by with a cup of water and turned to take a look. "Jiang Wen, you're here to print something again."
Jiang Wen nodded.
It was another Saturday, and today was a sunny day with an unobstructed blue sky. It was just past 7:30, and Feng Ning was leaning against a street lamp, drinking soy milk. She was so sleepy that she yawned twice in a row.
A taxi stopped and a man got out.
When Jiang Wen approached, Feng Ning handed him another cup of soy milk and asked, "Have you had breakfast?"
Jiang Wen shook his head.
"Would you like to eat Shengjianbao?"
Jiang Wen refused: "No."
"Where's the Shaomai?"
Jiang Wen still shook his head.
“Try it, it’s delicious!”
Jiang Wen: "I have no appetite in the morning and can't eat these dry things."
"Understood, my dear young master."
He said with a straight face, "Don't call me that."
"Why don't you eat it? Are you trying to blackmail me for breakfast?"
She led him forward, stuffing a small bun into her mouth from time to time. There was a famous old noodle shop near Yujiang Lane, which had been open for more than ten years. It was not far away, Feng Ning walked in front and took Jiang Wen in to sit down.
There were not many customers at this time, so the noodle shop owner came over to greet her personally. When she saw Jiang Wen, her eyes lit up: "Hey, Ningning, who is this?"
"This is..." Feng Ning half-jokingly said, "My teacher."
"Wow, the teacher is so young." The proprietress gave each of them a cup of mung bean water. "Would you like shredded pork noodles or fish noodles?"
"I don't want to eat." Feng Ning pointed at Jiang Wen who was standing opposite him, "Give him a bowl of shredded pork noodles."
Five minutes later, the steaming noodles were served, sprinkled with a handful of tender green onions, and looked very appetizing. Jiang Wen finally didn't despise it and took the initiative to break open a pair of chopsticks.
She bit into her pan-fried bun.
"How much does it cost for a taxi from your home?"
Jiang Wen swallowed the food before speaking, "I don't know."
"Um?"
"I gave him a hundred, but I didn't pay attention to how much change he gave me."
Feng Ning's eyes widened, and he almost spit out the soy milk in his mouth, "Are you a charity worker?"
"... ..."
The families had discussed it before and decided that Shuangyao’s mother would go to the hospital to accompany her child on Saturday, Zhao Weichen’s mother would go there on Sunday, and Fengning would rest at home.
The last time Jiang Wen came to see Feng Ning, he sent her a message after he returned.
Feng Ning thought about it for a long time, discussed it with Qi Lan, and did not reject him.
—He helped her with her lessons during the holidays.
Qi Lan was in the hospital, and there was only a big yellow dog at home. The mahjong room was originally a little bigger, but it had not been cleaned for a long time and was full of dust. Feng Ning could only take Jiang Wen to his room.
Before opening the door, Feng Ning asked, "Do you know how to play mahjong?"
"Won't."
Feng Ning patted his chest and said, "I'll teach you some other day."
Jiang Wen silently followed Feng Ning into her room.
Feng Ning's room... How can I describe it? It looks much more girlish than she does. Although the main color is not pink, it is full of warmth. There is a white dream net, wind chimes hanging on the balcony, stickers of Chibi Maruko-chan and SpongeBob SquarePants everywhere, and a few comic books randomly thrown on the table.
This was Jiang Wen's first time entering a girl's room. The air was slightly filled with the scent of laundry detergent. He felt a little awkward, and his eyes were restrained from moving around.
Feng Ning bent down, moved two small folding tables to the bay window, put them together, and took out the cushions.
Jiang Wen put his schoolbag aside and looked around, "Are we going to study here?"
"Yes, take off your shoes and come up."
Feng Ning has already sat cross-legged.
Jiang asked: "..."
"I used to study here." Feng Ning pulled open the curtains, revealing the beautiful autumn scenery. The warm sunlight could just shine in a little. "Look, from here you can also see the yard next door. There's an old man who likes to enjoy the cool under the tree. I like to watch him when I'm bored. Sometimes I'll suddenly shout at him from a distance and scare him. Sometimes the old man gets so angry that he'll come over to complain to my mom. Hahahahaha."
When she talked about happy things, she held her face in her hands and smiled mischievously.
Jiang Wen also followed Feng Ning's example and tucked his legs in. However, he was tall and had long legs, so he felt a little cramped in this small space. He slightly adjusted his sitting position, opened his schoolbag, took out his books, notebooks, and papers one by one, and placed them on the small table.
Feng Ning flipped through the photocopied papers and said, "Wow, did you print all these yourself?"
"What else?"
"Sure, sure." She was deeply moved. "How could I have deserved to have the handsomest man in Kai Tak come to give me one-on-one tutoring? I guess I must have saved the galaxy in my previous life!"
Jiang Wen was very pleased to hear this. He remained calm to hide his pride and said, "You helped my sister with her lessons."
"Huh? What's wrong with helping your sister with her lessons? Our boss paid us for it."
Feng Ning took out a pen and cheerfully turned the test paper over and over, still saying frivolously, "I have to pay back for the lessons I helped my sister with."
"Then you should owe me the tuition fee."
As soon as he finished speaking, she immediately covered her ears and said shamelessly, "I didn't hear it, I didn't hear it, what I didn't hear doesn't count."
When she put her hand down, Jiang Wen snorted coldly and continued, "I said, I want you to pay me back the money you owe me later."
Feng Ning said weakly, "How much is your tuition fee?"
"It's calculated by the hour." Seeing her listless look, Jiang Wen suppressed the smile on his face, thought for a moment, and added: "Two hundred per hour."
"You are such a scoundrel, why don't you just go and rob it!" Feng Ning took a deep breath, pointed to the door without hesitation, and said, "Let's go."
"What?"
"I can't afford this price, you leave now." Feng Ning leaned back, "I can't afford your lessons even if I sell everything I have."
"That's as much as you can accept."
Feng Ning made a "yeah" gesture.
Jiang Wen was both amused and confused, and agreed with her: "Twenty?"
Feng Ning shook his head and said tragically, "Two dollars."
After holding it in for a long time, Jiang Wen suddenly broke down, and a smile appeared on his fair and handsome face. He coughed and said, "Forget it, let's start, two pieces are two pieces."
"Wow, did you just laugh?" Feng Ning had an expression of discovering a new world on his face, "You can actually laugh, too."
Jiang Wen stopped laughing, feeling a little embarrassed and annoyed: "What's wrong with me laughing?"
"You look good when you smile. You're already handsome, and you become even more handsome when you smile." Feng Ning said sincerely, "You look much more cheerful than when you usually have a sullen face. If you could smile more at school, the guy in Class 7 who's competing with you for the title of school hunk would have no chance against him. Our classmate Jiang is at least several blocks ahead of him."
"Study now." Jiang Wen gave the order.
The courses in the second year of high school were very simple. Except for physics and mathematics, Feng Ning could almost understand the rest by self-study. In the hospital, besides taking care of Qi Lan, she spent the rest of her time reading.
She wasn't far behind, and could just keep up. After finishing a test, she could probably get more than 80 out of 100.
The morning passed quickly, and when it was time for lunch, Jiang Wen put down his pen and asked, "What are we going to eat?"
"Feng's little chef."
"Where?"
She said humorously: "In my kitchen."
“... ..”
Jiang Wen was pulled into the kitchen by her.
Feng Ning found two dark blue overalls from somewhere, threw one to him, and put it on swiftly. There was a MSG advertisement printed on the front and back of the overalls.
Jiang Wen was speechless for a long while, then reluctantly did as he was told. He was tall, so he could only roll up his sleeves and barely put on the gown.
The first time that Young Master Jiang, who had never cooked before, cooked in his life was in the small, run-down courtyard of Feng Ning's family.
Feng Ning taught him how to pick vegetables, wash vegetables, and cut potatoes. He did not act like a young master and worked with her.
Jiang Wen has severe obsessive-compulsive disorder, and when he cuts things, he has to cut them into uniform thickness. It was his first time cooking, and he became more and more excited.
Feng Ning stared at his serious profile, gave him a thumbs up, and praised him repeatedly: "Not bad, I didn't realize you have so much potential."
While cooking, Feng Ning took out two towels from somewhere and gave him the off-white one.
"What?"
Feng Ning put the towel on his head and fiddled with it, "Here, like this."
Jiang Wen refused, "I don't want it."
Feng Ning urged him: "Hurry up and cover your hair, otherwise your head will smell!"
His face was uncertain: "No."
"Why?"
Jiang Wen, who is very concerned about his image, gave his answer: "It's too ugly. I'd rather wash my hair."
"Then you're not going back this afternoon, so why don't you take a shower at my house?"
Feng Ning turned on the gas tank, grabbed the spatula, and prepared to start frying potatoes. "There's no one else here, hurry up, don't be so pretentious."
When pouring the chopped green onion and garlic into the pot, Feng Ning choked twice. When he looked back, he almost laughed out loud.
Jiang Wen had a crooked towel on his head, his sleeves rolled up, and two streaks of soy sauce on his face. His delicate face was red from the heat, and at first glance, he had completely transformed from a trendy young man in the morning into a country housewife.
—This is probably the most undignified moment for Jiang Wen since he was born.
She cooked the food herself: "Hey, stand further away, be careful not to get splashed by the oil, just pass me the seasoning."
Working in the crowded and messy kitchen with Feng Ning, Jiang Wen was forced to smell the smoke. However, for the first time in his life, he did not suffer from the prince syndrome. He was in a surprisingly good mood.
My cell phone rang several times. I took it out of my pocket, looked at it, and hung up.
After working for more than an hour, they prepared two dishes and a soup. After putting the dishes on the table, Feng Ning served two bowls of white rice and handed Jiang Wen a pair of chopsticks, "Okay, you can start eating!"
Jiang Wen pushed her hand that was holding the food away and said, "Wait a minute."
"what?"
Jiang Wen stood up, took out his cell phone, and took a few photos of the table full of dishes.
His behavior was so inconsistent with his usual cool image. Feng Ning bit the tip of her chopsticks and smiled, "Oh, so you want to take a picture of your work." She sat patiently waiting for him to take the picture, "Is this your first time cooking?"
"Um."
"How do you feel?"
Young Master Jiang nodded modestly: "Not bad."
After taking the photos, Jiang Wen sat down. Just then the phone rang again. He picked it up.
Zhao Binlin yelled, "Damn it! I called you but you didn't answer. What on earth are you doing? How come you are busier than the president? I can't even catch you at your doorstep!"
Jiang Wen said coldly: "If you have something to say, just say it."
"Let's go out and play in the afternoon. Meet at Jianshe Street at 1:30. This time Lin Ru brought several girls from other schools. They are all very beautiful. You must come."
"I have something to do. I won't go."
"No, listen to me, you have to come. Those girls came because they heard you were here. If you don't come, we can't be friends anymore."
Jiang Wen interrupted him: "You guys play by yourselves, I'm busy."
Zhao Binlin was still trying to fight for it, but there was a beep and Jiang Wen hung up the phone.
Malegobi.
Zhao Binlin looked at his phone angrily.
Xi Gaoyuan asked: "How about it, is he coming?"
"Let him come!" Zhao Binlin pouted, venting all the anger he got from Jiang Wen on Xi Gaoyuan, "You always ask me to call you, why don't you come yourself?"
"This bastard has been acting so mysterious lately. What on earth is he doing? Is he really going out to prostitutes behind our backs?"
Xi Gaoyuan got excited when talking about such obscene topics, "However, according to our Young Master Jiang's personality, his virginity is probably reserved for..."
"Feng Ning?" Zhao Binlin answered, glancing at him with a lewd smile.
Xi Gaoyuan hummed, "If there is a chance."
At around seven or eight in the evening, Feng Ning sent Jiang Wen out of Yujiang Lane, and the moon was out.
She suddenly said, "You come in the morning and leave at night, under the stars and moon. It reminds me of a poem."
"What."
Feng Ning's eyes sparkled: "I planted beans at the foot of the southern mountain, but the grass was lush and the bean sprouts were sparse. I got up early in the morning to clean up the weeds, and returned home in the moonlight, carrying a hoe."
"?"
"I am the bean planted by classmate Jiang Yuanming at the foot of Nanshan Mountain."
He stood by the roadside and stopped a car.
"Don't hail a taxi, you're a spendthrift boy." Feng Ning took out two coins from his pocket.
Jiang asked, "What for?"
"I'll take you home." Feng Ning was quite excited and gave him a coin, "Take the bus!"
"You're sending me?"
"Yeah, what's wrong?"
"Never mind. That's fine."
"Okay, then you can take the bus back by yourself. Remember to get off at Xingxi Road. Call me when you get home."
"oh."
Jiang Wen stopped talking.
The bus arrived and the door opened. Just as he was about to get on, someone else jumped on next to him.
Jiang Wen glanced at Feng Ning and asked, "What are you doing here?"
"Aren't you unhappy? I'll go home with you."
He subconsciously denied: "I didn't..."
The bus driver urged them, "Move back, don't stand at the door blocking the road."
"Don't pretend. Do you think I can't see it?" Feng Ning put the coin in and said, "Let's go."
This bus No. 452 is open 24 hours a day and covers almost two-thirds of the route in South City. After they boarded the bus, they chose a double seat in the middle, with Feng Ning sitting by the window and Jiang Wen sitting outside.
On the way, Feng Ning called Qi Lan and happily reported what she had done and learned today. After hanging up the phone, she sighed and was a little dazed.
After taking off her playful mask, she looked a little dazed and tired.
Jiang Wen glanced at her and said, "Are you okay?"
"It's okay." Feng Ning smiled again, "I finished tutoring your sister earlier. If you're in a hurry, take the subway. If you're not in a hurry, take this bus. The scenery along this road is really beautiful."
The two stopped talking. The carriage was shaking slightly, a mess of advertisements were playing on the small TV, the scenery outside the window was changing, and the shadowy neon lights on the street slid past. Feng Ning's eyelids were fighting, but in the end he couldn't resist the sleepiness and closed his eyes.
In the dim light, Jiang Wen lazily tilted his head to look over. Feng Ning had fallen asleep, her eyelashes trembling with her shallow breathing, and her face flickered.
He raised his hand slightly, held it at a distance, stopped, and traced her outline with his fingertips.
The car shook slightly, and Feng Ning's eyelashes trembled between half asleep and half awake, and Jiang Wen withdrew his hand.
The lights dimmed, and the night bus stopped. Some people got on, while others got off quietly.
The night silently concealed the tiredness of the city. He took out the earphones from his pocket, put one on himself, and gently put the other end into Feng Ning's ear.
She didn't wake up.
Jiang Wen slid his finger and opened the playlist on his phone.
The author has something to say: Sorry, sorry, I felt a little uncomfortable yesterday, so I will update twice today to make up for it~
There are probably only a few chapters left before the campus chapter ends orz
Also, thanks to the fairies who voted for Overlord and gave him nutrient solution, so you don’t have to spend any money~!