Zheng Yi was helpless.
Zeng Haojia forgave Wei Lai, thinking it was a prank among classmates; Hu Xiaodie was indeed bullied by Wei Lai and others at school, but Hu Xiaodie's suicide has no direct and inevitable connection with Wei Lai legally.
As for Wei Lai and others for beating Ling. Humiliating Hu Xiaodie, the physical injuries to him were assessed by a forensic doctor and far below the standard of injury. According to the regulations, he should be detained for a few days, but since the perpetrator was underage, his family was brought back for discipline.
Although Wei Lai dropped out of school, it was meaningless to Chen Nian.
When they are not at school, Wei Lai and the others have become a group of unlocked wolf dogs, lurking on the way home from school, when you take it lightly, they will come out to attack you and bite you.
Wolves and lambs in the upper and lower levels of the food chain, there is no war, only hunting and being devoured.
Zheng Yi picks up Chen Nian every day.
He was very nice to her, brought her breakfast and dinner, and sometimes took her out to restaurants, saying that she was too thin and needed supplements.
Due to the nature of his work, his time is not fixed, so Chen Nian is used to sitting on the steps of the door, or under the lights of the school concierge, carrying words on his back, waiting for him to appear.
The golden sun of the morning shone on her head, and the back of her neck was warm. Chen Nian saw his own shadow in front of him, with a circle of fine fluffy hair on his head.
Look at your watch again, I'm going to be late today. She was distracted, silently reciting the words.
Footsteps came from outside the yard, not Zheng Yi.
The rose petals fell rustling on the courtyard wall, Chen Nian held his breath, stood up slowly against the wall, and moved his right foot up the steps sideways, ready to escape back to the house at any time.
The young man's profile glanced inadvertently or habitually, his eyes passed through the iron fence covered with ivy, and stuck for a second.
The two looked at each other with big eyes to small eyes, and their expressions were blank and funny.
Long time no see, Kitano's hair grew a little longer, and the bandage on his arm was removed.
He spoke first: "What are you doing here?"
Chen Nian retracted his right foot, stood up, and argued in a low voice, "This... my home."
Kitano seemed to be blocked by her, and only after a second said: "I said what are you doing here if you don't go to school?"
Chen Nian did not answer.
"What about you?" He put his hand in his trouser pocket and kicked the courtyard door with his foot, as if he was about to walk in.
Chen Nian said, "I don't want you to... worry about it."
The courtyard door squeaked and swayed open, he stopped in place, and when the wind blew, the rose petals on the courtyard wall fell on his shoulders.
Chen Nian lowered his eyelids, put the word book into his schoolbag, walked down the steps, and went to school by his side, wondering if he had grown taller than last time.
Kitano turned his head to look at her, and when she had walked some distance, he pulled his heels.
Chen Nian quickened his pace, Zheng Yi's figure appeared at the corner, and she ran over immediately.
Kitano stopped, squinting and observing from a distance. Oh, no wonder.
"Brother North—"
"Little North—"
His friend came over, Lai Zi and the yellow-haired Dakang. Dakang hooked his shoulder to talk to him, but he didn't answer, Dakang was surprised, he followed his gaze and looked at it for a while,
"Eh? This is not the last time..." He thought of something and pushed Kitano, "You know her?"
Kitano was slightly swayed by him, turned around, and saw the small pink and white petals on his shoulders.
"Hey, how did you meet?" Dakang gossips and hooks his shoulders.
"I owe her money," Kitano said.
"how much?"
"There are more." Kitano frowned and tilted his neck, opening his hand.
Seeing that Lai Zi was still looking at the direction where the girl ran away, he frowned and reprimanded: "What are you looking at?"
Lai Zi turned his head, and the yellow-haired Dakang winked at him and motioned for him to keep quiet. But he only thought that Kitano was in a bad mood and didn't think about other things.
After all, Kitano was the coldest in their group towards girls. Perhaps because of his mother, he hated girls. Many beautiful girls chased him but were forced to shy away by his disgusting eyes.
Chen Nian ran to Zheng Yi and looked up at him.
There is a tacit understanding these days. She didn't need to speak. He looked into her eyes and understood what she meant: "I said hello to your teacher, it's okay to be late."
Chen Nian nodded and walked forward quickly. When turning a corner, looking back pretending to be unintentional, the alley is empty, and the boy is no longer there.
Zheng Yi handed her the breakfast he bought. Today is a waffle.
Chen Nian took it and opened it, eating while walking, otherwise it would get cold when the self-study was over in the morning.
Zheng Yi is only six or seven years older than Chen Nian. The high school students who are about to graduate and the college students who have just graduated have a lot to talk about. But Chen Nian spoke very little, never took the initiative to speak, and often answered only one or two words.
Zheng Yi guessed that she was reluctant to communicate with people because of her stuttering, so she did not embarrass her.
At the side of the road, he gently pulled her arm, reminding her to pay attention to the red light.
"Chen Nian."
"Um?"
"What subject do you want to apply for in university?"
She swallowed the soft biscuits in her mouth, "Mathematics, or things...physics."
He was slightly surprised, looked down at her sideways, and smiled: "Why?"
Chen Nian lowered his head: "Basic... basic subjects, scholarships... more; good ones... go abroad," added a consoling "... further study" every half a second.
The smile on Zheng Yi's face solidified, her face was calm, and she slowly began to bite the waffle again. She has always been like this, like an emotionless rag doll.
The green light is on.
He silently held her slender arm, watched the passing vehicles, and helped her cross the road. He kept walking on the curb, he forgot to let go.
Chen Nian broke free. Zheng Yi was stunned for a while, and suddenly realized that he regarded her as a child, but in her eyes, he was a man and a young man.
He unconsciously looked at Chen Nian, she was wearing a simple school uniform skirt. Although thin, the girl's body contour is fresh and gentle, with the freshness unique to this age.
He looked back.
After walking for a while, Zheng Yi asked, "Do you blame me?"
Chen Nian was silent for a moment, then shook his head.
"Disappointed?"
She stopped moving, biting the cookie in a sullen voice.
The branches were in full bloom, and they walked under the shade.
"Chen Nian, I'm sorry for letting you see ugliness and filth at this age. I'm sorry for letting you discover so early that justice does not always exist. There are many bad things that we are powerless to change. However, I still hope , don't be disappointed by society, don't be disappointed by human beings."
Chen Nian was eating waffles, not answering, and kept walking.
"Benefiting others and self-interest are often contradictory." Zheng Yi said, "But if you don't do the right thing, you will feel that there is no hope in this society. When I was growing up, people always said that people will be slow in the environment. Lose yourself slowly, and when you grow up, you won't think so. I was not convinced, so I swore secretly at that time, I won't, don't give in, and don't be changed."
"Chen Nian, don't be influenced by them, don't be changed by them."
Chen Nian still didn't say anything. When the waffles were finished, she threw the plastic bag in the trash.
Zheng Yi felt unhappy, he smiled lightly, and rubbed her head like a big brother. She raised her head, her eyes slightly blank.
Seeing the school gate, Zheng Yi asked, "Is there anything else I don't like?"
Chen Nian shook his head.
"Go."
During class time, the campus is empty and quiet. Chen Nian looked back, Zheng Yi was still standing at the door, beckoned to her, and turned away.
Last time, she told him she was being bullied at school, and he went out to talk to the girls. I don't know if they were really convinced, but they stopped harassing Chen Nian. She was able to study quietly.
After passing through the bulletin board, it was written that there were 45 days left before the college entrance examination.
After the exam, she has time; instead of going to school, she goes to learn taekwondo. Once she fills out the volunteers, she leaves Xicheng to go to her mother. However, she saw a cup in the boutique, bought it for Zheng Yi before leaving, and asked him to drink more water.
After school that day, Chen Nian went to the boutique again to see a new model, with better quality and more expensive. Chen Nian thought for a while, Zheng Yi's care for her is not something that can be repaid with a cup. But all she can give is one cup, no matter how expensive it is.
Walking out of the boutique, he unexpectedly found that Zheng Yi was already waiting for her on the stairs at the gate of the school. Chen Nian hurriedly ran away. He turned his back to her and watched the students pouring out of the campus. Chen Nian hesitated for a moment and poked his back.
He looked back at her and smiled instantly.
Chen Nian frowned slightly, his eyes filled with doubts; he understood and explained, "Get off work normally today."
The two walked back.
Zheng Yi asked, "It's rare to have time, what would you like to eat at night?"
Chen Nian didn't want him to spend money, and said, "There are... noodles at home." She thought about it and added, "I... let's... eat, noodles."
She is inviting and rewarding in her own way.
Zheng Yi was stunned for a while, rubbed his head, and after a while, smiled a little embarrassedly, and said, "It's okay too."
Arriving near home, Chen Nianxin wanted to buy some food, not just noodles, it didn't look like it. Zheng Yi's cell phone rang, and after listening for a while, he frowned and said, "I'll be right here."
There was a very bad case, and he had to go immediately. Chen Nian said: "You are busy, I will have a holiday tomorrow and tomorrow."
When Zheng Yi left, Chen Nian didn't plan to buy groceries.
There were still two blocks away from home, and Chen Nian suddenly saw Wei Lai. Zheng Yi was escorting her these days, but her vigilance never relaxed. The moment she saw Wei Lai, Chen Nian turned her head and ran away.
The cat-and-mouse game unfolds in Qingshi Lane.
Bicycles, pedestrians, vehicles, roadside stalls, chickens and dogs. No one knew what the girl in front was hiding, nor did they ponder what the group of female students who were chasing behind her wanted to do.
They blew like the wind, leaving no trace.
Chen Nian ran out of Qingshi Lane, rushed across the main road, and was almost hit by a speeding vehicle. The driver slammed on the brakes and rolled down the window, yelling, "You are courting death!"
Chen Nian turned around, Wei Lai and the others chased the road, but they didn't give up on her.
She got up and ran away in a hurry, ran into an old community, and finally found that the back door was locked!
She stared in astonishment, gasping for breath. Sweat poured down like rain, she rushed up and slammed the iron door, unable to open it.
Mosquitoes fly in the garbage. The voices of Wei Lai and the others came from behind the building, Chen Nian didn't even think about it, he instinctively got into the trash can.
The stench was overwhelming, she covered her mouth and nose, sweat soaked through the hot summer.
I just ran away and forgot to be afraid. Well now, the bill has to be paid, and fear burrows into her pores like a worm, gnawing at her body.
"Fuck, what about that bitch?!"
"Did you run behind that building?"
"Bitch! Damn, don't let me find her!"
A few mice came out of the rubbish heap and squeaked, their eyes that were as black as beans stared at her and ran to her feet. Chen Nian widened his eyes in horror, covered his mouth with his hands, and said nothing.
Sweat dripped from her frowning brows like rain, fascinated by her eyes.
Sweaty legs stuck together, mosquitoes and flies biting on them sucking blood.
She thought of Hu Xiaodie. She was as indifferent to what happened to her as everyone else, and now, she has the same fate. No one can see her, no one will do anything for her.
After an unknown time, there was no sound, and Chen Nian climbed out of the trash can. She was wet, as if she had just been fished out of the water.
She walked in the alley like a walking dead. She didn't dare to go home or take the familiar road again.
The familiar smell of bread made her come back to her senses. She looked up and saw the pitted low courtyard wall, the rusted fire stairs, and the window that the boy had turned over in the west. The setting sun slanted above, half bright and half abyss.
The smell of bread made her hungry.
She struggled to climb up the courtyard wall, onto the cement board only two pairs of shoes wide, and pulled the window and locked it.
Exhausted, she sat on the narrow concrete slab, and with a slight tilt of her body, she could fall. But what's the use of that, if you can break a leg, you can't die.
The evening wind dries her sweat and turns it into white salt. The setting sun shines on her dirty face, she thinks of Zheng Yi and says, I hope:
Don't be disappointed in society, don't be disappointed in human beings.
She opened her mouth blankly, and after a long time, she made a syllable: "You..."
The sun went down, the sky was getting dark, and the light bulbs in the shop came on one by one, click, click. The fragrance of bread wafted over and over again, but Kitano's lights never came on.
Chen Nian is like a lonely ghost hanging outside the window.
She whispered syllables and practiced the sentence: "You..."
There are many mosquitoes in the summer night, biting her cheeks, necks, hands and feet, she is still practicing that sentence: "You..."
It was late at night, and there was lightning and thunder; finally, she heard the rolling shutters slam open, and soon the lights were dim.
She looked up and stared at the window.
There are various noises in the house, pulling chairs, turning on fans, kicking toilet doors, peeing, flushing toilets…
As if a century had passed, the figure of the young man, Liao Qiao, appeared on the curtains, the curtains opened, and the golden light shone through the sky.
Kitano glared at her, opened his mouth, and said nothing.
Chen Nian didn't stutter, didn't pause, and said to him, "You protect me."