**29**

“What’s going on between you and that woman?” Su Miaomiao asked as she stirred the milk tea in her hand.

Her tone was somewhat stiff, and when she said “that woman,” she no longer showed her disdain, but her voice was still far from friendly.

“Nothing much,” Chi Sheng said casually.

They were in a milk tea shop, along with several other classmates, gathered together to discuss the plan to go to the beach in a few days.

“What else do we need to bring?” Zhang Lie held a piece of paper, on which some words were written.

“Medicine! Medicine for heatstroke, is it written down?” a boy said.

Zhang Lie shouted “Right,” and added medicine to the list. These were the items needed for the beach trip, and they were going to shop for them together later.

Su Miaomiao leaned over and looked through the list of items on the paper, feeling there was nothing more to add. She returned to Chi Sheng’s side, sipping through a straw, and said somewhat indistinctly, “You’ve been acting strange lately, really odd.”

Chi Sheng was staring absentmindedly at the pedestrians outside the glass door and casually replied, “Really?”

“Yes.” Su Miaomiao nodded firmly, “You didn’t daydream like this before, nor did you sit alone without speaking. Ever since… ever since…”

Since Su Miaomiao had been at it for a while without coming to any conclusion, she suddenly changed the subject and said, “It definitely has something to do with that woman. What’s wrong with you? Why did you leave with her that day?”

Chi Sheng didn’t answer but instead asked, “Did you tell your mom about this?”

“Do you mean you know that woman? No way! You know full well that if my mom finds out, it’s like your grandma knows, and it’s like the neighbors in several buildings all know. They’ll definitely nag and scold you every time they see you—it’s so annoying!”

Su Miaomiao rolled her eyes as she spoke. The younger ones didn’t like the gossipy atmosphere in the neighborhood and often gathered to complain together.

Chi Sheng smiled: “Mm.” She glanced at Su Miaomiao and added, “Thank you.”

Thank you for what?” Su Miaomiao looked puzzled and muttered discontentedly, “You’re acting weird. That woman…

She wanted to ask more, but Zhang Lie and the others finally finished the shopping list and came over, asking, “What are you two whispering about over there?”

Su Miaomiao instinctively felt that the matter between Chi Sheng and that woman shouldn’t be discussed in front of others, so she frowned and glared at Zhang Lie, who was interrupting: “Why are you making such a fuss?”

Zhang Lie looked baffled: “Who’s making a fuss?”

He retorted, but Su Miaomiao slapped his shoulder. Now Zhang Lie was fired up, grinning as he raised his hand to pat the top of Su Miaomiao’s head. Su Miaomiao was so annoyed she wanted to hit his head back, but Zhang Lie was half a head taller than her, so with a slight dodge, she couldn’t reach him. Su Miaomiao chased after him, trying to hit him.

Other classmates quickly joined in; the girls helped Su Miaomiao, while the boys cheered from the side. The small milk tea shop was thrown into chaos by the commotion of a few people.

Chi Shenghan smiled as she watched them bicker, finding it particularly amusing, but gradually, her smile faded.

She felt as if there was a barrier between herself and the group of friends she was playing with—not because they were bad, but because she had placed herself inside a transparent wall, separated from everything outside.

For the time being, she couldn’t laugh freely and carelessly like they did, like her old self.

She decided to step away from the group for a while; her current state wasn’t suitable for playing.

She told them she wasn’t going to the beach, then left the milk tea shop with the friends who exchanged glances.

She rode her bike home, naturally recalling the day Ruan Yinmeng sat behind her. She touched the back of her neck, her palm pressed against her back. The skin that had been touched felt as if it had been burned by fire, and Chi Sheng’s attention was entirely focused there.

Even though they had done everything intimate before, that day, just the touch of a palm against a back through clothing made Chi Sheng feel even closer, as if they had touched souls.

She was certain that when Ruan Yinmeng couldn’t help but touch her, there must have been a moment of heartbeat.

Chi Sheng rode the horse at a breakneck speed.

Halfway there, the sky suddenly became overcast with dense clouds.

The rain fell suddenly and fiercely; Chi Sheng hadn’t even reacted before he was drenched.

Lightning streaked across the sky, and thunder rumbled loudly.

The rain was so heavy it seemed like it wanted to wash the entire world into the sea.

Chi Sheng wiped his face, looked around for a place to avoid the rain but found none, and since he was already soaked, he simply quickened his pace and headed straight home.

Even in summer, wearing clothes soaked through was still very cold.

She parked the car in the stairwell and hurried upstairs, rainwater dripping from her body onto the floor as she walked.

At the door of her home, she reached into her pocket for the keys, but felt nothing.

Chi Sheng’s expression blanked for a moment, then he searched again, still nothing. He knocked on the door, holding onto a faint hope that his grandmother was home, but hope was just hope—no one came to open the door.

She took out her phone, intending to call her grandmother, when a sudden clap of thunder sounded outside.

Chi Sheng sneezed, glanced at the pouring rain, and then put her phone away again.

If she told her grandmother that she couldn’t get into the house, her grandmother would definitely come back in the rain. It wouldn’t be a big deal if she got wet, but her grandmother was so old—getting caught in the rain would surely make her sick.

Chi Sheng sat down on the stairs at the entrance of the house.

Wait for the rain to stop before calling grandma.

The soaked clothes clung to her body, cold and uncomfortable. She also noticed the clothes were somewhat see-through, which was embarrassing.

She bent down slightly, resting her arms on her knees, crossing them in front of her to shield herself, silently praying that no one would come.

However, things did not go as she wished; footsteps came from downstairs.

Chi Sheng pressed her lips tightly.

At this age, she was sensitive about this kind of thing, afraid of being seen, yet also afraid that unnaturalness would spark others’ imaginations.

She stood up, facing the wall, seemingly naturally lowering her head as if lost in thought.

But after a moment, she realized something was wrong—she was very familiar with those footsteps.

She couldn’t help but turn her head and saw Ruan Yinmeng holding an umbrella.

Today she was dressed all in black, wide-legged pants, with an extremely slim waist. The umbrella in her hand was still dripping water, and the pant legs were wet in patches.

Chi Sheng hadn’t seen her during the day for a long time.

The daytime Ruan Yinmeng was very different from the one in the misty night; her features were clearer, like someone who had lived in darkness suddenly stepping into the sunlight, possessing a unique, captivating beauty.

Chi Sheng’s gaze was fixed on Ruan Yinmeng, who walked past her without looking away, no different from how she was at night.

Raindrops trickled down her temples. Chisheng leaned against the wall, watching Ruan Yinmeng’s figure disappear around the stairwell corner.

She still didn’t look back, listening to her footsteps, then the sound of the door opening, followed by the door opening.

Just like many nights before today.

But this time, she didn’t hear the door close for a long time.

Chi Sheng looked up in confusion, gazing at the gap in the stairwell, wondering what was going on, when Ruan Yinmeng’s voice sounded from upstairs.

“Come up.”

Chi Sheng was momentarily stunned, then a smile instantly blossomed on her face. She didn’t think twice and quickly ran up the stairs in three quick steps.

She only slowed down when she reached the door, first cautiously peeking inside before stepping in and closing the door behind her.

Ruan Yinmeng came out of the bedroom, holding a set of clothes in her hand. Chi Sheng saw that they were hers; she had left them here after taking a shower earlier.

She suddenly blushed, subconsciously crossing her arms over her chest in a protective gesture.

Ruan Yinmeng had been expressionless, but seeing her like this, a trace of a smile appeared in her eyes, though it vanished quickly, not letting Chi Sheng notice.

Chi Sheng stood there awkwardly. Clearly, Ruan Yinmeng had seen every part of her body, yet she still felt very reserved.

“Go take a shower.” Ruan Yinmeng stuffed the clothes into her arms.

Chi Sheng took them, quickly moving them aside, afraid they would get wet from the water on her body.

She glanced at her, then fled into the bathroom as if escaping.

The hot water poured down, driving away the chill on her body and making her feel much better. When she dried her hair and changed into dry clothes, she couldn’t help but bury her head in the clothes and take a deep breath, smelling them.

The full scent of sun and laundry detergent mixed together.

Ruan Yinmeng’s home didn’t have a washing machine; the clothes she left here were washed by Ruan Yinmeng herself.

When she came out, there was no one in the living room.

Chi Sheng walked to the bedroom, where Ruan Yinmeng was lying on her side, flipping through a book.

“You can leave now,” she said bluntly.

Chi Sheng licked his lips, pretending not to hear. Seeing the large bookshelf by the wall, he dawdled over and seemed to be looking at it very seriously.

During her previous visits, she had also seen this bookshelf filled to the brim with books, but she hadn’t paid much attention.

This time, she realized that the books displayed were very diverse, including novels from ancient to modern times and from both domestic and foreign authors, as well as collections of essays, poetry, history books, art books, photography collections, and she even spotted a book titled “Computer Basics to Mastery.”

A wide variety, as if someone had brought back a few books from every category in the bookstore.

However, the majority were still literature books.

Chi Sheng turned back and asked, “Did you buy all of these?”

She recalled that Ruan Yinmeng did often read books.

“Mm.” Ruan Yinmeng replied without even lifting her head.

But Chi Sheng clearly felt that when it came to books, Ruan Yinmeng’s attitude softened quite a bit.

So she looked around again, and seeing a collection of Shakespeare’s poems in front of her, she pulled it out while asking, “Can you understand all of these?”

Ruan Yinmeng closed the book in her hands, sat up, and leaned against **: “No, I haven’t been to school.”

Chi Sheng’s hand tightened around the poetry collection; she instinctively felt she had touched a certain part of Ruan Yinmeng’s inner self and softly asked, “You never even went to elementary school?”

Ruan Yinmeng looked at her, and Chi Sheng felt an inexplicable tension but did not back down, bravely meeting her gaze.

In the end, it was Ruan Yinmeng who looked away, not answering her question.

Chi Sheng walked over, gently sat down beside her, placed the poetry book on her lap, covered it with her left hand, and softly asked, “Which part don’t you understand? I can read it to you.”

This proposal piqued Ruan Yinmeng’s interest. She glanced at the cover of the poetry collection, slightly turning her body toward Chi Sheng, her legs bent and crossed together.

This posture revealed the graceful curves of her body exquisitely; she always unconsciously exuded charm.

“I can’t understand the one you have in your hand,” she said.

Chi Sheng lowered his head and opened the poetry collection.

Only after opening it did she realize it was the original English version.

She looked at Ruan Yinmeng, who was waiting with keen interest.

Chi Sheng smiled, casually opened a page, and began to read aloud: “Thus, have I had thee as a dream doth flatter. In sleep a king, but waking no such matter.”

Ruan Yinmeng listened attentively, and when Chi Sheng stopped, she bit her lip and whispered, “It sounds really beautiful.”

Chi Sheng asked, “Can you understand it?”

Ruan Yinmeng slowly shook her head, then smiled gently, “But it sounds beautiful, like a poem.”

Chi Sheng didn’t say that it was originally a poem, but instead looked at her with a smiling gaze.

“Translate it for me,” Ruan Yinmeng said, her tone carrying a hint of pleading.

Chi Sheng silently recited the line of poetry once more, then said, “What a deep and passionate love we shared in that spring dream…”

“What a deep and passionate love we shared in that spring dream…” Ruan Yinmeng repeated after him.

Her voice was soft, wonderfully like a whisper in a dream.

“And what comes next?” she asked again.

Chi Sheng lowered her head, her fingertip gently gliding over the pages of the book. She hesitated for a moment, then shook her head and said, “Nothing more.”

Ruan Yinmeng trusted him without doubt, softly repeating that line of poetry. When she looked up, she accidentally met Chi Sheng’s gaze. Chi Sheng’s eyes were full of love. She felt a bit shy, then boldly smiled. In that instant, the line of poetry seemed to suddenly become rich and full, sweeping through Ruan Yinmeng’s heart like a raging storm—unyielding yet tender.

Many years later, whenever Chi Sheng recalled that afternoon, she always misremembered the weather.

In her memory, that day should have been bathed in sunlight, golden and bright. But in reality, a rare downpour that hadn’t been seen in decades fell, covering the sky and darkening the world.

Ning Zhi held the poetry collection on her lap, her fingertip tracing forcefully over that line of the poem.

Shen Yizhi sat up, paying close attention to her state.

Ning Zhi softly recited the line from Shakespeare once more, then translated the latter half that Chi Sheng dared not say aloud: “In a spring dream, deeply in love with you, the throne exists in the dream, but upon waking, all is empty.”

Shen Yizhi placed her hand on her shoulder, with a comforting meaning. Ning Zhi turned to look at her and asked, “Is it more important for love to be profound or to last long?”

She asked a question that humanity has long explored. Shen Yizhi couldn’t answer and could only say, “When you enter a deep relationship, you will understand.”

Ning Zhi couldn’t tell if it was because she was still caught up in the moment or because of Shen Yizhi’s indifferent words, but her chest felt unbearably tight and hard to breathe.

“I have experienced it,” she said.

Shen Yizhi’s hand on her shoulder unconsciously tightened. Ning Zhi looked at her, forced a smile, stood up, and put the prop poetry collection back on the bookshelf.

She even felt that she no longer wanted to resist. The fake play and the real reality were too different. If only Shen Yizhi could give her a deeply affectionate spring dream, even if it lasted only the length of a movie.

—–

Author’s note:

The admission notice wouldn’t be lost, Chi Sheng wouldn’t go to the streets, she would go to college and have a bright future.

Your wild imaginations scare me so much, I’ve been laughing for a long time.

The conversation with Grandma was written because after my college entrance exam, my grandmother also had similar worries. She was always afraid that the post office would lose my admission letter, and no matter how much I tried to reassure her, she wouldn’t listen. It wasn’t until the letter arrived that she felt at ease.

Later, while chatting casually with a friend, I found out that her elderly family members had the same concerns. So I thought this must be a common psychological trait among the elderly, which is why I wrote about Chisheng and Grandma.