Chapter 38: Don’t Cry

The two stood in silence in the hallway for a moment. Xu Yannuo lowered his head and asked softly, “Want to go for a walk on the field?” His voice was quiet, low, as if it came from the depths of his throat.

Chen Ci gave a quiet “Mm” in response, then followed Xu Yannuo downstairs one after the other. They exited through the main entrance of the teaching building. At this time, the front field was sparsely populated. The art students who had left school early to eat off-campus hadn’t returned yet, and those eating at school had taken the back entrance of the building to head to the cafeteria or the school store.

Xu Yannuo walked to the flower bed by the teacher’s parking lot at the side of the front playground. The flower bed was not close to the school gate, and the environment was relatively quiet. The sky had darkened, and the streetlights had not yet turned on. Only the occasional people coming in and out of the main gate could be seen from afar. Xu Yannuo sat on the concrete edge of the flower bed, and Chen Chenyi followed behind her, sitting down beside her. The weather had been good during the day, and the concrete still retained the residual warmth from the sunlight.

The two sat in silence like this, neither of them speaking first.

Until a slightly cool evening breeze blew over, and Xu Yannuo caught a glimpse of Chen Chenyi’s black short-sleeved T-shirt out of the corner of her eye. She asked, “Are you cold? Do you want your school uniform back?”

Chen Chenyi replied, “Not cold.”

After that, the two fell into silence once more. It was unclear how much time had passed, but the surrounding air seemed to freeze in stillness. Xu Yannuo sat quietly, and Chen Chenyi stayed with her in silence. He said nothing and asked nothing, completely changing from his previously curious and provoking demeanor.

In Xu Yannuo’s mind, countless thoughts raced uncontrollably, like scenes from a movie. From her fear of Xu Cheng’s violence in elementary school, the shock of seeing Cheng Yun’s bruised and battered face, to the isolation and bullying in middle school after her family’s shame was exposed, and the obvious disgust in her teachers’ cold gazes—all the way to just moments ago, when the peace she had tried so hard to maintain was torn open once again.

She looked at her fingertips and slowly spoke, “Just now, what they said was all true. I am that kind of person.” So, now that you know, you can leave, just like all the others who found out—stay away from me.

As Xu Yannuo’s words faded, Chen Chenyi suddenly stood up beside her, stirring a gust of wind. Without looking back, he walked away. His black T-shirt quickly blended into the night. He walked briskly and soon entered the teaching building, disappearing from her sight.

Another gentle breeze swept by, carrying a hint of evening coolness. Xu Yannuo smiled into the wind, but suddenly, tears began to fall.

In the end, her world remained utterly alone.

She raised her hand to wipe away the tears, hoping to stop them. Yet her vision blurred and cleared, then blurred again—suddenly, the tears seemed to burst through like a broken dam, unstoppable.

She laughed at herself. Why should she be sad? Wasn’t this normal? Hadn’t her whole life always been like this? What was she being so sentimental about now?

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. But when she opened them again, her gaze clear and focused, a pair of fair and elegant hands suddenly appeared before her. Both hands were stretched out flat in front of her—one palm held a handful of beautiful candies, while the other held a pack of cartoon tissues with an Ultraman design on the packaging.

In her ears was the sound of heavy, labored breathing from above, uneven from the intense running..

Xu Yannuo paused for a moment, then quickly raised her head. After that, she saw Chen Ciyi’s breathtakingly handsome face and his slightly parted lips due to his uneven breathing.

Under the clear moonlight, their eyes met, and Chen Ciyi saw Xu Yannuo’s tear-stained, disheveled face.

Chen Ciyi frowned, suddenly becoming anxious. “Why are you crying? Who bullied you?” I only left for such a short while!

Suddenly seeing Chen Ciyi again, still looking at her with concern, while the image of his resolute departure just moments ago remained vividly in her mind, Xu Yannuo’s heart suddenly ached with bitterness. The emotions she had just barely controlled now collapsed once more, and she burst into loud sobs. Between her cries, she mumbled incoherently, “Why did you come back?”

Chen Ciyi hastily shoved the candies he was holding into her hands, then tore open a tissue packet, pulling one out to hand to her. Flustered, his words came out in a jumble, “I—I saw you were upset, so—so I ran to buy some candy. Isn’t it said that eating something sweet can lift your mood?”

Chen Ciyi was at a complete loss, unsure even where to direct his gaze. “No, please don’t cry,” he pleaded.

He immediately pulled out another tissue. The familiar brand of wet wipes at the convenience store was sold out, leaving only some unknown brands. Worried that Xu Yannuo might irritate her face, he bought the “Breeze Ultraman” co-branded tissues instead.

Originally meant to wipe dust off her face, now they’ve somehow turned into tear wipers. Though, the dust might actually come off easier mixed with her damp tears.

Ah, no—he’d completely overwhelmed her with his actions.

Since when had his “Brother Nuo” become so fragile? Even after being bullied like that earlier, she hadn’t shed a single tear.

陳辭一舉著紙巾，見她手裡拿著剛才的紙巾遲遲不動手，這會不知道到底是該幫她擦還是再遞給她。

還有個更要命的事，就是他長這麼大還從沒安慰過人，也不知道該怎麼安慰才能讓她不哭了。

陳辭一嘆了口氣，又坐到了許言諾的旁邊，目光看著許言諾，雙手環在胸前，一副縱容的表情，哭吧，哭吧，陪你哭到地老天荒，哭到啥時候保安來攆啥時候算！

好在許言諾並沒有哭的太久，她哭聲漸漸的小了，之後，她胡亂了擦了下臉，用力的擤了擤鼻涕，情緒算是緩過來了。

She looked at Chen Ciyi and suddenly smiled. Then, she explained to him, “The part about stealing was fake.” She had picked up something to return it, but some people loved stirring up trouble. On top of that, her classmates all ganged up on her, insisting she had stolen it and was caught, then changed their story to say she had just picked it up.

Chen Ciyi laughed, “Of course it’s fake, my deskmate…” Chen Ciyi mimicked Xu Yannuo’s fierce expression, “Why steal? If he doesn’t like someone, he’d just rob the rich to help the poor. You, empty your pockets and donate!”

Xu Yannuo looked at him and burst out laughing, “Chen Ciyi, are you out of your mind?”

After saying that, both of them laughed.

Amid the laughter, Xu Yannuo suddenly said, “Thank you!”

Chen Ciyi asked, “For what?”

Xu Yannuo didn’t repeat herself but changed the subject when she suddenly spotted the Ultraman tissues in Chen Ciyi’s hand. “Why didn’t you buy Kuromi? Is it a problem with your taste, or do you have some misunderstanding about my gender?”

Looking at Xu Yannuo’s disgusted expression, Chen Ciyi raised his hand and flicked her forehead. “I like it, alright, boss? I like it.”