Chapter 114: It’s White Album Season Again
“That’s what I said, but it’s impossible for me to be as foolish as Li Nai…”
Freedom doesn’t mean acting without restraint. My personality prevents me from doing things without thinking.
However, perhaps I can be more optimistic and open-minded in how I face things… I hope so.
At that moment, the waiter brought the ordered food. I snapped back to reality and scratched the back of my head as I said,
“Sorry, I asked you a strange question.”
Only then did I realize with distress that Li Nai must have been startled.
Was I an idiot just now? Even in a panic, I shouldn’t have asked a question like that aloud.
To her, we had only just met, yet I asked such a strange question. Anyone would think this person had a problem with their head.
Instead, it was amazing that she could give an answer so quickly, and not just a dismissive one.
“It’s okay. While it was a bit strange… it did make me think.”
It was so serious and thought-provoking, and once again, I couldn’t help but exclaim.
Was Li Nai actually such an amazing girl?
All this time, I had thought of her as just an idiot, a mischievous troublemaker, a prankster. It was truly…
She’s really grown into a beautiful young woman… (covering my mouth, wanting to cry)
“Um?”
“Seeing you… ah, I mean, you’re just too amazing.”
The atmosphere became awkward again. This time, even the seemingly composed Li Nai didn’t know how to respond.
Really, what was I talking about…
It’s about time I accepted this contrast. I can’t keep dwelling on this topic.
“Right, why are you working here as a teacher?”
“I’m just making use of my spare time. I don’t have much to do on weekends, so I came to work as a tutor. I can gain some experience.”
“I see… So, you’re currently in college? Shaan Shui University?”
“Yes, the campus is in District Six. It’s a bit far, but it doesn’t take too long by subway.”
“Juncheng, you’re attending this tutoring class, so you’re in your third year of high school? That’s surprising. I thought you were around my age, or perhaps older.”
“Well, due to some circumstances, I ended up repeating a year.”
“Ah, I see… Don’t be discouraged. Please continue to study hard. If there’s anything you don’t understand, feel free to ask me, and I’ll help you right away.”
It seems she misunderstood me as a repeat student. Well, that’s fine. I don’t need to explain anything further.
Letting her believe I’m a repeat student is fine. Being able to be friends again is already fortunate enough.
“Then, shall we exchange contact information?”
“Yes.”
Looking at the familiar number added to my contacts, I felt overwhelmed with emotion.
After finishing lunch, we returned to the classroom to continue with the lesson.
Li Nai’s teaching skills were brilliant, making it easy for even a poor student like me to understand some concepts. Thanks to her, I made significant progress in…
But I still couldn’t relax. Some of my free time was spent creating a nutritional menu for Xuan’er, so she could absorb as much sustenance and energy as possible during her limited eating opportunities. The rest was for studying.
Diligence can make up for lack of talent. Since I’m not smart enough, I can only spend more time studying.
Fortunately, I have a good teacher like Li Nai, and my progress has been quite substantial.
At school, I had lunch with Ke Ling and my new friend Yun Qingqiong. The two lively girls were constantly bickering, giving me a sense of déjà vu of Lianbing and Lanhua.
Recently, Xuan’er has been able to eat more. The interval between meals has decreased from once every three days to once every two days, which is a considerable improvement.
Time passed by in this ordinary way.
In the blink of an eye, it was late December. Christmas is the day after tomorrow.
White mist billowed out with each deep breath. Fine white snow fell from the gray sky.
It wasn’t unusual for it to snow in this city’s winter. In fact, there had been a heavy snowfall a few days ago, and now the roads were covered in a layer of white carpet.
It’s White Album season again…
It’s been two months since I came to this world.
My life is very regular, and my daily routine is plain.
But this also means there’s no clue about returning home, and of course, no sign of Zi’ai.
It would be impossible not to feel disappointed.
But by now, I’ve realized that being abandoned in this world, I have no way to change my current situation. I can only adapt, adapt to life in this world.
The few people walking out of the station and those on the nearby pedestrian street all looked accustomed to it, proceeding at their own pace.
Among them, only I was wandering aimlessly like a headless fly.
The tutoring class was canceled today, and I found myself with free time, not knowing where to go.
I zipped up my jacket all the way, hunched my neck, slipped my hands into my pockets, and started walking along the pedestrian street.
The shops around were already decorated for Christmas, and even the fruit stands were selling pre-packaged apples, adding…
a festive atmosphere.
oF Little Playing
Christmas… Every year, Christmas was spent at home. On that day, Dad and Mom would both come home early, and then our family would gather for a meal.
This year’s Christmas should have been very lively…
The setting sun gradually sank, casting long shadows on the stone-paved road. Before I knew it, the crowd around me thinned, and there were very few pedestrians on the street.
I looked up and saw the subway station ahead. It seemed I was nearing the end of this pedestrian street. There was a supermarket ahead. I’d buy some ingredients for dinner there and then go home to cook.
Just then, I heard a shout from behind.
“Person up ahead!”
…Huh?”
“Get out of the way! Get out of the way!”
Huh? This development felt somewhat familiar?
Right, Li Nai used to crash into me like this… I dodged then, but she still ran into me. It was completely deliberate.
Not understanding the situation at all, lost in my memories, I hesitated and didn’t move. I ended up colliding head-on with that person.
The result was that I crashed into the other person and rolled several times in the snow. The back of my head hit the ground, making me feel like I’d chugged a bottle of vodka.
I rubbed my throbbing back of my head, thinking I was hopeless. In that situation, I could still get lost in my memories. Was I insane?
“Rea… Didn’t I tell you to get out of the way!”
“Sorry, sorry. I was a bit distracted and couldn’t dodge in time…”
I brushed the snow and dirt off myself. The girl still sitting on me took off her mask and rubbed her nose, which had turned red. I wasn’t sure if it was from the impact or the cold weather.
Suddenly, a strange feeling rippled through my mind. As my swaying vision returned to normal, I looked at the familiar face and reached out as if in a daze to wipe the snow from her face, calling out her name.
Lanhua let out a startled cry and widened her eyes, looking at me. I looked at her too, and we stared at each other.
I used to think she restricted my freedom, invaded my privacy, and gave me no peace.
But later, with her efforts, I gradually understood that she just wanted to get closer to me.
“Uh, how do you— Ah! My hat! And my glasses!”
“When we collided just now, after rolling so many times, they must have fallen off. Here, look, over there.”
I leaned over and pointed behind her. The hat was there, but the sunglasses were completely shattered.
Huh? Why wear sunglasses in winter? To avoid the glare from the snow?
But it wasn’t that bright snow, so snow blindness wouldn’t be an issue. Were sunglasses necessary?
“Ah! I found it!”
“…Oh no–”
Lanhua was about to pick up her hat when she saw the person who appeared and immediately ran in the opposite direction.
Huh? What’s going on? Is she being chased by someone?
Should I help her?
“Young man in front, help me stop her!”
“Listen… TESMi!”
Who should I help? Well, I’ll stop Lanhua first.
It was partly out of selfishness. Having finally seen her, I didn’t want her to disappear before my eyes…
So I voiced it.
“(Lanhua, don’t go.)”
I even unconsciously used my spiritual power.
The effect was significant. Lanhua froze in place like a wooden doll, stiffly turned around, and walked back to me with a look of surprise on her face, watching me with an incredulous gaze.
At the same moment, the man chasing her ran up to me, half-knelt, supporting himself on his knees and panting heavily.
“…Finally found you!”
“Honestly, running away like that, what’s the drama? Come back with me now!”
“….”
The man in the suit grabbed my hands and shook them, saying,
“This young man, thank you so much. My girl is just too willful… Sigh, I don’t know what to say… This money.”
The man directly took out a wallet from his pocket, pulled out two cards, and handed the wallet to me.
I glanced through it briefly. There was still some cash inside… This is quite generous, giving me money just for stopping one person. The other party seems to be wealthy.
“Alright, stop being willful and come back with me.”
The man in the suit grabbed Lanhua’s wrist and turned to leave. Although Lanhua looked very reluctant, she followed him.
I had initially thought about stepping in to help if Lanhua was in trouble and being chased by a bad guy, but it didn’t seem like that.
SF Light Novel
She seemed very familiar with this man in the suit… Could they be a couple? That’s the only possibility. I never heard her mention having a brother…
Perhaps it was just a lovers’ quarrel, and Lanhua ran off in anger, which is the most reasonable guess.
That man in the suit also looked like a young master from a wealthy family…
“…..”
Yes…
People’s feelings can change with time. No matter how unforgettable or earth-shattering the love, it will be worn away by time.
The vows a young man makes out of his own conviction will eventually expire.
And a devoted girl will fall in love with someone else.
“…In this world, nothing ever happened between us.”
I shook my head and continued walking. Suddenly, I remembered something, turned around, picked up the hat that had fallen in the snow, and after a moment’s thought, put it in my backpack.
I don’t know if I’ll have a chance to return it to her.
I might never see her again.
The sense of loss in my heart grew stronger. I didn’t understand why my mood had become so low…
My chest felt like it had been dug out with a shovel… Did I hit somewhere when I fell?
As a result, I forgot to buy dinner ingredients and was nagged by Nana for a long time.
My mood got even worse.
“My dear little ancestor, what do you want to do! Do you know how many schedules you’ve disrupted, how much trouble you’ve caused, and how much extra work you’ve created by sneaking out on your own!”
“Hmph, I don’t care. Since you’re my manager, you should be able to handle unexpected situations.”
“Please don’t create unexpected situations yourself to cause me trouble!”
“I don’t care if you die.”
“Uh… The popular singer Lanhua is actually this willful… Your fans would be very disappointed if they knew.”
“Let them be disappointed! I don’t want to be a singer anymore!”
“Here, here, here… Sigh, it’s a good thing that passerby who helped me stop you today, otherwise my job would probably be gone… Thank heavens.”
“…Call me Lan… not Lanhua…… Must…..”
“What?”
“Nothing. Hurry up and drive!”
“Yes, yes…”
