Seeing that Pei Chen was looking at her without speaking, Liang Zhiyi smiled and explained, “I didn’t take a nap this afternoon. I just finished my work and I’m feeling a bit sleepy.”
She stood up, slung her backpack over her shoulder, and noticed that a few of the lights in the bookstore had been turned off. “It looks like they’re closing. Shall we go?”
“…Okay,” Pei Chen responded.
Outside, the sky was pitch black, and the streetlights cast a dim, yellow glow. A recent rain had left the ground covered with fallen sycamore leaves, bringing a chill typical of late autumn.
It was already early November, and this year, the temperature in Lincheng had dropped faster than usual.
As Liang Zhiyi stepped out of the bookstore, she bounced a little to stretch her body, cheerfully saying, “I’ve studied all evening, feeling great, really great…”
A tiny leaf silently drifted onto her head. The girl turned to Pei Chen, a smile curving on her lips. “Pei Chen, let’s go.”
Under the streetlights, her eyes sparkled like tiny stars, her smile warm and bright.
Pei Chen lowered his gaze, solely focusing on her.
The usual coldness in his eyes gradually softened.
Just as Liang Zhiyi was about to turn and walk forward, she suddenly felt her wrist being gently held by Pei Chen.
Under the dim streetlights, the two stood very close. Liang Zhiyi paused, her heartbeat slightly erratic, and saw him reach up to remove a slightly yellow leaf from her head.
In a husky voice, he said, “A leaf fell on your head.”
Liang Zhiyi murmured, “Oh,” and absentmindedly touched her head. “Is there more?”
“No, that’s it.”
The girl lifted her hand to smooth her long hair. Pei Chen watched her, suppressing a myriad of emotions, and softly asked, “Are you cold?”
“Not really, I’m fine.”
She secretly imagined, what if he took off his jacket and gave it to her? It would be romantic, but she also didn’t want him to catch a cold.
Heh, how considerate of her.
Then Pei Chen asked, “Did you arrange for your family’s driver to pick you up?”
“Hmm?”
“It’s late; you shouldn’t go home alone.”
Liang Zhiyi nodded and took out her phone. “I’ll make a call, then.”
The person on the other end said they would come to pick her up and asked her to wait for fifteen minutes.
After hanging up, she looked at Pei Chen. “Are you taking the bus home?”
“Yes.”
“How about I give you a ride home? Just tell me your address, it’s no trouble at all.”
“No need, the bus is fine.”
“Then let’s head to the bus stop together.” This way, she could spend a little more time with him.
So, the two of them slowly walked towards the bus stop. On the side of the road, small puddles of water had collected on the pavement, reflecting a golden light under the streetlamps.
Pei Chen turned to look at Liang Zhiyi. The soft lines of her cheeks were gradually highlighted by the warm light.
In truth, he had played basketball and then worked late today, so he was already very tired. He was originally planning to go home alone, as he usually did.
After his parents’ divorce, he had become much more introverted. Many admired his academic success, but more people found his personality too quiet and didn’t want to befriend him.
He had long grown accustomed to solitude.
Yet, on this autumn night, the girl insisted on staying by his side, as if she had driven away all the coldness.
For a brief moment, he indulged in a fleeting wish—a wish that the walk to the bus stop could be a little longer.
Just so she could stay by his side a little longer.
When they reached the bus stop, Liang Zhiyi asked, “Pei Chen, which bus are you taking?”
“Route 21.”
Liang Zhiyi turned her head just in time to see the Route 21 bus heading their way. She pointed it out to him. “Hey, your bus is here! You should get ready to board.”
The bus soon pulled up in front of them, but Pei Chen didn’t board immediately.
“Aren’t you getting on?” she asked, puzzled.
Meeting her curious yet urging gaze, he averted his eyes and awkwardly said, “I just realized I’m thirsty. I want to buy a bottle of water first. Do you want anything?”
“Uh, just a bottle of mineral water is fine…”
After she responded, he immediately turned and walked toward the convenience store behind them.
Huh?
Did he really have to buy water right now…?
Pei Chen returned after buying the water, handing her a bottle. Liang Zhiyi sighed helplessly, “Now you’ll have to wait for the next bus.”
“It’s okay,” he replied.
After about fifteen minutes, the Liang family’s car arrived and slowly pulled up by the roadside. Liang Zhiyi looked at Pei Chen, “I’m heading home now. You should get home early too, and make sure to rest well these next few days. Remember to take care of your knee.”
Pei Chen met her gentle gaze and softly replied, “Okay.”
Liang Zhiyi got into the car, and the driver glanced at Pei Chen, who was still standing on the roadside, watching her. He didn’t say anything and simply started the car.
After the Bentley drove away, Pei Chen didn’t wait for the bus. Instead, he began walking in the direction of his home.
He hadn’t ridden his bike today because he was worried it might rain.
He knew that the bus that had just passed was the last Route 21 of the night.
But he still wanted to make sure the girl safely got into her car, so he didn’t take it.
There wasn’t a subway line that went directly to his neighborhood. He would need to take a short subway ride and then walk for another ten minutes.
As he walked, he felt a slight discomfort in his knee, weary from the day’s exertions.
Lowering his eyes, as dark as ink, he continued forward.
°°°
The next day was the weekend, and after a night of autumn rain, they were greeted with a rare sunny day.
In the morning, at the Liang family villa.
In his bedroom, Liang Tongzhou sat surrounded by a pile of review sheets, his head aching.
With just over a week left until the midterm exams, he was at a loss as to what to do with his current poor academic performance. He didn’t want to be demoted to the second team by his coach.
Frustrated, he angrily pulled out his phone and called Lan Zhi:
“The review method you taught me is useless! Memorizing for Chinese is one thing, but just memorizing math formulas doesn’t help at all. I still can’t solve the problems.”
“Of course, you have to understand math,” Lan Zhi replied. “I only taught you the basics. As for politics and history, you just need to memorize them.”
Liang Tongzhou took a deep breath, trying to calm down. “I’m studying science.”
“…”
“Sorry, I forgot you’re in the science stream like me,” Lan Zhi scratched his head. “I can’t really help you with physics and chemistry, though. Your sister is really good at studying; why don’t you ask her?”
If he asked Liang Zhiyi, who knew how she’d mock him.
Finally, Lan Zhi suddenly got an idea and said excitedly, “You could ask Pei Chen! He’s so good at studying, maybe he could tutor you.”
That’s right, his sister often praised how brilliant Pei Chen was in his studies.
After considering it for a moment, he called Pei Chen, explained the situation, and asked if he was available today to come over and tutor him.
On the other end of the line, Pei Chen was surprised and asked, “To your house?”
“It’s more convenient at home, and I can send a driver to pick you up,” Liang Tongzhou offered.
Pei Chen was silent for a few seconds before asking, “Was this your sister’s idea?”
Liang Tongzhou quickly explained that it wasn’t, adding that Liang Zhiyi had gone out to visit Ji Fei’er today and wasn’t home at all.
After much persuasion, Pei Chen finally agreed, saying there was no need to send a driver, and that he would come over by himself. Liang Tongzhou didn’t insist and instead sent him the address.
Half an hour later, Pei Chen arrived at the Yunjing Ancheng villa district.
Seeing him at the entrance, Liang Tongzhou approached, “You finally made it. I was about to lose my mind with all those papers.”
The two of them took the villa district’s shuttle bus to a villa. As they got off, Liang Tongzhou said, “This is my house.”
Pei Chen followed Liang Tongzhou inside and noticed two housekeepers in the front yard garden, who were tending to the plants. They paused their work to nod and greet him politely.
Entering the grand entrance decorated in platinum tones, Pei Chen walked into the villa. The first thing he saw was a spacious living room with a seven-meter-high ceiling. Sunlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, and the room was filled with various ceramic collectibles, exuding a sense of exquisite luxury.
This was Liang Zhiyi’s home.
This was the environment she had grown up in.
Even though Pei Chen knew the Liang family was wealthy, he was still taken aback by the opulence before him. It was the first time he had so clearly felt the vast difference between his and Liang Zhiyi’s family backgrounds.
Lowering his eyes, Pei Chen felt a mix of emotions. Liang Tongzhou led him upstairs to his room.
Once there, Liang Tongzhou handed over his study papers. Pei Chen pushed aside his thoughts and began to assess Liang Tongzhou’s academic situation, identifying his weak points. Liang Tongzhou also had a rough idea of where he was struggling.
Pei Chen patiently explained the key concepts to him, and once Liang Tongzhou understood, he found it much easier to tackle the problems.
Pei Chen remarked, “You’re just too playful and don’t pay enough attention in class. You actually grasp concepts pretty quickly.”
Liang Tongzhou grinned, “I know, I’m pretty smart.”
“But if you don’t start putting in the effort, the knowledge will continue to pile up, and it’ll become harder to keep up. Plus, revision sessions will begin soon.”
Liang Tongzhou frowned at that.
“You’re particularly weak in physics. You can’t expect to master it overnight. Start by organizing the key concepts. For the next week, you need to focus more on physics.”
Liang Tongzhou obediently agreed.