When the young girl heard Liang Tianming’s words, her mind went blank with shock:
“Why?”
Why would she suddenly have to go study in another province?!
At this moment, Zhong Xinrou also walked over upon hearing the conversation. She took her daughter’s hand, led her into the study, and sat her down on the sofa. “Come here.”
Liang Zhiyi looked at her mother, who didn’t seem surprised at all, and was astonished. “Mom, you knew about this too?”
“Zhiyi, don’t get upset. This was a decision your father and I made together after discussing it.”
“A decision made together? But why didn’t anyone ask for Tongzhou’s and my opinion? Aren’t I doing well in school right now?”
Liang Tianming took a piece of paper from a drawer, slowly walked over to her, and looked at her with a solemn expression:
“Zhiyi, if you really want to know why, I’ll tell you—it’s because of Pei Chen.”
The girl was stunned.
Pei Chen…
Zhong Xinrou sighed softly. “We heard that you’re pursuing him. We noticed it long ago, even before when you accompanied him to the hospital. We just didn’t say anything.”
Liang Zhiyi was in a daze and saw Liang Tianming handing her something. “This is your credit card statement from February. You transferred ten thousand yuan to the hospital, intending to help that boy pay for his leg surgery, right?”
At that time, Liang Zhiyi had prepared all the money, naively thinking that she could help Pei Chen with his surgery without her mother knowing. But Zhong Xinrou had been aware of her every move.
Liang Zhiyi hurriedly explained, “Dad, you’ve misunderstood. Pei Chen didn’t take the money. He’s not the person you think he is…”
“I know.”
Liang Tianming sat down on the sofa, his fingers interlocked on his lap, and spoke calmly, “I know that although this boy’s family is quite poor, he has a good character and works very hard. Your mother and I don’t look down on him. In fact, we quite like him.”
“Then why, if that’s the case, do you…”
“We think he’s a good person, but that doesn’t mean we approve of you dating him right now. You need to understand that the most important thing for you right now is your studies. Although the college entrance exam won’t decide your entire life, it’s crucial for you.”
The girl tried to explain, “Mom, Dad, I do like Pei Chen, but you can see that my grades haven’t dropped. This won’t affect my studies.”
“But who can guarantee that it won’t affect you eventually? What if, in the future, you have arguments or break up? Can you honestly say that your state of mind won’t be affected at all?”
The girl shook her head, anxiously grabbing Zhong Xinrou’s hand, her voice choking up. “Mom, Dad, I’m begging you. I can stop pursuing Pei Chen, I’ll focus on my studies, but please don’t make me go study in another province…”
She couldn’t bear not seeing him…
“Zhiyi, this isn’t just about your studies. Your feelings are still immature right now, and we don’t want to see you get hurt.”
“Mom…”
Liang Tianming’s tone grew slightly more serious: “Zhiyi, ever since you were little, whatever you wanted to do, your mom and I have always supported you. But I’ve already made my decision on this matter, and there’s no room for negotiation.”
Liang Zhiyi’s eyes reddened with anger. “You don’t respect my opinion at all. I don’t accept this!”
“Whether you accept it or not, you have to go to that school.”
Liang Tianming’s tone was firm.
Filled with frustration, Liang Zhiyi ran out of the study, slamming the door behind her.
Zhong Xinrou, worried, wanted to chase after her, but Liang Tianming stopped her. “Let her cool down. She needs time to come to terms with this.”
Zhong Xinrou sighed. “I’ll call Mom tonight and let her know we won’t be coming for New Year’s Eve dinner. You told Zhiyi about this today, and now she probably doesn’t even want to celebrate the New Year…”
Liang Tianming looked out the window, his expression calm:
“She would have had to find out sooner or later.”
Time passed slowly from the afternoon to the evening.
Outside, the white daylight gradually turned into the hues of sunset, and then it slowly merged into the darkness of night. The distant sound of fireworks and firecrackers could be faintly heard.
In her bedroom, the girl lay on her bed, staring blankly out the window, her pillow soaked with tears.
After a while, there was a knock on the door.
Liang Tongzhou pushed the door open and walked in.
The boy stood in front of her, leaning against the wall as he looked at her, and asked in a low voice, “Sis, are you okay?”
He sighed softly. “I heard what Mom and Dad said this afternoon. My grades aren’t great either, so they’re making me buckle down and study hard. Sis, will you go?”
Her eyes were unfocused:
“Do you think I have a choice?”
“Honestly, I’m not too bothered by it, except that I’ll miss my buddies. But I know for you… it’s because of Pei Chen.”
Tears welled up in the girl’s eyes.
She had just checked the map earlier. The distance between her and Pei Chen would be 681 kilometers—it wasn’t a distance where she could see him whenever she wanted.
Then Zhong Xinrou pushed the door open and came over to her. “Zhiyi, don’t cry. How about getting up and having some New Year’s Eve dinner?”
The girl’s eyes were hollow. “You go ahead and eat.”
She had no appetite at all right now.
Liang Tianming’s voice sounded at the door:
“Xinrou, take Tongzhou downstairs for dinner. I want to have a talk with Zhiyi alone.”
Zhong Xinrou had no choice but to leave the room with Liang Tongzhou.
Liang Tianming sat down on the edge of the bed, turned on the dim bedside lamp, and looked at the girl:
“Zhiyi, first, let me apologize. We made the decision for you to transfer schools without discussing it with you. It was a decision your mother and I made privately.”
Liang Tianming gently patted her head and said with a sigh, “Ever since your mother gave birth to you and Tongzhou, you two have been our treasures. No matter how busy I am each day, no matter how exhausted I am, as long as I think of you two, I find the motivation to keep going. The decisions I make are never for myself; they are always for you. Zhiyi, when I see you hurting, it pains me too.”
Liang Zhiyi felt a lump in her throat, biting her lip without saying a word.
“Zhiyi, I’m not opposed to the two of you being together, but it can’t be now. Have you considered whether your relationship might affect that boy’s studies?”
Pei Chen is different from her; he must study very hard and get into a good university to provide a better life for his father.
“If you two really care for each other, there’s no need to rush. Give each other time to grow. There’s plenty of time to date after the college entrance exams.”
The girl remained silent, staring out the window.
Tears rolled down her cheeks, soaking the pillow.
Outside, the lights of thousands of homes merged into a neon glow, and every household was filled with the joyful sounds of reunion.
After finishing their New Year’s Eve dinner, Pei Chen wheeled Pei Yongxia into the living room to watch TV while he went to the kitchen to wash the dishes.
Once everything was done, Pei Chen walked into the living room, where the Spring Festival Gala had already begun.
Pei Chen sat down on the sofa, accompanying his father to watch the show.
As a skit on the gala reached its climax, Pei Yongxia glanced at Pei Chen and noticed his expression was distant and indifferent.
Ever since Pei Chen returned home after delivering New Year’s goods today, Pei Yongxia had sensed that his son’s mood was low, and it had been like that all day.
The sound of several messages coming in on Pei Chen’s phone broke the silence. Pei Yongxia, noticing this, said, “Son, it’s boring at home. You can go out and hang out with your classmates; it’s lively outside.”
Pei Chen continued to watch the TV, his voice calm. “It’s okay, Dad. I’ll stay home and keep you company.”
Pei Yongxia wanted to say more but thought better of it, remaining silent.
The skit on the Spring Festival Gala ended, and the show moved on to songs.
Pei Chen felt his phone vibrating incessantly. After a moment, he picked it up and saw messages in the group chat from the last trip to the seaside:
[Xuan Xia]: “Happy New Year, everyone!”
[Ji Fei’er]: Happy New Year!!!
[Fan Gao]: Happy New Year! The New Year is so awesome, so much delicious food!
[Xuan Xia]: Fatty, watch your weight. I don’t want to see you gain more pounds after the New Year.
[Mian]: Happy New Year! It’s so easy to gain weight during the holidays TVT.
[Ji Fei’er]: Don’t worry, Xiao Jiu. We can eat a bit more since we’re still slim, haha.
[Xuan Xia]: Touch your belly and say that again without feeling guilty.
[Ji Fei’er]: Get lost! Don’t hit me where it hurts, okay?
Everyone joked around, chatting for a bit before noticing that three others hadn’t said anything. Xuan Xia @-mentioned the three: [Is this family of three off celebrating the New Year together?]
Fan Gao and Ji Fei’er burst out laughing: [Their “family of three”—haha…]
After a while, Liang Tongzhou joined in and directly dropped a 500-yuan red envelope into the group: [Happy New Year, everyone! I was just eating dinner.]
The others excitedly scrambled for the red envelope: [Liang Tongzhou, can you stop being such a rich kid, haha.]
[Liang Tongzhou]: Mom, return my red envelope.
[Xuan Xia]: The other two still haven’t shown up. What’s up with them? Are they off secretly spending time together?
[Ji Fei’er]: @Liang Tongzhou, is your sister off on a date with Pei Chen? She hasn’t replied to my messages.
It took a long time for Liang Tongzhou to reply: [No, she’s dealing with something at home today.]
Xuan Xia then suggested in the group chat that everyone should meet up in a few days, and they all enthusiastically discussed the idea.
Pei Chen stared at the messages in the group chat, his gaze growing darker.
In the end, he put down his phone.
He closed his eyes slightly.
Later that night, Pei Chen helped Pei Yongxia with his bath and then assisted him to bed.
After taking his own bath, he returned to his room, and by then, it was already past ten.
Sitting on the edge of his bed, he looked at the chat window with Liang Zhiyi, his hand hovering over the voice call button, but he hesitated to press it.
He wanted to call her.
But after what happened that morning, he suddenly didn’t know how to face her—or rather, how to face his own feelings.
He began to wonder if he even had the right to like her at all.
Pei Chen looked around the room, memories of the girl sitting there, gazing out at the osmanthus tree, filled his mind.
She was so bright and adorable.
And the way she looked at him, her eyes full of affection.
A slight tightness formed in Pei Chen’s throat as he stared at his phone. Suddenly, a voice call came through—it was from Liang Zhiyi.
He was momentarily stunned before slowly answering.
“…Hello.”
Liang Zhiyi was sitting on the windowsill. Hearing Pei Chen’s voice, her eyes welled up with tears again.
She bit her lip tightly, wiped away her tears, and forced a smile as she softly asked, “Pei Chen, what are you doing?”
The boy’s voice was low and hoarse: “I just finished taking a bath and came back to my room.”
The girl moved her lips, suppressing the sobs in her voice: “I’m sorry. I was so busy at home today that I didn’t have time to call you. Were you busy too? You didn’t think to call me either.”
He lowered his eyes:
“…I’m sorry.”
Liang Zhiyi responded, “It’s okay, don’t worry about it. There’s only two minutes left until midnight. Do you remember how we talked on the phone last New Year’s Eve too?”
Pei Chen acknowledged, and after a long silence, he asked her in a husky voice, “Did you have a good time today?”
Liang Zhiyi, her voice trembling slightly, replied, “Yes, it was nice. We had a big New Year’s Eve dinner at home, and I ate a lot. They say you gain three pounds over the New Year, and it’s true.”
A faint softness appeared in Pei Chen’s eyes.
The two of them fell silent, and as the clock struck midnight, Liang Zhiyi looked up at the sky filled with fireworks and gently curved her lips:
“Pei Chen, Happy New Year.”
“I like you.”