As they left the hall, the night sky was gradually darkening, with a crescent moon hanging on the horizon.
Upon returning home, Pei Chen helped Pei Yongxia with his daily needs, then took a shower and went to his room.
Sitting at the desk, Pei Chen looked out the window. The story of the couple from the hall and their words seemed to still echo in his ears, making it hard to forget.
“Love requires courage and persistence. Don’t wait until you’ve truly missed it to realize your regret.”
“The most important thing is to cherish the present and the people in front of you.”
Pei Chen lowered his gaze, took out a brown scarf from the drawer, and his eyes fell on it, emotions churning inside.
The girl’s unwavering affection for him gradually surfaced in his mind. She was like a beam of light, illuminating all the inferiority deeply rooted in his bones.
He remembered the words the shop owner said to him tonight before he left:
“Pei, you’ve already seen the truth. When you rejected Liang, you didn’t feel any relief in your heart. You must have realized by now that you can’t let her go. There will be many regrets in a person’s life, don’t wait until you’ve truly lost her to regret it for the rest of your life.”
Finally, Pei Chen looked at the brown scarf, his gaze slowly focusing.
°°°
Lincheng in April was often rainy, and a spring rain poured down overnight a few days later.
The next morning, after the clouds cleared and the rain stopped, the sun rose, gradually spreading its light across the earth.
Upon waking up, Pei Chen first studied English for fifteen minutes, then brushed his teeth and washed his face before getting dressed.
Sitting by the bed, he slowly put on the knee pads that Liang Zhiyi had bought for him, for daily protection.
His gaze fell on the knee pads, and after staring at them for a while, he finally pulled down his pant leg.
A faint scent of osmanthus wafted to his nose.
Pei Chen turned his gaze towards the window. The osmanthus tree was in full bloom, with clusters of tiny, golden flowers dotting the branches.
The osmanthus flowers had blossomed.
He packed his school bag, finished his breakfast, and rode his bike to school.
At that moment, Wen Songyue had already arrived in the classroom.
The girl sat at her desk, carefully checking her makeup in a mirror.
She always wore makeup, applying a thin layer of foundation and some concealer each day to make her skin appear whiter and more radiant, enhancing her looks.
After all, sitting close to Pei Chen, she had to look her best.
After a while, a few girls from the class, who were close to her, came over. Wen Songyue took out a bottle of perfume from her bag and sprayed it on herself. The girls immediately exclaimed:
“Wow, Songyue, I know the brand of this perfume you’re wearing! This bottle must cost over a thousand, right?”
Wen Songyue gracefully curled her lips and said indifferently, “I didn’t pay attention to the price. I just bought it casually at the mall yesterday.”
“Songyue, I’m so jealous of you…”
The girls chatted for a while, and after some time, Feng Ke’er from Pei Chen’s class noticed him and smiled, “Pei Chen, you’re here.”
Pei Chen didn’t reply. He took out a book from his backpack, his long eyelashes catching the sunlight, casting a faint shadow on his eyelids.
Wen Songyue leaned closer and smiled, “Pei Chen, are you free this weekend? How about we go watch a movie together? There are a few good ones showing now…”
Wen Songyue kept talking, but Pei Chen picked up his water cup, stood up, and looked at her coldly, “Are we that close?”
He walked out of the classroom.
Wen Songyue stared at his back, taking a deep breath in anger, gripping her pen so tightly it seemed like she might break it.
Nearby, Sang Xunling and Tong Sisi walked by, glancing at Wen Songyue before heading out.
At the entrance of the classroom, Tong Sisi complained, “Wen Songyue is really thick-skinned, always clinging to Pei Chen, and she looks down on others just because her family has power and influence. It’s so annoying.”
Sang Xunling asked, “What do you mean?”
“Just thinking about it makes me mad. Over the weekend, Ruoruo, she, and a few other girls and I went out. I wore a dress that I particularly liked, and she commented on it in a disdainful tone, saying the quality was terrible. Ugh, it made me so angry!”
Tong Sisi fumed, “She acts all high and mighty around us, like she’s better than everyone else, but only pretends to be gentle in front of Pei Chen. It’s disgusting. Thinking about it now, even Liang Zhiyi seems much more agreeable.”
Having not seen Liang Zhiyi for a long time, Tong Sisi didn’t dislike her as much anymore. “If Liang Zhiyi were still here, that girl would have been put in her place long ago. There’s no way she’d be allowed to act so arrogantly…”
Tong Sisi and Sang Xunling returned to the classroom after filling their water bottles. As morning reading approached, more and more classmates arrived.
Pei Chen was called to the office by the class teacher. “There’s a meeting this afternoon, so I won’t be around for class meeting. I need you to take over and announce a few things.”
“Got it.”
The day passed by quickly.
The last four periods in the afternoon were for the class meeting. After the class ended, when they noticed the teacher hadn’t arrived yet, the students were noisily chatting. Pei Chen walked to the podium with a piece of paper, tapped on the desk, and said, “The class teacher isn’t here. He asked me to pass on a few things.”
Everyone looked up at him and quieted down.
Pei Chen went over the basic points regarding discipline, safety, and so on. Then, he brought up one last thing, “The class talent show is scheduled for mid-May, and our class needs to start preparing a performance now. We need to decide on a program today.”
Pei Chen looked at the cultural committee member, and the girl who had previously discussed the matter with him stood up and said, “Everyone, I’ve shortlisted a few potential programs over the past few days. Let’s decide which one we want.”
After that, the options were narrowed down to dancing, a musical drama, and singing, and the whole class unanimously chose singing:
“Singing is a bit simpler…”
“Practicing a dance would take too much time…”
The cultural committee member added, “If there are no other objections, we’ll go with singing. This will be a medley of songs, but we’ll also need a male and a female to do some recitations. Is anyone interested in reciting?”
The class erupted into playful nominations, with students suggesting the classmates beside them. Amid the laughter, a girl raised her hand and said, “I think Wen Songyue would be perfect. She’s a professional at recitation and has participated in many recitation competitions.”
A few of Wen Songyue’s friends chimed in, “Yeah, Songyue is amazing at reciting.”
Everyone turned to look at Wen Songyue, and the cultural committee member asked her eagerly, “Songyue, would you like to do the recitation?”
Wen Songyue nodded, “Sure, I can do it.”
“Alright, so we’ve got the female part covered. We still need a male.”
The boys were all reluctant, trying to avoid it. Then a classmate suggested, “I think the class monitor would be great! He participated in a poetry recitation at another school before.”
Another classmate added with a knowing tone, “The class monitor and Wen Songyue would make a great pair!”
Everyone burst into laughter. After all, it was no secret that Wen Songyue liked Pei Chen. Someone teased, “Songyue, how about teaming up with him?”
Wen Songyue looked at Pei Chen, who was standing at the front of the classroom, and a smile flickered in her eyes as she said, “I’d be happy to.”
Seeing Wen Songyue’s reaction, someone took the opportunity to gossip, “Wen Songyue, I heard you transferred to our class specifically for Pei Chen. Is that true?!”
“Wow, so straightforward!”
“Is it true? Is it?”
Hearing this, Wen Songyue looked at Pei Chen, her eyes showing a hint of pride as she responded, “Yes, I came here for Pei Chen.”
Everyone gasped, “Wow!!”
After Wen Songyue’s declaration, all eyes turned to Pei Chen at the podium, and the gossip quickly shifted towards him:
“Class monitor, she’s being so direct—aren’t you going to respond?!”
“She’s made it clear, and our class monitor from Class 9 hasn’t reacted at all!”
“Class monitor, do you like Wen Songyue or not?!”
Amid the teasing, Pei Chen remained indifferent, like a distant mountain. He met Wen Songyue’s proud, smiling gaze with his deep, dark eyes. After a few seconds, he lowered his gaze and calmly uttered a few words:
“Once you’ve seen the vast ocean.”
“Oh…”
Some students caught on and continued, “Once you’ve seen the vast ocean, nothing else compares; after seeing the peaks of Mount Wu, all other clouds pale in comparison!”
“This line of the ancient poem means that once you’ve seen the vast ocean, other bodies of water no longer hold any significance; and after witnessing the clouds of Mount Wu, no other clouds can truly be called clouds.”
“Class monitor, can you tell us who that ocean and those clouds you once saw are? Is it Liang Zhiyi? Hahaha!”
A classmate made a guess and teased:
“Class monitor, do you like Liang Zhiyi?”
As everyone teased and joked around, Pei Chen, standing at the center of attention, felt a storm of emotions brewing behind his slightly lowered eyes. After a few seconds, he spoke, his voice clear and unmistakable:
“Yes.”
This was the first time Pei Chen openly, without any concealment, declared his feelings for Liang Zhiyi in front of everyone.
“Whoa!!!!”
The entire class erupted in chaos.
Sang Xunling and the other girls were all shocked.
Underneath the podium, the smile on Wen Songyue’s face gradually froze.
Finally, Pei Chen steered the conversation back to the original topic. The male recitation role was assigned to another student, and after a while, the bell rang, signaling the end of the day.
Pei Chen headed to the restroom. Wen Songyue was sitting at her desk, packing her bag, when a girl passing by accidentally knocked her pencil case to the ground.
The pencil case was immediately picked up. “I’m sorry…”
Wen Songyue, already upset, looked up to see it was Feng Ke’er from their class. Her brows furrowed instantly as she snatched the pencil case back, her voice filled with disdain:
“What’s wrong with you? Can’t you watch where you’re going? Seriously…”
The girl, chastised, lowered her head further, her face flushed with embarrassment, and she nervously apologized again in a soft voice, “I’m sorry…”
“You do this every time. Stop keeping your head down all the time. Try looking up at people.”
After Feng Ke’er left, Wen Songyue angrily continued packing her bag, muttering to herself:
“She has such an ugly scar on her neck, it’s so hideous. Ugh, my good mood was ruined first thing in the morning…”
As she was speaking, she looked up and realized Pei Chen had returned at some point and was sitting beside her.
Her face stiffened for a moment, unsure if he had heard what she just said.
Finally, as everyone else gradually left the classroom, Pei Chen finished packing his bag and was about to leave when Wen Songyue, still angry, called out to him:
“Pei Chen.”
Wen Songyue stood up and met his gaze, deciding to go all out. With a proud expression, she declared, “Pei Chen, I like you.”
The boy looked at her coldly:
“I believe I’ve made myself very clear.”
“What do you even like about that Liang Zhiyi? Her looks? Her personality? Or is it that she took the initiative to pursue you? Compared to her, what am I lacking? Or is it just because her family is wealthy?”
Wen Songyue sneered, “Yes, her family is rich, but with my family’s background, if you were with me, I could arrange a good future for you after graduation. You wouldn’t have to struggle as much as others. You should think carefully about this.”
The boy lowered his gaze, noticing an orange on the table. Suddenly, he asked, “Have you ever heard the tale of the orange tree that turns into a bitter trifoliate orange tree when planted in the north?”
Wen Songyue was taken aback, “What?”
“When an orange tree grows south of the Huai River, it bears sweet and delicious fruit. But when it’s grown north of the river, it becomes a trifoliate orange tree, which looks similar but is bitter and sour.”
Wen Songyue’s face darkened as she instantly grasped the meaning behind his words.
Pei Chen looked at Wen Songyue and said slowly, clearly enunciating each word:
“Liang Zhiyi is unique. There’s no comparison between you and her.”
It’s like the saying goes: when you find a choice you’re truly satisfied with, you lose the desire to even consider other options.
No matter how hard Wen Songyue tried to imitate, in his eyes, it was nothing more than a poor imitation.
In her whole life, Wen Songyue had never heard anyone criticize her like this. Her eyes reddened with anger, and she furiously retorted, “Pei Chen, if I didn’t like you, do you think I’d even look at you with your family background?”