Chapter 1317: Chapter 869: Smile
"If you’re going to the hotel, I’ll just go back to school," Chen Yunyun took a deep breath and was silent for two seconds.
"Since we’re here, let’s take a walk around the West Lake."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Nian nodded.
"Okay."
At this point, apologies are actually useless. Perhaps there are softer ways, but they would have endless repercussions.
Maybe, in the future, Chen Yunyun would think. It was because she wasn’t attractive enough that she was treated this way.
The lake water merged with the night, small hills lit up like golden candles.
Jiang Nian glanced at Chen Yunyun, feeling a sense of calm. He wasn’t one to rush — he could accept surprises.
"Yunyun."
"Hmm."
The two were about to say something when a phone rang. Chen Yunyun answered, and Wang Yuhe’s voice came through.
"Are you back yet?"
"Not yet."
"Huh?" Wang Yuhe sounded a bit disappointed, "Where are you guys? I’ll come find you."
"We’re at..." Chen Yunyun looked around.
"Let’s have a meal," Jiang Nian interrupted her, "She’s probably hungry, and it’s also dinnertime now."
Chen Yunyun paused and nodded.
"Okay."
The two then set off to meet Wang Yuhe. They eventually went into a restaurant together, where the atmosphere was harmonious.
After the dishes arrived, Chen Yunyun seemed absent-minded.
"Why aren’t you eating?" Wang Yuhe glanced at the two, feeling something was up.
"It’s nothing, just eat," Jiang Nian said, "After we’re done, are you going back by yourself?"
Wang Yuhe: "???"
She took a look at Chen Yunyun, seeing she was out of it, and softly replied, "I’ll go back on my own."
"Do you remember the way?" Chen Yunyun snapped out of it and looked up to ask.
"I have navigation."
"Can you use it?" Jiang Nian leaned over and suddenly asked, "If not, I’ll get a taxi for you."
"You!!" Wang Yuhe was infuriated, this person was so annoying, she huffed angrily.
"No need!"
Jiang Nian smiled, teasing an elementary student was kind of fun. Like a pufferfish, she would explode after being poked.
Chen Yunyun couldn’t be bothered with the two of them and started eating.
Jiang Nian casually brought up a few topics, only Wang Yuhe seriously engaged in the conversation, while Chen Yunyun seemed a bit absent-minded.
The meal ended without much flavor.
Wang Yuhe left, and Jiang Nian watched her go. His eyes shifted slightly, landing on Chen Yunyun’s shoulder.
"Yunyun."
"Hmm." Chen Yunyun turned to look at him, pausing slightly, "What’s up?"
"Nothing, just felt like taking a walk," Jiang Nian pointed towards a relatively quieter road.
"Okay."
Beside the road, lights were bright.
After walking for a while, Chen Yunyun suddenly slowed her steps. She looked up at the night sky and suddenly said.
"It’s like the school."
"What?" Jiang Nian turned and asked.
"Nothing." Chen Yunyun shook her head, looking down and saying softly, "It feels like walking on the school playground."
"Indeed." Jiang Nian nodded, those high school days were both painful and quite joyful.
"But, we rarely walked on the playground."
Chen Yunyun nodded, "Yeah, we often talked in the hallway before lunch, basking in the sun."
"Yes, you always found different ways to cut fruit," Jiang Nian said nostalgically, with a soft sigh.
"It’s a shame, we should have hiked Qingmu Ridge again last New Year."
"Hmm." Chen Yunyun nodded in agreement, "Last time we hiked, there were no cars in the evening, so we walked back."
"It wasn’t until the bridge that we managed to flag down a car."
"Yes, you seemed a bit scared then," Jiang Nian smiled, "We walked close together, holding a flashlight."
"Back then, Wang Yuhe was like a...."
As he spoke, he turned, only to see tears streaming down Chen Yunyun’s face, gathering at her delicate chin.
Plop!
The tear, as large as a bean, fell like a kite with a broken string.
"What’s wrong?"
"Nothing, just thinking about how...," Chen Yunyun wiped away her tears, "how happy we were back then."
"Thinking about those days, I’m a bit reluctant to leave Class Three."
Jiang Nian was slightly taken aback, he wasn’t an idiot. He knew it had nothing to do with Class Three, just him.
"Hmm..."
Chen Yunyun pursed her lips, muttering a few things, "Last year, I felt time was really slow."
"Every day, wearing my school uniform. I turn my head in the classroom and see you, time crawls on paper."
"Sometimes, I wondered if in the future we would travel together, spend weekends in college having fun."
She sniffed, looked at her subtle makeup using her phone, and sheepishly squeezed out a smile.
"All the powder’s gone."
"No worries, just put a little more on," Jiang Nian said, "The basics of makeup are similar to renovations...."
"You!!"
Chen Yunyun laughed in exasperation, this person was always so annoyingly clever, always like this.
"Actually, I anticipated this day. But I’m a bit unwilling, after a year and a half, liking you day after day. It’s really unfair, during dinner I kept thinking if I were a bit prettier...."
Jiang Nian sighed slightly, feeling a bit uneasy himself.
"You’re already very pretty."
"I’m not." Chen Yunyun wiped her tears, took a deep breath, "I’ll return to school tomorrow."
With that, Chen Yunyun turned and walked back.
Jiang Nian stood there, feeling a heaviness in his chest. He took a deep breath in, and gradually exhaled.
"Sigh."
......
That night, at the hotel where Chen Yunyun and the others stayed.
Wang Yuhe was already asleep, knowing the two had a quarrel, she specifically called to scold Jiang Nian.
Jiang Nian only remained silent.
In the middle of the night, Chen Yunyun lay in bed, quietly browsing through their photo albums and past conversation records.
The white screen light glowed on her face. Sometimes she pursed her lips with a smile, sometimes she sighed softly.
It wasn’t until the early hours that she drifted off to sleep mid-toss and turn.
The next day.
Jiang Nian was still working when he received a message from Chen Yunyun with just two simple words.
