When Will My Childhood Sweetheart Marry Me?-Chapter 131: Sooner or Later It Will Be Mine
He Qingzhou was a very attentive person.
Towards the end of last semester, he had a faint sense that Sister Yao’s attitude towards Brother Yan had changed, to speak more deeply, the relationship between the two had evolved beyond mere childhood friends.
Looking at Brother Yan’s serious attitude towards his studies, it seemed everything was explained.
Perhaps, the transition from unrequited love to mutual affection was just a catalyst away.
For Brother Yan, that catalyst was Liang Zixiao.
Under the pandemic, the intense study atmosphere in the senior year hadn’t eased at all.
All courses wrapped up, leaving the next few months for identifying deficiencies, solidifying the foundation, and expanding knowledge.
The university entrance exams would cover knowledge points from the first to the third year of high school, a total of six semesters; liberal arts students groaned under the weight of rote memorization, while science students’ stacks of practice tests towered over humans.
But behind every effort made, there lay the varied dreams of all the students.
Even if these dreams were simple, even if attending an ordinary university was enough.
But the smallest dream, without the nourishment of sweat and tears, wouldn’t even have the chance to sprout.
The busy days passed quickly like a fleeting steed.
On March 18th, news came from the frontline that the support personnel were beginning to withdraw from the epidemic area in an orderly manner.
That night, Jiang Shuyao was so excited that she couldn’t sleep at all.
The next day, Weibo, forums, and news websites all tracked the daily details of the returning Chengdu medical staff.
Removing their protective gear and masks, those beautiful and kind faces lifted into brilliant smiles before the cameras.
In Huaren’s list, Zhu Yun was among the last batch of returnees.
That day was a Saturday, and Jiang Tingsong prepared a table full of his wife’s favorite dishes, opened a bottle of champagne, and decorated the house simply.
Jiang Shuyao had been waiting outside Yasong Residence’s gate early on, looking longingly into the distance.
Waiting and waiting.
After a full hour, she couldn’t help but call her mother.
The mobile phone rang for a long time and was automatically hung up, indicating that no one was available to answer.
According to the departure time of the coach bus, they should have arrived by now.
Jiang Shuyao anxiously fished out the landline number of her mother’s department.
After all, Huaren was a public institution, and it was highly possible that the Director would go to her post first to report back after being away for so long.
The phone was answered by an on-call doctor, who sighed after hearing the reason for the call, "On the way back, the coach bus picked up an emergency case. Director Zhu diverted back to the hospital and went straight into the operating room. This operation is difficult; we can’t do it without her."
Jiang Shuyao quietly listened to the doctor finish and sighed in relief.
She turned off her mobile phone, stood at the corner with reddening eyes, and smiled softly.
From childhood to adulthood, her understanding of her mother’s profession was far surpassed by the events of these two short months.
The pandemic brought disaster to the world, but it also made people deeply realize the ordinary yet greatness of doctors.
In front of patients, everything seemed fearless.
Just like her mother, who must have been very tired by the time she boarded the coach.
Yet, she did not hesitate to rush to the emergency room.
As long as there was a breath left, as long as she could still wield a scalpel, the life on the operating table would never cease.
This is the mission of a doctor.
With her mother safely back, Jiang Shuyao went to school every day feeling much lighter.
April came in the blink of an eye, and as the city’s economy rebounded, people’s lives gradually returned to normal.
A week had passed since the Yangjin retest; the final results wouldn’t be known until June. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺
As for applying to Art College, Jiang Shuyao still hadn’t mustered the courage to speak about it to her parents.
She was torn, wondering whether to say it.
Or should she wait until after the university entrance exams in June, and present them with a fait accompli?
No, no.
If her mother had returned the studio to her, it meant that her parents would respect her wishes. If she continued to hide it, it would only let her parents down.
But if she was to speak up, how should she...
"Yaoyao, someone’s looking for you outside," Tang Xing’s loud voice abruptly yanked her back from the clouds of her daydreams to reality.
Jiang Shuyao lifted her gaze toward the classroom door and saw that girl beaming with a mischievous grin. From her expression alone, she had a good idea of who was looking for her.
In the past two weeks, Pei Yan’s visits to Class Six had grown increasingly frequent.
Whenever he came to see her, he was either clutching test papers or exercise problems, maintaining an utterly serious demeanor that made it hard for others to suspect anything else.
In reality, however, he always chose the most crucial moments of her explanations to blurt out something utterly irrelevant.
"What shampoo do you use? It smells so good, distracts the hell out of me."
"The weather’s warming up. When are you going to wear that skirt I bought you?"
"The guy sitting in the third-to-last row by the window, does he have a thing for you? He keeps sneaking peeks."
"..."
Jiang Shuyao’s calculations halted, and she looked up at him speechlessly, "You interrupt me again, and you’re outta here."
The person in question shut up.
After a silence of two seconds,
the young man said softly, "Forty more days, Yaoyao."
Jiang Shuyao was slightly stunned.
Subconsciously glancing at the countdown to Gaokao at the front of the classroom,
Forty days, time could really fly by so fast.
She hadn’t even gotten her bearings yet, and this guy beside her had already rocketed up to the top hundred in their grade’s monthly test.
Even now, it still felt a bit unbelievable.
Fairness from the heavens: every bit of effort would see its reward.
For the first time ever, she felt pride for someone who wasn’t related to her by blood.
This year’s summer arrived exceptionally early.
The mornings of May were still slightly cold. When Jiang Shuyao stepped out of the house, she wore a light jacket over her short sleeves, a pale yellow casual hoodie with a freshness and vitality of spring.
At the entrance of Yasong Residence, Pei Yan, with breakfast in hand, leaned casually against the guard’s room.
His mask concealed most of his face, revealing only the dark eyes beneath his brow bone.
The guard in the booth chatted him up now and then, and the young man gave half-hearted responses, clearly indifferent.
As Jiang Shuyao walked past the guard’s room, she greeted the old man from afar, then continued straight ahead without looking sideways.
It was a scene that played out every day.
The girl took her role seriously; Pei Yan didn’t have the heart to dampen her spirit, so he silently played along.
The two of them left the gate, one after another.
Only when they entered a safe area, did Jiang Shuyao stop and stretch out a hand, signaling for him to pass her the breakfast.
Ha.
Spoiled brat.
Pei Yan chuckled and grabbed the girl’s hand in his.
"Why stand so far away? Come here."
Jiang Shuyao was pulled effortlessly toward him, her body helplessly leaning into his.
There were still people around, and her cheeks immediately flared with heat, "Can you not paw at me, please?"
"What do you want me to move then?"
"Your mouth?"
"..."
Jiang Shuyao silently turned her head away, no longer wanting to engage with him.
With a few minutes before the bus arrived, Pei Yan inserted a straw into the soy milk and brought it to her lips, saying nonchalantly, "You’re eventually gonna be mine anyway, what’s there to be shy about?"
The girl took a sip from his hand and looked down, her eyelashes casting shadows, saying nothing.
A smile filled the youth’s dark, lustrous eyes.
At the bus station, Jiang Shuyao kept her gaze firmly ahead, her cheeks puffing up adorably, "Who cares about later? Right now, you’re not."
