Section 1

You just asked me—

During those days, she lived in darkness, burdened by guilt towards her boyfriend, the whispers circulating in her grade, her parents' sighs, and Uncle Jian's anxiety. In the end, she secretly went to the boy's hospital, crying as she apologized for the physical harm she had caused him, hoping that he could intercede on her behalf and take a step back, allowing the Jian family to overcome this hurdle

Once everyone had left, I cleaned the footprints on the floor and the dust brought in by the cardboard boxes, hung the cloth to dry, and passed by the bedroom where I saw that group photo again

The entire world has become quiet

"I never asked." Jian Bianlin frowned, interrupting her words once again

At that moment, while the other party was speaking in a low voice, I was so nervous that I kept wiping away the thick layer of snow on the back seat of a nearby bicycle, when suddenly my hand was grasped. "Then let's give it a try..." was her response.

Upon their first encounter, she was once again overwhelmed by him, feeling a heaviness in her heart. She took out all the fruits from the box, methodically arranged them in the refrigerator, and ultimately returned the kiwis to their rightful place at home.

I came to help Uncle Jian collect his things. At first, the tone was relaxed, as if nothing had happened just now. "Is that treadmill yours? In such an old house with poor sound insulation, it can't be used; the entire building can hear the sound of running.

It is very frightening

She must not know that every time she wants to have a serious conversation with him, she has to call his name first

Jianbian Lin lowered his eyes, gazing at the face he first encountered, along with her small canine tooth that she would lick crooked when losing her baby teeth. She always said it was ugly, often pressing it back with her hand, pressing it hard, even while sleeping, but to no avail. In fact, Jianbian Lin's favorite was this very canine tooth.

Jian Bianlin's eyes remained indifferent, revealing nothing at all

Moreover, upon first encountering oneself in entrepreneurship, the two individuals also have limited time to meet.

The violent campus brawl resulted in significant injuries to the other party, with fractures being inevitable. Multiple examinations were conducted, making the situation quite complicated. On one hand, Jianbian Lin is the class leader of the key class and also the top student, so the teachers wish to downplay the incident. On the other hand, the other party's parents are relentless, refusing any compensation and demanding strict disciplinary action from the school

Jian Bianlin took two steps slowly before stopping. The man behind him, holding books and lesson plans, had a subtle expression, letting out a sigh with a hint of absurdity: "It really is you"

She and Jian Bianlin have many photos together since childhood, but this one is the last photo of the two during their student years. From the New Year's Day party that year until the day this photo was taken, the two had hardly exchanged a word for almost six months

On that Spring Festival, she knocked on his bedroom door and saw the person sitting on the windowsill asleep. She wanted to leave, but he suddenly woke up.

She clearly remembers the look in his eyes as he turned back, drenched in icy water

Various rumors continued to accompany her throughout her senior year of high school, leading to her being ostracized and left without friends

I do not know if it is because everything from the hat to the sneakers is pure black, which makes the whole person appear particularly slender in the wind

It is said that no one is answering Jian Bianlin's phone.

Even just over ten days ago, she was quite optimistic, thinking that perhaps his feelings had already drifted away, and that one day there might be rumors of a sudden marriage

Until the Spring Festival of her sophomore year, she returned home, and her mother mentioned that her brother was in a long-distance relationship with a girl, but had suffered a breakup. He was despondent and spent his days aimlessly in society, as if he had become a different person. Both parents urged her to go next door and persuade him, but she hesitated for two whole days, finding various excuses to avoid it

Someone behind opened the security door, and immediately after, footsteps approached

The large white dog immediately ran over, panting with its tongue out, circling around the two people and licking them back and forth

At first, she intended to bypass him, but just as she brushed past, he blocked her way. Startled, she quickly dodged, and with a loud "thud," the back of her head struck the door frame on the other side.

There are no longer any students in the corridor

In fact, he knows why she came; he specifically called her mother just now

... ...

Fortunately, her compassion once again saved the relationship between the two, as she ultimately could not bring herself to say that they were merely ordinary friends at that moment

His grades gradually returned to normal, and he received scholarships for all A grades. He formed a band in college, was signed by a record company, and during a downturn in the music market, he was recommended by his agent to become an actor. Coupled with his undeniable idol potential, he found increasing success in this field

Just now, I wanted to pressure her, hoping that by leveraging the recent events involving her father and myself, she would soften and agree to try being my girlfriend. However, things did not go as planned.

However, this budding romance had not even lasted three days when, at the end of the school day, Jian Bianlin fiercely beat up that boy in front of students from all grades. After the evening self-study session, students flooded out, some walking and others pushing their bicycles, all gathered by the bike shed to witness this sudden outbreak of conflict. Chu Jian, standing nearby, was so shocked that she couldn't intervene; as she watched the blood pooling on the ground, she feared that a serious incident might occur. In a panic, she rushed into the classroom, grabbed a bucket, filled it with half a bucket of cold water, and hurried back to splash it on the swaying Jian Bianlin, who was trying to get back up and was about to pounce again.

After university, Jianbian Lin often took long train rides to Hainan to see her, but she would always keep her distance. Although she felt sorry for him traveling such a long way from the north to the south, she was still afraid of him, afraid that he might do something frightening again

After all this time spent going in circles, we have returned to the starting point

She avoided me

Upon first meeting, take a deep breath and do not provoke him. This is a significant hurdle in life. Uncle Jian happens to be undergoing surgery, so do not provoke him.

... ...

On that New Year's Eve, it was rare for it to snow. She was mysteriously called by a boy from her class to the downstairs bike shed. Amidst the lively atmosphere of the entire teaching building, the boy from the neighboring class, who had been encountering her in the cafeteria and on the basketball court, stood at the end of a row of bicycles

I bumped into the door and, separated by a sheet of iron, I said: "I am going downstairs to buy something for the dog"

That was the darkest six months of her student life, so she deliberately performed poorly in the college entrance examination and went far away to Hainan, separated from Jian Bianlin Tian who was studying in Beijing.

If it hadn't been for that sudden bump that left her dazed just now, she would probably have dodged it

Upon closer inspection, it is still lighter than when in Macau

"Wait for me to put all the fruits in the refrigerator before returning to the hospital," she thought for a moment, "I might not have enough space, so I will move some to my home refrigerator and then pack some to take to the hospital."

When encountering the haggard Uncle Jian downstairs, she still felt a pang of compassion. After a year and a half in university, she had matured significantly. She thought that the foolishness of high school could now be left behind.

He fell silent for a few seconds, pressed the cold metal handrail, and walked away holding the dog

"Check the edge of the forest." She said with great seriousness

The mere act of him opening his eyes caused her to retreat two steps in fright

He leaned forward and lifted the large white shepherd dog, which was still panting, with one arm, and left the room

Jian Bianlin remained silent, as if he had not heard anything

But I am not very good at feeding dogs, what does it like to eat

Upon first sight, I hailed a taxi and hurried home, breathlessly running up four flights of stairs. Upon seeing the treadmill and four boxes of fruit, I was taken aback. I took the house key from the refrigerator, opened the door, and directed the delivery person to stack the items on the balcony

At this moment, both the edge inspector Lin and the excellent senior high school mathematics teacher behind him feel somewhat dazed. It seems as if the events of that winter happened just yesterday, yet it has already been nine years since then

Chujian strolled around for two laps when his mother called, telling him to hurry home to help Uncle Jian collect two large packages and, by the way, feed the dog

"It's just a figure of speech." He interrupted her, rubbed his palms together, felt a bit of warmth, and wanted to press down on the spot where she had been bumped.

Jian Bianlin quickly walked out of the teaching building. Behind him, someone suddenly called out hesitantly, "Jian Bianlin?" It was a man's voice

Unable to wait for Jianbian Lin, I locked the door and went downstairs, where I saw him sitting alone in the small pavilion below, holding a few skewers of lamb that had long since cooled, quietly feeding the dog

He does not want to talk, nor does he want to listen

I thought it would be enough for us to have a conversation in our sophomore year, but if you would like to talk again, how about after your surgery? I do not want to affect you at this time

The events of junior high and high school, no matter how absurd, have long since passed.

... ...

It is unclear whether her plea had an effect or if the teachers intervened, but in the end, the situation was downplayed. Ultimately, regarding the violent incident on New Year's Day, neither family understood the reason behind it, and none of the three individuals involved told the school authorities or their parents the truth.

Jian Bianlin leaned against the door frame, her gaze passing over him, also looking at the man in the group photo.

It is not just pain; tears have come out. The impact was too harsh, and it brought forth all the pent-up frustration I had just moments ago. "Just now you asked me—"

"Does it hurt?" He lowered his head, touching the back of her head, breaking the stalemate that had begun since he entered the room

After that day, for so many years, Jian Bianlin never expressed his feelings for her again