After Breaking the Ice-Beauty's Heart - Chapter 24

Chapter 24: “I Didn’t Say I Was Going To Get Back Together With You.”

The teacher thought for a long time about where to place Zhou Nianzhi. She hesitated between a male deskmate and the solitary Song Yuli for a while before deciding to have Zhou Nianzhi sit with Song Yuli.

After all, a boy and a girl sitting together could lead to puppy love.

Besides, as a homeroom teacher, she had discovered while occasionally checking on her students that no one really wanted to sit with Song Yuli.

First, the student was too aloof and didn’t talk much. Second, there were too many people who had a crush on Song Yuli, and the gifts would pile up on the deskmate’s desk, which affected their studies.

So, having Zhou Nianzhi move there was a perfect fit. Maybe with an aloof deskmate, Zhou Nianzhi wouldn’t talk so much.

Zhou Nianzhi didn’t have any issues with this. She was just happy as long as her deskmate was a girl.

However, when it came to the person Song Yuli…

Even though they were in the same class after the split, she and Song Yuli had never interacted. Zhou Nianzhi was always with her friends during breaks and after school, while Song Yuli was a loner and her grades weren’t outstanding. So naturally, the two of them had no reason to talk to each other.

Before, Zhou Nianzhi had only caught a few quick glimpses of the legendary beauty Song Yuli during gym class.

Wow, she had been amazed and impressed for a long time.

Look at that oval face, big eyes, and small lips. And her fair skin. At first glance, she must be over 1.7 meters tall, tall and slender. Just one look, without even seeing the details of her face, was enough to confirm that the word “beauty” was accurate.

She was too beautiful.

That was Zhou Nianzhi’s first impression of Song Yuli before they became deskmates.

As for the rumors about her being “impolite” and “acting aloof,” Zhou Nianzhi wasn’t going to believe them. She thought to herself that maybe Song Yuli couldn’t be bothered to even talk to the people who were spreading those rumors.

After they became deskmates, Zhou Nianzhi discovered that Song Yuli not only ignored the rumor-mongers, but she also ignored her.

“Hi! Good morning, deskmate.”

Every morning, the energetic Zhou Nianzhi would persistently greet Song Yuli.

Song Yuli still ignored her.

Zhou Nianzhi wasn’t discouraged.

After all, wasn’t this also a kind of persistence?

She had a great mindset back then and was convinced that there was no one she couldn’t be friends with.

Then Song Yuli proved her wrong.

Sometimes, Zhou Nianzhi truly felt that Song Yuli’s heart was a block of ice, a block that had been frozen for a thousand years and would never melt.

No matter how thick-skinned, outgoing, and eager she was to talk, she would feel embarrassed and humiliated when she was ignored.

She was a passionate person, but she would also feel sad because of Song Yuli’s coldness.

So, after her enthusiastic greetings were met with cold indifference for the nth time, Zhou Nianzhi made a firm decision: from now on, she would not say a single word to Song Yuli!

So, for an entire day, Zhou Nianzhi deliberately didn’t greet Song Yuli. She had a belly full of things to say, but when she turned her head and saw her deskmate, she swallowed all the words she wanted to say.

Zhou Nianzhi still remembered that it was that very day that she was scolded by the teacher for a careless mistake she made on some very simple questions on a test. At first, she was just angry and was deliberately acting aloof in front of Song Yuli, but after being scolded, she was genuinely unhappy and didn’t want to say a word.

After school, she stayed in the classroom for a while, wanting to correct all her mistakes before going home. Lin An and Qin Yunyun saw her and said goodbye before heading home.

Zhou Nianzhi struggled in the sea of questions for a long time. When she finally completed her task for the day, she looked up and saw that she was the only one left in the classroom.

No, that’s not right. Zhou Nianzhi’s gaze fell to her side. There was one other person: her deskmate, Song Yuli, the talk of the class, who hadn’t said more than two words all day but still had a strong presence.

It was already very dark, and the security guard was about to clear the school.

Zhou Nianzhi originally wanted to ask her deskmate, who was doing who-knows-what, “do you want to walk together?” But she remembered how cold her deskmate had been to her before, and since she was in a bad mood today, she didn’t say anything. She just pulled her chair back with a shush and walked straight out.

Before she could leave the classroom, Zhou Nianzhi heard the sound of rain. She looked out the window and saw that it had started to rain.

She had been in a hurry to leave and hadn’t brought an umbrella today, and of course, it had to rain today!

Ah…

Zhou Nianzhi felt a little helpless. She looked around, and the only person she could ask for help was Song Yuli.

She hesitated for a second and immediately gave up.

Forget it, it’s just a little rain.

She was Zhou Nianzhi! Was she afraid of a little rain?

Three minutes later, she stood on the stairs, retracting her “great ambitions.”

The rain was getting heavier and heavier. The drip-drop sounds were almost drowning out the sound of students’ footsteps in the distance. The raindrops that splattered on the ground jumped with a pitter-patter. From time to time, a strong gust of wind would blow, making the tree branches sing a symphony. The wind must have been having fun, as it rustled the big trees, shaking down the leaves. The leaves spun in the air before falling to the ground and lying in the rain, looking up at the sky.

This was really terrifying for Zhou Nianzhi, who didn’t have an umbrella.

She looked at the heavy rain, silently tightened her backpack straps, swallowed hard, bit her lower lip, and her legs fidgeted, unsure whether to continue walking forward.

She had two options in front of her—

One was to act like a movie heroine, imagine a very sad background music, and then romantically and recklessly charge out into the wind and rain.

The second was to go back and find Song Yuli and walk with her.

Zhou Nianzhi hesitated for a while and then decided to turn back and find Song Yuli.

She wasn’t a movie heroine. She could catch a cold and get a fever. And there was no background music in real life, only people saying, “Why didn’t you find a place to hide from the rain?”

When she returned to the classroom, Zhou Nianzhi found it empty.

She stood still, staring intently at Song Yuli’s empty seat, as if someone would appear if she just stared long enough.

“Zhou Nianzhi.”

A voice came from behind her.

Zhou Nianzhi smiled.

Hey, look, someone did come.

Wait…

Where did this person come from?

Zhou Nianzhi was startled. She turned her head abruptly and met those clear and bright eyes.

Just like the thousands of times that would follow.

Song Yuli would always be there behind her, gently calling her name when she needed her.

…

Oh.

It’s raining again.

Zhou Nianzhi extended her hand and caught a raindrop. The rain, along with her memories, trickled through her fingers and fell to the ground.

Maybe I shouldn’t be reminiscing here.

Zhou Nianzhi walked away from the school gate and found a nearby store that was already closed, seeking shelter under its eaves.

The rain was getting heavier again.

But she had an umbrella this time.

However, at this moment, Zhou Nianzhi didn’t want to move. Besides, she didn’t know where to go even if she opened her umbrella.

She might as well just hide here and pretend she didn’t have an umbrella.

The smell of snacks from a nearby stall wafted over, and she realized that she hadn’t eaten in a long time, but her throat felt so bitter that she had no appetite at all.

Zhou Nianzhi was very tired and felt terrible. The events of the day were weighing on her heart, making it hard to breathe, but she couldn’t even cry anymore. She had probably cried too much today, and her eyes couldn’t take it anymore.

She squatted on the ground, watching the rain wash away the dirt on the ground, like streaks of tears. The sound of the wind blowing through her ears, rustling the leaves, was like the weeping of sorrowful people.

Raindrops fell one after another.

Zhou Nianzhi gave a bitter smile and mumbled to herself, “Are you also feeling bad, God? Why are you crying all the time?”

The heavy rain blurred her vision.

She could barely see the world anymore.

Her ears were buzzing, like the sound of an old TV before it breaks down.

The surroundings became a little darker. Zhou Nianzhi rubbed her eyes and saw that a nearby store had turned off its lights. She looked around and saw that the vendors were also packing up in a hurry to avoid the rain.

It was so lively just a moment ago, so why is it so desolate now?

Oh, heavy rain.

See? As soon as you come, people aren’t happy anymore.

Zhou Nianzhi’s eyelids slowly became heavy, and her body felt lighter and lighter. She couldn’t hold on any longer and wanted to fall with the sound of the rain.

“Zhou Nianzhi!”

It’s an illusion again.

In her dreams, she had dreamt of Song Yuli calling her name thousands of times.

Just like now.

“Zhi Zhi! Wake up!”

Listen, Song Yuli is calling her “Zhi Zhi” again.

That’s something I can only hear in my dreams.

It wasn’t until a cool fingertip touched her cheek that a familiar tingling sensation shot through her heart.

It doesn’t seem like a dream.

Zhou Nianzhi slowly opened her eyes and once again fell into Song Yuli’s.

She looked at Song Yuli, and she couldn’t help but wishfully think—

If I could fall, I’d really want to fall directly into Song Yuli’s eyes, which were as gentle as if they were filled with water.

Zhou Nianzhi slowly sobered up and realized that this was not a dream. This was definitely not a dream!

The wet Song Yuli was right in front of her. The water droplets dripping from her face were real, and the clothes clinging to her body from the rain were also real.

Song Yuli was here.

Why did she come again?

Zhou Nianzhi’s nose stung. More than being ignored, she was more afraid of someone feeling sorry for her, because tears of grievance were the hardest things to control in this world. She could hide fear, but not grievance. It would come out as tears the moment someone said, “What’s wrong?”

“Song Yuli.”

“Mhm.”

“Song Yuli.”

“I’m here.”

“Song Yuli…”

“I’ve always been here.”

Every call was met with a response.

Song Yuli was not in a hurry to get Zhou Nianzhi to leave. Instead, she knelt down and quietly stayed by Zhou Nianzhi’s side.

“It feels like we’re back to that day again.” Zhou Nianzhi simply sat on the ground, resting her chin on her knees and hugging herself. Her eyes were on the drizzling rain, as if she was thinking of the past through the raindrops.

That day, she saw Song Yuli standing in front of her in the classroom. She was so surprised that she almost jumped up, as if she had found hope, but she had to pretend to be calm so she wouldn’t bother Song Yuli. So, she cautiously asked, “Song Yuli, can I borrow your umbrella?”

Song Yuli opened her mouth, and Zhou Nianzhi was so afraid that her deskmate would refuse her request that she quickly added before Song Yuli could speak, “You don’t have to take me all the way home. My mom works part-time at the supermarket not far from the school. Just to there is fine. It’s really close.”

After saying all this, Zhou Nianzhi’s eyes were fixed on Song Yuli. She was so nervous that she kept swallowing.

Finally, she got a reply from Song Yuli—

Song Yuli stood with her backpack slung over one shoulder, looking calm. She had no expression on her face as she slowly said, “I don’t have an umbrella either.”

Boom.

Thunder.

It wasn’t thunder from the sky. It was the sound of thunder in Zhou Nianzhi’s heart.

That thunderclap was still ringing to this day.

“You don’t have an umbrella again?” Zhou Nianzhi was amused by her past self. She turned her head and looked at Song Yuli, who was squatting beside her. She saw Song Yuli’s wet, dripping hair and gasped, unable to hold back her concern. “You don’t even have an umbrella. What are you doing coming to find me?”

It was just like that day when Song Yuli had already been on her way home, but when she saw Zhou Nianzhi turn back and go up the stairs to the classroom, she followed her back.

So the two of them sat in the security office, waiting for their parents to pick them up. Zhou Nianzhi had long forgotten about her promise to never talk to Song Yuli again. She whispered a bunch of things to her deskmate. Thankfully, her deskmate was a little less aloof this time. Although she mostly just said “mhm,” Zhou Nianzhi was very content because she felt that their relationship had grown closer.

Actually, it was that day that Zhou Nianzhi got a good, close look at Song Yuli’s face.

Especially those eyes.

When Zhou Nianzhi met her gaze, she realized that what she had thought was a block of ice was actually as gentle as an ocean.

Zhou Nianzhi could suddenly understand why so many people saw Song Yuli as a distant, beautiful goddess.

It was because Song Yuli only needed to slightly raise the corner of her eye to make people have the delusional thought that “the goddess looked at me, she must like me.”

There were a few times when Zhou Nianzhi was in the middle of an excited conversation, and if she accidentally made eye contact with Song Yuli, her mind would go blank, and she wouldn’t be able to remember a single word.

There was even one time when she was sharing something that had happened two days ago. Her mouth started to ramble uncontrollably, “I’m telling you, I went to the bookstore last weekend… it was so beautiful…”

Song Yuli tilted her head slightly. She probably didn’t quite understand why Zhou Nianzhi suddenly said that, so she had a confused look on her face.

Zhou Nianzhi quickly looked away, her whole body tense. She was afraid that Song Yuli would see something, so she started making things up. “Ah, I was saying the book was beautiful. Yes, the book was so beautiful!”

The security guard smiled and turned to say, “What a good child who loves to learn.”

Zhou Nianzhi gave a dry laugh and replied, “Yeah.”

Before the atmosphere could get awkward, Sheng Ning arrived. When Zhou Nianzhi saw her mother, she jumped up excitedly and waved for Sheng Ning to come over quickly.

“You little rascal, you didn’t bring an umbrella again.” Sheng Ning walked over to her with an umbrella, whispered a few words, and then quickly put on a smile and said to the security guard, “Thank you for your trouble.”

Zhou Nianzhi jumped under Sheng Ning’s umbrella and held her mother’s arm to go home, but she hadn’t even taken a step before she ran back to Song Yuli and said, “When will your parents come?”

“Soon, I think.” Song Yuli didn’t look at Zhou Nianzhi but stared at the rain outside the window.

Zhou Nianzhi hesitated for a moment, not knowing what else to say or do.

Song Yuli still didn’t look at Zhou Nianzhi, but she softly urged, “You should go back now.”

“Okay.” Zhou Nianzhi held her backpack straps with both hands and slowly walked away. For some reason, she wished that Song Yuli would call her name from behind her again so she could turn around and pull Song Yuli to go home with her again.

But it didn’t happen that day.

It happened today.

“Zhou Nianzhi.” Song Yuli softly called her again.

Zhou Nianzhi let out a stunned “ah” twice. When she came back to her senses, she looked at Song Yuli and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Are your legs numb?” Song Yuli had already stood up and was now leaning over to talk to her. “I felt uncomfortable after squatting for a while. Are you okay?”

Zhou Nianzhi nodded. She was about to confidently say, “I’m definitely fine,” but the moment she stood up, she almost fell because her legs were numb. In her fumbling, she tried to grab Song Yuli but only touched her clothes. Thankfully, Song Yuli was quick and helped her, allowing Zhou Nianzhi to stand steadily.

Thank goodness I didn’t say what I was about to say.

Zhou Nianzhi gave an awkward laugh and said, “It seems I’m not doing too well.”

Song Yuli suddenly said, “I can carry you back.”

Zhou Nianzhi was completely unprepared. After a long “ah,” she quickly waved her hands and said, “No, it’s okay. Besides, it’s still raining…”

Song Yuli didn’t say anything.

Then, Zhou Nianzhi turned her head and looked outside, only to find that the rain had stopped.

Oh my God.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t even know the rain had stopped.

Zhou Nianzhi saw that Song Yuli had no intention of retracting what she just said. So, she looked at Song Yuli’s hands and started to decline, “Look, you’re holding something. It’ll be hard to carry me.”

“It’s fine. You can just hold this umbrella.” Song Yuli said calmly, handing her the umbrella.

“Never mind, you should just hold the umbrella yourself… Wait, is that an umbrella?” Zhou Nianzhi’s waving hands froze. She stared at the soaking-wet Song Yuli in disbelief. She took another good look and saw that it really was an umbrella.

Song Yuli didn’t say anything. She just gestured with the umbrella, probably wanting Zhou Nianzhi to take it quickly.

Before Zhou Nianzhi could regain her composure and rationality, her feet had already moved closer to Song Yuli.

When she touched the umbrella, Zhou Nianzhi’s rationality returned. She looked up and waved her hand, saying, “I can’t take it.”

But because she was now closer, the moment she looked up and saw Song Yuli clearly, whether or not to take the umbrella no longer mattered.

“You’re hurt?” Zhou Nianzhi asked with concern, her eyebrows furrowing involuntarily.

Just a moment ago, she was so lost in her memories that she only saw Song Yuli’s dripping hair and wet clothes. She hadn’t looked closely enough to see the scar on her forehead hidden by her hair or the wound on her lip covered by a shadow.

Song Yuli gave a light smile and said, “It’s nothing.”

“You’re hurt, what are you doing wandering around outside?” Zhou Nianzhi’s words came out faster, her voice trembling. “And why didn’t you use your umbrella? Look at you, you’re soaked. Aren’t you afraid of catching a cold?”

Song Yuli listened quietly, not refuting. She only spoke after Zhou Nianzhi was done. “Walking with an umbrella is too slow. I just wanted to see you quickly.”