Chapter 964
IF159
He walked to the platform and skillfully climbed to the top. He lay down on the wooden planks and gazed at the stars in the sky.
Unfortunately, my phone was in Lin Yuehua's hands, and my MP3 player was broken; otherwise, it would have been so pleasant to listen to music right now.
"In that faraway place, there lives a beautiful girl..."
Li Zhuangsheng zipped up his school uniform jacket, lay down on the shelf, and strolled in the autumn night breeze, humming his favorite song leisurely. Unconsciously, he drifted into a fantasy again. He fantasized about being some kind of powerful superhero, and that all the pretty girls would like him.
Are you here?
I don't know how much time passed, but then a cold voice came from beneath me.
Li Zhuangsheng suddenly stood up and looked down; the person who had come was Lin Yuehua.
"You... why are you here too?" Li Zhuangsheng glanced at the gloomy teaching building; it was still evening self-study time.
"Let's go out and get some fresh air."
As Lin Yuehua spoke, she clumsily climbed onto the platform.
"Hey, be careful—" Li Zhuangsheng said with concern.
Lin Yuehua seemed to ignore Li Zhuangsheng's reminder and soon climbed to the top floor as well.
She sat on the wooden plank, took a deep breath, and looked up at the starry sky.
"Here's your phone." Lin Yuehua took her phone out of her pocket. "I don't know if you'll be going back to class tonight."
"Oh, so you're here to deliver my phone?"
Li Zhuangsheng took the phone with gratitude on his face, but Lin Yuehua remained silent and did not look at him, only staring blankly at the night sky.
Li Zhuangsheng looked down and turned on the phone. Since the phone had been switched off, it still had a fair amount of battery left.
"Want to listen to some music?" Li Zhuangsheng blinked.
"Need not."
"Oh... um... you... sigh!"
As Li Zhuangsheng spoke, he sighed to himself again, ultimately unsure of what to say next.
He sat awkwardly next to Lin Yuehua, and after a long while, he said sheepishly, "How about we sit down here? It's a bit dangerous up here."
Lin Yuehua did not respond to him and remained silently lost in thought.
Li Zhuangsheng scratched his head, wondering why Lin Yuehua had come here. Was it just to find him? That seemed too narcissistic.
They probably just wanted to get out for a walk and happened to run into each other on the playground. After all, the school is only so big, and there are very few places where you can stroll around freely.
Lin Yuehua remained aloof and silent, so Li Zhuangsheng could only sit quietly beside her, unsure of what to do, and could only sit there idly.
"She's having surgery the day after tomorrow," Lin Yuehua suddenly said.
"Huh? Oh, you mean your grandma is having surgery the day after tomorrow?" Li Zhuangsheng said.
"Ah."
"So, once it's done, there won't be any problems, right?"
"It will take several sessions. The day after tomorrow will be the first time."
"Oh, it's alright, don't worry," Li Zhuangsheng said. "I heard that the county hospital will be inviting experts from Nanjing to perform scalpel surgery, right? Those experts from Nanjing must have very high medical skills!"
"Ah."
Lin Yuehua trembled slightly as she gazed at the distant starry sky, remaining silent for a long time. "...Li Zhuangsheng," she called softly.
"Yes, what's wrong?" Li Zhuangsheng quickly replied.
Lin Yuehua slowly turned her head to look at Li Zhuangsheng, her eyes brimming with tears:
"...Do you believe in fate?"
Li Zhuangsheng was stunned. He opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know how to respond.
“Some people say I’m a cursed star, destined to bring death to all my relatives,” Lin Yuehua hissed. “Perhaps that’s true.”
"Uh, no, no, no!" Li Zhuangsheng quickly interrupted, "What do you mean by a cursed star? That's pure superstition! Before I was born, a blind man told my fortune and said I would be the top scholar in the imperial examination! Do you think I have that ability?"
Lin Yuehua shook her head, bit her lip tightly, and tears streamed down her face.
"Don't cry...really, don't believe in this kind of feudal superstition. As young people of the 21st century, we should believe in science! This kind of thing...is just a matter of probability. If you encountered it, it's just bad luck!"
Li Zhuangsheng tried to comfort him in a flurry of activity, but his efforts were largely ineffective.
"Uh, no, think about it. It might be because you're a chosen one... Heaven bestows great responsibilities upon those who are destined for greatness! Many great people lost both parents at a young age, look at Confucius! And Newton, Gorky, Zhuge Liang... Does that mean they were some kind of cursed lone star? Really, don't take it to heart, it's just bad luck. Actually, let me tell you, my mother died too. Really, she passed away when I was very young, I have no memory of her at all! My stepmother lives with me now!"
"I……"
Lin Yuehua bit her lip and sobbed. Li Zhuangsheng waited quietly for her to continue, but Lin Yuehua just couldn't bring herself to say anything.
"Are you nervous?" Li Zhuangsheng suddenly became clever. "Are you afraid that your grandmother's surgery... isn't going well?"
Lin Yuehua bit her lip and slowly closed her eyes.
Yes, she was afraid. She was afraid that her grandmother's surgery would fail, and that her only remaining relative would also leave her.
She was afraid that she would be the only one left in the world. It was so painful.
She was extremely uneasy.
Previously, she had always disliked her grandmother burning incense and praying to Buddha at home. She looked down on these feudal superstitions and felt that they were just a waste of the family's already meager funds.
But now, she still devoutly kowtows to the clay Guanyin statue in her home every day, praying with tears in her eyes. She finally understands that some people's worship of gods and Buddhas is not foolishness, but rather the desperate attempt of a drowning person to grasp at the last straw.
This is what prompted her to search for Li Zhuangsheng.
She was lonely and sad, so she longed for a warmth that could embrace her vulnerability. Just like a kitten instinctively seeking a small space that provides a sense of security when it encounters danger.
In her subconscious, Li Zhuangsheng was the only person who didn't mind her sharp tongue and remained kind to her. She longed for this warmth and wanted to stay by Li Zhuangsheng's side. As long as she was with Li Zhuangsheng, her anxious heart would find some peace.
She knew Li Zhuangsheng was pitying her, but at this moment she didn't care anymore. Pity, at least, meant he cared.
If only my parents were still alive.
“Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid…” Li Zhuangsheng’s heart twitched slightly, and he couldn’t help but gently pat Lin Yuehua’s back. “Don’t worry, I’ve asked around. Your grandmother’s illness was discovered relatively early, so the risk is very small.”
Lin Yuehua, tears streaming down her face, grabbed Li Zhuangsheng's clothes, her face streaked with tears.
"It's alright, really alright." Li Zhuangsheng felt even more sorry for her, put his hand on her shoulder, and said in a softer voice, "Don't worry, we trust science. The experts in Nanjing are very capable. Don't worry about the money either, we will definitely raise all the funds."
However, Li Zhuangsheng's comforting words caused Lin Yuehua's emotions to completely break down. She suddenly hugged Li Zhuangsheng and burst into uncontrollable sobs!
Li Zhuangsheng remained silent, knowing his role at that moment, and let Lin Yuehua vent her anger.
The night sky was silent, and the evening breeze was blowing.
Li Zhuangsheng gazed at the empty sky with a melancholy sigh, recalling Li He's poem:
Flying light, flying light, let me offer you a cup of wine. I know not the height of the blue sky, nor the thickness of the yellow earth. I only see the cold moon and warm sun, which torment human life. Eating bear makes one fat, eating frog makes one thin. Where is the divine lord? Where is Taiyi?
In the eastern sky grows the Ruomu tree, beneath which rests a dragon holding a candle. I will cut off its feet, chew its flesh, so that it may neither return in the morning nor rest at night. Then the old will not die, and the young will not weep. (End of Chapter)