Chapter 11 Leaving with Chi Jin
Chi Jin and I left ahead of schedule.
On the way home, Chi Jin kept stealing glances at me.
I forced my voice to stay steady.
"I am fine. It is just that my body is not feeling well."
After that, I added, "It is much better now."
My face showed no abnormality.
Chi Jin's tightly clenched jaw relaxed a bit.
He said, "Go home early and rest."
This was the first time I heard Chi Jin's direct concern.
I pressed my lips and smiled. "Okay."
Chi Jin's gaze stayed on my left cheek for a long time.
I asked softly, "What is it?"
Chi Jin cleared his throat. "So you have dimples."
Hearing that, I nodded embarrassedly.
The way home was silent.
He Nan Hang's actions were faster than I imagined.
I had just entered the door when he sent me a message.
I used the same excuse to fob him off.
But what could be avoided in the first year could not be avoided forever.
He Nan Hang's frequency of looking for me increased.
He would send harassing messages from time to time.
[Chen Wu, I brought breakfast for you.
[Are you going to the amusement park this weekend?
[You look so cute when you sleep, Chen Wu. I will take you to cut your hair another day?]
...
I kept a straight face and blocked He Nan Hang.
The next day, I was tricked into the Equipment Room.
The bespectacled boy spoke with a choked voice. "Sorry, I did not listen to them. I am going to be beaten."
I pressed my lips tight and kept twisting the doorknob.
When I moved things earlier, I took off my coat.
But the boy took my clothes.
It was late November now, and the weather was getting colder.
The power in the Equipment Room had been cut off on purpose.
The room without heating was very cold.
I was trembling in my thin shirt.
I leaned against the door and vaguely heard a few voices.
"Someone is locked in here. Go call He Ge."
"I think of this heroic rescue scene. Talent."
"Tsk, hurry and call people. I am guarding here."
I slid down against the door and sat on the ground with a thud.
When I was a child, Grandpa went out early and came back late to sell vegetables.
I would be locked at home alone until it got dark.
When the familiar footsteps sounded, the warm yellow kerosene lamp would drive away the darkness.
Grandpa would apologize to me. His rough fingers would caress my cheek. "Sorry, Grandpa came home late."
I would throw myself into Grandpa's arms. "It is okay!"
My arms hugged my knees tight.
In a daze, I seemed to hear those footsteps.
The hurried steps carried urgent concern.
Suddenly, the door panel behind me made a slapping sound.
"Chen Wu! Are you inside?"
I suddenly opened my eyes wide and stood up shakily.
The next second, the door was pushed open hard.
A beam of light shone through the crack onto my face.
My eyes followed the light.
In the hazy light, Chi Jin's face gradually became clear.
He caught me. "Hey, wake up!"