novelraw Chapter 109: Shen Que’s Gift
Chapter 109: Shen Que’s Gift
Jiang Cheng and the group from the night school walked back to the guesthouse.
On their way, they chatted excitedly and sang loudly, their enthusiasm startling many passersby.
They even attracted the attention of a neighborhood security lady, who followed them sneakily until they entered the guesthouse, after which she was finally reassured enough to leave.
After all, staying at a guesthouse indicates there’s nothing suspicious about their status.
The students who returned to the guesthouse went back to their rooms to rest.
As for dinner, Jiang Cheng took everyone to the canteen of the provincial theater to grab a meal.
Jiang Cheng and Jian Yueer shared a room.
Jian Yueer went upstairs first, while Jiang Cheng was chatting with the guesthouse lady, mainly inquiring about breakfast the next morning.
"Hello, I’m looking for Sister Jiang Cheng."
A little girl with two pigtails, holding a palm-sized piece of paper, looked up at Jiang Cheng and the lady.
Jiang Cheng walked over, bent down to the little girl, and said, "I’m Jiang Cheng."
The little girl cautiously examined Jiang Cheng, as if confirming something, before handing over the note she was holding.
Jiang Cheng curiously asked, "How did you know I’m Jiang Cheng?"
"Pretty!"
With that, the little girl turned and ran off, her twin braids playfully bouncing in the air.
Jiang Cheng smiled gently and opened the note in her hand.
The familiar handwriting appeared once again.
Shen Que.
"This person is getting addicted to sending messages."
The note said Shen Que was outside and wanted to meet Jiang Cheng.
Jiang Cheng folded the note, turned, and spoke a couple of sentences to the lady before heading upstairs again.
When she came back down, Principal Wang was beside her with a serious face.
"Principal, I just asked you to come out with me to avoid suspicion, you don’t have to be so serious, do you?"
Principal Wang looked at Jiang Cheng without a trace of a smile, shaking his head silently.
How could he not be serious?
An inconsiderate young man had come knocking!
Principal Wang’s heart, like that of a protective father, was entirely on guard as he followed closely behind Jiang Cheng.
He had to see just who this shameless person was trying to cozy up to... a young lady.
She was only twenty!
To this old man’s eyes, she was just a young girl!
*
At the same time, outside the guesthouse.
Shen Que, having bribed the little girl with three pieces of candy to deliver a message, was straightening up his green shirt.
"Wouldn’t white look better?"
Director Lian had lost count of how many times he had answered this question, and at this moment, he didn’t even want to respond to Shen Que.
Without having received an answer, Shen Que sat upright, not knowing how many breaths he’d taken.
He fixated his gaze on the guesthouse entrance, contemplating his first words.
"Should I say hello, or maybe long time no see, but that’s not right, we haven’t been apart for that long..."
Shen Que started again.
Director Lian was speechless but smiled.
"Shen Que, you have finally met your match today! Damn it—"
"Quiet, she’s here!"
Shen Que stood tall like a young poplar, and upon seeing Jiang Cheng emerge, he put on the smile he’d practiced in front of the mirror.
His smile froze halfway.
Why is there another person?
Can he still use the words he had prepared?
As Shen Que’s mind spun into a whirl, Jiang Cheng and Principal Wang arrived.
Principal Wang first looked at Shen Que, who was seated in a wheelchair, and before Shen Que could greet him, shifted his gaze steadfastly to Director Lian.
Principal Wang frowned: This one is too old!
Jiang Cheng stood about a meter away from Shen Que, politely nodded at him, and said, "Hello, Shen Que."
"Hello, Jiang Cheng."
Shen Que’s palms were sweaty, his mouth was dry, and his heart was pounding uncontrollably.
For a moment, he even feared Jiang Cheng would hear it and find it too noisy.
Principal Wang, standing aside, turned his head sharply, his gaze fixing on Shen Que, whom he had initially overlooked.
Is this person here for Jiang Cheng?
Young as he may be, but he’s in a wheelchair!
If this really touches off, how much of a burden would Jiang Cheng have to bear?
Principal Wang imagined a lot but did not interrupt.
Jiang Cheng listened to Shen Que’s greeting, waiting for his next words, but he fell silent.
Jiang Cheng puzzled, thinking he wrote plenty in his letters?
Well, he’s chatty with Shen Xing, but maybe not much to say with her.
Jiang Cheng thought she had found a perfect excuse and proactively asked, "Is there something you need from me? I’m heading back tomorrow. If there’s anything you want to send to Shen Xing or Shen Yue, I can bring it directly, or if there’s a message you want me to pass on to them?"
Pushing Shen Que’s wheelchair, Director Lian gave his back a hard poke.
That look, filled with the hatred of iron not becoming steel, and the effort put into the gesture reminded Shen Que to speak up.
For the first time, Shen Que was so nervous that his mouth worked faster than his brain.
"I... I have things for Shen Xing and them... no, what I mean is... well..."
Shen Que was flustered.
His brain was telling him not to panic, not to be nervous, but his mouth was doing something different.
Shen Que pinched his thigh hard beneath one hand.
His uncontrollable heartbeat made him smile awkwardly, gazing at Jiang Cheng with a hint of unease.
Jiang Cheng felt amused and indeed laughed.
"You don’t need to be so nervous, just consider me as Shen Xing and Shen Yue’s cousin or niece..."
"No!"
Shen Que blurted out a firm refusal.
After saying it, he simply discarded his prepared script and picked up a handbag beside the wheelchair.
"Inside this bag are things I prepared for Shen Xing, Shen Yue, and Auntie; it’s all sorted."
Shen Que placed the handbag in front of the wheelchair, between him and Jiang Cheng.
Putting the bag in place, Shen Que took a deep breath, trying to control his gaze, and looked directly at Jiang Cheng, saying, "There’s also something in there for you."
"For me?"
Jiang Cheng’s hand paused mid-air as she politely declined, "There’s no need to give me anything, I didn’t earn it."
Shen Que’s ears blushed red, his gaze slightly shifting as he said, "It’s not a thank you gift; it’s something I want to give to you."
After saying that, Shen Que, fearing rejection, instinctively turned the wheelchair around.
Turning it around, he called out without looking back, "I will stand up someday!"
Director Lian, caught off guard by Shen Que’s unexpected move, produced his credentials seriously for the sake of his brother’s happiness.
"I’m the... director at the provincial hospital, I personally certify that Shen Que’s legs will indeed stand up!"
After saying that, Director Lian nodded towards Jiang Cheng and turned to catch up with Shen Que, who wheeled himself away.
Jiang Cheng, realizing what had just happened, tilted her head to Principal Wang and asked, "Was that an... implicit confession?"
Principal Wang also finally realized that everything he imagined was completely off base.
This was clearly a one-sided interest from the young man, and Jiang Cheng hadn’t even caught on yet.
"My goodness! This is way too subtle!"
Reflecting on the scene, Jiang Cheng said with a laugh and tears, "If you didn’t have some intelligence, you couldn’t understand at all!"
Principal Wang, listening to Jiang Cheng, tentatively asked, "Is that all you want to say? Don’t you have any other thoughts?"
Jiang Cheng picked up the bag from the ground, looked at Shen Que’s departing figure, and said, "I do!"
"I’m thinking... after twenty years, Shen Que is actually the first person to express his feelings for me, even though I’m so outstanding, it’s truly baffling."
Principal Wang: "..."