Those things that happened in those years

Chapter 68 Everything happens for a reason

Hong Liguo and Fa Zi walked side by side on their way home from school, the setting sun casting long shadows of the two of them.

Hong Liguo slowed his pace and quietly moved closer to Fa Zi, his voice low and filled with the curiosity and nervousness unique to young people: "Fa Zi, did you give her that love letter?"

Fa Zi's cheeks flushed instantly, like the clouds dyed by the setting sun. He pursed his lips and softly replied, "I gave it to you."

"Give it to her?" Hong Liguo's eyes widened in surprise. He quickly asked, "Did you give it to her yourself or did someone else give it to her on your behalf? When did you give it to her? I'm with you every day, how come I didn't notice at all!"

Fa Zi's lips curled up secretly, a hint of smugness in them, and he smiled mysteriously: "How can I let you watch this? We have to find a quiet opportunity to do it."

Hong Liguo frowned, his eyes fixed on Fa Zi, full of suspicion: "Really? You're not just bragging, are you?"

Fa Zi curled his lip, putting on a nonchalant look: "Don't believe me if you don't want to, anyway, I gave it to you."

Looking at Fa Zi's feigned composure, Hong Liguo couldn't help but admire him. Someone who usually seemed so shy actually dared to hand over a love letter; that courage and boldness was truly extraordinary. He gave Fa Zi a thumbs up and sincerely said, "You're amazing, you're really awesome."

No sooner had he said that than a bicycle bell rang out behind them, and Jun Ge, along with Yan Bin, Hong Bo, and the others, quickly caught up.

Jun patted Hong Liguo on the shoulder and asked curiously, "What amazing thing happened? What incredible thing did Fa Zi do to make you praise him so much?"

Just as Hong Liguo was about to reveal that Fa Zi had written a love letter to Guo Xianmei, Fa Zi's face flushed red again, even redder than before. He hurriedly tugged at Hong Liguo's arm and said in a panic, "Don't talk nonsense! It's nothing, there's nothing amazing about it, don't make wild guesses."

Yanbin chuckled to himself, his eyes full of mischief: "You two were whispering to each other for ages, all sneaky and suspicious. I don't even need to guess to know—is Fa Zi seeing someone? Which pretty girl is it? Tell us! Let us be happy for you too."

Upon hearing this, Jun Ge's face immediately showed a hint of jealousy. He sighed and said, "Why can you guys hook up with pretty girls? Why can't Yanbin and I? We can't even get one. This is just too unfair!"

Hongbo chimed in, his voice tinged with the same grievance: "Why are there only the two of you? I'm here too! I haven't found a boyfriend either."

Hong Liguo quickly waved his hand and said with a smile, "Don't say that, it's as if I have a boyfriend—I'm just like you guys, I don't have any targets at all."

Fa Zi also pursed his lips, looked at Jie not far away, and said with a hint of envy, "I don't have one either! Only Jie has a girlfriend. Is that guy burning incense and making offerings at home every day? He's so lucky."

Upon hearing this, Hong Bo immediately burst into laughter, his voice rising several decibels: "Zhang Qiaoyun, that big big big big... hahaha! Jie, did you manage to touch her?"

Jay's face instantly turned bright red, as if it had been roasted by fire. He glared at Hongbo and roared angrily, "Get out! Do you think you can just touch my things as you please?"

Jun Ge joined in the commotion, deliberately drawing out his words: "It's more than just bumping into each other, I'm afraid..." Before he finished speaking, the group burst into laughter.

Jay couldn't stand the commotion any longer and said, "How can you be so casual! You guys are so annoying." With that, he pedaled his old bicycle—everyone called it "Black Crow"—a few times, and the bike rattled and sped away with Jay on it.

Yanbin watched Jie's retreating figure, still laughing: "I bet he's got all the benefits! I saw him kissing Zhang Qiaoyun a few days ago, right by the back wall of the school."

Jun teased him deliberately, "You dare to look at anything? Aren't you afraid of ruining your eyes?"

Yanbin quickly waved his hand and explained, looking completely innocent: "I was just looking at it by accident, I didn't mean to peek, how could it cause my eyes to rot!"

Just then, Hong Bo quietly approached Hong Liguo, lowered his voice, and asked mysteriously, "By the way, did Qiao Shuang reply to your letter? What's going on between you two? Any progress?"

Upon hearing this, Hong Liguo's heart skipped a beat, as if something had hit him—he had kept his love letter to Qiao Shuang extremely secret, and even Fa Zi only guessed it later, so how could Hong Bo know?

He instinctively turned to look at Fa Zi, and a guess immediately formed in his mind: Fa Zi must have leaked the news! He remembered that day he was distracted because of Qiao Shuang, and Fa Zi noticed his abnormality and kept asking him what was wrong. Later, Fa Zi guessed several times and finally guessed correctly, even asking him if he liked Qiao Shuang.

Hong Liguo was particularly surprised and asked Fa Zi, "How did you know it was Qiao Shuang?" Fa Zi chuckled and pointed at his eyes, saying, "With those hooked eyes of yours, always staring at Qiao Shuang for no reason, I'm not blind, how could I not see it?"

Later, Fa Zi asked him how far things had progressed, and Hong Liguo sighed and said there hadn't been any progress at all. He still didn't know what Qiao Shuang was thinking.

Fa Zi even advised him, "Why don't you write her a love letter to confess your feelings? If you do, you'll know whether she has feelings for you or not."

Thinking of this, Hong Liguo couldn't help but sigh again, a look of melancholy on his face, and he didn't say anything more.

Fa Zi seemed to understand his thoughts and continued, "You've been acting strange these past few days, listless and always sighing. Could it be that Qiao Shuang rejected you?"

"It's good that he refused," Hong Liguo said with a wry smile at the time, "At least I know the truth now, and I don't have to worry so much."

"So what? She didn't say anything?" Fa Zi pressed.

Seeing that there was no need to hide it from Fa Zi any longer, Hong Liguo told him about writing a love letter to Qiao Shuang, his tone full of disappointment: "I don't know what she's thinking. She won't give me a straight answer about whether it's going to work out or not. Look at her, she's acting like nothing happened. I think it's probably hopeless."

Fa Zi frowned and thought for a moment, then patted his shoulder and comforted him, "Maybe she's still considering it. Don't worry, there will definitely be good news."

Hong Liguo knew in his heart that Fa Zi was trying to comfort him—if there were really good news, it would have come long ago. Even bad news would be fine, at least it would make him give up completely and stop him from suffering like this every day.

At this moment, Fa Zi noticed that Hong Liguo was staring at him, and he knew that Hong Liguo had guessed that he had leaked the information. His cheeks turned red again, and he said somewhat embarrassedly, "I really didn't mean to tell them. It was just that when we were chatting that day, I wasn't paying attention and it just slipped out."

Jun Ge chimed in, "Honestly, I don't think Qiao Shuang is a good match. Her cold, aloof demeanor makes her seem unapproachable. Xiao Guo, I always thought you and Wang Yuxin were a couple! I often saw her walking with you, chatting away. We all deliberately avoided her to create opportunities for you, but I never expected you'd set your sights on Qiao Shuang."

Yanbin nodded in agreement, his face full of conviction: "Exactly! Wang Yuxin is so great, beautiful, kind, and academically excellent. She's also incredibly kind to you. I always thought you two were dating, but the other day Fa Zi said you liked Qiao Shuang, and none of us believed him. We even argued with him for ages!"

Hong Liguo looked at Fa Zi again, a hint of helplessness in his eyes. Fa Zi knew what he meant, so he quickly lowered his head, pedaled his bicycle a few times, and tried to change the subject.

Hong Liguo sped up to catch up with him, teasing him on purpose: "Fa Zi, you're really something! You tell them everything, and even say it just slipped out of your mouth. I think you did it on purpose."

Fa Zi didn't argue, he just chuckled, his ears turning bright red.

Hong Bo then spoke up, his tone serious: "I also think Wang Yuxin is better than Qiao Shuang. Wang Yuxin is warm and approachable, and she's had a crush on you since the first year of junior high, didn't you notice? Besides, you two were very close in elementary school; you'd bring her crabapples, and she'd blow up balloons for you—it was truly enviable!"

"Don't make wild guesses," Hong Liguo retorted, but inwardly he wondered, "What makes you think she's interested in me?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Hongbo said with a smile. "If she wasn't interested, why would she always talk to you? I've never seen her initiate a conversation with us even once."

After listening to Hong Bo's words, Hong Liguo thought about it carefully—it really was true. Every time Wang Yuxin saw him, he would take the initiative to greet him and sometimes chat with him about his studies and family matters. But he was always polite but distant towards Jun Ge and the others.

Thinking of this, the stagnant place in Hong Liguo's heart was suddenly struck by a small pebble, causing ripples to spread, and even making his steps a little lighter.

The next morning, Hong Liguo arrived at school and couldn't help but laugh when he saw Fa Zi. Fa Zi was sitting in his seat, not knowing where to put his hands, and his eyes kept glancing in Guo Xianmei's direction. His uneasy appearance was exactly the same as when he had stuffed the love letter into Qiao Shuang's hand.

During the break, Hong Liguo also took the opportunity to steal glances at Guo Xianmei, trying to glean something from her face. But after a long look, he found nothing—Guo Xianmei was as usual, either chatting with her deskmate or looking down at her book, her expression calm, as if she knew nothing about the love letter. He couldn't help but wonder: Could it be that Fa Zi's love letter had also disappeared without a trace?

Seeing Fa Zi fidgeting and sighing from time to time, Hong Liguo felt quite bad – he didn't want Fa Zi to end up like him, full of expectations only to have them come to nothing.

The morning passed by without any activity; the afternoon was still quiet, with no reaction from Guo Xianmei.

As school was about to let out, Fa Zi quietly approached Hong Liguo, his voice filled with disappointment: "Is it all over? It's been so long, why hasn't he reacted at all?"

Hong Liguo patted him on the shoulder and comforted him, "No! Maybe she's not comfortable giving you an answer in public. How about this, after school later, when you see she's alone, deliberately approach her and see if she gives any hints."

Fa Zi's face flushed red, and she hesitated before saying, "Is this...is this okay? What if...what if she doesn't have that intention, and then attacks me again?"

Hong Liguo knew exactly what Fa Zi was worried about—Guo Xianmei had a gentle personality, but if she really angered her, she could be quite formidable. If she really didn't like Fa Zi, and Fa Zi went up to her like this, he might actually get a scolding.

Looking at Fa Zi's expectant yet fearful expression, he couldn't help but laugh again. This laugh made Fa Zi even more embarrassed, and he almost lowered his head under the table.

But as he laughed, Hong Liguo's smile suddenly froze—he suddenly remembered that he had experienced the same thing not long ago. He was even more nervous than Fa Zi back then, and now he had the nerve to laugh at others.

Hong Liguo muttered to himself: What's going on? Why are we both so unlucky? Even confessing our feelings is so difficult. If we don't succeed in the end, it will be too embarrassing. We're supposed to be the "Six Swordsmen," but now we've become the "Six Scoundrels."

School was almost over, but there was still no news. Looking at Fa Zi's dejected appearance, Hong Liguo made a tough decision: For the sake of his friend, he would be a "warrior" and take the initiative to test Guo Xianmei.

As soon as the school bell rang, Hong Liguo deliberately dawdled, waiting until most of the students had left before casually approaching Guo Xianmei. He chatted with her for a bit about schoolwork, and when no one was around, he quickly lowered his voice and said, "Um... is there anything you want to say to Sun Qingfa? If so, I can pass it on for you."

Guo Xianmei was taken aback by his words, looking at Hong Liguo with a puzzled expression, as if she didn't understand what he meant. After a few seconds, her cheeks slowly flushed, and she probably understood what Hong Liguo meant—after all, she was two years older than him, and should understand these kinds of young people's little thoughts better than they did.

Seeing her blush, Hong Liguo thought things were looking promising and would naturally fall into place. But to his surprise, Guo Xianmei just blushed, said nothing, turned around and left, leaving Hong Liguo standing there, completely bewildered.

After school, Hong Liguo told Fa Zi about it, and Fa Zi's eyes immediately dimmed, and his once straight shoulders slumped. The two looked at each other, both feeling that the matter was likely to fall through.

That day after school, Hong Liguo and Fa Zi came out of the school first, slowly riding their bicycles while waiting for Jun Ge and the others.

I had only walked a little over a mile when I saw two bicycles parked by the roadside, with two girls standing next to them, tiptoeing and peering into the crowd of students leaving school, as if they were looking for someone.

Hong Liguo squinted and looked around, suddenly noticing that one of the girls' features resembled Guo Xianmei's. He quickly nudged Fa Zi's arm and excitedly said, "Fa Zi, look! Isn't that Guo Xianmei standing by the roadside? She looks like her! She's definitely waiting for you here, Fa Zi, we've got a chance!"

Fa Zi looked in the direction he pointed, examined it carefully for a while, then shook his head and whispered, "It doesn't look like her, it's not her."

As they were talking, the two rode up to the two girls—because they were still suspicious and wanted to verify whether it was Guo Xianmei or not, they rode very slowly.

Upon closer inspection, Hong Liguo still felt they resembled each other, but upon closer look, he felt something was off. Compared to Guo Xianmei, these two girls seemed more mature.

Just as Hong Liguo was puzzled, one of the girls suddenly took two steps forward and blocked their way.

Hong Liguo and Fa Zi had to stop their bicycles, both feeling a little panicked. Upon closer inspection, they both realized—it really wasn't Guo Xianmei; these two girls just looked like her.

Before Hong Liguo could speak, the girl who had blocked his way spoke first, staring directly at Fa Zi: "You're Sun Qingfa?"

Fa Zi was unsure of what the other person meant and felt a little apprehensive. After hesitating for a moment, he nodded and asked in a low voice, "I am Sun Qingfa, and you are...?"

Before he could finish speaking, the girl suddenly raised her hand and slapped Fa Zi hard across the face.

The sudden slap left Fa Zi completely bewildered. He stood there stunned for a long time, unable to react, looking utterly confused.

Immediately afterwards, another girl stepped forward, grabbed Fa Zi's collar, and slapped her again, the sound even louder than before.

Because the other person was a girl, even if Fa Zi was very angry, he was too embarrassed to fight back and could only subconsciously back away.

Although Hong Liguo wanted to help, the other party was a girl after all. They had never hit a girl before, and for a moment, they didn't know what to do and could only stand by anxiously.

While dodging, Fa Zi hurriedly explained, "Who are you? Why are you hitting me? What did I do to you? I don't even know you two, why are you hitting me!"

"Why should I?" The girl, grabbing his collar and pulling his hair, glared at him angrily. "Who told you to write love letters to my sister! You're so young, yet you're already acting like a bad person. Wanting to date at such a young age, hitting you is too lenient!"

Upon hearing this, Hong Liguo and Fa Zi suddenly realized—these two girls who looked like Guo Xianmei were Guo Xianmei's older sisters! They must have seen the love letter Fa Zi wrote to Guo Xianmei, which is why they came here to cause trouble for Fa Zi and stand up for their sister.

But the two still had doubts: Did these two older sisters come on their own, or did Guo Xianmei send them? Did they secretly rummage through Guo Xianmei's bag and find the love letter, or did Guo Xianmei herself show the love letter to the sisters?

Fa Zi still didn't dare to fight back, and could only keep dodging, leaving several red marks on his arms.

Hong Liguo was extremely anxious and could only reach out to stop her, trying to pull her hand away, but he couldn't touch her too forcefully, so he could only gently block her. As a result, in the chaos, he also got hit several times, his arm was hit several times and was still a little sore.

Fa Zi was in even worse shape; his face was scratched with several bloody marks, which were quite noticeable.

Later, the two of them learned that the cause of the matter was actually quite coincidental—Guo Xianmei had not found the love letter in her schoolbag when she came home from school yesterday.

After getting home, she put her schoolbag on the table and went to eat.

Her second sister finished eating before her and was thinking about doing her homework, but her own pen wasn't working well, so she thought she would borrow Guo Xianmei's pen for a while and return it to her after Guo Xianmei finished eating.

To her surprise, when she opened Guo Xianmei's schoolbag to look for a pen, she found the neatly folded love letter. Curious, she secretly took the letter out and hid it in her textbook.

After she finished her homework, taking advantage of Guo Xianmei's absence, she quickly called her older sister over and said, "Sister, I found a letter in my younger sister's schoolbag. I don't know who gave it to her, or what it says. Do you think we should open it and take a look?"

The older sister frowned and said, "Isn't that a bad idea? If my younger sister finds out, she'll definitely be angry."

"But do you think my little sister might be dating someone? Otherwise, why would she write to her?" the second sister whispered.

This sentence immediately reminded the older sister—they both knew that many junior high school students were dating these days, and what if their younger sister really did that and it interfered with her studies?

After discussing it, the two couldn't resist and secretly opened the letter behind Guo Xianmei's back.