manynovel Chapter 22 The Ignorant Youth
Chapter 22 The Ignorant Youth
Jie's words were like a key, instantly unlocking the floodgates of Hong Liguo's memory, making him involuntarily think of Qiao Shuang. His feelings for Qiao Shuang were no different. Every time he could steal a few extra glances at her, exchange a few words with her, even if those words were only about textbooks or homework, unrelated to feelings, his heart would feel as sweet as honey, and he would be happy for a long time. However, Qiao Shuang seemed to have no special feelings for him at all. She always treated him with the same attitude she would have towards an ordinary classmate, polite yet distant. Occasionally, Hong Liguo would find an excuse to talk to her, such as asking a question, but she would only give a few simple replies before lowering her head to do her own thing, unwilling to say another word. Her aloof and arrogant demeanor was like an iceberg, radiating an aura of unapproachability, making people hesitant to approach her.
Suddenly, Hong Liguo remembered something else. One day on the way home from school, Hong Bo mysteriously pulled him aside and whispered in his ear that a girl in their class had fallen for Liu Guochen, the handsome boy in Hong Liguo's class. The girl mustered all the courage she had in her life and stopped Liu Guochen during lunch break to confess her feelings, only to be cruelly rejected by him, who said, "I don't have feelings for you, don't look for me again." At that moment, the girl cried her heart out in class, tears streaming down her face like a broken string of pearls, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably, and no one could comfort her. Later, she didn't come to school for several days. Everyone inquired privately and found out that she felt ashamed in front of her classmates because of the failed confession, and she was too embarrassed to come to school. She cried and made a scene at home, refusing to study no matter what.
Upon hearing this, Hong Liguo's eyes widened in astonishment, his mouth agape for a long time before he exclaimed, "Such a thing is true? Just because he was rejected, he's too ashamed to continue his studies? That's outrageous!"
But now, thinking about it carefully, Hong Liguo started to panic: if this really happened to him, being rejected by the person he liked would be incredibly embarrassing. He really wouldn't know how to hold his head up in front of his classmates afterward. Oh! He had tried to talk to Qiao Shuang several times, but she hadn't responded positively. Could it be that she had already seen through his feelings? Was she deliberately ending the conversation after just a few words to save him face and prevent him from being embarrassed in public? Could that really be the case? If that were the case, then his feelings for Qiao Shuang would also be one-sided, like a barber's stick, burning his heart on one side only!
Hongbo seemed to read his mind, looking at him with a half-smile, his eyes conveying "I understand you," and asked, "What are you thinking about? Your face is all red. You don't happen to have feelings for any of the girls in your class, do you?"
Hong Liguo felt as if someone had hit a nerve, his heart pounded with panic, and his palms sweated. He quickly waved his hands to cover it up, saying, "What are you thinking? I have so much to do all day, homework, chores at home. I don't have time to think about girls. Unlike you, who only knows how to gossip about useless things all day long. Be careful you don't get caught by the teacher."
Just as Hong Liguo was immersed in his memories and his mind was in turmoil, a few clear and melodious bicycle bells suddenly rang in his ears, "Ding-a-ling—ding-a-ling—", interrupting his thoughts.
He subconsciously turned his head and saw Wang Yuxin riding a brand-new women's bicycle, speeding up after him.
Because Jie was still crying, he was worried that Wang Yuxin would feel embarrassed if he saw it, so he quickly raised his hand and wiped his face vigorously with his sleeve until there were no obvious tear stains. Then he said, "I'm leaving first, see you at school tomorrow morning," and hurriedly got on his old "Black Crow" bicycle. He pedaled his legs quickly and powerfully, leaving Hong Liguo and Wang Yuxin far behind in a few strokes, their figures getting smaller and smaller.
Just as Hong Liguo was about to speed up to catch up with Jie, Wang Yuxin's clear voice came from behind: "Hong Liguo, don't rush off, I have something to tell you!"
Hong Liguo didn't really want to hear her talk—every time Wang Yuxin approached him, it was either about studying or advising him to stop hanging out with Jun Ge and his friends. He'd heard those things countless times; his ears were practically calloused. But he felt awkward ignoring her; after all, they were classmates, seeing each other every day in the classroom, and it wouldn't look good if things got tense. So, he reluctantly stopped, got off the car, and impatiently turned around, asking, "What is it? Hurry up and say it. Look, they've run so far ahead; if I don't chase after them, I'll fall behind."
Wang Yuxin got off his bike, propped it up, and glanced at the group of people ahead, now just tiny dots, in the direction Hong Liguo pointed. He frowned slightly and said earnestly, "Can't you find your way home? You insist on hanging out with those guys. Look at you all, all you do is play around and fight. What kind of future do you expect? You should start thinking about your future. Stop being so foolish."
Faced with Wang Yuxin's repeated, earnest concern, Hong Liguo suddenly felt as if struck by lightning. A thought flashed through his mind that startled even himself: Could Wang Yuxin like me? My God! Please, please don't let it be true. If she really likes me, and someone like me, who has absolutely no feelings for her, were to reject her directly like Liu Guochen rejected that girl, would she cry her eyes out like that girl in Hong Bo's class, then feel too ashamed to face anyone and never come to school again? That would be absolutely terrible. She's such a good student, always among the top students in the class. If she drops out because of this, I'll be a sinner for all time. But, upon further reflection, it seemed unlikely. He knew himself best—average looks, mediocre grades, and no special talents. How could someone as outstanding as Wang Yuxin be interested in him? I'm just worrying unnecessarily, like dreaming of marrying a wife, just indulging in wishful thinking!
Seeing Hong Liguo standing there blankly, staring into the distance, not saying a word for a long time, Wang Yuxin curiously stepped forward and asked, "What are you thinking about? Why are you so absent-minded? You didn't respond when I called you?"
Hong Liguo was jolted back to reality by her voice. His heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly waved his hands, saying, "I wasn't thinking about anything, I wasn't thinking about anything, I was just a little distracted. Just tell me what's wrong, I have to catch up with them after that, or I really won't be able to catch up."
Seeing his impatient expression, Wang Yuxin sighed softly, a hint of helplessness on her face, and then began to talk about the monthly exams from a couple of days ago. She said with concern, "Your grades are stuck in the middle, it's really dangerous. If you don't work harder, your final exams will be in serious trouble, you might even fail and have to repeat a grade. Think about it, how well you studied in elementary school! You were always in the top three in every exam, and the teachers always praised you as a role model. You were so successful back then. How come your grades started to decline as soon as you entered middle school? What happened to you?"
Hearing her words, Hong Liguo felt a little unconvinced and argued in a low voice, "Middle school questions are much harder than elementary school questions, and there are more subjects, such as Chinese, math, politics, history, geography, and botany. It's normal that I can't adapt all at once. You know I do my homework at home until quite late every night. I've already tried my best."
Wang Yuxin looked at him, her eyes filled with disappointment and helplessness. She raised her voice and her tone became harsher: "I don't think that's the reason at all! You know in your heart that you haven't put your mind to your studies at all. Look at you, all you do is think about useless things all day long. You're either thinking about how to dominate the martial arts world or how to compete with others to see who's stronger. What's the use of those illusory things? You'd be better off using that time to study, to understand the problems you don't know. Maybe your grades would have improved by now."
Hong Liguo was extremely annoyed by her nagging and wished he could disappear into a crack in the ground. Here it comes again, repeating the same things over and over. Doesn't she get tired of it herself? He really wanted to pull out two cotton balls from his pocket and stuff them tightly into his ears so he wouldn't have to listen to her "chanting" in his ear.
At the time, he was secretly thinking: If you really like me, hurry up and confess to me! Then I will reject you directly and without mercy, just like Liu Guochen rejected that girl, so that you can also taste what it feels like to be rejected. That way, you won't have the face to come to me again, and I can have a few days of peace and quiet without having to listen to your nagging.
"Get your act together! You're only in the first year of junior high, there's still time. You're not stupid, as long as you work hard, listen attentively in class, and finish your homework on time, you'll definitely get good grades. You'll get into a good school, get a good job, and then you'll definitely be able to get a city residency permit. This is a major event that will affect your whole life, you can't keep drifting like this." Wang Yuxin kept talking, his tone full of anxiety, showing no sign of stopping.
Hong Liguo sighed silently to himself. "Ugh! This is so annoying. Job assignments, city residency—what's so great about all this?" He felt perfectly content in his hometown, with familiar friends and his beloved fields; he didn't care about city residency at all. "Ugh! Meeting you has been the worst luck I've ever had. Why can't I get rid of you?"
Just as Hong Liguo was feeling helpless and only wanted to end the conversation as soon as possible, Wang Yuxin continued to talk about the importance of studying, but his thoughts had already drifted far away, flying to the riverbank where he and Jie used to catch fish, flying to the woods where he and Jun Ge used slingshots to hunt birds...