beginning

As the days went by, Chen Li calmly accepted the start of school; he calmly accepted that he not only had to finish his studies but also went to graduate school; he calmly accepted the sincere or false compliments from the people around him.It's just that sometimes when looking through the circle of friends, I still think of the city where I grew up. Yan Qi and Shen Duo both stayed there to go to college, and they would meet each other when they had time. Chen Li seemed to feel that he was the only one who was getting farther and farther away.

Sometimes he would think of that person, Chen Li didn't know what kind of emotion he had when thinking of her, since he was separated, how should he think of her, what does it matter?

Chen Li gradually began to get used to this place called "Emperor Capital", to the strange weather here, to the always foggy sky here.I am used to not having everything I am familiar with here, but I can give myself the feeling of being safe and not having to care about anyone or anything.Chen Li even felt that her future life would probably be spent here.

In September of that year, Lin Xiangwan took over a new class of freshman high school students, starting another three-year cycle.She gradually discovered that after being a teacher for a long time, she is really immune to parting.The students keep changing from class to class, and the ignorant children from the previous class leave soon and enter the school again, and the only ones who stay in place are always the teachers.

Among the new children, some are smart and good-looking, kind-hearted and gentle, and some are kind to her. Looking at those children, Lin Xiangwan can't help but think of Chen Li when he was a sophomore in high school.She seemed to have lost track of how long it had been since she had seen her.

One day when Chen Li was a sophomore, he saw Tiao Lin Xiangwan's post in his circle of friends, and he positioned it as an airport in Shanghai, as if he was going to Beijing for business.For some reason, she suddenly wanted to see Lin Xiangwan.

When Lin Xiangwan got off the plane, a message popped up as soon as the phone was turned on, showing that it was from Chen Li, "Are you coming to Beijing? Let's meet."

Lin Xiangwan looked at the dialog box. The last message was more than two years ago.Fingers quickly typed on the keyboard, "I just got off the plane, I didn't see it before. Okay, let's meet."

After thinking about it, I added, "I'm not familiar with Beijing, so you can choose the place."

After a while, the screen lit up, "You go back to the hotel to rest first, and send me the location when you arrive.".

Lin Xiangwan replied "Yes", but felt a little nervous for some reason. Maybe he and her hadn't met peacefully for too long.

Lin Xiangwan returned to the hotel, sorted out his things briefly, and rested for a while.Chen Li sent the location as if he had counted the time, it was a coffee shop only 500 meters away from the hotel.Lin Xiangwan immediately understood why Chen Li asked her to send her the location of the hotel. It had been a long time since she had treated her so caringly and tenderly. Lin Xiangwan felt a little embarrassed for a while. a certain distance.

Standing at the door of the coffee shop, Lin Xiangwan was a bit hesitant. It was already very cold in Beijing in December, so Lin Xiangwan tightened his scarf, pushed the door and walked in.

The moment she looked inside, it took her almost a second to find Chen Li among everyone.

Chen Li also saw her, stood up and waved to her, the smile on his face was more like the warm sun on a winter afternoon than the bright one when he was young.Seeing each other again this time, Lin Xiangwan deeply felt that Chen Li really seemed to be no longer the child in his memory.She was wearing a black overcoat and dark trousers on her lower body, which made her tall and straight.The hair is much shorter and looks neat and tidy.He no longer looks like a young man in the past few years, and he has probably become a very good adult.

Lin Xiangwan walked over, and before he could speak, he heard Chen Li say in a familiar but mature voice, "Long time no see, Teacher Lin."

Lin Xiangwan was stunned for a moment, and raised his hand to pat the back of Chen Li's head twice, pretending to be familiar, and said with a smile, "Well, it's really been a long time."

Chen Li sat down with a smile, looked at the coffee in front of him, and said, "It's cold outside, warm your hands."

After a pause, "I ordered for you according to my previous habits. I don't know if your taste has changed."

Lin Xiangwan picked up the steaming coffee on the table, remembering that in winter, Chen Li would always bring her a cup of coffee in the morning and put it on her desk early.

Lin Xiangwan always felt a little embarrassed when Chen Li accidentally mentioned the incident at that time.She looked at the people around her, but she still looked calm. It turned out that after such a long time, she was the only one who was still struggling with the past.

"What have you been up to recently? How are the new students doing?" Chen Li asked after taking a sip of his coffee.

Lin Xiangwan shook his head, "Children nowadays are becoming more and more disobedient. Compared with you back then, it's much worse."

Chen Li smiled softly, and said in a teasing tone, "Every teacher has a white moonlight in his heart called 'the previous student'."

"What are you talking about?" Lin Xiangwan blamed and pushed Chen Li, "And you, how are you doing in college?"

Chen Li supported his head, fiddling with the paper towels on the table with one hand, "I've always been like that, I'm so busy. Schools, research institutes, and dormitories are always on the go. But I'm getting used to it."

After finishing speaking, he hooked the corners of his mouth, "Fortunately, you came here, and sneaked out while you were busy."

Then there was a long period of blankness. The two sat on the bar counter by the window, watching the people coming and going outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, but they didn't speak again.It's like after finishing the most ordinary pleasantries, I forget how to talk in the past years.Lin Xiangwan was good at coping with such situations in the past, but he didn't know how to speak to this familiar yet unfamiliar person.

In the end, it was Chen Li who broke the silence, lowered his head and stirred the coffee and said, "It's been so many years, do you have a boyfriend yet?"

Lin Xiangwan smiled and shook his head, "I'm so busy, I don't have time to fall in love. I really think I'm just like a young man your age."

She remembered that she still owed Chen Li an answer after graduation.

"What about you? There should be quite a few girls chasing you at school." Lin Xiangwan asked jokingly.

Unexpectedly, Chen Li was also calm, and nodded without concealing, "There are quite a few."

"But I don't know, I go to the research institute whenever I have free time. It's all my roommate who sold my contact information, and I don't have time to contact people when they want me."

Lin Xiangwan wanted to ask Chen Li, if that was the case, would she still want to know the answer back then?Although Chen Li's answer was what she had expected, "understatement, and take it with a smile".

Chen Li said slowly: "This time I'm asking you to meet, there is one more thing...the things that happened at that time, I was ignorant, so...let them go."

As soon as Chen Li finished speaking, the cell phone on the table rang, and he said, "Let me answer the tutor's call," before running away in a hurry.

Lin Xiangwan sat in a chair, drinking coffee and thinking about what Chen Li said.Although such a result is too normal for her now and for Chen Li, who is already a mature adult.But this apology for what happened back then, what was it about back then?Is it Chen Li's liking for her, or his contempt for her in the end?

Lin Xiangwan knew that back then, she didn't have to be so categorical and didn't give either of them a leeway.It made Chen Li feel that her liking was just a silly trick in his eyes; his tenderness and pampering was just a bargaining chip to coax her into winning honor for the school.

"Well, I'm sorry, our instructor suddenly asked me to go back. How about this, tell me when you leave, and I'll see you off when I find time." Chen Li hurried over with a trace of guilt on his face.

Lin Xiangwan patted Chen Li's shoulder soothingly, "It's okay, you can go first if you are busy."