desolate

The meal didn't take long, and it was just getting dark when it was over.

Chen Xujia had to go back before the door of the dormitory was locked, so the three separated at the door of the barbecue shop.

Perhaps it was because of eating too much meat, Zhou Ze always felt uncomfortable in his stomach, so he proposed to take a walk to digest food.

But the two walked along the road for a long time, and the uncomfortable feeling still did not ease, so Zhou Ze had to find a convenience store on the side of the road to buy a bottle of water.

When he came out of the convenience store, Pei Ye was smoking a cigarette on someone's motorcycle. There was a street light above his head, and the smoke kept rising and finally scattered in orange light.

Seeing him coming out, Pei also asked, "Is it better?"

Zhou Ze drank half a bottle of water, slightly suppressing the greasy barbecue: "Thanks to you, I don't want to eat barbecue in this life."

It was the first time that Pei Ye showed such a sincere and guilty expression: "I'm sorry."

Zhou Ze shook his head, then took out the cigarette case from his trouser pocket: "What did she tell you?"

Pei Ye turned away slightly, as if he didn't want to say much, but Zhou Ze's gaze made him overwhelmed.

"Tell a little story about you and his cousin."

The tone was light and calm, but there was a slight suspicion on the expression that concealed it.

But Zhou Ze kept lighting his cigarette with his head down, not paying attention to those at all.

"How much did you say?"

"A lot."

"for example?"

"For example, you caused her to fail to transfer to the attached middle school, so I want to take revenge on you."

Pei also recounted it jokingly, and at the same time observed the other party's expression.

Zhou Ze bit his cigarette and put the box back into Pei Ye's pocket. Through the thin smoke, he looked directly at the other party with no waves on his face: "Then take revenge."

Pei also thought about it and asked, "Then do you like her brother?"

Zhou Ze's fingers are very slender, with clear bones. Pei has seen those hands holding a carving knife, and he only thinks it is beautiful. Now seeing it holding a cigarette case and stuffing it into his trouser pocket, it feels different.

Not long after, Pei also heard the person in front of him answering himself: "I don't like it."

Same as he thought.

Pei Ye asked again: "Then do you like me?"

This seems to be the first time they discussed this topic, straightforward and direct, even when this question came out of the mouth, Pei was a little nervous.

Before Chen Xujia appeared, he didn't think too much about it, whether he likes it or not, it's too hypocritical to say it, just let it be.But now, he suddenly wanted an answer.

Zhou Ze held a half-burned cigarette in his hand, and it seemed no surprise that he would ask this question.

He repeated the answer in his heart, and looked at Pei Ye: "...then can you stay?"

As if a basin of cold water was pouring down, Pei Ye suddenly became sober. He saw his surroundings clearly and realized that he was still in a cold real world.

And they are not romantic teenagers.

Pei also said, "I'm not sure."

Zhou Ze seemed to expect him to say that, and smiled: "Then I'm not sure either."

You can go back on your bet or something.

The sky turned into a rich blue, as if at this time people understood that darkness has color, and the buildings in the distance turned into shadows.

Two teenagers were walking on the side of the road, and their clothes often brushed against each other. From a distance, they seemed to be connected as one.

Even if it is certain that the ending is separation, they need each other at the moment, so they hold on to each other tightly as if grasping the last straw.

……

It rained on and off for a week in November and finally stopped towards the end of the month.

The bloodstains downstairs in the teaching building had been washed away by the rain, and there were footprints in the place where the students would avoid far away. Li Ping'an's departure didn't seem to have any effect.

Except for his classmates occasionally mentioning it and then hastily changing the subject, Zhou Ze almost couldn't think of him.

Although he stayed in Pingjiang for the time being, Pei Ye still dropped out of school, the day after the sports meeting ended.

The class suddenly lost two people, and with it, there were also girls from other classes who passed by outside the classroom between classes.

If there is any change in Zhou Ze's life, it should be his "personality".

It only takes a letter of self-criticism to change from a well-behaved three-good student to a troublemaker.

This Monday's flag-raising ceremony was rarely interrupted by the rain. Director Yan asked Zhou Ze to read his [-]-word self-criticism on stage at the end of the flag-raising.

Perhaps because he trusted him too much before, Director Yan didn't even read the review, so by the time Zhou Zanian arrived, it was already too late.

He stood on the flag raising platform with a microphone in his hand. The [-]-word self-criticism had six pages in total. After he unfolded them one by one, he finally read slowly from the first word:

"Dear teacher, dear students, hello, I am Zhou Ze from Class [-] and [-] of Senior High School. After this mistake, while feeling deeply guilty and remorseful, I also realized that I, as a classmate of Li Qiang, , I have the responsibility and obligation to help him establish the correct three views and teach him the principles of life. As the saying goes, if a jade is not cut into a weapon, a filial son will be born under the stick. Due to Li Qiang's rebellious character, I finally chose to use violence to control violence. Help him, I think my original intention is good..."

"Stop, stop, stop!"

The more you listen to it, the more outrageous it becomes!

As soon as he read the beginning, Director Yan held up a loudspeaker to try to stop Zhou Ze on stage.

But the students in the audience were already laughing like crazy, half of his voice was drowned out.

So Zhou Ze continued to read.

Director Yan stuffed the horn into the hands of the students next to him, and strode straight to the flag raising platform.

"Zhou Ze! What are you doing!"

Zhou Ze finally stopped reading the self-criticism, and looked at Director Yan seriously: "Teacher, I am reading the self-criticism."

"I know...!" Director Yan pointed at him with a trembling finger, "Stop reading, come down!"

"But……"

"But what is it!" Director Yan snatched the microphone from his hand and shouted, "The flag-raising ceremony is over, return to the classroom!"

Zhou Ze was also kicked out.

Fight to fame.

The price was that Zhou Haiyang was invited to drink tea again.

But this time Zhou Ze had no chance to hear their conversation, and could only sit in the classroom and be harassed by Wen Jialang and Xu Duozhi.

"Choose brother choose brother, can you show me the review?"

"That's right, show me, the five thousand words are all about Li Qiang?"

"I also scolded the idiot who posted the post later."

The statement of self-criticism was shared by the two, and Zhou Ze stared at the red flag fluttering in the distance.

Wen Jialang sighed and said: "A top student is a top student, he scolds people so well."

Xu Duozhi took a few photos with his mobile phone: "Send it to Brother Pei to see..."

Zhou Ze finally turned his face, caught a glimpse of the familiar profile picture on his phone, and pretended to ask casually, "What is he doing now?"

Xu Duozhi sent the message without raising his head: "Who? Brother Pei?"

"Ah."

"He...he just found a job there two days ago, and he's going to work now."

"Oh, what are you doing?"

"That's not clear, it seems to be in a car repair shop." After Xu Duozhi sent the message, he put down his phone, and he didn't know if Pei Ye replied, "...he doesn't tell me about him, After all, it must be very busy since I just passed by.”

Zhou Ze nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

Since Pei Ye left, they haven't contacted each other again. The last message is still a photo of a train ticket sent by the other party. Zhou Ze didn't reply, because he can't say it's a good journey and doesn't want the other party to stay reluctantly, so escaped.

Not long after, Pei also called Xu Duozhi back. He was so happy to hold out his phone to Zhou Ze after watching it.

Brother Pei: [Nice/forceful]

Zhou Ze could probably imagine how he typed these two words expressionlessly.

He smiled, and in a blink of an eye, he saw a line of words "the other party is typing..." above the chat box, and his heart suddenly rose.

But before he could see the message, Xu Duozhi put the phone back.

This time, the old class happened to lead Zhou Haiyang to appear at the front door of the classroom.

"Zhou Ze, come out."

"……Oh."

The result of their conversation should be good. Zhou Ze observed secretly, and the expressions of both of them were relatively peaceful.

Wu Guang looked at Zhou Haiyang: "Zhou Ze, your uncle wants to talk to you."

After he finished speaking, he left space for his uncle and nephew, while he avoided it.

"……uncle."

"Little Choice—"

The two spoke at the same time, Zhou Ze touched his nose and said, "You speak first."

Zhou Haiyang seems to be very tired these days, and the dark circles under his eyes have deepened a lot, but when he talked to Zhou Ze, he still cheered up: "Xiao Ze, the day after tomorrow is your grandma's death day, shall I come to pick you up at school? "

Thinking of grandma, Zhou Ze was somewhat moved: "Okay."

Zhou Haiyang said: "Then the morning after tomorrow, I have already asked your teacher for leave."

"Ah."

"..."

Zhou Haiyang looked at his nephew, who had unknowingly grown to 17 years old, taller than him, and heard that he would pin people to the ground when fighting...

He really wanted to say something, but just as he opened his mouth, Zhou Ze gave him a polite smile.

"I'm sorry uncle, I have caused you trouble again today."

Zhou Haiyang opened his mouth and said habitually: "It's okay, but don't do this next time. Is there anything you can't talk about? You should be sensible now."

Zhou Ze nodded quickly: "Well, it won't happen next time, you should go back first."

"...Okay, then I'm leaving."

After sending Zhou Haiyang away, Zhou Ze returned to the classroom with sweat in his hands, one-third of the English class had been completed.

He sat down under a large group of spectators, and for a while, he couldn't read a single word written on the blackboard.

come again and again...

It was as if a heavy stone had been pressed against his chest, it was so stuffy.He leaned over the desk, breathing heavily, trying to ease the discomfort.

He frantically searched for some other memories in his mind, so that his attention would not be entirely on the words of Zhou Haiyang and Ma Wenjing.

But the more he resisted, the more disobedient his brain seemed to be.

"You are ignorant..."

"You try harder."

"You can look at other people, why can't you?"

"If it wasn't for you...!"

……

hum-

A new message suddenly popped up on the lock screen of the phone.

Pei Ye: 【Study hard. 】

The tense strings in my mind suddenly loosened.

He took a long breath.

Suddenly want to cry.

The author says:

Updating...