Cactus in Distress Chapter 25

Chapter 25

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Since then, Wu Junzhe often came to her for advice and their relationship improved. It was inevitable that there were rumors about them, but in their class, Teacher Wu didn’t care, so it wasn’t a big deal.

Wu Junzhe, despite living in a single-parent family, had a good relationship with his parents after their divorce. Both sets of grandparents also treated him exceptionally well. Teacher Wu often brought him to school, and various teachers loved to play with him since he was young. He was like a mascot hanging in the office. Finally, Wu Junzhe, who grew up in “a world of adoration”, loved to play and was mischievous.

Sun Yutan found Wu Junzhe very interesting. On the surface, he seemed lawless and dared to joke with teachers and officers. He treated the school like his own backyard and would venture anywhere. However, he was actually very skilled at knowing his limits.

His pranks always made the other party feel a bit amused while on the verge of getting angry. He was able to pinpoint the key issues when mediating conflicts. This was also true with his female classmates. They played around and joked, but never crossed the line, and he never let things get out of hand. When he really started dating Li Mingyi, he became obedient and well-behaved. In some ways, he even became mature and proper.

Wu Junzhe was unusually talkative that night. They walked all the way back to her house from the milk tea shop, which was actually a long distance, but the walk seemed to pass by quickly. They chatted and talked about trivial things, and perhaps at moments like this, the content of the conversation always seemed pale.

They stood under a streetlight, but in the end, they didn’t say anything sad or fitting for a farewell. Perhaps they felt it would be awkward to say such things from the bottom of their hearts, or perhaps they truly believed they would meet again.

“You should go back now,” Sun Yutan said. She and Wu Junzhe looked at each other and laughed for no reason.

Wu Junzhe looked at her, his tenderness hidden in the darkness of the night. He also smiled and opened his arms. “Give me a hug. Let’s make it feel more ceremonious.”

As soon as Sun Yutan approached his embrace, Wu Junzhe hugged her tightly, then let go abruptly.

“Okay, I’m leaving.”

“Goodbye.”

She watched as Wu Junzhe walked away, turned around and walked into the building, not expecting that the night was not yet over.

Chen Rui was leaning against the wall, waiting for her.

She wasn’t sure if he was waiting for her, but when she tried to walk past him, he blocked her way.

“Chen Rui.” Sun Yutan took a step back and looked up at his eyes under the brim of his hat. “What are you doing here?”

Chen Rui didn’t know why he was here, but he couldn’t stay anywhere else. Waiting here was the only thing that made him feel a little better. His sense of unease was stacked and multiplied, making him feel like he was about to explode.

Originally, he was just angry with her. Of course, he was angry with her. He now remembered that photo, and the fact that she went to the grasslands with someone else. It really made him itch with anger. But it wasn’ just that, tonight he finally realized that she didn’t seem to intend to have any more dealings with him, and even Tangcheng, thousands of miles away from Huada, was one of her options. She didn’t seem to care about him at all. His self-esteem made him give up, thinking she was just a two-faced girl. But thinking like this did not alleviate his inner anxiety at all. He did not want to go four years without seeing her, really did not want to.

His “don’t want” was a castle in the air, a mirage. She had already forgotten about him and was enjoying a sweet date with her boyfriend.

But he still stopped her.

“Where did you apply?” he asked.

It turned out to be about this.

“Don’t worry, I won’t apply to Beicheng,” Sun Yutan said.

What heart did he put into it? Chen Rui was confused and said unkindly, “You can go wherever you want, it’s none of my business. Why would I care?”

Sun Yutan wondered, “Then why did you come over to ask?” He was just afraid that she would get too close to him and they would never be done with each other. Who knew how pure and focused she was now.

Chen Rui had no idea what they were talking back and forth about, so he reiterated, “If you want to apply to Beicheng, then apply. I have no objections.”

“Oh, but I don’t really want to,” Sun Yutan said.

Chen Rui was silent for a while before asking her, “Why? Beicheng’s English department is very good.” Why not apply there? He wished there were a million people cheering for Beicheng right now. “I can help you analyze two universities, comparing the advantages of Tangwai and Beicheng…” Chen Rui stopped talking when he saw Sun Yutan’s serious expression, realizing that he shouldn’t be so agitated and restless.

“Anyway,” he said flatly, “Beicheng is better.”

Sun Yutan looked at him curiously. “Chen Rui, do you want me to apply to Beicheng?”

Chen Rui held firm. “What does it have to do with me?”

“Oh,” Sun Yutan said, “it’s late. I have to go upstairs.”

Chen Rui didn’t move, and Sun Yutan walked around him. Suddenly, Chen Rui said from behind her, “Huada and Beicheng are very close.”

“What exactly do you want to say?”

“If I ask you to apply to Beicheng, will you?”

“No.”

“It’s up to you.” Chen Rui threw down a stiff sentence and walked away.

Although Chen Rui walked away decisively, he had no confidence in his heart. He would never have thought that his words not only did not whet Sun Yutan’s interest in Beicheng, but instead directly excluded Beicheng from her choices.

Sun Yutan’s “no” was the truth. She only had a slight ripple in her heart when she saw or thought of Chen Rui, and she had no obsession in her heart.

After completing her college application, Sun Yutan returned to Shaocheng to spend the summer with her grandparents.

Admission notices gradually arrived at the school. Chen Rui saw Sun Yutan’s choice from the school’s huge announcement board.

The distant sunset quietly descended, and Chen Rui stood on the tree-lined path of the school, motionless for a long time. He seemed to have become a touch of afterglow in the sky, a colorless gray afterglow, quietly sinking into the grass under his feet, bit by bit and without a sound.

The cool evening breeze of summer gently blew by, lifting and flipping the dry leaves, brushing past the treetops and clouds, but Chen Rui’s heart could no longer stir up even the slightest ripple. He walked numbly, every step feeling like he was in the depths of a valley.

He swore never to look at Sun Yutan again.

She was a liar. In her love letter, she said she would be happy all day if she saw him, but she didn’t want to see him at all. She knew exactly where he was, but she intentionally went in the opposite direction because she didn’t want to see him.

She didn’t even like him. She disliked him so much that she didn’t even want to breathe the same air as him in the same city.

She liked someone else. She only kissed him casually. It’s ridiculous that he took it seriously.

Except for a small episode in between, they hadn’t had any contact for seven years.

Last Christmas, Chen Rui’s family had a reunion in Vancouver. Suddenly, Chen Ting asked him, “Do you know that Sun Yutan is studying journalism at LSE?”

Chen Rui didn’t speak.

Chen Ting continued, “You can take a flight and arrive in nine hours.”

Chen Rui showed no expression, “Why should I go?”

Chen Ting smiled and said, “I’m just letting you know.”

At Zhang Mengxi’s wedding, Sun Yutan saw many old classmates, and they had a lively time before going their separate ways.

It was rare for Sun Yutan to come here, so of course he had to go find He Nan.

When He Nan was studying at Tangda, she was the editor-in-chief of a campus publication. Sun Yutan helped her by compiling news articles from external sources. During their time working together, Sun Yutan was deeply impressed by He Nan, who was strict with herself and had high standards.

Not only because of her outstanding academic achievements, but also because He Nan was a prominent figure in the school, after all, it was not common to have a handsome and wealthy husband upon entering school. It was also her who suggested that Sun Yutan go to England to study journalism for a year before coming back to help her in Tangwai.

They met at night, and He Nan took her to a Japanese-style pub.

Over sake, Sun Yutan explained her intentions one by one, while He Nan listened with a smile, expressing her happiness in seeing her current state and fully respecting her choices.

She hugged Sun Yutan, indicating encouragement.

Chen Rui didn’t sleep well. He kept dreaming about the time several years ago when things didn’t go as he had hoped.

He woke up with a stinky face, needing some time to remember that things were different now. However, Sun Yutan didn’t answer his call last night, and he ran into Wu Junzhe.

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