Crossing the Clouds and Sky to Fall in Love with You - Chapter 21

I did not go back to her room to look for her in the end.

Knowing that piece of news caused me to lose sleep; the amethyst had failed.

And after she hid in her room, I don’t know how her packing went, but she didn’t come to knock on my door either, so I don’t know how she is doing now.

It’s too absurd. Sister Tao likes me?

Even knowing my sexual orientation, she still likes me?

I recalled that I had once told her, “The person Sister Tao loves will be the happiest,” and now those words have come back to slap me in the face…

Ugh! That’s not quite right… I’m not that I don’t like her either, but… what kind of liking my liking is, even I don’t know. I crave her companionship, her embrace, but until I saw that post, I had always thought it was an embrace similar to a confidante, or even a sister.

And not a loving embrace between a couple.

Was I too naive, or had Sister Tao fallen for me unknowingly and uncontrollably?

The first day of class after the New Year’s holiday began in this tumultuous and hard-to-resolve atmosphere.

I didn’t take off the amethyst, as it was a gift from her—regardless of whether her original intention was truly an unspoken confession to me, I still really like this crystal.

After all, the final exams were approaching, so the attendance rate was high even for morning classes. Except for a few subjects that could be replaced by a report, most still required facing the final exam; and in the previous two years, Yiting and I “cooperated flawlessly”—relying on mutual support through last-minute studying and notes, we could turn the corner against even the most severe “curve-killer” professors. I believe this time will be the same!

“Xiaoning, you’re different after the break, huh?” It was a girl from the same class who came to talk to me after class finally ended. “I heard you’re with Ah Jun! But it’s strange, did he switch to a different band recently? Did he leave Man-Face Fish? I didn’t see him when I listened to them perform last Christmas?”

As luck would have it, I ran into a classmate who was out of the loop—this was the aftermath of the relationship being exposed. “Ah… well, yes, he switched bands.”

“Oh? That’s too bad, my sister and I liked him the most… Then you must have switched to supporting his new band too, right? That’s great! Behind every successful man there must be a great…”

“Huang Xiuyan! Why are you asking Xiaoning about Lü Hanjun?” Yiting rushed back to her seat angrily, forcefully intervening between us. “Listen clearly, that… person has absolutely nothing to do with Xiaoning anymore! Stop bothering her with such rubbish, understand?”

“Why are you so fierce! It’s rare to have a classmate who is the girlfriend of an idol star…”

“What idol star? Pfft! He’s not worthy of those four words, that treacherous scum who…”

“Yiting!” When I heard her utter the words “treacherous scum,” my vision momentarily blurred. “Stop talking…” I struggled to stand up, hastily gathering my notes, intending to skip the next class.

“Uh… Xiaoning? I… I’m sorry!” Realizing her slip of the tongue, she quickly apologized with self-reproach, and the other classmate who had come for information covered her mouth, staring at me with a look of pity.

“Could you please help me copy the notes? I have something to do, I’m leaving first!” Ignoring their attempts to stop me, I grabbed my bag and walked out, running away as if for my life, leaving the classroom and those gossips behind.

Words can comfort people, but they can also hurt people deeply without shedding blood. I know Yiting was speaking up for me, but she inadvertently revealed a past I was desperate to conceal.

I should have never told her… I felt a slight regret, but words spoken are like water poured out, and what’s more, she is one of my closest friends… No matter how angry I was, it would be impossible for me to easily cut ties with her.

The bell rang just as I was leaving the academic building, giving me an unexpectedly free period… Actually, if possible, I shouldn’t have skipped that class. I should have also been mentally prepared, knowing that other people’s mouths are their own, and I couldn’t control what they wanted to ask or say.

The only thing I could control was to prevent myself from being affected.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t do that right now… “Oh?”

My eyes drifted, and by chance, I saw an electric wheelchair parked in front of an easel. The person in the wheelchair was focused on the school’s famous old clock, and lines were constantly being added to the paper as the pen moved up and down.

It was Tao Yian, and beside him was a girl I had never seen before.

It was still a bit chilly today, but the wind wasn’t strong, making it suitable for outdoor sketching… As I approached, the girl noticed me first. She looked at me suspiciously, and I smiled and pointed at Tao Yian, who was concentrating on his drawing and hadn’t noticed me yet.

“What’s wrong…” Perhaps catching a glimpse of the girl’s movement, he stopped writing and discovered me in his rear-view mirror. “Xiaoning? When did you get here? Why didn’t you call out to me?” He raised an eyebrow, clearly pleased.

“I saw you were drawing seriously, so I didn’t dare to bother you, Master Artist!”

He rarely showed a shy expression. “I thought you had class this period?” Seeing him strain his neck to talk, I immediately moved to his left side.

“I did have class… but something unexpected happened.” I gave a wry smile.

He pursed his lips and said “Is that so” blandly, then pointed to the classmate standing on his other side, “Look at me! I even need someone to assist me just to submit an assignment.”

“You can’t help it, you’re not exactly convenient… Will me standing here watching interfere with your progress?” I glanced at the paper—it was only half-finished?

“I’m worried about watching me submit the assignment delaying your time.”

I laughed out loud. “I’m not in a hurry, if you don’t mind me walking around beside you!”

The classmate who was originally standing next to him suddenly looked a little lonely. Perhaps feeling neglected, Tao Yian immediately asked her if she had submitted the assignment and then said that I was here, so she didn’t need to trouble herself anymore.

The girl stared at me for a while, quietly said “Oh,” and before leaving, instructed Tao Yian to message her if he needed anything, and only then did she leave with a reluctant look.

“That classmate is very attentive to you.” I hinted reservedly.

He couldn’t help but laugh, his right hand continuing to move quickly on the paper. “Unfortunately, I’m not blessed to enjoy it!” He pointed to his uncontrollable legs.

“I wasn’t talking about your mobility issue…”

“I know what you mean. That classmate is quite nice to me. As long as it’s a class in the same department, she tries to sit next to me, and she always finds me when it’s time to form groups. I’m very grateful to her, and I probably know what kind of expectations she has for me.” The pencil in Tao Yian’s hand continued to leave marks on the paper. “But I don’t think I should express anything… I’m very clear about how many desirable qualities I have left.”

There he goes again. While I was a little annoyed by his negative view of himself, I also felt that a direct rebuttal would not be very effective.

“Aren’t you utilizing your strengths right now? Tao Yian, some people, even with physical limitations, always see the active and positive side. I know you’re missing a pair of normal legs, but you still have your hands! I don’t understand why you always think you’re useless.” I bit my lip, and the speed of the pencil tip going back and forth slowed down. I bent down and deliberately moved closer to him, saying, “If I were looking for a boyfriend, I would only choose someone who is always moving forward positively. Gloomy people look depressed… I don’t like that.”

His face slightly hardened, as if my words had moved him, but he didn’t hold the pen properly and it fell onto the eco-friendly brick floor, breaking the tip. Before he could bend down, I reached out without hesitation to pick it up, and he took out a newly sharpened one.

“Do you have a blade?” I know some art students prefer hand-sharpened pencils because I think Monk Senior did too.

“Yes… You want to sharpen it for me?” He was surprised.

“Mhm, you keep drawing. I’ll try to sharpen it to be exactly like the original mark.”

“I feel bad for troubling you.”

I gently nudged him. “Don’t be a stranger if we’re friends. Hurry up and draw! There’s only half an hour left in this class.”

He smiled. “Okay.”

I really started sharpening his pencils for him. After sharpening one, I felt it wasn’t enough, so I glanced at the pencils in the slot and decided to do a good deed and sharpen them all until they were perfectly pointy.

He kept glancing at me, as if I had done something that moved him greatly. I secretly smiled, then abruptly poked him.

“Focus on drawing! I’m sharpening pencils, am I blocking your view?”

His hand continued to move, and after a while, I heard him say in a semi-joking tone, “With a girl I admire so much by my side, it’s normal to be distracted.” Even so, his drawing speed was still very fast.

“So are you asking me to leave? That’s fine too.” I folded the small knife with a grin and returned it along with the last pencil.

Sure enough—”If you leave suddenly like that, I’ll be very distressed.” Pfft! He even gave me those watery, innocent eyes! How amusing!

“You’ll be distressed, but the girl just now might applaud!” I teased him deliberately, and his cheeks slightly flushed, his handsome face full of embarrassment. “Ha! Don’t worry, I’m not that heartless. I’ll stay with you until class ends and help you move the easel, all right?”

He immediately sighed in relief. “I beg you, my lady, please show mercy. Scaring me a few more times will give me a heart attack!”

“You’re not that fragile!” I secretly poked his shoulder. He told me he exercises every day to maintain muscle strength, and it looks like he’s telling the truth! He’s quite firm!

He continued drawing. After barely two or three minutes of silence, I used my index finger and thumb to form a frame and extend it forward. “How do you guys look at things when you draw like this? How do you ensure you can always capture the scenery you want?”

“In the beginning, it’s indeed like you’re framing it. Some people use a camera for assistance, but you get used to it after drawing for a while.”

He switched to a different pencil, which happened to be the one I sharpened at the beginning. He turned it around, seemingly looking for the right angle, and then continued to stack lines on the drawing paper.

“The pencil you sharpened is very smooth to use.”

“Really? Don’t flatter me.” I clasped my hands behind my back and wandered around him.

He smiled very happily. “Of course, it’s true!”

Later, my feet started to ache, so I found a nearby flower bed to sit on. We stayed like that until the end of the class period. His sketch was nearly 90% complete. “I just need to refine the rest. You don’t have to come back.” He was packing his drawing tools, and I helped him move the easel. The easel was very light; I could lift it with one hand; it was just a bit large. “I apologize; I need to trouble you to accompany me back to the department office.”

“Don’t worry about it! Let’s go.” He led the way, and I followed closely behind like a little assistant to the artist.

“Oh, right! The elective course we chose, Magazine Production and Writing, requires a detailed analysis of a certain magazine and an in-class presentation at the end. Do you have any ideas?” I usually don’t read magazines, and if I do, it’s only women’s or makeup magazines.

“Mhm! I plan to do an analysis on an audio equipment magazine…” I felt dizzy just hearing about that stuff! “I’ll handle the report content, and you can be responsible for the presentation?”

Of course, that’s the way! “But I can’t be completely clueless about the content I’m presenting, can I?”

“Then find a chance to come over to my place. We’ll spend an afternoon discussing it. It shouldn’t take up too much time.”

“Sounds good?” I looked at him, and his smile was like he had received a precious gift.

The Art Department office was some distance from the old clock. As I walked, I suddenly felt my stomach starting to hurt… It wasn’t the kind of pain where I needed to run to the restroom, but more like menstrual cramps… Then it hit me, right, since the surgery… two weeks had passed, so it should be due? But this kind of pain… felt a bit different from usual.

I considered myself a naturally lucky person. My family was happy and loving, my academic path was smooth and uneventful, not to mention my health was excellent. I almost never had to take a sick day because of my “good friend,” and I rarely experienced any pain…

Could it be because of the “removal”?

In the days immediately following the surgery, Sister Tao was especially careful about my diet… But I didn’t feel anything wrong with my body, and I felt bad constantly letting her worry and take care of me, so I insisted on politely refusing…

I finally managed to hold on until Tao Yian’s department office. The easel, which I could lift with one hand earlier, was now feeling a bit strenuous. “Xiaoning? What’s wrong? You look a little pale.”

I frowned. “Stomach ache.”

He pursed his lips. I expected him to tease me, assuming it was just a normal stomach upset from eating something bad, but instead, he looked serious. “Put it down first. I’ll ask a classmate to come over and help… Hurry to the restroom.”

I nodded, but I wasn’t very familiar with this academic building, and it took me a while to find the restroom. By the time I rushed into the women’s room, the dull pain in my abdomen had reached its limit of endurance, and even walking was difficult!

I found an available stall, and as soon as I sat down, the pain in my abdomen became even more intense! It had never hurt this much! Oh god… I felt like I was going to lose consciousness at any moment… Rushing to act while I still had the strength, I pulled out my phone and saw a few missed calls—it was Yiting!

‘Hello! Xiaoning, where are you… I want to apologize to you! It was all my fault for talking carelessly… Do you want to eat together? I’m at the ramen place now…’

“Yiting! I… Can you come find me? I’m in so much pain, so much pain…”

She sounded like she had jumped up. ‘What’s hurting so much? Xiaoning, where are you?! Xiaoning!’

“At… Art… Tao Yian…” I struggled to squeeze out those few words, then slumped over my lap like a doll with its strings cut.

I passed out like that.