I Waited for You for Fifteen Years - Chapter 3

After leaving Zhang Youning’s house, I had no intention of visiting again for the time being.

I swear, it has nothing to do with Long Aotian.

Zhang Youning told me that she had rented a shop on Clove Street and planned to open a dessert shop. It was opening soon, and she invited me to visit when the time came.

I was, of course, very willing. Before leaving, we exchanged contact information, and I made off with two bags of milk candy she had made.

To be fair, her craftsmanship is truly excellent; I finished one bag of candy in no time.

However, I can’t eat too much, or I’ll get cavities. Besides, delicious things should be saved and savored slowly.

In Zhang Youning’s few social media posts, she shared all kinds of small cakes, snacks, and special drinks, but there wasn’t a single post about herself.

Still, I think it’s quite nice to get to know such an interesting young girl.

Monday, the official start of school.

A lot of people were gathered at the school gate. Boarding students were carrying large and small bags of luggage, while seniors wearing volunteer armbands were helping out. This kind of lively scene was a first for me across three lifetimes.

“Student, which class are you in? Do you need me to lead the way?”

A beautiful senior girl walked up to my side, looking at me with a gentle smile.

I nodded, told her my class, and let her lead the way.

This place truly lives up to its reputation as the best school in the city. Not only is the area vast, but the environment is also top-tier. Just based on these conditions, it’s no wonder so many students break their necks trying to get in.

The senior led me to the door of Class 3, Grade 1. I thanked her and walked straight inside.

Perhaps because I arrived early, there weren’t many people in the class. The moment I entered, everyone looked up at me in unison. I was no exception, scanning their faces one by one.

Nothing special; they were all just people.

Finally, I chose a seat by the window. When bored, I could look at the scenery, which was quite nice.

Outside the window was a stretch of vibrant green, reflecting light under the sun in shimmering spots. The wind blew, creating ripples, just like the youth depicted in novels. I hadn’t seen such a scene in a long time.

Come to think of it, I am currently in the prime of my youth in this life.

Well then, I might as well enjoy the moment.

While I was lost in thought, someone tapped me on the shoulder.

I turned around to find a girl with a high ponytail. She sat next to me and gave me a friendly smile, featuring two particularly cute dimples on her face.

“Hi there! I’m Sheng Yitang. What’s your name?”

I answered her: “Hello, my name is Wen Ling. Your name is very pretty.”

“Thank you! Your name is very unique, too.” She was clearly much happier. “We’ll be deskmates from now on. Please look after me.”

I liked Sheng Yitang very much. Getting along with her made me realize she was like a little sunflower; just one smile from her made one feel joyful. With that face smiling at me while complimenting me, I felt like my life had brightened up.

After chatting with her for a while, the class gradually filled up, and the atmosphere became lively.

I was even momentary startled the atmosphere felt as if everyone had been classmates for several years. There was no awkwardness or cold silence; everyone was chatting in groups of three or five.

“Quiet down, class is starting.” At some point, a teacher had stood up on the podium, scanning the whole class with a serious expression.

Everyone immediately fell silent, returned to their seats, and looked at the teacher in unison.

Once it was quiet, the teacher spoke: “Hello everyone. First, I’ll introduce myself. My surname is Jiang, and my name is Jiang Yueqing. I am also your headteacher.” As she spoke, she wrote her name and phone number on the blackboard.

“You can memorize my number. If you need me for anything, you can call, but you are not allowed to call in the middle of the night. Additionally, you are all high school students now. After so many years of schooling, I think you are clear on the basic rules. I do not wish for any violations of discipline or order in my class. I also hope that during the year I lead you, both parties can coexist peacefully and leave a good impression on each other.”

While she was speaking up there, I looked at her and felt she was exceptionally familiar.

I remembered her she was the older sister I saw crouching and crying at the hospital entrance during the pandemic in my last life.

After twelve years apart, she had changed so much.

The golden curly hair from back then had turned into waist-length straight black hair, and her temperament had become much more mature. I almost didn’t recognize her.

She seemed to be married; a delicate ring sat on her ring finger.

“Wen Ling, this headteacher is so strict,” Sheng Yitang lowered her head and leaned over to whisper in my ear.

I covered my mouth with my hand: “I think it’s fine. A strict teacher produces brilliant students.”

Unexpectedly, this small gesture was caught by Teacher Jiang.

She glared at the two of us, her expression instantly turning cold: “Don’t whisper to each other while I am speaking.”

We glanced at each other and shut our mouths.

The bell rang for the end of class, and the room became noisy again.

“Yitang! Going to the canteen?” Two girls stood by the window, loudly calling out to Sheng Yitang next to me.

Sheng Yitang’s eyes lit up when she saw them, and she quickly stood up: “Why are you guys here!”

One of the girls with short hair smiled: “We came to find you right after class. Let’s go buy something to eat at the canteen.” As she spoke, she looked at me: “Classmate, want to join?”

Before I could speak, Sheng Yitang grabbed me and ran.

Sheng Yitang introduced them to me: “This short-haired beauty is Sui Yue, and this relatively shy and introverted beauty is Shen Leqing. They are my childhood friends.”

I nodded, turned around, and greeted them: “Hello, I am Wen Ling.”

Sui Yue greeted me very generously, while Shen Leqing didn’t speak, only smiling and nodding at me.

The teaching building is on the east side, while the canteen is to the north. The four of us actually walked for four minutes to get there. Before we could even pick anything out properly, we had to rush back, making it into the classroom just before the bell rang.

To be fair, though, the spicy shredded kelp is really delicious.

Teacher Jiang seemed somewhat dissatisfied that Sheng Yitang and I entered right at the last second. She furrowed her brows: “What were you doing? Come back earlier next time.”

“Understood,” I replied softly.

She didn’t say anything more and continued fiddling with her lesson slides.

“Turn to the first page of the book. First, we will…”

She began her lecture, and the students quieted down, leaving only the sounds of turning pages and writing.

As I studied, I got distracted again, staring at the banyan tree outside the window in a daze.

School is so boring; I don’t want to listen at all.

However, in this life, let me live a little longer.

“Let’s go Yitang, Wen Ling! Let’s go to the cafeteria to eat together.” Right after school, Sui Yue and Shen Leqing were already leaning against the window with their backpacks on, calling us.

Thinking that there would be no food at home anyway, since I was invited, I might as well follow them. It was a good chance to promote friendly relations among classmates, so I naturally joined their little team.

Sui Yue pulled Shen Leqing along in front, laughing and talking with her arm around her the whole way. Sheng Yitang and I walked behind. Although we weren’t as intimate as they were, we were also chatting very happily.

Sheng Yitang looked at their clinging backs, curled her lip, and whispered to me: “Look at the two of them; I’m afraid they don’t even have me as a friend in their eyes anymore. Ah, a friendship of three is always too crowded~”

Shen Leqing in front heard this and turned her head: “Speaking ill of us again? Wen Ling, don’t listen to her nonsense. When have we ever abandoned her?”

“Exactly,” Sui Yue grabbed mine and Sheng Yitang’s hands and ran forward. “Move faster! It’s my treat today. If we’re late, we won’t get to eat!”

Shen Leqing had a slow reaction and chased after us, shouting: “Sui Yue! Wait for me! I can’t keep up!”

“Who cares about you? People who run slowly won’t get to eat the fragrant Malatang!” Sui Yue sped up, not forgetting to turn back and make a face at her.

Although I was a bit tired from being pulled along, I kept smiling; my mouth didn’t droop once.

The Malatang was particularly delicious; no wonder a large crowd of people came sprinting for a bite.

And even more so…

“Damn, have the tenth graders never eaten before? They’re rushing in like a zombie apocalypse. If they eat everything, what will we, who get out of class late, eat?”

“Exactly. It’s like they haven’t eaten for eight hundred years. What’s so good about the school cafeteria anyway? If it weren’t for staying alive, who would eat this stuff?”

Perhaps it was because of the novelty, but I felt the taste of the cafeteria wasn’t as bad as the seniors made it out to be.

“Hey, do you guys know? Our class’s physics teacher and your class’s headteacher are a couple!”

“Huh? For real?”

My attention was caught by these two sentences, and I immediately turned my head to join their conversation.

Sui Yue slapped the table: “It’s true! The previous grade’s seniors said so. And I also heard that Teacher Jiang and her husband aren’t close at all. She originally had a sweetheart, but for some reason, she didn’t marry that person and married the physics teacher instead.”

“What kind of melodramatic plot is this? Sui Yue, you’ve watched too many TV dramas, right? That’s such a stretch.” Shen Leqing clearly didn’t believe her words.

“Believe it or not,” Sui Yue waved her hand. “Anyway, I also heard it from others. Oh, just listen to it as a joke. Don’t go spreading it and letting it reach the teachers’ ears, or I’ll be finished.”

“We know, we know. Eat quickly; it won’t taste good once it’s cold.”

I tried hard to recall things from my previous life. I only remembered that Teacher Jiang was very sad and had been crying. Maybe there was someone important in the hospital could it be the sweetheart they mentioned who she loved but couldn’t be with? If that were true, it would be too tragic.

Why think about these things? It has nothing to do with me.

After eating, I headed home. The sun had already dropped to the mountaintops.

Today’s sunset glow dyed the entire sky red; even the clouds were scattered with golden light. The sky rippled with layers of dreamlike colors, making me momentarily dazed, as if I had arrived in a carefree paradise from a dream.

Perhaps fairies descend amidst such scenery, or perhaps a special experience like those in novels occurs; it’s all very romantic.

I looked at the sky and forgot to look at the road. As I walked, I actually bumped into someone. Although it didn’t hurt, it certainly gave me a start.

The other person was clearly stunned too, standing still in place.

I looked up and realized I had bumped into an acquaintance.

“Youning! What are you doing here?” I was very surprised and asked instinctively.

However, she looked at me with a bewildered expression and then waved her hand.

I forgot she can’t hear.

So I typed it out. She told me her dessert shop was nearby. She had just gone to pick up some goods and was now going to the shop to test a new cake recipe.

This sounded very interesting. Since there wasn’t much homework and no real study tasks at the start of the term, I followed her.

Her shop was just around the corner. The shop area wasn’t too large, but it was more than enough to accommodate five or six tables for afternoon tea. Although the public area was still under renovation, one could roughly see the outline; it would definitely be a popular photo spot in the future.

She took me to the back kitchen. The equipment and tools here were all complete, and there were many high-tech products I had never seen before. Each one gave me a different and unusual sense of novelty.

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