Chapter 115: Someone Deeply Wounded

Yu Xia and Li Hui simultaneously rolled their eyes at her. Dong Yanyan stuck out her tongue and smiled awkwardly. “Actually, I think I’ve been a bit too full of myself these past few days. You all don’t like me anymore.”

“Admitting your mistakes and correcting them—that’s being a good kid,” Leng Yue said with a smile.

Gu Xiaohan pouted from the side. “Yanyan, go ahead and be vain. We never really liked you in the first place!”

“I know you don’t like me. How could I compare to Xu Gang?” Dong Yanyan laughed.

“You, you, you—you're driving me crazy!” Gu Xiaohan rushed over, trying to grab her by the neck, but Dong Yanyan scrambled and rolled onto Tiantian’s bed.

***

Early Monday morning, Dong Yanyan was awakened by the shrill ring of her phone. She rolled out of bed and, with lightning speed, picked up the call from the lower bunk. As expected, Ren Jiaxuan’s lazy voice came through: “Yanyan, don’t deliver newspapers this morning. And don’t go anymore from now on.”

“If I don’t go to work, will you take the blame for me? Don’t worry, okay? I’ll bring you candy when I get back,” Dong Yanyan said softly, smiling.

“Don’t try to act all big and important. It’s not about the money—we’re not short of a couple of bucks. I’ll pay you,” Ren Jiaxuan replied impatiently.

“You don’t have to act big either. I’m not short of your money either. People should have a sense of responsibility. They gave me this job in the first place. If I quit now, that would be so disrespectful! I’m hanging up now. Bye!” Dong Yanyan ended the call, quickly washed up, and headed out. At the door, she saw Xu Cheng waiting by the mailroom.

Why was there a change in companion again today?

“Where’s Song Mingcheng?” she asked curiously.

“Song Mingcheng hit his head on the bed frame yesterday, so I’m here to accompany you for now,” Xu Cheng replied with a cheerful smile.

Dong Yanyan looked at him. He was wearing only a thin cotton jacket, one he had bought on Heishui Road at the start of winter. It was rather thin for this season.

“Aren’t you cold wearing so little?” she asked casually.

“No worries. Climbing stairs will warm me up soon enough,” Xu Cheng said with a smile.

Dong Yanyan felt a pang of concern in her heart.

***

“Don’t bring up the past; life is already full of storms. Even if memories cannot be erased, love and hate still linger in the heart...” Dong Yanyan walked into the classroom absentmindedly. Song Mingcheng, seeing her bright yet wistful expression, couldn’t help but chuckle, “What nonsense are you spouting now?”

Dong Yanyan sighed. “Nothing, it’s just that I saw someone this morning wearing such thin clothes, and it made me a little sad... Forgetting the pain might be possible, but forgetting you is much harder~~~~”

“Enough already. Stop singing. I get it! I must have owed you in a past life,” Song Mingcheng laughed.

Dong Yanyan smiled happily. “So, what goes around comes around. People in the past treated you well, huh? I heard you bumped your head on the bed frame last night. How clumsy are you?” She leaned in to inspect his eyes closely. “No, that can’t be right. If you hit the bed frame, you’d at least have a cut at the corner of your eye. But you don’t have any wounds. Those clear black eyes of yours... did someone beat you up?”

Song Mingcheng’s face darkened.

“It was me who hit him. He deserved it,” Lin Feng, sitting at the adjacent desk, walked over, handed her a greeting card, patted her shoulder, and smiled. “Little one, this is for you. Happy New Year.”

“Thank you,” Dong Yanyan accepted the card, a bit surprised. Looking up, she saw his sincere, unguarded smile, and suddenly her heart felt clear as clouds parted. The New Year was approaching, and she recalled how in past years, she would buy a stack of greeting cards, write blessings inside, and hand them out to friends—something she hadn’t felt in many years.

She returned to her seat holding the card, which featured two cute little snowmen on the cover. Upon opening it, cheerful music played, and inside were two bold lines written in flowing script: “Though lacking twin wings of the colorful phoenix, our hearts share a tacit understanding.”

Wishing you happiness and joy,

Lin Feng

She knew he was always so generous in matters of the heart. He never loved anyone exclusively; if he couldn’t be a lover, he would be a friend—that was his usual way. That was fine—lovers might part ways, but friends could last a lifetime. If he hadn’t left without warning back then, perhaps they could have been very good friends. But why had he left so suddenly?

The bell for morning self-study rang. She hurriedly closed the card, still hearing the music. Looking around, she noticed that other classmates were exchanging cards as well.

“Yanyan, this is for you. Happy New Year!” Liu Qiang from the front row turned back and handed her a card.

“Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Yanyan!” Yang Ruining from the back row cheerfully handed over two cards.

Dong Yanyan realized belatedly that Christmas was just a few days away.

Time flew by so quickly. Half a year had passed just like that, and the holidays were near.

She spent the whole morning receiving cards until her hands grew sore. After lunch, she pulled Xinran along to Quan’an Mall to buy greeting cards. On the mall’s second floor, the shops had all decorated beautiful Christmas trees. The audio-visual section played “Jingle Bells” on repeat, creating a lively festive atmosphere. The stationery section prominently displayed various types of cards. Groups of students from nearby schools came in threes and fives to pick out cards and Christmas gifts. The cards came in many styles: musical, foldable, pull-out, sliding covers, and even ones that unfolded into long strings like candied hawthorns. The patterns varied too—some were cut out intricately, others sprinkled with golden glitter, and some were even three-dimensional. Dong Yanyan and Xinran were dazzled by the choices.

After buying a pile of cards, Dong Yanyan was about to leave when a strip of scenic stamps in the corner caught her eye. Stamps from this era were definitely collectible, as even those worth only eight cents had stunning designs. More importantly, the image felt familiar—she must have bought these before. Without hesitation, she purchased them again.

Thinking about Christmas Eve the next day, when apples would surely go up in price, she also bought some cellophane and ribbons to wrap the apples. There was a stall downstairs selling apples at two yuan fifty per jin.

She glanced at Xinran, who had only bought a few cards.

“Just these few? Is that enough?” Dong Yanyan asked.

“There are seven of you. One card each, just right!” Xinran smiled.

Dong Yanyan almost wanted to worship her as a goddess.

“Buy one more, just in case a boy sends you a card and you have nothing to give back,” she teased, picking out another card for her.

***

After afternoon classes, Yang Lili came to the podium to announce, “Students participating in the New Year’s Eve party performances don’t need to attend evening self-study starting today. Rehearsals will be from 6:30 to 9:30 every night. Gather promptly at 6:30 tonight!”

Dong Yanyan counted on her fingers—there was only a week left until New Year’s Day. Didn’t that mean they had to rehearse?

She hadn’t even rented magic props yet and had to make them herself. It was a bitter struggle.

Back in the dormitory, she dug out the silk paper playing cards and paper cups she had bought a few days ago and started working hard. Being clumsy, she once again roped in the skillful Leng Yue as her helper. Soon, the desk was covered with colorful finished and half-finished products.

“Look at the third, sixth, seventh, and eighth girls—all upstairs chasing handsome boys. I’m downstairs keeping you company, without even a chance to meet a guy. How can you bear it?” Leng Yue teased while folding paper.

Dong Yanyan wasn’t worried about herself but about Liu Ying, who had probably been misled by Song Mingcheng. She knew Song Mingcheng was usually indifferent to other girls, but the exception was his deskmate. She hoped the third sister wouldn’t misunderstand—after all, girls cared more about face than boys did.

“How about I find a couple of handsome guys to tease you? What kind do you want?” she joked.

As they laughed, someone knocked on the door.

“I’m looking for you!” They both pointed at each other. After a brief standoff, Leng Yue resigned and opened the door. She laughed when she saw the visitor. “Number Five, how about this one?”

Dong Yanyan laughed too. “No, that one won’t do. That’s mine.”

Ren Jiaxuan guessed they weren’t having a serious conversation, so he leaned toward Leng Yue and gave her a mischievous smile. “Sister, what do you think of me?” He even reached out to touch her hair.

Leng Yue’s face flushed red. “Yanyan’s inside. You come in. I’m leaving!” And with that, she ran off.

Dong Yanyan folded colorful paper and smiled at him. “My fourth sister is so innocent. Don’t mess around or you’ll have to comfort her if she cries.”

Ren Jiaxuan closed the door, walked over, and picked up some items on the desk. “What are you doing? Decorating the dorm?”

“I’m performing magic at the New Year’s Eve party. I couldn’t rent props, so I had to make my own. You came at the right time. Help me out—I’m so tired my hands are cramping,” Dong Yanyan said, shaking her hands and laughing.

“That’s impressive. You do magic too? Why didn’t you tell me earlier? I could help you borrow some props,” Ren Jiaxuan said.

Dong Yanyan’s eyes lit up immediately. “Really? That’s great! I was worried about not having professional props for a stunning opening. Everything else is nearly ready. I need that big color-changing silk scarf, magic cards, and those nested cups. Can you borrow them?”

“Of course. I’ll get several so you can pick,” Ren Jiaxuan said, taking her hand and smiling. “Yanyan, I suddenly realize I haven’t been caring enough about you. From now on, tell me if you need anything.”

Dong Yanyan toyed with his fingers and smiled dismissively. “I never thought love was just one-sided. I haven’t cared enough for you either. After all, we haven’t spent much time together and don’t know each other well enough.”

“I’m glad you say that. I’ll go borrow the props now. I have to memorize a broadcast script tonight, so I can’t keep you company. I’ll find you after self-study,” Ren Jiaxuan said, pinching her cheek before rushing out.

A nineteen-year-old boy still couldn’t shake that restless nature. Dong Yanyan twirled her fingers in daydreams for a while before realizing she still had work to finish! Luckily, she only needed to fold these flowers now.