Chapter Ten Dark Night

  "Ringing......" The dormitory phone rang out startlingly at midnight.

  "Sorry!" came Guo Shangliang's voice over the phone, "I didn't think something like this would really happen."

  Ning Qingmin gripped the receiver tightly, her hand turning white. Her heart was racing with excitement, and her whole body felt hot and cold all over. Her lips trembled for a moment before she spoke: "Didn't you tell someone to patrol the road junction near the ceremonial hall?"

  "I called to ask someone to change the streetlight, and it was the electrician from the management office who answered. He said he would go change it right away. I thought that since the electrician was going to change the light immediately, there was no need to call my buddy to patrol, so I didn't make a second call." Guo Shangliang's voice was a bit hoarse, "I really didn't think your dream would be so accurate."

  "What about him?" Ning Qingming felt as if his heart had sunk to the bottom of a valley, and some things could no longer be undone.

  "The people from the management office sent him to the hospital, saying he inhaled too much ether and hasn't woken up yet."

  Chen Xiaoxuan, your life has not changed, it's still the same as before. Ning Qingmian felt an endless sorrow in her heart, as if she saw Chen Xiaoxuan's desperate eyes when she woke up.

  Ning Qingmin lay in bed and couldn't sleep anymore.

  Will seven more years of experience change everything? Chen Xiaoxuan's affair gave Ning Qingmian a wake-up call, if he doesn't work hard, in the end, he might not be able to change anything!

  He himself returned to the present, in order to change everything, not to repeat the same mistakes. For Guo Shangliang, he humbled himself to what extent, but in the end, he disregarded his own true feelings. Can you blame him for that?

  The past events, one by one, floated in her mind. She had thought of returning to the present, and everything would start anew. The past pain and longing would dissipate like smoke in the air. A new beginning would be a beautiful experience. However, Chen Xiaoxuan's unchangeable fate repeatedly reminded Ning Qingming that some things cannot be changed by experience alone.

  Ning Qingmin sat up in the darkness. She lifted the mosquito net and felt for a small mirror on the table. She pulled back the mosquito net, then felt under her pillow for a flashlight. She turned it on and shone it on her face. In the mirror, she saw a pale little face reflected back at her. Apart from her complexion, her features were delicate and clear, not unattractive, even pretty.

  What makes oneself unable to shake off the title of "country bumpkin". Is it really just appearance?

  Ning Qingmin sat with her knees clasped in thought, motionless. The mosquito net gradually brightened up inside. It turned out that the dawn had seeped through the window from outside. Daybreak had arrived.

  Looking at the gradually brightening dormitory, Ning Qingmin let out a very long sigh.

  Perhaps. To change is not just about dressing up. It's also about the attitude towards life. I've always been self-deprecating, yet I foolishly admired Guo Shangliang without trying to improve my own quality. Standing at the same height, making Guo Shangliang notice me.

  Those dark nights of struggling. Those bitter waits for love that never comes. Those tears. How can they be easily forgotten?

  Come back, not to suffer again.

  The sun has come out and sunlight is shining into the dormitory.

  Ning Qingmin got out of bed, as if reborn.

  Monday.

  "Are you really going to sign up for the 3000-meter run at the inter-school sports meet?" Zhou Ling anxiously grabbed Ning Qing's hand and shook it, saying: "Even if you want to participate, 800 meters would be enough, 3000 meters is too difficult, aren't you afraid of running your legs off?"

  "There's a prize of 1,000 yuan for the 3,000 meters!" Ning Qing said in a low voice: "You know, I'm short of money to use now, and I'm only a freshman, and no one invites me to be a tutor."

  "But you have to come in first place to get that prize."

  "Don't worry, it's next month, there's still a month to prepare. Starting tomorrow, I'll get up at 5 am every day to run and keep it up for a month. Even if I don't win any prize, as long as I can finish the race, that's good enough. I heard that those who can persist in finishing the marathon will also receive a reward."

  Zhou Ling took a look at Ning Qing's face, stuck out his tongue and said: "Set your goal to persist in running, get up early every day to run, it's good exercise."

  "Come and run with me in the morning!" Ning Qingming put his hand on Zhou Ling's shoulder, "Anyway, you've reported 800 meters, it's good to get a place by accident."

  "Alright!" Zhou Ling's eyes darted to the other side, where Jiang Mingzhi was. He had just heard that Jiang Mingzhi had signed up for the basketball team and would definitely be on the playground practicing in the morning. As he ran past the playground, he could easily take a look at his skills.

  "Hey, I'm talking to you, where are your eyes?" Ning Qing pinched Zhou Ling's chin, turned her face around, and stared into her eyes, saying: "Don't be distracted!"

  "Qing Min, I've found that you're a bit different now, more rough than before." Zhou Ling took down Ning Qing Min's hand and examined her, saying: "Through the lenses, one can almost feel your eyes sparkling with spirit."

  "Pffft", Ning Qing couldn't help but laugh, "After a while, it's not just going to be sparkling with energy, it might even electrocute people."

  "Haha...", followed by a burst of laughter, Duan Shurong's voice said: "Xiuzhen, did you hear that? Just now, a country bumpkin said her pair of potato eyes can electrocute people to death!"

  "So someone is eavesdropping on others' jokes!" Ning Qingming didn't turn around, but refused to give in.

  "Xiu Zhen, it turns out that this sweet potato thing is not only dirty and falling apart, but also self-righteously proud without any basis!" Duan Shu Rong ignored Ning Qing Min's words and turned to talk to Li Xiu Zhen, determined to make the rustic girl angry.

  "Duan Shurong, when did I ever offend you? Why do you always target me?" Ning Qingming's heart was filled with anger, she suddenly turned her head around and glared at Duan Shurong. "We all got into this school with similar grades, sitting here, what makes you think you can bully me?" During university, Duan Shurong had always loved to go against her, until they graduated and went their separate ways. Even when they met again at the alumni reunion, there was nothing to say.

  Duan Shurong glared at Ning Qingmian, just about to speak, when the class bell rang.

  After class, Li Xiuzhen quietly asked Duan Shurong: "Honestly, I also think you have a bit of a grudge against Ning Qingmian. At the beginning of school, she thought she was rustic and didn't even bother to talk to her. How come now she loves to argue with her?"

  "I was just venting on behalf of my little aunt!" Duan Shurong pulled Li Xiuzhen and said, "This matter is only told to you, don't tell others."

  "My uncle is Ning Qingmin's father." Duan Shurong saw that Li Xiuzhen didn't understand, so she gritted her teeth and said: "Before my uncle met my aunt, he was married before, and Ning Qingmin is the daughter of his ex-wife."

  "Ning Qingmin's mother now lives in the countryside, while your aunt and uncle are locals who live in the city. No matter how you look at it, Ning Qingmin's mother is a bit more pitiful. How can you use this to vent?" Li Xiuzhen raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised.

  "According to what my cousin said, Auntie often quarrels with Uncle because of his ex-wife and this Ning Qingmian." Duan Shurong was indignant. "I heard that Uncle secretly sent money to Ning Qingmian's mother, saying it was for Ning Qingmian's tuition fees, but when Auntie found out, they had a huge fight."

  "It's like this." Li Xiuzhen let out a hearty "ha" and said: "What a twist!"

  "Right, don't tell anyone else!" Duan Shurong reminded Li Xiuzhen once again.

  "Alright, you've said that a few times already." Li Xiuzhen smiled and suddenly asked: "How did you know Ning Qingmian was your uncle's daughter?"

  At the beginning of school, my uncle wanted to secretly send money to Ning Qingmian, and wrote the address, class, and name on the remittance slip. My cousin saw it and reported it to my aunt. My cousin saw that the class written was actually the same as mine, and called to tell me. My aunt was so angry that she was hospitalized because of this matter.

  "Your uncle is really unlucky, every time he tries to secretly send money, he gets caught red-handed." Li Xiuzhen chuckled.

  "She was caught twice, and even made excuses that the time she sent Ning Qingmin's tuition fee back, Ning Qingmin's mother didn't want it and returned it." Duan Shurong hummed: "Just thinking about how I got my aunt hospitalized for her sake makes me so angry."