Page 67

Page 67

"From that day until graduation, my position as number one in the class never changed."

"I can see that He Ling is genuinely happy for me, but there is a hint of worry between her brows. I have less time to play, and I work harder than before, both in class and after class. Naturally, I don't want to admit defeat, so I work harder and never give up my first place."

"I won't lose."

After a moment of silence, Gu Zheng continued, "After a while, I gradually heard some people in the class talking about me. They said that I was an ungrateful person. He Ling had always taken care of me, but I was like a learning machine and worked hard to get her first place. I pretended to be hardworking and studious all day long. I didn't want to play and made others suffer. But I clearly didn't do anything."

"I ignored them. After I had mastered the basic knowledge of junior high school, I felt that it would be no problem to maintain my first place, so I started to spend some time on sports."

"I don't have to spend too much energy on sports. This is my talent, probably inherited from my mom. I've been in good health since I was a child, and it's easy for me to beat everyone, including the boys in my class. This makes some boys feel embarrassed, and they start to say bad things about me behind my back, saying that I have a lot of testosterone secretion, and some even spread rumors that I have chest hair."

Han Zhou frowned.

Gu Zheng said indifferently, "I beat up all those people. Later, their parents came to school to force me to admit my mistake, but I refused to admit it, so I got a small punishment. One of the parents wanted to beat me but I dodged her. She told me to be more careful next time."

"What happened next?" Han Zhou asked.

"Later..." Gu Zheng blinked and smiled with her eyes curved, "Later my mother found the parent who threatened me and beat her up. Not long after, the family moved away."

Han Zhou knew it would be like this. Miao Yaner is not a person who obeys the rules, but a real violent person. Otherwise, she would not study self-defense and teach it to her daughter who is also not very good-tempered. .

Not only that, Guzheng's father is not a stable man. Both parents have the mentality of children. They give Guzheng a laissez-faire education. They don't indulge her, but they will never let her suffer any grievances easily.

Guzheng was quiet for a while and soon stopped smiling.

"From then on, everyone knew that I was not easy to bully, but my popularity became worse and worse. Even the teacher didn't like me very much, but I didn't care. I never thought I had done anything wrong until the incident in the third year of junior high school."

"It was also because of that incident that I lost my friend He Ling."

I took some medicine yesterday and slept all day. I am also worried that my writing might sound like preaching, so I have been revising it. There is one chapter that will be a little later, and I will slowly make up for the rest.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 82 Why don't you stay at my house tonight?

The sky has completely darkened.

Dim lights were lit in the distance, and heavy rain was pouring down. The dense raindrops intertwined into lines, forming a continuous rain curtain. The huge sound of rain seemed to cover everything and became the only sound in the world.

The raindrops as big as beans hit the ground, and the splashing water just fell at the feet of the two people at the subway station entrance.

“It’s raining really hard.”

Han Zhou was amazed. It was a rainstorm. In the dark sky, it was almost impossible to see clearly in the distance through the rain. Even the car lights were blurred. He could only see the nearby scenes.

He was a little worried. There was some distance between the subway station and Guzheng's home. They didn't have an umbrella, so it might be difficult for them to cross the heavy rain and return to the community.

If I had known this would happen, I would have taken a taxi. It may not be easy to get a taxi nearby in this situation.

Gu Zheng also looked worried, and took out her cell phone and said, "I'll call my mom and ask her to pick me up."

She called Miao Yan'er, but soon she frowned and said, "My parents can't come back today. They asked me to figure it out on my own. It seems I can't count on them."

Seeing the heavy rain, she looked at Han Zhou and said unhappily, "It's all your fault. You insisted on sending me back. It's raining so hard now. You should leave quickly, or you won't be able to go back."

"What about you?" Han Zhou asked.

"I'll wait here for a while to see if the rain stops. If not, I'll take a taxi back."

"There's no need to wait. The rain is not going to stop anytime soon. It will only get heavier. Hurry up and take a taxi. I'll wait here with you until the taxi arrives. You haven't finished your words yet."

Gu Zheng glared at him and said, "You are more gossipy than girls. Aren't you afraid that you won't be able to go back?"

Han Zhou shrugged, "It's too late for me to leave now. My home is even farther from the subway station, and there's no place to take shelter from the rain. It doesn't matter if I go back early or late, so I'm not in a hurry. Go on, what happened on the third grade?"

Gu Zheng knew that this guy would not give up until he finished listening, and wanted to send him home quickly, but she had no choice but to continue talking.

She took a few steps back to avoid the splashing rain, and pulled Han Zhou with her, saying, "It's not a big deal. There was a competition in the third year of junior high school, and each class had to select five people to participate. You know, I have always been interested in this kind of competition, so when the teacher called my name, I agreed directly."

"But at noon after school, He Ling suddenly found me."

"She looked a little haggard at the time, completely different from her first year of junior high school. She had no energy. I heard people talk about it before. They said that He Ling's parents were very concerned about her studies and were proud of her first place. It seemed that because she could never pass the exams as well as me, her mentality gradually became problematic. Her grades had already dropped outside the top ten, and she was not as cheerful as before."

Having said this, Gu Zheng's eyes dimmed a little. She had always felt a little guilty about this. She was responsible for He Ling becoming like this. Even if this was not her intention, she still inevitably hurt the other person.

She tried to comfort He Ling, take her out to play, and study with her, but she had no talent for comforting others. Not only did she fail to make He Ling happy, but she was also accused of being hypocritical by others.

Han Zhou didn't say anything.

There are always some people in life who are quite outstanding and dazzling in the eyes of ordinary people, but sometimes the brighter they are, the more they will inadvertently burn other people, so they will inevitably appear out of place.

Is it their fault?

of course not.

Is it wrong for Guzheng to strive to be the best?

Of course that's right.

So whose fault is this?

Han Zhou did not think about the answer behind it, because this question did not require a definite answer.

Gu Zheng didn't know what Han Zhou was thinking, and recalled: "The reason why He Ling found me was very simple. She wanted me to give up participating in this competition because it was very important to her. She hoped that I would give her a chance to win the prize."

"I don't remember how I felt at the time. I just couldn't believe He Ling would say such a thing. I always thought that we were friends and rivals. Although she was defeated temporarily, wasn't this behavior equivalent to admitting defeat directly?"

"I couldn't accept this mentality, and I didn't want to give up any victory, so I rejected her."

Gu Zheng's expression became more complicated, and she continued, "That day was the first time I saw He Ling angry. She loudly questioned me, asking why I was studying so hard. I had already surpassed the second place by a large margin, so why didn't I give others a chance to survive? She said that it was me who made the class so tense, and that it was me who caused everyone to bear such great pressure. Everyone hated me, so why didn't I notice it?"

"We are obviously best friends, why am I unwilling to give her a chance? This opportunity is very important to her. Is it that competing for first place is more important to me than being friends?"

"That was the first time He Ling opened up her heart. She said I was too selfish. I knew then that was how she saw me. I said that there were many schools participating in this competition, and even if I didn't participate, she might not be able to get a place. She said it didn't matter, as long as I gave up the competition, there would be an extra place, and her chances of getting a place would increase."

"I was very confused. There was still some time before the competition started. Obviously, improving myself was the best way. Why did she insist on making me give up? But I didn't ask this question because she cried."

"'Gu Zheng, you only need to let me go this once, just this once', I still remember what He Ling said at that time."

The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and the bus stop sign was constantly hit by the wind and rain, shaking slightly.

Guzheng shrank her neck.

"When I saw He Ling crying, I felt confused for the first time about what I had done. I wondered if I really shouldn't have done this, so I went home and asked my parents if I was wrong."

"They told me that I was not wrong, but there is more to this world than right and wrong. I could actually do better. This competition is not that important to me. I could indeed give in and give up the competition to give my good friend a chance, even if she might not be able to seize it. This would allow her to feel my goodwill, and I wouldn't have to prepare so hard for the competition. This would be good for both sides."

Gu Zheng took a deep breath. Miao Yan'er had told her more than once that her competitive spirit was like a double-edged sword. It could make her invincible, but it could also hurt others and herself.

"Han Zhou."

She suddenly looked at Han Zhou, a hint of uneasiness flashed in her eyes, and her voice became lowered a little.

"Do you think I'm wrong?"

In the heavy rain, the girl lowered her head, her expression hidden under the light, as blurry as the car lights outside the rain.

"Of course you are right."

Without hesitation, Han Zhou immediately gave an affirmative answer.

"really?"

Gu Zheng gritted her teeth and blamed herself, "But then He Ling didn't come to school for several days. It was said that she had been seeing a psychologist for a while. Everyone said it was my fault. Although my parents never said so, they thought I should make changes."

"This result is indeed regrettable, but it has nothing to do with you. No one can blame you from any standpoint."

Han Zhou shook his head. "But Guzheng, I don't want to tell you about life philosophy. In fact, it's hard to say whether this matter is right or wrong. Everything depends on your position and choice. If this is your choice, then I support you."

Gu Zheng lowered her head and said with a gloomy look: "So you also think it would be better if I gave way?"

"You should ask yourself this. I said I support your choice. Do you remember how our relationship got better?"

Han Zhou suddenly asked an irrelevant question.

Gu Zheng was stunned for a moment, and recalled: "I remember, one day you suddenly came to me and slammed my desk, saying that you wanted to be my rival, and that you would surpass me one day, and everyone was laughing at you."

At this point, she couldn't help laughing. "At first, you were so arrogant that you wanted to compete with me in running. In the end, you were exhausted like a dead dog after running only two steps. You even fell down, and then you shamelessly asked me to help you back to the classroom."

Han Zhou's face darkened. This was considered a dark history in his high school, but he soon smiled and said proudly, "But I won that race. I crossed the finish line first."

I get angry when I mention this guzheng: "You are just using your injury to cheat! You are not ashamed but proud of it. You are so shameless!"

Han Zhou laughed out loud. As an unlockable character, Guzheng naturally had a corresponding side quest. The quest was to defeat her once and make the other party truly recognize him as an opponent.

He did not think about the significance of this task at that time, but later he gradually understood that for this lonely girl who was unwilling to hide her edge, only her opponent could become her friend.

Suddenly, a blurry car light appeared in the distance. Han Zhou smiled and said, "Okay, the taxi you called should be here. That's enough. No need to say anything more."

Gu Zheng was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously asked, "Don't you want to know whether I gave up the competition in the end?"

She seemed to want to tell Han Zhou her choice.

"No need. I said, I will support you no matter what you choose, even if everyone thinks you are wrong. If you don't want to care about what others think, then there is no need to care. You only need to remember one thing."

Han Zhou said seriously, "No matter what happened in the past, I am the one standing beside you now. I will always be your opponent. I won't let you, and you don't have to let me. After all, I have a thick skin, so you don't have to worry about hurting me at any time."

He knew that this was the answer Guzheng needed.

Gu Zheng must have thought about what was right and wrong many times. The reason she was so worried and entangled was because she was afraid that what happened in the past would happen again.

Han Zhou held the girl's head and said, "I know that being competitive may not be your nature. There must be a reason why you want to win so much, otherwise you wouldn't work so hard. Others can't see this, but I can see it. If winning is really important, then you don't need to give in."

These were his true feelings. As an opponent, he had been chasing after Guzheng, so he could understand Guzheng's efforts and feel her determination to win.

The strong should not compromise with mediocrity, and why should the sun bow to the torch?

The warmth coming from above her head made Gu Zheng stunned for a long time. For some reason, her eyes suddenly became moist.

Until just now, she was still very scared, afraid that Han Zhou would hate her for being like this.

But she is not afraid of anything now.

Seeing that Gu Zheng didn't say anything, Han Zhou thought she was still struggling, so he thought for a moment and said, "Do you remember the story of Kuafu chasing the sun that I mentioned at your house a few days ago? This is actually a story. Kuafu was a giant who could chase the sun. I thought it was too pretentious at the time, so I didn't finish the rest of the story."

Guzheng pricked up her ears.

Han Zhou took a deep breath and said, "Anyway, just think of me as Kuafu. You will always be the sun in my heart. You don't need to restrain your light. Just keep running forward."

The rain was making a loud noise and he did feel a little embarrassed. He paused for a long time before speaking again.

"I will keep chasing after you."

Gu Zheng's eyes widened and her heart trembled violently.

But she soon began to wonder, if only this guy could muster up the courage to chase me...