ebookland Chapter 43 The Courage to Never Give Up
Chapter 43 The Courage to Never Give Up
At most one hour after evening self-study ends, all dormitory buildings will lock their doors and turn off the lights on time. Students who have not returned to their dormitories by then are considered to have violated the rules.
get out of class had already ended for quite some time, and there were only less than fifteen minutes left before the dormitory doors were closed and the lights were turned off.
Lu Yuan and Ye Yixian lived in two separate dormitory buildings, which were a few minutes' walk apart. If they walked a little slower, they probably wouldn't make it in time to lock the doors.
Ye Yixian was well aware of the school's rules, but even so, she still risked breaking the rules and came to find Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan initially thought that she should go back to her dormitory as soon as possible. He said that they could talk about anything over the phone, or even wait until tomorrow to discuss it. There was no need to take the risk at this time when the dormitory was about to close.
But when he saw Ye Yixian standing alone in the cold wind outside, her body slightly shivering but still anxiously waiting, he couldn't bear to disappoint her. So he quickly went downstairs and rushed towards her.
The nights in late spring were still bitterly cold. The cold air lingered and the deeper the night, the more biting the wind became, chilling the face and making one shiver.
The clothes Lu Yuan bought for Ye Yixian before were all spring and summer styles, which were far less effective at keeping warm than heavy winter clothes.
She had only stood in the cold wind for a few minutes when her cheeks turned red from the cold and her hands became stiff and numb.
Lu Yuan strode over to her side, and without saying a word, immediately took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders.
Ye Yixian instinctively shrank back, full of resistance. She was already used to enduring the cold and really didn't want Lu Yuan to suffer from the cold as well.
But Lu Yuan's attitude was exceptionally firm. As soon as she showed even the slightest sign of refusal, his eyes would light up with displeasure.
Ye Yixian didn't want to upset Lu Yuan from the bottom of her heart, so she could only obediently comply, gently pulling the coat that still carried Lu Yuan's body heat around her shoulders to let the warmth envelop her body.
There were still many students rushing back to their dormitories after evening self-study, walking by in twos and threes, which made Ye Yixian feel a little uneasy and his expression was unnatural.
Fortunately, the night was dark and the light was dim, and with the howling wind, no one noticed them by the flower bed, which made her breathe a little easier.
"You could have just said it over the phone, why did you come all this way?" Lu Yuan frowned slightly, his tone tinged with confusion and helplessness, as he faced the biting cold wind.
Upon hearing this, Ye Yixian quickly pulled a neatly bound booklet from her cold pocket, held it with both hands, and carefully handed it to Lu Yuan, her eyes serious yet slightly apprehensive:
"I know that you made a bet with those two people in your class tonight partly to stop them from talking about me behind my back. But you really didn't need to do that for me."
At this point, she glanced up briefly at Lu Yuan's expression, making sure he showed no sign of displeasure, before continuing softly:
"But the bet has already been made, and it can't be changed now. No matter what others think of you, I support you in betting with them to the end. Even if you don't win in the end, in my heart, you are a true man who dares to take responsibility for your actions."
"Is this... a special occasion to encourage me?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Yuan felt a surge of warmth in his heart, and a light smile unconsciously appeared on his lips, softening his features.
Ye Yixian's cheeks instantly burned even hotter, but fortunately, they had already been reddened by the cold wind, which perfectly concealed this sudden shyness.
She has always been used to wrapping herself in a cold and aloof shell.
She shouldn't have such a timid and delicate mood, but for some reason, whenever she stood in front of Lu Yuan, her tense pretense would always inadvertently collapse, and a softness that was unfamiliar even to herself would rise in her heart.
"I guess so." She bit her lower lip, nodded vigorously, and her voice was as soft as a gentle evening breeze.
Lu Yuan was overjoyed. He lowered his head, picked up the booklet in his hand, and asked in confusion, "Then what is this?"
"These are my old study notes, full of Chinese composition writing techniques. I don't know if they'll be useful to you, but I thought it would be good if they could help you even a little bit."
Ye Yixian raised his head, his tone exceptionally serious, his eyes full of sincerity.
Her Chinese language scores have always been good, and after years of study, she has developed her own set of practical writing techniques.
Now, by sharing this with Lu Yuan without reservation, I want to fully support his determination to uphold the bet and refuse to admit defeat.
Lu Yuan flipped through a few pages; the booklet was filled with neatly written writing ideas, high-scoring techniques, and methods for using materials for various types of essays.
These are all practical tips summarized from Ye Yixian's own experience, and they are of great reference value to him at present.
What he urgently needs right now is precisely a method to improve his Chinese composition skills.
The 800-word essay for the college entrance examination may seem simple, but it actually contains many scoring tips. As long as you master the core techniques, getting a high score is not difficult.
"This is so useful to me, it's a godsend!"
Lu Yuan's smile grew even brighter. Overjoyed, he subconsciously raised his hand, wanting to gently pat Ye Yixian's head.
But just as he raised his hand halfway up the air, he suddenly came to his senses and realized that he and Ye Yixian were not close enough to make such intimate gestures at will.
Touching her rashly might offend her.
With a sudden change of heart, Lu Yuan felt somewhat embarrassed. His raised hand froze in mid-air, caught in a dilemma, and the atmosphere became rather awkward.
Ye Yixian looked at his hand hovering in mid-air, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes, and asked softly, "Are you... trying to touch my head?"
"Hahaha, how could that be?"
Lu Yuan chuckled dryly, quickly withdrew his hand, awkwardly scratched the back of his head, and said with a smile, "I heard that touching someone's head will make them grow shorter. You're already short, and I don't want you to blame me for making you grow shorter later."
Ye Yixian frowned slightly. She clearly felt that Lu Yuan had just wanted to pat her head and give her a compliment, but he denied it outright.
She did hate it when people touched her head, but she didn't mind it when it was Lu Yuan; in fact, she was secretly looking forward to it.
Moreover, she is not short. As a girl from the south, 1.6 meters tall is not short at all.
Besides, she's long past the age of growing taller.
Seeing that Lu Yuan denied it, she didn't ask any more questions. She simply suppressed the subtle emotions in her eyes and looked at Lu Yuan with a serious expression: "Lu Yuan, don't put too much pressure on yourself. As long as you do your best, it's not shameful to lose in the end."
Seeing Ye Yixian's serious and earnest expression, Lu Yuan also suppressed his smile, his heart filled with emotion.
He knew in his heart that Ye Yixian was afraid that he would be under too much pressure because of the bet, and that he would be embarrassed if he lost in the end, so he braved the cold wind and risked violating the rules to come and encourage him.
Over the years, Ye Yixian has been ostracized and bullied by those around him, experiencing countless cold stares and injustices. He has long since honed his own way of surviving through hardship:
Even if you know you will lose, you must stand tall and face it with composure. You must never let others look down on you or trample on your dignity.
In Ye Yixian, Lu Yuan saw a kind of courage that, even knowing the cruelty of the world, still tried his best to live life earnestly.
This resilience sustained her through an unhappy childhood and adolescence, a quality worthy of admiration.
Looking back on her past life, after experiencing multiple setbacks in her career, love life, and family, she repeatedly had thoughts of giving up her life and escaping reality.
Compared to Ye Yixian before him, he felt utterly inferior.
After thinking it through, Lu Yuan smiled with relief and looked at Ye Yixian with a firm gaze: "Okay, I will do my best. Even if I lose in the end, I will never bow my head and I will never let anyone look down on me."
"Yes, yes! You must keep it up!"
Ye Yixian instantly showed a happy expression, subconsciously clenching her small fist, her eyes full of trust and encouragement for Lu Yuan, wanting to pass on her most steadfast belief to him.
But after making the movement, she suddenly realized that she looked too childish. Her cheeks flushed, and she immediately stopped, standing there awkwardly, feeling increasingly embarrassed.
Looking at her adorable, contradictory expression, Lu Yuan couldn't help but smile and said gently, "I always feel a little lonely working hard alone. Why don't you work hard with me?"
"Huh? Me?" Ye Yixian suddenly raised her head, her eyes full of surprise. She had always felt that she was ordinary and insignificant and could not help Lu Yuan at all.
"Of course it's you. Your Chinese grades are so good, you can teach me properly."
Lu Yuan then feigned a frustrated expression and said softly, "As you know, I've fallen behind on too many things, and I simply can't catch up on them all by myself."
"But... I'm afraid I won't be able to teach well." Ye Yixian hesitated and murmured softly.
"There aren't that many 'buts'. Do you want to see me suffer a complete defeat?" Lu Yuan pressed on, his eyes full of anticipation.
"Of course I don't want to!" Ye Yixian blurted out without even thinking.
"Then will you work hard with me, okay?"
Looking into Lu Yuan's expectant eyes, Ye Yixian's hesitation gradually dissipated, and she ultimately couldn't bring herself to refuse.
After a long silence, he nodded slightly: "Okay, I'll try my best to help you catch up on some of the knowledge you learned before, maybe that will help you improve your grades."
"Great! You're such a good little follower, so sensible!" Lu Yuan joked with a smile.
"Hmph! Don't call me your follower in public, it's so embarrassing!" Ye Yixian muttered, full of reluctance.
"Oh? Then what should I call you?"
As Lu Yuan spoke, he subconsciously moved a few steps closer to her, his eyes crinkling with a smile as he gazed intently at her.
Ye Yixian subconsciously leaned his head back, but forgot to take a step back.
As the two drew closer, she could clearly feel Lu Yuan's aura. Her heart suddenly began to pound uncontrollably, and even her breathing became rapid.
Even though the evening wind was still bitterly cold, she felt inexplicably hot all over, and even the roots of her ears turned red.