Unknown Intrusion

Chapter 10 Qiao Qiao
"Have you heard? Someone saw at noon that all the leaves on a tree in the courtyard suddenly withered, right during lunch break."

"really?"

"It's true. I even saw a group of teachers run over to see, and there were also uncles from outside the school watching. There were so many people."

Are you sick?

"What kind of disease is this? I heard that this tree was originally very green, but suddenly all the leaves turned yellow."

"how is this possible?"

"It's true. Now only new buds remain on that tree; the withered leaves have probably all been swept away."

"That's strange, why does our school have so many trees?"

As Su Yu walked through the corridor on her way back to the classroom after studying, she overheard several classmates having this conversation.

The leaves have withered?

Su Yu, returning from the chemistry lab, patted the small bag in his pocket and slowed his pace slightly.

"Is it because of me?"

Unlike his classmates who were clueless, Su Yu, who knew about the mystical side, felt somewhat uneasy.

"I brought evil spirits here, and then the leaves withered. So, the school has many trees, which does have the meaning of warding off evil."

"I just don't know if it has caused any bad consequences."

In any case, we can't bring evil spirits here anytime soon.

Once might be a fluke, twice it would be under close surveillance, and three times it would definitely lead to arrest.

As the afternoon classes were drawing to a close, Cheng Qiaoqiao sat quietly and handed Su Yu a piece of chocolate as he passed by.

"For you."

Her tone was ordinary and brief.

"Ah."

Su Yu didn't stand on ceremony and directly peeled off the candy wrapper, putting the small piece of black candy into his mouth.

Feeling the sweetness melting between his lips and teeth, his mood instantly lightened.

Even the messy classroom looked pleasing to the eye.

"Let's skip today, but remember to come to my house after school tomorrow." Cheng Qiaoqiao carefully instructed, "Don't make excuses not to come this time."

Su Yu nodded solemnly.

This was actually Mr. Cheng's private tutoring. He was Su Yu's occult mentor and had enlightened him many times. He didn't charge Su Yu a single penny.

Unfortunately, the indigenous people at the time were ignorant and failed to appreciate the effort, falling far short and not being able to go deep enough.

It was only later that I gradually realized that the introduction to the occult cost a lot... it was practically like being treated like a favored son.

But they don't appreciate it and are sometimes reluctant to go.

Looking back now, I wish I could drag out the natives from back then and give them a good beating.

Amidst the turmoil of emotions, Su Yu couldn't help himself.

"Does the host feel remorse?"

For Su Yu, the host only had simple memories left, but touching the same scene always caused the remaining emotions to resurface.

Fortunately, mistakes can always be rectified.

In the blink of an eye, the crisp sound of the school bell rang in the corridor.

His gaze seemed too obvious, for the female classmate glanced at him, a slight smile on her face, and whispered something to Qiaoqiao.

Cheng Qiaoqiao pretended not to notice, but a few blushes quietly appeared on her fair neck.

The melodious sound of a violin soared from the tall clock tower, its beautiful and soothing tune dancing across the campus like water flowing quietly under the moonlight... poetic and full of youthful energy.

As you walk along the tree-shaded brick avenue, people from all over the campus converge here and head towards the main gate.

Su Yu walked on the right, carrying his schoolbag, while the girl in the white dress walked ahead of him on the left.

Her steps were light, like a white butterfly, as she moved through the lush green sea of ​​trees.

Suddenly, Su Yu recalled her appearance ten years later.

Back then, she had grown up and was beautiful, but she rarely smiled and was not as relaxed and cheerful as she is now.

Perhaps it's because of me?
Su Yu had some thoughts on his mind.

He felt a sense of bewilderment, like revisiting an old haunt and seeing old friends again, yet he was also very clear that Qiaoqiao did not have the same memories as him, ten years later.

"What exactly did Qiaoqiao think of me back then?"

"I hardly keep in touch with my classmates anymore, and my friends have gradually drifted away. In the end, the only one who stayed by my side was her..."

Su Yu felt a pang of sadness and a sense of indebtedness.

"sorry."

In his heart, he apologized to Qiaoqiao... the Qiaoqiao who was still willing to support him even ten years later.

"Qiaoqiao must have a good feeling about me, no, she must like me... This is not a misperception!" When she was in school, she often had the misperception that "she likes me", but Su Yu felt that this was different.

The feeling of being in love is something that only those who have experienced it can truly understand.

That's the feeling Qiaoqiao gave him.

but……

A helpless sigh rose in Su Yu's heart.

What were Su Yu's feelings when he saw Qiaoqiao for the last time at the age of twenty-four?
Perhaps it was a fear of saying goodbye, mixed with gratitude?

Or perhaps, there's a budding feeling hidden deep in my memory?

"what happened?"

As they reached a slightly secluded spot, the girl in the white dress turned around, her face beaming with a bright smile and her eyes clear.

"Here, I saved it for you."

Cheng Qiaoqiao took a square cardboard box out of her schoolbag and carefully opened it.

Inside lay quietly, wrapped in paper, an exquisitely crafted, long, thin candy.

"Ta-da... Chocolate imported from France, do you like it?" Her laughter was full of the joy of sharing.

"like."

Familiar memories overlapped with the reality before him once more. Su Yu smiled, but his voice was choked with emotion.

French chocolate is very expensive. Don't be fooled by its small size; a single box can cost the equivalent of three days' wages for an average dockworker.

Mr. Cheng has a good income, so he can't buy too much.

Qiaoqiao actually only gets one box a month, and she always brings it over, specifically reserving one for him.

The memories hidden deep within him were revived, piercing Su Yu's heart.

"What's wrong... Su Su..."

The girl in the white dress noticed something was wrong with him, reached out to wipe away the tears from the corners of his eyes, and gradually panicked.

"What's wrong?" Her voice was genuinely panicked. "Don't scare me!"

"fine……"

Su Yu forced a smile, took a piece of chocolate, carefully tore open the wrapper, put it in her mouth, and the familiar taste instantly warmed her heart.

"Qiaoqiao, I like you!"

"Huh?!"

His words were concise and to the point, yet carried an unparalleled impact.

This left the girl in the white dress completely flustered.

"This...that..." She lowered her head with a troubled expression, her beautiful neck already flushed red.

Fourteen years old is a time of great confusion and uncertainty.

"We're still young... I haven't thought about it yet..."

Hesitantly, the girl in the white dress could only utter this one sentence.

"I know."

After regaining his composure from his impulsiveness, Su Yu began to feel a little regretful.

It's not that I regret liking her.

However, it is indeed too early and inappropriate to say this now.

However, you would only see her like this when she was fourteen years old.

The girl finally saw the smile on Su Yu's face and seemed annoyed. She seemed to have misunderstood and thought that Su Yu was deliberately teasing her.

"You're teasing me again!"

The angry girl, feeling both disappointed and ashamed, simply turned her face away and walked quickly forward.

She remained sullen and refused to speak to him again on the rest of the journey.

It's unlikely we'll see someone as easily angered as Qiaoqiao again in the future.

Su Yu gradually recalled more and more details.

At that time, he would occasionally tease her, and he liked to see her angry.

The past and the future gradually intertwine, evoking indescribable complex emotions.

Pain, regret, relief, longing... Su Yu's emotions were like a jumbled photograph, sometimes recalling the little things from when she was fourteen, and sometimes jumping to ten years later...

"Sigh, have the memories finally merged?"

"That's right. The natives are actually new branches that have grown from my roots. Now that I've accepted them, I must also accept their feelings!"

Su Yu realized this.

(End of this chapter)