approximately parallel

Chapter 19

Luo Ling didn't know how long he had been standing in the teaching office, he only knew that he had been standing here since the morning, and now it was dark.Director Tian went to the teaching building to do a class inspection for evening self-study. He is on duty today, no wonder he has plenty of time.Thinking about it, it's really embarrassing. I didn't expect that I'm already an old man, and now I'm still standing here like a primary school student.I remember that I often made mistakes when I was young, and every time Xiaoxian would try to hide it for herself.But the lies made up by this guy can be heard by even a fool, let alone Father Luo, so in the end it is often two people who are punished together.But two people are better off than one.Because in their view, as long as two people are together, even punishment becomes an interesting game.Cleaning the chapel, going to the beach to pick up garbage, cleaning the small advertisements on the outer wall of the church... They have done all of these.But the most embarrassing thing for the two of them was distributing small leaflets to promote religious teachings on the street, and they were almost misunderstood by the urban management several times.Thinking of this, Luo Ling actually laughed, as if he had forgotten how bad his current situation was.

At this moment, the door of the teaching office was suddenly pushed open from the outside, and then a gust of cold wind blew in a figure wrapped in it.Luo Ling thought it was Director Tian who came back, but when he looked up, he realized it was Shizuru Higashino.

"Let's go, Director Tian said you can go." Dongye Jingxuan went out after saying this, but Luo Ling still stayed there in a daze, as if he hadn't reacted yet.

"Do you want to sleep here tonight?" The familiar voice came from the door again, and this time Luo Ling chased him out without delay.

It seems to be very cold today, and it feels like the coldest day since winter.The temperature dropped at night, and the wind was stronger than during the day, and there was a trace of moisture in the bitterness, as if an unexpected heavy snow was brewing.The campus at night is very quiet, only a lonely street lamp is still performing its duties seriously on the empty road.Under the light, Higashino Jingxian walked slowly in front, while Luo Ling quietly followed behind, the two of them didn't say a word along the way, only two shadows elongated by the light walked forward alternately with the sound of footsteps .Although the distance between the two is only a few steps, it seems like a whole world is separated.

"Are you okay?" After walking for a while, the two of them suddenly stopped at the same time, and then asked the same words at the same time.It seemed that even they themselves were surprised by the astonishing synchronization rate between each other, and after a few seconds of being stunned, they looked at each other and smiled in unison again.And all the embarrassments, troubles, and entanglements of the past few days seemed to disappear with this smile.It turned out that everything was so simple.

"Oh, Principal Wei is looking for you today... Is it because of the photo?" After a whole day, Luo Ling was most worried about this matter.

"Photo? What photo?" Higashino Jingxian lowered her head pretending to be natural, for fear that Luo Ling would see the expression on her face.

"He...didn't tell you about the photos?" Luo Ling murmured to himself in confusion, and then asked, "Then why is he looking for you today?"

"It's nothing, I just want to ask whether I should take the final exam here or go back to Japan."

"what do you say?"

"I want to go back to Japan."

"why?"

"I heard that my current Chinese level is not bad, but reading and writing are not good enough. Do you want me to fail every subject?" Higashino Shizuru made a little joke, and the smile on his face was as clean as this winter The cool air at night.

"So, you're going back before the holiday?" Luo Ling's tone revealed a trace of undisguised reluctance.

Higashino Shizuru nodded.At this moment, Luo Ling suddenly felt a little inexplicably sad, but after thinking about it, it was actually better this way.What he has been most worried about all along is because of this incident, Higashino Shizuru will be implicated for no reason. If he leaves, he will have no worries. No matter what happens next, he will be willing to bear it without any complaints.

After that, the two of them didn't say anything, just walked slowly in the silent campus.It usually only takes a few minutes at most from the office building to the dormitory, but tonight they walked for a long time, as if this road would never end.

"How did you know I was in the teaching office?" Luo Ling asked suddenly.

"Such a big thing happened in school, it's hard for me not to know."

"Siyuan told you, right?" In fact, he had already guessed when Dongye Jingxuan opened the door and came in.

"Siyuan is a good man, you are really lucky to have such a friend."

Luo Ling nodded in agreement, and then asked: "But why did Director Tian suddenly change his mind? Did you tell him something?"

"I don't have this ability. He met me in the classroom and asked me to come over to pass on a message. Besides, he can't really let you stand in the teaching office all night, can he?"

The conversation fell into silence for a while, neither of them spoke, as if they were thinking about their own thoughts.

"Xiang, I'm sorry." After hesitating for a moment, Luo Ling still mustered up the courage to say the words that have been holding back in his heart.

"Why did you say sorry to me? I wasn't the one you beat into the infirmary?"

"What I'm talking about...was at the church that night. I didn't do it on purpose, and I don't know what happened to me. I was just...in fact, I..." Luo Lingyue said more and more chaos, and for a while I just feel mixed tastes and inexplicable emotions.

"Okay," Higashino Shizuru stopped and turned around and said, "You don't need to say it, I understand."

"You... really don't blame me?"

"Stop talking about the past."

"How about...you beat me up?" Ever since that incident happened, Luo Ling has been weighed down by deep guilt and self-blame, almost suffocating.It would make him feel better if Higashino Shizuru came here today to scold him, or just beat him up.But Dongye didn't hit him, scolded him, and didn't even say a word of blame, which made Luo Ling feel even more uncomfortable.

"Are you sick?" Faced with such a bizarre request, Higashino Shizuru couldn't help but smiled wryly.

"I'm serious! If you don't do something to me, I'll take it as if you're still angry with me!" Luo Ling said stubbornly.

Facing his stubbornness, Higashino Shizuru could only shake his head helplessly, "If you must feel that you owe me something," he said and walked over suddenly, and before Luo Ling could react, he was like a superficial touch on him. A quick kiss on the cheek. "That's okay, right? We'll be evened once each of us."

Luo Ling was stunned by his action, and he stood there for a long time without moving.At this moment, a small bit of icy something got into his neck suddenly, causing him to jump up uncontrollably, only then did he realize that there was snow floating in the sky at some point.

"It's snowing!" Luo Ling excitedly grabbed and grabbed in mid-air, and he was indeed a child who grew up in the south.

"But it looks like the snow won't accumulate anymore." Shizuru Higashino stretched out his hand, and a few snowflakes landed in his palm, and disappeared in an instant.

"It's okay, winter has just begun. I have a hunch that there will be heavy snow this year, and then we can have snowball fights together." Luo Ling's eyes were full of longing.

"You are still the same as before, excited when you see snow." Higashino Shizuru looked at him with a smile.

"I haven't seen it! It's not like you. You grew up in Hokkaido. Oh, by the way, you said before that you would take me there to see the snow, remember?"

"remember."

"Does this still count?"

"Calculate."

The snowflakes fell silently at night, and were rendered in patches of orange under the soft light of the street lamps.The surroundings are as quiet as a painting.Higashino Shizuru turned her head, and saw the boy in the painting smiling brightly amidst the heavy snow flying all over the sky.What a fool, the next snow will be so happy.But if you can, let the fool keep laughing like this.No matter what happens in the future, remember to smile like this.Because as long as you can still laugh, everything will be fine.

Back in the dormitory, Higashino Shizuru sat by the bed for a while before finally picking up the phone.

"dad."

"Oh, is there anything wrong with calling so late?"

"I want to... go back to Japan."

"Is the semester over there?"

"No, I just want to come back, the sooner the better."

"What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"No. I have already decided to go to Germany, so... I want to come back early to go through the formalities."

Masahiko Higashino on the other end of the phone paused, as if he had some doubts about his son's sudden call.But he didn't ask, but said in the usual tone: "Very well, I'm glad you finally made the right decision. Then I'll let Yumi book the ticket for you now, and I'll let you know when it's done."

It was not until she hung up the phone that Higashino Shizuru finally breathed a sigh of relief.He suddenly felt very tired, but he couldn't fall asleep anyway, as if there was always something holding him in his heart, and he couldn't let it go.He didn't know whether it was right or wrong to do so, but he just hoped that his departure could make this matter calm down as soon as possible, and also...Zero don't blame himself after knowing the truth.