Chasing Summer - Chapter 52

Because her eighteenth birthday is very important, Lin He originally wanted to make good arrangements for her.

But because of the agreement between Lin Zhexia and Chi Yao, she declined Lin He on the day before her birthday: “You can spend it with me in the morning, and I will go out to spend it with my friends in the afternoon.”

Lin He didn’t mind either, but just put on a face and said, “After all, when you grow up, you pestered me to celebrate your birthday when you were young, and now you want to spend it with your friends.”

“No,” Lin Zhexia said, “It’s just because I made an appointment with my friends, and I really want to spend time with you.”

Wei Ping asked: “How many friends? Don’t play too late.”

In fact, Chi Yao is the only one.

But Lin Zhexia still said: “Three or four.”

After finishing speaking, she herself didn’t know why she was deceiving people in this regard.

It started from falling in love with Chi Yao.

Subconsciously, she felt that going out with Chi Yao in private seemed to be a “bad” thing.

But she cared more about Chi Yao’s family than her birthday. Although she and Chi Yao didn’t say much that day, she had a vague premonition. It’s hard for her to describe, all she knows is that there is a strange feeling between her and Chi Yao.

At night, Lin Zhexia could hardly sleep.

With that premonition, she couldn’t help but wonder if the matter of Chi Yao’s family could be resolved smoothly.

Most likely not.

Since Chi Yao’s family is doing business, since all these people have been recruited, it cannot be a trivial matter.

She remembered the phrase “return on” on the phone.

It should be money.

If you want to chip in, maybe sell the house, if you sell the house…

Lin Zhexia didn’t dare to think about it anymore.

Before today, she never thought that the relationship between her and Chi Yao was a bit out of control. It turned out that the two of them might have nothing to do with each other.

Before she turned eighteen, she and Chi Yao were inseparable.

So much so that she almost forgot that, apart from living close to each other and growing up together, she and Chi Yao didn’t have any substantive relationship.

It’s Fa Xiao, it’s brothers, it’s friends.

However, friends will also be separated.

Even if it’s not now, it may be in the future. If the two of them are not in the same university in the future, she and Chi Yao will have different jobs in the future, and Chi Yao may meet a girl he likes in the future.

In addition to these, there are countless futures.

After the age of eighteen, after the wider world unfolds, sooner or later they will start a life that has little to do with each other.

“Xia Xia, why haven’t you turned off the light in your room?” Lin He asked outside the door, “Haven’t you slept yet?”

Lin Zhexia hastily raised her hand to turn off the light, and the room became dark instantly.

“I’m asleep,” her voice was a little hoarse, “I forgot to turn it off just now. Good night, Mom.”

Lin Zhexia wanted to cry a little.

But this feeling does not seem to be completely sad.

She lay on the bed, closed her eyes, and when she opened her eyes again the next day, she officially ushered in her eighteenth year.

Early in the morning, Wei Ping ordered a bowl of noodles for her, and presented him with a carefully prepared gift: “My gift this time is really cool.”

Lin Zhexia opened the packaging bag, and this time the things lying inside were no longer pink, nor were they furry ornaments.

But a pair of sunglasses.

Wei Ping gave her a detailed introduction: “There is a button here, press it, and it will light up. Have you seen Conan? If you want, you can also learn Conan’s gestures, and then it will light up.”

Lin Zhexia: “…”

After a while, she said, “It’s really cool, thank you uncle, I like it very much.”

Lin He’s gift was much more normal. She gave her a set of practical skin care products.

“Eighteen-year-old girl,” she said with a smile, “Happy birthday. Alright, let’s make some preparations after breakfast, and go see friends later.”

Lin Zhexia said “thank you” again, and after the meal, she went back to her room and carefully picked out clothes.

Because the person she was going to meet later was Chi Yao, so when she changed her clothes and looked in the mirror, she realized that she had subconsciously picked out a long white dress.

Wearing such a grand skirt…would it be too deliberate.

Lin Zhexia faced the mirror and struggled for a long time. Finally, she changed the skirt and wore a T-shirt as usual. However, when she was putting on the clothes, she still couldn’t help but think a little bit. Made myself a denim pleated skirt.

…

Anyway, this skirt looks quite casual.

She seemed to be secretly dating Chi Yao.

Before leaving, I sent a message to Chi Yao: Wait for me at the gate of the community later.

After thinking about it, she felt that the message was not rigorous enough.

– No, you’d better go a little further.

– shall we meet at the lake

Chi Yao returned quickly.

– You think this is an underground joint?

Lin Zhexia: …

-I’m downstairs

– ok come down

Lin Zhexia took a deep breath, and then said to Lin He and Wei Ping, “I’m going out.”

After she went downstairs, she found that Chi Yao was also very formally dressed. He didn’t wear the usual sets of ordinary T-shirts, and changed into a crisp white shirt. Ripped jeans keep the ensemble looking clean and unruly.

Lin Zhexia ran over all the way: “Where are you taking me?”

Chi Yao didn’t speak, but went to see her first.

Lin Zhexia wore a short skirt today, the girl’s slender and straight legs were exposed, and white socks were piled up on her ankles. No makeup was applied on her face, her hair was draped, and she looked very well-behaved.

He moved his throat slightly, looked away, and said after a while, “You’ll know when you go.”

Lin Zhexia let out an “oh”, followed behind Chi Yao, and the two went to the bus station and got on a long-distance bus.

Sitting in the back row with Chi Yao, she felt that the “dating” at the beginning jumped into “elopement”. She didn’t know why she was a little nervous, and asked, “Is the place far away?”

Chi Yao: “It’s okay, more than an hour has passed.”

He said again, “I’ll be there soon.”

Lin Zhexia: “I just woke up, how could I fall asleep, I’m not a pig.”

Because Chi Yao knew her too well, he didn’t believe it at all: “Okay, don’t sleep later.”

After a while.

Lin Zhexia called him suddenly: “Chi Yao.”

“You don’t mean to kidnap and sell me.”

“…”

“I made an appointment with the pig butcher,” Chi Yao leaned back while speaking, “I will pull you over today and see how much you can sell for something like this.”

“…” Lin Zhexia didn’t mention him, and said sullenly, “You are the pig.”

After a while, more people got on the bus.

The car became noisy.

Chi Yao took a pair of earphones, and before putting them on, he handed her one: “Would you like it?”

Lin Zhexia took it.

She stuffed the earphones into her ears, two long lines, the other side was connected to Chi Yao.

She folded her hands, draped over her skirt a little nervously.

Lin Zhexia said, “How can I fall asleep just after waking up?”, but less than half an hour later, she listened to the soothing music in the earphones and fell asleep amidst the slight bumps in the car.

In a daze, she felt her head hit something very hard.

But just before she felt the pain, before she woke up, another warm thing pressed her head gently, and then she seemed to fall into a sea of ​​clouds in a dream.

When she woke up again, she found her head resting on Chi Yao’s shoulder.

The distance between the two people is very close.

She looked up and could see the boy’s neck and jaw.

After a while, she heard Chi Yao’s voice: “He also said that he is not a pig.”

“…”

Lin Zhexia sat up straight: “…how could I lean on you.”

Chi Yao glanced at her, and then said flatly, “You came up by yourself.”

Lin Zhexia gave an “oh” in embarrassment.

The car was a little bumpy just now.

And she fell asleep again, and it was normal to tilt her head.

The bus arrived at the stop soon, and through the window, Lin Zhexia found that their current location had left Cheng’an District and came to the edge of Lianyun City, a remote place with a good environment.

She has a little impression of this place, because Lin He and Wei Ping said when they discussed traveling before that this place is a tourist attraction. Several times Wei Ping planned to bring them over to play, but he never had the chance.

Lin Zhexia got out of the car and found that the destination was called “Luoshan Botanical Garden”.

“This is the birthday gift you gave me to bring me to experience nature.” Lin Zhexia was a little surprised, after all, coming to this kind of place is like a school spring outing, “I feel your good intentions.”

Chi Yao didn’t say much, “Your gift hasn’t arrived yet.”

“time?”

Lin Zhexia thought that visiting the botanical garden was a birthday gift, but Chi Yao’s words made her puzzled: “What kind of gift, why is there a time limit, can’t you give it to me before the time comes?”

Chi Yao didn’t talk to her much, and took her to check in the ticket.

The sun was shining brightly in the afternoon, and the botanical garden was so big that it seemed that it would be impossible to finish shopping all day.

Entering from the door, the entire road is covered with large hydrangea flowers, and on the edge of the blue-purple hydrangea flowers, there is also an introduction board with three words “Endless Summer” written on the board.

Although this activity is very similar to a spring outing, Lin Zhexia still enjoys it because all the plants and blooming flowers here represent “summer”.

The garden is full of plants that only bloom in summer.

When Lin Zhexia squatted down to look at the piece of hydrangea carefully, she noticed a certain line of sight. She turned her head keenly and saw Chi Yao taking pictures with her mobile phone.

“What are you shooting?”

Chi Yao put down the phone: “Landscape photo.”

Lin Zhexia was afraid that he would take a picture of himself, and that he might be photographed ugly, so he said anxiously: “I don’t believe it, you must have captured a lot of things when you stand so far away, then show me, do you take pictures of yourself? I’m ugly.”

Chi Yao held up the phone just like the time he was on the sofa before: “Get it yourself.”

Lin Zhexia tried hard to reach beside him.

Because there were many other tourists behind, the two of them couldn’t just stand in place all the time, so she moved and jumped around. If she had rabbit ears on her head, she would really be a rabbit.

Fortunately, she has a great forgetfulness, and when she sees the next novel thing, she forgets what was just photographed.

There was a tall towering old tree in front of it, which was very similar to the one she saw in the temple before, but the type should be different, and the most important thing was – the tree was covered with red wishing sticks.

These wishing strips dyed the whole tree red, full of red, warm and flamboyant, with the wishes of countless people hanging on them.

Perhaps, the wish hanging on it many years ago has quietly come true.

Lin Zhexia had a faint thought in his heart.

Before she had time to think about it, the next second, this idea came true.

After scanning the QR code in front, Chi Yao took two red wishing strips and walked towards her: “Come here.”

“Make a wish.”

Lin Zhexia froze for a moment.

Chi Yao added: “Your birthday wish.”

This eighteen-year-old, she and Chi Yao have a unique way of making birthday wishes. Chi Yao made a wish to a candle in the rainstorm, and she… She looked up at the ancient tree and saw the warm sunshine all over her eyes and red.

Her eighteen-year-old wish will always hang on this hot summer.

Because wishes cannot be seen by others, Lin Zhexia deliberately kept a distance from Chi Yao when writing the wish note.

She held the pen, thought for a long time, finally looked around, and secretly wrote two words: Chi Yao.

One stroke at a time.

Write very seriously.

Even if she knew, what she made was a wish that would never come true in this lifetime.

She makes many wishes on her birthday every year.

When I was young, I made a wish to grow taller next year, to be taller than Chi Yao.

After discovering that there was no hope of growing taller, he changed his wish in the second year: I hope that I will do better in the final exam than Chi Yao, so that he can no longer call me an idiot.

Of course, this wish did not come true.

…

There are also many, many wishes like this that end without a disease.

Anyway, most of the endings of birthday wishes have no ending.

So her wish this year, writing these two words is nothing.

After all, besides hanging these two words here, mixing it in countless wishing slips, and occasionally being peeped by tourists, this is the only way for her love for Chi Yao to be known to outsiders.

“Okay.” Lin Zhexia stamped her pen.

Then she hid the wishing stick behind her back, for fear of being seen by Chi Yao.

In order to divert her attention, she coughed and said, “What are you writing about?”

But Chi Yao also held the wishing slip in his hand calmly, covering up the written part: “Want to see it?”

Lin Zhexia nodded.

Chi Yao twitched the corner of his mouth: “No.”

“…”

“It’s my birthday today,” Lin Zhexia said, “I should be the big brother for a day.”

Chi Yao thought for a while, and seemed to agree to her request: “Then ask again.”

Lin Zhexia: “Show me what you wrote.”

Chi Yao answered again: “Brother, no.”

Lin Zhexia: “…”

Is that what she meant by wanting to be a big brother?

Do you want him to add “big brother” before the word “don’t give”?

Chi Yao focused on her again, glanced at the wish note in her hand a few times, and asked, “What did you write?”

…

Lin Zhexia decided to end the topic: “I think we should not be too curious about each other’s wishes.”

After she finished speaking, she bypassed him and found a very unobtrusive corner to hang up the wish slip.

Chi Yao asked her from the opposite side: “Is it enough?”

Lin Zhexia stepped on her feet, afraid that he would come to help her hang it, and hurriedly hung the wishing slip behind someone else’s wishing slip, making sure that the wishing slip was completely covered: “Of course I can reach it.”

The two wandered around the botanical garden for a long time, and soon it was dark, and small lights lit up where the wishing strips had been hung.

Lin Zhexia remembered that when Chi Yao brought her into the garden, she said “gift”, and she couldn’t help asking: “Where is my gift? Could it be a wishing slip? But the wishing slip does not need a time limit. You can go and hang up…”

As she was talking, she realized that the place Chi Yao was taking her at the moment was a path that no one had passed by.

Unlike other paths paved with stone bricks in the botanical garden, that deep path looks very secret, without a single pedestrian, like some kind of dangerous and mysterious entrance.

Lin Zhexia just wanted to say “You won’t really sell me”, but before she could say anything, Chi Yao, who was walking in front, was afraid that she would get lost, so she stretched out a hand to her.

Lin Zhexia hesitated for a moment, and finally pulled his sleeve lightly.

Then, as if she was sleepwalking, she was led by the boy in front of her and walked towards this path.

Suddenly, the eyes opened up.

Passing through this path, there is a large forest hidden in the depths of the botanical garden. The edge of the towering forest is full of shrubs, which looks like a small forest. The moment Chi Yao led her in, the darkness was covered by countless The dots of fluorescence dissipated, and the entire “forest” suddenly lit up, and thousands of low-altitude fireflies lingered around.

Like a sea of ​​fireflies.

A midsummer night, a sea formed by grand fireflies.

Lin Zexia felt that she was in a place surrounded by stars, and the whole world was lit up at this moment.

In this “sea of ​​stars”, Chi Yao said to her in a rare slow voice: “Happy birthday.”

Lin Zhexia felt that throughout the day, Chi Yao took her to collect all the good things that belonged to Xia Tian.

This birthday gift far exceeded her previous imagination.

“Thanks,” she said, “how did you even think of bringing me here.”

“Check the information.”

Chi Yao said again, “I asked Xu Ting again, and he said he had been here before.”

Lin Zhexia said “Oh”, “This place is really beautiful.”

Then the two stood quietly in this sea of ​​shadows.

The whole world became very quiet, so quiet that Lin Zhexia vaguely felt that something was about to happen.

The strange premonition between her and Chi Yao returned at this moment.

When Chi Yao was about to open his mouth to say something, Lin Zhexia stood in the sea of ​​shadows and interrupted him: “Chi Yao.”

She looked at him and asked seriously, “Are you leaving?”

“Aren’t you going to the capital city?” Once this topic started, it would be much smoother to say the following words, “…to accompany uncle and aunt?”

Chi Yao was also looking down at her.

It felt like a long time passed, and after a long time, she heard Chi Yao’s “hmm”.

It turned out that this was eighteen years old.

It is impossible for her and Chi Yao to continue living like this forever.

Unknowingly, the fork in fate came to the time to say goodbye.

Chi Yao didn’t know what to say at first, in his imagination, Lin Zhexia might cry, maybe like when he was in a girls’ school in junior high school, crying and asking him if he could not leave.

After all, what this coward fears most is parting.

But he never thought that Lin Zhexia would look so calm.

She even showed a kind of immature tenacity.

“I guessed it,” Lin Zhexia said to him, “I am not very smart.”

Chi Yao said “um” again, speaking in an unusually gentle tone: “You are the smartest coward in the world.”

“I’m not a coward anymore.”

Not anymore.

Moreover, it was because of him that she became brave.

It’s just that she never thought that the brave Lin Zhexia would usher in the day when she would bid farewell to Chi Yao bravely.

“There is a problem with the capital chain in Beijing, and I plan to sell the house first,” Chi Yao explained briefly, “My mother is in the hospital and will have an operation next month. I have to go and take care of her.”

“Auntie is sick? Is it serious?” she asked.

“Surgery is a bit risky,” Chi Yao said, “I’m not sure yet.”

“…”

In the face of these things, no amount of words would seem powerless, Lin Zhexia said softly: “I hope it’s okay, Auntie seems to be the kind of person who can live to a hundred years old and still use her aura to intimidate other old ladies.”

Lin Zhexia originally wanted to say that she actually saved some lucky money.

And if necessary, Lin He and Wei Ping would definitely be willing to help them.

…

But she knew Chi Yao too well.

The person is too proud to necessarily accept this “help.”

“When are you leaving? I’ll see you off.”

Lin Zhexia finally said: “But don’t think that if you leave, you can ignore my best friend.”

“I’ll still send you messages, and I’ll send you many, many, many messages.”

“You have to remember to reply to my message.”

Lin Zhexia was really not sad at first, but for some reason, when she said this, her nose became slightly sore after realizing it: “If you don’t reply to the message, I will, I… Forget it, it’s so far away, I will Can’t hit you either.”

Chi Yao said, “No.”

“What won’t?”

“I won’t miss your message.”

“Then will you send me more messages?” Lin Zhexia asked again.

“How much is too much.”

“Hundreds of messages a day, more than me anyway.”

“Do I look idle?”

“The fifty.”

“…”

“Ten articles,” Lin Zhexia said at last, “Let’s go to the head office of the ten articles, and the three articles will be good morning, afternoon, and evening.”

Chi Yao glanced at her: “So, I have to greet you every day?”

“Greetings to elder brother,” Lin Zhexia spoke slowly, “…isn’t it a normal thing.”

The two were naively discussing how many messages to send to each other in a day.

In the end, Chi Yao didn’t say how many posts he was going to post, and the topic passed quickly.

There was an inexplicable silence between the two of them for a while.

Lin Zhexia couldn’t help calling him: “Chi Yao.”

“You… you probably don’t know how to fall in love.”

Reason told her that she shouldn’t ask such dangerous questions, and shouldn’t lead the topic to such a place.

But she couldn’t help it.

Beijing is so far away, he will transfer to a new school and meet new people.

After separating from Chi Yao, ten thousand possibilities will happen to him where she can’t see.

Among the ten thousand possibilities, would there be such a possibility that he might meet someone he likes.

“What I mean is that the third year of high school is still very important. If you go to Beijing, it’s best not to spend your mind on miscellaneous things,” Lin Zhexia said with selfishness, so the more he spoke, the more confident he became, and his voice became more and more serious. The younger, “…so, you’d better study hard, study is the most important thing.”

“If you’re in love…”

Lin Zhexia’s words came to an abrupt end here.

What about in love.

Whether Chi Yao is in love or not, what position does she have to interfere.

After her words stopped abruptly, Chi Yao suddenly asked: “What about you?”

When the young man spoke, his voice dimmed along with the light in his eyes, and his pupils became darker. Her answer seemed to be extremely important to him: “Can you talk?”

“Of course I won’t,” Lin Zhexia said in an example-leading tone, “and if I dare to fall in love, Lin He will be the first to beat me to death.”

“I do not know either.”

When Chi Yao spoke, he looked into her eyes, “…can’t fall in love, but study hard.”

After speaking, he raised his hand again and took the initiative to do the childish gesture that he had been sniffing at all the time. He curled his little finger, and the ending sound was slightly elongated: “If you are worried…do you want to put a check mark.”

Surrounded by yellow and green fireflies.

It was as if the stars were picked off by God and placed in the world.

Lin Zhexia hooked Chi Yao’s finger carefully, thinking that this “pull hook” was the best gift she received this year.

Even if.

It’s just a sentence with a high probability that it won’t count.

A boring oath that will be obliterated by time in the long years once they are really separated.

But at least, she made a hook with Chi Yao today.

She can hide this sentence in her eternal memory of eighteen years old, in this summer, in that invisible midsummer night.