Having been given a second chance at life, who would still want to pursue her?

Chapter 64 Your Own Eighth Year

The classroom of Senior Three (3) Class.

Silence fell.

Only the faint sounds of problem-solving discussions and the rustling of writing could be heard.

Lin Qingxue sat on the desk next to the podium.

My hand, holding the pen, stopped at a major question in the workbook.

After writing the word "solution", he didn't write out the calculation for a long time.

It wasn't that she didn't know how, but she found the low murmurs below somewhat irritating.

But this level of noise is considered normal for evening self-study.

After all, if there are questions you don't know how to answer, you should always ask someone who knows them.

Everyone is reviewing, and teaching others is also a way to solidify the foundation.

Let's make progress together.

It's not necessary for Lin Qingxue to correct it.

In the past, she would never have paid attention to these subtle sounds.

But now, for some reason, it sounds particularly jarring, and I can't calm down at all.

......

"How come you can't answer any of the questions?"

"Do I really have to ask that?"

"How many times have I told you? Think about it again!"

"Copy these wrong questions into your error notebook!"

...

Chen Jianji took the test paper that Zhang Xinyi had thrown back at him.

Looking at the full sheet of paper, I saw many questions marked with red pen.

He smiled and nodded.

"That's good, it's an improvement."

"Now I should be able to consistently score around 80 points in math, right?"

He muttered a few words to himself.

I picked up my pen again and took out my notebook, copying down the questions I had marked as wrong.

Seeing Chen Jianji start copying the questions, Zhang Xinyi didn't even need to think.

I couldn't help but think of the time before self-study class.

The figures of the class committee members surrounding him.

Zhang Xinyi wasn't stupid; she could see it.

The expressions on the faces of those female classmates when they surrounded Chen Jianji were quite different from the angry, gnashing expressions they had when they were cursing him.

It's like...

They were joking around, very familiar with each other.

Zhang Xinyi looked at Chen Jianji and finally couldn't help but ask in a low voice.

"Hey, are you close with Wang Jiaqi and the others?"

Chen Jianji continued copying the questions without looking up, and then responded.

"Hmm? It's alright."

Zhang Xinyi said "Oh," and then asked another question.

"Why do I suddenly realize that many classmates, both boys and girls, seem to know you quite well?"

Chen Jianji finally put down his pen and said helplessly.

"Miss, I already told you, I'm so popular I could change the name of this school in no time."

"It's you who's always unilaterally convinced that I have a bad reputation."

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Zhang Xinyi's face, but she quickly raised her chin and said disdainfully.

"Tch, the school isn't privately owned, it's public. Why would you want to take my surname? You think you're so great?"

Chen Jianji didn't say anything, just smiled and continued copying the questions.

Seeing this, Zhang Xinyi pursed her lips and didn't say anything more.

Chen Jianji was finally able to have some peace and quiet.

But not long after that.

A low voice sounded.

Unlike his previous arrogance, he now revealed a hint of inexplicable dejection.

"I really envy you. You're always so carefree and optimistic, and you've never really encountered any trouble."

Chen Jianji paused, then looked up at his side.

Zhang Xinyi was looking down at her toes.

Her feet, clad in white sneakers, swayed gently up and down, much like her bewildered and uneasy heart.

Chen Jianji looked at her.

"At eighteen, you're in the prime of your youth. If you're not laughing and having fun, wouldn't that be a waste of such a wonderful time?"

Zhang Xinyi neither objected nor agreed, but simply kept her head down and spoke softly.

"But everyone's situation is different at eighteen, so who can be sure that this age is necessarily innocent and happy?"

Upon hearing this...

Chen Jianji remembered what his father had told him.

Zhang Xinyi's parents have been going through a divorce for a long time.

Although we've been keeping it from her, a child this age can usually spot clues in the details of daily life.

Chen Jianji didn't know how to comfort Zhang Xinyi.

In fact, he had been troubled by almost the same thing a few days earlier.

The only difference is...

He is acting as a 'parent'.

She was afraid that the failure of her marriage would implicate Xiaotong.

After a long while.

Chen Jianji then slowly began to speak.

"You might not believe it, but I had a nightmare these past few days. In the dream, I was still a lifeless, almost numb middle-aged person."

These words were spoken.

Zhang Xinyi visibly froze for a moment.

She subconsciously looked up at Chen Jianji, only to see that his eyes still held a smile.

But that smile was different from his previous cheeky expression; it seemed to carry a genuine sense of melancholy etched by the passage of time.

"I met someone who didn't like me, but I went with her to a big city and stayed with her for work and life."

Chen Jianji spoke softly.

"Life went on uneventfully until finally, I realized that I seemed to have lost myself in the process of doing things for others."

"They've lost their autonomy, they've lost their soul."

"I feel I have let my parents down, and I have also let my daughter down."

"daughter?"

Zhang Xinyi couldn't help but ask.

"Oh, I forgot to mention, in my dream I had a daughter."

Chen Jianji's lips curled up slightly.

"She's a very cute child."

Zhang Xinyi looked at him, and the smile on his face changed again, becoming warm and doting.

It seems... he genuinely likes and loves that daughter.

"Until now, I suddenly realized that hiding the impending breakdown of the relationship with the adults must have been a form of torture for her as well."

"After all, the adults are in such a mess, how can they possibly have the energy to take care of the children?"

Chen Jianji looked at Zhang Xinyi.

"Although separation may cause temporary pain, it seems to be the best option."

"I don't know what the right thing to do is, but I know for sure that no matter what, my daughter will always have a father who loves her the most."

"She also hopes her father will be happy, joyful, no longer lifeless, no longer numb."

"It's a pity that I'm already middle-aged, and my mindset has changed. I may be able to be happy again, but I can never have the passion and sincerity of an eighteen-year-old again."

Listen to him speak softly.

Zhang Xinyi pursed her lips, also thinking of her parents.

Living under the same roof, they seemed like complete strangers who couldn't see each other.

To close oneself off, to remain silent, to not speak.

The only form of communication they had was when they hid in their own rooms and loudly argued about something.

Their self-care has also become distorted.

They would only ask her how her exams went, whether she played on her phone, or whether she did any hobbies unrelated to studying.

It seems that the only responsibility left for the whole family is to help their child do well on the college entrance exam.

Her life, as Chen Jianji described it, was lifeless and numb.

It wasn't like this before...

"If God gave me a chance to start over, I would cherish my eighteenth year even more, dare to think and act, and seize everything I could, such as friendship, family, my own interests, and the college entrance examination, so as to leave no regrets."

Chen Jianji looked at her, and his voice continued.

"If you were to return to your youth after a numb and dreary middle age, what would you do, or rather, what kind of life do you envision?"

Zhang Xinyi turned her head away, her eyes slightly red.

"Boring...who would think about such impossible things?"

But her gaze involuntarily swept over the other classmates.

Wang Shuxian speaks in a gentle and virtuous manner, but when she makes eye contact with a boy, she shyly avoids his gaze.

On Wang Jiaqi's desk, there is a small potted plant. After finishing her homework, she often stares at the plant to see if it is growing any better.

Then there's Pan Shuqi, with her long hair draped over her shoulders. During her break, her slender hands kept fiddling with a few dance moves.

Youth is in its prime; everyone's face is full of vigor and passion, and everyone has something they want to do.

suddenly.

Zhang Xinyi spoke in a low voice.

"If I could do it all over again, I would probably go shopping with my good friends after school, before we drifted apart, and buy hair clips and hair ties, instead of having to go back to that oppressive house on time every day."

"Being able to openly play with things I like... Actually, the dress I wore today was bought with my allowance that I secretly saved up for a long time. My parents usually don't let me wear it..."

"I also want to integrate into the group, and no longer need to pretend to be asleep on my desk after class, afraid that others will think that no one is paying attention to me."

"I don't want people to only see my grades anymore. I want to be comforted with a 'You did very well' even if I do poorly on a test..."

...

She started talking non-stop, like a floodgate had been opened.

As she spoke, her body trembled slightly and she began to sob.

He placed his hands on his knees, gripping his clothes tightly.

Chen Jianji listened silently.

In fact, Zhang Xinyi has already transferred to this school and is temporarily away from that home.

There are many things I can do for her.

Until Zhang Xinyi finished speaking.

He then stepped forward and asked.

"Believe it or not, I can grant your wish with a snap of my fingers?"

Zhang Xinyi quickly wiped her eyes, turned her face away, and snorted.