Chapter Fifty-two: Confession

  Du Yifei's words left me completely speechless, so I could only stare at Du Yifei, saying nothing.

  "You're such a big fool, I've never seen anyone as silly as you. They've been paying attention to you and liking you all along, but you...you actually don't know, what a heartless guy...Why aren't you saying anything, is it that you have nothing to say?"

  I had a feeling of wanting to laugh but not daring to, and carefully said: "Du Yifei, didn't you get it wrong? When did you ever pay attention to me? I feel like you've always been very overbearing in front of me, so why are you saying this now?"

  Du Yifei stared at me absent-mindedly, as if she hadn't heard a word I said. Just as I was about to say something else, I heard her whisper: "Last year on April 7th, after the rainstorm. On the side of the ten-mile-long street, in the depths of the quiet courtyard. Quietly hearing the sound of a needle falling, forms and shadows intertwined."

  I was taken aback, and suddenly remembered that this was a poem I wrote a year ago. At the time, I was alone in the school infirmary nursing my injuries, feeling very lonely and bored, so I wrote this poem. But I have no idea how Du Yifei knew about it, or why he still remembers it so clearly.

  "You were staring off into space, so I'll continue: 'The three poems you wrote during the exam, titled "Exam Impromptu", I remember them very clearly. At that time, we were taking the exam together, and I was sitting next to you, glancing at what you had written. Although it was just a quick glance, even now, I can recite them word for word:

  Exam Impromptu (Three Poems):

  One:

  Spring is gentle, tears are falling,

  University has no hope, waiting for next year.

  In my dreams, the mountain flowers bloom profusely,

  The flowing water is murmuring.

  The mountains are green, the trees are lush,

  Fragrant grass surrounds the farmhouse.

  Laughter fills the air, goose feathers fluttering,

  Returning to the fields, tears streaming down.

  Two:

  Lazy and reluctant to get dressed,

  Playing alone with fish in the pond.

  The emerald forest is sparse and bare,

  The banana leaves are dripping with dew.

  Forgetting the fragrant grass,

  Suddenly passing by.

  Struggling for a living, forgetting to appreciate the view,

  Worn out, people are nowhere to be seen,

  Late summer rain is drizzling.

  Waiting for the wind to blow gently,

  Chasing the wind, also in vain.

  Three:

  Sitting alone at night in front of the black window,

  The lonely crow's cry echoes everywhere.

  Today, the chessboard has many strategies,

  Tomorrow, the battlefield lacks paper and pen.

  Ordinarily, we laugh and talk about ancient affairs,

  But when the time comes, we regret and cry for a thousand days.

  The autumn wind is rustling again today,

  Exchanging the world to welcome the snow."

  Du Yifei smiled: "Am I accurate? Do you still dare say that I've never paid attention to you?"

  I was completely stunned, these were things from two or three years ago, I didn't expect Du Yifei to remember them so clearly. At that time, I felt that I wouldn't be able to get into university, so I had some sentimental feelings and wrote down these things. Even I myself had almost forgotten about them, now that Du Yifei mentioned it, I remembered again.

  I was both surprised and puzzled, couldn't help but ask her: "You remember all these things, it means you really paid attention to me. But when you say you like me, I don't get it. We are classmates, that's true, but as for our relationship... at most... you know what I mean, we're not that close!"

  "Do you still remember that poem I wrote for you? I specifically wrote it for you:"

  One person plays, alone and carefree, forgetting the world. Don't say there's no friend, just a heavy heart! Once at three in the morning, I danced with swords, fought chickens, and painted with ink. Who cares about neighbors' opinions?

  In the form of a companion, shadows make friends, helpless and speechless. A hundred volumes on my desk are sealed in dust, too lazy to open! Again, it's midnight, I open my eyes to wait for dawn, but also wish it would remain dark. Who knows what's in my heart?

  Suddenly hearing the sound, overjoyed, I opened the door and turned my shoes around. In front of the house, withered wisteria, dark crows, and light rain! With tears in my eyes, I looked at three things, forgot myself for a long time, and stood there stupidly. Teasing the child to laugh!" Du Yifeng recited this unknown poem in one breath, then said: "At that time, I invited you to come to my home as a guest, but after you agreed, you didn't come for a long time. I waited anxiously for you and wrote down the first two sections. Later, I saw you passing by my house from the window, thinking you were coming to visit me, so I was overjoyed and went to open the door, only to see your distant back and my parents who happened to be returning at that time. I felt a deep sense of emotion and couldn't help but add this last section..."

  I vaguely remembered this thing, but it seems to be different from what Du Yifei said: "At that time, it was a school-organized picnic activity, and we needed to borrow some tools from your home. Originally, I and several classmates were going to your home to borrow tools together, but I had something urgent at the last minute and didn't make it. It seems like you didn't invite me to your home either... Moreover, I didn't even know that you lived here, so why would I knock on your door when passing by your house?"

  At this time, my brain was a bit messy and I couldn't find the point of what I wanted to say. But Du Yifei persisted: "It's just that I invited you to my house. At that time, all the classmates who borrowed tools were sent away by me, and I was waiting for you to come to my house alone to take the tools and have a good chat with you! As a result, you didn't come..."

  Du Yifei said, with a face full of discontent. She whispered: "In high school, we sat together for a long time. At that time, I already liked you, so I wrote notes to you and sent text messages to you, even asked my friends to tell you explicitly... Unfortunately, you never responded, and I didn't know what you were thinking. Feeling angry and anxious, I started targeting you on purpose, making things difficult for you... Actually, I really like you, do you know that?"

  I had almost completely forgotten about that matter, and now I couldn't recall what exactly happened back then. Moreover, I didn't dare to continue discussing this topic at this time. So I stopped talking about it and instead looked at Mr. Du and Mrs. Zhang who were staring at me with strange expressions, smiled and said: "Du Yifei might not be in a good mood, her words are somewhat unexpected... You two please keep her company, I have something to attend to, so I'll take my leave first."

  Mr. Du and Mrs. Zhang hadn't had a chance to speak yet, when Yifei grabbed my hand forcefully: "You can't leave! It's so late already, you'll have to wait at least four or five hours before going home. The weather is freezing and snowy, I'm worried about you. If you don't want to stay here, I can take you out now to find a hotel, rest for the night, and then leave after breakfast tomorrow."

  As soon as she said this, Mrs. Zhang's face changed immediately and turned very pale. She heard Mrs. Zhang say angrily: "How dare you! Du Yifei, if you dare to go to the hotel with Jin Cang... I... I will break your legs."

  Du Yifei raised her head and said loudly, "I'll go to the hotel! You're not disgusted that Jin Cang is a farmer's son, are you? Then I'll be with the farmers together. Let's see if you dare to force me to marry Tan Jiahui again."

  I know that Du Yifei was being stubborn with her parents, and couldn't help but persuade: "Didn't we just agree on this? Your parents won't make things difficult for you again, so don't make things difficult for your parents either..."

  "You can stay here at my place for the night and leave when it gets light tomorrow."

  I felt embarrassed, just about to refuse again, when I heard Mr. Du laugh and say: "Jin Cang, today is our fault for making you feel uncomfortable. So, why don't you stay overnight, it's our way of apologizing to you. You see..."

  I feel even more embarrassed, looking at Mrs. Zhang who has never liked me, wanting to speak but hesitating.

  Mrs. Zhang looked at Du Yifei and said softly after a long time: "I'll let Su Shihong prepare a room for him, you two chat slowly."

  Mr. Du smiled and looked at me and Du Yifei, saying: "Jin Cang, can you play Go?"

  I nodded and said with a humble tone: "I learned it for a while before, but I'm not very good at it, just so-so."

  Mr. Du laughed "haha" and pointed to the table in the living room: "Come on, let's play two games. FeiFei is also a Go chess master, you and Feifei team up, I'm confident that I can beat both of you."

  I don't know what Mr. Du means, anyway I know he's trying to persuade me. Now it's indeed a bit late, plus I've already told my family that I won't be going back tonight. So I just went along with the situation and said: "Mr. Du is definitely an expert in this field, I can only barely play a few moves, please give me more guidance!"

  Mr. Du laughed and said, "Don't be polite, young man. Feifei, go get the Go board, and soon you'll play with Jinkang to see if my skills have regressed over the years."

  Du Yifei finally let go of my hand and went upstairs with great joy.

  "Please sit down. Make yourself at home."

  I felt that he had something to say to me, so I sat down and said straightforwardly: "If you have anything to say, please speak directly, I will keep it confidential."

  Mr. Du smiled awkwardly: "It seems you're very clever, and I've been found out. To be honest, FeiFei is a strong-willed girl, but she's also a good kid, and my only daughter. We hope she can find a good husband and have a better life in the future. We've already signed her up for studying abroad, so we hope she won't rush into personal matters and will focus on finishing her studies first, don't you think that makes sense?"

  I understand Mr. Du's idea, nodded and said: "Studying abroad is of course the top priority, you're right. Du Yifei is still young now, it's too early to talk about friends, she can go abroad to study first, and consider this matter after her studies are successful, it's not late. But this matter has nothing to do with me, if you want to say something to me, please just say it.

  Mr. Du looked at me with a profound gaze, smiled and said: "What I'm saying is very relevant to you, don't pretend you don't know. To be honest, I've known for a long time that my daughter Feifei likes you. Just the fact that she followed you to that ordinary university you're attending can reveal this point."

  I feel a bit sorry for Du Yifei, but I also think this matter has nothing much to do with me. So I said tactfully: "That's also related to me now... But what exactly do you want to say? Are you asking me to persuade Du Yifei to study abroad?"

  Mr. Du nodded and said sincerely: "Feifei is considering you, so she doesn't want to study abroad. I thought of asking for your help to persuade her."

  I thought for a moment and nodded, saying: "Is that so? Alright then, I'll talk to Du Yifei in a bit. However, I don't dare guarantee she'll listen to me, please understand this."

  Mr. Du laughed and said, "Haha, I know this, it seems like you're also a bit afraid of my daughter Feifei, haha... Actually, Feifei is very good to you, she's always been concerned about you, but she used the wrong method, which made you misunderstand her. To be honest, Feifei is a very sensible child, she's been sensible since she was little, this makes me and her mom very happy, and many people have praised her for this..."

  Mr. Du hadn't finished speaking, when Yifei had already come downstairs. She said loudly: "Dad, are you talking about me behind my back? I'm warning you, don't speak ill of me. Especially don't talk to Jin Cang about me, let him know my embarrassing things, he'll look down on me."

  Mr. Du looked at me with a strange expression, but still said: "No, no, how could I speak ill of you! Feifei, come over and play a few games with me, we haven't played chess together for a long time."

  Du Yifei smiled and said: "Alright, but if you lose to me and Jin Cang later, don't say we're two against one."

  Mr. Du burst out laughing and took over the chess set brought by Du Yifei, gesturing for me to sit across from him and start setting up the pieces.

  It seems that Mr. Du is a chess enthusiast and has done extensive research on Go. The mahjong tiles in his home are made of small-leaf purple sandalwood, which is very valuable. Even the Go board is made of Huanghuali wood, all of which are made from extremely valuable materials.

  I watched Mr. Du put on his gloves, and I had no choice but to follow suit. Yifen chuckled beside me, "My dad is just being finicky, it's just a game of chess, why wear gloves?"

  Mr. Du smiled and said: "I cherish this set of chess pieces, I'm afraid they'll get dirty. Fei Fei, bring us a cup of tea, use the Longjing from my room."

  Du Yifei curled her lips and said, "I knew I was staying here just to serve you guys... Longjing is nothing special, not worth drinking. I'll take my favorite chrysanthemum tea to Jin Cang instead."

  I had intended to say that I don't like drinking chrysanthemum tea, but Du Yifei didn't give me a chance to speak at all. As soon as she finished speaking, she ran far away.

  Mr. Du smiled and said with a chuckle, "I'm older than you, so I'll use the red pieces. You don't mind, do you?"

  I shook my head and smiled: "As it should be, Mr. Du, you are a senior, so go first, I'll follow you to see the moves, and count it as learning."

  Mr. Du nodded, raised his hand and made a "bang" gesture on his head, then laughed: "Don't call me Mr. Du anymore, my name is Du Siqi, if you don't mind, just call me 'Uncle Du' from now on."

  I remembered the name and smiled: "Uncle Du, your first move is a killer move, so I'll just come with a horse jump."

  Du Sizhi didn't hesitate and went up again, planning to make another sharp turn. The two cannons fired simultaneously, with a fierce killing intent.

  I parried and countered, defending tightly, not giving Du Sizhou any chance at all.

  Du Siqi's chess is very good, but it's too focused on the outcome and has a heavy killing intent, which loses the original intention of playing chess to cultivate one's temperament.

  I started learning chess with my father at a very young age, and initially I also only focused on the outcome, regardless of the process. Later, I met several masters in Chinese chess, and through learning from them, I gradually came to understand the true essence of Chinese chess, no longer just looking at the outcome, but rather placing more emphasis on enjoying the process.

  After Du Yifei made us a good cup of tea, she kept watching me and her father play chess. From time to time, she would interject from the side, telling me about Du Sizhi's clever moves. She also kept saying that Du Sizhi would bully newcomers and didn't dare to play with real masters.

  Du Siqi naturally refuted Du Yifei, and we finished the three rounds amidst the bustle. I lost all three rounds, but enjoyed myself in the process. Although Du Siqi won all three rounds, he was driven to exclaim "headache" by Du Yifei's constant nagging.

  Du Siqi went to rest early and didn't even have dinner. Du Yifei's mother also didn't come for dinner, don't know if it was because of the things that happened during the day that made her feel uncomfortable, nothing tasted good.

  I had a big meal with Du Yifei accompanied by Su Si-hong, and then returned to the living room to watch TV and chat.

  Su Shi-hong got older and went to rest after not chatting for long, I originally planned to go to rest too, but Du Yi-fei wouldn't let me, insisting on chatting more. As a result, we chatted for a long time again until 10 o'clock at night before going to rest.

  The next morning when I got up, Du Yifei had already gotten out of bed and was waiting for me in the living room. Seeing me come down, Du Yifei immediately said: "Did you sleep well? We'll go out to eat breakfast later, you get ready first, after eating breakfast we won't be coming back, going straight to your home."

  I was taken aback and immediately asked: "Are you going to my home?"

  Du Yifei nodded: "Actually, my parents have been to your house before, it's just that you weren't home at the time. Now we're going again, first as a return visit, to give your parents New Year's greetings. Second, I also want to take a look at your house. How about it, are you welcome?"

  I could only smile wryly, how dare I say unwelcome? "Welcome. But you don't have to go, the weather is bad, there's a lot of snow on the road, public transportation hasn't resumed, and it's not safe to drive either."

  Du Yifei glared at him and said loudly: "Of course I'm going, otherwise how would I know where you live, and how can I find you in the future?"

  I remembered what Du Siqi said to me yesterday, and I steeled myself and said: "What's the use of knowing where I live? In a few days, I'll be going to school, and you're also going abroad for further studies. We won't have many chances to meet in the future, so there's no need to know my address."

  Du Yifei looked at me, seemingly in a daze. I continued: "Your father has told me that you will be going abroad to study soon. We really won't have many chances to meet in the future... You should also prepare yourself, before going abroad, you need to pack up your personal belongings, so don't come to my house again."

  Duyi Fei's eyes turned red, she gritted her teeth and held back tears. She said sorrowfully: "Is this your own idea or did my dad force you to say it?"

  I couldn't help but furrow my brow and take a deep breath: "To be honest with you, I already have someone I like, so... please don't do this, okay?"

  Du Yifei's tears finally flowed out, and she almost hysterically shouted: "I don't believe it, you're deceiving me! I won't give up, I'll definitely catch up with you..." She cried very hard, picked up some things in the living room and threw them around wildly, as if she was about to go crazy.

  Du Yifei's voice soon attracted Du Sizhi and Mrs. Zhang, who looked at the tearfully sorrowful Du Yifei with a helpless expression.

  I don't know what to do either, looking at Du Siqi, waiting for him to speak, but unfortunately he seems to have not seen my gaze and doesn't say a word.

  Only Su Shi-hong whispered to me, "I'll send you out first, miss. It's okay in a while. By the way, if we go to your house, how can I contact you? Leave me a phone number of your home."

  I gave Su Shi-hong a piece of paper with my home phone number on it and then followed him out of Du Yifei's villa.

  My motorcycle was still at the gate guard's place, so I declined Su Si Hong's offer to send me home and went alone to retrieve my bike from the gate guard before heading home.

  This time I've really infuriated Du Yifei, and I don't know if she'll actually go abroad to study. Otherwise, if I see her again at school in the future, I'm done for.