hen, various bicycle clubs sprang up like mushrooms after rain; now however, renting bicycles is less convenient and expensive.Su Cen silently noted that there was potential in the bicycle market, whi...Chapter 48 Time Without a Blade, Stealing Traces
In this world, there are always some unexpected situations that occur without any psychological preparation.
Su Can, who originally planned to enjoy a detached and tranquil life on the school rooftop, never would have imagined becoming an eyewitness to a campus suicide attempt.
Now he is playing a crucial role in rescuing a girl who had fallen from the building. According to the principal's perspective, this responsibility has been placed squarely upon Su Can's shoulders. This thought alone made Su Can curse them one hundred times over inside his heart.
Picking up the book and flipping through it—High School English Volume 2 with a picture of London's Big Ben on the cover—Su Can saw that it was filled with notes, pronunciations, grammatical extensions for memory. It was an ordinary English textbook, almost identical to other students' textbooks at No. 27 High School, which were often scribbled in. The handwriting of this girl wasn't bad; there was a hint of grace and elegance about it. Flipping to the chapter on "Art and Architecture," Su Can felt somewhat disoriented as if he could see another version of his life through this book.
“Many, many years ago,” at least for Su Can, he would sit in class during early mornings when light pierced through from a side window or on hot summer days under the green leaves. He would play ball until drenched with sweat and occasionally sit back to watch after his heart's desire.
On rainy days, girls might read Pai Yang’s essays, Li Ao’s prose, or Xishi Mu’s poetry collections, while boys kept novels by Jin Yong or The Count of Monte Cristo in their desks.
The whole classroom was filled with the serene sight of chalk dust and cotton-like white fluff floating about, alongside passionate inner feelings stirring within.
Day after day, year after year.
When it seemed to stretch on endlessly, it suddenly came to an end without warning.
The present Su Can faced a classroom scenario that he had experienced before, only now with the sentiment of treasuring and cherishing. The confusion about his future back then, as well as the aversion to the mundane realities of life, were all just memories.
“They sent you here thinking you could persuade me,” Li Ying said with a cold laugh, turning her head downwards, “Why does everyone have such an inflated sense of self”
Su Can shook his head. "You're a clever girl and also someone who is stubborn to the point of being obsessive; others find it hard to change your mind. Of course, I'm not exceptional either. I can't even do that. I've already thought about you jumping down from here. The catastrophic consequences might leave me sleepless with deep shadows in my heart, or feeling guilty for many years and unable to erase this memory."
Everyone's hearts tightened as Su Can admitted openly that he didn’t have confidence. This made those who had hoped in him feel like they were plunged into an icy pit.
Vice Principal Cai Guotao's legs nearly gave way, and if not for Class 3 homeroom teacher Wang Guiwen supporting him from the side, he would have likely fallen to the ground. This event is the most destructive incident for No.27 High School, a renowned humanities school both nationally and internationally.
Li Ying smiled sadly, "Everyone has their own destiny. Get busy living; death is part of life, something we are destined to face. So, please take it in stride."
"F*ck!" Su Can nearly cursed inwardly. The person jumping off the building was actually trying to console herself about accepting her own death as if everyone else couldn't accept it except for her who had seen through life.
Although touched, Su Can suppressed his sense of urgency and flipped through an article in the textbook. He paused for a moment before he immediately thought of something to say, looking at Li Ying and muttering,
"Imagine this: you are thirty years old and living life when you’re told you have an incurable disease that may kill you within twelve months. How would you feel"
This was the first lesson in Grade 12 English textbook, titled "Making a Difference." Su Can made some adjustments and read it aloud; as expected, Li Ying, who understood what he said, paused for a moment. She did not expect that Su Can would use English to converse with her.
"In such circumstances, wouldn't you regret never doing something important or leaving any trace in this world Indeed, as you said, we either hurry up and live or busy ourselves dying. But why do so many people work hard every day, only to wait for death one day It shouldn’t be like that; they just want to leave some evidence of their existence on Earth, proving their value. This is what everyone yearns for deep down inside, which you could also call a dream."
The entire crowd was silent, holding their breath.
Only the breeze lightly caressed this rooftop as dandelion seeds drifted by from somewhere else. A large group of people stood still, only looking at the two figures ahead.
A bunch of people near the entrance—Zhang Xian, Zhuo Zhiyu, Zhang Feifei among others—all clenched their sweaty hands tightly, knowing that regardless of whether Su Can won this battle today, what he said would make him famous throughout No.27 High School.
Su Can used these mixed English and Chinese sentences to successfully provoke deep thought in the girl and create a three-meter distance for him to approach her. There were still five meters between them!
"Do you think that by saying all this, you become a saint And can you guarantee your value is realized" Li Ying snorted as tears welled up in her eyes.
Su Can shook his head and said, "You don’t understand yet. Some people have only several months to live but fight for their survival desperately; however, you have at least half a century ahead of you, thinking only about death now. Don't you want to see what kind of lives your friends and schoolmates will lead in ten or twenty years Or do you want to witness the value I’ve realized with my own eyes and admire my life"
"You’re quite arrogant! How can you think that I’d look up to you We were all born by parents, we study at the same school, and besides, as a transfer student, my grades are not worse than yours! What you talk about ten years later is too abstract for me!" Li Ying gritted her teeth.
"You actually understand this." Su Cen smiled as he flicked his English textbook with his fingers, "The current English textbooks talk about life, news media, architecture, travel and poetry. Do you still remember what the first lesson on your very first day in junior high was"
There was a boy named Li Lei, there was a girl named Han Meimei, and there were Lucy and Jim Green. There was a little romantic tension between them.
The one who had fallen into nostalgia, recalling the days of borrowing pencils for erasers and drawing with lead during junior high, was Li Ying. She was startled by Su Cen's last sentence, as were all those around her who had gathered to watch.
Junior high textbooks would certainly never describe love affairs, but in everyone’s minds, such gossip had already begun from the very first lesson of the textbook, marking a tender and youthful ambiguity during this period.
Su Cen came from the future, where information was exploding on the internet and people's lives were gradually passing by. In ten years' time, these students would dig up these memories on bulletin boards (BBS) to spark heated discussions, revisiting everyone’s past.
"Of course there will be. In ten years’ time, you'll all be taking the college entrance exam, attending university, graduating and starting work. You’ll get married and have careers. At that point, you won’t live for yourself anymore but rather for your family and loved ones. Rushing around in a hurry every day, living to see both dawn and dusk, striving for a better tomorrow. Then one day, you will suddenly realize that when you were young and carefree, just reciting 'What's your name My name is Lily,' without any thoughts of the future, it was irresponsible to face death so casually."
Li Ying froze.
"If life could be like a first encounter, there should have been countless little joys." Su Cen took another step forward and saw Li Ying furrow her brows in thought. He said, "In the future, Han Meimei will get married and even have two children; however, her husband won't be Li Lei. No one held each other’s hands."
"You're lying!" Not only Li Ying but also all the students present wanted to say this.
Su Cen just smiled, "This precisely proves that life is not a fairy tale but always leaves some regrets." Since it was about textbook content anyway, Su Cen could make up stories on the spot without arousing suspicion.
In an era where Jim hadn’t yet become a car company manager and still had unrequited love for Han Meimei, in an era before Lily and Lucy, the twin beauties, went their separate ways, when cafeteria food cost only ten cents per ounce and one dollar could buy meat while fifty cents would get you vegetable dishes—back then, lunch between Li Ying and Tang Wu didn’t exceed three or four dollars.
Time is a silent thief; it hurts deeply as it steals away those little romantic joys of the past from many people over ten years.
"The last sentence of the final lesson in your English textbook reads, 'Goodbye everyone, good luck!' Right now, I also want to say something similar to you."
Su Cen put on a serious face and walked towards Li Ying without any obstruction. At this moment, the wind picked up fiercely, the air seemed to freeze momentarily, and the entire crowd fell silent.
Only Su Cen's voice echoed, with抑揚頓挫and a low, profound tone.
"If by life you were deceived（假如生活欺騙了你）"
Dont be dismal,dont be wild（不要悲傷，不要絕望）
In the day of grief, be mild （憂鬱的日子裡需要鎮靜）
Merry days will come, believe（相信，快樂的日子必將來臨）
In a moment, passes sorrow（一切都是瞬息，一切都將過去）
Hope is a good thing and mayb（最美好的希望永不會消逝）"
When Li Ying understood the origin of these English lines and reflected on their truth, it was far more enlightening than if Su Cen had simply told her directly. Su Cen's approach was quite clever.
As he approached Li Ying, who was busy crying, everyone behind him, including students, teachers, and staff members, breathed a sigh of relief. The short five-meter distance was not easy to reach.
At this moment, an unexpected turn occurred; Li Ying seemed to have overlooked her footing, standing at the very edge. With one slip, she screamed and began falling downward.
Everyone simultaneously exclaimed in shock, "Ah!"
In the next instant, Su Cen lunged forward, gripping the railing with one hand while fiercely grabbing her hand with the other; his reaction was top-notch.
Su Cen had never neglected his physical fitness. In this year since his rebirth, he not only experienced a sudden growth spurt in height but also gained充沛的肌體力量 (abundant muscular strength). At that moment, he managed to grab Li Ying and, as she was relatively light, maintained balance. Meanwhile, firefighters below, fastened with safety belts, extended their bodies and grasped her ankle.
Seeing the fear mixed with gratitude in Li Ying's eyes, Su Cen let out a deep sigh of relief, feeling greatly relieved, "Shit! Still sounds more comforting in one’s native language."lready beginning to take actions against him. From the current situation, his appointment as Secretary of Xiahai City could be seen as a decline in their strength during this collision between two fac...