She doesn't remember what role Dai Mengyuan played that day, only his role, no, it was him, the poem "Ode-to-the-West-Wind" recited by him. Shu Yan (author's note (1)) is written in English in a straight and round manner, showing the strength of English education in Yuying Middle School. And even more powerful are his people. Maybe it's not a human being either, but a character who blended in with him that day, strong and charismatic, and left a deep impression on her. And she always felt that when he recited the poem on stage, his eyes were on her in the best audience position in the audience - and later he said yes. When she walked into the theater that day, he had already seen her behind the scenes.

Later, Dongning would call her for the activities of the drama club. With a quiet temperament, she actually can't help much, and her biggest role may be to provide Dongning with help with her lines. And during that time, she lived in the villa of Jing'an Temple, where she first shared with Luan Zhifeng—she arrived in Shanghai three years before them. As the focus of his father's career shifted south, his father spent more and more time in Shanghai, and that villa was his father's earliest purchase in Shanghai. Soon after he married the fourth wife, the third wife was going to live in Shanghai to fight against the fourth wife, at least during the semester, and she moved in with the third wife, so she was the only one left there. She thought that her father might make other arrangements, but she was also a little worried that she would go to live with the third or fourth wife. But no, her father left her to live there alone. When Du's mother came over, she told her father that it was too clean for a little girl to live in such a big place; My father said that's it, let her study here by herself, crying and making a fuss about coming out to study, isn't it good to study? It's not that she can't afford to raise a few idlers to serve her. After that, there were a few more people in the villa.

From time to time, her father would come to her house to stay, sometimes to play cards with people, sometimes to eat with people, and more often to be alone. He didn't even pay much attention to her when he did this, as if she didn't exist. She didn't really understand why her father had taken a very special approach to her education among his many children. even went against her mother, who was very strict with her. Her mother didn't want her to take a step out of the house, so he insisted on agreeing to let her go thousands of miles away from home to study. And although he doesn't seem to attach much importance to her, he is willing to take her with him.

The villa has a large garden, which she occasionally offers to Dongning for their rehearsals. I found an opportunity to inform my father in advance, and he did not object. At first, Dai Mengyuan only came a few times. Dongning said that Senior Dai had too many activities. She vaguely knew what Dai Mengyuan was busy with. In the eyes of many people, especially St. John's students, Dai Mengyuan is restless and dangerous. But she only thought he was very enthusiastic. When you are focused on doing something, people with enthusiasm are worthy of respect.

Occasionally, when he came to participate in activities, he would chat with her for a few words, mostly because of academic concerns. It's like a brother Mei who will take care of her.

With him, she will feel at ease.

Until one time, when the theater club was rehearsing "Romeo and Juliet" in the garden, I don't know why the police suddenly came, saying that a nearby family had recently been burglarized. Before the thieves left the area, they were investigating and searching from house to house. The policeman came to the garden and tried to interrogate each person, but she calmly dealt with the leader. I don't know if it was because she coped with it properly, or if it played a role in her seemingly frivolous move out of the name of her father, the owner of the villa, they asked a few more questions and left.

It's either that she didn't see Dai Mengyuan's nervousness, or that she wanted to protect him at that moment.

When Meng Yuan left that day, he gently pulled her hand and whispered thank you to her.

She closed the door and her heart was beating like thunder.

Father's car was parked at the gate, and the messengers were all reporting that the master was coming, but she didn't react, or Qiu Wei hurriedly pulled her back to the room, and came out to greet her father as if she had just come down from upstairs.

My father heard from the housekeeper that night that the police had come to the house. At dinner, I told her to be careful about who you associate with in the future.

She was very flustered. Fortunately, her father didn't say anything more, but seemed to be in a good mood, asked her about her homework, and said that someone had brought her some things, which had been sent to the room.

She went back to her room and saw those things, everything from food to clothing, and she thought that it was probably the same as before, that her father doted on each of his daughters, and that she had only received the same gifts as Zhiluan. She didn't really care about these things, but she felt that what she was looking forward to was just her father asking her homework...... Even on that day, it didn't seem to be as much attention as she used to be, because she always felt that she had more hope somewhere.

And "Romeo and Juliet" performed as her substitute, which was the beginning of their formal relationship.

It is a traditional repertoire of the school theatre troupe, and it is performed once a year by new students. Dongning, who played Juliet, caught a cold on the second day and couldn't make a sound at all, because she usually accompanied Dongning to practice her lines, and she was able to memorize the words, and the director teacher of the troupe asked her to temporarily top it.

She didn't have stage fright when she went on stage, but halfway through, the male classmate who played Romeo made a mistake in a line, and she couldn't take it, and the two of them stood on the stage for several minutes, causing the people below to be confused, so they almost had to cheer - St. John has always had a tradition of cheering - Romeo stomped his feet, apparently confused by her sudden forgetfulness. She heard someone below say aloud: "Good-pilgrim, you-do-wrong-your-hand-too-much, Which-mannerly-devotion-shows-in-this............ ）

She woke up from a dream and immediately picked up the next sentence: "For-saints-have-hands-that-pilgrims'-hands-do-touch, And-palm-to-palm-is-holy-palmers'-kiss." (The hands of the gods are meant to be touched, and the palms are far more dense than kisses.) (Author's note (2))

Romeo, who was playing the game, was already sweating profusely, and his makeup was all paste.

It's hard to get mixed up...... Backstage, the teacher praised her for her handling well on the field, and she hurried out before she heard the compliment—if she heard it right, the person who made the prompter was Dai Mengyuan.

When she ran to the door of the theater, she saw Dai Mengyuan standing under the tree. Although there are others around him and the night is dark, he is still so outstanding and eye-catching, she can see him at a glance.

He saw her and walked towards her with a smile.

He said you did a great job......

“…… He was very nice to me. I was always encouraged to study hard. I believe in him, and he believes in me......" Jingyi lowered her head. She didn't explain everything to her mother, and Meng Yuan would occasionally use her residence to hold secret meetings with some people, which she wouldn't say. Not only with her mother, but also with others.

Wan Wei looked at Jingyi and lowered her head.

She knows Jingyi's temperament too well. Jingyi didn't tell her exactly the truth.

"Jingyi." Wanwei's eyes were a little hollow, and the experience of this half-day was simply heartbreaking.

Jingyi raised her head, the sky was dark, and her mother did not order the lantern, so no one dared to turn on the electric light, and no one lit the kerosene lamp.

"Mother." She reached out to shake her mother's hand, cold. She couldn't help but be a little scared and asked, "Are you ...... Think I'm bad? ”

Wan Wei twitched his hand and said, "You go out first, let me be quiet." ”

"Mother......

"I'm tired right now." Wan Wan pushed down the pillows stacked behind him and leaned sideways inward.

Jingyi sat beside her mother, not knowing what to say for a while. When I got up and left, I was really not at ease.

Cui Xi quietly brought a glass lamp, put it on the collapsed table, and pointed outside silently, Jingyi said, "Mother, you can rest for a while......"

Wan Wei sighed and said, "Wait for the eldest lady to come and pass the meal, just say that I am not comfortable and sleep first, and let you guard me." You are not allowed to go anywhere these days. ”

Jing Yi was shocked.

Cui Xi looked at her, for fear that she would say something that would make Wan Wei angry, and hurriedly pushed Jing Yi out. A little farther out of the room, Cui Xi almost didn't cry, and said, "Miss, what's wrong with you?" Mrs. is sad to be like this today, so let's rely on her first. My wife has been in Xishan for more than a month, and she often suffers from heartache. She doesn't want us to tell you this, I'm afraid that you will inevitably worry about leaving home in the future. That's all for my wife, miss, bear with me for a few days. ”

Jingyi turned her head to look at the light shadow reflected in the window in her mother's room, Cui Xi was tall and strong, her body and strength were not worse than a manservant, but she spoke slowly and softly, and her tone was quite a bit of her mother's usual charm. Jingyi said a little sadly: "Now I have become the most ignorant one." ”

When Cui Xi heard this, she let go of her hand and said, "Miss, Cui Xi is stupid and can't speak, so she is not complaining about Miss." ”

"I understand." Jingyi said and left, "I'll come back later, and I'll go see Qiu Wei first." She was still thinking about Qiu Wei.

Just as he was leaving, he heard the phone ringing in the house.

Cui Xi hurriedly ran back to the house to answer the phone, Wan Wei heard it, and asked who called, Cui Xi said that Miss Biao was calling to find Miss, Wan Wei said let Jing Yi answer the phone.

Jingyi was called back, and heard that it was Wujian looking for her, but when she picked it up and listened, it was not Wuji, but Zhao Zongqing.

"Third cousin." She was a little surprised at her composure.

Zhao Zongqing said over there: "Jingyi, don't come out and walk around these days. I'll do my best to do what you've asked me to do. If anything changes, I'll let you know. Don't be reckless. ”

Jing Yi only felt tears rolling in her eyes.

She smiled and said, "Hmm...... Okay, okay...... I know...... That book is not with me, third cousin, you are the most confused...... Okay, I know...... Come and play with your second cousin when you're free, it's best to enjoy the shade in our garden...... Good...... Okay, goodbye. ”

Zhao Zongqing had already changed the phone to Wuji, and Wujian was asking her if she was okay and had been discovered by her aunt, and she said yes repeatedly.