I Might Have Fallen in Love With My Childhood Sweetheart
Chapter 38 - 35 His Change

Chapter 38: Chapter 35 His Change

Qingran woke up at half past one in the afternoon.

She had been lying down for a long time, causing some soreness in her neck. She sat up, stretched, and the thin blanket draped over her slipped off.

Qingran picked up the blanket and went to the kitchen for a drink. She saw a note left by Aunt Liu on the refrigerator.

Aunt Liu wrote that the meal was ready and stored in the fridge, advising her to heat it in the microwave when she wanted to eat.

Qingran, just awake, had little appetite; she had slept for almost two and a half hours.

Li Qingmo hadn’t returned yet; Qingran went to check her fully charged phone, finding messages from her class group and her father. Li Qingmo hadn’t sent any messages.

After reading the messages, Qingran exited WeChat, but saw a number 5 displayed on the screen. Not having OCD, she clicked on WeChat again to check.

None of the ten contacts on the interface indicated any unread messages. She scrolled down the page, stopping at ’Senior Brother Ji Yanchen’s’ name.

Yesterday 17:52

Senior Brother Ji Yanchen: Photo (Little Cat)

Yesterday 17:55

Senior Brother Ji Yanchen: Photo (Little Cat)

Yesterday 17:57

Senior Brother Ji Yanchen: Photo (Little Cat)

Yesterday 18:06

Senior Brother Ji Yanchen: Coming out?

Yesterday 18:22

Senior Brother Ji Yanchen: ?

He sent these yesterday evening?

Qingran was puzzled. She hadn’t checked her phone last night; the incessant gossip on the school forum and the suspicious glances from other students weighed on her.

But what could she do about the discomfort in her heart? She couldn’t silence everyone.

School studies had to continue as usual, and papers had to be worked on, her life was unchanged beyond the rumors around her.

The same went for Luo Lan. With the college entrance exam imminent, she had no energy to be distracted by these matters.

Qingran sighed. It turned out she stood up God Ji yesterday again; if Ruan Ruan knew, she would probably wring her neck like a chopstick.

In fact, when Ji Yanchen called Qingran out that day, he didn’t say much. The young man was reticent, often lost in his own world, long unaccustomed to socializing.

She asked, "Did Senior Brother Ji want to see me?"

Ji Yanchen barely nodded.

She asked again, "Is there something you need?"

Ji Yanchen hesitated for a moment: "Ji He said you were sick."

Qingran smiled, "I was sick a few days ago, but I’m better now."

Ji Yanchen seemed somewhat uneasy, blinking several times before he said, "I didn’t know..."

Didn’t know? What concern had God Ji ever shown about school affairs and people?

The two stood silently, the atmosphere awkward. When Qingran looked up again, she saw Xie Ying’an.

Xie Ying’an was standing at the staircase, watching them, his gaze cold.

She felt a shock, almost as if she had been caught doing something wrong. Afterward, Xie Ying’an’s attitude was indifferent; he treated her no different from a stranger for the whole afternoon. Even when she asked him about a problem, he just wrote down the solution on scratch paper without saying a word.

Turning her head, Qingran saw a pile of yet-to-be-done problems, feeling a headache coming on. She had no mind for further speculation and sat down to continue solving problems.

Thinking it over, she took a picture of the unsolved math problem and sent it to Ji Yanchen, along with a message.

God Ji, looking for a solution strategy.

Since they had exchanged WeChat, might as well make use of it.

Ji Yanchen responded quickly with a picture.

The picture showed the solution using a formula Qingran hadn’t learned.

Qingran copied it down, struggling with the calculation for a long time, and before she could clarify her doubts, Ji Yanchen sent two more pictures, each showing different approaches to solving.

One approach was what Qingran saw in Xie Ying’an’s notes, and the other was an interchanging calculation with formulas she had learned and those she hadn’t.

Three different solution approaches, yet all producing the same answer.

Qingran couldn’t help but admire this math genius; in such a short time, he could produce three precise solution strategies—a feat beyond ordinary people.

Qingran sent a "thank you" emoji, then dived headlong into her studies for the next fifty-three miles.

——

This weekend, Mrs. Ji Cui Yu and her son Ji Yanchen had their scheduled two hours of mandatory time together.

They had nothing else to do, so they nested on the living room sofa watching television; the variety show they watched only elicited ’haha’ laughs from the TV, but neither mother nor son cracked a smile at the program.

To Cui Yu’s surprise, today her son was constantly holding a mobile phone in his hand. She pretended to watch television, but in reality, she was observing her son out of the corner of her eye.

Ji Yanchen seemed to be lost in thought, which led Cui Yu to feel somewhat disappointed. Her son habitually isolated himself in his own world, a world that didn’t allow anyone else to step foot in.

Cui Yu thought maybe her son had just forgotten to put the phone down.

After about ten minutes, a WeChat notification sounded in the living room. Cui Yu instinctively reached for her own phone, knowing it was unlikely anyone would be messaging her son on the weekend.

Her phone screen was empty. Cui Yu stubbornly opened WeChat, but no messages had come through.

She noticed her son glance at his phone and then hurriedly head upstairs.

’Hurriedly’? This word was almost never associated with her son. Cui Yu was momentarily stunned, then quickly put down her phone and followed him.

Ji Yanchen went to his study; he didn’t close the door, and Cui Yu stood outside, quietly peeking inside.

Ji Yanchen checked his phone again, then took out paper and a pen and began writing furiously on the paper.

What struck her was that after he finished writing, her son actually took a photo of it with his phone???

Cui Yu could hardly believe her eyes. She tiptoed into the study to see her son put down his phone, then start writing on another sheet of paper. This time he didn’t take a photo after he finished but instead took a blank piece of paper and continued writing.

Once both sheets were filled, Ji Yanchen finally picked up his phone to take photos.

Then he became motionless again, just sitting at his desk looking down at his phone as though he had returned to his own world.

The part of Cui Yu’s heart that had just warmed up felt like someone had suddenly poured a bucket of ice water over her, chilling her to the core.

Then another WeChat notification sounded within the room.

Ji Yanchen held his phone, staring at the topped message that had sent a thank-you emoji; a stubborn spark of light forced its way into his otherwise dull eyes.

Cui Yu, whose heart had just settled, felt it leap alive again, the rollercoaster of emotions almost too much for her to bear.

Cui Yu purposefully made her footsteps heavier as she entered the room. Usually, Ji Yanchen wouldn’t react to the sound of footsteps, but today, he actually lifted his eyes and quietly looked at her.

The flicker of light in his eyes hadn’t faded yet; Cui Yu bit her lip hard to stop herself from crying tears of joy.

How many years had it been? Since he was young, she had noticed her son was different from others. People in the same courtyard unavoidably gossiped behind their backs, leaving her no choice but to put on a brave smile.

As he grew older, her son’s intelligence gradually became apparent. His superior academic achievements far surpassed other children, but his difference from others meant he could never be like someone else’s child.

More than once, Cui Yu heard other ladies whispering behind her back, saying they would rather have a non-genius child than one who, like the Ji family’s son, was out of sync with society...

Ji Yanchen glanced at his phone; the two hours promised to his mother weren’t up yet. He lowered his head and quietly said, "Sorry."

Cui Yu’s eyes suddenly reddened; she tried to smile pleasurably, "It’s okay; Xiao Yan, if you’re busy, go ahead."

Ji Yanchen looked at his phone again; he put it in his pocket and asked Cui Yu as if seeking her opinion, "Go downstairs?"

"Ah, yes." Cui Yu snapped out of her trance and led the way downstairs.

When they sat on the sofa again, Cui Yu had no interest in watching television. Ji Yanchen lounged on the sofa, his face expressionless.

The atmosphere between mother and son once again stagnated.

Cui Yu knew this was a good chance to speak; she moved closer to Ji Yanchen, "Xiao Yan."

Ji Yanchen looked up at her but said nothing.

Meeting her son’s clear, watery gaze, Cui Yu gave a gentle smile, her voice deliberately slow and cautious, "Xiao Yan, did you make a new friend?"

Besides Ji He, who wished himself upon him.

"A friend?" Ji Yanchen slightly furrowed his brows, as if deep in thought.

Cui Yu tensed up, holding her breath as she awaited his answer.

After a while, Ji Yanchen raised a hand to touch the cap on his head and nodded in response to his mother’s earlier question, "Hmm."

Cui Yu lowered her hand from over her mouth, her chest heaving violently for a moment. As an experienced person, she calmed down and continued to ask, "Is it a girl?"

This time Ji Yanchen didn’t hesitate too long: "Hmm."

Cui Yu wanted to cry, but in front of her son, she had to be a strong mother; she couldn’t cry. "Did that girl help you?"

Ji Yanchen’s gaze slowly became distant.

"No," he said, "I helped her."

Cui Yu turned her head away, tears starting to fall from her eyes.

After who knows how long, her son finally had room in his eyes to accommodate someone else. This slight change in her son was enough to make her happy for the rest of her life.