Loving You Dearly

 I'm Changing For The Better (2)

When he returned to the classroom, Ning Zhen had just fished out her draft paper and was going to do some math calculations.

Lu Zhi's slender fingers pressed against the white paper. Ning Zhen tugged at it, but it didn't move. She raised her eyes to look at him.

His dark and deep eyes were filled with a bit of anxiety. "What did you hear?"

Ning Zhen sighed, "I didn't hear anything."

Like hell, I'll believe you. Lu Zhi frowned. "I really have nothing to do with her."

"En."

"I have nothing to do with anyone. I just want to have something with you."

Xia Xiaoshi, who was eavesdropping in the back row, swallowed. Roaring inwardly, ah ah ah ah, Lu Zhi really likes Zhen Zhen... but she only dared to watch.

"Lu Zhi."

"Hmm?"

Ning Zhen calmly said, "Loosen your fingers. I want to do the math exercise."

Lu Zhi was a bit annoyed. "Can you trust me?" He wanted to smash Chen Dongshu into pieces. He didn't listen to what Yu Shanshan was bitching about. Fuck, even if he wanted to explain, he didn't know where to start.

Ning Zhen simply ignored him and worked out the problem on the other half of the draft paper.

She didn't look like she was jealous or angry. She was still a little serious. Lu Zhi glanced down. Her coordinate axes were all beautifully drawn.

He did not know what to do.

Ugh.

"Ning Zhen, I didn't smoke. I didn't fight or cause trouble during this time, did I?"

She still did not look at him. Her two small fan-like eyelashes were drooping and occasionally trembling.

He came up domineeringly, reached out, and lifted her chin to make her look at him. The two of them looked at each other, and he let go of his hand like he had received an electric shock.

"I just wanted to tell you that I'm changing for the better."

Becoming like the beautiful you, to be deserving of you.

The hair on the youth's forehead moved slightly. So close that she seemed to be able to see the broken light in his eyes.

As beautiful as the stars.

Her fingertips twitched slightly, and she pursed her lips.

In the evening, Ning Zhen received a long-awaited phone call.

"Ning Zhen, do you miss your grandmother? How have you been?" The old woman was smiling, and her tone was soft.

Her eyes were a little sore for a moment. "Yes, I miss you and Grandpa so much."

After her rebirth, she called the two old people, but the voice told her they were behind on their bills. Her grandparents didn't like to use their cell phones, and their memory was not good at their age, so they often forgot to pay the phone bill.

Ning Zhen paid for them, but no one picked up the phone again. The two old people refused to stay idle and often went out without their phones.

Grandma was in a good mood, watching Grandpa kill chickens in the yard.

From time to time, a few rooster cries came from over there.

Ning Zhen smiled, "Grandma, I'm going to be on summer vacation soon. Can I come to visit you guys on vacation?"

"Not this year." Grandma said mysteriously, "You have better things to do."

"What is it?"

"The National Middle School Dance Competition, in which you won the first prize in junior middle school, is being held again this year, isn't it? You should give Grandma a chance to win another first prize."

Ning Zhen was silent for a moment. The summer night breeze blew in through the window, and the air carried a light fragrance of flowers.

She whispered, "Grandma, I'm sorry. I haven't danced for a long time."

She hadn't danced since her first year of high school. It was her sixteen-year-old flexible body, but her soul hadn't danced in four years.

She was no longer the Ning Zhen who was applauded by a thousand people on the stage in her third year of junior middle school, but the high school girl who now carried her backpack, went to school honestly, and read. She was no different from everyone else.

There was a moment of silence.

After a while, it was Grandpa's turn to answer the phone. The old man was grumpy, "Ning Zhen, is Ning Haiyuan not allowing you to dance anymore? Does Ning Haiyuan really take himself seriously? Is there someone who is so strict with his daughter's talent?"

Ning Zhen lowered her eyes and curled her fingers, "Grandpa, don't blame dad."

"That incident back then was hard for us too. If Ning Haiyuan wants to hate, he should hate us these two old man and woman ......"

Grandma grabbed the phone and said, "Okay, stop talking about it."

"Zhen Zhen do what you want. Grandma knows you like it, and now we rarely come to your house. Xu Qian has a hot temper, but she shouldn't be a bad person. If you have a bad time be sure to tell us. You are almost in your third year in high school, right? Study hard, Grandma supports you. The deadline to register for the competition is July 10th and Grandma respects your decision."

Ning Zhen took out the photo album she had locked in the drawer.

Her fingers brushed over the light pink floral pattern, and she opened the album.

On the first page of the photo was her mother, dressed in a ballet outfit, holding flowers in her hands, her chin slightly raised. She was very beautiful.

She went on to the next page. Many of her childhood photos were taken by her mother when she was dancing. As she grew from a little girl to a big girl. She turned to the last one, a group photo.

She was holding a gold cup, smiling brightly, with a slight touch of shyness.

Ning Zhen, in her third year of junior middle school, was like a half-blooming flower, green and beautiful.

Inside the photo was a red banner hanging on the top, "The 6th National Middle School Student Dance Competition".

Ning Zhen was a bit lost in thought.

That was her, too. The one who had been away for a long time.

The Ning Zhen that even Lu Zhi had never seen before.

******

TN:

I almost went crazy trying to figure out if it was junior middle school or junior high school. I still don't understand it now