I'm Right Behind You

The girl climbed the stairs silently beside Chen Lu, her ponytail swinging briskly behind her.

"Handing out flyers must be tiring, huh?" Chen Lu said, picking a topic at random.

"It was okay. Just a little more tiring today."

Liang Zhirou spoke softly, recalling how she had run back and forth to finish handing them out sooner.

Chen Lu paused, clearly not understanding.

After carrying this load, Chen Lu pulled Liang Zhirou along to sit on the sports field and slack off.

He was coming to enjoy spending quiet time with this goofball more and more.

The two watched all sorts of people pass by, both silent for a long while, though their eyes often met by chance. Every time, the girl was the first to look away, but before long, their eyes would meet again.

Quite a few people grew gloomy at the sight of the evening sunset, and Chen Lu was one of them.

"You really work so hard every day. Is your mother's illness serious?" Chen Lu asked slowly, watching the clouds burn red on the horizon.

"Could you tell me about your family?"

From the start, Liang Zhirou had answered whatever Chen Lu asked, and this time was no different. Hugging her knees, she slowly began to tell him about her family.

"My dad died when I was little. I still remember how worried he looked when he looked at us. But I didn't understand anything back then, and I never got the chance to tell him that I'd take good care of Mom.

"So, so that's why I want to work hard and earn money, support Mom, and save up for her surgery."

She paused after saying that.

"Mom only has me. No matter what, I don't want to give up..."

It was the longest Liang Zhirou had spoken since meeting Chen Lu. Her voice was calm, as though she were telling a story about someone else.

She was used to it and had accepted her fate.

The two fell silent again.

Chen Lu's face grew increasingly blurry in Liang Zhirou's eyes, as though she were looking at him through a veil of mist.

She had struggled to hold on for so long before meeting Chen Lu that she couldn't help pouring everything out.

She realized she seemed to be growing more and more attached to his gentleness, like a drowning person who had spotted a piece of driftwood.

Hearing this, Chen Lu looked at her in silence for a while, then slowly stood up.

"Let's talk about something else. I'll help take your mind off it."

Before long, Chen Lu returned with a borrowed guitar and sat down beside Liang Zhirou again, leaving about a person's width between them.

"What do you want to hear?" Chen Lu asked, raising an eyebrow. "I know quite a few songs."

Just then, Lin Miaomiao, who had only just finished dealing with everything, came up to them.

"Senior, thanks for your hard work," Lin Miaomiao said with a mischievous grin, holding out a bottle of water to Chen Lu.

"Scram."

Lin Miaomiao didn't talk back, just kept smiling. She knew that although Chen Lu acted as if he couldn't stand it, he was genuinely putting his heart into helping.

Though she still couldn't tell whether there was anything between the two, if Chen Lu suddenly told her he wanted to pursue Liang Zhirou, she probably wouldn't have much objection.

Suddenly, she looked at Chen Lu holding the guitar, surprise written all over her face.

"You can play guitar too? I want to hear!"

"Of course. Listen up." Full of confidence, Chen Lu plucked a few strings.

Lin Miaomiao frowned as she listened and gave him a thoroughly disdainful look.

It wasn't even a tune...

Anyone could tell he couldn't play.

Even so, Liang Zhirou listened intently.

It was the first time anyone had ever played guitar for her.

"Senior, I thought you were going to show off your skills. You can't even play, so why pretend you can?" Lin Miaomiao rolled her eyes at Chen Lu, at a loss for words, then left, having lost interest.

Who couldn't pluck strings at random? Even she could play at that level.

Chen Lu watched Lin Miaomiao walk away, then turned and smiled at Liang Zhirou before plucking the strings again.

This time, Chen Lu's movements were practiced and professional, and it was plainly a tune. Liang Zhirou froze, never having imagined that Chen Lu had been pretending just now.

"The person in the way has finally left. Listen carefully. I'm only playing for you."

At his words, the girl's heart seemed to skip a beat. She felt a strange little surge of joy, but her face soon flushed at the "selfish" thought.

At that moment, she was no longer the sole pillar of her family. It seemed she, too, had become a girl who needed looking after, who could be cherished and enjoy youth and happiness.

"The sky looks like it wants to rain

"I really want to live next door to you..."

Liang Zhirou listened, somewhat entranced.

It was even more impressive than she had expected. Chen Lu sang beautifully, and he played the guitar extremely well, too.

It showed in the way people stopped to listen for long stretches from time to time.

Before long, more and more people had gathered to watch, and Liang Zhirou lowered her head further and further.

Suddenly, Chen Lu rested the back of his hand against her forehead and gently lifted her head, making her look at him.

I'm singing just for you. You can't keep looking away from me.

By the time he finished a few songs, night had fallen completely without their noticing.

Everyone who had gathered to watch had left.

Liang Zhirou could still feel her cheeks burning. There had been so many people watching just now, and Chen Lu had kept her from lowering her head the whole time.

"Do you know what my biggest takeaway was from being a simp for seven years?"

As the girl's thoughts wandered, Chen Lu looked at a streetlight in the distance, took a sip of water, and spoke softly.

Liang Zhirou looked at him, a little puzzled.

"Once someone looks down on you, whatever it is, the show's over.

"I don't mean right now, but sooner or later you'll leave school, and then you won't be able to hide in your own little world.

"So no matter how long it takes, you have to learn to hold your head high and stand tall.

"Like I am now."

Chen Lu looked at her and gave her a gentle smile.

"We have family who love us, and we're no less than anyone else. You're your mother's precious darling, and you should learn to love yourself."

Chen Lu was saying this to himself, too.

He had nearly become the lowest kind of simp, almost caring more about a girl than his own parents.

"I hope you can grit your teeth and raise your head until you have the courage to look anyone in the eye.

"And you're already doing great. You got into this university, and once you graduate, you can find a job and earn a lot of money.

"You'll definitely be able to give your mother a good life."

"I... I want to become like that," Liang Zhirou whispered, so quietly that he could barely hear her without listening closely.

She wanted to do as Chen Lu had said, grit her teeth and get through these days, and earn money to cure her mother's leg.

She wanted to hold up her little family.

Chen Lu nodded slightly. "You can do it."

"Really?"

Chen Lu didn't offer empty words like "just believe in yourself." After hesitating for a moment, he slowly reached out. When the girl didn't resist, he gently brushed her bangs aside and looked into her eyes.

Just like on the night they first met.

A breeze stirred the loose strands of hair beside her face, carrying the young man's words to her ears.

"You've had it hard. I know."

"But you have to hold your head high and keep going. If you get tired along the way, just look back..."

"I'm right behind you."