Meng Yan's Transformation

Chapter 642 Zhan Mengyan Wants to Walk Home

On a July afternoon, the world after the rain was like a washed crystal, clear and fresh. A few wisps of thin clouds still lingered in the sky, but the sunlight eagerly poured down, painting the earth in a warm, golden hue. At first, the light was gentle and subtle, like a mother's fingers caressing her baby, carrying the dampness and coolness of the rain, lightly sprinkling on every leaf. Each undried raindrop sparkled with tiny points of light, like countless tiny diamonds dancing. However, as time passed, the sunlight gradually became scorching. No longer content with its gentle touch, it began to infiltrate the air with an almost aggressive force. The afternoon breeze, initially refreshing after the rain, was quickly baked by the sun into a warm, even slightly sticky, feeling like an invisible veil wrapped around the skin. Under the combined effects of light and heat, the leaves emitted a faint mist of moisture. The air was filled with the fragrance of earth and vegetation, mixed with an increasingly intense, dry heat.

The sunlight grew increasingly intense, no longer simply bright, but possessing a blinding, almost scorching power. The asphalt pavement on the streets began to reflect a blinding white light, and the shadows of pedestrians were stretched thin and long, becoming blurred and distorted under the high temperature. The chirping of cicadas rose and fell, from sparse at first to dense later, as if protesting the increasingly unbearable heat. People sought a moment of coolness under the shade of trees, but the sunlight always cunningly found a crack, seeping in with its heat, leaving no place to escape.

On a July afternoon, the post-rain sunlight shifted from gentle to intense, enveloping the world in a bright and scorching radiance, announcing the start of the harshest chapter of midsummer.

Zhan Mengyan dragged her heavy steps from the examination hall to the regular high school, her initial enthusiasm gone.

She had planned to ride her bicycle home with her two older brothers, but they had already left before her, ruining her surprise plan. She had no choice but to return to school first and figure out a solution later.

As soon as dormitory supervisor Zhu locked the door to Zhan Mengyan's dorm room, he turned around and saw Zhan Mengyan standing behind him, covered in sweat. "Zhan Mengyan, why are you back?! Didn't you say you were going home with your two brothers? Are you going to do a part-time job and stay a few more days?"

"Teacher Zhu, when I arrived at their exam venue, the two older brothers had already left. My part-time job was finished, and I was eager to go home, but I didn't have a bicycle. I thought I'd rest in the dormitory for a while longer. If all else fails, I'll walk home. I think I can get home before dark."

As Zhan Mengyan spoke, she wiped the sweat from her face.

"Walking home?! It's over 20 miles, and it's so hot. You're carrying so much stuff. How can you possibly walk like that? I have a bicycle here. You can borrow it for now. Remember to ride it back for me when school starts. I'll walk home today. My house is close to the school, only two streets away. I also have a bicycle at home. You can borrow this one."

When the dormitory supervisor, Ms. Zhu, spoke, she shed her usual stern demeanor from when inspecting dormitory cleanliness and instead resembled a kind old woman. She took the flour bag and backpack from Zhan Mengyan's hands and walked towards the bike shed: "Zhan Mengyan, what are you still standing there for? Come with me! Aren't you in a hurry to go home? Do you want to sleep in the dormitory some more?"

Zhan Mengyan seemed to wake from a dream: "No, no, I don't want to rest anymore. I'm in a hurry to go home! I want to go home! Thank you, Teacher Zhu! Thank you, Teacher Zhu!"