Even if Heaven has feelings, it is also heartless.

The Humanities Office for the Second Year of High School.

Several teachers gathered in the office, and the air was filled with eager anticipation. All eyes were on Qi Xu, hoping that she could bring glory to Mingde Middle School in the upcoming art competition.

The homeroom teacher's face was full of smiles, and her tone was solicitous: "Qi Xu, you should have told us earlier that you entered Luojia No. 1 High School with the highest score in the art exam. If I had known earlier, I would have definitely communicated with the art teacher to help you get the best resources and guidance."

A teacher nearby chimed in with a smile, "It's a bit late to say that now; the child is about to start preparing for the competition with all their might."

The homeroom teacher nodded repeatedly, her eyes full of appreciation: "Yes, gold always shines. Talented children will always be seen."

A chorus of encouraging voices filled the office as the teachers cheered for Qi Xu.

This was the first time Qi Xu had felt such concentrated and fervent attention. She understood that this competition was not just about individuals, but a contest between students; it was not only a path to prestigious schools, but also a mission to bring glory to Mingde Middle School.

She took a deep breath and nodded solemnly, as if accepting this heavy expectation as well.

Just then, the homeroom teacher's phone rang.

He answered the phone, listened for a while, and replied, "Okay, I understand." After hanging up, he turned to Qi Xu and said, "Go report to the art club now, the training camp has started."

Qi Xu left the office and hurried towards the art club classroom. After reporting to the teacher and receiving permission, she pushed open the door and entered.

There were five participants in the competition, two women and three men. She spotted Xu Sheng immediately; he smiled, waved to her, and patted the empty seat next to him.

Qi Xu naturally walked over and sat down.

The art teacher stood at the podium, displaying basic art knowledge and key points of the competition rules on a PowerPoint presentation.

He explained things clearly and logically until the end.

"Does anyone have any further questions?" the teacher asked, looking up.

"No," the five answered in unison.

"Very good," the teacher said, closing the PowerPoint presentation. "Now, focus on the topics you are good at and create freely." After giving these instructions, the teacher left the studio.

As soon as the teacher left, the other students curiously gathered around.

"Hey, my name is Qi Huan," a short-haired girl said familiarly as she moved to sit next to Qi Xu. "I don't think I've seen you before."

"I just transferred here, my name is Qi Xu," Qi Xu explained with a smile.

"I'm Gao Xinpeng," another boy leaned over and introduced himself.

"Ye Tao." The boy who was sketching the outline turned around and simply gave his name.

Xu Shengqian smiled and said, "As for me, I don't need to introduce myself anymore, right? We're old acquaintances."

Qi Xu smiled and nodded. After a brief introduction, everyone quickly got into the swing of things, each picking up their paintbrushes. The only sounds in the studio were the scratching of pencils across paper and the soft clinking of palettes.

In the following days, the five of them devoted themselves to preparing for the competition and rarely returned to their own classes.

Spending every day together and working towards a common goal quickly warmed up the relationship between the five people, turning them into an inseparable little group.

When it's time to eat, no matter how well they're painting, everyone tacitly puts down their brushes, because they need to fill their stomachs to have the energy to study.

On the way to the cafeteria, Qi Huan affectionately linked arms with Qi Xu and excitedly shared some interesting stories: "Hey, Qi Xu, let me tell you, I went to the art teacher's office today to ask him to critique my painting."

"As a result, his cat was jumping around the office like a little devil! It almost made the teacher trip and fall, haha..."

Although the story didn't sound that funny, Qi Xu didn't want to spoil Qi Huan's fun, so she smiled and asked, "Really? Was the cat dealt with afterward?"

"There was no time! The teacher was busy calming herself down and just asked me to come out. Haha, just thinking about that scene is hilarious." Qi Huan laughed so hard she almost fell over.

“This cat is no ordinary cat,” Gao Xinpeng suddenly interjected in a serious tone.

"Huh?" Qi Xu was taken aback for a moment, then half-jokingly guessed, "Could it be... he's taking care of a child?"

Everyone burst into laughter at these words.

“You know what,” Xu Sheng couldn’t help but chuckle, “given our art teacher’s personality, taking care of kids might really be a chaotic mess like this.”

Ye Tao thought for a moment and added, "I remember the art teacher saying that his cat looks like a Ragdoll."

"That can't be right?" Gao Xinpeng frowned in confusion. "Aren't Ragdoll cats known for being docile and quiet?"

"There are always exceptions," Qi Huan said matter-of-factly.

Amidst chatting and laughing, we arrived at the cafeteria. The lines at each window were much shorter than usual, making it seem rather deserted.

"Huh? Why are there so few people today?" Qi Xu swiped his meal card at the rice bowl window and asked curiously while waiting.

"The second and third-year high school students have exams today, so get out of class ended late," Ye Tao explained.

Qi Xu nodded in realization, took his meal, found a seat nearby, and began to enjoy his lunch.

The others also got their food and sat around the same table.

At this moment, the second-year high school exams had just finished. Hao Nan, Ting Yue, Wan Xiaoyi, Han Xue, and Ting Xubai were on their way to the cafeteria.

Tingyue couldn't help but complain under her breath, "I haven't seen Qixu for three or four days. When is their competition finally starting?"

"Next Monday," Hao Nan replied as calmly as possible, but only he knew the longing he was deliberately suppressing in his heart.

Every time he passed by their art studio where they were training, he couldn't help but peek through the small window in the door or the crack in the half-open door. Sometimes he could see her holding a paintbrush intently, her profile serene.

Sometimes you can see her laughing and joking with her friends, her eyes crinkling with joy.

He would always watch silently for a while, and then quietly leave.

After he turned away, Qi Xu in the studio would occasionally feel a gaze inexplicably, and would subconsciously look out the window or at the door, but there was always nothing there.

After it happened several times, she just assumed that she was too tired lately and was being a little paranoid.

"Wow, only four days left," Tingyue exclaimed.

"When Qi Xu returns in triumph, we must give her a proper celebration," Wan Xiaoyi suggested.

"I wholeheartedly agree!" Han Xue responded immediately. "Regardless of the final outcome, her hard work and struggle are themselves worthy of celebration."

“Qi Xu is so outstanding, she will definitely achieve good results,” Ting Xubai said confidently. “We should just cheer her on and wish her well.”

Upon hearing this, Han Xue looked at Ting Xubai. Their eyes met briefly in the air before they both looked away uncomfortably, though a faint smile played on their lips.

The group entered the cafeteria, which had suddenly become bustling, and each headed towards their preferred serving window.

Hao Nan stood in line, but his eyes couldn't help searching the crowded cafeteria.

Finally, his gaze settled on that familiar figure with a high ponytail and a hair tie adorned with small butterflies. She was not far away. His heart tightened, and he immediately squeezed out of the line, eager to get closer to her through the crowded throng.

However, Qi Xu had just finished eating and was getting up with his companions to leave.

At that moment, students from grades 11 and 12 flooded into the cafeteria, converging together and instantly making the already crowded space completely packed.

Hao Nan felt like he was stuck in quagmire, unable to move an inch. As Qi Xu's figure was about to disappear from sight, in desperation, he shouted in that direction, "Qi Xu!"

Just as Qi Xu was about to walk out of the cafeteria, he paused, as if he had heard something.

She looked back in confusion, but the cafeteria was chaotic and noisy, and she didn't see any familiar faces.

"What's wrong?" Qi Huan noticed her pause.

Qi Xu shook his head, somewhat uncertain: "It seems... I heard someone call my name?"

"I didn't hear it," Qi Huan said, looking at the others. "Did you hear it?"

Xu Sheng, Gao Xinpeng, and Ye Tao all shook their heads blankly.

"Oh, I guess I misheard. Let's go." Qi Xu said, turning back to take another deep look at the bustling crowd, still finding nothing.

She frowned slightly, a small voice in her heart asking: That voice just now really sounded like Hao Nan. Was it really just a hallucination? With a hint of doubt, she left the cafeteria with her friends.

Hao Nan tried his best to squeeze forward, but the surging crowd pushed him further and further away from his goal.

He could only watch helplessly as Qi Xu's figure resolutely walked through the gate, disappearing into the light outside, getting farther and farther away from him... farther and farther away...

The crowd, which had been so tightly packed just moments before, suddenly seemed to receive some kind of command, and miraculously loosened and dispersed.

His view suddenly opened up, and everything in the cafeteria was clearly visible. However, the figure he had been desperately trying to grasp was completely gone.

He stood frozen in place, overwhelmed by an indescribable sense of powerlessness and frustration.

Why? Why are we always blocked at the most crucial moments? Why was it so crowded just now, but now it's flowing smoothly? Why?!

He bit his lower lip hard, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. He was oblivious to the stinging pain and faint taste of blood on his lips, wanting only to pour all his pent-up frustration into his clenched teeth.

Hao Nan felt a suffocating exhaustion. He silently walked back to his friends and whispered, "You guys eat, I have no appetite." Then he left the cafeteria without looking back.

Looking at this space that had just extinguished his hope, he felt a tightness in his chest, with nowhere to vent his frustration.

Watching Hao Nan's dejected figure as he walked away, Wan Xiaoyi whispered to her companions, "Don't you guys think Hao Nan seems like a different person lately?"

Tingyue swallowed the food in her mouth and nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, I felt it too. I thought I was the only one who thought so."

"When we first met, I felt he was quite cheerful and sunny, the kind of energetic young man," Ting Xubai recalled.

Han Xue kept her head down, unconsciously poking at the food in her bowl with her chopsticks.

She actually had a vague idea of ​​the reasons for his changes.

When everyone's eyes were fixed on her and they all asked in unison, "Do you know why?" she looked up and smiled to cover up her embarrassment, "How would I know the specifics of what happened to him?"

However, he has indeed changed. His grades have improved significantly, and he's become much calmer and more preoccupied than before.

Wan Xiaoyi said thoughtfully, "It seems that's really the case."

"Hey. How about this," Tingyue suggested, her eyes lighting up, "Let's go to an internet cafe after school to relax? Let's have some fun."

"You wanted to go out and have fun, didn't you?" Ting Xubai bluntly exposed him.

"Hmph!" Tingyue glared at him angrily. "I'm just concerned about my friend's mental and physical well-being! Can't I take him out to relax and cheer him up?"

Hearing Xu Bai give a faint "hmm," it was considered tacit approval.

No one said anything more and continued eating.

Hao Nan returned to the classroom alone.

The dense handwriting and notes on the book now felt extremely repulsive.

The slight irritation that had just subsided returned, even turning into an unnamed anger that surged to the top of my head.

He frowned, then suddenly swept his hand, knocking all the books off the table with a crash.

He slumped down, pressing his heavy forehead against his hands.

He felt suffocated and uncomfortable in the classroom.

Hao Nan suddenly stood up and strode towards the teachers' office. He asked his homeroom teacher for a short leave after the first exam in the afternoon, citing feeling unwell, saying he was going to buy some medicine outside the school.

Stepping out of the school gate, he wandered aimlessly, wanting only to let his chaotic thoughts settle down.

Before I knew it, I had wandered into a small temple near the school that wasn't very popular.

The temple was quiet, with only the rustling of leaves in the wind. He stood under a huge ancient tree, covered with red prayer ribbons that swayed gently in the breeze.

Looking at those strips of cloth that carried countless wishes, I felt a stirring in my heart.

He also asked the monks in the temple for a strip of cloth. Holding a pen, he wrote down his deepest desire almost without hesitation:

I wish to stay with Qi Xu, year after year.

May there be fewer obstacles and hardships on the road ahead.

After writing it down, he carefully tied the strip of cloth to a tree branch that he thought was sturdy enough and high enough, and even tugged on it to make sure it was secure.

He stepped back a few paces and gazed once more at the red ribbon swaying gently in the wind, as if he saw some kind of hope and sustenance. Only then did he feel a long-lost sense of peace and satisfaction before turning and leaving.

He didn't notice that shortly after he left, a staff member responsible for maintaining the temple gardens came over with tools.

He carefully untied a section of the prayer cloth from the tree, which needed to be removed due to pests and diseases.

The staff carefully transferred these strips of cloth to another equally ancient tree nearby.

However, during the transfer, Hao Nan's brand-new strip of cloth, whether because it wasn't tied tightly enough or because it was snagged by other strips of cloth, quietly slipped off, was blown up by a breeze, and drifted away until it landed silently in a corner not far away where discarded incense ash was piled up, covered by dust and unnoticed by anyone.

The afternoon exam is almost over.

Hao Nan only asked for a short leave. He told his teacher that he was just going out to buy some medicine and would come back as soon as possible.

He returned to school just in time, just as the bell rang to signal the end of the first exam of the afternoon.

He picked up his pen and strode towards his exam room.

The short break in the examination room has ended.

The proctor for the second subject came in and tore open the sealed bag containing the exam papers. The bell rang again, and the exam papers were distributed.

Hao Nan picked up the test paper and glanced at the questions.

The brief peace he had found at the temple had long since vanished; his mind remained a jumbled mess, unable to find any peace. Images of Qi Xu's figure, the moment they missed each other in the cafeteria—a jumble of scenes flashed through his mind. He closed his eyes in frustration, then opened them again, feeling as if the words on the exam paper were dancing.

He threw the pen away in frustration.

No, he forced himself to calm down. The image of Qi Xu intently drawing flashed through his mind again, and then he looked at the exam paper in front of him.

He took a deep breath and unscrewed the pen cap again. He had to write.

However, the questions seemed to be deliberately working against him. He looked at some questions several times but still had no clue how to solve them, and a sense of frustration washed over him like a tidal wave.

His eyes welled up uncontrollably, brimming with a mixture of grievance and anxiety. He blinked hard, trying to suppress the stinging sensation.

"Fifteen minutes left until the end of the exam." The announcement suddenly came over the loudspeaker in the classroom, adding to the tense atmosphere.

He suddenly woke up with a start, realizing that there were still large blank spaces in his mind, and his heart sank to the bottom.

He frantically scanned the remaining questions, his gaze settling on one that looked somewhat familiar and might be a good starting point. Almost instinctively, he grabbed a pen and frantically scribbled on the scratch paper. After a struggle, he finally found the answer. The pen moved swiftly across the exam paper, the handwriting a mess.

Finally, the moment the bell rang to signal the end of the exam, he almost threw down his pen.

The exam paper was taken away, and I felt completely exhausted.

The shrill ringing seemed to announce his humiliating defeat.