North of Nancheng

The morning classes passed quickly in a subtle and complex atmosphere.

When the school bell announcing liberation finally rang, it was like pressing a happy switch, and the classroom instantly became lively.

The students couldn't wait to pack their backpacks, discussing what to eat in the cafeteria at noon, whether to go to the canteen in the afternoon, or where to go to relax their tense nerves on the weekend.

Gu Nanxiao's movements were still the fastest, and could even be said to be well-trained.

Before the lingering sound of the bell had completely dissipated, he had already neatly and quickly put his books and stationery into the black schoolbag that looked insignificant, zipped it up with a "swish", stood up, and left the classroom without any reluctance.

His back quickly disappeared in the crowd surging at the door, and he was so determined that it seemed as if staying for another second would be torture, forming a sharp contrast with the classmates who were still dawdling and chatting in the classroom.

"He seems to be in a hurry to get home?" Zhang Hao said casually as he slowly stuffed the test paper into his schoolbag, his tone a little puzzled. "The cafeteria is busiest right now. Even if he runs so fast, he won't be able to grab a good dish."

"Maybe there's something going on at home, or maybe home is far away."

As Jiang Yile spoke, he quickly packed his schoolbag.

She and Zhou Xiaowei usually agreed to go to the school cafeteria for lunch together so that they could chat while eating, which was a rare moment of relaxation in their senior year of high school.

On the way to the cafeteria, Zhou Xiaowei was still chattering about the new transfer student. It was obvious that Gu Nanxiao's uniqueness had successfully attracted her high attention.

"I've inquired about it," she whispered mysteriously, leaning close to Jiang Yile's ear, lowering her voice as if sharing some top-secret information. "He transferred from City A, which is a huge city! I heard that his old school was a provincial key school, ranked nationally, even better than our No. 1 Middle School!"

"City A?" Jiang Yile was a little surprised and stopped. "Then why did you suddenly come to South City?"

Although Nancheng is also a good city, it lags far behind international metropolises like City A in terms of educational resources, development opportunities and pace of life.

Transferring schools in the third year of high school, especially at this critical juncture, is really unusual.

"I don't know," Zhou Xiaowei shrugged, her face also filled with confusion. "There are a lot of rumors. Some say something happened at home and he had to come back. Some say he had a conflict with his former classmates or teachers. Some are even more outrageous, saying it's because... well, it's quite mysterious anyway."

She braked in time and didn't say the more bizarre guess.

She continued, "However, his family must be well off. Look at the pair of sneakers he's wearing. They're a limited edition from a luxury brand, so expensive. My cousin has been nagging about them for a long time but couldn't bear to buy them."

Jiang Yile had no idea about shoe brands, but after Zhou Xiaowei mentioned it, it seemed that he had the impression that Gu Nanxiao was indeed wearing a pair of white sneakers that looked very new, with a simple yet textured design and an inconspicuous logo on the side of the shoe.

Is it so expensive?

She thought to herself.

"And, have you noticed," Zhou Xiaowei continued her observations like a diligent little detective, "he barely communicates with anyone. Aside from the two words you just said to him and Lin Wei asking him a question, he hasn't spoken a word all morning, right? He hasn't even said basic polite words like 'thank you' or 'excuse me.'"

Jiang Yile touched his chin and thought about it carefully. It seemed to be true.

He is like a precision instrument that is programmed to run automatically.

Attending class, taking notes, doing exercises, and leaving, all his actions were precise and efficient, with a kind of indifference that kept people at a distance, but the only thing missing was a program for interacting with people, or rather, he had actively turned off this function.

The cafeteria was bustling with people, and the aroma of various foods mixed together, forming a unique atmosphere of life.

Jiang Yile and Zhou Xiaowei waited in a long line, and after finally getting their meal, they found a relatively quiet corner to sit down.

After taking a few bites, I heard a few high school girls at the table next to me whispering about Gu Nanxiao.

Apparently, the news that a handsome yet cool transfer student had arrived in the senior year of high school had spread across the campus like wings.

"...He's really handsome, but too cold. I feel it's hard to approach him."

"I don't even dare to talk to him. I feel like I'll freeze."

"I heard he's super good at physics. The question Lin Wei asked was difficult, but he wrote down the answer in one glance. Maybe he can surpass Senior Jiang Yile in this monthly exam..."

When he heard his name, Jiang Yile's hand holding the chopsticks paused slightly, but he did not look up and continued to eat in silence.

My curiosity about Gu Nanxiao inadvertently increased a little bit.

What kind of past does this transfer student have? He is taciturn, behaves differently, and is shrouded in a veil of mystery.

And why would he appear here at this time?

Why think so much?

The most important thing now is to eat first, as I still have classes in the afternoon.

The afternoon sun shines through the cafeteria windows, casting mottled shadows on the table.

Jiang Yile lowered his head and ate the rice on the plate, but his mind had already drifted away.

Zhou Xiaowei tapped the edge of her plate with her chopsticks, making a crisp sound.

"Don't be in a daze, the food is getting cold." Zhou Xiaowei leaned closer and lowered her voice. "Do you think he transferred because he committed some crime?"

Jiang Yile raised his head and looked at her, smiling, "Don't talk so much, let's eat first, we still have classes in the afternoon."

Zhou Xiaowei thought about it and agreed, so she didn’t say anything else.

The first class in the afternoon is English.

The English teacher is a young female teacher named Yang. She dresses fashionably and has a relaxed and lively teaching style. She likes to let students practice group conversations and believes that language learning focuses on application and communication.

This time, she asked everyone to form groups of two and discuss a topic about "Dreams and the Future".

The classroom immediately became lively. The students quickly moved the tables and chairs, looked for their partners, gathered together in a familiar manner, and formed teams in an instant.

Jiang Yile naturally looked at his deskmate.

This was the first activity that required them to collaborate directly since becoming deskmates.

Gu Nanxiao seemed to be somewhat resistant to this compulsory group activity that required interaction with others. His brows furrowed slightly, and the air pressure around him seemed to drop even lower.

But when Teacher Yang's encouraging gaze swept over him, he passively moved his chair a little bit towards Jiang Yile, barely forming a group of two, but his bodies still kept a certain distance.

"Um... let's get started?" Jiang Yile tried to break the suffocating awkwardness and said in English, his voice as soft as possible, "What's your dream Or what do you want to do in the future?"

Gu Nanxiao glanced up at her, his gaze still as calm as an ancient well. He answered in English, his voice steady and his pronunciation remarkably authentic, almost like a BBC announcer's. It was a stark contrast to his usual cold Chinese, demonstrating his exceptional command of the language: "I haven't thought about it clearly."

A very standard, perfunctory answer to end the topic.

Jiang Yile didn't give up and continued to guide, trying to keep the conversation going: "So... do you have any hobbies? For example... I see you seem to be reading an English novel?" She pointed to the dark blue book on his desk, trying to find a point of entry.

Gu Nanxiao followed her gaze and glanced at the book. He was silent for a few seconds. Jiang Yile almost thought he wouldn't answer. Then, he said in a flat tone, "Reading is just a way to kill time."

The topic was once again ruthlessly ended. He seemed to have erected an invisible wall around him, calmly and mercilessly cutting off all attempts to peek into his inner world.

Jiang Yile felt helpless and even a little frustrated.

She doesn't consider herself particularly talkative, but she has never found it so difficult to communicate normally with others and maintain basic social etiquette.

Gu Nanxiao was like an impenetrable wall covered with frost, calmly blocking all attempts to get close to and understand him, leaving no gaps.

She had no choice but to continue speaking, sharing some of her ideas for the future, such as wanting to apply to a top art college in the country, wanting to continue painting, and wanting to travel around the world to see different scenery and art and experience different cultures.

While she was speaking, Gu Nanxiao just listened quietly, neither asking questions nor expressing any opinions, his eyes fixed on nothing. It was not until the group practice time was over that he silently moved his chair back to its original position and restored the original distance.

The afternoon passed slowly as classes changed.

The sun gradually set in the west, dyeing the sky a warm orange-red. It also shone through the windows, illuminating the classroom with warmth and dispelling some of the autumn chill.

The school bell rang again, announcing the end of a day of study.

Just like in the morning, Gu Nanxiao was the first one to pack up his things, put on his backpack, and leave. The whole process was very smooth.

Jiang Yile and Zhou Xiaowei followed the crowd out of the teaching building.

The afterglow of the setting sun gives all the scenery on campus, including the red teaching buildings, green lawns, and gray roads, a soft golden hue, making it look particularly peaceful and beautiful.

They discussed today's homework, the upcoming physics test tomorrow, and whether they should go to the newly opened stationery store together to buy some new art supplies on the weekend.

Zhou Xiaowei was still speculating enthusiastically about Gu Nanxiao's origins, but Jiang Yile's mind was a little distracted.

When he reached the school gate, Jiang Yile raised his eyes inadvertently and happened to see Gu Nanxiao walking towards a black car parked not far from the roadside.

The car has a low-key style, but the lines are smooth and elegant, and the body is mirror-clear, making it look valuable.

A man in a formal suit and white gloves, with a burly build and a serious expression, who looked like a full-time driver, got out of the driver's seat and respectfully opened the back door for him.

Gu Nanxiao nodded slightly, bent down and sat down, never looking back at the campus and classmates behind him.

The car started smoothly, drove away silently, quickly merged into the evening rush hour traffic, and disappeared at the end of sight.

"See, I told you he was from a well-off family."

Zhou Xiaowei nudged Jiang Yile, who seemed a little absent-minded, with her arm, and her tone was full of pride that her guess had been confirmed, as well as a subtle sigh for that distant life.

Jiang Yile looked at the direction where the car disappeared, and the strange feeling in his heart resurfaced, clearer than ever before.

This transfer student named Gu Nanxiao has too many contradictions.

A superior family background, excellent grades, at least judging from the speed of problem-solving and that confident temperament.

He has a handsome and even stunning appearance, but he has such a lonely, cold and almost closed personality, as well as a deep and unresolved depression that is totally inconsistent with his age, as if he is carrying something heavy.

He is like a book with extremely beautiful binding, inspiring endless reverie but tightly locked, attracting people to read it and explore the story inside, but they are blocked by the cold chains and have no idea where to start.

The wind blew, bringing a noticeable chill, and rolled up a few early fallen sycamore leaves, which swirled around her feet, making a dry rustling sound.

Autumn has really arrived in South City.

The appearance of this new deskmate seemed to have quietly brought an indescribable, unknown, cool and mysterious ripple to Jiang Yile's high school life, which was originally orderly, calm, and filled with test papers and exercises.

She didn't know what kind of heavy and sad past was behind this seemingly accidental encounter; nor did she know that from this moment on, the gears of fate had begun to turn slowly and unstoppably in a predetermined and heartbreaking direction.