Old Stories, New Chapters

In September, the last days of summer were scorched by the blazing sun, and the cicadas outside the window were chirping incessantly, tearing open the quiet of the classroom with a few noisy ripples. A dry, hot wind swept by, tickling the ends of Luo Yan's hair. She idly twirled her pen, the pen leaving a blurry shadow on her fingertips. Her gaze swept over the unfamiliar faces in the room, finally settling on her own open, blank exercise book.

She only joined the science class this semester.

My thoughts were suddenly pulled back to two months ago, to the sticky feeling still carrying the lingering warmth of late summer—

"For those interested in art, please double-check." Class teacher Chen Jing's voice was like a pebble thrown into stagnant water. Luo Yan looked up and saw Song Tian rise from his seat, his back straight, walking steadily out of the classroom. She quickly looked away, her nails digging deeply into her pen, her knuckles turning white.

During that time, the flu was rampant at Lin'an No. 1 High School. She had to wear a mask for more than a month, and even her speech became slurred. The final exams were postponed to the next semester, and there was only one week of classes left. The days were so idle that mushrooms could grow, but she felt like something was blocking her heart, making her feel suffocated.

When Song Tian quietly sat back down, Luo Yan almost reflexively shifted her body to the other side, as if she were hiding from something.

"Luo Yan, come here," Chen Jing called to her.

She got up, her steps unsteady as if she were walking on cotton. When she reached the door, she heard the rustling sound of Chen Jing flipping through the list, like sandpaper grinding against her nerves.

"How have you been lately?" Chen Jing asked indirectly.

"It's alright." Luo Yan's voice was muffled, as if she had been pulled out of the water.

Chen Jing finally stopped turning the page, looked up at her and asked, "The art training camp starts this summer. Are you sure?"

Luo Yan had her hands in her pockets, but her fingertips were stiff and curled. She glanced quickly at the classroom—Song Tian was inside. Her heart felt like it was being pricked by a needle, and she suddenly forced a mischievous smile: "Teacher, could I... change my subject?"

Chen Jing thought she was hallucinating: "What?"

“I want to switch to science,” Luo Yan repeated.

"Why didn't you say so sooner? It's been almost half a semester!" Chen Jing frowned.

"What's the reason?"

“I can’t learn history.” Luo Yan lowered her voice even further, with a nonchalant air of resignation.

Chen Jing, a history teacher, was taken aback upon hearing this, and after a long pause, she sighed, "Did you discuss it with the parents?"

"They have no objections."

Chen Jing patted her shoulder in the end and said, "Whether the application will be approved is another matter. I'll go ask."

Back in her seat, He Xiaoyou, who sat in front of her, turned around and asked, "Are you really going to the science class? Then you're not going to study art either?" Her eyes drifted towards Song Tian.

Luo Yan simply responded with an "Mmm".

Song Tian's eyelid twitched almost imperceptibly.

When the bell rang, Song Tian wasn't there. He Xiaoyou, with potato chips in her pocket, squeezed into his seat, pushed the snacks in front of Luo Yan, and asked, propping her head up with her hand, "Did you two have a fight?"

Luo Yan didn't look at the potato chips, but stared out the window: "No."

"Then why aren't you saying anything?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

He Xiaoyou pouted and suddenly lowered her voice: "Song Tian is going to have intensive training during the summer vacation... You two will have even fewer chances to see each other in the future."

The thorn in Luo Yan's heart began to ache again. She picked up the pen cap and unconsciously chewed on it: "What does this have to do with me?"

But on the rooftop, when Song Tian asked, "Have you thought it through?" she clearly heard herself answer, "Yes, I have."

Looking at the dazzling clouds on the horizon, Song Tian's voice was like a veil blown away by the wind: "We won't have many chances to meet in the future."

“Oh,” Luo Yan uttered a dry, monotone word.

"Do you hate me?" Song Tian suddenly turned his head, his eyes shining brightly.

Luo Yan didn't answer, turned and left, her back looking like a deer fleeing in panic. She heard Song Tian behind her want to say something, but in the end, only silence remained.

In truth, she didn't know what she wanted to do. The reason she wanted to continue studying art was simply because Song Tian was also on that path; the reason she wanted to escape now was simply because this relationship had exhausted her to the point where she wanted to hide away, to hide somewhere where she could never see Song Tian again.

The price she paid was that she became an outcast in the science class.

On Tuesday at noon, Luo Yan didn't go to the cafeteria. Instead, she took a copy of "Astronomical Atlas" and wandered alone to the back playground. The wind rustled the pages as she tilted her head back and muttered to herself, "Fireball... Little Ghost Nebula..."

Suddenly, a bright light flashed across the sky overhead, moving slowly.

A shooting star? A shooting star in broad daylight?

Luo Yan instinctively followed the light. She held the book close to her chest, its pages fluttering wildly in the wind like a flock of startled butterflies.

Then—"click".

She bumped right into someone's arms.

The impact knocked her backward, scattering books all over the floor with a clatter. As her head buzzed, a clear yet deep, magnetic voice came from ahead: "...Are you alright?"

Luo Yan looked up at the sound and first saw a hand with distinct knuckles reaching out in front of her, then a trendy sportswear shirt, and finally a pair of deep eyes that were scanning her with concern.

That face... was as clean as the sky after a snowfall, yet it possessed an indescribable composure. Luo Yan's mind went blank.

The other person had already bent down, first picking up her book, then helping her up, their voice still clear: "Are you alright?"

"Uh... I'm fine, sorry." Luo Yan snapped back to reality, took the book, and practically fled.

How embarrassing! I was chasing after some random light, bumped into someone, and was stunned by their handsomeness.

She ran a few steps and could still hear the man muttering to himself, "Where is the administration building..."

Luo Yan touched her burning face, thankful that she was wearing a mask. But even after she sat back down in the classroom, that stunningly beautiful face still lingered in her mind.

The study bell rang, and the students around her returned one after another. Luo Yan stuffed her books into her desk drawer and forced herself to stare at the math problems.

But she had no idea how much ripple this "shooting star in the daytime" would create in her stagnant life.