Miss you

Unable to get anything out of Ruan Xiyan, Ji Sibai went to find Chen Xiang. Upon learning that he wasn't the last one kept in the dark, Ji Sibai's gaze towards Ruan Xiyan changed upon his return: "I knew it. Back at the KTV, there were already clues between you and her."

Ruan Xiyan ignored him and shrugged in response. But Ji Sibai was more patient than Chen Xiang, and since he shared a studio and dormitory with Ruan Xiyan, he became even more persistent.

So, besides painting, eating, and sleeping, Ji Sibai spent most of his time pestering Ruan Xiyan to tell him the truth. And besides painting, eating, and sleeping, Ruan Xiyan spent most of her time getting rid of Ji Sibai.

On Christmas Eve, everyone in the art studio was in a state of restlessness.

Ruan Xiyan sat by the window, her elbows resting on the windowsill, her hands bent, supporting her head as she drew.

He was doing a sketching assignment. His fingers traced the outline of a short-haired girl's profile, like a plain gray flower blooming on the paper.

"Hey!" Ji Sibai jumped out from in front of the drawing board, revealing a funny face.

Startled, Ruan Xiyan leaned back against the chair. Ji Sibai, having achieved his goal, hurried to look at Ruan Xiyan's painting, clicking his tongue and saying, "A day apart feels like three autumns."

The art teacher who brought the training camp entered, bringing everyone's phones, saying that everyone should relax and change their mood tonight. Ruan Xiyan was used to Ji Sibai's behavior and didn't bother to pay attention, going upstairs to get her own phone.

He held his phone in one hand, turned it on, and continued drawing with the other. Ruan Xiyan wondered if Teacher Xiaolu would be happy to receive this electronic gift. Whether she would be happy or not was still unclear, but anticipating the outcome, Ruan Xiyan was already humming a little tune with a contented heart.

Ji Sibai, who was chasing and playing with others nearby, didn't look where he was going and bumped into Ruan Xiyan's back. Her phone fell off like a broken bead, and then "crunch," it was stepped on and cracked.

Later that night, Ji Sibai accompanied Ruan Xiyan to get her phone repaired. The repairman said the internal screen was broken and it would take two or three days to fix. Ji Sibai kept apologizing and offered to cover all the costs. Ruan Xiyan thought that with the New Year's Day holiday in a few days, he would be able to get his phone back, so she left it at the repair shop.

Ruan Xiyan didn't really care; she just regretted not being able to wish Teacher Xiaolu a happy holiday.

He borrowed Ji Sibai's phone, but after checking the time—10:30—he decided against making the call.

As he waited and waited, it was the afternoon of December 31st. Ruan Xiyan rushed to the repair shop after class, but the door was closed. He stood in the cold wind, looking around blankly. The auntie from the shoe store next door said that the owner had gone home for the holiday and would reopen the day after tomorrow.

Ruan Xiyan was still a little dazed when Ruan Song pulled up in front of him and called his name: "Xiyan!"

Ruan Xiyan walked over, the car window rolled down, and her father Song Zhimiao's large sunglasses covered half of his face.

Ruan Xiyan's father owns several record companies, all of which are well-known throughout the country. Song Zhimiao also studied music in university.

Artists often possess a free-spirited, unconventional nature. Song Zhimiao dreamed of becoming a singer from a young age, forming a band in college and performing a few songs at bars whenever he felt like it. Just when he seemed poised for stardom, Song Zhimiao abruptly quit and began writing original compositions for others, handling lyrics, arrangement, and music all by himself. Each song he released became a hit. A few years later, he claimed to have run out of ideas and chose to travel the world, sampling inspiration. But Ruan Xiyan knew he was simply lazy.

Half a year had passed, and Song Zhimiao looked even more unfamiliar. Ruan Xiyan sat silently in the back seat. Song Zhimiao casually pulled down his sunglasses, glanced at his reflection in the rearview mirror, and said, "Have you gone senile? You can't even call me 'Dad' anymore?"

"..." Ruan Xiyan let out a long "Oh," and then said, "Dad."

After saying that, he turned to Ruan Song: "Mom, why did you suddenly come?"

Song Zhimiao had been away in Europe for half a year and returned to China on New Year's Eve. Ruan Song felt sorry for Ruan Xiyan's hard training and specially drove from Huai'an tonight to pick up the family for dinner.

Ruan Xiyan was still thinking about returning to Huai'an. After a while, she noticed that there was still a line of cars outside the window and hurriedly asked, "Where are we going?"

"Last time, didn't you really want to go eat at that Cantonese restaurant in Yumen, Sui City?" Ruan Song turned the steering wheel. "It's rare for a few of us to get together, let's go eat there." When Ruan Song was in a good mood, he liked to call Song Damiao "Song Zhimiao".

“…Okay.” Ruan Xiyan glanced at the sky; it was about 5:30. She could eat for half an hour and still make it back.

The table was set with roast goose, char siu, salt-baked chicken, and other dishes, arranged in a circle around the round table. Ruan Xiyan ate absentmindedly, and after more than ten minutes, he had already put down his chopsticks.

Song Zhimiao looked at him and asked slowly, "Did you make plans tonight?"

"..." Ruan Xiyan still admired her father's insight. "Pretty much."

Ruan Song exclaimed in surprise, "Ah! Did you make plans with friends? I was hoping you and Song Damiao would come with me to the ice rink."

"I'll go with you, okay?" Song Zhimiao smiled at her.

Ruan Song comes from a family with a long history in film and television; her father is a renowned director and her mother a famous screenwriter. Influenced by her family, Ruan Song wrote several short screenplays at the age of eighteen, which garnered considerable attention after being adapted into short films. By the age of twenty-five, she was already a leading figure in the screenwriting world.

Ruan Song and Song Zhimiao were in the same class in high school, but separated when they went to university. They later reunited at a film festival. Ruan Song invited Song Zhimiao to sing the OSTs for several films he was involved in producing. At that time, Song Zhimiao hadn't sung for six years. Then came the news of their marriage.

Ruan Song gently nudged him and said the opposite of what he meant: "Xi Yan is better off with me than with you."

Unable to bear the two of them being so affectionate, Ruan Xiyan slung his bag over his shoulder and hurried away. He was still thinking about Teacher Xiao Lu… even though he didn't know if she felt the same way about him. He longed to see her, to spend the night with her, so he went to do it.

Ruan Xiyan bought a ticket and rushed back to Huai'an City. He didn't have a cell phone, so he bought one at the high-speed rail station. Luckily, there were still a few extra empty seats. Ruan Xiyan's mind was in a state of inexplicable excitement and panic. Only after arriving in Huai'an did he realize that he hadn't borrowed Ruan Song's and Song Zhimiao's phones to call her.

Ruan Xiyan didn't go to Lu Er's house. Because he had a hunch that Lu Er would come looking for him. Without hesitation, he ran towards home.

-

Lu Er was stunned. He turned around and stared blankly as Ruan Xiyan ran up to him. He was panting heavily, his hair was plastered with sweat, but his eyes, like pools of autumn water, were still bright and clear in the night.

The golden retriever barked excitedly at its owner, then released its grip, and the bag fell to the ground. Lu Er picked up the bag and looked him up and down: "Why...are you sweating so much?"

"I ran here as soon as I got a taxi." Ruan Xiyan recounted half of what happened, but she was still a little out of breath and stumbled over her words.

Lu Er hugged the bag, unsure of what to say. She glanced at him, a faint smile playing on her lips, but her words betrayed her true feelings: "...You stay there, we'll see each other tomorrow. I can come find you tomorrow, that's fine too."

"Lend me your phone to make a call, then you won't have to come back."

Ruan Xiyan stared straight at her: "I came back because I missed you." He took a step forward, the restlessness in his chest disappearing. "Teacher Xiaolu, don't you want me to come back?"

"..." Lu Er lowered her head, and when she looked up again, a small dimple appeared on her left cheek without being noticed. "Hope."

I miss you as well.

Mao Mao seemed unable to contain itself any longer. It barked twice, raised its body, and eagerly clung to Ruan Xiyan's trouser leg. Ruan Xiyan smiled and patted its head: "Mao Mao and I haven't seen each other for a month." Having calmed Mao Mao down, Ruan Xiyan tilted her head and looked at Lu Er, "Teacher Lu, shall we go out together tonight?"

Lu Er asked, "Are your family members coming home tonight?"

"They want to stay in Sui City and probably won't be coming back tonight." Ruan Xiyan knew exactly what her parents were like.

It's 9:30 PM. Lu Er thought for a moment and agreed, "Let's go out together tonight." She glanced at the sweat trickling down Ruan Xiyan's ear, then changed the subject, "But don't you need to rest now?"

Ruan Xiyan thought so too. He didn't want to spend the night with her covered in sweat, so he decided to go home and take a shower first. Lu Er, on the other hand, was left in the living room to wait for him to come out after his shower.

While waiting for him to shower, Lu Er sat alone on the sofa. She told Lu Guoyang, "I'm at a friend's house, I'll be home later," and after receiving a "received" reply, she put down her phone.

The room felt stuffy, so Lu Er went to the window to let in some fresh air. Outside Ruan Xiyan's living room was a spacious courtyard, the grass still lush and green even in winter. Lu Er glanced up and froze—under the windowsill, several sunflowers were sleeping. Their green buds were closed, their leaves large, and they stood quietly, their backs straight, bathed in the orange glow of the streetlights.

There were sunflowers here! Lu Er reached out and brushed aside a green leaf, her heart trembling slightly.

Ruan Xiyan took a shower and came downstairs. Lu Er was still leaning against the windowsill when she involuntarily called out, "Ruan Xiyan."

He seemed to know what she wanted to ask, turned away from the doorway, and stopped outside the window where she was leaning. Ruan Xiyan slowly squatted down, looked at the few sunflowers, and chuckled: "I planted them after you gave them to me."

On the night of Lu Er's seventeenth birthday, Ruan Xiyan received that bouquet of sunflowers. It was the first time he had ever felt a fondness for these tiny, chick-feather-like flowers.

He tried to preserve it a little longer. But the sunflower root had already been cut, and even transplanted into the soil, it wouldn't survive. So Ruan Xiyan bought a handful of raw sunflower seeds and planted them under the windowsill. Gradually, it sprouted, grew leaves, and branches, producing fluffy yellow petals that shaped like the sun.

As he spoke, his eyelashes were still damp from his shower. He lowered his head, a slight smile playing on his lips, looking so soft and alluring.

Ruan Xiyan looked up, and Lu Er met his clear, dark eyes: "Teacher Lu." His voice was crisp and clear, like silver bells ringing in the wind, "I think, at that time, I had already fallen in love with you."

It was past ten o'clock at night when the two walked side by side down the street. Everywhere was crowded; they felt no loneliness.

“Tomorrow is New Year’s Day, how fast time flies,” Ruan Xiyan said.

"Hmm." Lu Er suddenly stopped, lowered her head, and handed over the bag she was holding. "Ruan Xiyan, this is the reward I promised you back then, and also a New Year's gift."

Ruan Xiyan glanced inside, her eyes crinkling into a smile: "Teacher Xiaolu, could you help me put it on?"

Lu Er didn't refuse. After he took off his down jacket, she put the navy blue sweater she was holding on him. Lu Er's hands were a little cold, but Ruan Xiyan was all hot and bothered, like a furnace.

He stretched out his arms, smoothed out the wrinkles in his sweater, and turned around: "Does it look good?"

“I knitted it myself, can I say it’s not pretty?” Lu Er chuckled, patted his shoulder, and made him bend over. Ruan Xiyan put the white scarf around his neck, hiding his chin inside, making his eyes look even bigger.

He smiled and said, "Teacher Xiaolu, my whole being belongs to you."

It was cold, and Lu Er didn't want to delay, so she prepared to call him to get things settled quickly. Suddenly, Ruan Xiyan grabbed the two dangling ends and wrapped her in the scarf as well.

The distance between them suddenly became extremely close. Lu Er could even see her own reflection in his pupils, and a hint of a cat-like smile.

"To be fair, you belong to me now too."

Lu Er didn't change, then calmly bent down and pulled out the scarf, tying it securely around Ruan Xiyan's neck: "Don't catch a cold."

Ruan Xiyan: "..." But after noticing the slight blush under her ear, Ruan Xiyan decided not to make a fuss about it.

The New Year's bells were ringing out. Behind them, a cacophony of noise filled the air, yet she and he were still holding hands.

Ruan Xiyan turned around and gave her a smile: "Happy New Year, Teacher Xiaolu."

Lu Er looked at him and smiled, "Happy New Year."

-

After New Year's Day, Huai'an City, Qinghai City, Sui County, and other provinces, along with other regions, will organize a large-scale joint examination. The examination will be conducted at the same level as the National College Entrance Examination (Gaokao), with separate examination rooms for arts and sciences students in each school. Two teachers will be assigned to each class to proctor the exam, and no books will be left unattended inside or outside the classroom… the process is almost identical to the Gaokao. Students have nicknamed it the "Mini Gaokao."

Deng Lianchun repeatedly emphasized the importance of this joint exam, making everyone in Class 18 live in constant fear, throwing themselves wholeheartedly into reviewing without daring to relax for a moment. Even Chen Xiang and the others who were at the bottom of the class unusually put away their phones during evening self-study and buried themselves in copying English words.

Before going to bed at night, Huang Lingling still had a few classical poems and prose passages to memorize. So she secretly turned on a small lamp and squinted her eyes as she silently read them in her mind.

Lights out is at 11 p.m., but Huang Lingling usually spends an extra half hour soaking her feet and playing on her phone. Today, she was memorizing her lessons, which made her stay up another half hour late. When she finally felt sleepy, she glanced at her phone at 12:03 a.m. and then went to bed.

She turned her head and saw a faint light in the bed opposite hers.

Huang Lingling became excited that someone was still awake, and she called out softly, "Xiao Er, Xiao Er."

She called several times, but Lu Er didn't respond. Huang Lingling got up to go to the bathroom. Passing by Lu Er's bed, she couldn't resist pulling back her blanket: "You're studying so late too? Trying to get first place in the grade?"

Lu Er's eyes ached from staying up late. She blinked a few times, moving her dry eyes around, and said, "Let me read for a while."

Huang Lingling opened her mouth wide, because Lu Er wasn't looking at the textbook or the outline; she wasn't looking at any review materials—she was reading "The Baking Guide."

Huang Lingling was utterly shocked. She instinctively snatched the baking book. Each page was accompanied by large color photographs, and the first page proclaimed: "Learn to Make Desserts Step-by-Step, a Must-Read for Beginners!"

"You!" Huang Lingling momentarily forgot what time it was, her voice rising, but she quickly covered her mouth and asked, "Is this some kind of new learning method?"

Lu Er looked confused but didn't explain. She took back her book and said, "I need it."

There was still a week until the junior high school entrance exam. During this period, if any student wanted to ask for leave, Deng Lianchun would scrutinize them from head to toe with an uncomfortable look. His interrogative gaze made the student feel like they had committed some heinous crime, so they would quickly say that it was nothing and flee the scene.

Lu Er wanted to ask for leave. But she wasn't sick, nor did she have anything of significant importance to do, and even though she was first in her class, Deng Lianchun wouldn't let her go easily.

After thinking it over, Lu Er went to see Teacher Mina.

Ms. Mina was discharged from the hospital after three days. Her complexion became rosy, and her teaching performance was noticeably better than last year.

"A day and a half?" Teacher Mina raised an eyebrow. "If your parents don't know, I can't approve it."

Lu Er leaned close to Teacher Mina's ear and whispered something. Teacher Mina glanced at her a few times, then shook her head helplessly and sighed, "I really can't do anything with you. Go ahead, be careful."

Lu Er finally received the leave slip. The date on the leave slip was January 16th.