Seventh page

For several days in a row, Xu Li ignored Tan Yuze, whether in class, after class, or on the weekend. He knew that he had stolen a kiss from her that day, and she was still angry about it.

The moonlight gently spilled onto the basketball court. Xu Li bent down to pick up a bouncing basketball, her hair glistening with fine beads of sweat, like a daisy dampened by morning dew.

Tan Yuze leaned against the railing, his gaze fixed on her slender figure.

His Adam's apple bobbed, and his throat felt like it was stuck with syrup, both sweet and astringent. "Xu Li, actually I..." He started to speak, but then stopped abruptly.

"...Actually, I've always thought you look really cool when you play basketball," Leng Yuxuan said.

This heartfelt remark turned into a lighthearted joke. Xu Li turned her head, her eyebrows curving into crescent moons: "You're supposed to be my childhood friend, how could I not be handsome?"

She tiptoed and shoved the ball into his arms, her fingertips inadvertently brushing against his palm, the calluses rubbing against it with a delicate, tactile sensation.

Tan Yuze watched her hopping and skipping to chase the ball that had run far away. The moment her hair came loose, she looked just like a dandelion seed blown away by the wind when she was young.

He suddenly had a ridiculous thought—if he hugged her tightly right now and whispered "I love you" in her ear, could he capture this feeling in his palm? But he didn't have the guts. He quickly dismissed the idea.

It wasn't until the rehearsal for the singing gala that Xu Li was changing her costume backstage when Tan Yuze peeked out and called out to her, "Xu Li, come out quickly! Lao Lu broke my guitar!" He rushed in and saw her tilting her head to untie her hairband, her fair skin on her neck like a newly hatched egg white.

Tan Yuze's Adam's apple bobbed violently. The moment the hairband slipped from Xu Li's fingers, he was propelled forward like a spring. The instant his lips touched her skin, an electric current surged through his entire body.

He could hear his own rapid breathing, Xu Li's gasps, and his heart pounding against his eardrums.

Xu Li was as stiff as ice, while Tan Yuze burned like a fire.

He thought he might be a fool for recklessly burning away the feelings he had kept hidden for so long.

"Tan Yuze, have you gone crazy enough?!" Xu Li's face was redder than the stage spotlight. She pushed open the door and fled. Tan Yuze stood there, like an empty puppet.

The scent of her shampoo still lingered in the air; he raised his hand to wipe it, his palm steaming. For the next three days, Tan Yuze searched for Xu Li in every corner of the campus, but she seemed to have vanished into thin air.

On the morning of the fourth day, he received a text message saying, "Don't contact me again." Those seven words were like a dull knife, slowly cutting into his heart.

That day.

Tan Yuze heard about Xu Li from his good friend Xie Yu.

"I've looked into Xu Li. She's from a wealthy family, good-looking, and an excellent student. She's a top student in Class 6, consistently ranking second. The first place seems to be someone named Mu Mu, who is also a school bully."

"He specializes in dealing with those who bully and insult girls, and I've heard he's a savior in the hearts of many girls."

It was only at this moment that Tan Yuze truly understood Xu Li.

He stood on the roof of the teaching building, looking at the empty playground, and suddenly laughed.

He remembered how free Xu Li was before he entered this school, and how she cried to Leng Yuxuan about her crush going abroad, and how he tied a lucky star to the end of her hair.

He remembered her birthday; the portrait he'd drawn all night was pasted on her bedside table. Over the years, he'd done countless foolish things, but he'd never dared to confess his feelings. Now, he was going to make an exception. He rushed downstairs, heading straight for Xu Li's house.

The moment her finger touched the doorbell, a crisp "ding-dong" rang out, and the door opened. Xu Li stared at him blankly, her eyes red as if she had just been crying.

Tan Yuze's heart sank to the bottom. He wanted to speak, but he heard her say, "My mom told me to return this to you." She pulled the lucky star out from behind her, the edge of the paper slightly curled.

Tan Yuze grabbed her wrist, pressing his thumb against her pulse point: "Xu Li, I like you." He looked into her wide eyes, enunciating each word clearly.

“From the first time I saw you when I was sixteen, you were etched in my heart.” Xu Li’s lips trembled slightly, as if she wanted to speak, but she didn’t say anything.

She turned to leave, and in his desperation, he tore off the silver necklace from his neck. "Put this on, and I'll leave." Xu Li stared at the hanging star for a long time before finally reaching out to take it. The necklace dangled at her collarbone, swaying gently with her breath.

Tan Yuze breathed a sigh of relief, his fingertips touching the ends of her hair, as soft as if he were touching clouds. "I'll give you three days." He looked at her, his eyes so determined as if he had her completely under his control. "You have to give me an answer in three days."

Xu Li turned her face away, her eyelashes trembling slightly, as if hinting at something, yet saying nothing. Tan Yuze looked at her, his eyes filled with expectation and unease, as if awaiting a verdict.

Xu Li stared at the silver necklace in her hand. The star pendant swayed slightly, casting tiny spots of light in her palm.

She remembered the curve of her hairband slipping off when Tan Yuze lunged at her, the way his Adam's apple bobbed, and the stubborn look in his eyes when he shoved the necklace at her.

The schoolbag was suddenly thumped loudly, and her childhood friend Leng Yuxuan leaned over: "What are you daydreaming about?" Xu Li hurriedly put her hand into the desk drawer, and the silver pendant hit the lock, making a crisp tinkling sound.

During evening self-study, the melody of "Those Flowers" suddenly drifted in from outside the classroom window. Xu Li looked down and saw Tan Yuze holding a guitar, a few cherry blossom petals falling on his shoulder.

He winked at her, his fingers plucking a light, tremolo note on the strings. Leng Yuxuan turned to Xu Li and asked, "Does Tan Yuze like you?" Xu Li nodded silently. "Yes, but I don't like him. But it's like... well, I can't quite put my finger on it."

But then I noticed the signature on the textbook's title page was scribbled all over with pen. The next day during lunch break, the school loudspeaker suddenly announced: "Lost and Found Notice: Has anyone found a silver necklace?"

Xu Li had just taken a bite of rice when her chopsticks clattered into her plate. Tan Yuze's deep voice came over the loudspeaker: "This necklace is priceless because it's engraved with my name—Xu Li."

The crowd began to stir, and someone jeered, "Tan Yuze, you're too good at this!" Xu Li's ears were ringing. She touched the empty hollow on her neck and remembered that she had put the silver pendant in the lining of her schoolbag before leaving home this morning.

She frantically searched until her fingertips touched the cold star pendant. As the sunset blazed brightly, Xu Li waited for Tan Yuze under the old locust tree.

His temples were still damp with sweat from the basketball court, and his eyes lit up instantly when he saw her. Xu Li twisted the hem of her clothes. "Tan Yuze, will you promise me something?" "Go ahead."

"Don't look for me anymore. You're the kind of person who likes someone and dislikes them just like that. I don't know if you really like me or if you're just with me on a whim."

"I really like it." He paced back and forth anxiously.

"Don't say anything yet. And you kissed me without even asking for my consent. You're a bit of a pervert."

He was amused by Xu Li's words. "What did you say?"

Lu Yi's selfie stick flashed through the flower bushes, freezing Xu Li's blushing cheeks on the screen. In the twilight, the two shadows stretched long and thin. Xu Li tugged at Tan Yuze's sleeve and whispered, "Let's leave it at that from now on. We're not dating."

Tan Yuze lowered his head and smiled faintly, a suspicious blush rising at the tips of his ears: "Then how long do I have to work hard to be worthy of you?"

Xu Li punched him lightly. The baby's breath swayed gently in the evening breeze, as if whispering blessings to the naive lovers.

What they didn't know was that Lu Yi posted the photo online with only one sentence in the caption: "Some people are destined to meet the right person at the right time."

As dusk enveloped the campus like a tapestry, Xu Li clutched the bouquet in her hand. When her fingertips touched the star pendant, she suddenly felt her heart pounding unusually fast.

Tan Yuze leaned his guitar against the corner of the wall, and as he turned around, the guitar straps struck the ground, producing a chime-like sound that lingered in the empty playground.

Tan Yuze stood frozen in place, the minty scent of her hair still lingering on his palm.

When he turned around, he saw Xu Li holding the silver pendant necklace. The pendant shimmered in the afterglow, like a lucky star she had hidden in her pencil case years ago.

"And the silver pendant necklace you mentioned on the radio today, I don't want it anymore, here you go."

After saying that, she turned and left.

"Don't go." Tan Yuze's Adam's apple bobbed as he squeezed out the two words, his throat sounding hoarse and tense, as if there was shards of glass stuck in it.

He suddenly cupped the back of her head with his other hand, his thumb sinking into her soft hair, his knuckles turning white. Xu Li panicked and raised her arm, slapping Tan Yuze's shoulder with her palm, but it felt like pressing on a scorching hot iron plate.

His hot breath sprayed onto her eyelashes, causing them to flutter like startled butterfly wings.

Tan Yuze's eyes were close enough to touch, his irises reflecting the golden light of the setting sun, his gaze filled with a desperate, all-or-nothing determination. He suddenly leaned forward, and the instant his thin lips brushed against Xu Li's knuckles, she instinctively raised her hand to cover his face.

The fingernail stung his cheekbone, but Tan Yuze felt as if a nerve had been struck, and his Adam's apple bobbed violently.

He pressed her hand against his collarbone, where the pounding of his heart made her fingertips tingle. "Tan—" Xu Li's warning caught in her throat, only to be licked across the back of her hand by his suddenly protruding tongue.

He gently bit her fingertip, his voice muffled in her palm: "Give me another chance." His breath warmed the back of her hand, making the hairs on her skin stand on end.

Xu Li's hand froze in mid-air, his body heat still lingering between her fingers. Tan Yuze seized the opportunity to grab her wrist and press her hand against the back of his neck: "Didn't you want to be the cheerleading captain?" He rested his chin on her palm, his voice seductive, "Let's have an interview today."

He suddenly lowered his head, and as his nose brushed against her earlobe, Xu Li heard a "snap" behind her ear. She jerked her hand back, but the hairband fell into the grass, swirling gently in the evening breeze.

Tan Yuze's gaze fell on her raised chin, his Adam's apple bobbed again, but just as he was about to touch her lips, his gaze was blocked by her suddenly raised hand.