Chapter 16

Sunlight filtered through the branches of the old locust tree, casting dappled, flickering patterns on the desk. Lu Baiyan sat beside Xu Nianlei, able to clearly hear the rush of his blood through his veins, rapid and powerful. This was not a dream. Xu Nianlei's slightly hunched back, her fingers occasionally curling and relaxing unconsciously, the subtle air currents created as she turned the pages of her book—all these vividly reminded him of this reality.

He remembered that at this time "last time," he had simply sat silently, immersed in his own world, paying almost no special attention to his deskmate who was about to occupy the weight of his entire youth and even his life. But now, every nerve ending in his body was sensing her presence, like the most sophisticated radar, capturing every subtle emotional fluctuation in her.

The Chinese teacher was explaining "Qinyuanchun: Changsha" on the podium, her voice rising and falling with intonation. Lu Baiyan's gaze, however, fell on Xu Nianlei's open notebook. Her handwriting was neat, with a delicate, careful touch, but deep within the strokes lay a barely perceptible stubbornness. She listened attentively to the lesson, occasionally frowning slightly at a particular point of knowledge; those tiny wrinkles appearing on her smooth forehead made Lu Baiyan's heart tighten as well.

He knew what turbulent emotions were lurking beneath her calm exterior. That place called "home" had never been a warm harbor for her, but rather the eye of a storm. Wang Xiuqin's controlling nature and Xu Jianguo's alcoholism and violence were like two heavy mountains, suffocating her. And all of this, in the "last time," he only pieced together a vague outline from rumors and fragments of her words much later.

This time, he could no longer be a passive bystander.

As soon as the bell rang and the teacher walked out of the classroom, Liu Yiduo, who was in the front row, turned around with a bright smile on her face and looked directly at Lu Baiyan: "Class monitor, I don't quite understand this math problem. Can you explain it to me?" She was holding an advanced math problem that was beyond the current teaching progress.

Last time, out of politeness, he gave a brief explanation. But this time, he merely raised his eyes, his voice flat and distant: "Sorry, I have something to do right now." After saying that, he no longer looked at Liu Yiduo's instantly frozen face, but instead looked at Xu Nianlei, who was silently packing up her books beside him.

“Xu Nianlei,” he began, trying to make his tone sound natural, “I didn’t take all the notes on the ‘hundreds of boats racing’ imagery that the teacher just mentioned. Could I borrow yours to take a look?”

Xu Nianlei was clearly stunned. She looked up, a flicker of disbelief and panic in her eyes. She seemed completely unprepared for Lu Baiyan to speak to her first, especially to borrow her notes. In her limited understanding, a prodigy like Lu Baiyan should have impeccable notes.

"I...I might not have written very well..." she murmured softly, her fingers unconsciously gripping the edge of the notebook until her knuckles turned white.

"It's okay, I'll just take it as a reference." Lu Baiyan insisted, looking at her calmly.

Under his gaze, Xu Nianlei finally hesitated before pushing the notebook towards him. Her movements were tinged with an almost humble caution, as if she were offering up some fragile treasure.

Lu Baiyan took the notebook, his fingertips inadvertently touching hers, feeling the coolness of her body as she quickly withdrew her hand. A pang of sadness shot through him, but he showed no sign of it, carefully flipping through her notes. Her records were very detailed, even including annotations in smaller print next to some key points, demonstrating her meticulous attention to detail.

“You remember it in great detail,” he said sincerely, looking up as he pushed his notebook, which contained almost nothing but outlines and key points, toward me. “Especially your understanding of the phrase ‘the eagle soars through the sky’ is clearer than mine. How about we exchange them? We can complement each other.”

This was a bold suggestion, even somewhat beyond his usual character. In the "last time," they had not had a similar learning exchange until the "one-on-one" mentoring program began.

Xu Nianlei was completely stunned. Her cheeks flushed red at a visible speed, spreading all the way to her ears. She opened her mouth, as if she wanted to refuse, but under Lu Baiyan's clear and persistent gaze, she finally just nodded very slightly, her voice barely audible: "...Okay."

The act of exchanging notes went largely unnoticed during the noisy break, except for Liu Yiduo, who had been watching closely. Her expression was rather unpleasant; her gaze shifted between Lu Baiyan and Xu Nianlei, a mixture of inquiry and displeasure in her eyes.

Lu Baiyan didn't care. He knew rumors would inevitably arise, but compared to Leilei's life, they were insignificant. What he needed to do now was to approach her little by little, subtly, to build an invisible barrier around her, and to hold her firmly before she fell into the abyss.

There was a physical education class in the afternoon, which included an 800-meter test. This was a challenge for many girls, especially for Xu Nianlei, who was physically weak and suffered from long-term malnutrition.

Lu Baiyan remembered clearly that during the last run, she was at the very back, pale-faced, and almost collapsed after finishing. She was also criticized by the PE teacher in front of everyone for failing to meet the standard. Although the teacher had no ill intentions, the scene was enough to make her, who was already sensitive, even more embarrassed.

During the warm-up, he noticed that Xu Nianlei had her head down and her fingers were nervously twisted together, clearly filled with fear of the upcoming test.

When it was the girls' turn to be tested, Lu Baiyan did not wait at the finish line or go play ball like the other boys. Instead, he quietly walked to the grass on the inside of the track, his eyes following the slender figure who was lagging behind the group and running unsteadily.

Her breathing grew increasingly rapid, her steps faltered, and her face was deathly pale. Just as she passed him, seemingly on the verge of collapse, Lu Baiyan spoke calmly in a voice not loud, but clear enough for her to hear:

"Adjust your breathing, look straight ahead, and don't give up. You can do it."

His voice lacked any deliberate encouragement or fervor; it possessed only a steady strength, like stating a fact.

Xu Nianlei was startled, her unfocused gaze seemed to focus for a moment. She subconsciously followed his instructions, trying to regulate her disordered breathing, and her eyes struggled to focus on the finish line in the distance.

Lu Baiyan didn't say anything more, but maintained a steady pace, running the last 100 meters alongside her on the inside of the track. He didn't reach out to help her, nor did he say anything to remind her; he simply used his silent companionship to tell her—you are not alone.

As she finally staggered across the finish line, hands on her knees, panting heavily, almost collapsing, a sports jacket with a refreshing soap scent was gently draped over her shoulders.

"Don't stop right after you finish running, walk slowly for a while." Lu Baiyan's voice rang out from the side, still calm, but with an undeniable concern.

Xu Nianlei looked up, sweat trickling down her pale cheeks, her eyes filled with shock and an indescribable mix of emotions. She looked at the handsome young man before her; fine beads of sweat also graced his forehead, but his gaze was clear and resolute. She wanted to say thank you, but her throat was too dry to utter a sound.

The surrounding classmates cast various glances at her, some surprised, some curious, and some clearly hostile.

Lu Baiyan seemed completely oblivious. He simply looked at Xu Nianlei and softly added, "Go rest in the shade and drink some water." Then, he turned and walked towards the boys' test assembly point, leaving behind a tall and composed figure.

Xu Nianlei stood there, his coat still draped over her shoulders. The lingering warmth and scent of his body pierced her cold skin like a faint electric current, reaching her heart. A strange, unfamiliar warmth, mixed with immense confusion and a secret flutter of emotion, rippled across the stagnant lake of her heart.

Why did he do that?

Lu Baiyan walked to the assembly point, feeling the bewildered and complex gaze behind him, but his heart felt no relief. He knew this was just the beginning. Changing a heart that had long been frozen, reversing a predetermined tragic fate, was far more difficult than running a thousand 800-meter races.

But he has already taken the first step. This time, he will not let any storms tarnish the seedling he wants to protect.

After physical education class, on the way back to the classroom, Xu Nianlei quietly returned the clean and folded coat to Lu Baiyan.

"Thank you." She lowered her head, her voice still very soft.

"You're welcome," he said casually as he accepted the gift.

The two walked side by side on the tree-lined path bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun, their shadows stretched long. No more words were spoken, but something silent and subtle seemed to be quietly growing between them.

Lu Baiyan knew that the road ahead was still full of thorns. Xu Jianguo's shadow, Wang Xiuqin's pressure, and the rumors at school were all like the Sword of Damocles hanging over his head. But he clenched his fists, his eyes sharp as the rising stars.

No matter how many times it happens, no matter what the cost, Leilei, I will definitely strive to create a different future for you.