My heart beats only for you.
Hao Nan opened his mouth, but swallowed the words back. He was afraid that if he said even one more word now, he would be burdened with a false reputation when Qi Xu returned, and she would hate him even more then.
He longed to tell everyone, "I like Qi Xu," and wished the whole world would know his feelings.
But he dared not. He couldn't, to satisfy his own selfish desires, sever the last remaining connection he had with her.
Fei Nian stood there, stunned, the light in her eyes gradually dimming, and finally walked back to the classroom with her head down.
The crowd gradually dispersed. Those who had been looking forward to watching the spectacle were now somewhat surprised. Everyone had clearly seen Hao Nan's gaze fixed on Fei Nian, so why was he so decisive in his rejection?
The passageway was clear again, but Hao Nan stood there for a long time.
He stared at the empty corridor ahead, his eyes devoid of any expectation, like a still, stagnant pool.
In the studio on the other side, Qi Xu was repeatedly revising a comic in front of the computer screen.
She set strict rules for herself: she would not go back until she had created a work that she was 100% satisfied with.
Some paintings have mismatched colors, and some have characters whose expressions don't quite match the image in my mind. After painting so many, I even feel that all the characters look like they were made from the same mold, lacking any originality.
The computer is piled high with countless discarded drafts, but these drawings, which she considers "unacceptable," would be enough to gain a large following if posted online.
She stared at the newly drawn figure, pondering and revising it repeatedly, until noon had passed outside the window.
She hadn't eaten anything since morning, and her stomach was growling with hunger, but a stubborn streak held her back. She wouldn't feel at ease eating anything until she completed the task.
"Eat first, don't ruin your life." Li Mo placed the boxed lunch she got from the cafeteria on the table, her tone full of concern.
"Okay, Sister Li." Qi Xu replied, but her hand did not leave the drawing board, and the tip of her pen was still carefully outlining on the screen.
Seeing her persistence, Li Mo sighed softly, then paused when her gaze fell on the computer screen.
There was a strange sense of familiarity with that art style; I searched carefully in my mind.
"Slap!" Li Mo slapped her hand suddenly, startling Qi Xu so much that his hand trembled and the paintbrush drew a crooked long line on the screen.
"Xu Xu, do you know the ink painter? Or... are you her student?"
Qi Xu looked blank. The name seemed familiar, but he couldn't quite place it: "I don't know her. Is she famous?"
"She's not exactly a top star, but she was also a bit of a sensation a few years ago with her comic book 'Little Years'." Li Mo said, tapping on a picture on her phone and handing it over. "This book was quite controversial. The female lead is really well drawn; she's the most outstanding character in her works. The male lead is alright too, but the other characters are just average."
Qi Xu stared at the comic book heroine on the screen, her heart suddenly clenching. This was clearly a practice drawing she had casually made when she read "Little Years" back then.
She never intended for these paintings to be leaked, and no one in her family understood them, so how did they become the works of an "ink blotting artist"?
However, since they're all in the same industry, it's quite reasonable for characters in novels or illustrations to have similarities.
She pursed her lips, lost in thought. She only snapped back to reality when Li Mo waved her phone in front of her face.
"Do you have a photo of this artist? Their work is popular now, so they should be having autograph sessions, right?"
“No, she never shows her face.” Li Mo thought for a moment and smiled. “But if you create a masterpiece, you might have a chance to meet her in the future.”
Qi Xu didn't respond and turned his attention back to the screen.
"Tomorrow is September 1st, are you really not going back to school?" Li Mo asked again.
"I never even thought about going to university." Qi Xu said without looking up. "Having a skill, being able to endure hardship, and focusing on doing one thing well is enough."
"Okay, it's good that you know what I mean." Li Mo got up to leave, but then glanced at the boxed lunch on the table. "Eat it while it's hot, it'll hurt your stomach if it gets cold."
Qi Xu gave a soft "hmm," and the studio fell silent again.
On September 1st, the first day of school, senior high school students finally had a rare moment to breathe.
As Hao Nan and his group walked toward the cafeteria, the eyes of the freshmen and sophomores were glued to Hao Nan.
Tingyue suddenly straightened her back, instantly switching from a lazy and casual demeanor to "big sister" mode: "Hao Nan is so popular right now, I feel incredibly prestigious to be seen with him."
To onlookers, her posture made it seem as if she was leading a group of thugs to a fight.
Several female students who wanted to ask Hao Nan for his contact information immediately changed course when they met Ting Yue's gaze.
"See? I've done a good job of blocking out unwanted suitors, haven't I?" Tingyue leaned closer to Hao Nan.
"Sister?" Han Xue raised an eyebrow. "You want Hao Nan to call you sister? Aren't you afraid Qi Xu will come back and punish you?"
The moment the words "Seven" were uttered, Hao Nan, who had been lost in thought, suddenly looked up, glancing around as if searching for something. Only when he realized that there was no familiar face around did the light in his eyes slowly dim.
Xu Sheng put his arm around his shoulder: "Cheer up, handsome guy. He's the 24th school heartthrob. How could Qi Xu not be tempted by him?"
Ting Xubai chimed in, "Qi Xu will come back. Knowing her as I do, she's not heartless."
"I hope so," Hao Nan said, his voice tinged with a barely perceptible sadness.
He knew better than anyone that if Qi Xu was determined not to return, no one could persuade him otherwise.
But if she really doesn't come back... he thought to himself, then he would go look for her, no matter where she is, there's always somewhere for her.
School heartthrob? Ha, he scoffed self-deprecatingly. What use is that title if she wouldn't even bother to glance at him?
In the studio, Qi Xu, who was revising a drawing, suddenly had a twitching eyelid.
She stopped writing, rubbed her eyes, and assumed it was because she hadn't rested well after staying up too long. So she put down her work and picked up the boxed lunch on the table.
Over here, Tingyue was still being stubborn: "I'm not afraid if Qixu comes back. If you don't tell and I don't tell, who will know?"
Han Xue's face darkened: "You? You want to be my older sister?"
"I'm the boss now!" Tingyue stood up even straighter. "You're all my little brothers, I've got your backs!"
"Oh? Then shouldn't the eldest sister do something?" Wan Xiaoyi looked at her with a smile. "We can't just call her 'elder sister' for nothing."
Han Xue secretly gave Wan Xiaoyi a thumbs up from behind.
“Yeah, big sister, we need to see your sincerity.” Xu Sheng chimed in.
Tingyue hesitated and remained silent for a long time.
"Big sister, you have to keep your word. Honesty is the foundation." Ting Xubai also joined the "troublemaking" camp.
"Brother! Why are you helping them bully me too?" Tingyue said angrily.
“That’s not right,” Han Xue raised an eyebrow. “You just said you’d protect us, don’t you all agree?”
"Yes!" everyone answered in unison.
“Fine! My treat!” Tingyue gritted her teeth, took out her meal card, and handed it over.
Wan Xiaoyi reached out to take it, but she held on tightly and wouldn't let go.
"Big sister, honesty, honesty." Wan Xiaoyi smiled, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons.
Tingyue let go of her hand with a pained expression, watching everyone happily rush towards the cafeteria, and hurriedly followed, shouting, "Don't max out my meal card!"
"Don't worry, we just lifted the limit last time!" Han Xue's voice came from afar.
Only Hao Nan followed slowly behind, his steps somewhat heavy.
Since the freshmen arrived at high school, Hao Nan has been receiving mountains of love letters and snacks every day.
At first, he would deliberately find crowded places and throw these things into the trash can, wanting everyone to see clearly that he was not interested and that they should stop bothering him.
But this trick didn't work at all; the girls just went even crazier. Later, he got too lazy to walk any further and simply threw the trash into the bin at the back of the classroom.
The curriculum was relaxed in the first year of high school, so some girls simply waited for him at the intersection he always passed by.
To get attention, they would do anything outrageous: shouting "Hao Nan, I love you" in the corridor, putting on a melodramatic show in front of him, and some even pretending not to see where they were going and trying to bump into him.
Once, a girl with her head down "bumped" into him. Hao Nan simply turned slightly to the side, and she fell solidly to the ground.
He didn't even lift his eyelids, walking straight past as if the people on the ground had nothing to do with him.
But in the eyes of girls, this became proof of his "coolness," and their affection for him only increased.
Hao Nan was really annoyed.
During lunch break, he slipped into the broadcasting room and turned on all the speakers in the school.
"I am Hao Nan from Class 8 of Senior Three."
His voice carried through the loudspeakers across the campus, instantly silencing the noisy school, and everyone listened intently.
"I have something to tell you today: I have someone I like." His voice was clear and firm. "In my heart, no one can compare to her, and there is no comparison at all."
"My tolerance for everyone has reached its limit. You have seriously affected my personal life. Please stop testing my limits. I hope all students will remember this and stop bothering me."
“If anyone dares to act recklessly again, I don’t mind using extreme measures to completely extinguish your hopes. If things get ugly, no one will be able to save face.”
As soon as the words were spoken, the entire campus erupted in excitement. Not only Mingde Middle School, but even the neighboring Experimental Middle School heard the broadcast.
"This girl is so lucky! She got confessed to in public by so many guys who like her," a girl from Experimental Middle School said enviously.
"Stop being envious, let's finish this problem first." His companion sighed, "We're not on the same level as the geniuses at Mingde."
The girl pouted and lowered her head to continue working on her problems.
At Mingde Middle School, the girls were disappointed, but they had no choice but to accept reality.
The teachers admired Hao Nan's courage; they had all heard about the harassment he had been subjected to these past few days.
Later, the head of the teaching department ran into Hao Nan, smiled and patted him on the shoulder: "Good lad, that's a direct method. Go and learn it."
Hao Nan twitched the corners of his mouth, nodded in response, and turned to walk towards the classroom.
With the storm quelled, Hao Nan finally had some peace and quiet.
He was finally able to calm down and study his paintings properly.
When he was tired, he would take out purple origami to record everything that happened that day, as well as his longing for Qi Xu.
October 11, 2023
Today marks the 108th day since I started liking Qi Xu, and also the 108th day since we first met. It's been so long already.
The monthly exam results are out, and I've improved with each test. I'm about to be in the top ten of the class, and I'm about to surpass you.
When are you coming back?
With a black pen on the table, Hao Nan skillfully folded a butterfly, his eyes gently fixed on the lifelike purple butterfly in his palm, and carefully placed it on the table.
Then he took out a green origami from the drawer and wrote on it, "The green butterfly has a purple butterfly to keep it company, so it won't be lonely."
Fold out a green butterfly and place it next to the purple butterfly.
He smiled and couldn't help but sigh, "That's wonderful."
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