Mu Xinrong looked up and saw the smile flashing in Chao Youye's eyes, and his ears began to feel hot again.
He remembered that when he threw the paper airplane just now, he deliberately used the throwing techniques taught by Chao Youye - the angle of wrist rotation and the control of force, which were all learned last year on the lawn of the Chao family villa.
At that time, Chao Youye was wearing a white shirt and standing in the sunset teaching him how to throw a frisbee. His sleeves were blown up by the wind, revealing a faint scar on his forearm.
"Thanks, savior." Chao Youye whispered, tapping Mu Xinrong's textbook with her fingertips. "I'll buy you a pineapple soda after class."
"I bought it..." Mu Xinrong retorted softly, but when he saw Chao Youye raised an eyebrow, he quickly changed his words, "Forget it, I'll give it to you."
During lunch break, Chao Youye was called to the office by the dean of studies. Mu Xinrong sat alone in the classroom, staring blankly at the cherry blossoms outside the window.
A breeze blew by, and a petal fell on Chao Youye's desk. He reached out to pick it up, and suddenly remembered the notebook Chao Youye handed him this morning. The laurel pattern on the title page was somewhat similar to this petal.
"What are you thinking about?" a familiar voice called from behind, accompanied by the scent of Chao Youye's cedar perfume. The boy's school uniform tie had two buttons undone, revealing his delicate collarbone. He was holding a black paper bag.
"Nothing." Mu Xinrong hurriedly hid the petals in her palm. "Why did the dean call you?"
Chao Youye placed the paper bag on the table. Inside were two cans of pineapple Gudong soda. "Ask me if I want to participate in the math competition."
He spoke lightly, his fingertips rubbing the ring of the can irritably. "When the old man heard about it, he had his secretary send over ten sets of practice tests."
Mu Xinrong opened the soda, and the sound of bubbles was accompanied by a hint of heartache: "You don't want to participate?"
"It doesn't matter." Chao Youye tilted his head back and took a big sip. The curve of his Adam's apple was clearly visible in the sunlight. "No matter what I do, the old man always finds fault with it. Last time I got 92 points in physics, he said, 'I'm still 8 points away from a perfect score.'"
Mu Xinrong thought of the thick stack of trophies on Chao Youye's desk. Behind each trophy were countless nights of staying up late to solve problems.
He suddenly reached out and pressed the back of the other person's hand, and whispered, "In my eyes, you are already very powerful."
Chao Youye's head shot up, Mu Xinrong's face reflected in her purple pupils. The boy's eyelashes cast a trembling shadow under his eyes, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, like a cat being stroked. "Only you would say that."
He paused, then pulled out a velvet gift box from his schoolbag. "This is for you. A thank you for helping me with my notes last time."
Mu Xinrong opened the gift box and found a fountain pen with a small laurel pattern engraved on the cap. He remembered Chao Youye once saying that laurel was the Chao family's emblem, symbolizing glory and victory.
"Next time I copy your homework, I'll use this pen." Chao Youye smiled and tapped the pen lightly with her fingertips. "This way, when the old man sees the handwriting, he'll think I've suddenly become enlightened."
The last class of the afternoon was a self-study session. Chao Youye lay on the table, watching Mu Xinrong's profile as he worked diligently on his homework.
The boy has very long eyelashes, casting a faint shadow under his eyes, and there is a faint freckle on the bridge of his nose, which was caused by the sun when they went to the beach together last summer vacation.
"Mu Xinrong." He called softly.
"Hmm?" Mu Xinrong didn't even raise his head, and the tip of his pen rustled on the draft paper.
"Nothing." Chao Youye raised the corner of his mouth and buried his head in his arms.
Suddenly, a piece of paper slid in front of him: "Going to see the stars tonight? The same place."
Chao Youye looked up and saw the blush on Mu Xinrong's ears, and her heart suddenly felt warm.
He grabbed a pen and drew a star on the slip of paper, writing next to it: "Bring pineapple soda."
Mu Xinrong looked at the note and thought of their "old place" - the corner of the school rooftop, where there was the cushion that Chao Youye had secretly moved, and the astronomical telescope that he bought with his pocket money.
On the fifteenth of every month, they would hide there to watch the moon, and Chao Youye would tell him stories about the constellations, although those stories were always mixed with family feuds and business secrets.
"Ding-ling—" The moment the school bell rang, Chao Youye had already packed his schoolbag. He put his pen into Mu Xinrong's pocket and tugged on his school uniform tie: "Let's go, my personal tutor."
Mu Xinrong let him drag him out of the classroom. When passing the podium, he saw the soda bottle he had placed on Chao Youye's desk in the morning. There was still half a circle of orange liquid left at the bottom of the bottle.
He suddenly remembered the foam on the corner of Chao Youye's mouth when she drank soda, and the moment when he gently wiped off the foam with his fingertips - the touch was softer than cherry blossoms in spring.
"What are you daydreaming about?" Chao Youye's voice interrupted his thoughts. The boy stood at the classroom door, the setting sun stretching his shadow very long. "If you don't leave now, the stars will be covered by clouds."
Mu Xinrong hurried to catch up, the pen in his schoolbag swaying gently with his steps.
The chirping of cicadas gradually faded away, and the setting sun overlapped the shadows of the two people, like two trees growing side by side, with their roots entwined in the ground and their branches touching in the sky.
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