Afternoon time
After that rainy night, the sky in South City seemed to have been thoroughly washed, and it was a refreshingly blue for several days.
The air was filled with the fresh scent of soil and grass, and the oppressive and tense atmosphere in the Grade 3 (6) classroom seemed to have been permeated with a subtle sweetness due to some subtle changes.
The relationship between Jiang Yile and Gu Nanxiao, like a vine nourished by spring rain, began to spread and grow quietly but with great determination.
The thin layer of ice between them, called "classmate" and "deskmate", completely melted away on that rainy night when they were frank with each other, and was replaced by an unspoken intimacy that was tinged with shyness and excitement.
The next morning, Jiang Yile woke up at daybreak.
My heart felt like there was a restless little bird, flapping its wings, trying to dispel all the remaining sleepiness.
She remembered what he said last night, "I'll pick you up tomorrow morning," and her cheeks began to feel slightly hot again.
She combed her hair more carefully than usual, adjusted the collar of her school uniform over and over again, and practiced her "natural" smile in front of the mirror several times before taking a deep breath, putting on her schoolbag and going downstairs.
As soon as I walked out of the unit door, I saw the elegant figure standing under the old banyan tree.
Gu Nanxiao was wearing a clean blue and white school uniform, with an upright posture. The morning light filtered through the gaps between the branches and leaves, casting mottled and jumping spots of light on him.
He lowered his head slightly, as if looking at the ants on the ground. The lines of his profile appeared particularly clear and quiet in the soft light.
Hearing footsteps, he raised his head and his eyes caught her accurately.
When their eyes met, it seemed as if a tiny electric current was running through the air.
There was still a hint of tenderness in his eyes that had not faded from last night, as well as a little bit of unnatural embarrassment.
He walked towards her with steady steps, but stopped when he was one step away from her.
"……morning."
He spoke, his voice slightly hoarse, a little deeper than usual, with the early morning air.
"morning."
Jiang Yile heard his own voice softly, with a hint of unconcealable joy.
She noticed a faint blue tint under his eyes, obviously he didn't sleep well last night.
"Have you been waiting long?"
"No, I just arrived."
He shook his head and naturally reached out to take the schoolbag from her shoulders, which didn't seem heavy.
Jiang Yile subconsciously dodged it: "No, it's not heavy."
His hand paused in the air for a moment, then firmly and gently grasped one end of the backpack strap.
His fingertips accidentally brushed against the cuffs of her school uniform jacket, bringing a slightly cool touch.
"Give it to me."
His tone brooked no refusal, but there was no force in his eyes, only a clumsy insistence that wanted to take care of her.
Jiang Yile's heart softened and he let go of his hand.
Watching him carry his schoolbag on his shoulders, one on each side with his own black schoolbag, a strange feeling of being cherished arises spontaneously.
They had walked the way to school together many times, but this time, it felt completely different.
Instead of walking side by side with her, he walked half a step ahead of her, as if silently separating her from the hurried crowd in the early morning.
There was a polite distance between them. They didn't hold hands, and there wasn't even much verbal communication. Only occasionally, her eyes would drift to his tall back, and he would just turn his head slightly, his eyes meeting hers briefly, and then they would quickly look away.
Silence is no longer embarrassing, but instead filled with a kind of sticky, sweet tension.
The sunlight lengthened their shadows, occasionally overlapping like a secret hug.
Gu Nanxiao stopped in front of the familiar breakfast stall near the school gate.
"Have you had breakfast?" he asked.
"not yet."
Jiang Yile answered honestly, his mind still a little dazed from everything that happened last night and this morning, so he had no time to eat breakfast.
"Wait for me here."
He said, walking quickly towards the stall.
He obviously didn't do this kind of thing often, and standing among a group of students in school uniforms, he seemed a little out of place, but he still looked at the menu seriously and said something to the boss.
After a while, he came back with a paper bag and a cup of warm soy milk and handed it to her.
Inside the paper bag was a perfectly toasted ham and egg sandwich, the kind she usually bought.
The warmth from the wall of the soy milk cup warmed her slightly cold fingertips just right.
"you……"
Jiang Yile looked at him in surprise.
How did he know she liked this?
"I heard Zhou Xiaowei say that last time." He seemed to see through her doubts and explained in a low voice. His ears seemed to turn red, and then he looked away. "Hurry up and eat. It's time for morning reading."
It turns out he even remembers such details.
Jiang Yile lowered his head and took small bites of the sandwich, feeling that today's breakfast was particularly sweet.
She secretly looked up at him. He was looking straight ahead, concentrating on drinking another cup of soy milk in his hand, his Adam's apple rolling slightly as he swallowed.
The sunlight shone on his thick eyelashes, staining them with a light golden hue.
This morning was perfect because of a perfect breakfast and a seemingly indifferent but extremely attentive boy.
Back in the classroom, I was surrounded by the familiar noise of morning reading.
But Jiang Yile felt that something seemed different.
She sat in the fourth row by the window, with Gu Nanxiao next to her.
In the past, these were two clearly divided worlds, but now, the invisible boundary seems to have been quietly erased.
The morning reading class is Chinese, which requires memorizing long passages of ancient Chinese texts.
Jiang Yile recited quietly, occasionally getting stuck.
At this time, a very low and clear voice will come from the side, prompting her the next word or phrase.
He was not looking at the textbook prompts, but was still looking at his own book, as if he had just read aloud unintentionally.
But every time, it landed precisely in the place she had forgotten.
Jiang Yile felt as if his heart was being gently scratched by a feather, itchy and sweet.
She continued following his prompt, a smile unconsciously appearing in her voice.
Her pen fell to the ground and rolled to his feet.
Just as she was about to bend down to pick it up, he had already leaned over, and his slender fingers easily picked up the ordinary gel pen and gently placed it next to her pencil case.
His movements were natural and smooth, he didn't look at her or speak.
Zhang Hao in the front seat turned around to borrow an eraser, and his elbow almost hit Jiang Yile's thermos cup on the corner of the table.
Almost at the same time, Gu Nanxiao reached out and pushed the cup inward to avoid a possible collision.
His movements were so quick and stealthy that Zhang Hao was completely unaware and kept shouting, "Squad Leader, lend me your eraser! Help!"
Jiang Yile handed over the eraser and noticed from the corner of his eye that Gu Nanxiao had lowered her head again, as if the subconscious protective action just now was just her illusion.
But she knew it wasn't.
In math class, the teacher explained a complex analytic geometry problem.
Jiang Yile frowned slightly and calculated on the draft paper, feeling that something was wrong with a certain step.
Suddenly, a small piece of paper was pushed over from the side and pressed under her draft paper.
Her heart skipped a beat and she unfolded it secretly.
The note was written in his sharp and clear handwriting. There was only one key formula written on it, and a small arrow was drawn next to it, pointing to the line where she made an error in her calculation.
There were no extra words, but they were like a key that instantly unlocked her thoughts. She followed his instructions and recalculated, and as expected, she suddenly understood.
She couldn't help but turn her head to look at him. He was looking at the blackboard intently, as if the note had nothing to do with him.
But she saw that his right index finger, which was holding the pen, was tapping the table unconsciously and lightly. It was his little habit when he was thinking or... in a good mood.
An unspoken tacit understanding flows between the two.
Amid the rustling of pens and the sound of the teacher's lecture, they have a quiet and sweet little world that only they understand.
During lunch break, most students choose to take a nap in the classroom, or go to the library or playground to relax.
As usual, Zhou Xiaowei came to find Jiang Yile to go to the cafeteria together, but saw Gu Nanxiao still sitting in his seat and did not leave immediately as usual.
"Lele, shall we go?"
Zhou Xiaowei blinked, her eyes wandering between Jiang Yile and Gu Nanxiao with a mischievous smile.
She obviously noticed the unusual atmosphere between the two of them.
Jiang Yile felt a little embarrassed and was about to speak when Gu Nanxiao next to him closed the book and stood up.
"I'm going to the library."
He spoke as if he were talking to himself, or as if he were explaining something. His voice was flat, but his eyes quickly swept across Jiang Yile's face.
Zhou Xiaowei immediately understood what he meant. She took Jiang Yile's arm and said with a smile, "Oh, I suddenly remembered that I haven't finished my homework yet. I have to go back to the classroom to catch up! Lele, you can go to the cafeteria by yourself, or..."
She deliberately stretched out her tone and glanced at Gu Nanxiao, "You can also go to the library to 'study'!"
After saying that, without waiting for Jiang Yile to react, Zhou Xiaowei ran away with a smile.
The atmosphere suddenly became a little subtle.
Gu Nanxiao stood there, looking at Jiang Yile with questioning eyes.
Jiang Yile's face flushed slightly. After hesitating for a moment, he whispered, "I...I also want to go to the library to find a reference book."
"Um."
Gu Nanxiao nodded almost imperceptibly and walked out of the classroom first.
Jiang Yile followed behind him, keeping a distance from him.
The library was very quiet. Sunlight shone through the tall windows, and the air was filled with the smell of books and dust.
They found a quiet corner by the window, half surrounded by bookshelves.
Gu Nanxiao took out his own exercise book from his schoolbag, and naturally took the "reference book" that Jiang Yile had just mentioned, and placed them on the table together.
He didn't hold hands or do anything more intimate like what was written in the novel.
They just sat side by side, each with their books and test papers spread out, just like they had done during many lunch breaks in the past.
But it just feels different.
When she paused when faced with a difficult problem, he would push his draft paper over a little, with his concise steps for solving the problem on it.
She would lean over to look, and occasionally her hair would accidentally brush against his arm. They would both freeze slightly, and then continue as if nothing had happened.
He would pour out half of the cold water in her cup, then add hot water from his own thermos and push it back to her.
The movements were so skillful that it seemed as if he had done them countless times.
They would occasionally talk in low voices, discussing the topic, or simply exchanging views on a certain point of knowledge.
His voice was always low and breathy, brushing past her ears like a gentle breeze.
Most of the time, they are quiet.
When she was tired of doing her homework, she would secretly look up at him.
He looked very focused while reading, his brows slightly furrowed, his long eyelashes casting a faint shadow under his eyes, his nose high, his lips pursed, and his profile so handsome that it was impossible to look away.
Sometimes, he would suddenly raise his head and catch her peeking glance.
She hurriedly lowered her head and pretended to read seriously, her heart beating like a drum and her cheeks burning.
Although he didn't say anything, she seemed to see a very shallow and brief curve at the corner of his mouth.
The warm sunlight shines on my body, and time seems to slow down.
At this moment, there is no pressure of high school studies, no confusion about the future, only the person next to me, and this quietly flowing, newly confirmed love.
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