one
The next morning
"I told you you were unreliable. It's already the fourth period and there's not a sound," Yan Ting whispered to her deskmate, unable to bear the loneliness of math class any longer. "You two are just waiting to treat me to dinner."
"No, the day is only half over, don't worry. Besides, a new student has arrived, which means my investigation is still..." Wen Xi tried very hard to defend herself, but unfortunately, she became the math teacher's number one target among the noisy crowd.
"Wenxi! What's all the noise about? Have you even finished your math lesson before you start talking? Tell me what you're doing..." Wenxi stood up straight, bracing herself for the math teacher's tirade—their math teacher could get so engrossed in scolding that he would forget to teach, which led the students to whisper that his only purpose in being a teacher was to scold people.
“Teacher Li, I…” Fortunately, the scolding was interrupted before it could begin. Wen Xi looked at the person who spoke with gratitude in her eyes, but saw Lu Yunian raise his hand and say, “Teacher, I’m not feeling well and I want to go to the infirmary.”
"Go on, go on." Having been interrupted, Teacher Li seemed to have lost the mood to scold anyone anymore, and turned around to write on the blackboard.
Lu Yunian has a fever.
Actually, there were signs during evening self-study yesterday. I felt dizzy and had no energy at all.
Worse still, he felt he was being bewitched. He had already slumped over his desk to sleep during the last self-study session yesterday, but Wen Xi's words kept nagging at him, buzzing in his head and making him even more dizzy.
So he sat up again. The only sound in the classroom was the soft sound of writing. The moonlight outside the window accompanied him. The disordered black ink on the draft paper was mixed together. For some reason, he actually calculated the probability that the senior who was repeating the year was the same person as the senior he had met before and wanted to be friends with.
It was actually a very simple math problem, but he kept hoping he had made a mistake, hoping the probability was as high as possible—
A head with a 38° angle seems to have become a breeding ground for that little bit of selfishness, slowly expanding little by little in the chaos.
Although I know that no matter how much effort I put in, it will be in vain, and although my greatest hope is that even if we don't become friends, I can still help him have a smooth and successful life, my selfishness and what I consider to be a dark side of my mind are like mold spots in dampness.
—If not cleaned up in time, it will get out of control and spread uncontrollably to every corner.
During the last period of evening self-study, Lu Yunian, in a daze, wove a beautiful dream for himself that he didn't want to wake up from: "If only he could become my deskmate when I come to school tomorrow."
Of course, he knew that dreams must end, so this dream only lasted for ninety minutes during the last evening self-study session. But that was enough. Even though he had a splitting headache this morning, he went to school with anticipation and a sense of relief. If only this dream could have a perfect ending.
It wasn't until he overheard the conversation between the two people at the table in front of him that he realized how ridiculous he had been.
In truth, Lu Yunian couldn't explain why he harbored such a strong obsession with that senior he'd only met a few times. Perhaps it was because he was handsome, but Lu Yunian prided himself on being straight for eighteen years; what did a guy's looks have to do with him? Besides, everyone has an appreciation for beauty, and there's nothing wrong with liking good-looking guys or girls, he told himself.
Perhaps it was because he had helped her out of kindness, and the fact that she refused his contact information stirred up some inexplicable obsessions. That must be it, that must be what Lu Yunian thought.
As Lu Yunian walked out of the classroom through the back door, he saw the head of the grade chatting with someone in the corridor. He couldn't see the person's face, but he instinctively felt that the person was about the same age as him. The person wasn't wearing a school uniform but a very casual sweatshirt. "Maybe it's an upperclassman who came back to visit the teacher," Lu Yunian thought.
"Senior, could it be him...?"
He slowed his pace, which hadn't been fast to begin with, and began to observe the man as if possessed.
He was very tall, much taller than the grade head, and about the same height as me. It was hard to tell who was taller unless we stood side by side.
The sunlight made his hair appear slightly brownish with a hint of gold, and it was rather long, at least longer than the school regulations required.
The backpack was casually draped over the right shoulder; even though only the back was visible, it gave off a relaxed and free-spirited vibe.
—Actually, if Lu Yunian, who is of sound mind (body temperature below 37.3°C), were standing here, he might want to slap himself a couple of times, or wonder why he is so obsessed with this senior.
But now his body temperature is likely above thirty-nine degrees Celsius, and everything seems to have been scorched by the August sun; the high temperature makes everything seem unreal.
As Lu Yunian passed by the two, he slowed his pace, trying to catch a glimpse of the senior's face.
But he seemed to forget that he was already walking slowly enough, that it was during class time, and that one of the two people was the grade head.
"Hey, what are you doing here? You're dawdling around like a ghost. I've been watching you for ages!" The head of the grade's voice cut through the quiet air like a sharp sword, shattering Lu Yunian's focused thoughts, to the point that he almost tripped over his own feet.
"Watch out." Luckily, he was caught before he fell, Lu Yunian thought, otherwise today would have been a terrible day.
"Thank you, thank you, senior." He stopped awkwardly, tugged at the hem of his school uniform, and glanced quickly at the person who had helped him, ostensibly to express his gratitude.
The sunlight, which should have been blinding, softened his face, highlighting his delicate and refined features. A faint smile played on his lips and in his pupils, conveying a sense of warmth yet also aloofness.
But Lu Yunian couldn't read on closely; the director's cough brought him back to reality once again.
"Teacher Zhang, I'm not feeling well, please excuse me to go to the infirmary to have my temperature taken." Zhang realized that his throat was a little hoarse, and his voice sounded really bad. So he cleared his throat and coughed again.
The director reached out and touched his forehead, jolting from the heat. "It's so hot! Go to the infirmary right away. There's no need to study so hard; your health is more important." After thinking for a moment, he added, "Do you want me to go with you? Are you delirious from the fever?"
"No need, Director, I can still walk without any problems."
The fear of teachers is probably ingrained in his DNA. Not wanting his teacher to accompany him for such a long distance, Lu Yunian ran away as if fleeing. However, his muddled mind also prevented him from walking in a straight line. After only a few steps, he veered to the side and bumped into a wall.
"Xiao Ning, you go with him," the director shook his head. "Don't let him faint on the way. Just keep an eye on him."
"good"
Ning Yi'en neither stepped forward nor spoke, but simply followed silently behind that classmate. The classmate seemed somewhat familiar, but he couldn't place him, nor did he try to remember.
From now on, we'll be classmates. If we're meant to be, we'll get to know each other gradually. If we're not, there's no need to remember where we've met before.
Lu Yunian felt that he must have had a fever that damaged his brain, which was why he thought the senior he had just seen was following behind him. He tried to shake his head to get rid of these messy thoughts, but it only made him more dizzy.
He stopped thinking about it, but as he went down the stairs, he casually glanced back and saw that his senior was indeed walking behind him, probably also going downstairs. He wished they could always be this lucky.
"Senior, are you going to the infirmary too?" At the entrance of the infirmary, Ning Yi'en still showed no intention of separating from Lu Yunian.
"Director Zhang asked me to check on you, in case you're delirious from the fever and something bad happens." Ning Yi'en's expression was indifferent, her eyes revealing no emotion or turmoil.
"Thank you, senior. I'm sorry to have taken up your time." This was completely different from the scene Lu Yunian had imagined when he would meet his senior again.
He thought he would greet him enthusiastically or noisily, and say generously, "Senior, do you remember me? Can we be friends?"
Or perhaps she should go over and express her gratitude for his previous help, instead of being so reserved and distant as she is now, even though that seems to be the most appropriate way.
"I'll definitely be your friend, I definitely will," he thought to himself, a big smile spreading across his face. "Then, senior, I'll go in first." For a moment, unsure how to interact with someone, he resorted to his most effective method: "Escape!"
"It's alright, no need to bother you," Ning Yi'en smiled. "If you don't mind, may I come in and sit for a while?"
"Ah!" Not to mention Lu Yunian, Ning Yi'en was also stunned after she finished speaking, silently rolling her eyes at herself.
"What I mean is, if possible, I'll go into the infirmary too, just to keep you company, so I can skip some classes."
"Of course." So, she didn't want to go to class, which is perfectly understandable. Even though it wasn't exactly a favor, Lu Yunian was still happy to help.
"Sit down and wait for the thermometer to go off." The school doctor finished speaking and left the cubicle, leaving the two of them looking at each other.
"Let me introduce myself, my name is Ning Yi'en." He extended his right hand, but seeing the thermometer tucked under Lu Yunian's right armpit, he switched to his left hand. "From now on, we'll be classmates."
Lu Yunian felt a little dizzy again, but still shook hands with him first. "Classmate, classmate?"
"If it's Class 3 of Senior Three, then yes."
Lu Yunian suddenly realized that he might still be sleeping during evening self-study last night, otherwise how could he have such a wonderful dream?
But the discomfort caused by the fever made him acutely aware of the moment.
—The sun shines through the treetops and through the window, and the scattered sunlight takes on the shape of leaves. The cicadas' chirping has become melodious, and with the gentle breeze, it fills every corner.
Everything was so wonderful, if it weren't for the lingering awkwardness in the air, if it weren't for a sliver of reason that swallowed up the chaotic selfishness.
Lu Yunian suddenly thought, "If I hadn't had even the slightest bit of hope yesterday, would it have been someone else who came to repeat the year?"
Of course, this is not something that anyone can control; it is fate, and there is a predetermined path to follow.
However, once emotions strike, regardless of right or wrong, it takes effort to process them. It took Lu Yunian a long time to let go of these emotions.
The room was quiet. Lu Yunian seemed to be playing with his fingers with his head down. Ning Yi'en didn't want to start another topic or go back to class, so she took out her phone from her bag, turned it on, and half-hid it in her backpack to play with it.
After thinking for a moment, he looked up at the person next to him, raised his index finger to his lips, and gestured for silence. Lu Yunian had originally wanted to find something to talk about to break the awkward silence, but seeing his gesture, he was puzzled and looked confused.
“I mean,” he pointed to his phone, “don’t let me report you.”
"Of course, we'll guarantee a united front." Lu Yunian gave an OK sign, smiling brightly.
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