☆、V、Feng Zihao, I'm here (2414 words)
Li Yaxi rented a room in the Xicheng District near Shichahai. It was very close to the school, only a ten-minute bike ride away, but he preferred walking because the area had a strong cultural atmosphere, like the long Champs-Élysées in France, giving you the feeling that you never want to reach the end. Li Yaxi entered Class 1 of the first year of high school at No. 4 Middle School. At the beginning of the school year, students were assigned according to their rankings, but there were still some students who were admitted because of their good grades but also because of their prominent family backgrounds. The world is never fair to everyone.
Feng Zihao was clearly out of sorts today. Although he usually had an icy demeanor, his childhood friends Zhan Xiaoyu and Zhao Yi noticed something was off. The three of them were in the same class. Zhan Xiaoyu and Feng Zihao were both academically qualified to get into the top class, while Zhao Yi, although not bad at his studies, relied on his family background. The two chose to selectively ignore their brother's daydreaming, because this had become a common occurrence for Feng Zihao in recent years. Ever since Feng Zihao returned from W City, he often inexplicably drifted off into thought, treating a plain handkerchief like a precious treasure, reacting with fury even if his brothers touched it. Out of brotherly concern, they had naturally asked him about it, but all they received in return was a faint glance and then complete disregard.
Zhou Yang rushed into the classroom and sat down next to Feng Zihao, panting, "I was so rushed! I almost missed class. It's all my mom's fault. She stuffed everything into my bag, and I had to spend ages clearing it out before I left."
Zhan Xiaoyu curiously snatched Zhou Yang's bag and rummaged through it. "Did you bring a game console? Damn! What's all this? You brought so many underwear to eat?!"
Zhou Yang blushed and glanced at Feng Zihao, but didn't dare to snatch her bag back. She could only explain softly, "Brother Xiaoyu, please give it back to me. It's a bag I've been wearing for the past two weeks. I just threw it away after wearing it to avoid trouble."
Zhao Yi snatched the bag from Zhan Xiaoyu's hand and threw it back at Zhou Yang, saying, "Aren't you bored? Be careful you don't get a sty."
Zhan Xiaoyu scoffed and rolled his eyes. Zhou Yang looked at Zhao Yi gratefully and said, "Thank you, Brother Yi."
Zhao Yi ignored him and returned to her seat to prepare for military training.
Zhou Yang had practically grown up with them, all from the same compound, but his family background was slightly less privileged. Coupled with his feelings for Feng Zihao, he subconsciously felt somewhat inferior when interacting with them. Feng Zihao and Zhan Xiaoyu's group was a bit peculiar; if you couldn't stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them, they would still hang out with you, but you'd never truly integrate into their inner circle. Zhan Xiaoyu and the others had somewhat noticed Zhou Yang's different feelings for Feng Zihao, but Zhou Yang himself clearly didn't realize it, so they disliked him even more, often teasing him as a troublemaker. Besides these three, there was also Lu Wei, who had never liked studying and barely finished junior high before going to military school, thus separating from them, but this didn't affect the friendship between the four of them at all.
After tidying up his bag, which Zhan Xiaoyu had messed up, Zhou Yang looked up and saw Feng Zihao lost in thought. He asked with some concern and confusion, "Brother Zihao, what's wrong?"
Hearing Zhou Yang call him, Feng Zihao snapped out of his reverie, glanced at him indifferently, and said in his usual icy voice, "It's nothing."
Zhou Yang gave an "oh" and sat quietly, not wanting to disturb Feng Zihao's thoughts any longer, afraid that his chatter would annoy him.
Feng Zihao was just lost in thought, seemingly thinking of nothing, yet also thinking of everything—this was his most frequent state whenever he was alone since that day. Sometimes he thought that day was just a dream, but the handkerchief kept reminding him whether it was a dream or not. But if it wasn't a dream, why couldn't he find that boy?
Feng Zihao returned to W City several times, constantly searching through the streets and alleys, but he could no longer find that figure more beautiful than an angel. Whenever he thought of that little angel, Feng Zihao sometimes felt an unbearable itch in his heart, like cat claws, and sometimes a throbbing pain in his chest. His first wet dream was also about that little angel, dreaming that he kissed his forehead without any impure thoughts, yet he himself committed the most vile act during that pure kiss. For a month, Feng Zihao was trapped in a deep depression, feeling that his longing for the little angel was a desecration, yet he couldn't help thinking about him. Usually, he was alone when caught in this extreme inner conflict, but today he was unusually restless, though most people couldn't tell.
When Li Yaxi appeared at the classroom door, the previously noisy and bustling classroom fell into an eerie silence. She wasn't tall, but her proportions were perfect. Her skin was flawless, fair, and radiant, so delicate it seemed you could bite into it. Her slightly brownish-black hair was silky smooth, each strand appearing to have undergone meticulous care. Even just her back view was enough to make everyone in the classroom hold their breath, as if she would disappear if they pressed down any further.
Li Yaxi found her name on the seating chart posted on the door, right next to Feng Zihao. Before turning around, she unconsciously steadied herself. Walking up to Zhou Yang, she glanced at her name on the corner of the table, then gave him a faint, almost mocking smile. "Sorry, this is my seat."
Amidst a collective gasp, Zhou Yang walked back to his seat, somewhat dazed, while Li Yaxi slowly began to gather her things. Feng Zihao, standing nearby, was completely out of control; he was practically going crazy. From the moment Li Yaxi appeared at the door, he was consumed by overwhelming joy. Heaven knows how much he wanted to rush up, hug her, and shout, "I finally found you!" But he couldn't. He knew that if he did, Li Yaxi would drift as far away from him as possible, so he dared not, and could only try his best to restrain himself.
Zhan Xiaoyu snapped out of his shock at Li Yaxi's actions and put an arm around Zhao Yi's shoulder. "Look, Zihao is acting strangely."
Zhao Yi immediately noticed Feng Zihao's excitement. "Don't worry about him. He'll ask if he needs anything."
Zhan Xiaoyu shrugged indifferently; he just found it strange and didn't want to interfere too much. Zhou Yang, however, strongly wanted to push Li Yaxi away from Feng Zihao. There was no reason; he just instinctively felt it was dangerous. It has to be said, Zhou Yang, you're absolutely right!
Just as Feng Zihao was struggling with what to say to Li Yaxi as his first words, the homeroom teacher came in and rambled on about a bunch of nonsense. Then everyone took their bags and lined up on the playground to walk to the military training base.
Zhan Xiaoyu and Zhao Yi walked side by side, quite easily. Which kid in the compound didn't grow up in the military region, living with soldiers from a young age? They'd even have intensive training during their breaks or summer and winter vacations, so this so-called military training was like child's play to them. Halfway through, the difference became apparent. Some girls complained they couldn't take it anymore, and some boys with less stamina gradually fell behind.
Zhou Yang walked beside Feng Zihao as always, while Feng Zihao walked behind Li Yaxi, afraid that Li Yaxi might faint and he could catch her. Seeing Li Yaxi walking step by step, Feng Zihao really wanted to help Li Yaxi take her bag, to lighten her burden as much as possible.
Feng Zihao's thoughts were completely unnecessary. Li Yaxi only symbolically packed two pieces of clothing; she could simply take anything else from her spatial storage. Even so, Li Yaxi was still somewhat exhausted. The sun made him a little dizzy, but he knew Feng Zihao was behind him, and even though the two hadn't interacted yet, he still felt at ease.
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