Chapter 415: School Starts (Scenario 1)
Today is the first day of school.
The afternoon sun shone obliquely through the window, and the air was filled with the smell of ink from new books and the lingering laziness of summer vacation.
Shen Xiangyang sat quietly in the corner by the window in the last row of the classroom, surrounded by the buzz of conversation and laughter. The excitement of the new semester and the joy of reuniting with old friends filled the air, but all this excitement had nothing to do with him.
A brand new collection of real questions from the high school physics competition was spread out in front of Shen Xiangyang. The boy's pen tip moved at a constant speed across the pages, making a light rustling sound.
He lowered his head slightly, his fine bangs falling down, covering part of his eyebrows and eyes, leaving only his clear but slightly tight jawline.
The noisy chirping of cicadas outside the window and the laughter and noise in the classroom all became a blurred background at this moment.
--"Bang".
The front door of the classroom was slammed open with a bang, instantly attracting the attention of all the students.
It’s Gu Xi.
A few strands of hair on his forehead were soaked with sweat and stuck casually to his full forehead. His handsome face had the unique blush after exercise.
Gu Xi was seen carrying a schoolbag on one shoulder, with his school uniform jacket casually open, revealing the basketball vest underneath.
Gu Xi was holding a dusty basketball in his arms, and behind him were three or four boys who were also wearing jerseys and laughing.
"Brother Gu, that buzzer-beater three-pointer at the end was so cool!"
A boy with a crew cut patted Gu Xi's shoulder hard.
"Of course! Don't you see who's making the move?"
Gu Xi raised his eyebrows and smiled, his voice clear and loud, his eyes and eyebrows showing the youthful vigor that is unique to young people.
Gu Xi walked towards his seat with big strides while talking to someone he was familiar with.
During this process, people kept greeting him, calling him "Brother Gu" and "Brother Xi" one after another.
Gu Xi responded skillfully. He patted this student's shoulder and ruffled that student's hair, as if he was born to be the focus of the spotlight.
When passing the corner where Shen Xiangyang was, Gu Xi's footsteps paused slightly.
His smiling gaze lingered on Shen Xiangyang's cold face for a few seconds, and then some unfriendly images suddenly flashed through his mind.
The smile between Gu Xi's eyebrows and eyes gradually disappeared.
…
The chaos of the first day of school gradually subsided and the teacher began to call the roll.
When Shen Xiangyang's name was called, a low, almost inaudible "here" came from the corner.
When the name "Gu Xi" was called, a loud voice with a lazy tone sounded.
"Teacher, I'm here!"
Gu Xi's deskmate is a boy named Li Ming.
He leaned over and whispered to Gu Xi, "Hey, Gu Xi, look at that Shen Xiangyang in the back. He still has that dead look on his face, as if someone owes him eight million. I heard that he was very withdrawn and a weirdo when he was in the first year of high school."
Gu Xi sneered when he heard this.
He didn't turn around, his voice neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for the people in the nearby rows to hear vaguely: "Pretending to be deep. Some people are born with dark minds and dislike everyone."
There was an undisguised contempt and disgust in Gu Xi's tone, as if he was talking about an unpleasant old thing.
Li Ming's words were like an icy needle, instantly piercing the calmness that Shen Xiangyang had tried hard to maintain.
His fingers gripping the pen suddenly tightened, his knuckles turning white.
The physics formulas before my eyes began to distort and blur, and my vision was forcibly pulled back to that damp and dim evening after school a year ago.
It was a narrow back alley filled with discarded debris.
The afterglow of the setting sun shines on the entrance of the alley, but the alley has already fallen into cold and gloomy.
When he was in the first year of high school, Shen Xiangyang was even thinner than he is now. His school uniform was washed a little pale. He was holding his old schoolbag tightly and was blocked in the corner by three ruffians.
One of the backpack straps had been torn off and was hanging in a messy manner.
"Kid, be smart! We're short on cash, could you lend us some money?"
The yellow-haired man in the lead was holding a cigarette carelessly, and the smoke he exhaled while talking made Shen Xiangyang cough.
"I...I don't have any money."
Shen Xiangyang's voice trembled imperceptibly, and his body pressed tightly against the cold and rough wall, trying to shrink himself smaller.
He lowered his head, not daring to look into those malicious eyes. Some shadows from the past came flooding back like a tide, almost suffocating him.
Fear was like an icy water snake, wrapping around Shen Xiangyang's heart.
"No money?"
Another thug pushed him hard and said, "What's in the bag? Give it to me!"
As he spoke, he reached roughly for Shen Xiangyang's schoolbag.
Just as Shen Xiangyang closed his eyes in despair, preparing to endure even worse treatment, a burst of unbridled laughter and footsteps came from the alley.
Shen Xiangyang raised his head suddenly, looking towards the light source - the alley entrance - as if grasping at the last straw.
The light of the setting sun outlined the silhouettes of several people wearing the same school uniform.
The figure in the lead was extremely familiar, it was Gu Xi!
He was laughing and talking to his friend next to him with his head tilted to the side, his posture relaxed and flamboyant. One of his friends was pointing towards the alley, as if telling Gu Xi a joke.
Shen Xiangyang's heart began to beat wildly, and the flame of hope had just ignited - the next moment, Gu Xi seemed to glance casually into the alley.
In the backlight, Shen Xiangyang couldn't see Gu Xi's specific expression, he only saw that the corners of his mouth seemed to be raised in an arc.
"Gu Xi!"
Shen Xiangyang called out "Gu Xi's" name. He placed all his hopes on "Gu Xi".
Shen Xiangyang and Gu Xi are classmates.
Because Shen Xiangyang has always been the top student in the entire grade, Gu Xi often borrows homework from him.
After a few interactions, the two of them had some interactions.
In order to repay Shen Xiangyang for "borrowing homework", Gu Xi often shares some delicious food with Shen Xiangyang.
Because Shen Xiangyang has a rather introverted personality, other students often call him a "monster", but Gu Xi always scolds him back. Over time, no one in the class calls him a "monster" anymore.
In Shen Xiangyang's opinion, he and Gu Xi are already friends, so he tried his best to ask Gu Xi for help.
After Shen Xiangyang called for help, he clearly saw Gu Xi casually raise his hand, and then said something to his companions. The group of people burst into laughter and turned around and left the alley without stopping.
The sound of the teenagers' footsteps and laughter quickly faded away and disappeared, as if they had never appeared.
Gu Xi...didn't help him.
In the alley, all that was left were the thugs' impatient urging and Shen Xiangyang's heart, which had completely sunk into an icy cave.
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