Meet again
The September morning breeze, carrying the lingering heat of midsummer, swept across Yuncheng High School's brand-new running track. Gu Hanzhi stood in the square formation for the opening ceremony, her school uniform collar buttoned neatly to the top, her cascading hair completely obscuring her profile. When the host announced "Freshman Representative Shen Zhihe," her eyelashes fluttered, and her gaze involuntarily flickered toward the podium.
The young man's tall figure walked against the morning light, the corners of his white shirt lifted by the wind, and his hair swayed gently in front of his forehead. Shen Zhihe flashed his signature bright smile as he took the microphone, and the audience immediately erupted in exclamations. Gu Hanzhi clenched her fists, her memory suddenly drawn back to that rainy day in junior high school.
Back then, she was just an ordinary girl with a ponytail, until one day she was labeled a "man-catcher." Suddenly, pencil shavings would spill onto her textbooks, her locker would fill with stinking milk cartons, and even on her way home from school, she'd be tripped by someone maliciously. On her most despairing day, she was bullied simply for being glanced at by the school hunk. She was curled up in a corner, crying, when Shen Zhihe suddenly appeared, silently taking off his school uniform and draping it over her.
"Don't be afraid, I'll take you home." The boy's voice was gentler than the warm spring sun. From then on, Shen Zhihe would wait at the classroom door after school, escorting her through the bustling crowd like a guardian. But this warmth was too short-lived. In her third year of junior high, Shen Zhihe suddenly transferred to another school, not even giving her a chance to say goodbye. He didn't even inform her of the transfer in advance, which made Gu Hanzhi feel a little sad.
At that moment, Shen Zhihe was speaking eloquently on the stage, the sunlight gilding his presence, his every gesture brimming with confidence and composure. Gu Hanzhi lowered her eyelashes, her nails digging deep into her palms. Three years had been enough time for her to learn to lock all her emotions deep within, shielding herself from the outside world with a cold exterior.
After the opening ceremony, students from each class went to the classroom one after another. Gu Hanzhi was walking at the end, holding her textbook. She heard a familiar voice from the front: "Gu, are you from Class 1 (3) of Senior 1?" She looked up suddenly and met Shen Zhihe's smiling eyes. Those eyes were still the same as she remembered them, clear and bright, as if they could see through all her disguises.
"Yes." She answered briefly, trying to walk around him and continue forward.
"What a coincidence." Shen Zhihe hurried to catch up, "I'm also from Class 3. Shall we go together?"
Gu Hanzhi didn't respond, quickening her pace. But fate seemed to favor this reunion. When she entered the classroom, she was shocked to find "Shen Zhihe" neatly written next to her name on the seating chart next to the blackboard. Even worse, Shen Zhihe was already sitting politely by the window, waving at her: "Student Gu, over here!"
The classroom suddenly erupted in whispers, and everyone's eyes were focused on them. Gu Hanzhi took a deep breath, forcing herself to remain calm, and slowly walked to her seat and sat down. Shen Zhihe enthusiastically handed her a box of strawberry-flavored milk: "I remember you used to like this the most."
Gu Hanzhi stared at the carton of milk, memories flooding back. Back in junior high, every time after school, Shen Zhihe would pull out a carton of strawberry milk like a magic trick, smiling and saying, "Replenish your energy so you won't get bullied by the bad guys!" Seeing the familiar packaging again, her heart trembled uncontrollably.
"No thanks." She pushed the milk away coldly, took out the textbook from her schoolbag and started to preview. Shen Zhihe was not discouraged, and continued to talk excitedly: "I didn't expect that we would become deskmates again. This must be fate! By the way, do you know? After I transferred to another school..."
"Be quiet, Shen..." Gu Hanzhi interrupted him. "I want to study."
Shen Zhihe was stunned for a moment, then he smiled knowingly: "Okay, I'm always here when you want to talk." After that, he obediently opened the textbook and stopped disturbing her.
These past few days, Gu Hanzhi maintained her solitary habits. She was the first to arrive in class and the last to leave, always buried in her workbook during breaks. Shen Zhihe, however, was like a ray of sunshine that couldn't be dispelled. He would always leave snacks on her desk, quietly hand her slips of paper filled with ideas when she got stuck on a problem, and even shield her from those curious, scrutinizing eyes during physical education class.
During lunch break that day, Gu Hanzhi was napping on the table when she felt a soft cloth covering her body. She woke up suddenly and saw Shen Zhihe withdrawing his hand, his ears slightly red. "I saw you fell asleep, and I was worried you would catch a cold..."
Gu Hanzhi stared at him and suddenly said, "Why are you so nice to me? We're just classmates, why do you have to be like this?"
Shen Zhihe looked at her seriously and said, "Because you are a very important friend to me. I failed to protect you in junior high school, but I won't let you suffer any more this time."
Gu Hanzhi turned her head away. She thought she had long been accustomed to loneliness and used to arming herself with indifference, but she didn't expect Shen Zhihe still remembered the past that she had buried deeply and was still willing to light a lamp for her.
When the school bell rang, Shen Zhihe waited at the classroom door, just like he had three years ago. Gu Hanzhi paused as she packed her schoolbag, but eventually walked over. The afterglow of the setting sun cast a long shadow over the two of them.
"Let's go together." Shen Zhihe said with a smile, his tone so natural as if they had never been apart.
Gu Hanzhi was silent for a moment, then uttered a soft "hmm." The wheels of fate quietly turned, ushering in a new chapter in the lives of two young men on this ordinary autumn evening. And Gu Hanzhi quietly planted the seeds of hope in her heart. Perhaps this time, she could finally step out of the shadows and embrace the warmth of the sun once again.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
