Borrowing Books and Heartbeats (Revised Edition)
At the tail end of September, the summer heat had not yet subsided. The camphor tree leaves outside the window were gilded by the afternoon sun, and the cicadas were chirping desperately, as if they were saying their final farewell.
In the classroom of Class 5, Arts major, most students had already packed up and left, leaving only a few scattered individuals. Su An lay sprawled on her open workbook, her chin resting on the cold tabletop, her eyes vacant, like a cat whose strength had been drained.
It's been almost two months since the class division, and that faint sense of resentment still lingers in his heart. He knows his parents made the right choice; his chemistry and physics are truly hopeless. Rather than being at the bottom of the science class and ending up humiliated and having to call his parents, it's better to stay in his strengths—the humanities—where at least he can maintain some dignity. But that little bit of resentment in his heart, like a hidden reef underwater, pops up every now and then to prick him.
"Hey, Su An'an, what kind of 'Daiyu burying flowers' are you acting out again? Enough already!"
Along with that clear, slightly teasing voice, a warm hand patted Su An's shoulder with just the right amount of force, enough to startle him out of his self-pity.
"Ouch!" Su An jolted awake, clutching his shoulder as he straightened up, glaring resentfully at the culprit—his deskmate, Jiang Zhao. "Jiang~ Zhao~~~ Are you trying to get yourself killed! That was so strong, what if it swells up?"
Jiang Zhao grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, completely ignoring his protest, and deftly stuffed the last few books into his bag: "You're welcome! Look, are you more energetic now? Your eyes are sparkling!"
Su An was so angry she wanted to kick him.
As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Jiang Zhao nimbly jumped to the side, simultaneously tossing a thick copy of "Advanced Mathematics B" accurately onto Su An's desk. He then clasped his hands together in a pleading gesture: "Same as always! Give this to my brother, he needs it tonight! I'm outta here, the internet cafe won't wait for anyone! Bye-bye!"
Before he finished speaking, he had already swept out of the classroom through the back door like a gust of wind, leaving behind a dashing (and infuriating) silhouette.
"Hey you..." Su An's outstretched hand froze in mid-air, and he could only watch helplessly as the guy disappeared at the end of the corridor.
He looked down at the textbook on the table, which still seemed to retain the warmth of Jiang Zhao's body, and scratched his head in frustration. It's happened again! How many times has this happened? That reckless Jiang Zhao, he swore he'd borrowed the book, but every time school ended, he'd slip away faster than a rabbit, leaving him with the "arduous" task of returning it.
His cousin, Jiang Qi.
In their first year of high school, Su An and Jiang Qi were classmates. Even in a prestigious high school teeming with talented students, Su An stood out remarkably, and...strangely, he was an exceptionally bright student. Despite spending most of his time either sleeping or reading all sorts of "idle books" unrelated to textbooks, his grades were outrageously good, consistently ranking among the top in the grade. He was aloof and not very sociable, rarely forming close relationships with anyone except his few equally outstanding childhood friends. If it weren't for his strikingly handsome face, he would probably have been a truly low-key "invisible academic genius" in the class.
After the division into arts and sciences tracks, Jiang Qi went to the science class 6 next door. Su An had no interaction with him before, until one time when Jiang Zhao was in a hurry to go play basketball and asked Su An to help him return a book for the first time. Only then did Su An realize that the two were actually cousins, only a few months apart in age. But their minds and personalities were like the North and South Poles.
Su An slowly packed his bag, carefully placing the "Advanced Mathematics B" textbook into his canvas bag. He wasn't actually afraid of Jiang Qi, it's just... that the person exuded an aura of unapproachability, with indifferent eyes, as if she lacked interest in everything around her. Su An instinctively felt that someone as ordinary and slow to warm up as himself was better off not bothering her, lest he become disliked.
With a sigh, Su An resignedly slung her backpack over her shoulder, grabbed the "hot potato" in her hand, and slowly made her way out of the classroom.
The front and back doors of Class 5 and Class 6 are right next to each other. Su An had just stepped out of the back door, lost in thought, and didn't notice what was in front of her, almost bumping into a solid chest.
"I'm sorry!" Su An quickly took a step back and apologized subconsciously. When he looked up and saw the person opposite him, he was instantly stunned.
Standing in front of him was Jiang Qi.
The boy stood tall and straight, dressed in a simple white school uniform short-sleeved shirt and black trousers, which accentuated his broad shoulders and long legs. He seemed to have just been about to leave, carrying a black shoulder bag. The afternoon sun slanted across his sharply defined profile, outlining his superior jawline. His gaze remained indifferent, like a deep pool veiled in mist, now fixed on Su An's face.
Su An's heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason.
“Uh… Jiang Qi,” Su An quickly took the math book out of his canvas bag and handed it over, his tone a little helpless, “This is your book. Jiang Zhao… ran away again.”
He shrugged, trying to ease the strange tension in the air with this small gesture.
Jiang Qi's gaze shifted from Su An's face to the book, his long eyelashes drooping, concealing the fleeting emotion in his eyes. He reached out and took it, his fingertips inadvertently brushing against the back of Su An's hand.
The cool touch made Su An feel a slight burning sensation in the area that was touched.
"Thank you." Jiang Qi's voice was deep, with a slight, almost imperceptible hoarseness, which was very pleasant to hear.
"You're welcome." Su An felt like she had been granted a pardon and quickly said, "Well... I'll be going now, bye-bye!"
After saying that, he turned around almost as if fleeing, and quickly walked towards the stairwell. Only when he felt the gaze behind him disappear did he secretly breathe a sigh of relief. Talking to Jiang Qi made him feel inexplicably pressured.
...
In the corridor, Jiang Qi still stood there, clutching the book that seemed to still retain the warmth of the other person's body. He watched Su An's slightly hurried figure disappear around the corner of the stairs until it was completely out of sight, before a barely perceptible smile curved his lips. The smile was faint, but it instantly dispelled the coldness between his brows, like the first melting of snow.
"Hey, have you seen enough? Your eyes are practically popping out." A teasing voice rang out from the side.
Jiang Qi instantly suppressed her smile, reverting to her indifferent demeanor, and turned to look at her childhood friend Lin Jun, who was leaning against the back door frame at some point.
"Shut up." The words were concise and carried a warning.
Lin Jun walked over nonchalantly, hooked his arm around Jiang Qi's shoulder, glanced in the direction Jiang Qi had been looking, and smiled mischievously: "I knew it! Every time after school you dawdle for ages, waiting until everyone's gone before you set off. So you're just waiting here for 'Su'? Not bad, Jiang Qi, I didn't realize you were so innocent (or secretly flirtatious)."
Jiang Qi shook off his arm expressionlessly and walked towards the stairwell.
"Hey, don't walk so fast! Tell me, did you touch her little hand just now? What did it feel like?" Lin Jun chased after him with a grin, relentlessly pressing him.
Jiang Qi quickened her pace, but a faint pink blush crept over her ears.
"Hey, wait for me! You're putting your girlfriend before your friends!"
...
Jiang Qi's home.
Jiang Zhao was hogging Jiang Qi's computer, engrossed in a game. Hearing the door open, he complained without turning around, "Bro, can't you come up with something different? To match your 'forgot the book' act, Su An is starting to wonder if I'm mentally deficient! Next time, can you 'forget' something else?"
Jiang Qi changed her shoes, walked to the desk, put down the "Advanced Mathematics B" book she was holding, and glanced at her cousin indifferently: "Shut up. Also, don't call him 'Su An'an'."
"Oh ho!" Jiang Zhao finally spared him a glance from the screen. "You haven't even said more than three words to her, yet you have the nerve to tell me, your deskmate, what to call me? Comrade Jiang Qi, you're getting jealous a bit too early, and without any basis whatsoever!"
Jiang Qi's eyes turned cold: "Do you still want to play?"
Jiang Zhao immediately deflated, his shoulders slumping: "Think about it! Brother, I was wrong! You are heaven and earth, you are the only legend! Do whatever you want, I will fully cooperate!" There was no other way; his pocket money was in the other's hands, and the internet cafe's expenses all depended on his cousin's "sponsorship," so he had to back down.
Jiang Qi ignored him, took out her phone, and skillfully opened WeChat. The pinned profile picture was a cat, with only a simple "A." as the contact name.
He opened his WeChat Moments; the latest post was from twenty minutes ago. The photo showed a cup of milk tea with tapioca pearls and milk foam, with a corner of a classroom window in the background. The caption was simple: "My dose of happy water successfully sustained me today (￣▽￣)~*".
Jiang Qi's fingertips gently traced the cute emoticon, his gaze softening unconsciously. He seems... to really like sweet things. A tiny smile curved his lips as he liked the post on his WeChat Moments.
"Tsk, spying on his WeChat Moments again?" Jiang Zhao said, glancing at his Moments out of the corner of his eye while playing his game. He couldn't help but be sarcastic. "Let me tell you, he has low blood sugar. He gets listless and lethargic if he doesn't eat some sugar every day. Didn't I tell you that?"
Jiang Qi's finger, which was swiping the screen, paused.
He slowly raised his head, looked at Jiang Zhao, his eyes filled with a layer of ice, and repeated, word by word, "You...didn't...say...it."
Jiang Zhao felt a chill run down his spine from that look, his hands froze, and his game character instantly collapsed. He thought back carefully... it seemed... maybe... he really hadn't said that?
It's over. Jiang Zhao cried out in his heart, feeling his "internet cafe freedom" was about to crumble.
---
Meanwhile, Su An returned home.
The empty house was so quiet he could hear his own heartbeat. His parents were still busy with their business out of town, and he was all alone in the vast space.
He was used to the quiet, but he couldn't help feeling a little lonely. After putting down his schoolbag, he poured himself a glass of water, then went into the kitchen and skillfully cooked a bowl of noodles for dinner.
While eating, he subconsciously opened WeChat. A red "like" notification appeared in his Moments. He clicked on it and saw that Jiang Qi had liked the picture of his milk tea.
Su An blinked, somewhat surprised.
Jiang Qi... he also reads WeChat Moments? And he even likes posts? In my memory, Jiang Qi's Moments was practically deserted; there were hardly any posts, and even likes were extremely rare. He actually liked my post?
Is it because of that book? Is this a way of expressing gratitude?
Su An bit her chopsticks, thinking for a long time but still couldn't figure it out. In the end, she concluded that the top student had accidentally slipped his hand, or it was just out of basic politeness.
He put down his phone and continued eating his noodles. The slight sense of loss he felt from being home alone seemed to be lessened by this small "like" from "Iceberg".
Little did he know that this "like" was a carefully considered, cautious step taken by someone, the most insignificant yet courageous first step.
As darkness fell outside the window, the city lights gradually came on. Su An finished washing the dishes, sat down at her desk, and opened her workbook.
Meanwhile, in Jiang Qi's room, Jiang Zhao was racking his brains, trying to figure out how to make amends and devise a "brilliant plan" for his (and his cousin's) "future".
The thoughts in a young man's heart are like the fragrance of osmanthus blossoms quietly brewing at the end of summer, hidden among the leaves, subtle yet already beginning to permeate.
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