Chapter 6
After a few autumn rains, the weather turned completely cold, and the leaves of the sycamore trees on campus fell in large flakes. Zhao Jinglu and Xu Linjie walking together after school had become a "fixed routine" that almost everyone in the class knew.
Fan Chen and the others went from being noisy at first to being accustomed to it now. They would even occasionally help Zhao Jinglu stuff her homework into her schoolbag in advance, winking and saying, "Hurry up! Don't keep the 'classmates who are going the same way' waiting too long."
After school that day, Zhao Jinglu and Xu Linjie walked side by side along the tree-lined path leading to the school gate, as usual. The fallen leaves on the ground rustled under their feet.
"It looks like the monthly exam results will be out tomorrow," Xu Linjie said, pulling out a bar of chocolate from the side pocket of his schoolbag. He naturally broke off half and handed it to Zhao Jinglu. "How do you feel about it?"
"Don't mention it," Zhao Jinglu took the chocolate and sighed, "I think I used the wrong formula for that last big physics question."
"That problem is a bit convoluted, and the force analysis is easy to miss..." Xu Linjie nodded and began to analyze the solution with her. His explanation was not as direct as Fan Chen's, but it was clear and easy to follow.
After discussing the topic, the two walked in silence for a short while. The setting sun filtered through the sparse branches, casting dappled shadows on the ground.
Xu Linjie suddenly spoke, his tone more casual than before: "By the way, next Saturday night, our band will have a small open-air performance in the square in front of the school. They will all perform classical music. If you have time... you can come and see it."
Zhao Jinglu turned to look at him in surprise. This was the first time he had made an invitation beyond academic matters.
"Your band? You only mentioned your band in junior high before, but you didn't mention that you have a band now."
"Well, usually we just hang out with a few of us old classmates who were admitted to the same school. This time it's the autumn campus cultural event organized by the Student Union, so we signed up." Xu Linjie touched his nose, seeming a little embarrassed. "My level is average, I just want to join in the fun."
His attitude was very humble, but there was a subtle expectation in his eyes.
Zhao Jinglu imagined him in a tuxedo, concentrating on playing the clarinet. He was completely different from the boys around her who only cared about grabbing basketballs and copying homework. This feeling was very novel.
"Okay." She nodded without hesitation. "I don't have anything to do on Saturday night anyway. Do you need... tickets?"
Xu Linjie was amused by her words: "No, it's free. It's just that there might be a lot of people, so you have to come early to get a good seat."
"Okay, I will definitely go." Zhao Jinglu also smiled.
When they reached the bus stop, bus number 28 had just pulled in. It happened to be an empty bus today, so they sat side by side in the double seat at the back.
As the car started, Xu Linjie suddenly seemed to remember something and pulled out a brand new hand warmer with cartoon designs from his schoolbag. He handed it to Zhao Jinglu and said, "This is for you."
"Huh?" Zhao Jinglu was stunned.
"I see you've been keeping your hands in your sleeves these past few days. This rechargeable one is very convenient." His tone was very natural, as if he was just handing over an eraser. "Charge it in the morning and it will keep warm for most of the day."
Zhao Jinglu took it. The pattern on the hand warmer was a cute little deer. A warm feeling ran through her heart, even stronger than the hand warmer in her hand.
"Thank you...it's a cute little deer." It matched her name perfectly, so it wouldn't be confused with anyone else's. She subconsciously found a very practical reason to explain this special gift.
Xu Linjie looked at her, his eyes curved, and there was a barely perceptible smile in his voice: "Yes, because I like deer too."
——"Little Deer".
He uttered these two words softly, carrying a special meaning. Was he referring to the pattern, or was he referring to...her?
Zhao Jinglu's heart skipped a beat, and her cheeks suddenly felt hot. Fortunately, the evening sky and the cold weather helped shield her from the heat. She subconsciously lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously rubbing the smooth surface of the hand warmer. The deer's eyes seemed to be staring at her brightly.
She didn't know how to respond for a moment, and felt that the air around her became a little sticky and subtle.
Fortunately, the No. 28 bus swayed into the station, breaking the brief, panic-stricken silence.
"We've arrived." Xu Linjie's voice returned to its usual gentle and natural tone, as if what he said just now was just a casual sigh.
"Yeah." Zhao Jinglu responded softly and followed him out of the car.
After getting off the bus, the two said goodbye as usual. Zhao Jinglu stood still, watching Xu Linjie walk away. She held up the hand warmer, its deer-like shape appearing even softer and cuter under the streetlight.
"Because I like deer too..."
The words echoed in her mind. So...was he just saying he liked her in a roundabout way?
The girl's thoughts were like ripples on a lake surface after a stone was thrown into it. The feeling was no longer the simple "it's nice to go home together after school" before, but was mixed with more speculation, shyness, and a hint of secret joy.
In the next few days, Zhao Jinglu found that something was wrong with herself.
She would occasionally get distracted during class and her eyes would unconsciously glance at Xu Linjie's seat; when discussing issues with him, her speech was not as natural and fluent as before, and sometimes she would even stutter a little; when Fan Chen and the others joked, her rebuttals were much weaker, and sometimes she would even blush inexplicably because of their teasing.
Xu Linjie, on the other hand, acted as if nothing had happened. He still showed up at the back door every day, discussing homework and chatting with her about daily matters, his attitude gentle and natural, as if the earth-shattering words "I like Xiaolu" had never come out of his mouth.
This ambiguous state of being close yet distant made Zhao Jinglu feel like a real deer in her heart, jumping up and down from time to time. She felt a little annoyed at her own lack of composure, but at the same time, she couldn't help but look forward to the performance on Saturday night.
This anticipation seemed a little different from her previous anticipation for weekend outings with Fan Chen and the others, or the update on a particular novel she was following. She couldn't pinpoint the specific difference, but the excitement, mixed with a touch of nervousness, was real.
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