Chapter 16
The list of winners of the blackboard newspaper competition was posted on the bulletin board on the first floor of the teaching building. Unlike when the report cards were posted, which would attract a crowd of people, almost no one went to see it specifically; they would just glance at it as they passed by.
But those few who saw it spread the word throughout the class, telling everyone which class won first prize, what they drew, and how well they drew it, like gossiping.
This time, Class 20 won the first prize, and Song Qiuxuan was one of the few who won. She went down to the first floor and was genuinely happy when she heard the news. When she returned to the classroom, she smiled and told Cheng Xun about it.
Song Qiuxuan guessed that Cheng Xun would definitely not care about these things, even if he participated in the bulletin board drawing, he would still be indifferent.
He's been studying really hard lately, and he's shutting out anything he's not interested in. When he sits down, he hardly listens to what the people around him are saying.
"Really?" Cheng Xun looked up, his voice calm. Hearing Song Qiuxuan's unusually cheerful tone, he realized she seemed to have heard something incredibly good, her emotions running high. He wondered, was it really worth being this happy?
“Yes, first prize.” Song Qiuxuan stood in the aisle and nodded.
Seemingly realizing that her calm and unmoved demeanor was somewhat disappointing, Cheng Xun smiled with a hint of satisfaction, "It's fine."
Just as Song Qiuxuan was about to return to her seat, Xia Yingjia's voice came from behind her, sounding somewhat muffled.
"Could you please stop blocking the aisle?" Xia Yingjia curled her lips downwards, letting out a barely perceptible sneer. "I need to get through."
Song Qiuxuan was very perceptive and sensed the displeasure in the words. However, she realized that she had lingered in the aisle for a while and was indeed blocking others, so she didn't pay too much attention to it and stepped aside to make room.
As Xia Yingjia walked past Song Qiuxuan, her gaze, sharp as a knife, slowly swept over her.
Song Qiuxuan felt a sense of familiarity. Sometimes, after explaining a problem to Cheng Xun, she would notice a gaze staring straight at her. When she looked up, she would meet Xia Yingjia's eyes. That scrutinizing gaze was not friendly, containing a subtle contempt, as if Song Qiuxuan had offended her.
Song Qiuxuan racked her brains to recall if she had any conflicts with her, or if she had said anything to her that she might have said too harshly and made her unhappy.
However, Song Qiuxuan and she were distant, having only exchanged a few words and had very little interaction, so she couldn't figure it out. Her thoughts were in turmoil, so she could only think of it from another angle: perhaps it was just her imagination, and Xia Yingjia's gaze held no other deeper meaning.
Cheng Xun watched as Song Qiuxuan stood there in a daze. When she turned to the side, her hand had casually rested on the book on his desk, and it was still there. He called her name, but she didn't respond at all.
Cheng Xun gently touched the back of her hand.
Song Qiuxuan had very fair skin with clearly visible blue veins. Her fingers were slender, and looking up from her hands, you could see her profile. Her nose was upturned, her mouth was small, her black eyelashes trembled slightly, and the cool breeze swayed the stray hairs that fell to either side of her.
Startled by the slightly cool touch, Song Qiuxuan fell back into her chair, staring blankly at Cheng Xun before slowly withdrawing her hand.
"What's wrong with you?" Cheng Xun wondered why her emotions had fluctuated so much in such a short time.
Song Qiuxuan was silent for a moment, then moved her lips and said, "Nothing."
Song Qiuxuan wouldn't show Cheng Xun her thoughtful side. Cheng Xun didn't think much of what she said and continued to write down the solution steps.
*
Cheng Xun was good-looking and was quite famous among the girls in several classes on the same floor when school started. He was often the subject of gossip and for a while, his desk was stuffed with countless love letters, but he never paid any attention to them, so the frequency of receiving love letters dropped significantly.
Some of the girls knew he had drawn the blackboard newspaper and even won first prize. Under the guise of looking at the newspaper, they gathered in twos and threes outside Class 20's corridor, their eyes casually scanning the blackboard, offering a few words of praise, before quickly searching for Cheng Xun. This was their real purpose. Of course, some genuinely thought the drawing was quite good after seeing it.
Some people, seeing only his back, excitedly said things like how handsome he was, like he stepped out of a comic book.
Song Qiuxuan returned from the water room with her thermos and overheard those words as she walked down the corridor. This wasn't the first time she'd heard them, and she knew that Cheng Xun had become "famous" because of the bulletin board incident, which was why there were so many girls from Class 20 these past few days.
Hearing those boastful words, Song Qiuxuan felt a pang of jealousy, even though she knew she had no reason or right to complain, she couldn't help it. Just then, she saw Sun Shan mingling in the crowd, joining in the fun.
"Xuanxuan." Sun Shan finally noticed Song Qiuxuan walking to the back door and called out enthusiastically, a teasing smile on her lips.
Sun Shan shoved the female classmate next to her, stepped out of the crowd, put her arm around Song Qiuxuan's shoulder, and said in a low voice, "You have so many rivals!"
Since learning that Song Qiuxuan liked Cheng Xun, Sun Shan often teased her like this, urging Song Qiuxuan to bravely express her love, such as writing love letters to express her feelings, inviting Cheng Xun out on weekends, and saying that being close to Cheng Xun makes it easier to get closer to her, and advising her to deliberately get closer to Cheng Xun when explaining problems.
It sounds simple, but it's extremely difficult to implement. Especially after Sun Shan said that, Song Qiuxuan started to subconsciously keep her distance when explaining the problem, for fear that her thoughts would be exposed.
They were standing near the back door when Song Qiuxuan heard her words and hurriedly covered Sun Shan's mouth with her hand, whispering a warning: "Keep your voice down."
Sun Shan's words were muffled by the cover, but she giggled and said, "I know, I'll keep your secret."
More and more girls were passing by the corridor of Class 20. After Lu Chengzhou noticed this, he would wander around outside as soon as get out of class ended, like a peacock spreading its tail feathers, trying to attract the attention of all the girls. The girls in the class would gossip about how conspicuous he was.
Some people passing by him even spoke directly, telling him to have some self-awareness and not be so narcissistic. Lu Chengzhou was a good joker; he didn't get angry when he heard this, and even laughed it off with them. At this point, the corridor would be filled with playful laughter and cheerful chatter.
*
After adapting to high school life, time seemed to flow faster, and before I knew it, the monthly exam arrived as scheduled.
The school took the first monthly exam very seriously. There were only thirty students in each classroom, and the laboratory building was also used as an examination room.
Before the exam, the classroom was in chaos. Desks were being cleared, chairs were being moved, and amidst the noise, some students would occasionally recite ancient poems.
After the monthly exam, there were still two days of holiday. During this time, the subject teachers went over the test papers. However, with the seven-day holiday approaching, the students' minds were already far away. They were very restless in class and it was hard to tell how much they actually listened to.
During class, Cheng Xun multitasked, listening to the lecture while taking out his notebook to record the questions he got wrong, as usual. Although the answer sheets hadn't been handed out yet, he clearly remembered which questions he had answered incorrectly.
As he kept writing, he suddenly became a little irritable, his mind was extremely conflicted. He hoped that time would go by faster so that he could enjoy his vacation, but when he thought about having to change seats when he returned from his vacation, he wished that time would slow down.
This was a math class taught by the homeroom teacher, Liu Zhanyan. He was angrily tapping the desk a few times with the blackboard eraser to try to remind the students because they were not paying attention and their teaching efficiency was low. However, the students' attention could not be focused for more than a few minutes before they became distracted again.
Helpless, Liu Zhanyan stepped down from the podium and walked to the aisle at the back. To his surprise, he found Cheng Xun memorizing the wrong questions. The way he frowned and thought about it was quite convincing, somewhat resembling his brother Cheng Ting.
Liu Zhanyan was surprised that Cheng Xun could calm down before the holiday and nodded with satisfaction. However, he did not know that Cheng Xun was daydreaming at this moment and was irritable about changing seats. He was not thinking about the problem at all.
On the afternoon of the holiday, after school, Song Qiuxuan, as the publicity committee member, went to the student council office to collect the award certificate for the bulletin board.
When she returned, she found the classroom empty. Everyone was excited; they packed their homework into their bags early in the morning and rushed out of the school gate as soon as class ended, leaving the school much faster than usual.
Song Qiuxuan placed the certificate on the podium, slung her heavy schoolbag over her shoulder, and bumped into a tall, slender figure as soon as she stepped out of the back door of the classroom. She slammed on the brakes and looked up to see Cheng Xun.
"You haven't left yet?" Song Qiuxuan said with some surprise, though she was actually happy inside.
"Mm." Cheng Xun stepped aside from Song Qiuxuan, picked up his schoolbag from the chair near the door, stood beside her, and whispered, "Waiting for you."
The atmosphere fell silent, tinged with a hint of romance. A clear voice came from above, and Song Qiuxuan gripped the strap of her backpack tightly, a burning sensation spreading through her ears.
She was stunned for a long time, then suddenly her mind grasped some information, and she said as if she understood Cheng Xun, "I know, you're waiting for the award certificate, right?"
Cheng Xun chuckled softly, neither confirming nor denying, "I'm leaving."
Pushing my bicycle along the tree-lined path on campus, sunlight filters through the branches, dappling the ground. A gentle autumn breeze caresses my face and lifts the hem of my clothes. I really want to capture this moment.
Looking at the withered, yellow leaves that seemed about to fall, Song Qiuxuan asked, "What are you going to do during the holiday?"
Cheng Xun paused for a moment, then put his hand in his pocket and found two rolls of paper. He glanced at Song Qiuxuan, a rare hesitation on his face, and his dark eyes revealed an indescribable emotion. He blinked slowly and finally just said casually, "Play games at home, and do some homework when you get tired of it."
"What about you?" Cheng Xun was also curious about her plans.
A hint of a smile appeared in Song Qiuxuan's eyes. "Number One and Number Two are going to visit the Lianyan Scenic Area with their parents."
Cheng Xun wanted to ask, "What about other times? Are you free?"
Before she could finish speaking, Song Qiuxuan added, "I'll share any beautiful scenery I capture with you."
"Okay." Cheng Xun curled her lips, her tone light and cheerful, her clear voice carrying a hint of teasing: "Thank you for remembering me while you were traveling."
Song Qiuxuan smiled, thinking to herself, how could I not remember you?
"Would you like some milk tea?" Cheng Xun paused for a moment when they reached the same milk tea shop as last time.
Song Qiuxuan didn't refuse, but said uncertainly, "Are you buying me a drink?"
She doesn't usually accept invitations from others without a reason, but if it's Cheng Xun, accepting this time means she'll have an excuse to invite him back next time. This back-and-forth interaction naturally leads to more communication. Plus, after the holiday break and seat changes, there's even less reason to get close to him, so owing him a cup of milk tea is a perfectly legitimate excuse.
"Mmm." Cheng Xun answered patiently, her short black hair swaying gently as it brushed against her brow bone.
Song Qiuxuan happily said, "Then I want to drink the same taro mochi milk tea as last time."
It was rush hour after school and get off work, and the milk tea shop was packed. Cheng Xun waited in line for more than ten minutes before finally coming out with two cups of milk tea.
Song Qiuxuan took the milk tea with a smile on her face: "Thank you." She noticed that Cheng Xun had ordered the same one as her, but that wasn't surprising; she and her friends often ordered two of the same milk tea.
She arrived at Song Qiuxuan's residential area first, said goodbye to Cheng Xun, and turned to go inside. Whether she wanted to take another look at Cheng Xun or for some other reason, she stopped and looked back.
Cheng Xun remained standing there, his pale hands gripping the bicycle handlebars, his posture upright, staring intently at her. Once the smile disappeared from his face, his entire demeanor became aloof and distant.
But when he saw Song Qiuxuan turn around, the corners of her lips curved upwards, a faint arc revealing a hint of gentleness.
"Cheng Xun, have a nice holiday." Song Qiuxuan waved.
Cheng Xun was silent for a moment. In his opinion, there was another meaning behind those words, as if they would not see each other during the holiday and could only meet again when they returned to school.
After a while, Cheng Xun nodded slightly and waved to her in the same way.
*
When Cheng Xun unlocked the electronic lock and entered the house, it was noticeably more lively inside, with several bursts of laughter coming from the living room.
Cheng Xun knew that Cheng Ting was coming back today. Although Cheng Ting did not send him a message, Cheng Xun saw that his mother, Zhang Yuyun, posted on her WeChat Moments about picking up her son at the station.
He walked into the living room with his backpack slung loosely over one shoulder and saw Cheng Ying squatting on the carpet playing with a SpongeBob SquarePants puzzle, her body curled up into a small ball.
Cheng Ying said in a bossy tone, "Big brother, stop looking at your phone and come help me with the puzzle."
Cheng Ying begged Cheng Ting to buy this jigsaw puzzle, and Cheng Ting not only agreed but also bought several of them, all featuring various cartoon characters, which made Cheng Ying extremely happy.
"Okay." Cheng Ting, who was lying on the sofa, casually tossed his phone aside. He stood up, saw Cheng Xun, and greeted him, "You're back."
"Hmm." Cheng Xun's voice was flat and indifferent. He didn't say much and went into the bedroom.
When it was time for dinner, there was a knock on Cheng Xun's door. He answered and came out to see a table full of dishes, all of which were Cheng Ting's favorites. After all, he had been going to university and hadn't been home as often. It was only natural to cater to his tastes when he did come back.
The dinner table was more lively than usual. Cheng Ting, a talkative person, vividly described his university life, including joining clubs, becoming a member of the student union, and meeting all sorts of people. In his words, university life was incredibly exciting and something to look forward to.
Who is Cheng Ting? He has a high aptitude for learning, strong adaptability, excellent grades, an outgoing and cheerful personality, and is also polite. He is the most likable type of person. He has the ability to live a good life.
Cheng Xun ate his meal quietly without saying a word.
University life is not far away from him. Teachers often say that the three years of high school go by in a flash and that we should cherish our youth. However, Cheng Xun has not yet felt how fast time is passing. It has only been a little over a month, but he feels like he has experienced a lot.
Several things left a deep impression on him, such as writing a self-criticism after being caught smoking, learning how to take better notes, drawing blackboard bulletins, and, oh yes, he tried sweet milk tea today, but it was surprisingly good. After a few sips, he liked it.
Most of it is related to Song Qiuxuan, but he has been quite happy for the past month or so.
Cheng Xun's thoughts drifted away unconsciously, and he didn't hear what Cheng Ting said afterward.
At midnight, Cheng Xun finished washing up and lay in bed. He picked up his phone, turned it on and off repeatedly, the light flickering in and out of the bedroom.
Cheng Xun figured most people were asleep by this time, so he put on his headphones, opened his music app, and saved all the songs Song Qiuxuan had mentioned that she liked. He easily started playing them now.
As he listened to the song, Song Qiuxuan's face appeared in his mind.
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