Mein fauler Premierminister

Kapitel 1

Chapter 1

The author has something to say: Regarding the concept of this story, some people said that my work is similar to another story. I took a look and I can't deny that there are similarities. However, unrequited love is always the same (silently watching, asking for QQ numbers, writing letters, etc.). So I tried to focus the plot on the period after the encounter. The earlier parts of the story don't have much emphasis on it. I think this has nothing to do with plagiarism. Rather, it's because in this vast world, among all the gods, very few people have a truly unique childhood or adolescence.

Actually, this story was inspired by a trip I took back to my alma mater during summer vacation. I had secretly noticed a very handsome and outstanding boy in the next class before, but I only knew about him from friends. I remember he often listened to music alone, always by himself. Even though I had his phone, I never texted him. Later, I went to study in the south, and then my family moved there. I only saw him crossing the street alone once during a winter break when I went back to my hometown. We just brushed past each other. At that time, I thought I should write a book about unrequited love turning into reality, to fulfill my dream. So the book is called "Time Brushes," meaning that in those years, we brushed past time. It was a damp early winter morning. The school's white teaching building seemed to melt into a white mist, with only the fluorescent lights in the transparent or green glass windows casting a soft, clear light through the glass, creating multiple shadows.

The sudden fog caused many people to be late, and the head of the teaching department on duty couldn't get angry. He just kept repeating, "Hurry up, and when you get to the classroom, don't waste time talking, start your morning reading."

Song Jianan pushed her bicycle into the garage with the rest of the group, found a convenient spot to retrieve her bike at midday, locked it, took out her backpack, and was about to leave when she noticed a tall, thin boy standing in the front parking space. His back view was quite handsome, his posture upright, and his blue and white tracksuit looked good on him. The sleeves were rolled up to reveal a shiny watch on his wrist. He was struggling to make room for his bike, his movements a little clumsy and somewhat comical. Song Jianan couldn't help but glance at his back again before walking away.

On a morning just like any other, after an exhausting morning reading session, everyone rushed downstairs to get hot water, crowding the water cart. The teacher of the first class walked in, waving his hand dismissively, "Quickly open the windows to let in some fresh air. Those who want to sleep, don't sleep anymore, wake up and get up and move around!"

A gust of cold wind rushed to the back of Song Jianan's head, and she shivered twice. She struggled to get up from the table, and the class bell rang. The old teacher slowly wrote "Ode to the Epang Palace" on the blackboard. She looked at it for a while, then tore off a piece of paper and wrote a few words: "I'll go to the cafeteria with you at noon. My parents are away on a business trip." She handed it to the seat in the back row and said, "For Zhang Jingkang."

A short while later, the note was passed back. Besides the word "good," there was a smiley face drawn on it. She crumpled it up and casually tossed it into the desk. The teacher's monotonous voice came through, making her drowsy. Suddenly, she felt a warmth on the back of her hand. A small halo enveloped her arm, and the delicate light slowly spread outwards, growing longer and wider until it even reached her face, like the warm winter sun.

In a great mood, I put in my best effort to tackle the tedious lessons.

The bell rang for the last class, but it was quickly drowned out by the English teacher's voice, accompanied by the clatter of books being closed. "Class, don't move. I'll take a little longer to finish this section."

The classroom was in an uproar. Some students had already sat in their seats, looking impatiently at the clock at the back of the classroom. Someone deliberately flipped their books over, making a loud clattering sound. Small rulers and pencil cases fell to the ground simultaneously. Several boys sitting at the back of the classroom shouted, "get out of class is over! Other classes have already let out. There's no food left in the cafeteria, and we can't get our cars out."

The newly graduated teacher kept talking to herself. Song Jianan looked back and met Zhang Jingkang's resentful gaze. She laughed and mouthed, "Anyway, we can't get food now, let's go later."

Zhang Jingkang gestured exaggeratedly, "No, we'll rush out as soon as get out of class is over, by running."

The class next door finished early, and students were coming and going in the corridor, some looking at them with pity and others with schadenfreude. There were also pretty girls leaning against the wall, winking at a few handsome boys in the room. Before the English teacher finished saying "Let's call it a day," the classroom immediately erupted in chaos, and in less than a minute, most of the students had left.

Zhang Jingkang shouted at the classroom door, "Song Jianan, hurry up, you're too slow, or there won't be any ribs left."

Song Jianan was on the verge of tears, and almost pleaded with her deskmate, "Big sister, just stand there and let me pass. I'm going to rush to the cafeteria today. Sigh, didn't you see I've already clutched my meal card in my hand?"

They ran into the cafeteria, where students were scattered around the tables eating. Long queues stretched out in front of the windows, and people were constantly passing by with tempting ribs and chicken legs. Zhang Jingkang kept complaining, "Is that English teacher crazy? Why does she always go over time? I've never seen her class run overtime!"

Song Jianan didn't care and kept leaning out to see how many dishes had been taken. But when she leaned out again, a familiar figure flashed before her eyes. It was still a slender shoulder, with the sports uniform casually draped over the shoulders and the sleeves of the white shirt underneath rolled up high, as if it had just finished a physical education class.

He bent down, announced the names of the dishes, stood to one side of the line, and let the next person step forward. Then he took out his meal card from his pocket and slid it across the card reader like a dragonfly skimming the water. Song Jianan watched him turn around with the plate in his hand. In the chaotic cafeteria, she could actually hear her own heartbeat, difficult yet rapid. For a moment, she couldn't look away.

What an indifferent face it was, pale to the point of being almost transparent, with narrow eyes staring blankly ahead, stray hairs falling across his forehead, intentionally or unintentionally obscuring his vision, and the curve of his lips deep and cold, gloomy and arrogant.

Such a boy can undoubtedly be considered a cool and refined youth. At the age of sixteen or seventeen, he is as quiet as a night-blooming jasmine. His clear and clean temperament makes it impossible for anyone to see what kind of soul he possesses.

He walked without looking up, perhaps out of habit, and brushed past the crowd, disappearing from Song Jianan's sight in just five seconds.

Strangely, not many people noticed him.

Song Jianan was not paying attention to her meal because the boy was sitting at a table not far from her, facing her directly. She could see by glancing sideways that he was using his left hand to hold chopsticks and was eating very quickly, but with very elegant manners.

After finishing his meal, he stood up, took the plate to the restroom, took out his earphones from his pocket, put them in his ears, and went out through the side door, still with his head slightly lowered and expressionless.

She finally couldn't help but ask, "Zhang Jingkang, who is that boy over there?"

With a piece of pork rib stuffed in his mouth, Zhang Jingkang turned his head with difficulty and then mumbled, "Su Li."

Song Jianan put down her chopsticks and tried hard to recall the name. She knew the name wasn't unfamiliar to her, but she couldn't remember it for a moment. Zhang Jingkang turned his head and looked again and again. "The class monitor of the next class, the one from Class 8."

She gave a soft "oh" and finally remembered all the rumors about him. He came from the Experimental Middle School, ranking among the top in the city. It seemed that he had been commended at the opening ceremony. It was only natural that he would enter the best science-focused high school.

Rumor has it that he comes from a wealthy family; his father is the mayor of a city, his mother is the director of the city's education bureau, and his older sister, Su Jin, is a well-known entertainment channel host throughout the province.

Seeing her blank expression, Zhang Jingkang tapped her hand with his chopsticks in annoyance, "Hey, Song Jianan, snap out of it! You don't even recognize Su Li? I'm speechless!"

Song Jianan shook her head. "I really don't know. I haven't seen him since the start of the semester."

Zhang Jingkang chuckled, "You have no idea how many girls in our class walk down the left staircase every day just to catch a glimpse of him. But it's strange, he's not a sociable person, yet he's quite popular. Otherwise, he wouldn't be the class monitor of Class 8."

"Then quite a few girls must like him, right?"

"Probably. I don't know about the junior high students, but there were a few in high school, though it's all just rumors. I've also heard that some people confessed to him, but nothing came of it." Zhang Jingkang pouted and said casually, "I'm curious to know what kind of girl someone likes."

Song Jianan smiled and said, "Maybe she's a girl who excels in her studies and is also very pretty."

"Of course! What guy wouldn't like that kind of girl!"

When Song Jianan returned from the office, most of the first-year group activities were already over, and only a handful of students remained in each class. She walked around the long corridor, then crossed the sky bridge on the fourth floor, preparing to return to her class.

Winter afternoons are pitifully short. The dim sunlight shines on the smooth marble, casting her shadow. She slowly approaches. Several people are walking around in the classroom. Class 10 on the right is doing a big cleaning, while on the railing of Class 8 on the left, someone is leaning on it with their head slightly turned to one side. As she gets closer, she sees that it is Su Li.

His hand rested casually on the railing, his gaze fixed on the sky, seemingly focused yet as if he saw nothing at all. His bangs hung neatly beside his ears, and he still had earphones in. She followed his gaze and saw large, thick clouds moving slowly across the sky, with the moon's shadow visible in them, and the horizon a pale red.

So that's what he was looking at. Song Jianan stopped and looked silently down from the fourth-floor skybridge to the third floor. Then she saw someone coming to find Su Li. He took off his headphones, turned around and went into the classroom. From her angle, she blocked the entire view of the classroom.

She didn't know why she stood on the overpass for so long. At that moment, Song Jianan just thought that Su Li looked very unhappy. He was so lonely, a lonely person with his arms supporting him on the railing, facing the sunset, frowning and looking at the sky.

Unaware that her gaze was fixed on Su Li, she couldn't look away.

Later, she described her first impression of Su Li, saying that she couldn't help but look at him; everyone else, anyone or anything else, was just an accessory, unnecessary and nonexistent.

That one glance turned her vibrant youth into a blank sheet of paper. From then on, his name was written on the white background with black ink, indelible and penetrating the paper.

Chapter 2

When did I start to notice this person? Was it when they casually pushed their bikes past me on my way to school every day, or when I deliberately glanced at them from the next classroom after school, or when they were always standing at the front of the line when the music for the morning exercises started?

It seems like there are many opportunities to see him, but the chances of actually seeing him are so few that just one glance fills me with joy, as sweet as honey, a secret little crush.

The midterm exams had just ended, and the scores came out on Monday. Song Jianan performed only so-so, ranking in the middle to upper range of the regular class. However, her weak subject, math, still showed no improvement, and she was saved entirely by her strong subject, Chinese.

During the big cleaning activity, Song Jianan was assigned to wipe the windows. She felt a bit tired and listlessly carried a stool to the corridor, wiping the windows lightly and heavily. She could still hear her mother's words at lunchtime, which were nothing more than discouraging words about how disappointed she was in her. As for her grades, she could only sigh.

Everyone around her was engrossed in discussing the exam when the girls from the next class's chatter drifted into her ears like a ghost: "Su Li got first place in science again this time. Math is so difficult, how could he get 148 points? He's inhuman!"

"Yes, if Qin Yuanyuan hadn't been better at Chinese than him, he would have gotten first place this time."

"Hey, I think they're a good match. I don't know if it's true, but they seem to get along quite well, so it seems like that's the case."

"Hey, keep your voice down, you don't want the whole school to hear you. Let's go to the convenience store and buy something, come on."

The conversation abruptly ended, and the two girls left hand in hand. Song Jianan slowly withdrew her hand from the glass, then jumped off the stool, wiped her hands, and dragged the stool back to her seat.

On the blackboard at the back of the classroom was a conspicuous piece of paper with everyone's name on it, followed by their dream university two years from now. When she saw her name followed by Renmin University of China, a wave of disappointment and helplessness washed over her. She stood there silently for a while, then picked up her wallet and left. Zhang Jingkang, who was sweeping the floor behind her, saw her gloomy appearance and quickly called out to her, "Song Jianan, where are you going?"

"Library." She uttered those three words softly and walked away without looking back, leaving Zhang Jingkang shaking his head and saying to the person next to him, "I guess she didn't do well on the exam, judging by her temper."

Each book was neatly arranged on the bookshelf in a certain order, as orderly as a military parade. Song Jianan liked to wander among the books, placing her hand on the spines and slowly walking to find the book she wanted.

The texture on my hands kept changing, sometimes hard, sometimes soft. Sometimes I would suddenly trip over something, pause for a moment, and then continue sliding through the sea of books. It was a very interesting game.

She wanted to find a geometry reference book to brush up on her abysmal math skills. She remembered that Su Li had gotten the highest math score in the whole grade, and suddenly felt an indescribable sense of loss and inferiority.

There seemed to be someone on the other side as well. The afterglow of the setting sun shone on that person, casting dappled shadows on the bookshelves behind them. Song Jianan's vision was disturbed by the changing light and shadow. She looked up and could barely make out the boy's back through the gaps between the stacked books.

She didn't notice the soft footsteps that passed by. When she looked up, she saw someone she hadn't expected. He still had that indifferent expression, his sleeves casually rolled up on his arms, and he was carrying a large stack of books, heading towards the reading area.

For some unknown reason, Song Jianan suddenly felt her heart racing. The thought of wanting to look but not daring to look occupied her mind. She hurriedly put away the books beside her, grabbed a book, and rushed to the reading area.

Su Li's back was tall and straight. His right hand was resting on his forehead, tilted casually to one side. From the side, you could see his pointed chin and straight nose. His smooth hair bounced in the breeze. His left hand would occasionally turn a page of a book, then pick up a pen and write a few strokes. He still had earplugs in his ears, and the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned.

It must be really good music. I wonder which singer he likes, whether it's foreign or from Hong Kong and Taiwan. Song Jianan secretly thought that if she had the chance, she would definitely recommend Lisa Ono's album to him. That Japanese woman who grew up in Brazil, from her slightly husky and magnetic voice, from the strong sense of nostalgia, you can read a bit of romance, like a cool breeze and warm sunshine whispering in your ear, a faint feeling, just like the aura on his body.

Among the pile of books beside him was a copy of "Wang Houxiong's Complete Guide to Mathematics for the College Entrance Examination," which seemed to be a must-have for every student in the intensive course. She quickly took out a piece of paper to write it down. Suddenly, someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around and saw that the person was looking at her note with curiosity. Then, he pulled up a chair and sat down, saying in a disdainful whisper, "Mathematics doesn't need that many reference books. People without talent should just give up. They won't learn it well no matter how hard they try."

Song Jianan felt uncomfortable listening to this, so she turned her head away and pretended not to see it. As a result, Duan Jiachen chuckled and tugged at her book, "Are you angry? I'm just telling the truth. Don't buy those lousy reference books. Just ask me if you have any questions."

She found him annoying and glared at him fiercely, "Duan Jiachen, what score did you get on your math test? How are you showing off here?"

"145, how about that? Not too high, right? It's mainly because that examiner was too harsh. I missed a few steps, but she didn't hold back at all and made a critical judgment." Duan Jiachen proudly rocked his chair, but unexpectedly, someone walked up behind him and bumped into him with the chair. The large stack of books in his hands "crashed" to the ground, startling everyone reading in the library.

Song Jianan was also startled and stood up. Everyone's eyes were on them, except for Su Li's. She glanced awkwardly at the boy who was not moving, then hurriedly picked up the book, grabbed her books, and walked out.

Even Su Li didn't have time to take another look.

Back in the classroom, she packed her bag to leave, but Duan Jiachen came up to her with a grin, saying, "Song Jianan, you got so grumpy after not doing well on your math test? You're so easily discouraged."

"If you're so capable, go and compete with them in the advanced class. Don't try to boost your confidence by comparing yourself to me," Song Jianan replied coldly, slinging her backpack over her shoulder, grabbing her keys, and preparing to leave.

Duan Jiachen called out to her, then pulled out a brand new book from a messy drawer. "Wang Houxiong, I bought this before. I haven't even turned a single page. You can take it."

She looked at him suspiciously, making Duan Jiachen very uncomfortable. He forced the book into her hands and said, "We've been classmates since kindergarten. I'm not going to help you. By the way, can I borrow your English notes to copy? I barely passed this time. Consider it mutual help."

Song Jianan laughed, took the book, and handed him her English notes. "Don't fold them. You must return them to me the day after tomorrow."

She was delayed a bit while organizing the test papers in the teacher's office, and it was quite late when she went to get her car. It gets dark early, and at the end of the dark corridor, she looked up through the glass window at the distant, scattered lights, but she couldn't see anything at all, only a vast emptiness and countless shadows, which felt terribly oppressive.

The stairwell lights were out for some reason, leaving her alone at the dark stairwell. She slowly made her way down the stairs, holding onto the handrail. Even so, she missed a step on the last one, which startled her so much that her heart nearly jumped out of her throat.

Suddenly, a faint light appeared on the next step, followed by footsteps. Like a lifeline, Song Jianan quickened her pace. Even though she couldn't see clearly, the figure was strangely familiar.

Su Li held a cell phone in his hand, the faint white light illuminating the steps beneath his feet. He had a stack of test papers tucked under his arm, indicating that he had just finished organizing the papers and returned. However, he didn't seem to notice the slight footsteps above him. Song Jianan thought that he must be listening to music with his earphones in again.

Three floors, every step of the stairs, she followed behind him, even her pace was in sync with his. When he turned a corner, she turned a corner too. The wind blew the test paper in his hand, making a rustling sound, a very crisp sound that stirred his heartstrings.

Tiny dust particles danced in the milky white, faint light, their rhythm mirroring that of her ever-beating heart.

Looking at his back, Song Jianan suddenly wondered if this road had no end, would she just keep walking like this forever? If he turned around and saw her, what kind of expression should she have?