But she was so insignificant and insecure that she had to be careful even when she looked at him. Even if he turned around and saw her, he would not notice her when they met again the next day. To him, she was always a non-existent existence.
Let her keep a little secret that belongs only to her.
Su Li didn't go to the garage, but walked straight to the school gate. Song Jianan saw a white car parked at the gate, and then he walked over, and the car drove off and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
She silently went back to the garage to get her car, feeling both happy and melancholy. Su Li's face kept flashing through her mind, appearing and disappearing repeatedly. He was such a gloomy boy, with a faint, unyielding sorrow between his brows and eyes, yet this boy had captured all her attention.
But she didn't think much of it. She secretly told herself that maybe people are the type to judge by appearances. Su Li was so outstanding, it was impossible for her not to notice or pay attention to him.
Song Jianan rode her bike slowly, surrounded by flashing neon lights. She walked into a familiar bookstore, carefully selected some reference books, and then went to her usual music store to buy Lisa Ono's new album.
She slowly smiled, facing the cool autumn night breeze, secretly encouraging herself.
Song Jianan really wanted to ask Su Li, "I really like Lisa Ono, what about you?"
Chapter 3
"Add an auxiliary line here, then raise it higher, and then you'll be fine!"
"Hey, Duan Jiachen, wait a minute, where am I?"
"Song Jianan, you're so stupid! Here, you fill in here, then draw the height. Knowing the length of this part, you can find the length of this part. Do you understand now?"
She bit her lip with difficulty, "I still can't. When you say 'slower,' I can't react."
Duan Jiachen slumped dejectedly in his chair. "Song Jianan, you're really stupid. I don't care anymore. I've said it before: people without talent shouldn't study math. You're just torturing yourself."
"How could I want to study math? I hate this dreadful thing! If it weren't for the college entrance exam, I wouldn't be working myself to the bone doing math problems. I get so nervous before every math exam that I can't sleep!" Song Jianan lowered her head slightly. "I know math requires talent, but I just don't get it."
Duan Jiachen felt a little remorseful after hearing this. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry, I was too harsh. Let's take it slow. Since we can't get a high score, let's just make sure we get the basic score."
"Look, this question tests knowledge of arithmetic sequences..."
The door lock turned gently, and a middle-aged woman, covered in sweat, entered carrying several plastic bags. Upon seeing her, Song Jianan quickly dropped her pen and ran over, saying, "Mom, let me help you."
Duan Jiachen also stood up, but Song's mother quickly waved her hand, "No need, no need. I just bought a watermelon. Nannan, please put it in the refrigerator for me first. When Xiaochen leaves, take half of it with him. The watermelon is really good today, it's all sandy and juicy."
Duan Jiachen smiled awkwardly, "Auntie, no need. I'm having dinner at Uncle's house today, so it's inconvenient."
"Sigh, we've been neighbors for so many years, why are you still being so polite with Auntie? By the way, my Nannan's math is terrible; she didn't even get above average on the final exam! It's driving me crazy! Luckily, I ran into your mom last time..."
Song's mother was getting more and more worked up, so Song Jianan quickly interrupted her, "Mom, I still have a few questions to ask Duan Jiachen. You go ahead and do your work. I'll freeze the watermelon."
"Alright, Nan Nan, you should learn a lot from Xiao Chen. I'll get back to work now."
The room returned to a temporary tranquility. The scorching sunlight shone through the windows, spreading heat into the air, while the air conditioner on the wall blasted out bursts of cool air, making the study materials and reference books rustle.
Duan Jiachen looked a little uncomfortable after being praised, and it took him a while to recover. Song Jianan, on the other hand, was completely attracted by the chirping sparrows on the windowsill. It was rare to see such flying creatures in a high-rise building, and she couldn't help but chuckle to herself.
He picked up the study guide and saw a wrong answer. He wanted to call Song Jianan to correct it, but he froze as soon as he raised his eyes. He didn't know what to say for a long time, and opened his mouth but then closed it again.
She tilted her head, leaning on the table, motionless as if engrossed in something. The scorching sunlight streamed through the window, falling on her face. She was smiling, her little tiger teeth showing, her dimples deep, and her eyes like morning dew rolling on lotus leaves, the sweet smile reaching deep into her eyes.
In that instant, his heart was struck hard. Reason told him that it was wrong to stare at a girl so brazenly, but he couldn't take his eyes off her face.
Like sunlight, it bursts forth fiercely amidst the dark clouds, dazzling and breathtaking.
Song Jianan didn't notice Duan Jiachen's strange behavior. The sparrows outside the window flapped their wings and flew away. She turned her head and saw Duan Jiachen staring blankly at her. She waved her hand in front of his eyes and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
He was startled, quickly regained his senses, and grabbed the worksheet to cover it up, saying, "No, there's a mistake here."
"Ugh—I got it wrong again. I finally figured it out." Song Jianan picked up her pen in frustration. "I get a headache just thinking about math. Duan Jiachen, why are you so good at math? I wish you could give me half of it."
He suddenly became at a loss, "If I could share, I would definitely give you half."
Song Jianan, on the other hand, was somewhat surprised. A small joy flashed in her eyes, and then she smiled and said casually while checking, "Duan Jiachen, sometimes you really like to tease me, but sometimes you're really nice to me. It's hard not to like you—oh dear, I remembered the trigonometric function formula wrong."
She frantically used transparent tape to cover up the wrong steps, habitually pursing her lips as she nervously wrote down each step of the calculation formula. Such ordinary actions stirred up ripples in Duan Jiachen's heart.
After finishing the homework, Duan Jiachen said he wanted to go out for dinner. Song's mother didn't ask him to stay. She asked Song Jianan to cut half a watermelon and carry it over for him. It was so hot outside that Song Jianan was too lazy to speak, and Duan Jiachen was unusually silent.
They arrived at Duan Jiachen's building. Song Jianan didn't want to stay outside for a moment longer and quickly said she wanted to go home and enjoy the air conditioning. Duan Jiachen suddenly wanted to say something, so he called out to Song Jianan, "Hey, um, um—"
"What?" Song Jianan pulled her outstretched foot back. "What is it?"
He didn't know how to start, so he ran his fingers through his hair and stammered, "Um, I..." He couldn't find a topic to start the conversation.
Song Jianan wiped the sweat from her forehead, somewhat impatiently, "Duan Jiachen, just say what you want to say! It's so hot, you can't just leave me standing here like this!"
"It's nothing, it's nothing. I just wanted to ask when you're going to school and what time it is?"
"Oh, is that it? Reporting is at nine o'clock the day after tomorrow. Don't forget to bring your tuition." Song Jianan waved her hand. "I'm leaving now. Call me if you need anything else." She turned and left.
He was still holding half a watermelon in his hands. The cool water droplets fell on the dry ground and evaporated instantly. He felt a little anxious, but also a little cool, as if he were soaking in iced tea and lemonade, which was indescribably refreshing.
The next day was the start of school, and as usual, Song Jianan planned to go to the bookstore to buy the reference books that her teacher had listed. She browsed the bookstore for a long time, and then went to McDonald's to buy an ice cream cone.
She was waiting for the train at the subway station. All the young girls coming and going were dressed fashionably and dressed sweetly and cutely, wearing sundresses, jeans, and sparkling jewelry, which dazzled her. Meanwhile, she, a girl in an ordinary sports T-shirt and shorts, with an unremarkable face, was reflected in the bright pillar and seemed out of place with her surroundings.
She was neither beautiful nor had any outstanding achievements; she was just like a grain of sand on the beach, utterly ordinary.
Perhaps after entering university, I will transform and become a completely different person.
The train sped past her and then slowly came to a stop. The automatic doors opened, and people got off. She followed the crowd and rushed in. The carriage was crowded, and she was squeezed against the railing, looking at the people around her. Suddenly, a figure caught her eye. Such a familiar figure—who else could it be but Su Li?
Her eyes lit up, and she wanted to move forward to get a closer look at him, but the carriage was packed with people, and even breathing was difficult. She was only able to move forward a little when the train finally stopped at the station, but Su Li's figure flickered and disappeared from sight after walking out of the carriage with the crowd.
The car door slowly closed, the translucent white light gradually disappeared, and the gap where the curtain slowly closed cut off the frozen gaze.
Song Jianan breathed a long sigh of relief, feeling that it was actually a good thing that she didn't have to face him so awkwardly.
Summer vacation is over, and there will be more opportunities to see him. Thinking about this, she felt good.
On the second day of school, a diagnostic test was held as usual. All the students in the grade were shuffled, and the test rooms were arranged according to the academic affairs office's system. Song Jianan was lucky enough to stay in the class and sat in Duan Jiachen's seat.
Duan Jiachen's desk was very clean, unlike the usual boys who would doodle on it. Song Jianan said to Duan Jiachen, who was packing his schoolbag, "If only I could sit in your seat and borrow some good luck, I'd be really afraid of math."
"If you read the questions carefully, you'll be fine. For the last two big questions, just focus on the easier ones from the beginning." Duan Jiachen laughed. "If you do well on the exam, you have to treat me to dinner."
"No problem. If I do well on my math test, my mom will treat you to dinner."
Duan Jiachen slung his backpack over his shoulder. "I'm taking the exam in Class 3. If you have any questions about physics or chemistry, feel free to come to me. Good luck!"
Song Jianan waved back, "Okay, you keep it up!"
The bright sunlight outside the window was overwhelming, and the September sky still carried the lingering charm of summer. On both sides of the teaching building were lush plane trees, seemingly many years old, so every summer, the entire avenue was covered in dense shade, with only sparse dappled sunlight falling onto the road.
People came and went in the classroom. She rested her head on her hand, looking at the sunlight outside. The electric fan was whirring overhead. Then someone walked up and sat down in front of her, and pushed the window forward. Song Jianan looked up and saw Su Li sitting in the seat in front of her, taking a pen out of his bag and sitting there quietly by himself.
Since school hadn't officially started yet, he wasn't wearing his school uniform. The light blue shirt suited his style perfectly. He had his eyes closed, and as usual, he had earphones in, playing loudly. Song Jianan could vaguely make out the lyrics: "Thank you for breaking my heart. Thank you for tearing me up. Now I am a strong, strong heart."
It's a song by Sinead O'Connor, the song by that sensitive and melancholic Irish woman.
Song Jianan silently gazed at the thin, lonely boy in front of her. She suddenly realized that every time she met him, she was always used to his back view. He seemed completely unaware, remaining aloof and indifferent.
He lives forever in his own world, and she fabricates their story within her own.
Author's Note: There will be another update tomorrow.
Chapter 4
The rapidly spinning electric fan in the classroom made Song Jianan feel irritated. The mathematical symbols she was writing transformed into mischievous musical notes, shaking restlessly. She felt dizzy, and a song she really hated started playing in her ears that she couldn't shake off.
Suddenly, a soft, low "Report!" broke the silence of the classroom, interrupting everyone's thoughts. The voice was very soft and low, but it strangely pierced through the eerie music in Song Jianan's ears. There was a kind of inexplicable sadness, but it made people feel at ease. She looked up and heard the boy in front of her ask, "Teacher, can I borrow a small ruler?"
The proctor walked over from behind, picked up the small ruler from Song Jianan's desk, and handed it to him. Song Jianan was startled, then lowered his head to doodle on the draft paper, but his mind was on the person in front of him.
A moment later, the sound of the plastic and wooden board separating as the ruler returned along the same path pulled Song Jianan back to her senses. The pair of slender fingers were withdrawn again, and all she could see was the back of the figure.
She gripped the small ruler, took a deep breath, and buried herself in the problem, starting to work on it seriously.
The last two questions were still the teacher's trump card. Song Jianan helplessly lay on the table in resentment. "These questions are so difficult, they should be used to test Einstein. Is it really an achievement to stump us?"
Well, since she already had the basic points even if she didn't do it, she decided to check everything carefully from beginning to end. She looked up unintentionally and saw Su Li resting his head on his hand, looking intently out the window.
The early autumn sky was a deep, bright blue, with large, thick clouds that moved and shifted rapidly across the sky, like endless cotton candy from childhood, each bit a sweet little joy.
So that's what he was looking at. Song Jianan chuckled softly, turning her gaze away from the beautiful scenery, but she inadvertently noticed that a large part of Su Li's math test paper was sticking out, with the last big question clearly visible.
She was startled and quickly lowered her head, afraid that the proctor sitting at the back would come up and knock on her desk. But she couldn't help but want to see how the auxiliary line was drawn. Based on her first impression, she tried to draw on the draft and actually figured out two answers.
Su Li remained the same, slightly raising his chin and silently gazing out the window, oblivious to everyone around him.
He was always the first to leave the classroom, carrying his backpack without saying a word. Even if someone came up to him to ask for the answers, he would just respond indifferently, "I'm not sure, it might be like this. Why don't you ask someone else?" Or he would say, "It's over now. Just prepare well for the next one. If it affects your mood, it will affect your performance."
Looking at him, Song Jianan suddenly felt a pang of sadness. She began to hate her own inferiority complex and timidity. Su Li was sitting right in front of her, but she didn't have the courage to call out to him and then ask with a smile, "What's the sixth multiple choice?"
She could only secretly watch him from behind, noticing the way he held his pen, his absent-minded look, and his contented expression with his eyes closed.
The three-day diagnostic test completely demoralized the children who had been playing and relaxing during the summer vacation. The classroom was also lifeless. The homeroom teacher and subject teachers took turns to give them earnest advice, and the pressure of the college entrance examination followed one after another.
Song Jianan was worried about her rapid improvement in math scores. The math teacher praised her by name in class, and many people looked at her with surprise and doubt. Only Duan Jiachen smiled and took credit, saying, "It's all because I forced her to study during the summer vacation."
Zhang Jingkang, standing to the side, smiled somewhat forcedly, "Duan Jiachen, why don't you ever tutor me? Song Jianan is incredibly good at humanities, and she'll be either first or second in the rankings. What are poor peasants like us supposed to do!"