El hibisco como pintura

Capítulo 10

Suddenly, the male student stood up and quickly snatched the phone from Gao Xiaoyuan's hand.

"What are you doing!" Gao Xiaoyuan shouted anxiously.

"Is your phone broken?" The male student looked through the phone, opened the cover, took out the SIM card and inserted it into his own phone, then shoved his phone into Gao Xiaoyuan's arms: "Here, take my phone."

"I don't want it...that phone isn't..."

The male student completely ignored Gao Xiaoyuan, turned around and strode away. After a few steps, he waved his hand and said, "No need to thank me!"

"You...hey—" Gao Xiaoyuan sat down on the ground in anger: "How can there be such an unreasonable person in the world! It's infuriating!"

Suddenly, a hand reached out from behind Gao Xiaoyuan and gently rested on her shoulder...

Erlin Nana

Gao Xiaoyuan sat nervously, not daring to turn her head, with that hand resting on her shoulder.

"Are you Gao Xiaoyuan?"

Gao Xiaoyuan turned her head in alarm, only to find a high school girl of similar age standing in front of her. She had a round, baby-faced girl, thin glasses, and large, slightly bewildered eyes. Her neat bangs and long, flowing hair made her look like Arale from a Japanese anime.

How do you know my name?

The girl smiled sweetly, revealing two deep dimples at the corners of her mouth: "My name is Lin Nana. I'm in the same grade as you, but I'm in Class 4. You probably don't remember me."

Gao Xiaoyuan quickly stood up from the ground and said somewhat embarrassedly, "There were too many freshmen, I didn't pay much attention."

Lin Nana looked Gao Xiaoyuan up and down, her eyes fixed on the phone in Gao Xiaoyuan's hand: "Why are you standing here? Did something happen?"

"Oh, it's nothing." Gao Xiaoyuan casually reached for her phone in her bag, but it rang again. She quickly picked it up; it was the same number, the same message, the same photo: "This phone isn't..."

"Hey, isn't this the Love and Care Orphanage?" Lin Nana murmured, looking at the photo on her phone.

“Orphanage…” Gao Xiaoyuan froze. She suddenly felt something floating in her mind, and she wanted to grab it but couldn’t.

"Yes, this place is not far from my home, so I recognized it as soon as I saw the photo."

A strange light suddenly flashed in Gao Xiaoyuan's eyes: "You really know where this orphanage is?"

"Yes, do you want to go?" Lin Nana looked at Gao Xiaoyuan: "If you want to go, I can take you."

"You?" Gao Xiaoyuan looked at Lin Nana with a surprised expression.

"Let's be friends!" Lin Nana said, extending her hand enthusiastically.

Gao Xiaoyuan stared blankly at Lin Nana's outstretched hand, a strange feeling suddenly rising in her heart. She slowly extended her own hand.

Back home, Gao Xiaoyuan marked the 16th on the calendar, the day she and Lin Nana were supposed to visit the orphanage. Although it was their first meeting, she had a very good impression of Lin Nana, and perhaps the two of them could become friends.

From childhood to adulthood, Gao Xiaoyuan has never had any friends because she is too introverted and unwilling to interact with others. Her lonely personality has destined her to have no friends, but now she hopes to have one.

"Bang—" The door to the room was suddenly opened, and Gao Xiaoyuan looked up sharply at the doorway.

Li Yu looked at Gao Xiaoyuan with a serious expression. Gao Xiaoyuan was still wearing a suit, so she had just returned.

"Mom, you're back." Gao Xiaoyuan was already used to it, so she didn't react at all.

"Xiaoyuan, I heard from Teacher Duan that you're in a relationship, is that true?"

Gao Xiaoyuan frowned. She disliked her new homeroom teacher, who was like a gossipy hen with feathers stuck in her hair, constantly chattering and tattled on parents, usually making things up. It seemed that Teacher Duan must have told her about a boy getting injured because of her and her being with him in the hospital, and she must have embellished the story.

"Who is that boy?" Li Yu plopped down on the bed and glared at Gao Xiaoyuan.

"Mom, he got hurt because of me, that's why I went to the hospital..."

Before Gao Xiaoyuan could finish speaking, Li Yu interrupted her: "Spending three days in the hospital with a boy, is that respectable if word gets out!"

"That damned Teacher Duan!" Gao Xiaoyuan cursed inwardly.

Who exactly is he?

"I have no idea."

"Speak quickly!"

"Mom, I really don't know. If you want to know, go ask Teacher Duan!" Gao Xiaoyuan turned around, picked up her diary and started writing, ignoring Li Yu.

Li Yu stood up angrily, snatched the diary from Gao Xiaoyuan's hand, and threw it forcefully on the ground.

The origami crane fell out of the diary and landed right next to Li Yu's feet. Li Yu didn't see it and yelled at Gao Xiaoyuan, "If I find out you're dating, I'll teach you a lesson!" With that, Li Yu stepped over the origami crane and walked away.

Gao Xiaoyuan looked sadly at the origami crane, bent down to pick it up, and tears streamed down her face in that instant.

"Xu An, I'm sorry."

Gao Xiaoyuan looked up at the stars in the night sky.

Early romance... Gao Xiaoyuan just wanted to cry. How many parents could understand what she was really thinking deep down? Gao Xiaoyuan hugged the origami crane tightly to her chest.

The answer was found in the orphanage.

Early Saturday morning, Gao Xiaoyuan made an appointment with Lin Nana. Although she was not entirely sure, she believed that her idea was correct.

The fact that a lost phone happened to have a picture of an orphanage seemed like a coincidence, a premonition, or even someone guiding her. She also remembered Xu An telling her that all the students in Class 0 of the first year of high school were orphans. If Peng Zhi was an orphan, Su Siyu was an orphan, then Li Wenbin must also be an orphan. This meant that Principal Chen's mention of Li Wenbin's parents must be his adoptive parents. Since she couldn't find Li Wenbin's adoptive parents, she decided to go to the orphanage first; perhaps she would make a surprising discovery.

When the car stopped, Gao Xiaoyuan immediately spotted Lin Nana, beaming with joy, standing by the bus stop sign in a light green dress, waving at her. Gao Xiaoyuan got off the bus and went to Lin Nana's side, eagerly asking, "Where's the orphanage?"

Lin Nana immediately smiled, "You really are impatient." Lin Nana looked up and pointed behind Gao Xiaoyuan.

When Gao Xiaoyuan turned around, she immediately saw a small white building not far away, with the words "Love and Care Orphanage" written in dark red on the building.

The orphanage director was a kind old lady, dressed in a simple gray shirt and white trousers. Her silver curly hair was neatly styled, and her rosy cheeks radiated confidence. She was sitting opposite Gao Xiaoyuan, smiling at her.

"Child, is something wrong?"

"I..." Gao Xiaoyuan was a little nervous, her gaze casually drifting out the window.

Outside the window in the courtyard, Lin Nana sat on a swing, smiling as she watched the children playing in front of her. Gao Xiaoyuan envied the relaxed expression on her face.

"Child, is there anything you want to say?" the director asked patiently.

Hearing the dean's voice, Gao Xiaoyuan turned her gaze from outside the window.

Xu An once said that the students in Class 0 of the first year of high school were all orphans, so perhaps they really are related to this orphanage.

"I'd like to ask if there was ever a child named Xu An here?" Gao Xiaoyuan asked tentatively.

“Xu An…” The dean frowned and thought for a moment, then shook his head: “No.”

"And what about Prince Qiu?"

No, not at all.

"Are you sure?" Gao Xiaoyuan asked anxiously.

“All the children who have come here are remembered here,” the director said with a smile, pointing to his head. “They were all very lovely children, and although I am old, I will never forget their names.”

Gao Xiaoyuan lowered her head in disappointment: "Then... are you familiar with these names, Peng Zhi, Su Siyu, and Li Wenbin?"

“Li Wenbin? He used to be one of the kids from here.”

Gao Xiaoyuan excitedly raised her head, looking at the dean with surprise: "Then...then..." Gao Xiaoyuan suddenly didn't know what to ask. Li Wenbin disappeared after stabbing Xu An, but why didn't Li Wenbin die like Peng Zhi and Su Siyu? Why did he keep hiding? What exactly happened back then?

"Dean, do you know about Li Wenbin?" Gao Xiaoyuan asked cautiously.

"Sigh, I heard about it. It seems like it happened a year ago. He perished in a fire." At this point, the dean couldn't help but sigh softly, "I never thought that fire would also kill Zhuo Fan..." The dean couldn't continue, wiping away the tears in his eyes and turning his head to the side.

Zhuo Fan? A fire? Could it be...?

"Who is Zhuo Fan?"

“He is Wenbin’s friend, Deng Zhuofan. They grew up in an orphanage and have always been friends. Later, they even went to the same high school together.”

"Beiqing High School!"

The dean slightly raised his head: "That's right, it's that school. How did you know?" The dean looked Gao Xiaoyuan up and down.

"I am a student at Beiqing High School," Gao Xiaoyuan said shyly.

The dean looked Gao Xiaoyuan up and down again: "Oh, I see."

"You just said that Li Wenbin and Deng Zhuofan entered the same high school. Are they classmates?"

The dean nodded.

Gao Xiaoyuan took a deep breath, her heart pounding: "Do you still have any photos of Deng Zhuofan?"

The dean looked at Gao Xiaoyuan with a puzzled expression.

“I know Li Wenbin, he is my friend.” Although it was a lie, Gao Xiaoyuan believed it was well-intentioned.

The director readily pulled out some old photos. Although they were quite old, they were well-preserved, and it was clear that the director truly loved these children.

“Look, this is Li Wenbin when he was a child,” the dean said, pointing to one of the photos.

Gao Xiaoyuan leaned closer. The child in the photo had a childish face, looking about five or six years old, but his features were strikingly similar to those of the grown-up Li Wenbin. It seemed he really was Li Wenbin. Standing next to him was another boy, who also looked about five or six years old, but already had a handsome and unruly look on his face.

"That's Deng Zhuofan. He's very handsome. It's such a pity..."

Deng Zhuofan was indeed very handsome, but Gao Xiaoyuan felt his face looked familiar, as if she had seen him somewhere before. Where exactly had she seen him?

Gao Xiaoyuan's eyes suddenly widened. She remembered—the male student who had fought, the male student who had snatched the phone. Yes, it was him!

Three new transfer students

Early morning, in the classroom.

The students were either chatting or running around playing, but Gao Xiaoyuan listlessly walked to her seat and sat down, staring blankly at the floor.

Weren't all the students in Class 0 of Grade 11 dead? How come some are still alive? What exactly happened? Why is Principal Chen unwilling to tell her the names of those students from Class 0 of Grade 11? Does she have some unspeakable secret?

"Class, class is starting!" The speaker was Ms. Duan, the newly appointed homeroom teacher of Class 3, Grade 11. She looked to be in her forties, with a serious expression and a stern tone, so once she spoke, no student dared to utter a sound.

"Before class begins, I'd like to introduce a new transfer student."

Gao Xiaoyuan was still in a daze. During this time, she had no mood to listen to the lectures or do her homework properly. Her mind was full of things about Class 0 of the first year of high school.

"Gao Xiaoyuan!" The sharp-eyed teacher Duan spotted Gao Xiaoyuan, who was in a daze, and roared.

Gao Xiaoyuan did not respond.