Duan Jiachen made a face, still laughing and joking, "You didn't tell me either. Besides, Song Jianan even helped me with my English. We're just returning the favor."
Zhang Jingkang curled his lips, "Oh, childhood sweethearts are really something else. By the way, you two weren't betrothed when you were little, were you?"
Both of them were stunned for a moment, and the people around them immediately burst into laughter. Song Jianan blushed, tugged at Zhang Jingkang's hand, and raised her voice slightly, "Zhang Jingkang, what nonsense are you talking about? Duan Jiachen and I are just friends!"
Duan Jiachen also looked embarrassed. "Don't talk nonsense. Zhang Jingkang, if you need math tutoring, come to me. Don't cause trouble for no reason."
Just then, the homeroom teacher walked in, and someone with sharp eyes immediately exclaimed, "Oh dear, the homeroom teacher is here! I heard recently that teachers are going to have parents brought in for talks, so everyone be careful."
In a flash, everyone rushed back to their seats. Duan Jiachen smiled helplessly at Song Jianan, who returned the smile.
Actually, such a high math score was not my actual level. Many of the questions were from the math worksheets I did during the summer vacation, and the last big question was completely borrowed from that "fleeting glimpse".
By a twist of fate, she actually came in second in the class. She shook her head helplessly; there was no way she could get away with it now.
Song Jianan was alone in the office compiling Chinese test papers. The air conditioning made her drowsy, so she would get up and walk around from time to time to keep from falling asleep. The teachers' office was a standard cubicle, like a series of small secret rooms. She looked around and saw a stack of test papers on the desk of the Chinese teacher of Class 8. She was curious and slowly flipped through them.
Hmm, it seems the intensive classes focused on math, physics, and chemistry, while Chinese was definitely their weak point. However, the high scores were indeed ridiculously high, and the low scores were also quite carefree.
Suddenly, she flipped to a familiar name: Su Li. Ah, a mediocre score. It seems that Chinese is really not his strong suit, but it's much better than Duan Jiachen's. Although his essay was really forced and tasteless, his handwriting was really beautiful, strong yet elegant. He used a blue-black fountain pen, the light color clear and steady, but not ostentatious.
But who uses a fountain pen these days? Song Jianan couldn't help but smile. Su Li was truly a very special person.
She quickly glanced at the clutter on the teacher's desk, and a printed sheet stuck to the wall caught her attention. She looked closer and saw that it contained the contact information of the class officers. The first name on the sheet was Su Li, along with his mobile phone number.
Song Jianan's heart skipped a beat, and she suddenly felt a small, unexpected joy. She nervously looked out the window. School had been over for a while, and no one was passing by. She stared at the number for a long time before she could barely remember it. But she still felt uneasy, so she grabbed a pen and quickly wrote it down on her wrist. She checked it several times before leaving.
It felt like when she was a child and had grabbed two or three extra candies from her mother's candy jar—a mix of surprise, excitement, and the lingering thrill and joy of success. She pushed her bike out of the school alone, the phone number on her wrist flickering under the streetlights. Song Jianan took a deep breath, and a smile slowly bloomed on her face.
Even if she got his phone number, what could she do? He didn't know her, and neither did Song Jianan.
But it seems that this brings me much closer to him.
Back home, after dinner, Mr. Song went to his study to read, while Song Jianan brought a plate of freshly cut apples into her room. She opened her schoolbag, pulled out a jumble of practice problems and spread them on the table, but after reading a few pages, she lost interest and her eyes fell on the number she had carefully memorized in the most hidden place.
Suddenly, the TV in the living room became very loud. Song Jianan heard that it was a weekend entertainment program broadcast by the provincial TV station. The celebrity was innocently playing a game and being punished. The hosts had to try their best to make the audience laugh and please them, but they couldn't offend the celebrity. However, she remembered that Su Li's sister, Su Jin, was the host of this entertainment program with the highest ratings in the province.
She hurriedly took the water glass out. Song's mother, who was leisurely lying on the sofa, asked her impatiently, "What are you doing out here?"
"Oh, have some water." Her gaze swept across the TV screen, where the beautiful host in white, smiling sweetly, was announcing the game segment. The camera zoomed in on her, and at first glance, she really looked like Su Li, especially her face shape, which was almost identical.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly lowered her head and went into the kitchen. Behind her, she could hear her mother calling out, "If you want some water, just say so and I'll pour it for you. After you're done, hurry back and study hard. Don't think you can be careless just because you did well on this exam."
Song Jianan slowly filled her water bottle and returned to her room, where she watched TV again, but there were no more scenes of Su Jin. Under her mother's incessant urging, she reluctantly went back to her room to read.
Her mind was completely off her books. She picked up her phone and looked at it for a while, then repeatedly dialed Su Li's number but didn't have the courage to save it. After thinking it over, she changed her mind and saved it using the name of another girl in her class.
After finishing her homework, she lay exhausted on her bed, put on her headphones, and heard a melancholic and lingering violin sound. It was like strands of silk intertwining and crisscrossing, each note falling like a drop of water through a net. Then, a slightly sad female voice rang out, "I'm sailing on this terrible ocean, I've come for my own retrieval..." Song Jianan sat up and turned on the bedside lamp, watching the dim light flow quietly in the room with the deep night, the night as still as water.
It seemed like a sudden impulse; she grabbed her phone without thinking and typed out, "I really like Sinead O'Connor, and I also really like Lisa Ono. What about you?"
Send it to Su Li.
The lamplight and moonlight intertwined, creating a warm feeling. She helplessly curled the corners of her lips. This was a deliberate prank, as if it had been sent to the wrong person. Perhaps Su Li would just glance at it and delete it without asking any questions.
It turns out that the feeling of liking someone you've never spoken to at first sight is what unrequited love feels like.
She buried her face in the pillow. Suddenly, her phone rang. Within three minutes, he replied, "Lisa Ono is so-so, but I've been listening to Sinead O'Connor a lot lately and I really like him. Irish singers are generally very soulful. You should give him a listen."
Song Jianan stared blankly for a long time, hardly believing her eyes. She thought for a long time but didn't know how to answer, so she could only secretly smile foolishly. At that moment, she felt incredibly happy.
Like a scene from a fairy tale movie, love at first sight seems to promise a dreamlike future.
Author's Note: Two chapters this week, I'll keep my word!
Remember to leave me a message, don't just keep calling me BW.
Chapter 5
The ancient and tranquil city was submerged in a vast fog, the tall clock tower on campus fell silent in the twilight, and the orange glow of the streetlights was shrouded in a hazy mist.
It wasn't even six o'clock yet, but it was already half dark when a group of students pushed their bicycles out of the campus.
Song Jianan pushed her cart and walked with a group of girls, complaining about the school's anniversary celebration not having a holiday. After venting her dissatisfaction, the topic turned to the anniversary performances. Zhang Jingkang asked, "Where are our school's most handsome guys? Are they going to dance again?"
A girl chimed in, "Who knows? I heard they formed some kind of band and they're really into it."
"Last time they even did Michael Jackson's moonwalk, oh my god, it was absolutely hilarious."
"Yeah, yeah, it's awful. And the junior high girls are screaming nonstop. I really don't understand them. Have all the boys in our school gone sluggish? How come none of them can dance or sing well?"
"Yeah, yeah, it's not as good as No. 2 High School. The boys there are all good at getting into Beijing Broadcasting Institute and Shanghai Theatre Academy."
Song Jianan recalled a time when she discussed Michael Jackson's songs with Su Li. Su Li described them as flashy but impractical. Although she had some reservations, after listening to so much Irish music, she really felt that popularity wasn't necessarily eternal.
She and Su Li rarely chatted, only exchanging information about the novels they had recently read and the music they had been listening to. And every time, she had to muster up the courage to start a conversation with him. From the initial excitement to the faint sense of loss now, she didn't know why.
Each time, her own initiative and Su Li's unconscious passivity made her feel somewhat tired. In front of Su Li, Song Jianan was timid, weak, and inferior. She didn't know how to change this situation, so she could only let nature take its course.
Someone called her name from behind, and the group of girls stopped. Song Jianan smiled and said, "Chen Yingying, we've been waiting for you for a long time, where did you go?"
The girl, sweating profusely from running, answered between breaths, "The Academic Affairs Office, helping the teachers compile the list of scholarship recipients for the school anniversary celebration."
Upon hearing the word "scholarship," everyone erupted in excitement. "I heard that this year is the centennial celebration of the school, so the number of scholarships has doubled," Zhang Jingkang asked confidently. "Is that right, Chen Yingying?"
"Yes, there are plenty of spots this year. By the way, Song Jianan, you got second place, so hurry up and treat us to dinner!"
She stood there completely stunned. "No way? I got second prize? Are you sure you didn't see it wrong?"
Chen Yingying laughed and said, "My eyes aren't playing tricks on me. There are only three spots in our class. You get second place, Duan Jiachen and the class monitor get third place, and oh right, there's also the first prize, which goes to the study committee member from the advanced class. I forgot what his name is."
"The advanced class, Class 8, where is their class monitor, Su Li?" someone immediately asked.
"It's like this," Chen Yingying lowered her voice slightly, "I heard it from the teacher. Su Li originally won first prize, but he later asked the teacher to give it to their class's academic representative. Apparently, the academic representative is a student from a poor family, and the first prize is almost twice the amount of the second prize. That academic representative is also arrogant and never accepts any open help from others, so they had to do it this way. By the way, don't tell anyone about this, okay?"
"Okay, don't worry."
The girls exclaimed in admiration and sighs, and Song Jianan smiled and echoed them. She remembered Su Li's always indifferent expression and aloof demeanor, but beneath his coldness lay an approachable and caring side that he had never revealed to anyone.
A ripple of emotion stirred within her as she silently murmured Su Li's name, her affection for him growing stronger without her even realizing it.
It rained heavily on the day of the school anniversary. The leaves of the school's sycamore trees fell one after another onto the aisle. Only a few scattered leaves still retained their former vitality, which made people feel a little desolate for a moment.
Song Jianan was late. She rushed to the auditorium in the rain, and the teacher in charge of the event grabbed her and said, "Why are you so late? Quickly find a seat. The leaders will be here to present the awards soon. Second row on the right, see?"
She nodded quickly and awkwardly ran to the second row under everyone's gaze. There was only one empty seat, so she sat down without hesitation. Just as she took out a tissue to wipe the rain, the person next to her handed her a program. She took it without thinking and didn't even say thank you.
Song Jianan glanced at the awards ceremony quickly. The scholarship ceremony wasn't supposed to start until halfway through when suddenly all the lights in the hall went out, plunging the hall into darkness. The students on the floor gasped, and a faint light appeared beside her, white light shining through her fingers. Then the stage lights came on, and she unconsciously glanced at the person sitting next to her. That person was also looking at her, and their eyes met. Song Jianan's mind went blank for a moment—Su Li was sitting right next to her.
Su Li smiled, then turned his face away, put his phone in his pocket, closed his eyes, propped his head up with his hands, and frowned slightly, looking very tired. Song Jianan was stunned for a long time. She tried to keep her head down, her heart pounding.
Seeing Su Li up close for the first time, Song Jianan could only pretend to watch the show and secretly observe him. When his eyes were closed, she could clearly see his long eyelashes. His face was bathed in a golden glow, which was very vivid. There was cheerful music on the stage and applause from the audience, but she heard nothing but her own heartbeat and Su Li's shallow breathing.
The program she was holding was soaked with sweat. She had never been so nervous before. Song Jianan was almost restless, and strange thoughts were swirling in her mind—did Su Li know that she was the girl who sent him the message? What would happen if he knew? No, how could he possibly know?
About half an hour later, all the lights came back on, and then the familiar march began to play. The teacher in charge of the event waved, and then the hostess said, "Please come up to the stage to receive your scholarships."
Song Jianan looked nervously at Su Li, who was still fast asleep. Just as she was about to quietly tug at his clothes, a girl behind her poked him with a rolled-up piece of program material. "Wake up, Su Li."
The boy opened his eyes, a mischievous smile appearing on his lips. He slowly turned his head and joked, "Qin Yuanyuan, I didn't really sleep. If I had, you'd help me claim the prize and I'd give you half of the travel expenses."
Song Jianan couldn't help but turn her head to look at the girl named Qin Yuanyuan. She was strikingly beautiful, and her smile had a radiant charm. She seemed to be very familiar with Su Li. Qin Yuanyuan also smiled and spoke aggressively, "I don't want it. I don't need your scholarship money. So what if I get third place? Are you looking down on me?"
Su Li shook his head. "Who looks down on you? I'm not going to waste my breath on you. I'm going up now. We'll treat you to dinner tonight. Think about where you want to go." Then he stood up and straightened his clothes. Song Jianan was still looking at Su Li with a blank expression. He smiled knowingly. "Classmate, it's time to go on stage."
She received the second-class scholarship certificate, shook hands with the kind-hearted leader, and then took a group photo. Su Li was right next to her. The light flashed, and the scene was firmly and permanently recorded.
Years later, when Song Jianan saw the photo again, she had a pretty face and a sincere smile. She was holding a certificate in her hand, her eyes were half-closed, and she looked very happy. To her left stood the person she had a crush on in her youth. The boy slightly raised his chin and showed a faint smile, but he still seemed aloof. The distance between them was only ten centimeters, but it was the closest she had ever been to him.
At that time, Song Jianan just smiled foolishly and happily while holding the photo. For a long time afterward, that photo was buried at the bottom of her memory and was never easily shown.
After the awards ceremony, they left. It was still raining, and the sky was overcast. Everyone else had left, but Song Jianan stood on the steps, jumping up and down, worried that she hadn't brought an umbrella.
Duan Jiachen walked out of the auditorium and saw Song Jianan staring blankly at the sky. He immediately waved in front of her and said, "Snap out of it! Second prize. Why didn't you bring an umbrella?"
"Yeah, I didn't bring an umbrella. How am I going to get back? Duan Jiachen, you didn't bring one either!"
“It wasn’t raining at all when we left.” He reached out to test the rain, then quickly took off his coat and tossed it to Song Jianan. “Put this on, let’s rush out together. We can find an umbrella anywhere once we get to the classroom.”
Song Jianan looked at him suspiciously, "Duan Jiachen, you're not expressing yourself clearly. You're only wearing a shirt, and it's raining, you're bound to catch a cold. Put your clothes on."
"Woman, why are you talking so much nonsense? You could have run to the classroom by now." Duan Jiachen's teeth were chattering from the cold, but he still tried his best to keep his voice steady. "Hurry up, I'll count to three and you're ready to go."
The raindrops shattered before them, and fine lines of water, carrying the chill of late autumn, drifted densely and obliquely in the air, splashing water at their feet and causing a bone-chilling cold.
When they reached the teaching building, their trouser legs were already mostly wet. Song Jianan wiped her soaked bangs and handed the clothes to Duan Jiachen, saying, "You should put these on quickly, or you'll catch a cold."
A few strands of Song Jianan's bangs were damp and fell onto her forehead, glistening water droplets running down her face. Her eyes were misty, yet clear and bright. She casually wiped her face with her sleeve, then grinned. Duan Jiachen's heart raced for some reason. He grabbed the clothes, his face slightly flushed, and turned to leave.
She thought he was freezing and wanted to go to the duty room to warm up, so she hurriedly called out from behind, "Duan Jiachen, hurry home and take some cold medicine, be careful not to catch a cold. I'm going to the classroom now."
The boy was flustered. That moment was like many times, yet different from many times. His state of mind was slowly changing. He clearly realized that the feeling was love.
Author's Note: There will be another update tomorrow.
Anyway, this story is about unrequited love, it's very bland, I didn't write it with any passion, and I can't write anything too passionate.