After the “Jingzhe” (Awakening of Insects) solar term, the weather gradually warmed up, and it was another Monday, marking the end of everyone’s holidays.
Except for senior year students. Because senior year students have no holidays at all.
Senior year students often exude a special aura; even though everyone wears the same school uniform, they are still easily distinguishable. During the flag-raising ceremony every Monday, the vast crowd on the playground, the most “lifeless” looking section, is the senior year queue.
The college entrance examination is approaching, which is already annoying, and then every Monday, we have to stand like idiots listening to idiotic school leaders say idiotic things, making it even more annoying.
The principal was speaking on stage, but few were listening attentively. Someone nearby yawned, and Xiang Di followed suit.
It wasn’t until the principal mentioned the recent senior year joint examination that she instantly opened her eyes wide.
Discussions erupted around her.
“Nani?”
“Moragou?”
“It’s out so soon? What kind of ridiculous grading teachers are these?”
“Oh no, I don’t want to know.”
The joint examination is an old tradition for senior year students, with questions jointly set by eight key high schools in the city, abbreviated as the “Eight Schools Joint Examination.”
The joint examination questions have always been more difficult than the college entrance examination, and students dread these major joint exams. However, the principal was beaming, announcing good news to all teachers and students: the senior year’s overall performance in this joint examination was excellent, surpassing their sister schools. Especially this time, the student who achieved first place in the physics category was from their school.
At this point, even the uninvolved first and second-year students let out exclamations.
“Wow? Awesome.”
“Unbelievable.”
“My goodness, who is it? So amazing.”
However, some well-connected individuals who knew senior year students were much calmer at this moment. They could guess who it was without the principal revealing it.
Not to mention those in senior year; having taken so many exams, everyone knew exactly who would get first place, unless a dark horse could completely outshine that person.
“Bo Jiangxin, right?”
“If it’s not Bo Jiangxin, I’ll eat my test paper.”
Xiang Di didn’t participate in the discussion, but she also felt it must be Bo Jiangxin.
She silently clasped her hands together in her heart, only praying that she could do a little better this time.
She didn’t aspire to get first place, as that was unrealistic, but at least to be a little closer to him.
The principal announced the name of the first-place student.
“It’s classmate Bo Jiangxin from Senior Year (97) Class. Everyone should learn from him.”
A chorus of “I knew it” predictions immediately rose from the senior year section. Students from other classes collectively looked towards the 97th class’s queue. The difficulty of this joint examination was considerable, and everyone wanted to bask in the glory of the first-place student, hoping it would bless them to get all answers right on their next exam.
Receiving envious and complex glances from his colleagues, Chen Jinghua, the homeroom teacher of Class 97, felt quite proud, thinking that the college entrance examination should be stable this time, and without any surprises, the top scholar would be from their class.
Chen Jinghua intended to give Bo Jiangxin an approving look, but when he looked at his class’s queue, he couldn’t see him.
Chen Jinghua asked, “Where’s Bo Jiangxin?”
Ye Minjia, who had the best relationship with Bo Jiangxin in the class, said, “Teacher, he went to pee. He really couldn’t hold it anymore.”
Chen Jinghua’s expression stiffened, and suppressed laughter rippled through the queue.
Holding pee is actually a very normal phenomenon; everyone has had to hold their pee a few times in school since childhood. But to use it to describe Bo Jiangxin, it was simply unimaginable.
Only Xiang Di didn’t laugh, because she knew the truth.
Ye Minjia was covering for Bo Jiangxin.
Bo Jiangxin hadn’t been there since morning reading, and the first class later wasn’t the homeroom teacher’s class, so no one would take attendance.
He hadn’t even come to school yet.
She secretly glanced at Bo Jiangxin eight hundred times a day, so she knew very well.
However, even if she didn’t have a crush on Bo Jiangxin, as a classmate, she wouldn’t tell on him.
This was a matter of one’s character.
The morning assembly ended, and everyone left the playground by class queue.
Xiang Di woke up late that morning and hadn’t eaten breakfast.
Her stomach was uncomfortably empty.
She greeted her deskmate, Liang Qianqian, asking her to tell the teacher she went to the restroom if the bell rang and she hadn’t returned.
Liang Qianqian: “Okay, okay, help me buy a bread too, by the way.”
The morning wind carried a hint of coolness.
Xiang Di covered her bangs with her hand and jogged towards the school store.
It was almost time for class, so there weren’t many people in the school store.
The bell was about to ring, Xiang Di urged herself, quickly picking two fresh breakfast breads to check out.
After paying, she was about to sprint back to the classroom when the windbreak curtain of the school store was lifted, and someone else entered.
Her hurried footsteps instantly froze.
Xiang Di’s mind hadn’t even reacted yet, but her heart had instinctively started beating faster.
It was Bo Jiangxin.
The boy was tall, with a backpack slung over one shoulder, neatly trimmed short hair, a loose and clean school uniform, well-defined features, clear eyes, a straight nose, thin lips, and eyes as dark as lacquer. His peach blossom eyelashes drooped slightly, and his expressionless demeanor made him seem unapproachable.
He was the undisputed “Science God” of their grade, breaking the stereotypical image of a science boy.
He was so handsome that even though the school strictly prohibited the selection of “school flowers” and “school hotties” now, he was undeniably a school heartthrob in everyone’s minds.
When Xiang Di was little, she learned traditional Chinese painting from her aunt for a while.
Every time she saw Bo Jiangxin, she would imagine the “bai-miao” (outline drawing) scenes in traditional Chinese paintings.
A few simple strokes could vividly depict towering mountains, snow-capped peaks, and a solitary, ethereal fairy standing alone in the snowy landscape.
Every time this happened, she would deeply regret not persevering with painting back then; otherwise, she could “cook her own meals” now (a Chinese idiom meaning to satisfy her own desires or create her own fantasies).
Brushing past Xiang Di, Bo Jiangxin walked directly towards the shelves.
Xiang Di’s current mood was no less than pulling a hidden item from a blind box.
The bell was about to ring. Should she rush back to the classroom, or… stay a little longer?
A battle raged in her mind for a few seconds.
Xiang Di convinced herself.
Then she’d stay a little longer.
After all, Qianqian would cover for her.
So she turned around and went back in.
Before the school store owner could even ask anything, she preemptively explained, “Hehe, I forgot to buy something.”
The girl chuckled, her face delicate and cute, while the school store owner looked puzzled.
Xiang Di quietly walked over.
Bo Jiangxin was choosing bread. She stood two meters away, pretending to choose bread too.
At this moment, her mind and mouth were having another debate.
- “Damn mouth, what a great opportunity, strike up a conversation!”
- “Damn brain, what if he ignores you? Won’t you be mortified! Just look at him to satisfy your craving, don’t take yourself too seriously.”
- “He’s a classmate, he can’t possibly ignore me, right?”
- “Are you sure he knows you’re classmates? You’ve been classmates for a semester, have you ever said a word to him?”
Xiang Di hesitated, only daring to observe from a distance.
Until she saw Bo Jiangxin pick up bread with an old date.
Without much thought, her body moved faster than her brain this time, and she walked straight over.
“Uh, don’t take that row,” Xiang Di said. “I just checked that row; they’re about to expire. Take the row underneath; those dates are fresh.”
Bo Jiangxin turned his head, and their eyes met.
His indifferent gaze fell on her face, and Xiang Di held her breath.
He lowered his head again, checked the date, put the bread back, and took another one from the row below.
He said, “Thank you.”
Although it was just a very polite “thank you,” nothing special, Xiang Di felt as if she had been stunned by happiness.
What a wonderful day this was.
The sudden happiness made her a little dizzy for a moment.
She boldly added, “Um, the principal called your name at the morning assembly today.”
Most people would probably ask what happened at this point, but Bo Jiangxin didn’t. He seemed not to care at all why the principal would call his name; instead, he simply asked her, “How do you know my name?”
One second she was marveling at her luck, the next, his words poured a bucket of cold water over her head.
Why did she know? Because they were classmates.
But he didn’t know, which meant she hadn’t made an impression on him.
He didn’t even know they were classmates.
It was a little sad; the person she had had a crush on for so long hadn’t even noticed her at all.
In that instant, Xiang Di didn’t even have the courage to tell him they were classmates.
She was only glad she hadn’t casually tried to chat him up just now, glad she had only thought it in her heart and hadn’t shown it in front of him. It wasn’t embarrassing.
Xiang Di smiled, her tone generous: “You’re very famous in our grade, of course I know.”
Feeling disappointed, and to cover up her true reason for returning, Xiang Di still bought an extra bread before leaving.
Running frantically, Xiang Di arrived at the classroom just as the bell rang.
“Love you, my dear.” Liang Qianqian made a sound of surprise.
“Why did you buy floss, you don’t like eating it, do you?”
Xiang Di explained, “Well, I was in too much of a hurry, didn’t see clearly. I just grabbed it randomly.”
“Then let me eat this floss one,” Liang Qianqian said.
“It’s okay, I bought the one you like. You eat this one, I’ll eat the floss one. I suddenly feel like trying it.”
“Alright, if you really can’t stand it, then give it to me.”
While the teacher hadn’t arrived yet, Xiang Di tore open the packaging and took a tentative bite.
She didn’t like savory breads, so she didn’t like floss. But she had just seen Bo Jiangxin take a floss-flavored bread, and she couldn’t resist, so she took one too.
Even if she was just a stranger in Bo Jiangxin’s eyes, she still wanted to try everything related to him.
Ugh, such a humble love-struck fool.
Xiang Di evaluated herself this way in her mind, taking another bite of the bread.
Anyway, he didn’t know she had a crush on him, so it didn’t matter.
And having a crush on him wasn’t entirely without benefits. Senior year was so tough; being able to see him at school every day at least gave her some extra motivation to study.
Thinking this way, the optimistic Xiang Di suddenly felt it wasn’t a big deal anymore, and the bread in her mouth started to taste better.
She had barely taken a few bites when the teacher arrived.
Xiang Di quickly put her bread away and hid it in her desk, muttering to herself why Bo Jiangxin still hadn’t come to class.
Did he skip the morning assembly and plan to skip another class? How would she get through the rest of the day then?
Subject teachers weren’t like homeroom teachers; they had to manage every student in the class, unless the student had a very strong presence.
Like Bo Jiangxin. The teacher glanced around, noticed Bo Jiangxin wasn’t there, and specifically asked, “Why isn’t Bo Jiangxin here?”
Ye Minjia used the same excuse: “Teacher, he went to the restroom.”
The teacher had just said “Oh” when a “Report!” came from the doorway.
Carrying his backpack and holding a bread in his hand, it was clear he wasn’t returning from the restroom.
The teacher wasn’t stupid, of course, and saw through it.
He joked, “As expected of our grade’s top student. When others go to the restroom, they ‘unload,’ but you ‘bring in goods,’ huh?”
Someone couldn’t help but laugh.
Ye Minjia rolled his eyes; this guy really wasn’t even pretending anymore.
Teachers were always more lenient with good students, especially Bo Jiangxin.
After a joke, he didn’t dwell on Bo Jiangxin’s tardiness and just let him in.
Completely unconcerned by the teacher’s joke, Bo Jiangxin walked towards his seat and suddenly paused.
Xiang Di quickly lowered her head, burying her face in a stack of books, pretending to look for a book.
Bo Jiangxin walked through the aisle between the desks and sat down in his seat.
As soon as he sat down, Ye Minjia next to him complained, “Bro, you could have at least acted a bit just now. One second ago I said you went to the restroom, and you made me look like a clown.”
Bo Jiangxin frowned: “You didn’t say so earlier.”
“Are you blaming me now?” Ye Minjia rolled his eyes again.
“Do you know the principal called your name publicly today? If it weren’t for your quick-witted brother here, the whole school would know you were late. You should thank me.”
Ye Minjia teased, “Hey, guess why the principal called your name?”
“I know,” Bo Jiangxin said.
“How do you know? Do you have super hearing?”
Bo Jiangxin subtly lifted his chin and pointed forward with his eyes: “That girl told me.”
Ye Minjia looked forward: “Who?”
“Third row,” Bo Jiangxin described.
“With bangs, and a bun.”
Ye Minjia was the class monitor, so he quickly guessed.
“Xiang Di?”
“Her name is Xiang Di?” Bo Jiangxin frowned slightly, then raised another question, “Has she been in our class since first year?”
“No, she only joined our class last semester,” Ye Minjia couldn’t help but say.
“Bro, you really don’t pay attention to anything around you, do you? You’ve been classmates for a semester, and you still don’t know her?”
Bo Jiangxin didn’t pretend, simply hummed in acknowledgment.
Ye Minjia: …
However, it was understandable.
In a class of dozens of people, even if you saw each other every day, sometimes you might not exchange a single word with someone you weren’t close to for an entire semester.
Even he, as the class monitor, hadn’t spoken many words to Xiang Di.
The school had re-divided classes at the beginning of the senior year based on the entire grade’s academic performance.
Many people in their class were originally from the advanced classes and had been classmates for two years, but Xiang Di had only made it into the advanced class from a regular class in senior year.
After a semester together, they hadn’t spoken many times.
Ye Minjia’s impression of her was limited.
Her grades were mid-to-upper in the class, not exceptionally outstanding, but she wouldn’t drag down the class average either.
She was short, belonging to the delicate and pure type, looking very young – it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say she looked like a first-year student. Her personality was well-behaved. All in all, she was the type of student teachers liked and trusted most, besides the top students.
An obedient, quiet, not-very-outstanding but never-trouble-making good student.
She looked like the kind of girl who wouldn’t dare to interact with boys, so Ye Minjia was quite surprised that she would actually initiate a conversation with Bo Jiangxin.
Ye Minjia suddenly said somewhat teasingly, “Do you think she might have a crush on you?”
Bo Jiangxin was looking down for his book. Hearing this, he frowned: “What nonsense are you talking about?”
“You don’t understand, girls’ affections are very subtle,” Ye Minjia said mysteriously.
“Because a secret crush is a silent drama, grand only in the heart.”
Hearing these melodramatic words, Bo Jiangxin’s brow twitched.
He asked him: “…Where did you hear that from?”
Ye Minjia draped his arm over Bo Jiangxin’s shoulder, his tone proud: “It’s my original work. How about it, artistic, isn’t it?”
Glancing down at the hand on his shoulder, Bo Jiangxin had already heard the truth from the depths of Ye Minjia’s mind.
[Actually, the old man confiscated a romance novel that day, and I secretly took it back to the dorm to read. The plot was about the female lead having a crush on the male lead for twenty years, then dying in a car accident, and the male lead getting married without ever knowing she liked him.]
[This line was written by the female lead in her suicide note. Don’t even mention it, it’s quite heartbreaking; it even made a mighty man like me cry.]
Writing such content in a suicide note, what kind of normal person’s brain would that female lead have?
Bo Jiangxin sneered inwardly.
Ye Minjia was still asking, “Do you think Xiang Di has a crush on you?”
A hint of mockery flashed in Bo Jiangxin’s clear, dark eyes as he spoke indifferently.
“I don’t know about her, but I think you should quickly go to the hospital and get yourself checked out.”