Chapter 2

When had she first begun to notice him?

Was it during those casual moments each morning when she pushed her bicycle past his? Or those deliberate glances toward the classroom next door after school? Or every day during the morning exercises, when he always stood at the very front of the line?

There seemed to be countless opportunities to see him, yet she rarely did. And whenever she caught even a single glimpse of him, her heart would brim with joy, sweet as honey—a tiny, secret affection she kept all to herself.

The midterm exams had just ended, and the results were posted on Monday.

Song Jia Nan’s performance was average. She ranked somewhere above the middle of her regular class. Unfortunately, her weakest subject, mathematics, had shown no improvement whatsoever. If not for her outstanding Chinese score carrying her overall results, she would have done much worse.

During the afternoon cleaning period, she was assigned to wash the classroom windows.

Feeling listless, she dragged a stool into the corridor and lazily began wiping the glass, sometimes lightly, sometimes with force.

Her mother’s words from lunchtime still echoed in her ears—nothing more than another lecture about how disappointed she was with her grades.

As for her own results…

All she could do was sigh.

Everyone around her was engrossed in discussing the exams.

The conversation of two girls from the neighboring class drifted into her ears like whispers from nowhere.

“Su Li got first place in science again this time. The math exam was ridiculously difficult, and he still scored 148. That’s not even human.”

“I know! If Qin Yuan Yuan hadn’t scored higher than him in Chinese, he’d have ranked first overall.”

“Honestly, I think those two make a pretty good match. I wonder if there’s really something going on between them. They seem pretty close.”

“Shh! Lower your voice! Do you want the whole school to hear? Come on, let’s go buy something from the school store.”

Their conversation ended abruptly as the two girls walked away hand in hand.

Song Jia Nan slowly withdrew her hand from the windowpane.

She climbed down from the stool, dusted off her hands, and quietly carried the stool back into the classroom.

On the bulletin board at the back of the room hung a large sheet of paper listing every student’s name alongside the university they hoped to attend two years later.

Behind her own name was written:

Renmin University of China.

A wave of helplessness and disappointment washed over her.

She stood there silently for a long moment before picking up her wallet and walking out.

From behind, Zhang Jing Kang, who was sweeping the floor, called after her.

“Song Jia Nan, where are you going?”

“The library.”

She left those three words behind without looking back.

Watching her leave, Zhang Jing Kang shook her head and muttered to the person beside her, “She probably didn’t do well this time. Look at that temper.”

Books stood neatly arranged on the shelves in perfect order, as orderly as soldiers on parade.

Song Jia Nan loved wandering through the library.

She liked letting her fingertips glide across the spines of the books as she walked slowly, searching for the one she wanted.

The feeling beneath her fingers constantly changed.

Some covers were hard.

Others were soft.

Occasionally her hand would catch on a thicker volume before continuing its smooth journey through the endless sea of books.

She found it strangely enjoyable.

She was looking for a geometry reference book.

Her math was so terrible that she desperately wanted to make up for it.

Then she remembered that Su Li had ranked first in mathematics across the entire grade.

A deep sense of frustration—and inferiority—rose quietly inside her.

Someone seemed to be standing on the opposite side of the bookshelf.

The setting sun shone upon that person’s figure, casting broken patches of light and shadow onto the shelves behind.

The shifting light drew Song Jia Nan’s attention upward.

Through the narrow gaps between the books, she could barely make out the silhouette of a boy.

She wasn’t paying much attention at first.

A pair of quiet footsteps passed by.

When she looked up again…

It was someone she had never expected to see.

Su Li.

He wore the same calm, indifferent expression.

His sleeves were casually rolled above his elbows.

In his arms he carried a large stack of books as he headed toward the reading area.

For some reason she couldn’t explain, Song Jia Nan suddenly felt her heart racing.

She wanted to look at him.

She didn’t dare look at him.

That conflict completely occupied her thoughts.

Flustered, she hurriedly pushed the nearby books back into place, grabbed one at random, and quickly followed him into the reading room.

Su Li’s figure was tall and straight.

His right hand supported his forehead as he leaned comfortably to one side.

From where she sat, she could see the sharp outline of his chin and the straight bridge of his nose.

A gentle breeze stirred his soft hair.

Every so often, his left hand turned a page before picking up a pen to jot down a few notes.

Earphones were still tucked into his ears.

A faint smile rested at the corners of his lips.

It must have been wonderful music.

She wondered what kind of singers he liked.

Foreign artists?

Or singers from Hong Kong and Taiwan?

Secretly, Song Jia Nan thought that if she ever had the chance, she would recommend one of Lisa Ono’s albums to him.

The Japanese singer who had grown up in Brazil possessed a slightly husky, deeply magnetic voice. Beneath her rich sense of nostalgia lay an unmistakable touch of romance. Listening to her music felt like a cool breeze and warm sunlight whispering softly beside one’s ears.

The feeling…

It reminded her of the quiet aura surrounding Su Li.

Among the pile of books beside him was a copy of Wang Houxiong’s Complete Guide to the College Entrance Examination in Mathematics, a famous reference book that seemed to be owned by nearly every student in the advanced class.

She hurriedly wrote down the title on a piece of paper.

Just then, someone tapped her shoulder.

Turning around, she saw the newcomer curiously eyeing her note before casually pulling over a chair and sitting beside her.

In a voice filled with disdain, he whispered, “Math doesn’t require that many reference books. If you don’t have talent, you’d better save your money. No matter how hard you struggle, you’ll never become good at it.”

Song Jia Nan felt uncomfortable hearing that.

She turned away, pretending not to notice him.

But Duan Jia Chen grinned and tugged lightly at her book.

“Are you mad? I’m just telling the truth. Don’t waste your money on those junk reference books. If you have questions, just ask me.”

Finding him unbearably noisy, she shot him a fierce glare.

“Duan Jia Chen, how many points did you get in math to be acting so full of yourself?”

“One hundred and forty-five. Not that impressive, right? Honestly, the grader was way too harsh. I skipped a few steps in my solution, and she didn’t show a bit of mercy. She deducted points the moment she caught it.”

He leaned back proudly, rocking his chair.

Unexpectedly, someone walking behind him was bumped by the chair.

The large stack of books in that person’s arms crashed onto the floor with a loud clatter.

The noise startled everyone in the library.

Song Jia Nan jumped to her feet in surprise.

Every pair of eyes turned toward them.

Everyone’s…

Except Su Li’s.

Feeling utterly embarrassed, she glanced once toward the boy who hadn’t moved at all before hurriedly kneeling down to gather the scattered books.

Then she hugged her own books tightly and fled the library.

She didn’t even have the chance to look at Su Li one last time.

Back in the classroom, she packed her schoolbag and prepared to leave.

Duan Jia Chen cheerfully followed after her again.

“So, Song Jia Nan, your math score wasn’t good, and now you’ve got such a bad temper? You really can’t handle setbacks.”

“If you’re so capable, go compete with the students in the advanced class instead of using me to boost your confidence,” she replied coldly as she slung her backpack over her shoulder and picked up her bicycle keys.

Duan Jia Chen called out to stop her.

Then he rummaged through his messy desk drawer and pulled out a brand-new book.

“Wang Houxiong. I bought it before, but I haven’t even opened it once. You can have it.”

She looked at him in confusion.

His expression became noticeably awkward.

He practically stuffed the book into her hands.

“Come on, we’ve known each other since kindergarten. I’m just helping you out. Oh, and lend me your English notes so I can copy them. I barely passed this exam. Let’s call it helping each other.”

Song Jia Nan smiled.

She accepted the book before handing him her English notebook.

“Don’t crease it. I need it back the day after tomorrow.”

She spent a little extra time helping organize exam papers in the teachers’ office.

By the time she went to retrieve her bicycle, it was already quite late.

Night fell early.

At the end of the dark corridor, she looked through the window toward the faint lights in the distance.

In truth, she couldn’t see anything clearly.

Only endless darkness…

Blurred shadows…

An emptiness that felt strangely oppressive.

For some reason, the stairway lights weren’t working.

Standing alone before the pitch-black staircase, she cautiously gripped the handrail and made her way down step by step.

Even so, when she reached the final step, her foot slipped into empty space.

She nearly screamed.

Her heart almost leaped into her throat.

At that moment…

A faint light appeared on the step below.

Footsteps echoed upward.

Like someone reaching out to save her.

Song Jia Nan immediately quickened her pace.

Although she couldn’t see clearly, the figure ahead looked remarkably familiar.

Su Li.

He held a mobile phone in one hand, its dim white screen lighting the stairs beneath his feet.

A thick stack of exam papers rested under his arm.

Apparently, he too had just finished helping organize papers.

He didn’t seem to notice the faint footsteps following behind him.

Song Jia Nan guessed…

He was probably listening to music again.

Three flights of stairs.

She followed behind him every step of the way.

Even their pace became identical.

When he turned at each landing, she turned as well.

The wind lifted the papers tucked beneath his arm.

They rustled softly.

The crisp sound tugged gently at her heartstrings.

Tiny specks of dust danced through the pale white light.

Keeping rhythm with her restless heartbeat.

Watching his back, Song Jia Nan suddenly found herself thinking—

If this path never ended…

Could they simply keep walking like this forever?

And if he were to suddenly turn around and see her…

What expression should she wear?

But she was so insignificant.

So timid.

So lacking in confidence.

Even looking at him required gathering every ounce of courage she had.

Even if he turned around and noticed her tonight…

Tomorrow, when they met again…

He still wouldn’t remember her.

To him…

She would always be someone who didn’t exist.

So…

She would keep this tiny secret to herself.

Su Li didn’t head toward the bicycle shed.

Instead, he walked straight toward the school gate.

A white sedan was waiting outside.

He got into the car.

Moments later, it disappeared into the night.

Song Jia Nan silently returned to the bicycle shed.

She felt both happy…

And strangely melancholy.

Su Li’s face appeared and disappeared in her thoughts over and over again.

He was such a gloomy boy.

There always seemed to be an unspoken sadness lingering between his brows.

Yet somehow…

That very sadness had captured every bit of her attention.

She didn’t think too deeply about it.

Quietly, she told herself that perhaps everyone was drawn to beautiful things.

Someone as outstanding as Su Li…

How could she possibly not notice him?

She slowly rode her bicycle through streets glittering with colorful neon lights.

She stopped by the familiar bookstore and carefully selected a few math reference books.

Afterward, she visited the record store she often frequented and bought Lisa Ono’s newest album.

A quiet smile slowly spread across her face.

As the cool autumn night breeze brushed against her, she silently encouraged herself.

More than anything…

Song Jia Nan wanted to ask Su Li just one question.

“I really like Lisa Ono.”

“Do you?”