Since that day, Xie Ci would stroll over after school every day and escort Xu You home.

He was already a topic of conversation at No. 1 High School, and with him so brazenly blocking the school gate every day, always surrounded by a large group of people, it was impossible not to attract attention.

Yu Yi lived on the same route as Xu You and originally went home with her every day, but because of Xie Ci, Yu Yi could only find someone else to accompany her instead.

Although she wasn’t a gossip, she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t shocked.

At first, Yu Yi kept her thoughts to herself, but after holding it in for several days, she finally found an opportunity during PE class. She pulled Xu You aside to walk around the track and have a heart-to-heart talk.

“How did you end up dating Xie Ci? It’s just too unbelievable!”

Their private relationship was good, and they’d been friends for a while, so Yu Yi asked directly.

This question had been asked too many times. Xu You’s expression barely changed as she explained simply, “We were classmates before.”

“Classmates? But you two…”

“What about it?”

Yu Yi didn’t say anything.

Xu You didn’t ask either. Feeling a bit cold from the wind, she put on the hood of her down jacket and quietly stared at the distant blue and vast sky.

Clean without a trace of impurity, only the wind lightly sketching the shape of the clouds.

The two walked side by side on the rubber track, passing the parallel bars and the basketball court outside the iron railing, enjoying the rare leisure time in their senior year.

“I just find it strange. I thought you’d be very rational and wouldn’t waste your youth on a flashy guy like Xie Ci.” Yu Yi spoke honestly.

“Flashy?” Hearing this description, Xu You first wanted to laugh, then felt it wasn’t quite appropriate, so she asked, “Why do you think he’s flashy?”

“Isn’t he?” Yu Yi pursed her lips and couldn’t help but recall.

Before the class reassignments, she had been in Class 5. Their classroom was on the second floor, directly facing the cafeteria. Next to the cafeteria’s convenience store was a small path lined with many trees. Because the location was secluded, many students liked to go there to do bad things, especially the boys.

But from the Class 5 corridor, that spot was about seventy or eighty percent visible.

Sometimes after morning exercises, groups of boys would swagger over there to squat and smoke.

Most were troublemakers in the grade, including Xie Ci.

Her former desk-mate had had a crush on Xie Ci for a long time. She would deliberately pull Yu Yi to stand in the corridor just to catch a glimpse of him.

She would observe his posture while playing basketball, record what jackets and T-shirts he wore.

Even Xie Ci’s silhouette riding his bicycle and the way he laughed while horsing around with his friends—she remembered it all clearly.

So her desk-mate was a very contradictory girl. Although she spoke of Xie Ci’s many flaws, when she encountered a girl stopping Xie Ci in the corridor to confess, she would return to her seat in the classroom and secretly cry with her head down.

Despite knowing what kind of guy he was, she still liked everything about him little by little, carefully and cautiously.

During every study period, her desk-mate liked to tell Yu Yi many things about Xie Ci, most of them not very good.

She spoke with clear logic, seemingly understanding it all thoroughly, yet still liking him so much.

Yu Yi couldn’t understand this at all and felt this kind of affection was far too inexplicable.

So now that Xu You and Xie Ci were together, Yu Yi found it both unbelievable and felt that Xu You was really not being very rational.

After quietly listening to Yu Yi finish talking about her former desk-mate, Xu You fell silent for a while.

Walking to the corner, Xu You suddenly spoke up, “I once read a line in a book.”

“What was it?”

Xu You thought for a moment.

“I prefer to keep my distance from things that are accustomed to change.”

“Only then can I understand what won’t be abandoned by time.”

Xu You became lost in thought, staring ahead as she spoke slowly and lightly, as if recalling something.

“Like loving a person—it’s full of variables. So I take a step back and watch quietly until I see sincerity.”

Yu Yi listened in confusion, shaking her head in incomprehension.

“When you like someone, you can be free.”

After saying this, Xu You smiled and said nothing more.

—

When midwinter arrived, northern temperatures plunged below zero. Xu You’s class was the grade’s top class, and evening self-study dragged on very late every day.

Although Xie Ci lived far away, he still escorted Xu You home every day, then headed back alone under the pitch-black night sky, slowly making his way along the road.

It was just that “goodbye” was always hard to say—Xie Ci never wanted to leave.

During that period before the senior year winter break, Grandmother’s health continued to deteriorate. Her parents brought her to a better hospital in a neighboring city for treatment. But she was old after all, and the hospital had already issued several critical condition notices, telling the family to prepare for funeral arrangements.

Her parents’ quarrels at home became more and more frequent, and the increasingly intensive exams at school, coupled with enormous academic pressure, made Xu You feel increasingly exhausted.

However, Xu You rarely mentioned these things to Xie Ci. Since her youth, she had been the type to silently endure whatever happened.

The day before New Year’s Day break, Xie Ci accompanied Xu You home as usual.

They stopped by the roadside and chatted for a while. Mostly Xie Ci talked while Xu You listened silently.

Watching him laugh and casually joke around, her heart softened considerably.

“A’Chai?” Xie Ci called her nickname in his characteristically unserious tone.

“Mm.” She responded.

“I’m leaving.”

“Okay.”

“No expression of anything?”

Xu You stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “Bye-bye.”

Xie Ci bent down and kissed her back before leaving with satisfaction. Watching Xie Ci walk away, Xu You turned around and headed into the residential complex.

“—What were you just doing?”

A familiar voice came from beside her. Xu You froze in place, like having a basin of cold water thrown in her face in the dead of winter.

Something had happened.

Seeing her father’s expression, she didn’t need to guess to know it was over.

Xu Zhiping’s face was livid, his teeth clenched tightly. “I’m giving you face out here. Follow me home.”

Xu You followed behind her father. As she slowly climbed the stairs, she gradually thought of countermeasures.

“You’re back. What’s wrong?” Chen Xiuyun was waiting at the door. Seeing that Xu Zhiping didn’t look right, she asked.

“Ask Xu You yourself!” Xu Zhiping pushed the door open violently and entered the house.

Xu You kept her head down, following behind her parents and pushing the door open. She had just taken off her shoes when something flew past her and smashed against the door behind her.

Xu Zhiping stood in the living room with an agitated expression, suddenly slapping the table and shouting at Xu You, “Kneel down!”

Xu You didn’t argue back at all and obediently knelt down.

Chen Xiuyun instantly understood what had happened.

“You’re still in contact with that boy?” Chen Xiuyun’s voice rose in disbelief.

Seeing Xu You’s pale face but refusing to speak, Chen Xiuyun took a deep breath. “You’ve disappointed me so much, Xu You.”

“You knew all along and didn’t tell me. She’s been spoiled like this by you!” Xu Zhiping vented his anger on Chen Xiuyun.

Pacing back and forth in the room, he grew angrier and angrier, demanding, “Dating? Is this the time to be dating? How can you be so thoughtless!” Xu Zhiping slapped his own face in front of Xu You. “You have no shame yourself, but do you know you’ve lost all face for your mom and dad!”

Xu You’s face was snow-white. She bit her lip hard but didn’t argue back at all.

“Forget it, forget it. She still has to go to school this afternoon. We’ll talk about it when she gets home tonight. It’s not good to disturb the neighbors.” Chen Xiuyun sat to the side, hand supporting her forehead. Seeing Xu You’s appearance, she couldn’t bear it.

“Protect, protect, protect—you’re still protecting her! Isn’t it because you can’t teach her properly? You didn’t even tell me she was dating a boy. Look what you’ve spoiled her into!” Xu Zhiping’s fire turned on Chen Xiuyun. “You think about your mother every day. When have you ever worried about this family?! Now look what’s happened! What has Xu You become?”

Dating in senior year was a capital offense in ordinary families. Especially for Xu You—for this to happen to her was completely incomprehensible in her parents’ eyes.

Xu Zhiping had been completely overwhelmed by anger and spoke without thinking. “You run to the hospital every day. When have you ever managed Xu You? Your mother won’t live much longer anyway, yet you’re spending money on her like there’s no tomorrow.”

Chen Xiuyun exploded immediately upon hearing this and started arguing with Father Xu. “What do you mean I think about my mother every day? Xu Zhiping, do you have any conscience? Back then when you were penniless, if my mother hadn’t given us 1,000 yuan, could Xu You have even been born?! Who raised Xu You from childhood? You wish my mother would die now—you’re a beast!”

“I’ve endured for so many years. What have you ever given this family? Every time you say you’re taking on projects, but not a penny ever comes in. Finally this time there’s 200,000 yuan, and you turn around and lend it to your boss to buy a house! If he had the ability to pay it back, why wouldn’t he get a bank loan instead of borrowing from you! Your own wife and daughter live in a rental and have to put up with the landlord’s attitude, while you’re out there generously lending money. Who’s the one not caring about the family?”

Xu Zhiping had always been a male chauvinist and couldn’t stand hearing such words. He immediately raised his hand against Chen Xiuyun.

Chen Xiuyun kept crying while continuing to curse. “Fine, I won’t live anymore. I’ll go die with my mother. Xu You doesn’t listen anyway. What am I living for?”

Her mother’s crying broke her heart.

The scene was too chaotic. Afterward, Xu You couldn’t remember what she had said or done. She probably just kept kneeling there the whole time.