Not long after midterm exams, the competition class also held an official mock exam. The difficulty of the test paper and the competition format all referenced previous years’ national competitions.

Ruan Mian happened to get her period on the day of the exam, affecting her overall condition. During the afternoon experimental exam, she lost all points in the operation process (3+3). Her overall ranking dropped directly from first place to the bottom.

But given the circumstances, no one was particularly surprised. Everyone even believed that in the next exam, she could still return to first place.

Even though the person sitting there now was Chen Yi—Chen Yi, who was always first in every monthly exam.

The day the results came out happened to be Saturday. Class let out early in the evening. Meng Xinglan asked Ruan Mian to go shopping. Of the four boys who usually came along, only Liang Yiran and Jiang Rang followed.

Jiang Rang’s subtle hints inevitably made people think ambiguous thoughts. Ruan Mian couldn’t pretend she knew nothing and accept the goodness another person was giving while having someone else in her heart.

Her affection was already sufficiently bitter and painful. She didn’t want others to carry the same feelings as her, having their life or death determined by a single word from their beloved.

But before anyone spoke openly about it, Ruan Mian could only choose to quietly distance herself from Jiang Rang, extinguishing all remaining possibilities right here.

The already limited interactions between the two became almost nonexistent due to one person’s retreat.

The days of the second semester of sophomore year passed as quickly as the wind—scorching summer, the hoarse and exhausted calls of cicadas, and green leaves climbing over entire walls. Those beautiful times they once shared together would eventually become the irreplaceable youth in everyone’s memories.

During the most important two days in June, the entire city of Pingcheng went on high alert. Eighth High was one of the exam districts. First and second-year students vacated their classrooms for the senior year and got a brief two-day break.

Ruan Mian had been working nonstop lately. When she suddenly had a break, she became completely lazy. On the seventh, she slept at home all day and didn’t go out until evening.

Li Zhi was a test-taker this year, and his exam room happened to be assigned to Eighth High. He didn’t go with the school and instead went straight home to stay.

Last night, Ruan Mian had even gone out with him to walk the streets for half an hour.

Now she leisurely walked to his family’s supermarket entrance and stuck her head in to look. Not seeing Li Zhi, she was first spotted by Li Zhi’s father, who greeted her with a smile. “Looking for Li Zhi?”

Ruan Mian smiled shyly. “Ah, Uncle Li, you’re here. Li Zhi hasn’t come back yet?”

“He came back long ago. He’s in the back courtyard.” Uncle Li put down the calculator in his hand, his expression kind. “Come in. Go find him in the courtyard yourself. It’s fine.”

Ruan Mian nodded. “Then Uncle Li, you keep busy. I’ll head over.”

“Go ahead.”

Ruan Mian entered the shop, went around two rows of shelves, and entered the Li family courtyard. She happened to run into Li Zhi, who had just come out after showering.

The boy was bare-chested, a beige towel draped over his fair and lean shoulders and neck. His short hair was wet and still dripping water. His features were clean and good-looking.

It’s just…

Ruan Mian’s advancing footsteps suddenly stopped in place. She quickly turned around, though her ears and neck had already flushed red. “Sorry, sorry.”

Li Zhi laughed out loud. He walked to the clothesline and casually grabbed a black T-shirt to put on, his tone carrying a teasing note. “It’s not that serious. It’s not like I wasn’t wearing clothes.”

Ruan Mian still stood with her back to him, her fingers twisted together, somewhat flustered and embarrassed.

“Okay, I’ve put clothes on.” After speaking, Li Zhi bent down and grabbed the rope hanging over the edge of the well, pulling up the wooden bucket he’d thrown inside.

Ruan Mian rubbed her face before finally turning around.

Li Zhi pulled the watermelon soaking in the wooden bucket out and placed it on the stone table nearby, very naturally ordering Ruan Mian to work. “Go to the kitchen and help me get the kitchen knife.”

“Ah, okay.”

The evening breeze was gentle. Li Zhi and Ruan Mian each held a slice of watermelon, squatting side by side on the steps under the corridor eaves. Ruan Mian took two bites of watermelon. The flesh was sweet with the coolness of well water, dispelling much of the heat.

She spit out the seeds in her mouth and casually asked, “How did the college entrance exam feel?”

“Just like that.” Li Zhi laughed. “No particular feeling. About the same as usual.”

“Have you thought about which school you want to apply to?”

“Not yet. I’ll decide after the results come out.” Li Zhi turned his head to look at her. “What about you?”

The juice from the watermelon in Ruan Mian’s hand slid down the flesh to the webbing between her thumb and forefinger. She shook her hand. “I haven’t decided either.”

“Didn’t you join your school’s physics competition class this semester? Don’t you plan to pursue physics in the future?”

Ruan Mian lowered her head and took another bite of watermelon. After chewing a few times, she said, “We’ll see. It’s not certain whether I can get a recommendation yet.”

Li Zhi smiled without saying anything.

…

Night gradually fell with the evening breeze. Ruan Mian came out of the shop and passed through the lively alley, heading west all the way. Her figure was obscured by the coming and going crowds.

Li Zhi stood at the shop entrance for a while. When he went in, he saw Chen Yi walking over from the other end and turned back to walk down a few steps. “What brought you here?”

Chen Yi had also just woken up and come out from home. His whole person looked drowsy, even his voice still carried sleepiness. “Came to see you.”

Li Zhi laughed out loud. “What’s there to see about me?”

“You’re taking the college entrance exam.” Chen Yi stuffed the thermos in his hand into his arms. “My grandmother had the family’s auntie make some tonic soup.”

Li Zhi reached out to hold it. “Thank Grandma for me.”

“Already thanked her.”

“Alright, come in and sit for a bit.” Li Zhi and he entered the shop one after the other. Chen Yi greeted Li Zhi’s father and followed into the courtyard. Electrical wires stretched and coiled around. The lights were bright. In the middle of the courtyard, the table still had watermelon that hadn’t been put away yet.

Chen Yi washed his hands at the water basin nearby. When he sat down, he picked up a slice of watermelon and started eating. “How did today feel?”

Being asked the same question by two people in succession made Li Zhi’s head hurt. “Can you let me eat in peace?”

Chen Yi glanced at him and didn’t ask again.

Li Zhi leisurely finished a bowl of soup, his fingers tapping twice along the rim of the bowl. “I remember you told me before that you were going abroad to study?”

Chen Yi hummed in acknowledgment. “Why, do you have that plan too?”

“No, just asking.” Li Zhi pressed his thumb against his lips and bit the corner. “Then why are you going to the competition class? You’re not taking the recommendation route.”

“I need the award points.” Chen Yi attracted mosquitoes easily. After sitting for just this short while, his calves had been bitten with several bumps. He stood up. “The school I’m applying to requires having a certain type of national-level award in physics domestically for the physics major. If I can get a recommendation slot, the grade review will be a bit looser.”

“I see.”

Chen Yi stood in the light where there were fewer insects around. He asked, “Have you decided which school to apply to?”

“No.” Li Zhi sat with his legs spread out in front, his posture relaxed. “I’ll decide after the exam. I’ll choose schools based on my grades. I’m not like you top students with goals. I just go with the flow.”

Chen Yi turned his head away and laughed, not refuting his words.

The last day of the college entrance exam passed almost effortlessly. The remaining days continued as usual. The last exam of the entire semester also arrived as scheduled amid summer’s scorching restlessness.

The last two days of June were the final exams for Eighth High’s first and second years.

On the evening they finished the English exam, all sophomore students moved into the senior year teaching building that had long been empty. Before they could welcome the arrival of summer vacation, they had already entered senior year life ahead of schedule.

After making up classes for half a month, when Pingcheng’s temperature reached forty degrees, the school finally announced a break for vacation. On the day of the holiday, the class was noisy and chaotic. Because they were about to leave school, only fans were turned on in the classroom. The slightly cool breeze mixed with the stuffy heat blowing in from outside. The summer heat was hard to dispel.

After packing her schoolbag, Ruan Mian held the small fan Meng Xinglan had given her and blew it directly at her face, her gaze looking toward the cloudless sky outside the window, openly dazing off.

Standing on the podium, Zhou Hai rehashed the usual safety issues, instructing everyone not to swim in the wild, to pay attention to personal safety when going out, and finally wished everyone a pleasant summer vacation.

With the sudden cheering in her ears, Ruan Mian came back to her senses. Zhou Hai had already left the classroom. The class was full of the sounds of dragging desks, chairs, and benches.

Meng Xinglan came over carrying her schoolbag. “Mianmian, let’s eat lunch together. After eating, we’ll go to the cinema to watch a movie.”

Ruan Mian didn’t refuse. “Then I’ll go home first to drop off my things. Do you want to leave your schoolbag at my place? I can bring it back with mine.”

“Mm…” Meng Xinglan thought for a few seconds. “That works too. Then I’ll go with you.”

“Okay.”

Meng Xinglan said goodbye to the boys and left school together with Ruan Mian, holding a stack of books. Passing by Li Family Supermarket, seeing Li Zhi, Ruan Mian stopped to greet him.

Li Zhi’s college entrance exam results had already come out. They weren’t very ideal—far below his usual school grades. But he didn’t seem too upset about it. He refused his homeroom teacher’s suggestion to repeat the year and applied to an ordinary university in Pingcheng.

Ruan Mian still had things to do, so she didn’t chat with him much.

After walking past the supermarket, Meng Xinglan said, “Wow, your alley is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers. Such a huge handsome guy—how come I’ve never seen him before? Is he also from Eighth High?”

“No, he’s from Tenth High.”

“No wonder.” Meng Xinglan couldn’t forget Li Zhi’s face even after a long time. When going out, she insisted on dragging Ruan Mian inside to buy things.

Ruan Mian had no way to deal with her and could only go in to buy two bottles of water. “This is my classmate Meng Xinglan.”

Li Zhi looked up. “Hello.”

“…Hello.”

In the end, Li Zhi didn’t charge for those two bottles of water. After coming out of the shop, Meng Xinglan clutched the mineral water bottles, her eyes practically turning into stars. “Ah, I can die without regrets now.”

Ruan Mian joked, “Like this, aren’t you afraid Liang Yiran will find out?”

“If you don’t say and I don’t say, how would he know?” Meng Xinglan looked frank. “Besides, I’m just appreciating a handsome guy’s appearance. It’s not like I’m really going to do anything.”

Ruan Mian couldn’t refute her. “…”

The place for lunch was set near the school. When the two girls arrived, there were already people in the private room.

But besides the usual four boys, there were two people Ruan Mian hadn’t expected.

Qi Jia and Sheng Huan.

Standing outside the private room, Ruan Mian had already heard the girl’s highly distinctive laughter. It was like having a basin of ice water dumped over her head. Her whole body turned cold.

Meng Xinglan didn’t notice Ruan Mian’s abnormality and pulled her to sit in the remaining two empty seats. Sheng Huan happened to be sitting directly across from Ruan Mian.

On her right side sat an expressionless Chen Yi.

Ruan Mian didn’t know what expression she had at the time. She sat down in a daze and heard Meng Xinglan asking Liang Yiran, “Why is Sheng Huan here?”

Liang Yiran shook his head. “Don’t know. When I arrived, they were already here. It should be Chen Yi who invited her.”

“Impossible. Wasn’t Chen Yi avoiding her before?”

Liang Yiran laughed lightly. “Then why don’t you ask Chen Yi yourself?”

“…”

Their conversation wasn’t loud—only loud enough for those nearby to hear. Shen Yu, sitting right next to Liang Yiran, leaned over. “I invited her. Sheng Huan happened to come looking for Chen Yi, so I invited her along. Also, don’t you think Chen Yi’s current state is very amusing?”

Hearing this, Meng Xinglan really did look at Chen Yi sitting diagonally across. Rarely seeing him in an awkward situation, she laughed with a snort. “You’re really something.”

Shen Yu raised an eyebrow with particular pride.

Meng Xinglan straightened up and looked back at the dazed Ruan Mian, touching her arm. “Mianmian, what’s wrong?”

Ruan Mian came back to her senses and forced a smile. “Nothing, just thinking about a problem.”

“Ah, don’t. We’re on vacation now. Can’t you let yourself relax?” Meng Xinglan picked up the drink on the table and poured her a glass. “Come on, cool down.”

“Mm, won’t think about it anymore.” Ruan Mian gripped the glass, all her nerves pulled taut.

The meal brought joy to some families and sorrow to others.

Sheng Huan was generous and straightforward. She could pick up guys’ topics too, chatting about all sorts of things with Jiang Rang and Shen Yu, even making plans with Shen Yu to play games together next time.

But she simply didn’t speak with Chen Yi. Compared to her previous relentless pursuit of Chen Yi, this contrast was really too obvious.

Even the usually slow Meng Xinglan noticed something was off. She leaned over to whisper in Ruan Mian’s ear, “Is Sheng Huan playing hard to get, or has she really lost interest in Chen Yi?”

Ruan Mian had no capacity left to think. From the moment she saw Sheng Huan, she had already been completely defeated, her emotions utterly collapsed.

When Meng Xinglan didn’t get her answer after waiting a long time, she turned her head to look and saw her pale face, her tone worried. “Mianmian, are you okay? Why do you look so bad?”

“I’m fine.” Ruan Mian took a light breath. “I probably drank too much cold stuff just now. My stomach hurts a bit.”

“Then let me order you a hot drink?”

Ruan Mian pinched her fingers. “No need. I’ll be fine after sitting for a while.”

Meng Xinglan didn’t let her just endure it. She called the server to order a hot drink, then got up to pour her a cup of hot water. “Drink some. Warm your stomach.”

“Thank you.”

“Why be so polite with me?” Meng Xinglan wasn’t full yet. After taking care of Ruan Mian, she threw herself back into the delicious food on the table.

Ruan Mian lowered her head and drank two sips of hot water. Out of the corner of her eye, she glimpsed Chen Yi standing up. Her hand gripping the cup tightened. Her fingertips were scalded red, but she didn’t notice.

Chen Yi still had that expression of ignoring everyone. His tone also didn’t reveal any emotion. “I’m heading back first. You all take your time eating.”

Shen Yu called out to him. “Are you still coming with us to the internet cafe?”

“Not going. I’m going back to catch up on sleep.” Chen Yi moved his chair aside and walked out. Just as he left, Sheng Huan, who hadn’t paid attention to him throughout the meal, suddenly put down her chopsticks, stood up, and chased after him.

Through the door, those sitting in the private room could still hear her voice. “Chen Yi, wait for me!”

Ruan Mian held her breath for a long time. Apart from the initial sound of running footsteps, she couldn’t hear any other sounds. Sheng Huan didn’t come back.

The quick-reacting Shen Yu got up and walked to the window. After waiting a minute or two, he turned his head back to look and asked everyone, “Guess—did Sheng Huan catch up to Chen Yi?”

“She definitely caught up. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been gone this long without coming back.” Meng Xinglan picked up a chopstick of vegetables and looked up to ask Qi Jia, “Did she just leave with Chen Yi directly, or will she come back later?”

“She definitely left directly, right? With such a good opportunity, do you think she’d let it pass?”

Meng Xinglan shrugged. “True.”

Ruan Mian released her grip on the cup. Her fingertips were scalded red. It really hurt—hurt so much she could barely keep from crying.

…

After eating that day, Ruan Mian and Meng Xinglan went to the cinema to watch a Korean romance film that had been showing for a long time. When they saw the male lead K personally hand over the person he loved most to another man, the entire theater was filled with suppressed crying. Only Ruan Mian remained completely unresponsive.

It wasn’t until the ending revealed a twist—when the female lead Cream knew everything her terminally ill boyfriend K had done but chose to pretend she knew nothing just to let her boyfriend leave with peace of mind—that her eyes suddenly reddened. Tears fell pitter-patter, impossible to stop.

Meng Xinglan was startled by Ruan Mian’s way of crying—crying without making a sound, just continuously shedding tears. She fumbled through her pockets for tissues, wiped away her tears, then took another sheet to cover her own eyes.

For the general public, the movie’s ending might be a tragedy, but for the male and female leads in the story, it was the best ending.

Not like her and Chen Yi.

No beginning, and no ending either.

—

**Author’s Note:** The movie is the 2009 Korean version of “More Than Blue.”