The spring outing incident caught the school’s attention. After 2002, schools no longer permitted teachers to independently take their class on spring or autumn outings.

After this incident, Pei Chuan’s popularity in class actually improved quite a bit.

He had a cold face year-round, and nobody in class talked to him. Now the male student at the desk behind him actually mustered the courage to ask to borrow his eraser.

“Can I borrow it? I’ll return it right after using it.” The student behind was a male classmate wearing glasses. He was obviously very nervous when saying this, constantly pushing up his glasses.

This was Pei Chuan’s first time encountering such a situation. He didn’t move, looking at that male student indifferently. That male student was about to break out in a cold sweat: “Never… never mind…”

Bei Yao crossed that dividing line they’d drawn when they were small, rummaged through Pei Chuan’s pencil box to pull out the eraser, and quickly placed it on the desk of the male student behind them.

The male student said woodenly: “Thank you.”

Bei Yao propped her chin up and looked at Pei Chuan. Her eyes contained laughter, like the brilliant summer flowers blooming outside the window. Pei Chuan glanced at her, then replied to the male student behind: “You’re welcome.”

Her eyes gradually brightened. She smiled secretly throughout the entire class period.

After the bespectacled classmate behind discovered that Pei Chuan wasn’t so scary, he would sometimes even ask Pei Chuan for help with problems.

Bei Yao also listened. She could now maintain a position in the top three of the class. First, she relied on memories several years ahead; second, she relied on hard work. She would often start doing homework as soon as school let out.

Bei Yao discovered that Pei Chuan was very smart—exceptionally smart.

He could solve a math problem in many different ways. When explaining to people, he didn’t like to talk—he would just write out the steps for them to see.

But the steps were simple and clear, making people understand immediately.

Bei Yao marveled—how could he be so smart!

When elementary school ended in 2002, Pei Chuan was first place in the grade. Under the parasol trees, the green young boys and girls took a group photo together, and elementary school life came to an end.

The summer vacation of sixth grade was long and leisurely.

This year, Zhao Zhilan spent her time under Zhao Xiu’s provocations, things like “What’s the use of your daughter having good grades? My daughter is slender and moving, like ‘Chang Xue’—that’s what’s impressive.”

After getting off work, Zhao Zhilan came home and assessed Bei Yao, whose cheeks still had baby fat: “Yaoyao, your aunt opened a dance class. How about I send you to learn dancing?”

Bei Yao shook her head: “I’m past the right age. It’s not good to learn now.”

Mainly, Bei Yao didn’t really like her harsh aunt. Uncle’s family had borrowed money from her family, and after more than three years, they hadn’t repaid a single cent. In the future, they wouldn’t repay it either.

“How can staying cooped up at home during vacation work? You should exercise.” There were few girls in the residential complex. Fang Mingjun was aloof. Bei Yao and Fang Mingjun couldn’t play together, so she spent more time at home during vacation.

“Then can I follow a disc and do aerobics?”

“Sure. Tomorrow I’ll go buy two more discs.”

At that time, the internet was far from as developed as in later generations. Bei Yao’s family had a DVD player—you could insert a disc and watch videos.

Bei Yao’s family lived on the third floor. Pei Chuan’s family lived on the fourth floor opposite.

They both lived in side bedrooms. Opening the window, they could see each other. However, Pei Chuan’s room had a small balcony. When he turned nine, he had separated it with curtains. Bei Yao couldn’t see him.

Late July sunlight spilled onto the floor. Pei Chuan occasionally opened the window and saw the blue bellflowers blooming in front of the young girl’s window.

They were like small bells, full of vitality.

Bei Yao’s room only had an old standing fan. She jumped until she was gasping for breath, then opened the window to let in air. Pei Chuan’s floor was higher. When he inadvertently lowered his eyes, he saw Bei Yao doing aerobics across the way.

She stretched her limbs, with some of a young girl’s tenderness and grace, raising both arms high.

Because she feared the heat, Bei Yao wore a tender green camisole.

Her movements caused the camisole to ride up, exposing a stretch of dazzlingly white waist and a small, cute navel. She clearly wasn’t slender, yet that section of waist was soft and delicate, too small to grasp fully.

Pei Chuan’s expression changed. With a “swish,” he pulled the curtains closed.

For the entire summer vacation, Bei Yao never saw the curtains across the way open again.

~

The aerobics had no effect. The young girl grew according to her original trajectory through time.

Although Zhao Zhilan was disappointed, she also understood these things couldn’t be forced. In September, the transition from elementary to middle school took place. City C’s middle school was actually farther from home—a full forty-minute journey, in a different direction from elementary school.

What comforted Bei Yao was that she and Pei Chuan were still in the same class.

Seventh Grade Class Seven was the middle school experimental class.

The number of familiar faces in this class suddenly decreased quite a bit, because this class was entered based on sixth-grade final exam scores. Classes 7 and 8 were experimental classes; the rest were regular classes.

Chen Hu gloriously entered Class Six. He still firmly held the position of dead last in Class Six.

There were quite a few familiar faces in Class Seven—Fang Mingjun, Hua Ting, and Li Da, who had barely scraped in. Everyone was classmates.

Chen Hu nearly cried over this. All the same-age kids from the entire residential complex had entered the “academic achiever class”—except for him.

He received another beating from Father Chen.

On the first day of seventh grade, students could choose their own seats.

Hua Ting happily hugged Bei Yao’s arm and sat together with Bei Yao. Bei Yao subconsciously glanced at Pei Chuan. At some point, a short-haired little girl in a long dress had sat down beside him.

Bei Yao was stunned, inevitably feeling somewhat disappointed inside. In the next moment she thought, she should feel happy for Pei Chuan instead.

She couldn’t tell whether Pei Chuan was willing to be her deskmate again, but the “dividing line” from six years of elementary school always made her feel that Pei Chuan probably didn’t like her very much.

When Pei Chuan first attended elementary school, he sat in a wheelchair. Everyone knew his legs were disabled. Now that they’d arrived at a new environment, and there was no more loose-lipped Chen Hu, naturally people would be friendly toward Pei Chuan.

The young boy had refined features. After installing prosthetics, he was tall and thin. His temperament was cool—in a crowd, you could always spot him at a glance.

In this class now, no one knew Pei Chuan had no legs. He could interact with people like a normal person. Once there was a good beginning, things would only get better and better.

Bei Yao thought about it and genuinely felt happy for him.

The little girl sitting with Pei Chuan was called Zhuo Yingjing. She had transferred from a neighboring city to attend middle school. Most of the young boys and girls had their own companions. There were few people with empty seats beside them. Although Zhuo Yingjing was somewhat shy, she still sat down beside Pei Chuan.

“Hello, I’m called Zhuo Yingjing. What’s your name?”

Pei Chuan had a sullen face. He turned his head to look. He had clearly already sat down in the first row by the window, yet Bei Yao no longer came over.

Did she feel she had finally gotten rid of him, this cripple?

Pei Chuan was in a bad mood and didn’t want to pay any attention to his new deskmate at all. Zhuo Yingjing wasn’t pretty, but she had the advantage of being fresh-faced. Her short hair was refreshing. When Pei Chuan didn’t respond, she felt somewhat awkward and stopped making conversation.

It wasn’t until after the books were distributed and Pei Chuan had finished writing his name that Zhuo Yingjing let out a small sound of amazement: “So you’re Pei Chuan, first place in our class! I saw your scores—super amazing. Only one point deducted in Chinese.”

The boy’s profile carried some of a young person’s immature coldness. He closed his book and turned his head to look out the window.

One autumn rain, one chill. The emerald parasol trees faintly had a few leaves beginning to turn yellow.

Pei Chuan’s heart felt like it was weighed down by a heavy lead stone, making him want to lose his temper. Summer hadn’t completely passed yet. City C was dry. Now he wouldn’t suppress himself and not drink water, but the water in his cup was prepared for Bei Yao—it seemed to have become a habit.

At dusk, he suddenly unscrewed the water bottle and tilted his head back to drink it completely dry.

When school let out, Bei Yao didn’t leave together with Hua Ting. Her movements were slow. She had just finished packing her brand-new English textbook when Pei Chuan’s silhouette disappeared at the classroom door.

“Eh? Pei Chuan…”

In the past, he would always wait for her. Today he didn’t turn his head—he had already walked far away.

Bei Yao hurriedly packed her homework notebooks and pencil case inside, shouldered her schoolbag, and chased after him. The little panda swayed back and forth. The pens in the pencil case also clattered noisily.

Pei Chuan heard the footsteps behind him. The corners of his lips pressed into a line of displeasure and coldness. He walked forward with his head down.

“Pei Chuan.” The young girl’s voice was sweet and clear. She was out of breath. “Wait for me.”

The setting sun stretched their shadows very long. Bei Yao finally caught up to him.

“What’s wrong with you? Aren’t we going home together?”

He said coldly: “You go back with Hua Ting.”

Bei Yao’s almond eyes showed confusion: “Hua Ting’s home isn’t in this direction.”

He got even angrier: “Don’t follow me. Are you annoying or not?”

Bei Yao felt somewhat hurt. She didn’t understand why Pei Chuan was angry. The young girl also felt a bit wronged: “My home is in this direction.”

From childhood to now, Pei Chuan only had two kinds of emotions—either indifferent or fierce.

Now he was in a fierce state. If he didn’t walk fast, his prosthetic legs wouldn’t show any abnormality at all, but today he seemed to be acting out of spite, walking forward with quick steps.

When passing by Li Da and Chen Hu, Chen Hu was dumbfounded. Holy crap, this person walking super fast and awkwardly was Pei Chuan?

A whole week after school started, Pei Chuan and Bei Yao still hadn’t reconciled.

On Friday afternoon, it was the first group’s turn to be on duty, which included Pei Chuan’s desk.

On Pei Chuan’s desk, books had been messed up by the classmate arranging the stools. Zhuo Yingjing’s eyes lit up. She helped organize her aloof deskmate’s books.

Between them, there was no cold boundary line drawn by the young boy.

Pei Chuan came back with a mop. His expression instantly turned cold: “Who told you to touch my things!”

His black pupils were pitch-dark. When not smiling, he was somewhat frightening. Zhuo Yingjing was scared: “I was just helping you organize…”

“Don’t need it,” he said.

“How can you be like this!” Zhuo Yingjing was, after all, a little girl. These past few days facing Pei Chuan’s cold face, she felt extremely wronged. “I clearly had good intentions, wanting to be good friends with you.”

Classmates were all fighting over brooms at the back door of the classroom. The classroom was momentarily quiet.

The parasol tree dropped a few leaves. The autumn wind gradually rose.

He curved his lips. The young boy’s icy face took on some mockery: “Be friends? You want to be friends with a legless cripple?”