The spring breeze carried the icy cold of melting snow. Pei Chuan closed the window, watching his father’s colleagues hurrying away. The hospital room still held the fragrance of flowers, mixed with the smell of hospital disinfectant, converging into a suffocating atmosphere.

A middle-aged man pushed the door open from outside, cursing and complaining, “This damn weather—spring’s already here and it’s still so cold.”

Seeing Pei Chuan there, he showed no concern and grabbed a banana from the bedside to peel and eat. “Your dad’s colleagues are supposed to be wealthy people, right? How come they’re so stingy with their gifts? Did they give you any red envelopes?”

Pei Chuan’s jet-black eyes gazed quietly at him. The man finally felt somewhat uncomfortable and rose from his seat.

Before long, a woman entered carrying a lunch box. Pei Chunli was thirty-five this year, but her face looked haggard, as if she were forty-five. Upon entering, she hurriedly said, “Xiao Chuan, you must be hungry. Aunt made food for you and also simmered some chicken soup. Come eat quickly.”

Pei Chuan walked over. The woman opened two lunch boxes, both containing food made for Pei Chuan. The young man was silent for a moment before picking up his chopsticks to eat. His voice was low and hoarse: “Thank you, Aunt.”

“Ah, we’re family—no need for thanks. I’ll take care of things here with your dad.”

It was already one in the afternoon. After Pei Chuan finished eating, he took the initiative to wash the lunch boxes.

Although Pei Chunli said she would take care of Pei Haobin, after eating, Pei Chuan got hot water and went to wipe his father’s hands and face.

Pei Haobin lay in the hospital bed, his face pale.

The hospital room was completely quiet. Pei Chuan looked at Pei Haobin’s resolute face and said softly, “Dad, look at you—you nearly lost your life for public security. What will the people you protected do for you in return?”

Of course, Pei Haobin couldn’t answer him.

Pei Chuan coldly curved his lips. “Being a good person is really… so not worth it.”

For the sake of this greater righteousness, he himself had become disabled, his mother had remarried, and his father risked becoming a vegetable. Pei Chuan couldn’t remember for a very long time what a warm family felt like anymore.

On the other side of the wall, Pei Chunli and Liu Dong were coming upstairs.

Liu Dong was extremely dissatisfied. “You foolish woman, I’m warning you—you can’t have these kinds of ideas. My salary can barely support my own son, and you still want to bring this little cripple into our home? Do you know how much more it costs to feed another mouth?”

Pei Chunli, scolded by her husband, didn’t dare speak much. She furrowed her brow tightly. “Keep your voice down, don’t let Xiao Chuan hear.”

“So what if he hears! In any case, don’t even think about it.”

“My brother’s in this condition now… Xiao Chuan isn’t even an adult yet. Someone has to help take care of the child.”

“Fine, fine, fine—you’re so great, you take care of him then. Worst case, we divorce! What can he do when he grows up? Do you expect him to be that remarkable? When he can’t get by anymore, his own mother will take him back. Why should you, his aunt, worry about it?”

“How can you be so heartless? My brother helped you so much before. Your current job was one he helped arrange. What’s wrong with helping take care of a child for a few years now that Xiao Chuan is alone?”

“What’s wrong!” Liu Dong shouted loudly. “No money! Can’t afford to support a useless person! Keep nagging and we’ll divorce—you can go raise that boy yourself.”

Pei Chunli’s health wasn’t good, so she had never worked, and because of this, she had always been beneath her husband at home. Previously, Pei Haobin feared his sister wasn’t living well, so he took the initiative to arrange a good job for his brother-in-law. On the surface, Pei Chunli’s family’s standard of living improved considerably, but this also made Liu Dong, the only breadwinner in the family, even more domineering, to the point where Pei Chunli had no voice at all.

The two argued noisily, attracting countless stares. Pei Chunli, being thin-skinned after all, stopped arguing out of shame.

~

Bei Yao went home and told Zhao Zhilan about her plan to visit Uncle Pei. Zhao Zhilan sighed, “Officer Pei is a good person. Their family has had quite a hard time.”

In truth, there had been no hint beforehand about Pei Haobin and Jiang Wenjuan’s divorce—they suddenly divorced, which greatly surprised all the neighbors.

Zhao Zhilan looked at the sky and advised her daughter, “We can’t go today. To get to People’s Hospital by bus takes two hours, and after ten at night there are no more buses. Tomorrow you still have to go to school. After you finish school, we’ll go to the hospital together to see him. I’ll prepare gifts tomorrow morning and come pick you up at noon.”

Although Bei Yao was worried in her heart, she understood that going now was indeed unrealistic.

Fortunately, in her memory, though this “life-or-death crisis” of Uncle Pei’s was somewhat blurred, she knew that Pei Haobin would definitely wake up in her previous life. Because by the time she was in high school, Pei Haobin had remarried, and the woman he married also brought a child with her. From then on, Pei Chuan rarely went home.

The next day, Bei Yao went to school. She had returned from her grandmother’s house relatively late, and most students had already registered yesterday. Bei Yao had to pay her miscellaneous school fees to the teacher separately.

Zhao Zhilan carefully counted her school fees twice and put them in Bei Yao’s pocket. “Don’t lose it.”

“I know, Mom.”

At the end of February, the brilliant pomegranate flowers in the campus only had a large cluster of green branches and leaves. As Bei Yao walked into campus again, most of the girls her eyes fell upon were shorter than her. She finally had the feeling of having advanced to third-year junior high.

Bei Yao first went to pay the fees. The insurance fee had a separate window. At this early hour, the fee-collecting teacher yawned, “What’s your name? Which class? Insurance fee is thirty yuan. Pay your miscellaneous fees to your homeroom teacher.”

After paying the insurance fee, Bei Yao went to the classroom first to put down her backpack. In the classroom was only one male student buried in study—their Class 7’s class monitor. Although he studied extremely diligently, he never did well on exams.

The class monitor was immersed in his own world and didn’t notice Bei Yao coming in.

Bei Yao didn’t disturb him and went directly to the teachers’ office. When she looked, the door wasn’t even open yet—the teachers hadn’t arrived at this hour. The classroom office was on the second floor. The Chinese parasol trees were sprouting tender buds, gracefully stretching in the early morning.

Bei Yao lowered her head to check her watch. The teacher should arrive soon, so she didn’t rush back to the classroom.

Sure enough, after a few minutes, a man carrying a briefcase came upstairs.

“Teacher Zeng.”

When Zeng Ming looked, he saw a fourteen or fifteen-year-old young girl wearing a simple bean-green jacket with jeans below. The morning breeze stirred her wispy bangs, creating an indescribable peaceful beauty.

He took quite a while to react, then said with surprise, “Bei Yao?”

Bei Yao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry—everyone who saw her had Teacher Zeng’s same reaction. First amazed, then their brain took several beats to react, finding it extremely difficult to connect her with the name “Bei Yao.”

“Teacher Zeng, I’m here to pay my school fees.”

“Wait a moment, let teacher open the door. Come in.”

Teacher Zeng taught Chinese, and his common habit was loving to chat. “Bei Yao, you did very well last semester. Teacher looked at your results—if you maintain this level, you should be quite stable for getting into First, Third, or Sixth Middle School. The main thing is to maintain a good mindset for the high school entrance exam, don’t be too nervous. Also, your geography isn’t very good—you’re a bit unbalanced. When you have time, communicate more with teachers and classmates.”

“Thank you, Teacher Zeng.”

Bei Yao knew her own situation. She was third in the class, a full sixty points below first place Pei Chuan.

The name Pei Chuan was very famous throughout the entire third-year. He held steady at first in the grade, perfect scores in science subjects, his total score a full forty points ahead of the grade’s second place. Even with Bei Yao’s advantage, she could only look on in despair.

After Bei Yao left, Teacher Zeng pulled out a certificate from his drawer and frowned.

~

At seven-thirty, the class’s students arrived one after another.

When Hua Ting walked drowsily into the classroom, she discovered everyone was looking at the third desk—that was her and Bei Yao’s seat.

So much so that Hua Ting sluggishly followed their gaze: “…!”

In early February spring, all things awakened. The tips of the tall Chinese parasol tree’s leaves held morning dew. A young girl sat in the third row, head lowered reading an English passage. Long lashes lightly drooped, her lip pearls round and adorable. Fine white porcelain-like skin revealed the girl’s youthful warmth and softness.

Hua Ting’s first reaction was—where did this little fairy come from? She’s so exquisite.

Then her head buzzed and she became alert.

This was her deskmate. The features showed traces of the original appearance, only she had completely shed the childishness of a little girl and completely transformed into a young lady’s appearance.

Bei Yao brushed the stray hair at her temples and looked up to see Hua Ting standing to the side with her mouth half-open. She smiled slightly. “Hua Ting, good morning.”

Hua Ting’s mind was flooded with “the fairy smiled at me,” and she stammered back, “G-good morning.”

Coming to her senses, Hua Ting sat in her seat, looking at Bei Yao with an incredulous gaze. “Are you really Bei Yao?”

Having been looked at with such gazes all morning, Bei Yao was already somewhat accustomed to it. She smiled and asked, “Don’t I look like her?”

“You do look like her, just… that feeling is completely different.” Hua Ting exclaimed, “My judgment in elementary school really wasn’t wrong—you’re even prettier than Chang Xue now.”

Hua Ting had originally felt somewhat embarrassed about her dazed reaction earlier, but after seeing the surrounding looks of shock, confusion, bewilderment, and amazement, Hua Ting instead became gleeful.

She wasn’t the only one unable to react, so there was nothing to be ashamed of.

Hua Ting faintly heard the girls behind discussing: “Bei Yao suddenly lost so much weight and became so beautiful.”

“Yes, she was already fair-skinned, and her legs are also slender. Looking at her makes me want to lose weight too.”

Such beauty value had too much impact. Everyone subconsciously looked at the class’s former “class beauty,” Fang Minjun.

Fang Minjun took out a book. She felt somewhat uncomfortable in her heart, but not as much as she had imagined. Long ago, looking at Bei Yao’s outstanding features, she had worried this day would come. But when this day truly arrived, Fang Minjun felt that heaven giving beauty to a girl like Bei Yao was the most fair thing.

Someone like Shang Mengxian—good-looking but incapable of any decent behavior—was what truly upset people.

~

Pei Chuan arrived at school treading through the morning chill. Before entering the classroom, he heard male students coming from the restroom mention Bei Yao’s name.

“I really think she’s even prettier than Shang Mengxian before…”

“I think so too.”

As soon as the male students saw Pei Chuan, they immediately stopped talking. The air went quiet for a moment. Pei Chuan looked straight ahead and continued walking toward the classroom.

Pei Chuan had exceptional hearing. Near the doorway, he still heard them saying—

“He’s Bei Yao’s neighbor, right? The really close kind?”

“Don’t think so obscenely. Shang Mengxian previously said she didn’t like him, let alone Bei Yao.”

Pei Chuan’s expression was indifferent. He stood at the doorway and looked up.

At that moment, the morning sun hung newly at the horizon. Bei Yao, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time, was propping up her chin reading. The classroom was abnormally quiet, and she, just sitting there, was more moving than all the spring scenery of early spring.

Spring came late this year. Perhaps seventy percent of spring’s beauty had quietly gone to court favor beside the young girl. She seemed to sense something and looked up. Pei Chuan met a pair of clear, glassy eyes.

Those almond eyes smiled upon seeing him, carrying a unique clarity and gentleness.

Pei Chuan.

Happy new year.

He was dazed for a moment by such radiance. Only after a long while did he lower his gaze. Pei Chuan’s lips paled by two shades. When he sat down at his seat, he gently closed his eyes. A difficult-to-express bitterness and sorrow spread through his heart.

She had grown up, even more beautiful than he could imagine, more than he had ever dreamed.

Any words to describe her would feel pale and powerless.

She had grown up, no longer the pitiful little girl from childhood who would want to cry when hurt. But he was still the same Pei Chuan from back then. Cold-hearted, curled up in dark places, disabled.

She stood in brilliant sunshine, while he had long been in an abyss with no bottom in sight.

Throughout the entire morning self-study, Pei Chuan didn’t absorb anything from his book, but neither did he, like other classmates, lose focus staring at Bei Yao.

As soon as the bell rang for the end of class, he closed his book and went downstairs.

In the office, Zeng Ming was preparing lessons.

“Teacher Zeng.”

“It’s Pei Chuan.”

Pei Chuan responded, then said calmly, “During the break, you called asking if I wanted to accept the recommendation to Third Middle School. At the time, something happened at home and I refused. Afterward, I seriously thought about it and don’t want to disappoint the school and your expectations. May I ask if I can still go to Third Middle School?”

Zeng Ming was stunned. When he had called Pei Chuan, the young man had refused outright. He had thought Pei Chuan had another school he particularly wanted to test into, after all, recommendations didn’t offer the same choices as regular admissions. He hadn’t expected Pei Chuan had simply not thought it through clearly because of family matters.

“Of course you can. The form is still with me, and I haven’t officially contacted them yet. There’s still time. Have you decided on Third Middle School?”

“I’ve decided.”

The young man’s slender, thin hand accepted the form. “Thank you, teacher.” He paused, then said, “Teacher, my father was injured at work and is currently unconscious in the hospital. Since I’ve been recommended, can I stop coming to school and go take care of him?”

“Teacher, I have one last request—please don’t tell the classmates that the school I’m being recommended to is Third Middle School.”

Pei Chuan walked out of the office, lowering his gaze to look at the materials in his hand. The narcissus flowers in the campus were blooming, pure and graceful.

He still remembered how, a year ago, Bei Yao had said longingly that she wanted to fill in Sixth Middle School for her high school entrance exam志愿 because Sixth Middle School was close to home and had a good atmosphere.

Pei Chuan held the form and, without even returning to the classroom, walked toward the school gate.

What a pity—he probably couldn’t continue being tainted by her anymore.

She herself probably didn’t even know how attractive she was now. With his remaining shred of conscience, he wouldn’t drag her down to hell with him.

A girl like that would be cherished no matter who she ended up with in the future.

~

Bei Yao noticed that the seat in front remained empty all along. She frowned in confusion. She had finally returned and hadn’t even greeted Pei Chuan yet.

Fortunately, that afternoon after school, Zhao Zhilan was indeed waiting for her outside school.

It was only five o’clock. Zhao Zhilan was carrying various fruits, quite heavy. Bei Yao quickly helped her carry them together.

“We won’t eat dinner first. We’re in a hurry. Let’s go see your Uncle Pei first, otherwise we won’t make the bus later. We’ll come back and cook some noodles for dinner.”

Bei Yao naturally had no objection.

When mother and daughter arrived at the hospital, Pei Chuan was by the window reading.

It was a programming book left by the previous patient in this room. He was casually flipping through it.

A young girl’s crisp voice rang out: “Pei Chuan!”

Even the air became tainted with that clear, sweet scent. He looked up toward the door. The door was being turned open. Bei Yao wore a bean-green jacket, like a tender sprout emerging from spring. She was carrying things, out of breath. “Mom and I came to see Uncle Pei.”

He shifted his eyes away, landing on Zhao Zhilan. “Hello, Aunt Zhao.” Then he took the things from their hands. When he took the apples from Bei Yao’s hands, his gaze paused for a moment on her cherry-pink fingertips, then avoided her fingertips, not touching her, and took away the apples.

“Ah.” Zhao Zhilan responded, then said, “Sorry, Xiao Chuan. Aunt Zhao only found out about this yesterday after returning. Don’t worry—your father will wake up. Heaven has eyes. It can distinguish between good and bad people. Officer Pei worked for the country and people—he’ll definitely be safe.”

Pei Chuan’s expression was calm. “Thank you, Aunt Zhao.”

“Pei Chuan.” Bei Yao took out a yellow protective amulet from her pocket and said softly, “Grandma and I sought this at the temple on Xuwu Mountain. It’s said to be very efficacious. I’m giving it to Uncle Pei now, hoping he recovers soon.”

He didn’t look at her eyes and responded. He didn’t refuse, and in front of Zhao Zhilan, he accepted it.

Bei Yao had many things she wanted to ask, like why he had left after just coming to class today, but with her mother present, she couldn’t ask.

Instead, Zhao Zhilan felt somewhat soft-hearted seeing Pei Chuan. “Pei Chuan, Auntie doesn’t have anything else she can do for you, but if you go home, come to Auntie’s house to eat anytime. In the future, when we make something good at home, I’ll have Yao Yao bring it to the hospital.”

Pei Chuan shook his head. “Thank you, Aunt Zhao. No need—my aunt is making food for me.”

Zhao Zhilan was, after all, just a neighbor, not comparable to his own aunt. She couldn’t insist, so after saying some more comforting words, she left with Bei Yao.

Pei Chuan watched them leave.

The graceful young girl walked several steps, then looked back. His gaze moved to the little panda on her backpack, not looking at her glassy eyes.

After they had gone far, he took out the hand that had been in his pocket. Lying on it was the protective amulet Bei Yao had given him. It still retained the warmth from her body.

Pei Chuan placed it beside Pei Haobin’s bed.

Get well soon, Dad.

You probably don’t know what kind of life your son is living, or what he’s given up.

~

The third year became busy and hectic. Bei Yao discovered that since that day, Pei Chuan had never come to school again. Teacher Zeng explained to the classmates: “Student Pei Chuan has excellent grades and has been recommended to high school by the school.”

A chorus of envious exclamations arose in the class.

Hua Ting also said, “He’s really amazing. This kind of recommendation must be to one of First, Third, or Sixth Middle School. Some people are exhausted and frantic over the high school entrance exam, while others can go easily without even taking the test. So enviable.”

Bei Yao was filling her ink: “It’s a privilege unique to the top three in the grade. Can’t be envied.”

Bei Yao also didn’t know which high school Pei Chuan had gone to. In her memory, Pei Chuan was a grade above her and also attended Sixth Middle School. This time it was probably Sixth Middle School too, right?

In early June, when summer arrived, the Pei family finally welcomed good news—Pei Haobin had awakened.

He had lain in bed for nearly four months. When even the doctors thought there was no hope, he woke up.

A week after Pei Haobin woke up, Pei Chuan returned home to get a change of clothes. Though he didn’t want to admit it, at a glance he still saw Bei Yao by the residential complex’s flower bed.

No one knew whose original idea it was to create such a flower bed in front of the complex. Later, for convenience, residents all planted green onions, ginger, and garlic in it. Bei Yao had been dispatched by Zhao Zhilan to come down and pull green onions to take back.

She wore a white dress. The dress was somewhat large, making the slender white legs beneath appear even more delicate.

Her ankles were small and exquisite. In June, City C was already very hot. The noon sun hung high. After pulling several stalks, she stood up and was very happy upon seeing Pei Chuan.

“Pei Chuan! You’re back. I heard Uncle Pei woke up.”

“Mm.” He lowered his gaze, yet inevitably saw the mud on her sandals.

The young girl wore beige-colored sandals. A pair of small feet, delicate and lovely. Her toes were like tender bamboo shoots, with just a hint of cherry pink at the tips. Pitiful and adorable, making one want to even crouch down and gently wipe clean the mud on her shoes.

He frowned, and finally had no choice but to look at her face.

From childhood to now, she had always been somewhat clumsy and slow, unable to detect the young man’s slight irritation and discomfort. Instead, she was extremely happy. “I heard from Teacher Zeng that you were recommended to high school. Congratulations. Was the high school you were recommended to Sixth Middle School?”

Teacher Zeng had kept his word and hadn’t told classmates that the school he was going to was Third Middle School.

And he, looking closely at this pure, flawless little face before him, calmly lied: “Yes.”

She said joyfully, “In five more days I’ll take the high school entrance exam. I want to go to the same school as you. I’ll fill in Sixth Middle School then. We can be schoolmates again, and maybe we’ll even be assigned to the same class!”

“Mm.”

“Pei Chuan.” She wiped the sweat from her forehead, completely unaware that she had gotten a bit of mud from the green onions on her face. “These green onions my mom grew—do you want some?”

“No.”

“Oh, then after I finish my exam, I’ll come see you and Uncle Pei.”

Pei Chuan, holding his house key, turned and walked away. Only after distancing himself from the faint lilac scent on the young girl behind him did his tense muscles relax slightly.

From childhood to now, it wasn’t that he had never said the opposite of what he meant to deceive her, but this was the first time he had lied to her about something major.

Bei Yao was filled with joy, thinking he was also at Sixth Middle School, but before long, she would understand that he had deceived her. He would be at Third Middle School while she was at Sixth Middle School. In the future, she would live happily in a bright place. Even someone with Shang Mengxian’s looks could become a school beauty—he didn’t need to think to know how popular the young girl behind him would be.

And he, when alone, could grow wildly in dark, damp corners without any reservations.

Pei Chuan used his key to open the door.

After she discovered he had deceived her, she would never want to acknowledge him again, right? Since he was destined not to have her, he shouldn’t think about it from the start.

On June thirteenth, City C held the unified high school entrance exam.

In the summer season, the blazing sun shone high. This year’s exam rooms had no air conditioning. The examinees were drenched in sweat, yet all concentrated wholeheartedly on answering questions.

As soon as the exam finished on the fourteenth, examinees received a form in the exam room. They had to fill in their志愿 before scores came out, with each person filling in their preferred high school based on their estimated level.

Bei Yao had done well on the exam. Her pen moved lightly as she carefully wrote down her first choice志愿—City C Sixth Middle School.