After the Spring Awakening solar term, Pingcheng’s temperature suddenly rose. The midday sun even carried a few degrees of summer’s heat. During lunch break, the classroom was full of the sound of paper pages fanning the air.

Ruan Mian had been especially busy during this period. Besides classes from morning to night, she also had additional tutoring sessions on weekends.

In her free time, she also had to explain test papers to Zhao Shutang.

Speaking of this, Ruan Mian still found it somewhat unbelievable. She and Zhao Shutang had always been like fire and water, but because Zhao Shutang had been on leave at home for this past month since school started, whether it was Zhou Hai or Fang Ruqing, they all seemed to tacitly regard her as someone who could help Zhao Shutang.

Usually at school, whatever test papers or homework there were, Zhou Hai would have Ruan Mian help bring them back and forth. The girls in class who were close with Zhao Shutang, when they took down notes, would also have Ruan Mian bring them back to her.

Even Liu Jingyi had gradually changed from being sarcastic at first to awkwardly showing goodwill. Ruan Mian guessed she had probably heard something from Zhao Shutang again.

Initially, Ruan Mian only took care of delivering things. At the end of February, Zhao Shutang participated remotely from home in a weekly exam organized by the class. Her results were not ideal.

Afterward, Zhou Hai contacted Fang Ruqing. When Ruan Mian came home from school that evening, Fang Ruqing brought up this matter with her. “Your Teacher Zhou called me to school today. He said Shutang has fallen behind on quite a bit of coursework at home during this time and is having trouble keeping up with the class’s progress. He asked if you could tutor her when you have time to rest.”

Ruan Mian clicked the pen in her hand and said without much inflection, “I have no objections to this, but you need to ask Zhao Shutang first if she’s willing.”

“I asked her as soon as I got home today. She said it’s fine.” When Zhao Shutang had been recovering from her injury at home during Spring Festival, Fang Ruqing’s constant care had brought some change to their relationship. Although they still weren’t close, at least they weren’t as resistant to each other as before.

“Then let’s start this Sunday.” That’s what Ruan Mian had said at the time.

…

The stuffy and drowsy lunch break was declared over by the sudden ringing of the bell. Ruan Mian lifted her head from the pile of test papers, pinching her somewhat sore wrist, and let out a light yawn.

The first period in the afternoon was English class. Teacher Song had already entered the classroom early with teaching materials. Since class hadn’t officially started yet, everyone didn’t treat his presence too seriously. Those going to the bathroom went to the bathroom, those chatting chatted. Meng Xinglan even wanted to drag Ruan Mian to the school store to buy things, but in the end, because the break was too short, they didn’t go.

Once class started, time seemed to drag on, especially right after napping at lunch. Spring drowsiness and autumn fatigue—Ruan Mian’s eyelids kept fighting each other in Teacher Song’s monotonous tone. Just when her head was about to crash onto the desk, Teacher Song walked over and tapped on the corner of her desk.

Ruan Mian startled awake from her drowsiness. In her ear was Teacher Song’s voice carrying a hint of laughter. “I know the first period is harder to get through, but at this point, you absolutely cannot slack off. Anyone else who still wants to sleep, go to the bathroom, wash your face to wake up, and then come back to class.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a few people stood up scattered throughout the classroom. Ruan Mian rubbed her eyes and saw Chen Yi also walk out.

After the two consecutive English classes ended, Ruan Mian accompanied Meng Xinglan to the school store to buy snacks. On the way there, passing by the bulletin board downstairs, the two of them saw a familiar name on it.

Sheng Huan.

Last Friday, she was given a major demerit for fighting on campus.

When the fighting incident first happened, it spread immediately. The story was that Sheng Huan had formed a clique in her class to bully other girls. When someone reported it to the teacher, she led people to corner that girl in the bathroom and beat her up.

But the truth was different. Someone else was actually forming the clique.

Most of the students in Sheng Huan’s arts exam class were girls. Her usual behavior was shocking and unconventional, but she happened to be beautiful. Her admirers could line up from the sixth floor to the first. A few girls in class who were forming cliques didn’t like her and deliberately instigated this incident.

Although the cause of the incident was false, Sheng Huan hitting someone was true. The punishment was still issued according to school rules.

“Sheng Huan is so unlucky.” Meng Xinglan clicked her tongue in amazement. “As expected, places with many girls are prone to incidents.”

Although Ruan Mian stood in opposition to Sheng Huan, she could still distinguish right from wrong. In this matter, Sheng Huan was also a victim.

Ruan Mian inevitably felt some sympathy for her. “I hope she won’t be too affected by this incident.”

“Let’s hope so.”

Later, when they returned to the classroom, the class was also discussing this matter. From Qi Jia, Ruan Mian learned that Sheng Huan’s parents were friends with the school board. The major demerit matter would likely be turned over soon.

She breathed an inexplicable sigh of relief, but subconsciously glanced in Chen Yi’s direction. The boy’s back faced the crowd as he lay on the desk, one arm cushioned behind his head. She couldn’t see his face or expression.

The class bell rang. The boy lowered his arm and sat up. Through the layers of people between them, Ruan Mian glimpsed his sharply defined profile.

Still indifferent and handsome.

Ruan Mian silently withdrew her gaze, opened her textbook and spread it on the desk. The remaining two class periods passed quickly in a daze.

There was still competition class in the evening.

After eating dinner with Meng Xinglan, when Ruan Mian returned to the classroom to get her backpack, she ran into Sheng Huan, who had come to Class One to find Qi Jia. The girl had met her a few times before. Her frank and enthusiastic manner made it impossible to generate any annoyance. “You’re so amazing. Last monthly exam, I saw your math was a perfect score again. Not like me—I didn’t even come close to your fraction.”

Ruan Mian smiled. Whatever she said seemed wrong, so in the end, she could only say, “Thank you.”

Sheng Huan chatted with her about studying for a bit, then continued joking and laughing with Qi Jia. When she laughed, she was completely uninhibited, showing neat white teeth, her eyes curving into beautiful crescents.

Anyone who saw her would find her pleasing to the eye.

Ruan Mian took her backpack and said goodbye to them. As she walked out of the classroom, she ran into Chen Yi and Jiang Rang, who had just returned from outside.

Just then, a burst of laughter came from inside the classroom. Chen Yi looked past her shoulder into the room. Ruan Mian’s heart lifted as she pretended nothing was happening and passed by them.

Heaven and hell were only a moment apart.

The next second, Chen Yi withdrew his gaze, shifted his steps to the side, and stood where he couldn’t be seen from inside the classroom, saying to Jiang Rang, “Help me get my backpack.”

Jiang Rang looked into the classroom in confusion, then showed a knowing smile. “Do you really need to avoid her like this? Maybe she’s not even here looking for you.”

Chen Yi frowned and urged, “Hurry up. I’ll wait for you on the first floor. Throw the backpack down.”

Jiang Rang patted his shoulder. “Fine, I really can’t with you.”

…

Ruan Mian, who hadn’t walked far, stood on the staircase steps and looked up toward the distant sunset. The afterglow spread across the entire sky.

That day, even the wind seemed to carry a subtle sweet taste.

The competition class classroom was arranged in the small multimedia classroom of the Political Thought building. The physics competition class had the most people—twenty-eight in total.

Among them were twenty-four boys. The girls were just a fraction more than zero compared to the boys.

When Ruan Mian arrived, there weren’t many people in the class yet. Most of the students selected looked like studious types at first glance.

Eight out of ten wore glasses, with hair cut neither long nor short, refined and reserved with few words.

Ruan Mian’s desk mate was a girl from Class Two named Yu Tian. She was the second place who closely chased Chen Yi on every grade ranking, and also one of the few lively personalities in the class.

Seeing Ruan Mian arrive, she stopped writing and grabbed her to chat. They could talk about anything—from astronomy and geography above to entertainment gossip below.

After chatting, Yu Tian sighed. “Without you, I’d suffocate to death.”

Everyone in the competition class was on edge, treating time like life. Chatting didn’t belong here. Only Ruan Mian had time to chat with her about these things.

While they were talking, Ruan Mian saw Chen Yi walk in from outside. He preferred positions by the wall or window, and in the competition class, he also sat in corners.

But outstanding people were easily noticeable no matter where they sat. In just a few weeks, almost everyone in the class had added Chen Yi on QQ.

Unlike Ruan Mian, who had only added Yu Tian and one large competition class group chat so far. In comparison, it was especially shabby.

The tutoring session lasted two and a half hours with only a fifteen-minute break in between. After class, Ruan Mian walked with Yu Tian and ran into Jiang Rang and Shen Yu, who were waiting by the flower bed outside the Political Thought building—she didn’t know how long they’d been there.

Yu Tian and Shen Yu were classmates, the kind who would only nod when they saw each other.

Jiang Rang chatted with Ruan Mian for a few sentences. He had also signed up for the competition class initially but was eliminated during the interview. Within a few minutes, Chen Yi walked out from the building.

Ruan Mian said goodbye to them and left first, pulling Yu Tian with her.

Yu Tian and Ruan Mian went home in two different directions. They parted at the school gate. Ruan Mian followed the crowd to the right. The temperature difference between day and night was large, and the evening wind carried a slight chill.

When Ruan Mian walked to her front door, before she could go in, she heard arguing coming from inside.

Zhao Yingwei had previously followed the crowd and learned from others to invest, and was swindled out of over a hundred thousand. Fang Ruqing had argued with him several times over this matter.

But at the time, after arguing for a few days, it passed. Ruan Mian didn’t know what it was about this time. As she hesitated at the door about whether to go in, the door was suddenly opened from inside.

Ruan Mian paused and called out, “Uncle Zhao.”

The anger on Zhao Yingwei’s face eased somewhat. He forced out a smile. “Mianmian’s back. I have something to take care of. Tell your mom to rest early.”

After speaking, without waiting for Ruan Mian to respond, he walked out and merged into the night, disappearing from view.

Fang Ruqing had also heard the commotion at the door. When Ruan Mian went in, she saw her raising her hand to wipe her eyes. When she turned around, the corners of her eyes still carried redness.

Ruan Mian pressed her lips together. “Mom, what happened between you and Uncle Zhao?”

“It’s nothing, just some work matters. We both got a bit anxious.” Fang Ruqing smiled. “It’s fine. You should wash up and sleep early.”

Neither of them was willing to talk. Ruan Mian returned to her room, thought about it, and still went to knock on Zhao Shutang’s door. After a few seconds, a voice came from inside. “The door’s not locked. Come in.”

Ruan Mian pushed the door open. Zhao Shutang sat by the desk, her leg in the cast propped on a stool beside her. Without turning her head, she said, “My dad wants to quit his job and partner with someone to start a company. Aunt Fang doesn’t agree, so they argued about it.”

Ruan Mian made an “oh” sound. “Okay, thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

She didn’t stay long and turned to leave. Inside the room, Zhao Shutang stopped writing and looked back, letting out an almost imperceptible sigh.

For a period after that, Zhao Yingwei basically left early and returned late. Sometimes he didn’t even come home all night. Duan Ying would occasionally say a few words about Fang Ruqing over this matter.

One time she went too far, and Fang Ruqing had a big fight with her. That very night, Zhao Yingwei came home much earlier than usual.

The father-in-law had his reasoning, the mother-in-law had hers. Fang Ruqing and Duan Ying each held their own views and nearly started fighting again. Zhao Yingwei couldn’t help either side. In the end, he simply stopped caring completely and let the two of them fight it out.

During that period, the house was always filled with smoke and miasma. Duan Ying looked down on Ruan Mian, detested Fang Ruqing’s forcefulness, and was angry at the compromise that Zhao Shutang inadvertently revealed.

In short, aside from Zhao Yingwei and Zhao Shuyang, no one in the house satisfied her.

Things continued this way until Tomb Sweeping Day. Zhao Yingwei took Duan Ying and Zhao Shuyang back to the countryside to worship their ancestors. Fang Ruqing received a phone call from her family and took time to go back.

The three adults hadn’t communicated in advance and all thought the others would stay at home. As a result, in the end, only Ruan Mian and Zhao Shutang were left at home.

It just so happened that those two days coincided with Zhao Shutang’s scheduled hospital follow-up to remove her cast. With the house in such chaos during this time, no one remembered this matter. It was only when the doctor called the house that Ruan Mian learned about it.

She arranged a time with the doctor on the phone, then went upstairs to tell Zhao Shutang, “I made an appointment for you to go to the hospital tomorrow at ten in the morning for a follow-up.”

The cast on Zhao Shutang’s arm had been removed half a month ago. Only the one on her lower leg remained. Hearing this, she asked, “Just the two of us going?”

Ruan Mian hummed in acknowledgment. “Probably. I don’t know when my mom is coming back. When are Uncle Zhao and the others coming back?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t ask.”

“Then I’ll go with you.” Ruan Mian asked, “What do you want for lunch? I’ll order delivery.”

Zhao Shutang said, “Anything is fine.”

“Okay then, you rest. When the delivery arrives, I’ll bring it up for you.” Ruan Mian went downstairs. After eating lunch, she watched TV downstairs all afternoon.

Early the next morning, Ruan Mian called a car in advance and helped Zhao Shutang downstairs, using a wheelchair to push her to the alley entrance to get in the car. At the hospital, the follow-up results were good. The doctor had Ruan Mian help Zhao Shutang sit on the platform to the side.

After removing the cast, Ruan Mian pushed Zhao Shutang out of the hospital. While waiting for a car at the intersection, Zhao Shutang looked at the traffic on the road and spoke without warning. “I’m sorry.”

Who knew that just then a car honked, almost drowning out Zhao Shutang’s voice. She wasn’t sure if Ruan Mian had heard, but she didn’t speak again.

The taxi driver they hailed was very kind, helping them get in the car and helping them get out, assisting the two all the way to their doorstep before leaving.

After entering the house, Ruan Mian didn’t have the ability to get Zhao Shutang to her room on the second floor, so she had to let her sleep in Duan Ying’s room downstairs first.

After helping her settle in and lie down, Ruan Mian walked to the door, then suddenly turned back and called out, “Zhao Shutang.”

Zhao Shutang lifted her head. “What is it?”

“I heard you.” Ruan Mian said, “So it’s okay.”

These words were cryptic. If it were someone else, they probably wouldn’t understand. But Zhao Shutang understood clearly. She was stunned for a few seconds, then laughed from the bottom of her heart.

Ruan Mian also laughed along.

A smile wipes away all grudges.

Reconciling with Zhao Shutang wasn’t in Ruan Mian’s expectations, but it was ultimately a rare good thing during this period. When the holiday ended and they returned to school, Meng Xinglan clearly noticed the change in relationship between Ruan Mian and Zhao Shutang.

During break time, she asked Ruan Mian, “You and Zhao Shutang—you two?”

“We’ve reconciled.” The sunlight was a bit glaring. Ruan Mian squinted slightly. “She said sorry to me, and I said it was okay. From now on, we really will be family.”

Meng Xinglan exclaimed in amazement, “This holiday was worth it.”

Ruan Mian smiled. “Right?”

At that time, the wind was clear and the clouds bright. Everything was beautiful.

In mid-April, Eighth High’s first and second years had midterm exams. Ruan Mian’s exam room had moved from initially the forty-sixth to the thirtieth, then to the thirteenth, then to single-digit exam rooms. Now she could even be in the first exam room with Chen Yi.

The first three exam rooms were mostly students from Class One and Class Two. Front, back, left, and right were all acquaintances. The proctoring was also much stricter than in ordinary exam rooms.

Three days later, the midterm exam results came out. Ruan Mian performed exceptionally well in English, crossing the 130-point line for the first time. Her grade ranking also jumped directly into the top ten due to high scores in science comprehensive and math.

For this, Teacher Song, who taught English, praised her quite a bit in class.

Not long after this, Zhou Hai readjusted the seating according to this ranking. Ruan Mian moved from the third row of the third section to the third row of the second section, only one aisle’s distance from Chen Yi, who sat in the first row of the first section.

During that second year of high school, every seating adjustment in class was both a blessing and torture for Ruan Mian. The blessing was that she could get closer and closer to Chen Yi. The torture was that such blessings were too hard to come by.

But she always believed that as long as her pace of pursuit was fast enough, one day he would see it all.

Unfortunately.

That was just what she thought.