The homeroom teacher said, “Qunshan is indeed beautiful, but it’s prone to earthquakes. Though I haven’t heard of any in recent years.”
Teachers responsible for the new first-year students at Experimental South Campus came and went into the office.
Lin Qile stood before the homeroom teacher, hands behind her back, like a good student.
No, not like.
She was now a provincial recruit at Experimental High School. She was a good student.
“Qunshan?” The homeroom teacher from the neighboring class looked up, glancing at Lin Qile. “That place is always shaking!”
The teachers began to chat, explaining that Qunshan’s frequent earthquakes were due to tectonic plate compression causing the mountains to rise. They added that Qunshan’s lack of development over the years was because of constant tremors collapsing mountains and driving people away. They couldn’t even build a power plant there.
Lin Qile suddenly remembered the cliff that loomed over her childhood.
“No earthquakes for over a decade?” The homeroom teacher asked another teacher, then turned to Lin Qile: “Your generation must be very fortunate!”
The homeroom teacher asked if she had any trouble adjusting to the provincial capital. Lin Qile said no.
“Are your parents in Qunshan comfortable with you coming alone?”
“They’ve moved to the provincial capital,” Lin Qile answered honestly.
The homeroom teacher was surprised: “Moved here?”
“The Qunshan power plant is finished, so they were transferred,” Lin Qile explained.
Several nearby homeroom teachers looked up at Lin Qile simultaneously.
“In the power industry, eh?” The homeroom teacher smiled. “So… do you want to choose liberal arts or sciences in your second year?”
“Sciences,” Lin Qile said.
“With such good liberal arts scores, you’re choosing sciences?” The homeroom teacher wondered. “Do you want to return to the main campus as a day student in your second year?”
Lin Qile nodded.
The homeroom teacher fell silent.
“Well, South Campus has its advantages. The closed campus is better for focused study,” the homeroom teacher sipped his tea. “Besides, being away from parents at your age means fewer worries.”
Lin Qile said, “I like being with my parents.”
Leaving the office, Lin Qile found a boy waiting outside.
He wore glasses, held a stack of forms, and was dressed in military training camouflage. His skin was very dark, and he had a slight stoop.
“Hello, Lin Qile,” he introduced himself, smiling to reveal white teeth. “I’m the class monitor for Class 29. My name is Feng Letian.”
Lin Qile replied, “Hello, Class Monitor!”
The two new students walked along the corridor. Feng Letian said, “Actually, I’ve seen you these past few days and thought you looked familiar… Even your beautiful name, Lin Qile, sounds like I’ve heard it somewhere…”
Lin Qile thought for a moment and asked, “Did you graduate from Provincial Experimental Affiliated Middle School?”
“Yes, how did you know?” Feng Letian said, then realized, “Oh right, I mentioned it during my self-introduction at the class meeting.”
“Lin, you’re a provincial recruit. The teachers asked me to help you,” Feng Letian said as they parted. “You can text me if you need anything!”
Two days later during military training, Xin Tingting came to ask, “Qile, are you close with our class monitor Feng?”
Lin Qile shook her head, cheeks puffed out as she drank water.
“I heard,” Xin Tingting leaned in, cupping her hand to Lin Qile’s ear to gossip, “he said at the boys’ dorm chat that he likes you!”
Lin Qile bent over, nearly spitting out her water.
After military training, first-year life began uneventfully. Lin Qile woke at 6 AM daily, hastily made her bed, sleepily brushed her teeth in the washroom, quickly tied her hair in a ponytail, donned the blue and white striped uniform, and soon blended in with all the other Experimental students, indistinguishable.
Lin Qile realized something: no one clearly remembers you; after all, it’s just your nightmare.
To others, that nightmare is like the wind.
Two years passed, and no one remembered the name “Lin Qile” that once caused such embarrassment, nor “Qunshan No. 1 Middle School.”
Morning reading, classes, evening self-study… homework, test papers, mountains of study guides… This was Lin Qile’s utterly ordinary high school life, nothing like the romantic plots in novels, comics, or TV dramas. After biology lab, Lin Qile and Xin Tingting washed their hands by the sink. Class Monitor Feng Letian excitedly joined them. Some boys teased nearby, and Xin Tingting splashed water at him: “Can’t you stay away from us?”
Lin Qile watched their antics from the side, grinning foolishly.
Xin Tingting grumbled, “He’s so unattractive, what right does he have to like you…”
Leaving the lab, they headed to the teaching building for English class. Lin Qile, always weak in English, walked hurriedly with her head down, blocked by classmates in front.
“Hey! It’s Jiang Qiaoxi!” Feng Letian suddenly exclaimed beside them, pointing at the school’s honor board in the distance like a kite in the sky or a mirage. He turned excitedly to Lin Qile, “Lin, look at our grade’s top student. That’s my middle school classmate, Jiang Qiaoxi!”
“What’s it to you if he’s first?” someone laughed.
Feng Letian muttered, “Can’t I be proud of my classmate?”
The school honor board changed quarterly. For the new first-year class at Experimental High, the top spot was held by Jiang Qiaoxi, the high school entrance exam champion.
Some girls crowded in front, taking photos of Jiang Qiaoxi’s picture with their phones. Hurry, hurry, others urged, the teacher will be here soon.
“Xin Tingting,” a girl asked, “do you live in the same complex as Jiang Qiaoxi?”
“Yes!” Even Xin Tingting boasted, “He’s from our Electric Construction Group family!”
Another girl said, “Qile, your name is up there too!”
“Mine?” Lin Qile was slow to react.
Classmates pulled her over to the honor board. The top students had photos, while those below were just listed by name in small print. A classmate pointed, and less than half a meter from Jiang Qiaoxi’s name was written: Class 29, Lin Qile (Provincial Recruit, Qunshan).
“Wasn’t Jiang Qiaoxi supposed to have a scar on his forehead? Why isn’t it in the photo?”
“A forehead scar? Is he Harry Potter or something?”
“No, they heard from Cen Xiaoman that Jiang Qiaoxi has a tiny scar on his forehead, very small. Oh, it might be hidden by his hair—”
A female classmate approached: “Qile! Let me take a picture for you!” She snapped a photo of the line mentioning Lin Qile. “Do you have a phone? I’ll send you a color message later!”
“…How am I supposed to get Jiang Qiaoxi’s number? It’s impossible!”
“Just ask around! Ask the main campus students!”
“He rarely uses his phone, he’s always studying!”
Lin Qile had to leave; she needed to quickly review the English text for the next class to avoid being called on and unable to read.
“…If he used his phone, he’d be pestered to death… He’s always been popular. In middle school, he often received love letters. When he was away at competitions, Fei Linge would often open and read them!”
“Jiang Qiaoxi used to study for a few years in some rural place called something-shan, remember? A girl even came from there to chase him, right to our school gates, just to find him!”
“Oh yeah! There was! What was it called… Ah… Qun, Qunshan?”
“Right! Qunshan!”
“Qile!” Someone suddenly called from behind, “Where are you from?”
“Isn’t Qile from Qunshan? Qile, have you heard about a girl from your place who came to the provincial capital looking for someone at our school?”
Lin Qile turned around and shook her head, noting Xin Tingting’s slightly awkward expression.
“Oh…” Several female classmates said disappointedly, “That’s right, Qile, you study so well, you probably haven’t heard about it.”
Lin Qile studied even harder, seemingly unconsciously. Perhaps she wanted to prove something or forget something. Life at South Campus was vibrant, with various club activities emerging constantly. Lin Qile sometimes stood at the doorway watching for a while, longing and envious but ultimately didn’t join. She woke at 6 AM daily and slept at 10 PM, spending all her time between meals doing practice problems and mock exams. Her energy was boundless; she even gradually gave up her lifelong habit of napping. In the end, even the subject teachers ran out of problems to give her: what first-year student works this hard from day one?
During the midterm exams of the first semester, Lin Qile stood when her name was called. She had placed 36th in the entire grade and 10th in South Campus, a result no one had anticipated.
The homeroom teacher said that while the school recruited provincial students every year, many couldn’t adapt to the new environment, whether due to no longer having top rankings or the “many temptations” of Experimental High. “To work this hard from the first semester of first year and achieve such results is well-deserved!”
Only Lin Qile knew that to transfer to the main campus in her second year, to return home and live with her parents daily, she had to maintain this ranking.
Once all the gifted students started putting in effort, it would be hard for Lin Qile to catch up no matter how hard she worked.
After evening self-study, Lin Qile carried her homework back to the dorm. On the way, Class Monitor Feng Letian ran up, saying, “Lin Qile, are you going back to the main campus in your second year?”
Lin Qile was startled: “How do you know?”
Feng Letian scratched his head, smiling bitterly: “I, I just heard about it. I’m heading back now, bye!”
Lin Qile returned to the girls’ dormitory building. As soon as she opened her room door, she saw many people gathered inside.
Besides her roommates, there were girls from other rooms, all chatting animatedly. One of them was playing with the old Barbie doll from Lin Qile’s desk. The lively atmosphere suddenly quieted when Lin Qile entered.
The scene felt eerie.
“Qile,” the dorm leader was the first to speak, “are you going back to the main campus in your second year?”
Lin Qile nodded, walking to her desk to set down her books. She opened her drawer and took out her phone, unsure why everyone was suddenly asking her this question.
Lin Dianggong had sent Lin Qile a color message earlier that day. The family had bought a car, a Santana. Lin Dianggong and Team Leader Yu had picked it up together. Having recently gotten his license, Lin Dianggong sat proudly in the new car, gripping the steering wheel, and took a photo.
“Yingtao, next time Dad and Uncle Yu will come pick you up at South Campus together!”
Lin Qile stood outside the dorm, by the corridor window, carefully examining the photo.
She replied: “Dad, the new car looks so cool! I want to ride in it!”
She sent another message: “I did well on my midterm exams, ranked 36th in the whole grade!”
Afraid she might cry, she decided not to call her father.
Lin Qile wanted to return to the dorm to get her toothbrush and wash it up.
“Do you know what happened?” she heard from inside. “Fei Linge discovered it first! Fei Linge ranked 37th in the grade, right below Lin Qile! He recognized her name immediately!”
“No way… Is it her? My god, I’d only heard about someone like that, I never thought it was her…”
“We asked her last time if someone had chased Jiang Qiaoxi here, and she said she didn’t know!”
“My goodness, she’s so obsessed! Is she going to the main campus in her second year to find Jiang Qiaoxi? Hey, don’t you have Cen Xiaoman’s number? Send her a text and ask! Ask if Jiang Qiaoxi knows!”
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Jiang’s boy appears in the next Our Generation – Chapter.