“You were always a mystery. In the end, I never found the answer at the heart of the story.”

— Sherry Lab, The Ninth Year Through the Dream

After the thorough clean-up, the green trees lining the paths were festooned with colorful banners. Mingzhong rarely had a moment this clean, orderly, solemn, and ceremonial.

On the day of the anniversary, there were no regular classes, but morning self-study still proceeded as usual.

During morning self-study, Xia Li received a message from Jiang Hong asking her to call back when she had a moment.

Afraid it might be urgent, she took her phone and slipped away to the bathroom.

She called back, and Jiang Hong said, “Nothing urgent. Your dad wants to set up a computer at the dormitory. He doesn’t know anything about it and doesn’t want to get swindled — he was wondering what kind to buy.”

The question of buying a computer had come up before, mentioned by Xia Jianyang in passing. At first, he’d talked about having one at home, but since Xia Li lived near the school and they lived at the factory dormitory, something kept at home would rarely be used.

The two of them had little in the way of entertainment at the dormitory. Jiang Hong wanted to watch TV dramas, and Xia Jianyang wanted to play chess, pick up some typing in his spare time, and chat on QQ — so as not to fall completely behind the times.

Xia Li naturally supported the idea and said, “I’ll ask a classmate. I’ll let you know.”

“I’ll have your dad transfer the money to you. When the May Day holiday comes, help us buy one and find someone to bring it over and set it up.”

While washing her hands, she suddenly heard someone knock on the door of the stall behind her: “Excuse me.”

Xia Li startled and turned. “What’s the matter?”

The voice was somewhat familiar. She thought for a moment. “Tao Shiyue?”

Silence from inside the stall.

Xia Li said, “I don’t have any on me. Wait a moment — I’ll go back to class and ask around for you.”

“…Alright.”

Before leaving, Xia Li paused and asked one more question: “Is there anything else you need, besides a sanitary pad?”

“…Pain medication, if possible.”

“Which kind?”

“Ibuprofen.”

“That might be harder to borrow, but I’ll do my best to ask around.”

Xia Li went back to her classroom and asked her deskmate, then the student in front of her, who then asked the student in front of them — within no time, she’d borrowed a single sanitary pad and a strip of ibuprofen.

She tucked them into the pocket of her school uniform jacket, picked up her own water bottle, and returned to the bathroom.

She knocked on the stall door and passed the sanitary pad through. The door opened a crack, and Tao Shiyue reached an arm out. “…Thank you.”

After waiting briefly at the sink, Tao Shiyue came out of the stall.

Xia Li held out the ibuprofen and her own water bottle. “If you don’t mind, you can use my bottle to take the medication.”

Tao Shiyue was in her school uniform, her hair in a high ponytail, light makeup on her face — but she was drenched in cold sweat and looked terribly weak.

She took the medication, pressed out a tablet, accepted Xia Li’s water bottle. “Thank you.”

She swallowed it with water and handed back the bottle and the remaining pills.

Tao Shiyue looked at her. “Why are you helping me? Aren’t you close with Lin Qingxiao? Aren’t you afraid she’ll be upset?”

“Ah…” Xia Li was actually taken aback by the question. “These are two separate things. In a situation like this, even if you’d asked Lin Qingxiao, she would have helped.”

Tao Shiyue said nothing. Her expression seemed unconvinced.

Xia Li didn’t take it to heart. “You’re speaking as a student representative later, right? You should go back to your classroom and rest. Drink some hot water — do you need anything else? If not, I’m heading back.”

Tao Shiyue shook her head, then added, “Thank you.”

“No need.”

Xia Li was almost at the bathroom door when Tao Shiyue quietly said from behind her: “You like Yan Sishi too, don’t you.”

Xia Li’s footsteps faltered for just a moment, then she walked away as if she hadn’t heard a thing.

By the time she was back in the classroom, she still felt the panic and shame of someone caught cheating on an exam.

For this anniversary, the school had spared no expense. Even the audio equipment was handled by the school’s professional teacher — the faculty advisor for the broadcasting station.

That teacher was too busy to manage everything alone and called on the current station head to help. The current head was a junior-year student who had taken over in February. Worried about her own lack of experience, she had quietly reached out to Xia Li beforehand and asked her to come and assist.

As the sun climbed higher, Mingzhong grew steadily more lively.

Alumni were arriving one after another, heading to the check-in area on the sports field to sign in.

As Xia Li was making her way toward the stage area on the sports field, she crossed paths with a group of people.

She had been moving with quick, purposeful steps and hadn’t paid close attention. It was only when someone called out to her that she turned instinctively — and found herself looking at a group of six: Yan Sishi, Luo Weiguo, Luo Wei, an elderly couple with greying hair at their temples, and an unfamiliar man carrying a briefcase who looked like a secretary of some kind.

Xia Li went rigid all over and forced herself to first greet the one who had called to her — Luo Weiguo. “Uncle Luo.”

Luo Weiguo smiled broadly and began introducing her to the elderly couple beside Yan Sishi: “This is Little Xia — Xia Li, daughter of old Xia who works in the factory’s security department. Which character for Li was it again?”

Xia Li was mortified. Her voice came out just barely loud enough to be heard. “…The Li from Lijiang River.”

Luo Weiguo nodded, then gestured for Xia Li to say hello. “These two are Director Huo and Teacher Dai.”

Xia Li desperately wanted to flee, but she knew basic courtesy demanded otherwise, so she put on a smile. “…Director Huo, Teacher Dai, good to meet you.”

She didn’t dare look at Yan Sishi, who was standing nearby.

Her entire face was hot with a faint, quiet humiliation.

What she hadn’t expected was for Yan Sishi’s maternal grandparents to be so warm and kind. His grandmother looked at Xia Li with a gentle smile. “Are you in the same class as little Yan?”

“No, I’m in Class Seven,” Xia Li answered softly.

“Well, spend more time together and you’ll get to know each other — little Yan doesn’t have many friends here.”

At this moment, Luo Weiguo gave Luo Wei — who had dressed up quite nicely for the occasion — a nudge forward and said with a grin, “Luo Wei will be starting his first year of high school in the fall. Whenever little Yan needs any help, feel free to put Luo Wei to work.”

Little Yan.

Xia Li noticed that when Yan Sishi heard those two words, his brow furrowed ever so slightly.

He must absolutely despise social situations like this one.

And now she had become a part of this one, too.

Xia Li didn’t want to let Luo Weiguo keep controlling the conversation. She turned to look at Yan Sishi’s grandparents and asked, “Are you two here as alumni attending the anniversary?”

Yan Sishi’s grandmother nodded.

Xia Li pointed toward the entrance to the sports field. “The check-in area is over there. After you sign in, you can collect a commemorative gift specially made for alumni.” She then pointed in the direction of the old teaching building near the cafeteria. “That area over there is the rest area. The anniversary won’t begin for a little while — you’re welcome to rest there after checking in. You’re also welcome to take a stroll around campus. The Yanxin Hall of the Mingzhang Academy has been converted into a school history museum — it has an exhibition of many rare old photographs. And if you need directions at any point, feel free to ask any student you come across.”

Yan Sishi’s grandfather smiled. “Did they train you all specifically for this?”

Xia Li also smiled a little. “Every class held a brief homeroom meeting to go over it.”

“Then how about you take us on a little tour, Little Xia?”

Xia Li was just about to respond when Yan Sishi spoke up: “I’ll take you on the tour. Xia Li has her own matters to attend to.”

Yan Sishi’s grandmother nodded with a warm smile. “Alright then. Thank you, Little Xia. Go on and take care of your things.”

Xia Li looked at Yan Sishi, mildly surprised.

Yan Sishi’s expression remained unchanged. He cast her a glance, eyes light and unreadable.

Xia Li said she was heading off, then.

As she passed by them, she said to Yan Sishi in a low voice, “Thank you.”

She didn’t know whether he had heard.

But she was truly grateful. That last sentence of his had been definitive — it had pulled her out of a social situation where she hadn’t known what to do with herself.

At nine o’clock, the anniversary celebration officially began.

The morning was essentially one long string of speeches — from education bureau officials, the principal, department heads, distinguished alumni representatives…

The entire student body sat on the sports field, heads tilting back as the sun climbed ever higher, enduring the endless drone of speeches, feeling utterly without the will to live.

Xia Li was not with her class.

She had gone to the backstage area to pass on some experience handling unexpected situations to the current station head, and had been kept on by the faculty advisor to help out.

The equipment had all been calibrated beforehand, and the advisor was operating it personally — in reality, there was very little for anyone else to do.

Xia Li sat at the back, feeling somewhat at a loss.

Until Yan Sishi’s grandmother stepped onto the stage.

There was a packet of alumni information on the table nearby. Xia Li picked it up and flipped through it, committing her name to memory: Dai Shufang.

Yan Sishi’s grandmother finished her address, bowed, and set down the microphone.

As applause thundered through the venue, she walked off the stage.

And at that very moment, the man who had been walking with them earlier — probably the grandfather’s assistant or secretary, carrying that briefcase — was already hurrying to the edge of the stage. He leaned close to Yan Sishi’s grandmother’s ear and murmured something in a low voice.

Xia Li was sitting close enough backstage to see clearly: after the secretary finished speaking, the color drained instantly from Yan Sishi’s grandmother’s face.

The two of them peered out over the crowd below the stage.

They seemed to be searching for Yan Sishi.

Xia Li hesitated for a moment, then stood up and approached. It was not her place to interfere — but these were Yan Sishi’s family.

Yan Sishi’s grandmother, however, seemed to catch hold of a lifeline. She asked Xia Li, “Little Xia, how are the classes arranged here? Where is little Yan’s international track class sitting?”

“You’re looking for Yan Sishi?”

“Yes. There’s an urgent matter! He’s not picking up his phone, this child…”

“Please wait a moment — I’ll go get him for you.”

Xia Li said a quick word to the faculty advisor, then circled around a wide arc by way of the side aisle, coming around to the back row of the audience area. Moving as unobtrusively as possible, she crouched down and wove through the gaps between people until she found where Class Twenty was seated.

Yan Sishi was sitting with Wang Chen. He had a book propped on his knees, with blank paper laid on top of it, and a pen in hand — it looked like he was working through some problems.

Wang Chen had his head craned over, watching with unblinking attention, as if he expected Yan Sishi to perform a magic trick.

Xia Li crouched down, reached out, and lightly tapped Yan Sishi’s shoulder.

Yan Sishi turned around immediately.

At this close a distance, she could almost see the lighter shade of his irises beneath the sunlight — a shade that was somewhat less dark than it usually appeared.

Xia Li suddenly found it difficult to breathe properly. In a quiet voice she said, “Um… your grandmother is looking for you. She seems very anxious — it might be something important.”

Yan Sishi passed what he was holding to Wang Chen. “I’ll be right back.”

Xia Li went in front, Yan Sishi behind. The two of them left the group and circled back around to the walkway.

Yan Sishi walked very fast, gradually pulling ahead of her. Xia Li had to move at a near-jog to keep up.

When they reached backstage, Yan Sishi’s grandfather and Luo Weiguo and his son were already there as well.

Yan Sishi’s grandmother came forward to meet him, her expression taut with anxiety. “Little Yan, your mother…”

She had only said those two words when Yan Sishi cut her off directly: “Grandmother, let’s go back first and talk.”

Meanwhile, Yan Sishi’s grandfather said to Luo Weiguo, “Something has come up at home — we need to go back. For the donation ceremony later, please represent us.”

Luo Weiguo said, “Director Huo, please don’t worry. I’ll make sure it’s taken care of!”

After those arrangements were made, the three of them, together with the secretary, left in a hurry.

As Yan Sishi passed by Xia Li, she looked up at him for a moment.

She had never seen that expression on his face before — an expression this heavy and grave, as if a corner of the sky had already fallen in.