“I often feel that being able to become friends with the young Y has already squandered half a lifetime’s worth of luck.”

— Sherry Lab, The Ninth Year Past the Dream

Before you’ve lived through something, all perception of it is abstract — hearsay.

Moving into the senior year of high school meant a new classroom, at the far end of the sports field, closer to the old west gate but farther from Xia Li’s apartment. Every time she left, she had to cross the entire campus.

The international class had also moved over, both on the second floor alongside Class Seven, with only one classroom and one stairwell between them.

And since the restrooms were on the Class Seven side of the hall, Yan Sishi had to pass by Class Seven every time he needed to use them.

Summer vacation had been cut to just two weeks before students were called back for supplementary lessons. The academic plan for the year was to finish all remaining new material during the summer break, so that the official start of term could immediately launch into the first round of review.

Morning and evening self-study sessions were pushed twenty minutes earlier and later respectively, and discipline tightened across the board: supplementary reading, electronic devices, early romances — any infraction would be dealt with immediately. Minor violations meant a trip to the office for a “tea talk”; serious ones meant a three-way meeting with parents.

New senior-year ID passes were issued to everyone. During dinner hours, day students were no longer permitted to eat outside school — they had to use the cafeteria like the boarders.

Going forward, every monthly exam would see class rankings posted across the entire year group, along with a “most improved” award.

Under this combined pressure, even the most oblivious student could feel the overnight shift in the year group’s atmosphere.

Everyone reined in what little casual ease had remained. An invisible anxiety and tension spread through the air like the Sword of Damocles suspended overhead.

That summer was scorching. Sunlight blazed white-hot, and the cicadas screamed until the sky cracked.

Air conditioners hummed from morning to night. During breaks, students slumped forward to steal a few minutes of sleep, and when they woke, the test papers that had just been handed out were piled all over them.

As relentless as the exhaustion was the equally relentless sea of practice problems.

Every time Xia Li clutched her geography papers and passed Class Twenty’s empty classroom, she always rushed through.

She no longer dared to let her mind wander to Yan Sishi. Buried under the sea of problems every day, all she wanted after returning to the apartment was sleep. Even her diary entries had grown shorter.

Yan Sishi existed only in those ten minutes each night before she went to sleep, when she wrote two or three lines in her journal.

That postcard was tucked inside her diary. Before she closed it each night, she always took one last look.

Xia Li’s ranking hadn’t changed much — this time she was seventh in the class and twenty-sixth in the year group.

She seemed to have hit a plateau. There was no real risk of slipping, but climbing higher would require fighting for every inch.

Luo Wei had, predictably, done terribly on his middle school entrance exam. But Luo Weiguo, through connections and a sizable “school construction donation,” had still managed to get him into Mingzhong.

On the first day of school, Luo Weiguo drove Luo Wei to register and called Xia Li, insisting on having lunch together.

Out of consideration for Xia Li as a senior-year student, Luo Weiguo even chose a restaurant near the school.

After class, Xia Li went, quite reluctantly, to keep the appointment.

Luo Wei’s once-rebellious layered hairstyle was gone — he now had a crew cut and wore Adidas, and he actually looked presentable enough, though his sullen, dark-edged eyes were exactly as they’d always been.

At the meal, Luo Weiguo smiled and said, “From now on, Luo Wei is your junior at the same school. You’ll have to look out for him, little Xia.”

Adults were always far too superstitious about networking — they never forgot to leverage connections, wherever they went.

Xia Li smiled politely. “Senior year and freshman year are in different buildings with different schedules. We probably won’t run into each other much.”

“Of course, of course — your studies come first in senior year. But if you do happen to run into him, just keep an eye out.”

Xia Li said “sure.” She couldn’t very well refuse to give Luo Weiguo face. Agreeing to pleasantries cost her nothing.

Luo Wei, however, shot her a deeply contemptuous eye-roll.

During the meal, what Luo Weiguo cared most about was Xia Li’s grades. When he learned she ranked in the top thirty of her year, he was full of admiration. “With those grades, you can definitely get into a 985 university, right?”

“Monthly exam scores don’t count — what matters is the gaokao.”

Luo Weiguo then turned to scold Luo Wei again, saying he was a disgrace, and that at his current grades, he’d probably end up working in a factory mining gypsum after graduating high school.

Xia Li asked, “Why didn’t Uncle Luo send Luo Wei to the international class? Studying abroad is also a viable path.”

Luo Weiguo laughed bitterly. “Do you know how much it costs to send a kid overseas for a year? I don’t have that kind of money.”

Luo Wei cut in: “Australia and Singapore aren’t that expensive.”

“Expensive or not, it’s still your old man’s money! With your attitude, I’d send you out there and you’d spend all day eating, drinking, gambling, and whoring around.”

Luo Wei gave a dismissive “tch,” lowered his head to play with his phone. “If you can’t afford to send me, just say so — stop making excuses.” Luo Weiguo slapped him.

Luo Wei muttered, “What’s wrong with you.”

After the meal, Luo Weiguo went to get the car.

Luo Wei seized the opportunity, his voice cold: “What business is it of yours whether my family sends me to the international class or not? Who asked you to stick your nose in?”

Xia Li had no desire to engage.

Luo Wei sneered, his gaze dripping with contempt: “Think you’re something special because you have good grades? Good grades don’t change the fact that your father has to grovel to our Luo family.”

Once the new school year began, the international class resumed lessons too.

When Xia Li went to the office or stepped out to the corridor during breaks for some air, she would occasionally catch a glimpse of Yan Sishi’s figure outside Class Twenty’s classroom — and each time, her resolve to study even harder grew stronger.

She wanted to climb out of the gutter.

She still wanted to reach up and touch the moonlight.

Of everyone who had moved up to senior year, Lin Qingxiao was probably the one struggling most with the adjustment. She’d been so used to playing around that now having to devote her full mental energy to studying was genuinely difficult.

Sometimes she’d want to slack off for a bit, but every friend around her was grinding away tooth and nail, which made her feel too embarrassed to disturb them.

Lin Qingxiao’s birthday was September 23rd — a Wednesday, a thoroughly inconvenient day with no natural holidays before or after it.

Everyone gave her gifts, but throwing a big celebration like they used to felt impossible under the current circumstances, however much they might have wanted to.

All day, Lin Qingxiao seemed listless and out of sorts.

Xia Li pulled Xu Ning aside and they secretly arranged to order a small cake, planning to have a quiet little celebration during dinner.

But the delivery was agonizingly slow — with less than half an hour before evening self-study, her phone rang: the delivery person had just arrived at the school gate.

At that hour, most students had already finished eating and gone back to their seats to begin studying. The classroom was very quiet.

Xia Li hid her phone in her desk drawer and sent Xu Ning a text. The two of them slipped out of the classroom without a word.

They picked up the cake at the gate and jogged back to the teaching building.

Just as they climbed to the second floor, they came face to face with someone.

Xia Li stopped short and stepped back. When she recognized Yan Sishi, she managed a halting greeting.

Under the white corridor lights, she noticed his cheeks and the hair along his forehead were still damp, as though he’d just splashed water on his face and was coming from the direction of the restrooms.

Xia Li didn’t have time to say much — evening self-study was about to start.

She was about to move on when Yan Sishi reached out and stopped her. “Don’t go that way yet. Your homeroom teacher is catching people.”

Xu Ning said, “But evening self-study hasn’t started yet…”

Yan Sishi explained that he had only passed by and hadn’t heard the details clearly, but it seemed that recently many students had been sneaking off campus to eat dinner outside. Old Zhuang had lost his temper and was about to make an example of anyone who hadn’t made it back to the classroom yet.

Two people from Class Seven were already standing outside the door being made to explain why they’d come back so late.

Xia Li didn’t particularly mind getting a lecture. She looked at Xu Ning. “…Do you think Old Zhuang would confiscate the cake?”

Yan Sishi glanced down at what she was holding. “Whose birthday?”

“Our friend — Lin Qingxiao.”

Yan Sishi extended his hand. “Give it to me. I’ll hold onto it for you.”

Xia Li blinked, then passed the paper bag over. “…Thank you. Sorry for the trouble.”

As Yan Sishi took the handle, her fingertips lightly grazed his.

“Come get it when it’s convenient,” he said.

Xia Li thanked him, grabbed Xu Ning’s arm, and hurried off.

Sure enough, Old Zhuang was standing at the classroom door with a thundercloud expression.

Yet Xia Li felt not the slightest flicker of fear.

No storm, however fierce, seemed to compare to what had just happened inside her — when her fingers had barely touched Yan Sishi’s, the world had gone utterly, violently upside down.

She closed her fist. Her hand still seemed to be burning.

Xia Li told Old Zhuang that Xu Ning was having menstrual cramps and she’d gone with her to the medical room to get a cup of warm glucose water.

One was ranked in the top ten of the class; the other held the top single-subject score. Both had always been relatively well-behaved. Old Zhuang ultimately didn’t make things difficult — he told them to be more careful, then let them go.

Xia Li went back to her seat, let out a long breath, pulled a test paper from her desk drawer, took a few deep breaths, calmed herself down, and started working through the questions.

That evening was a math self-study session — an exam, two hours with no break in between.

After the exam, the teacher gave everyone only ten minutes to use the restroom, then had the groups exchange papers to grade them on the spot while going over each problem aloud.

The pace was so tight there was barely any breathing room. All the way until self-study ended, Xia Li had found no “convenient” time to go to Yan Sishi to retrieve the cake.

The international class also had evening self-study, but only until nine-thirty.

Xia Li was a little worried. By now, had everyone already left?

She finally endured until self-study ended. She had Xu Ning stall Lin Qingxiao and take her to the restroom, while she herself dashed over to Class Twenty’s door.

The classroom lights were still on. Three or four students remained.

Yan Sishi was still there.

He was sitting quietly, reading a book.

The pale light fell over him with the faint chill of white frost.

Xia Li leaned through the doorway and suppressed the small flutter of emotion in her chest. “Yan Sishi.”

He had his earphones in and didn’t hear.

Wang Chen, sitting in the row ahead of him, turned around and rapped on his desk, then tipped his chin toward the door.

Yan Sishi glanced over at the door, took out his earphones, closed the book beside him, picked up the paper bag from the desk, and walked over.

Xia Li took the bag and immediately apologized. “I’m so sorry — we had a math exam tonight, no break in between the whole time. Did I end up delaying your trip home?”

“It’s fine. I’d just be reading at home anyway.”

“Thank you…” Xia Li felt like she couldn’t find any more words. “I’ll go take the cake back now.”

“Sure.”

She was just about to leave when something came to her. She said quietly, “Um… could I borrow your lighter for a moment?”

Yan Sishi reached into his trouser pocket and pulled out the silver lighter, handing it to her.

Xia Li took it, fingers closing around it, and thanked him again.

Back in Class Seven’s classroom, only a handful of students remained.

Xia Li set the cake down on a desk near the door, unwrapped it, pressed in the candles, and lit them.

The metal lighter still seemed to carry a faint trace of warmth.

At that moment, two other classmates were still in the room. Xia Li gave them a heads-up and texted Xu Ning.

She stood at the classroom door and waited. As Xu Ning and Lin Qingxiao approached, she reached up and flicked off the classroom lights.

In an instant, candlelight wavered in the dark.

Xu Ning pushed Lin Qingxiao through the door. Lin Qingxiao froze, completely stunned. Xia Li and Xu Ning clapped their hands and sang two lines of “Happy Birthday,” then urged her on: “Quick, blow out the candles — what if Old Zhuang hasn’t left yet!”

Lin Qingxiao hurriedly made a wish and blew out the candles in one breath.

Xia Li pulled out the still-smoking candles, picked up a plastic knife, and carefully cut out the chocolate plaque that read “Happy Birthday,” keeping it intact, and handed it to Lin Qingxiao.

Lin Qingxiao took a bite, then seemed unable to hold back any longer. She raised a hand to cover her mouth and choked up. “…You two are so annoying — you know perfectly well I hate sappy stuff like this.”

Xu Ning patted her shoulder and offered a thoroughly half-hearted consolation: “Oh come on, it’s a birthday…”

Xia Li smiled and continued cutting the cake.

She gave a slice to each of the two classmates still in the room. In the end, exactly two slices were left.

After getting Lin Qingxiao’s agreement, Xia Li picked up the paper plates. “You all start eating. I’ll step out and return the lighter.”

She walked out the classroom door and looked toward Class Twenty’s entrance. Yan Sishi and Wang Chen were just coming out, both with their bags on their shoulders, apparently heading home.

Xia Li quickened her pace and walked up to them, offering both a slice of cake.

Wang Chen: “Is it your birthday?”

“Lin Qingxiao’s birthday.”

Wang Chen looked genuinely blank. “Do I know her?”

“…” Xia Li didn’t even want to bother explaining. “…Yes, you do.”

“Oh. Sure, then.”

Xia Li finally turned to Yan Sishi. She slipped her hand into the pocket of her school tracksuit trousers, fingertips pressing against the lighter — she could feel the faint dampness in her palm.

She took it out and held it toward him. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.” Yan Sishi took it back and tucked it away casually.

“The cake… I made sure it wasn’t too sweet. You should try a bite.”

“Sure. Wish her a happy birthday for me.”

Xia Li nodded.

Wang Chen said, “We’re heading off.”

A faintly cool breeze drifted through the corridor. Xia Li tucked away a strand of hair that had blown against her cheek. “Sure. Bye-bye.”

Xia Li listened as the sound of their footsteps faded through the stairwell, then walked back to Class Seven’s classroom.

She picked up her own sliver of cake and went to stand in the corridor.

Both arms resting on the railing, she leaned forward and looked down.

In the night below, Yan Sishi’s tall, slender silhouette was passing beneath the magnolia tree by the entrance.

Wind moved through the broad, deep green leaves, drawing out a soft rustling sound.

Xia Li couldn’t help but smile.

She lifted her fork, took a bite of cake, and swallowed this clear, sweet night.