Lin Zeqiu patiently played cat’s cradle with Lin Zhixia for half the day. He didn’t go to the basketball court the entire weekend. He stayed at home, using the excuse that he was studying.

However, Lin Zhixia knew that Lin Zeqiu wanted to accompany her through a period of anxiety.

Before going to school on Monday, Lin Zhixia finished breakfast, stood in front of Lin Zeqiu, and called out loudly: “Brother!”

Lin Zeqiu reacted as if facing a formidable enemy: “What is it?”

Lin Zhixia praised him: “You’re a good brother!”

After saying this, she shouldered her backpack and quickly rushed out the door.

This morning, the first and second periods for the fourth grade at the Experimental Elementary School were both changed to self-study.

A round electronic clock hung on the classroom wall. Lin Zhixia sat properly, frequently looking up at the clock, mentally recording the current time.

It was now 7:59 AM Beijing time. In just one short minute, Lin Zhixia would follow the homeroom teacher to the school infirmary to get her shot.

How frightening.

Lin Zhixia took a deep breath.

“Lin Zhixia,” Jiang Yubai asked her, “are you trembling?”

“I’m not,” Lin Zhixia stubbornly replied.

Jiang Yubai slightly furrowed his brows: “If you’re not feeling well, just don’t get the shot.”

After he spoke, the class bell suddenly rang, its harsh sound breaking the silence of the corridor.

Homeroom teacher Ms. Wu stood outside the door, calling to the students in the classroom: “Those students who need to get the hepatitis B vaccine, come out and let’s form a line. Our fourth-grade class is the first batch to get shots. Don’t dawdle, stay quiet, Ms. Wu will take you to the school infirmary.”

Lin Zhixia mustered her courage and stood up.

She hesitantly took her first step.

Jiang Yubai called out to her again: “Lin Zhixia, you don’t have to go.”

“I must!” Lin Zhixia declared firmly, “I must overcome myself! I want to be the superman Nietzsche described, to be the dasein Heidegger described!”

Jiang Yubai didn’t understand what “dasein” was. Nevertheless, he thought of a way to comfort Lin Zhixia. He said to her: “Even if you’re not afraid of shots, you have other fears. No one can be a superman.”

Jiang Yubai’s words were full of philosophical wisdom, catching Lin Zhixia off guard. No matter how reasonable Jiang Yubai’s words were, she didn’t want to show her weakest side in front of him.

Lin Zhixia resolutely turned around, caught up with the students in front, and blended into the class line.

Everyone marched like a grand army toward the infirmary of the Experimental Elementary School.

The school infirmary was clean and tidy, with a sign saying “Hepatitis B Vaccination” at the entrance. Standing in the hall of the infirmary, Lin Zhixia could smell a faint scent of alcohol.

The doctors and nurses wore masks and sat in their offices. The office door was wide open, allowing all students to see the scene inside.

Ms. Wu called names according to their student numbers. Class monitor Dong Sunqi’s student number was first, and Ms. Wu called out loudly: “Number 1, Dong Sunqi!”

Dong Sunqi jumped in front of Ms. Wu: “Teacher, I’m ready!”

Ms. Wu calmly said, “Good, go in and get your shot.”

Dong Sunqi took off his jacket, rolled up his sleeve, exposing his entire arm. Many classmates cast attentive glances at him, making him unable to resist the urge to show off, displaying the unique demeanor a class monitor should have.

The nurse was very close to him. He closed his eyes tightly, clenching his right fist.

When the needle pierced his skin, Dong Sunqi’s entire face contorted. He made a suppressed “sss” sound. He waited for a moment, finally waiting for the nurse to hand him a cotton swab.

The nurse told him: “Press the wound with the cotton swab, and throw it away later.”

“Alright!” Dong Sunqi agreed.

He walked outside with his clothes in disarray, wearing a resolute expression on his face, like a soldier who had just won a battle. A classmate outside immediately asked him: “Class monitor, does the shot hurt?”

Finally, someone asked!

This question was precisely what Dong Sunqi had been waiting for!

Dong Sunqi sighed, shaking his head slightly: “I’m the class monitor, I can’t cry out in pain.”

Dong Sunqi’s deskmate Wei Rongjie excitedly asked: “How painful was it? Tell us!”

“My arm is numb,” Dong Sunqi gazed into the distance, “that kind of pain, it goes all the way to the bone. Ah, I’ve said it before, I’m the class monitor. No matter how painful the shot is, I can’t make a sound. By the way, class two will be coming soon. You all must not cry out! Don’t let those guys from class two look down on our class one students.”

As he was speaking, Lin Zhixia happened to be standing nearby.

Dong Sunqi’s description was heard by Lin Zhixia without missing a word.

Lin Zhixia gradually began to feel anxious.

Her face grew increasingly pale.

When she heard: “Number 4, Lin Zhixia!” she walked with sluggish steps into the doctor’s office.

Lin Zhixia remembered what Jiang Yubai and Lin Zeqiu had told her—close your eyes, don’t be afraid.

She stretched out one hand, and the nurse rolled up her sleeve.

Lin Zhixia turned her head to one side; the alcohol swab felt cool on her skin. Indeed, her entire arm went numb… The nurse, seeing how pretty and cute she was, comforted her gently: “It’s okay, little one, it won’t hurt much.”

Lin Zhixia’s left hand was given to the nurse, her right hand rested on her thigh, her five fingers tightly gripping the fabric of her pants.

She should have taken the time to answer the nurse. But her mind was on high alert, feeling only the sharp needle breaking her skin, damaging the epidermis and dermis, reaching deep into flesh and blood.

The liquid was slowly injected, her arm extremely sore and swollen.

It hurt.

Why was the sensation of pain so clear and intense?

Lin Zhixia was puzzled.

Lin Zhixia hated getting shots.

Time was passing second by second.

How long did it take to administer one vaccine?

Lin Zhixia’s eyes were filled with tears, her cheeks flushed red, gritting her teeth hard to hold back from crying out “woo-wah!”

She remembered Jiang Yubai’s words—everyone has fears that are difficult to overcome. This itself wasn’t shameful, just like how her brother was afraid of bugs, and Jiang Yubai disliked dust. She should bravely face reality, not disappointing her brother and Jiang Yubai’s expectations.

At this moment, the nurse told her: “All done, little one, the vaccine is finished. Now, press the wound gently with the cotton swab, and you can throw it away when you stop bleeding. Are you still uncomfortable?”

Lin Zhixia nodded slightly, pretending to be strong and calm, only with a slight hint of crying in her voice: “I’m not uncomfortable anymore, thank you, sister.”

The anxious emotions faded in a daze, and finally, completely free from the psychological burden, Lin Zhixia floated out of the school infirmary.

She sat on a chair at the entrance, waiting until the entire class had finished getting their shots. Ms. Wu counted everyone once more and led the fourth-grade 1 students back to the classroom.

Lin Zhixia was in a good mood. She skipped and ran back to her seat.

Jiang Yubai had been waiting for her for an entire class period. He impatiently asked her: “You got the shot?”

“I did!” Lin Zhixia rested her chin on one hand, “Actually, there’s nothing to be afraid of.”

Jiang Yubai carefully observed her face: “Your eyes are red.”

Lin Zhixia said with little conviction: “No, they’re not.”

Jiang Yubai opened the “Exploring the Universe” comic series notebook in front of Lin Zhixia.

Since the comic series had been strictly banned by Ms. Wu, today, no student in the class dared to participate in this game anymore.

The initial characters in the “Exploring the Universe” comic were only Lin Zhixia and Jiang Yubai. The initial plot was just the two of them wandering together in Orion. Now, everything seemed to have returned to the starting point.

The great war between Earth and Orion had silently ceased. The legion had disintegrated, and the good and evil sides completely disappeared. This extinction came unexpectedly, from bustling excitement to cold neglect, occurring in just half a day.

Lin Zhixia was moved to say: “Jiang Yubai, did you update the comic again? If Ms. Wu finds out, you might have to write a 1000-word self-criticism.”

Even hearing “1000-word self-criticism,” Jiang Yubai still appeared brave, insisting on opening this comic book. He sat up straight, lowered his voice, and introduced Lin Zhixia to: “During that self-study period just now, I added an ending to ‘Exploring the Universe.'”

After speaking, he turned his face and scanned the surroundings.

None of the nearby classmates had noticed Jiang Yubai and Lin Zhixia’s actions, which Jiang Yubai found very satisfying. Like underground party members making contact during wartime, Jiang Yubai quickly handed over the notebook to Lin Zhixia.

Lin Zhixia turned to the last page.

She was the only classmate in the entire class to witness the ending with Jiang Yubai.

In the final chapter of the “Exploring the Universe” comic series, both the Earth Legion and Orion Legion bases were destroyed, and the civilized world of the past collapsed with a rumble. Jiang Yubai and all his companions boarded a spaceship. They wandered in the vast expanse of space, with Lin Zhixia as the eternal ship navigator.

“I’m the eternal ship navigator?” Lin Zhixia asked blankly.

Jiang Yubai was eager to answer Lin Zhixia’s questions. He explained seriously: “In the last chapter of ‘Exploring the Universe,’ you overcome your fears, conquer difficulties…”

Lin Zhixia pondered for a moment and began to analyze the artistic conception of the comic: “I think, in this comic, the three characters ‘Lin Zhixia’ represent a kind of hope. ‘Lin Zhixia,’ as the ship’s navigator, leads everyone in search of hope for survival.”

“You can understand it that way,” Jiang Yubai responded succinctly.

Jiang Yubai hadn’t deliberately created a “representative of hope.” He had truly let his imagination soar, fantasizing about all the students in fourth grade (1) exploring the universe together—they landed and took root in Orion in the northern part of the Milky Way, establishing civilization and developing an economy.

At this point, Lin Zhixia raised another new question: “In the ‘Exploring the Universe’ comic, will Lin Zhixia and Jiang Yubai be together forever? Will they continue to explore the universe together?”

“They will never be apart,” Jiang Yubai said decisively.

Lin Zhixia looked at him: “Then, this comic has no ending. Our future is unknown.”

Jiang Yubai agreed: “You can add to the plot to make the ending richer.”

“Jiang Yubai,” Lin Zhixia suddenly spoke up, “you spent an entire class period drawing comics just to give me an ending?”

Her question always hit the mark.

Her gaze was intense, making Jiang Yubai blush under her stare.

The sky outside became bluer, clouds drifting like cotton, and the daylight penetrated through a clean glass window, falling before Jiang Yubai’s eyes. Using this ray of light, he looked at Lin Zhixia for two seconds and insisted: “I just drew it casually.”

Lin Zhixia laughed “Hahaha”: “Thank you! Jiang-Jiang-Jiang-Jiang Yubai!”

Jiang Yubai responded formally and steadily: “You’re welcome, Lin-Lin-Lin-Lin Zhixia.”

Lin Zhixia held a fountain pen in her right hand and a ruler in her left, gently tapping a rhythm on the desk.

She composed a tune on the spot and even wrote lyrics for it: “Jiang Jiang Jiang, Jiang Jiang Jiang, I have a deskmate, his name is Jiang Yubai. He’s not afraid of the teacher’s orders, he still dares to draw, and his work is brilliant! May his thoughts flow like a spring, may he be free and at ease! I’m full of anticipation for his next work…”

Her voice was very small, singing very softly.

Under the clear sky, her eyes sparkled with light, her gaze filled with laughter, and that light, cheerful melody was the perfect accompaniment.

Jiang Yubai tore off a page of draft paper and wrote rapidly.

He recorded Lin Zhixia’s composition and added two more notes. As he was writing the staff, he asked her: “Lin Zhixia, have you studied music?”

Lin Zhixia answered honestly: “No, I haven’t.”

“How do you know how to compose?” Jiang Yubai questioned.

Lin Zhixia tilted her head to look at him: “Is that considered composing? I was just making it up.”

She moved closer to him: “Wow, you’re writing sheet music.”

Jiang Yubai’s pen paused.

An opportunity had arrived.

Lin Zhixia indeed had never studied music.

As she said, the tune just now was something she made up. Jiang Yubai had finally found Lin Zhixia’s knowledge blind spot! It wasn’t in vain that he had studied piano for four years, practicing every day. His diligence and effort had forged today’s comeback victory.

Jiang Yubai suppressed his excited emotions and asked a question to which he already knew the answer: “Lin Zhixia, can you read sheet music?”

If Lin Zhixia were to answer: I can’t understand it, Jiang Yubai would immediately say: It’s very simple, I’ll teach you.

Jiang Yubai and Lin Zhixia had been deskmates for four months. Jiang Yubai occasionally dreamed of a scene—Lin Zhixia complaining to him in the classroom: “This subject is so difficult, I don’t understand. Jiang Yubai, please, can you teach me?”

Every time, Jiang Yubai in the dream would be eager to help.

Today, the dream was becoming reality.

Jiang Yubai said nothing, quietly waiting for Lin Zhixia’s response.

He knew that admitting “I don’t understand anything” for the first time was not an easy thing. For a genius like Lin Zhixia with an IQ above 174, it would be even more impossible to calmly face her shortcomings.

In the next second, Lin Zhixia suddenly realized: “I understand now, so that’s what sheet music means.”

At that moment, Gan Shuli from the row in front happened to turn around to borrow a bottle of fountain pen ink from Lin Zhixia.

Lin Zhixia handed the ink bottle to Gan Shuli, saying with evident interest: “I’m so happy! Today I learned about sheet music!”

Gan Shuli asked in surprise: “How did you learn?”

Lin Zhixia picked up Jiang Yubai’s draft paper: “By observing Jiang Yubai’s manuscript.”

Jiang Yubai’s handwriting was very sloppy. He had also used some symbols that only he recognized. In Gan Shuli’s view, that thing wasn’t a manuscript at all, but a messy doodle.

Gan Shuli felt breathless: “You… you can learn like this? Lin Zhixia?”

Lin Zhixia was immersed in the joy of sudden enlightenment, temporarily unaware of the complex expressions of Gan Shuli and Jiang Yubai—especially Jiang Yubai, who was holding a ballpoint pen, his fingers increasingly stiff.

He had originally prepared himself mentally to be “Teacher Jiang”… He was prepared to selflessly impart detailed and rich music theory knowledge. Unfortunately, Lin Zhixia hadn’t allowed him to speak.

He skeptically asked: “Lin Zhixia, can you understand it?”

“I’ve seen sheet music before,” Lin Zhixia explained, “but I never thought about it. Today, when I thought about it, I suddenly understood. Thanks to you, Jiang Yubai.”

Jiang Yubai didn’t want to receive this honor.

Lin Zhixia said to him again: “Jiang Yubai, you’re very quick! You can directly transcribe the music! I’ve discovered that you seem quite intelligent too!”

Although it wasn’t until today that Lin Zhixia formally praised Jiang Yubai’s intelligence, and even though she used the virtual mood word “seem,” Jiang Yubai couldn’t help feeling a bit happy.

The harmonious deskmate relationship continued for one class period.

When the third period began, homeroom teacher Ms. Wu, carrying a stack of grade report cards, walked into the fourth-grade 1 classroom.

She announced good news to the students: “The results of last week’s fourth-grade diagnostic test are out. Our class did well this time, with the highest score in the grade being Lin Zhixia.”

Ms. Wu put down the grade report cards and looked at Lin Zhixia: “Well done, Lin Zhixia, once again getting first in the grade, bringing honor to our class one. Everyone, give her a round of applause!”

Class monitor Dong Sunqi led the applause, and the entire class erupted in warm applause.

“In this diagnostic test, Lin Zhixia got full marks in Chinese, mathematics, and English. Her English composition even earned a bonus point. Everyone should learn from her.” Ms. Wu wiped the blackboard eraser clean, appearing particularly composed and calm.

All the students in the class were in a similar state. Their expressions were normal, neither sad nor happy. They had experienced too much and had become numb.

Class monitor Dong Sunqi walked up to the podium, picked up a stack of grade report cards, and distributed them to the group leaders of each group. The group leaders then handed the grade reports to each student.

Jiang Yubai remembered his bet with Lin Zhixia.

When he received his grade report, he saw at a glance that he had scored 99 in Chinese, 99 in mathematics, and 100 in English, ranking second in the grade overall.

For each exam at the Experimental Elementary School, the grading teachers were required to write comments for each student.

On Jiang Yubai’s grade report, the grading teachers for all three subjects—Chinese, mathematics, and English—gave him concise and fair praise.

He lowered his head in thought and placed the grade report on the desk.

Lin Zhixia immediately put her grade report in front of Jiang Yubai’s eyes.

“Look,” she said to him, “my English composition got 5 bonus points.”

Jiang Yubai discovered that the comments the grading teacher gave Lin Zhixia… were filled with an indescribable enthusiasm, especially the English teacher—the English teacher, disregarding the dignity of being an examiner, had even drawn a cute smiley face for Lin Zhixia.

A cute smiley face?

On Jiang Yubai’s comments, there were only two lines of text and a cool, detached period.

Jiang Yubai felt confused.

He had four foreign teachers at home, as well as an English teaching research group.

His English and French were both fluent.

Why had he lost to Lin Zhixia again?

Lin Zhixia cupped her face with both hands, turned her head, and focused on looking at Jiang Yubai.

Her gaze was pure, and she kindly reminded him: “Hurry up, Jiang Yubai, hurry and call me Teacher Lin.”

After last week’s diagnostic test, Jiang Yubai and Lin Zhixia had made a bet about who would get first in the grade. The loser would have to call the winner “teacher” as a sign of respect.

Jiang Yubai was pondering why Lin Zhixia’s English composition could earn bonus points.

He asked in a low voice: “Lin Zhixia, did you finish your English test paper? Weren’t you daydreaming during the exam?”

“Of course I finished it,” Lin Zhixia honestly told him, “a few minutes into the exam, I had already finished. That’s when I started daydreaming.”

Jiang Yubai didn’t say anything.

Lin Zhixia spoke softly: “In this English exam, the essay topic was to describe the campus environment. Besides describing the environment, I also improvised a fourteen-line sonnet. But to be honest, I wrote it just okay…”

An English sonnet, like Chinese classical poetry, emphasized rhythm, word choice, had a long history, and had very strict formal requirements.

Famous British literary figures like Shakespeare, Keats, and Shelley had left many beautiful sonnets for future generations, worthy of repeated appreciation by every reader who loved poetry.

Jiang Yubai hadn’t expected that Lin Zhixia could improvise an English sonnet.

Regardless of how well she wrote it, if she could strictly rhyme in a short time and embody the form of a sonnet, her language ability was certainly outstanding.

Lin Zhixia continued to urge him: “Jiang Yubai, Jiang Yubai, hurry up and call me Teacher Lin.”

Jiang Yubai spread open a math homework book, covered his face with it, and called out to her in a muffled voice: “Teacher Lin.” He only called her once, absolutely refusing to say another word.

Lin Zhixia found his reaction very amusing; this person was so interesting! He should be recorded in the “Human Observation Diary”!

She quickly took out her notebook, but her head felt a bit dizzy, and the arm that had received the shot still hurt a little.

Ms. Wu adopted an almost “laissez-faire” liberal policy toward Lin Zhixia.

However, even so, Lin Zhixia didn’t dare to sleep on her desk during Chinese class, as that would attract the attention of the entire class.

Instead, she leaned close to the wall, resting her head against the window, like a sleepy kitten in its early years.

She had closed her eyes for less than two minutes when Jiang Yubai said to her: “Lin Zhixia, your face is very red.”

Lin Zhixia asked in a daze: “Is it?”

Jiang Yubai handed her a stainless steel water bottle—it was his bottle. He reminded her, “You might be developing a fever.”

Lin Zhixia held the bottle with both hands, pressing her forehead against it, feeling for a moment before saying: “My forehead is so hot, your bottle is so cool.”

She muttered to herself: “Without a thermometer, how can I estimate my temperature? I have a good method: record your pulse… how many beats per minute. The faster the pulse, the higher the temperature rise. I… estimate my current temperature range is between 37.6 and 38.7 degrees, the calculation result has a large margin of error. Why? Because my head is so dizzy… I can’t calculate anymore.”

Jiang Yubai didn’t raise his hand. He directly interrupted homeroom teacher Ms. Wu’s class.

He stood up and said: “Ms. Wu, Lin Zhixia has a high fever. She should go to the hospital.”