An Earlier Meeting - Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Huang Xiaozhi’s new persona: a hardworking, gentle, shy, and sweet little girl.
But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t match someone with natural talent.
As the saying goes, “The hardworking type can rarely surpass the gifted type.” And the gifted type was probably someone like Yu Wen.
…
A few minutes later, the sharp preparatory bell cut through the quiet of the campus.
The bell, ringing two minutes early, was a warning. Scattered students on the field hurried back to their classrooms like birds returning to their nests.
Only Class 13 was eerily quiet, with only the rustling of textbooks and an occasional light cough.
Su Li slowly took her brand-new textbook out of her bag and put it on the desk. She flipped through the pages with a bored air, her finger lingering on an interesting illustration, her eyes wandering.
She was a stark contrast to Huang Xiaozhi beside her.
Teacher Tang stood at the door with her thermos and textbook. “Everyone, put your bags on your desks and come out. We’re changing seats.”
The classroom erupted with scattered murmurs and the scraping noise of chairs and desks.
Su Li had only brought one book, and since they were changing seats anyway, she quickly shoved it back into her backpack.
The person next to her was different. Huang Xiaozhi moved slowly and calmly, like a true lady.
Su Li didn’t rush out after packing up. She waited for Huang Xiaozhi. Only when her friend had finished and placed her backpack on the desk did she stand up.
The two of them left the classroom, one after the other.
Teacher Tang stood at the front door, looking at the noisy students. “Quiet down! Stand in two lines, one for boys and one for girls, by height! Don’t waste time.”
By height, Huang Xiaozhi was near the back. At 1.68 meters (5’6″), she was already very tall for Class 13.
She was ranked fourth from the bottom.
The tallest was a 1.8-meter (5’11”) girl, which made her unconsciously shrink her shoulders a little.
Su Li was a different story; she was near the front.
She used to beg Huang Xiaozhi to give her some height every day, but it seemed she hadn’t grown an inch and might have even shrunk.
This meant they would be separated!
Su Li was assigned to the second row. Her deskmate was a quiet boy, which was a living hell for a chatterbox like her.
Huang Xiaozhi’s deskmate, however, was a girl. Before her, the seats had been assigned to a boy and a girl. The remaining four students could only be paired up as girls.
Teacher Tang looked at the four girls. “When you sit with another girl, don’t get distracted, got it?” She was very seriously warning the remaining girls to not get distracted.
The other girls nodded, but Huang Xiaozhi’s voice was extremely lazy. “Got it—”
Teacher Tang glared at Huang Xiaozhi. “You’re a high school student now. Don’t drag out your words like that. Do you think it sounds good?”
“Oh.”
Just one simple word.
…
Huang Xiaozhi sat with the class monitor, Xu Huimi, still in the last row. Her seat hadn’t changed at all.
The class monitor, Xu Huimi, had an unapproachable look.
The two sat down without saying much. To be honest, Huang Xiaozhi felt the class monitor was scared of her. She wasn’t ugly or a monster, so why?
Xu Huimi broke the silence, saying softly, “You… you… you can call me Mimi.” She finished with a shy, trembling smile.
Huang Xiaozhi was a little surprised that the quiet Xu Huimi had initiated a conversation.
She raised an eyebrow. “Sure, Mimi.”
The air went silent again, filled with an awkward tension.
Huang Xiaozhi thought for a moment and decided this wouldn’t work. She had to find a topic. She looked at Xu Huimi, who was playing with her fingers. “Class Monitor Xu, how was your holiday?” After asking, she immediately regretted it—the question was so clichéd. She unconsciously picked at a scratch on the desk, her ears feeling warm.
Xu Huimi’s reaction was a bit slow. She gave an embarrassed smile. “It was okay. Holidays are just for reading.”
Her answer made Huang Xiaozhi feel a wave of relief.
Huang Xiaozhi gave a thumbs-up. “As expected of the class monitor! With your willpower, you’ll succeed at anything.”
“Oh, no, it’s not just for reading, of course,” Xu Huimi said modestly.
Huang Xiaozhi thought about it. Right, it’s impossible to only read during a holiday. How boring would that be?
Then, no one spoke again.
Xu Huimi reminded Huang Xiaozhi, “Class is about to start.”
She replied in a low voice, “I know.”
Not long after, Teacher Tang walked in.
The first class of a new semester usually doesn’t involve new lessons.
It’s the teacher’s “hypnosis.”
That’s right, it’s a lecture on the rules.
Teacher Tang stood at the podium with a stern face, her gaze sweeping over the students like a hawk. Then, she spoke slowly, “We won’t be starting a new lesson today. The requirements for this semester will be different from the last. From now on…”
She talked on and on at the podium, but no one was listening. Is this kindergarten? Do we really need a rules lecture every semester?
What a pain.
At first, Huang Xiaozhi sat up straight, her back perfectly erect, her hands folded on the desk, even her breathing intentionally light. But as time passed, her back gradually curved into an arc. Her hand propped up her chin, and her gaze drifted to the swaying sycamore tree outside the window.
She wasn’t slouching, just a little hunched, but she hadn’t moved much. This was already an impressive feat.
Teacher Tang was talking as if she hadn’t spoken in eight hundred years. Spittle flew as she lectured, a bonus for the students in the front row.
Sitting in the back had its advantages. The teacher was near-sighted, couldn’t see clearly, and didn’t care much.
Huang Xiaozhi boldly rested her head on her desk and looked out the window.
If she had any other choice, she wouldn’t even be here. She didn’t need to be in this school. Let anyone who loves it go.
…
During the break, Yu Wen from Class 11 was secretly looking at the candid photo on her camera. In the picture, the moment Huang Xiaozhi turned her head, her hair fanned out in a perfect arc, and the sunlight cast a golden halo around her.
Yu Wen unconsciously ran her fingertips across the screen, a faint, almost invisible smile playing on her lips. She carefully hid the camera in the deepest part of her backpack, as if it were a forbidden secret.
She then took the camera and compared the picture to the scenery outside the window.
It was different.
It was missing a certain person.
Yu Wen was in Class 11, the class of Director He Wei, where the English teacher was also the homeroom teacher…
This class had to endure a lot.
Huang Xiaozhi… Yu Wen thought to herself.
…
What do you do when a class is just the teacher talking nonsense?
Huang Xiaozhi’s method: Muddle through it.
Time can be both fast and slow. If you don’t care, it passes in a flash. If you care too much, it feels like a lifetime.
After two classes, Huang Xiaozhi and Xu Huimi hadn’t exchanged a single word. They just had nothing to talk about.
That’s okay, we’ll get used to it.
…
Students from Section A and B swarmed to the field. Section C was for the middle school students.
It seemed like the entire field was about to explode.
From a distance, they looked like a pile of ants pushing against each other.
Under the scorching sun of the opening ceremony, Huang Xiaozhi stood in the crowd, fine beads of sweat on her forehead. She constantly adjusted her posture, trying to find a patch of shade.
Huang Xiaozhi hated these ceremonies. It was already hot, and every single director had to give a speech. What was the point?
It was boiling hot, with students squeezed together while the teachers hid in the shade. That’s fair.
Huang Xiaozhi endured it.
This little bit of hardship was nothing. She would bring this school down someday.
One director after another went to the podium. Their speeches were slow, and time passed even slower.
Huang Xiaozhi was about to explode.
She mouthed “I want to die” to Su Li beside her. It wasn’t just her; most students wanted to die on that field.
Not just from the heat, but from the annoyance.
The school was treating them like they were killing cockroaches.
…
After a whole hour and a half, Huang Xiaozhi wasn’t literally cooked, but she was…
She should have just called in sick. She was tanned now.
After getting back to class, they immediately went to the cafeteria. The fifth floor!
She decided not to go back up. Instead, she pulled Su Li and headed toward the cafeteria. Who would be foolish enough to go back to class first?
Su Li’s wrist hurt from being pulled by Huang Xiaozhi, but she didn’t dare say anything. She figured Huang Xiaozhi was a powder keg ready to explode.
When they arrived, there were very few people in the cafeteria. Most had gone back to class before coming to eat.
In Huang Xiaozhi’s eyes, that was just foolish.
As they approached the food counter, Su Li finally spoke. “I didn’t bring my meal card.”
Huang Xiaozhi waved her hand, looking at the delicious food. “It’s fine, use mine.” A meal was no big deal.
“Okay.”
…
The two found a secluded corner in the cafeteria and sat down.
The food was… acceptable. It wasn’t delicious, but it wasn’t bad. Just edible.
Huang Xiaozhi had used up so much energy standing in the sun that she ate every last bite.
After finishing, she sat at the table, looking at Su Li. “Are you okay today?”
Su Li’s mouth was full of food. “I’m… okay. Why?”
Huang Xiaozhi looked at her. “Swallow your food before you speak. I don’t want to be responsible if you choke.” She was constantly afraid Su Li would choke while talking and eating.
Su Li quickly finished her food, then “demurely” took out a napkin and wiped her mouth. She sat up straight and looked at Huang Xiaozhi. “Mm-hmm? You can ask now.”
Huang Xiaozhi shook her head helplessly and smiled. “I was just wondering if you were feeling unwell today.”
Su Li thought for a moment and shook her head. “No. My back hurts a little, but I’m used to it. It’s whatever.”
“If you’re not feeling well, tell me right away. Don’t push yourself,” Huang Xiaozhi said as she packed up her things.
Su Li nodded and smiled at Huang Xiaozhi. “Thanks for your concern, my dear Xiaozhi~”
Huang Xiaozhi gave Su Li a look of disgust. “Can you just speak normally?” She was being genuine, not acting at all!
…
Many people were just arriving at the cafeteria when Huang Xiaozhi and Su Li finished eating and headed back to the classroom. The cafeteria was now a sea of people, a crowd you could get lost or swallowed by.
The two of them walked back to the classroom hand in hand, looking like a couple.
On the way, they passed Class 11. Neither of them noticed a person sitting by the window.
It was Yu Wen.
Yu Wen was at the window of Class 11, as if waiting for something. She kept looking out the window, and when the two girls passed, she smiled.
She wasn’t wearing her uniform. She wore a white hooded hoodie and watched from the window.
She was waiting for Huang Xiaozhi to appear.
It was as if she had expected this. She propped her chin on her hand, her deep, bright eyes looking out the window, at the scenery and at the people.
Yu Wen never stayed at school in the afternoons and didn’t eat lunch there either. She would come in the morning and leave after lunch, changing into her own clothes before walking out the school gate.
She watched Huang Xiaozhi and Su Li walk by, smiled, then put on her mask and left with her backpack.
She was walking in the opposite direction of Huang Xiaozhi.
…
Huang Xiaozhi and Su Li didn’t notice anyone in the classroom as they passed by. A moment later, Huang Xiaozhi heard footsteps and turned her head to see a retreating back.
Judging by the height, it was a girl. She was very tall for a girl, wearing a hoodie and carrying a backpack, heading downstairs.
Huang Xiaozhi was a little curious. She patted Su Li’s shoulder. “Did someone just leave Class 11?”
Su Li, who was drenched in sweat, also turned to look, but there was no one there. Only the scorching summer sun stung her eyes.
“No? I didn’t see anyone… Ugh, it’s so hot. Let’s get back to class. Any longer and I’ll be a human barbecue.” Su Li genuinely hadn’t seen anyone. Everyone wore the same uniform, so it was hard to tell people apart from behind, and she was indeed too hot to care.
The two walked into the classroom. It was empty. The classroom was in a state of slumber.
Once inside, Su Li didn’t go back to her own seat. She followed Huang Xiaozhi to the back row and plopped down in Class Monitor Xu Huimi’s chair, staring blankly at the scenery outside the window.
Huang Xiaozhi took her textbook out of her drawer, then stood up and opened the window a little. The summer breeze immediately rushed in, carrying the fresh scent of grass and wood.
The breeze made Su Li feel more awake. She looked at the lush leaves outside the window and happened to see Huang Xiaozhi’s profile.
She couldn’t help but smile and praise her. “Xiaoxiao, you know, you could totally run for school belle. Seriously, you get prettier the more I look at you. You have that understated beauty.”
Huang Xiaozhi didn’t even lift her head. She just kept writing, saying, “You’re exaggerating. I admit I have a little charm, but I’m not that beautiful. I’m just passable.”
She didn’t think she was that pretty. She just thought her looks were unique.
The person beside her said nothing. The entire classroom was quiet, with only the regular sound of footsteps echoing in the hallway.
The wind continued to blow softly, carrying the unique restlessness and shyness of youth.
In a unnoticed corner, certain feelings were quietly taking root, like a timid bud in March, carefully poking its head out.
The wind was blowing a unique story of youth.
…
Yu Wen walked across the field, but few people noticed her. It was as if she were an invisible person on campus, or perhaps they were just used to her.
When she reached the guard’s booth, the guard recognized her without a second glance and waved her through.
A car was parked in front of the school gate. Yu Wen walked over and tapped on the window.
The car door opened, and Yu Wen got into the back seat. She put her backpack down, pulled down her hood, and took off her mask. “Uncle Zhong.”
“Ah, Miss Yu. Did something interesting happen today?” Zhong Li could tell Yu Wen was a little happy today.
Yu Wen was asked so suddenly she smiled. “Something very interesting. I saw a… very special little cat.” She gripped her backpack a little tighter.
“Okay.”