Class A403 in the third year of high school, curtains drawn in the classroom, watching a movie.
"The Chorus" is very healing, but Zhang Ningzhi is a bit distracted. Lying amidst a small mountain of books, she turns to look at the empty seat beside her.
The similarly piled up desk has a black gel pen lying across the open space.
It seems as if it was casually tossed there by its owner in a hurry.
She looks down at her phone, QQ still frozen ten minutes ago. She had asked how many days Jiang Nian was taking off, but he hadn’t replied yet. The waiting always makes one uneasy.
(Jiang Nian): "Two days."
Zhang Ningzhi glanced at her phone, her cheeks plumping up imdiately.
"Did you bring your howork back?"
She maintained a good sense of boundaries, never prying into personal matters. Always aware of the lines with Jiang Nian, never asking intrusive questions.
Like why he suddenly went back to his hotown, hmm... If he was willing to tell her voluntarily, she would of course be delighted.
If he doesn’t say, that’s okay too, secrets are private.
(Jiang Nian): "Forgot, I’ll copy yours."
Zhang Ningzhi’s lips curled up slightly, feeling the warmth and renewal blooming inside.
"No way."
(Jiang Nian): "Then I’ll copy soone else’s."
"No way!"
(Jiang Nian): "Then it’s yours I’ll copy."
Zhang Ningzhi felt a bit speechless, he was so childish. Unsure how to respond, she just sent a sweating bean emoji.
It was an emoji Yao Beibei shared with her, she explained it ant... Dude, that’s enough.
Or, I’m done with you again.
Zhang Ningzhi felt it resembled a full stop more.
Setting down the phone, she suppressed the sour-sweet thoughts in her mind. Quietly took out her howork from the desk drawer, planning to write so under the dim light of the phone first.
Before doing all this, she stealthily glanced around.
Noticing the class wasn’t as lively as yesterday, people were playing on their phones. So even had small lamps on, doing howork while occasionally glancing at the plot on screen.
This put her at ease.
Lin Dong was playing on his phone, feeling a bit downcast.
He was so outstanding, both the math class representative and a sports star. Yet, there wasn’t even one person liking him? That’s not right, is it?
You need not date, but... you can’t be without flirtations.
Within the group, Chen Yunyun and Wang Yuhe were actually quite pretty, but too familiar. They were all just group mbers, the rabbit doesn’t eat the grass by its warren.
Actually, when hungry, it’s not impossible.
After all, it’s easier to get the advantage of proximity.
Speaking of the moon, he couldn’t help but look towards Zhang Ningzhi’s seat. Initially thinking he hadn’t talked to her perhaps because she didn’t know how amazing he was.
If he could find a chance to showcase himself, he was sure to win!
But who would’ve thought Jiang Nian would consecutively win both the long jump and the long-distance running championships, finishing and then imdiately leaving, having the class monitor collect his prize and certificate.
Lao Liu did say no one can take a leave!
As he listened to Chen Yunyun and Wang Yuhe quietly chatting in their group, presumably about the girls’ dorm, he was half-heartedly watching the movie projected on the blackboard.
Zhang Ningzhi seed so far away, as distant as the horizon.
Buzz, his phone vibrated.
Lin Dong glanced down; the female netizen he had been flirting with last month replied.
She was also a student at Zhenan Middle School, a second-year junior girl with a sweet voice.
(Liuli): "Today is the sports et, and I’m wearing a pretty skirt."
He imdiately delighted, bringing the phone to his mouth, pressing the voice button with a hand suppressing his voice. The hoarse bubble sound rolled out like a Siberian potato.
"What kind of skirt?"
The junior girl’s online na was just a sweet and cute sister.
Hehe, wanting to lick her from head to toe.
In this cold class, with idiotic classmates, no one appreciated his talents.
Only Liuli, cute little Liuli, brought him warmth in this world.
She would act coquettishly with him, praise his good grades, even chat late into the night about...
Ahem, he wouldn’t tell anyone about eting a close E-cup junior girl.
Every day he’d spend so ti chatting with Liuli, either after school returning to the dorm or sending ssages in the dark after lights out.
Liuli was a unique comfort in his ntal world, a drive that kept him motivated in his studies.
Lin Dong liked it most when Liuli called him top student brother, and that instant filled him with vanity. The more they talked, the smoother it felt, and the more aligned they beca.
Of course, he wasn’t foolish; he never revealed his face or real na.
Even his QQ number was a small account.
In the middle of this pleasant chat, suddenly, Sun Zhicheng ran hurriedly into the classroom through the back door. He looked panicked, leaving the group mbers dumbfounded.
"What are you doing, Sun Zhicheng?" Chen Yunyun turned to ask.
"Whoa!" Sun Zhicheng unscrewed the water bottle on the table, drank a big gulp, and exclaid in an exaggerated tone, "Damn, you guys won’t believe it, I just..."
"Went into the wrong restroom?" Lin Dong raised his head.
"No, guess what I ran into at the corner on the third floor!" Sun Zhicheng lowered his voice, "You guys can’t even imagine, damn it!"
"A huge black-and-green fly pillar! The leg hair was as thick as my hair; it was wearing a JK outfit, scaring to a halt!"
"Tch! I thought it was sothing." Chen Yunyun turned away with disdain.
Lin Dong was equally uninterested, sigh, little Liuli is still better.
.....
Jiang Nian blew away the dust on the bedside, wiped it with a damp tissue.
No need to clean too thoroughly, only sleeping for two nights.
Neither the desk nor the nightstand, things he wouldn’t use, needed any cleaning. The mat was clean though, as it wasn’t winter yet, a blanket would suffice at night.
Opening the wardrobe, a mothball and dust sll wafted out.
Sigh, bear with it for cover.
Buzz! The phone on the bed vibrated, Xu Qianqian replied.
Ten minutes ago, he sent a ssage. The classic starter, "What are you doing?" steady, as Jiang Nian was unsure whether Old Xu knew he’d arrived.
Both hos weren’t far apart, separated by a few acres of paddy fields; standing on the rooftop, one could see each other’s houses.
In the dead of night, a few barks ca from outside the yard.
Xu Qianqian only replied with a little yellow face emoji, "[Small is also cute]."
Stop insulting Korean, Xu Qianqian!
(Jiang Nian): "I just got ho, climb up the roof, the one with the light is mine. Given you might be busy dropping little pearls now, you’re excused from climbing up if needed."
Xu Qianqian was indeed dropping little pearls, precisely speaking had just finished.
Since returning ho yesterday, she and Old Xu had cleared her mother’s tomb in the morning. They burned so paper money stained with chicken blood, though the yellow paper didn’t burn well.
She had to squat down, poking and fanning it with a branch.
Her mother had passed five or six years ago, there’s little pure sadness left. Crying can’t solve problems; rather than shedding tears, she’d prefer her mother receiving a bit more money.
So, she burned earnestly during the day, perhaps inattentive, being smoked. When leaving, Old Xu reminded her to walk forward without looking back.
Her eyes had felt uncomfortable since the afternoon; she even went to the clinic for dicine.
"ntal, why are you here?"
"Brought so money for Auntie, what’s wrong?" Jiang Nian confidently replied, "Didn’t Auntie tell you I’m her favorite treasure?"
"Scram!" Xu Qianqian suddenly felt as if her mother hadn’t left, her lips unconsciously curved into a smile, responding, "Bottom-feeder, stop leeching."
The two bantered back and forth for a good seven or eight minutes, becoming more fiercely aggressive.
"Not bragging, dual champion in a day, easily taken."
"Heh, what dirty tricks did you use?"
"Whoa, why do you like so much? Installed surveillance?" Jiang Nian replied seriously, "Baby, stop your voyeurism, don’t love too much."
Xu Qianqian: "....You got banned last year."
"Hey, bringing that up is no fun." Jiang Nian sent a sweating bean emoji, one he’d pinched from Zhi Zhi Baby.
Isn’t stealing emojis between friends normal?
Added to collection.
Xu Qianqian didn’t bother with Jiang Nian further; he was the type who, if asked about dreams, would only reply wanting to be your dad. The more attention he got, the more excited he grew.
Her eyes prickled; she just closed them.
Buzz buzz buzz, her phone vibrated repeatedly.
She truly didn’t want to deal with Jiang Nian, but couldn’t resist as her phone buzzed over a dozen tis. She couldn’t fathom what on earth Jiang Nian had sent to warrant over ten ssages in succession.
If it was emoji spam, he was dead!
She opened her eyes.
The ssages were all from Jiang Nian, mostly a picture and a sentence. Mixed with soone’s odd quirks, appearing particularly crazy.
"[Picture], I found so unfinished fireworks, damn."
"No idea when they were left, maybe since before the New Year. There’s even sparklers; but hey, how do you even light these? Can’t find a lighter."
"[Picture]."
"I found a lighter, [Picture], aweso, it’s even windproof!"
"Xu Qianqian, want to hear a bang? Heard wishing upon a shooting star makes it co true, make do, mainly help wish a few."
Xu Qianqian read through them, biting her lip when she saw he really brought fireworks onto the third floor rooftop, and typed a reply.
"Are you crazy, playing with fireworks in the middle of the night!"
"Aren’t you afraid of the neighbors scolding you!"
The mont she sent the ssage, Jiang Nian’s call ca through. She was startled, quickly lowering the volu, her heart pounded like a drum.
Luckily, Old Xu in the other room seed unresponsive, possibly asleep.
"Want to die, Jiang Nian!" She gritted her teeth.
Eventually, she answered, muffling the receiver, suppressing her voice.
"What do you want!"
"Co out, co out! Look outside the window!" On the other end, Jiang Nian’s slightly crazy joyful voice ca through, along with the sound of the wind blowing.
The barking outside the window synced with the barking on the call, all reminding her how close they were.
"I’m not looking, boring."
"Just take a look, it won’t kill you, I’m really going to light it now." Jiang Nian’s voice was cheerful, urging, "Co on, hurry up!"
Though Xu Qianqian said she wouldn’t look, she still opened the second-floor hallway door, gazing at the pitch-black night.
"Where?"
Just as she spoke, a burst of fireworks cut through the night with a sharp bang. Climbing skyward with a streak of yellow, exploding in the darkness with a pop.
The fireworks cascaded down like a beard adorned with stars.
Under the murky night, the successive bursts of fireworks seed to throw a tree of silver flowers, illuminating her face, rousing the quiet heart within.
With Jiang Nian here, things were getting lively.
On the other end of the line, his voice ca through in ti with the fireworks.
"Beautiful, Xu Qianqian?"
"Hmm." She gazed up at the fireworks in the night sky, honestly, "Jiang Nian, when the neighbors co to beat you, rember not to rat out."
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