September officially marked the beginning of their second year of high school, and the students returned with great excitement. A year had passed, and Class Five of the second year was particularly lively.
No. 3 High School required students to attend evening self-study on registration day, while No. 6 High School had more relaxed rules, with formal classes starting the next day.
Bei Yao wasn’t late that day, but her mind was inevitably unsettled.
The dusty diary had made her apprehensive, yet even with her eyes closed, she remembered every word. But no one’s life should be dictated by a diary, and the extra memories that surfaced each year would only unsettle her as she grew older.
So she didn’t interfere with her own growth or Pei Chuan’s, nor did she realize his feelings.
Bei Yao had just turned sixteen this August, making her younger than most of her classmates. She only knew that Pei Chuan was unique to her, but liking and falling for someone were such complex emotions—they could make a person mature, yet without understanding them, one might remain stagnant.
Outside the window, the plane trees were lush and green. After school, Chen Feifei quietly asked Bei Yao, “Don’t you think Wu Mo has been acting strange lately?”
Bei Yao thought for a moment. “When she returns to the dorm at night, she usually doesn’t talk. As soon as she finishes washing up, she gets into bed to play on her phone.”
Chen Feifei shook her head. “It’s more than that. She often spaces out in class, and she’s really afraid of me seeing her phone.”
Bei Yao frowned. “Are you worried she’s neglecting her studies because of her phone?”
“Oh, no!” Chen Feifei whispered. “I think she’s dating someone online.”
Online dating?
Bei Yao was startled. In 2007, online dating had just become popular—it was both mysterious and alluring, mainly because the internet allowed for a carefree, platonic romance. And the risks hadn’t been widely exposed yet.
Wu Mo had good grades and a pleasant personality—why would she get into online dating?
Chen Feifei winked. “How about we ask her about it tonight?”
Bei Yao had no objections. “Sure.”
That evening, when the girls returned to the dorm, Chen Feifei, soaking her feet, casually asked, “Wu Mo, you’re always on your phone when you come back—who are you chatting with?”
From under the covers, Wu Mo’s voice was hesitant. “Wh-what are you talking about? I’m just updating my mom on my studies.”
The other three girls in the dorm exchanged glances.
Over the weekend, Bei Yao went to buy new shampoo. The autumn weather was clear and refreshing, and her roommates Chen Feifei and Yang Jia, having nothing else to do, decided to join her for a walk outside.
After buying the shampoo, Yang Jia said, “I want to go to the bakery to get some snacks. I always get hungry at night.”
So the two girls accompanied her to the bakery.
The closer they got, the nearer they were to "Allure World."
Bei Yao had a bad feeling, and sure enough, Yang Jia pointed and said, “Isn’t that Wu Mo?”
They followed her gaze and saw Wu Mo at the entrance of Allure World, her shoulder held by a tall, thin man wearing black gloves, being led inside.
Chen Feifei looked worried. “Is that her online boyfriend? Should we go check it out?”
Yang Jia said, “That might not be a good idea. What if they’re on a date? Wu Mo would be upset if we interrupted. What do you think, Bei Yao?”
Bei Yao watched the man’s retreating figure, feeling a strange unease, but she generally preferred not to meddle in others’ private affairs. After a moment’s thought, she said, “Let’s talk to Wu Mo when we get back. If something seems wrong, we can call the police.”
Yang Jia nodded. “Alright, I’ll go buy my cake first.”
The bakery was right next to Allure World.On the fifth floor of Allure World, Pei Chuan sank a black ball into the pocket.
A man walked in with his arm around Wu Mo. Though it was autumn, the man wore a suit and black leather gloves. The two were chatting and laughing, the man leaning close to Wu Mo, who blushed deeply. Soon, they started a separate game of pool.
Jin Ziyang whistled. "What's up, Chuan? Feeling lonely? Want me to call more people to hang out?"
Pei Chuan lifted his gaze, his dark eyes intense. Jin Ziyang fell silent.
They all knew Brother Chuan had been in a bad mood lately. That was why they had come out today—to help him relax.
Pei Chuan didn’t respond. He slung the cue stick over his shoulder and headed toward Wu Mo’s table.
Wu Mo looked up and saw Pei Chuan approaching with the cue, his expression cold. For a moment, her mind went blank. "Pei... Pei Chuan?"
She had seen those forum posts about him. He was a big shot at Third High, rumored to be wealthy.
The tall, stern-faced youth glanced at her and called out the man’s name: "Ding Wenxiang."
The man took off his sunglasses, his face paling. "Brother Chuan..."
Pei Chuan said calmly, "You shouldn’t be here scamming people."
By then, Jin Ziyang and Zheng Hang had also come over. Only Ji Wei remained on the couch, absorbed in his book, unaware that everyone had left.
Ding Wenxiang shot a quick glance at Wu Mo and forced a smile. "Brother Chuan, I’ll leave right away, okay?"
Pei Chuan said, "Mm."
Ding Wenxiang fled immediately.
Wu Mo stood frozen, utterly bewildered. She didn’t dare ask Pei Chuan what was going on, but as a sixteen-year-old girl, she felt extremely uneasy. She couldn’t help wondering: Why had her "elite" boyfriend Ding Wenxiang run off at just one word from Pei Chuan? Why had Pei Chuan come over? Was it... because of her?
Summoning her courage, she asked, "Why... why did you make him leave?"
Pei Chuan set his cue stick on the table and asked coldly, "Should I have let him stay so he could sleep with you?"
Wu Mo had never heard such crude words in her life. She stammered, "You... you..."
Pei Chuan couldn’t be bothered to explain. "Get lost too. Open your eyes wider next time."
Under the curious gazes of Jin Ziyang and the others, Wu Mo felt deeply humiliated. Her face flushed, but she didn’t dare look at Pei Chuan again. She turned and left.
Jin Ziyang raised an eyebrow. "Brother Chuan, you know those two?"
Pei Chuan didn’t hide it. "Yeah." He said calmly, "Ding Wenxiang pretends to be rich to scam female students."
Jin Ziyang’s jaw dropped. "Damn, what a scumbag!"
Only Zheng Hang looked skeptical. "Brother Chuan, how do you know someone like that?"
Pei Chuan was silent for a long time before finally saying, "Because I’m worse."
Jin Ziyang burst out laughing. "Brother Chuan, that joke isn’t funny at all."
But Pei Chuan let out a soft, mocking laugh. Yeah, he was worse than someone like Ding Wenxiang. So it was only normal that Bei Yao didn’t like him.
Back in junior high, it was Pei Chuan who had told Ding Wenxiang to scam Shang Mengxian. Perhaps he had personally forged someone utterly rotten.
Pei Chuan knew he was different from Jin Ziyang and the others. They were born with silver spoons in their mouths—blunt and straightforward, but without malice. He, on the other hand, had crawled out of the mud, grown indifferent to ugliness, and hated this world to the core. He didn’t even care if Wu Mo got scammed. But he needed a reason to go find Bei Yao.Ji Wei, who was reading on the sofa, would do a set of eye exercises every hour. Even though he was already nearsighted to 500 degrees, he persisted diligently.
Pei Chuan found this simple-minded Ji Wei pleasing at first glance.
Maintaining certain habits with purity and consistency was truly a rare quality.
Noticing Pei Chuan’s gaze, Ji Wei asked, “Brother Chuan, why are you looking at me?”
“Ji Wei, I have a question for you,” the young man asked lazily. “Why do you study so hard even though you always do poorly on exams?”
Ji Wei looked puzzled. “Because I like studying?”
“Even if you fail, it doesn’t matter as long as you like it?”
Pushing up his glasses, Ji Wei answered honestly, “Of course I feel upset sometimes. My dad says I’m dumber than a pig, and he and my mom are planning to have another son to inherit the family assets. Since my inheritance is practically gone, I have to study even harder.”
Pei Chuan laughed. “Damn!”
Ji Wei said sternly, “Brother Chuan, no swearing.”
Jin Ziyang and Zheng Hang burst into laughter.
Because he loved it, he would feel sad when he failed. But after the sadness passed, he would still bravely continue to love it. Pei Chuan smiled—Ji Wei was the simplest and most clear-minded person.
~
On a weekend evening, just after Bei Yao had washed her hair, the phone rang.
There was no outlet in the dorm for a hairdryer, so she wrapped her hair in a towel. “Hello?”
A young man’s soft voice came from the other end. “Bei Yao.”
After all these years, she recognized his voice instantly, even from an unfamiliar number. “Pei Chuan.”
“It’s me. Don’t hang up,” he said. “I’m in the camphor grove at your school. I have something to tell you. Can you come out?”
Bei Yao bit her lip, still embarrassed about slapping him last time. After a long pause, she replied softly, “Okay.”
Walking against the evening breeze and under the sunset, she headed toward the school’s camphor grove. From afar, she spotted Pei Chuan.
He stood with his hands in his pockets, watching the camphor leaves fall.
In autumn, the camphor trees didn’t turn yellow like ginkgo trees; they always carried a faint, fresh scent of grass and trees. Pei Chuan knew he had been too reckless last year, and many people at Sixth High recognized him. This time, he had come discreetly.
As Bei Yao approached him, she asked softly, “What is it?”
Her voice was still as warm as a spring breeze.
Her wounds, unlike his that festered year by year, would heal quickly.
Pei Chuan said calmly, “Your roommate, Wu Mo—her boyfriend is Shang Mengxian’s ex.”
She tilted her head, confused.
Pei Chuan explained briefly, “He’s a scammer who preys on girls for money and favors.”
Bei Yao frowned, her clear almond-shaped eyes burning with anger. “We’ll report it to the police.”
Pei Chuan didn’t mention his own involvement and simply agreed, “Okay.”
He acted just like a chivalrous young hero.
The girl’s hair was still damp, and in the faint scent of camphor wood, the sweet fragrance of lilac from her body wrapped around his heart like delicate threads.
Bei Yao said, “Thank you, Pei Chuan. I’ll head back now.”
Pei Chuan felt reluctant to let her go, but his emotions were too complex to put into words. With a calm expression, he asked her, “Do you want to visit Granny Zhou?”
Bei Yao widened her eyes. “Granny Zhou? Didn’t she move away before?”
Pei Chuan said, “Her son is unfilial. He sold both their rural and city homes, and now she lives in a nursing home.”
He spoke with pity about the coldness of human hearts, but inside, Pei Chuan sneered—look at this, family affection.
That old lady had installed an extra iron gate for a young Bei Yao, who was afraid of dogs, and often gave her snacks. For both emotional and logical reasons, Bei Yao would agree to visit.Bei Yao said, "Alright, school starts tomorrow, let's go next week."
Pei Chuan replied indifferently, "Okay."
She probably didn't remember—back in fourth grade, she had bravely picked up a stick to beat Ding Wenxiang, pulling him out of humiliation and the mud.
She had been so good to him back then.
~
Wu Mo disagreed with calling the police.
She cried, "Please don't report it, I'm scared."
In the eyes of a sixteen-year-old girl, involving the police was a serious matter. If the police investigated this, it would drag in the school and parents. Wu Mo came from a comfortably well-off family; if her parents found out she had dared to engage in an online romance, they would be furious. And what would her classmates think of her if they knew?
Would they see her as trying to climb the social ladder because of the scammer's "elite" status?
Wu Mo's fear was hidden in her sobs. Chen Feifei, unsettled by her crying, said, "Alright, alright, it's your decision. If you don't want to report it, we won't."
Chen Feifei then looked at Bei Yao and Yang Jia.
Bei Yao shook her head. "It's your call." She thought to herself, It's precisely because girls are so timid that scum like him continue to thrive.
Yang Jia said, "I don't care either way. If you don't want to talk about it, then don't."
Even though all three roommates had agreed, Wu Mo still felt panicked inside. Tossing and turning sleeplessly at night, she thought of Pei Chuan.
That aloof boy, his brow sharp like a blade. His words were harsh, yet it was because of him that she had managed to escape unscathed. The scammer had been afraid of him too. Though Pei Chuan seemed even more ill-tempered, he made her feel safe. For some reason, Wu Mo's cheeks grew warm.
~
On the weekend, Bei Yao packed her backpack to visit Granny Zhou.
Inside her bag was elderly milk powder bought with all her pocket money.
Pei Chuan took it from her. "This month's allowance?"
Bei Yao nodded, her eyes bright. "Mhm."
He smiled—a surprisingly warm expression that seemed out of place on his usually cold face.
Bei Yao asked, "What are you laughing at?"
Pei Chuan said, "You've been like this since you were little. If you want to be good to someone, you save up a month's allowance."
Bei Yao's almond-shaped eyes showed a flicker of annoyance at being seen through.
The boy slung the bag over his shoulder and walked ahead.
Bei Yao followed him. He walked slowly, perhaps accustomed to that pace.
She felt a bit awkward, glancing now at sparrows on the branches, now at the buildings around the nursing home—anywhere but at Pei Chuan.
She was almost sixteen this year, over a year younger than him.
Her innocent, pure heart had never stirred for anyone.
She loved brightness and warmth.
That was why Pei Chuan wore a clean white shirt.
The nursing home wasn't one with ample funding; it was desolate and run-down, a sight that saddened anyone who saw it.
Granny Zhou, her hair graying, sat among the others, her eyes vacant—she had dementia and no longer recognized anyone.
Pei Chuan exchanged a few greetings, though the coldness in his eyes remained. He picked up a broom and swept away the phlegm and mud around.
A caregiver gave him a surprised look, but the boy's expression was detached, as if unfazed by the filth.
There wasn't much Bei Yao could do for Granny Zhou either. She stayed with her for a while before leaving the items behind.
Pei Chuan went to the nursing home's only office and left a card.
The director thanked them profusely. "Thank you, kind people. Thank you."
Pei Chuan washed his hands at the sink, his lips curling sarcastically. "Tell me, what's the point of them living like this?"
The director stampered, "Wh-what?"Pei Chuan offered no explanation—he was not the kind-hearted man the dean described. Gazing at the girl waiting for him at the doorway, his thoughts grew unexpectedly tranquil.
For those who have once embraced the light only to plunge back into darkness, what difference does it truly make whether they live or die?
OpenNovel