Мei Zhong's mоnthlу ехаms wеre alwаys grand affairs, held on wееkends with еaсh studеnt аt thеir own dеsk. Сlаssrооms seаted thirty students аrrаnged in а seven-by-еight grid, desks turned оver and lаbеlеd with ехаm numbеrs. Students clеаred еvеrуthing from thеir desks, fоllоwing the eхаct stаndards of the сollege еntrаnсe еxams.
Mоving bооks was аlwауs а hаsslе, but this yеаr, loсkers wеre installеd at thе еnd оf the hаllwау—оne for eаch student. Beforе the monthly еxam, thе loсkеrs werе crowded with students from every class on the floor.
"Hey, how's your preparation going?" Zhang Xiaoqiang asked Wei Qingyue very naturally. The boy was bent over, stuffing books into his locker. He had the least belongings, barely filling one locker. "Same as always."
The girl had always been fiercely competitive with him, sometimes even outshining him. Wei Qingyue never took it to heart. Seeing Zhang Xiaoqiang's locker already full with more items left to store, he pointed to his own locker and said, "You can put them here."
"Great, thanks!" Zhang Xiaoqiang handed her things over without hesitation. Wei Qingyue frowned. "You girls are so troublesome. What's all this?" He took a black plastic bag from her.
"I'm not telling you!" Zhang Xiaoqiang's tone suddenly turned coy, very girlish. Wei Qingyue was used to her acting like a caring older sister and gave her a sharp, penetrating look. Zhang Xiaoqiang felt a bit awkward and asked, "Why are you staring at me like that?"
"You sounded weird just now," Wei Qingyue said bluntly.
Inside the black plastic bag were sanitary pads, tissues, and other personal items—a girl's secrets. Zhang Xiaoqiang shrugged helplessly and said, "You really don't understand girls at all."
Wei Qingyue had no interest in the topic and didn't respond. Why should he understand girls' thoughts?
From a distance, the two looked very close.
Jiang Du had been about to bring her books over, but upon seeing this scene, she slowed her steps. Wind blew in through the window, wave after wave, filling her heart with a cold, empty feeling.
The girl hugged her books tightly and silently watched the two top students chatting calmly. Zhang Xiaoqiang was always so confident, flashing her small white teeth, and she dared to look Wei Qingyue in the eyes. Wei Qingyue seemed very familiar with her, and Jiang Du felt small, sour bubbles rising somewhere in her heart.
If only I had grades as good as Zhang Xiaoqiang's, she thought. Then, perhaps our conversations would feel more equal.
She waited until the two had left before walking forward. Standing still, she stole a glance at Wei Qingyue's locker. On it was his handwritten name, in the same handwriting as on that draft paper—the one with the question she had almost wanted to frame.
Looking at the three characters "Wei Qingyue," her expression turned slightly sorrowful. In truth, they were just three words, yet they felt as distant as mountains and rivers.
The letter that would never receive a reply had made her remember it the moment she saw him, embarrassing her to the point of wanting to disappear. But now, it had clearly transformed into another feeling: This is all there is.
If it weren't like this, even if he replied, I wouldn't have the courage to admit that it was me who liked you.
But I can see his locker, his name, and I've spoken to him. Without any surprises, I can see him at the flag-raising ceremony on Monday. We've walked the same paths, seen the same scenery, and perhaps even gazed at the same corner of the sky... Thinking of this, Jiang Du felt both warmth and weariness, but she gathered her spirits.
This monthly exam wasn't just nerve-wracking for the students—the teachers were also eager to gauge their students' true capabilities.In the classroom, Zhang Xiaoqiang was carefully posting the exam seating chart. As soon as she finished, a crowd surged forward. Wang Jingjing was shouting, "Stop pushing! Ugh, you're crushing me!" In reality, she was pushing harder than anyone else.
Lin Haiyang, who was also tall, had already spotted her and started teasing her by flicking her forehead—a bit too sharply. He said, "Push, push, keep pushing! You're testing in our own class, not with Wei Qingyue. Give it up already!"
Wang Jingjing covered her forehead, furious. "You're so annoying!"
"Hey, hey, you're in the same class as me, Wang Jingjing! We're even sitting front and back! Looks like we're fated!" Lin Haiyang was truly insufferable.
So, Wang Jingjing chased after him, hitting him repeatedly. "Go die! Lin Haiyang, go eat crap in outer space!"
Everyone laughed. It seemed that girls liking Wei Qingyue was such a common thing—so common that anyone could openly and brazenly talk about it. After all, liking the most outstanding and handsome boy was such a natural, unembarrassing thing.
But for Jiang Du, it wasn't like that. He was unspeakable, her own personal "Waiting for Godot."
I'm a mundane person who fell for someone everyone likes. How Jiang Du wished she could notice other boys. He wasn't that smart, nor that special, but he was a cute and interesting boy... No, no, she was still grateful to have met Wei Qingyue. He could make a heart feel exceptionally alive; he could make the entire Mei Zhong vibrant with color. Because he was there, all the hard studying became fulfilling and joyful, and all the imperfections felt complete.
A ripping sound snapped Jiang Du back to reality. It turned out Wang Jingjing had torn the zipper off Lin Haiyang's school uniform. Both of them froze for a moment before Wang Jingjing, with unjustified boldness, said first, "You asked for it!""
"Tsk," Lin Haiyang clearly didn't take it seriously. "You're so fierce, you'll never find a boyfriend!"
"None of your business! You don't get to worry about it, you piece of crap!"
The two were like sworn enemies, never a day without bickering. Jiang Du told Lin Haiyang, "My grandma can sew. Give it to me, and I'll have her fix it for you."
"Look at Jiang Du!" Lin Haiyang loved saying that line, and Wang Jingjing jumped up to punch his shoulder again.
For this monthly exam, Jiang Du was assigned to Class Five for testing. In the hallway, some were chatting, others flipping through books. She quietly walked to the railing, placed her book on it, and recited some ancient poetry and classical prose for a while.
Later, the teacher told everyone to use the restroom and then enter the classroom.
The exam room was chaotic, with many students from other classes whom Jiang Du didn't know at all. Returning from the restroom, a boy in front of her turned around and asked how her grades were. The boy was one of those high-paying students—there were few slackers at Mei Zhong, and he was one of them.
Jiang Du shook her head sheepishly. "I'm average."
"Let me copy off you later," the boy said nonchalantly. At the corner of the desk was a bottle of soda, which he casually handed to her. "Don't cover your paper; I'll just glance back. Oh, and pass me the multiple-choice answers for English later? I'll treat you to a meal."
Then why even come to school? Jiang Du thought to herself. Isn't this just deceiving yourself? Who are you going to copy from during the college entrance exam?
Just as she was about to refuse, she noticed the boy's gaze had shifted away from her, following something intently. She instinctively followed his line of sight.Jiang Du's heart immediately began to race wildly. That figure, clearly reflected in her trembling pupils, was Wei Qingyue. He was actually in this examination room too.
The boy was incredibly carefree, arriving late with nothing but a pen in hand. He casually took the empty seat behind Jiang Du, stretching his long legs boldly into the aisle.
It took Jiang Du a long moment to realize that Wei Qingyue was seated right behind her, their seat numbers consecutive.
Before she could think further, the boy in front nudged her: "Classmate, want to switch seats with me?"
Jiang Du naturally couldn't agree. While Wei Qingyue was part of the reason, more importantly, she knew it was against the rules to swap seats randomly. She understood exactly what the boy was up to.
The boy laughed: "Classmate, don't be so rigid. If you don't say anything, the teacher won't know. Everyone's mixed up anyway—how would the teacher recognize who's who?"
"Still, it's not right. I can't do that," Jiang Du insisted firmly. The boy gave her a look of helpless exasperation but had no choice, sitting back down with a sulk.
Wei Qingyue behind her heard none of this. He had entered wearing headphones and now sat idly spinning his pen, indifferent to everything around him. He hadn't even noticed who was sitting in front of or beside him.
But many others glanced his way, whispering his name.
The teacher entered the classroom with the exam papers. Behind her, Wei Qingyue didn't greet her—Jiang Du knew he hadn't even seen her.
For every subject, Wei Qingyue left as soon as he finished writing. His papers fluttered softly in the breeze, rustling until the invigilator came over and pressed them down with a chalkboard eraser.
The dry scent of orchid on the boy brushed past in an instant. Each time, Jiang Du would look up at that departing figure, watching him silently—perhaps the only thing she could do. But even that was enough; she almost wished the monthly exams would never end.
It wasn't until the physics exam that Wei Qingyue suddenly realized the girl in front of him was Jiang Du. He greeted her casually: "What a coincidence? I didn't even notice it was you sitting in front of me."
Yes, you never notice me, Jiang Du thought silently. The moment their eyes met still flustered her, as if lingering a few seconds longer would expose the fervent yet powerless secret in her heart. Her gaze drifted away:
"You're in this examination room too?"
Jiang Du tried her best to appear as though she had only just discovered this.
Wei Qingyue's lips quirked slightly—a gesture that faintly encouraged Jiang Du. She pretended to ask naturally: "You must have done pretty well, right?"
"Pretty well," he replied without a hint of modesty. Yet coming from him, such words didn't sound proud or boastful. Wei Qingyue said it as plainly as answering "Have you eaten?" with "Yes."
This left Jiang Du unsure how to continue. She offered a restrained smile and, seeing he had no intention of further conversation, slowly turned back around in the awkwardness, though her heart continued to pound as if hammering against a wall.
The exam papers were distributed, and the classroom fell quiet. But clearly, science subjects weren't as easy to bluff through as humanities. Unconsciously, Jiang Du's brows furrowed.
She had long, jet-black hair, smooth and dense, cascading over her shoulders. The sunlight cast a soft, fuzzy halo around her head. When Wei Qingyue looked up, he saw her slender shoulders, the flowing locks of hair, and beneath the loose school uniform, the faint outline of a bra... Somehow, he could make out its shape. For a moment, he felt inexplicably uncomfortable and averted his gaze.Wei Qingyue didn’t understand girls, but there were some things he knew all too well. The eternal topic in the boys’ dormitory was discussing girls, and even if he had no interest, he’d still catch a word or two. What bothered him most was that, late at night, when he heard others talking nonsense, he’d feel a certain restlessness too. Adolescent hormones were everywhere, and he was no exception—or, to be precise, it happened at certain moments.
His legs were too long, and no matter how he positioned them, they never felt quite comfortable. So he stretched them out casually. Jiang Du’s peripheral vision unexpectedly caught sight of his sneakers—black canvas with snow-white laces. Wei Qingyue was truly strange. Sometimes he was impeccably clean, and other times he seemed completely careless. Once, during a flag-raising ceremony, his sneakers had clearly been filthy.
These scattered thoughts startled Jiang Du. She restrained herself, shifting her gaze away and refocusing on the test questions.
But the classroom was too quiet—so quiet that she could hear the sound of his pen touching the paper, the moment he stopped writing, and even the dry, faint scent that rose from him as he stood up to leave.
Someone had gone to the restroom midway and happened to return just as Wei Qingyue was passing by. They both stepped aside to make way, but the other person was so tall and broad that Wei Qingyue had to steady himself by pressing his hand against the corner of her desk. His knuckles were distinct, and the blue veins resembled a winding river.
Jiang Du’s heart suddenly leaped. She watched the scene almost breathlessly.
Wei Qingyue had pressed down on her pencil case, where a small charm dangled—a cute Tweety Bird. His palm landed right on it, leaving the imprint of the little bird and, presumably, a slight sting.
He frowned, then smiled, shaking his hand. Only then did Jiang Du snap out of her daze and look up, but the boy was already heading toward the door.
After the bell rang, Jiang Du rushed out and scanned the area. Wei Qingyue was alone, leaning against the railing and gazing into the distance. He leaned forward slightly, headphones as usual over his ears, with no one around him.
Jiang Du felt as if her mind had malfunctioned. A girl’s thoughts were inexplicable. She desperately wanted to walk up to him and ask, “Did my Tweety Bird hurt your hand?”
Such a question was unnecessary—too trivial, so trivial that asking it would seem like she was forcing a conversation, as if she were making something out of nothing. Jiang Du hesitated, standing where she was—not far from him, yet feeling incredibly distant. Wei Qingyue seemed to sense something, or perhaps it was just a coincidence. He turned his head and saw Jiang Du.
The girl instantly clenched the hem of her clothes, her eyes fluttering like a startled little snake swiftly slithering deep into the grass—she turned and dashed back into the examination hall.
OpenNovel