Тhe first monthly ехam toоk plaсе а littlе оvеr a month аfter the start of the semеstеr. Spring wаs unprеdiсtаblе—wild winds and unstаblе tеmреraturеs—but the winter jasminе hаd bloоmed, its palе yellоw flowers сlinging оnе bу оnе tо the clеаr greеn brаnсhes аnd leаvеs. Jiang Du lovеd sрring the mоst, but unfortunatelу, this spring was a sеаsоn of fаrewells.
Thе сlаss grouр сhаt hаdn’t disbаndеd, but evеrуonе was nо longer аs enthusiаstiс аbout writing in еасh оther’s graduatiоn books as they hаd been in middle sсhool. Аfter аll, this wаs onlу the first year of high school—no matter what, they were still in the same school, and there would always be chances to meet.
Because the exam involved placement into the humanities and science advanced classes, the students took this monthly test very seriously. Teacher Xu held the final class meeting, writing on the blackboard, “The more effort you put in, the brighter you shine,” to encourage everyone.
After taking the exams for several subjects, Jiang Du felt she had done alright, but whether she could make it into the humanities advanced class was uncertain. After all, Mei Zhong had so many students. There were only six humanities classes in total, with just one advanced class, so the competition was quite fierce.
Right after the exams, the school was flooded with people, bustling everywhere.
The newsstand was crowded with girls buying magazines. Jiang Du paused and spotted Wang Jingjing among them. The two hadn’t returned to their previous closeness and could only be said to maintain a normal classmate relationship. Wang Jingjing had come to buy magazines without calling Jiang Du, instead coming with another female classmate who had also chosen the science track.
After the exams, everyone was temporarily relaxed. Jiang Du, unsure what to do on her own, went to look at the winter jasmine. She loved winter jasmine so much—that delicate, clean yellow, spread out like stars. Seizing the moment when no one was paying attention, she plucked a flower and tucked it into the buttonhole of her coat.
“Which class are you from? What are you doing?” A low, stern voice came from behind, startling Jiang Du and making her tremble. But when she turned around, she found it was Lin Haiyang. Her heart immediately settled, though she still felt a bit embarrassed.
Lin Haiyang laughed heartily. “Did I sound just like the dean? Last time, he caught us smoking and made us do horse stance squats as punishment. I was limping the next day.”
Jiang Du finally smiled along. “Smoking is wrong to begin with.” As she spoke, she naturally thought of someone, and her smile faltered—she wouldn’t be able to sit in the classroom next to his anymore.
“Hey,” Lin Haiyang nudged her arm without any reservation, “what’s going on between you and Wang Jingjing? It’s not because of Wei Qingyue, is it?”
Jiang Du’s heart felt as if it had been squeezed. Her expression turned uneasy. “Why would you say that?”
“I ran into Wei Qingyue yesterday. He asked me to pass on a message—he wanted to know if you’d done what he asked you to do. He’s been waiting. He didn’t want to bother you before the exams, so he told me to tell you today. Did something happen with Wei Qingyue that made you and Wang Jingjing fall out? You girls are always getting upset over things, I know.” Lin Haiyang was more talkative than a gossipy woman; once he started, he couldn’t stop.
Jiang Du wasn’t without a temper. She thought to herself, What do you mean “girls are always getting upset”? I rarely get angry. But she would never show it, keeping her expression neutral. “It’s nothing. I’m not close with Wei Qingyue.”
“Then what did he ask you to do?” Lin Haiyang was still prying. Jiang Du, annoyed by his questions, held back and said, “It’s not something I can talk about.” She knew Lin Haiyang meant no harm—he was just too noisy. Usually, she found him amusing, but today, for some reason, she suddenly felt restless and irritable—about the class placements, about many small, subtle things.The results were posted a week later, and the scene before the bulletin board was truly spectacular that day. Everyone eagerly searched for their own names, and from within the crowd, cheers erupted from time to time. Where there were cheers, there were also sighs—such things always brought joy to some and sorrow to others.
Jiang Du had made it into the Humanities Honors class.
The moment she learned the outcome, she felt a surge of joy, as if she had narrowly escaped a disaster. She now had hope—hope of getting into a top-tier university.
As expected, Wang Jingjing was placed in the regular science class, while Wei Qingyue’s name was posted at the very top of the Science Honors list. Not far below, Zhang Xiaoqiang’s ranking was visible.
Her own name seemed separated from theirs by mountains and rivers.
Jiang Du was jostled back and forth in the crowd, but her eyes remained fixed on the three characters: Wei Qingyue. This was an increasingly rare opportunity, and she had to seize it. Every single one of Wei Qingyue’s subject scores was deeply etched into her memory. What was the use of remembering these things? Not everything had to serve a purpose. Wei Qingyue was the meaning of her youth.
What followed would be an incredibly busy period: moving dormitories, changing classrooms—everyone officially entered the trial phase of subject specialization. That day, Class Two held a brief farewell gathering. Teacher Xu was as humorous as ever, leaving everyone both laughing and crying. It was time to set off on a new journey.
After everyone had dispersed, Jiang Du lingered behind. She sat in the empty classroom, quiet as a cicada pupa underground. This was the last time she would sit here. The evening light streamed through the window, casting long shadows across the desks.
At the end of the corridor, the lockers had already been moved to the hallway of the new class.
Jiang Du gently touched the class schedule by the podium one last time. The joy of entering the Humanities Honors class had faded so quickly. She could no longer easily see the tree in front of the library, nor could she pretend to casually glance at the figure in the neighboring classroom. All she could do was write letters that would never be sent.
“The new issue of Book City after its relaunch is already available at the municipal library,” Wei Qingyue said, leaning against the doorway of Class Two. He spoke without any preamble, as if he had been standing there for who knows how long.
Jiang Du was startled and turned her head.
Stammering slightly, she hurriedly replied, “Really? I haven’t been there in a while. I was catching up on classes during winter break, and lately, I’ve been preparing for the placement exams.”
“Congratulations on making it into the Humanities Honors class,” Wei Qingyue said, pulling something from the back pocket of his jeans and tossing it directly to Jiang Du. She fumbled to catch it, clutching it tightly.
It was a brand-new Tweety Bird keychain.
“I might have broken your keychain during the first monthly exam last semester. I just remembered, so here’s a new one to make up for it,” he said lightly.
Jiang Du gripped the Tweety Bird tightly. She was overjoyed—the kind of joy that made all her worries vanish the moment she saw him. Wei Qingyue knew she had made it into the Humanities Honors class, knew her keychain was a Tweety Bird, and even told her that the library had the magazine she loved. Heaven only knew how long this happiness would last.
“Thank you,” Jiang Du said with a faint smile, her eyes softening as she did. But Wei Qingyue added, “See, I remember you like reading Book City, I’ve treated you to KFC, and I’ve walked you home. Does that make us friends?”
Jiang Du was taken aback by the question… friends? Did he want to consider her a friend? Or were they only meant to be friends? What more could she hope for? After all, they had been nothing but strangers.Her expression was somewhat unnatural as she tried to hide it. "Of course, if you're willing to be friends with me, then we're friends."
Wei Qingyue seemed to find this amusing and smiled. "Judging by your expression, you don’t seem very willing."
"No, I’m not unwilling. I’m very happy to be friends with you," Jiang Du hurriedly defended herself, her face flushing red.
Wei Qingyue nodded, looking at her meaningfully. "Since we’re friends now, why haven’t you taken the matter I asked you to do seriously?"
Jiang Du was instantly speechless.
She knew exactly what he was referring to.
Her heart felt like it was caught in a sudden downpour. Gathering her courage, Jiang Du asked, "Why do you want to receive letters?"
"Why do you think?" Wei Qingyue replied cryptically.
Jiang Du’s breathing quickened. She shook her head and mumbled, "How would I know?"
Her palms were clenched so tightly they ached slightly. She felt that Wei Qingyue’s eyes were dark and bright, so bright they seemed capable of seeing through all her thoughts. She didn’t dare meet his gaze.
She held her breath carefully, afraid her breathing might betray her.
"Because," Wei Qingyue leaned against the door, unmoving, and said while looking at her, "I suspect the girl writing to me might be very shy, just like you, always easily nervous. I want to tell her that I’m not that scary, and approaching me isn’t as difficult for her as she might think. I believe we could get along well. If she writes to me, I’d be happy to reply. If she’s afraid of talking to me face-to-face, we can communicate through letters." He paused here. "As friends."
Jiang Du’s tense body suddenly relaxed at that moment. As friends.
Her nose tingled with emotion, and she twisted her hands together, the Tweety Bird pendant caught between them.
"Is it like being pen pals?" Jiang Du’s voice trembled as if chilled by a cold wind.
Wei Qingyue lowered his gaze and chuckled softly, saying, "No," but didn’t clarify what it was. He let out a long sigh. "Have you told her or not?"
"The letter was written by Wang Jingjing. You have her QQ number too, so you can ask her directly," Jiang Du replied, her voice almost choked with emotion as she lowered her head and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
Wei Qingyue didn’t argue much, only saying, "Is that so?" Jiang Du looked up and met his deep gaze, quickly averting her eyes and changing the subject. "That time, the pendant wasn’t broken, but thank you anyway."
"You’re welcome," Wei Qingyue smiled and straightened up. "I’ll head off now to grab something to eat."
Mentioning food, Jiang Du couldn’t help but ask, "How do you usually eat when you go home on weekends?"
"Sometimes the housekeeper comes to clean and cooks a meal for me. Sometimes I buy food outside. Why?"
Jiang Du’s heart pounded fiercely. "My grandma says food from outside isn’t clean, and home-cooked meals are better. You should try to have your housekeeper cook for you."
Wei Qingyue looked indifferent. "Life and death are fated. We live as long as we’re meant to." Suddenly, he teased, "Otherwise, I could come to your place to eat? There’s always someone cooking at your home."
Jiang Du took him seriously. Though her face was flushed, she actually replied, "It’s not impossible. My grandpa and grandma are very hospitable."
After saying it, she felt it might not be entirely appropriate and fell silent.
A gentle breeze blew, stirring her fine, soft long hair. Wei Qingyue suddenly felt the urge to reach out and touch it, wondering if it felt as soft, cool, and smooth as he imagined.A girl's hair could be so beautiful—this was the first time Wei Qingyue had ever noticed a girl's hair.
Once he noticed the hair, his gaze drifted, and he soon noticed her slender figure, long legs, fair neck, eyebrows as if drawn by a brush, and... the slight swell of her chest. Realizing what he was looking at, Wei Qingyue immediately averted his eyes.
Jiang Du grew increasingly uneasy under his gaze and couldn't help but whisper, "Is there something on my clothes?"
Wei Qingyue's throat moved slightly. He pointed to her shoulder, feigning nonchalance. "There are a few strands of hair there."
In the dormitory, people shed hair every day, and it would get tangled in the broom when sweeping. It was the same at home. Jiang Du quickly picked the stray hairs off her shoulder and smiled awkwardly. "Long hair does tend to fall out."
"Let's go." Wei Qingyue coughed lightly, covering his mouth. Jiang Du nodded and stood alone in the classroom for a moment, waiting until she thought enough time had passed before running to the window to look outside.
Wei Qingyue had put his denim jacket back on, his hair fluffy and bouncing with each step, as if brimming with vitality.
After a few busy days, Jiang Du arrived at her new classroom and met her new deskmate—a quiet girl who seemed aloof and rarely spoke. Her name was also quite unique: Zhu Yulong. When Jiang Du entered the class, her academic ranking was near the bottom. Every year, some students in the science advanced class would voluntarily transfer to regular classes if they couldn't keep up with the pace, but this rarely happened in the humanities advanced class. Looking at the unfamiliar faces around her, she secretly resolved to work even harder.
Zhu Yulong was quiet and appeared cold and distant, always speaking with a calm, unruffled demeanor. If Jiang Du didn't initiate conversation, she would never speak first. Coincidentally, they also shared the same dormitory. After moving in, Jiang Du realized that the atmosphere here truly felt different from her previous regular class. In other words, everyone in this humanities advanced class seemed uniquely individualistic and fiercely independent.
Although Jiang Du was known for her writing skills, and some classmates had heard of her reputation from their first year of high school, that didn't mean they genuinely admired her. Many of them had been avid readers of the popular magazine Sprout since elementary school, imitating its style to write about youth in vague, dreamy prose. In middle school, they had participated in the New Concept Writing Competition, winning first prizes in the B category. When it came to writing, they held themselves in high regard.
Of course, academic competition was even fiercer.
Jiang Du often felt out of place and repeatedly comforted herself, thinking that everyone felt the same way and that adjusting to a new class took time. But after a new class group chat was created, she found herself unwilling to get to know anyone. Instead, she missed Wang Jingjing and Zhang Xiaoqiang. Yet, once separated, it seemed everyone had moved on to new lives and formed their own circles. Was she the only one clinging to the past?
During every long break, Jiang Du couldn't help but go downstairs for a walk, secretly hoping for something. Unfortunately, nothing ever happened.
It wasn't until late April, when the humanities advanced class schedule was slightly adjusted due to teacher availability, moving physical education from the afternoon to the third period in the morning, that she discovered—quite unexpectedly—it overlapped with the science advanced class.
During physical education, Jiang Du would only run one lap. After warm-up exercises, half the time was free activity. When she spotted Zhang Xiaoqiang, she shyly waved at her. The girls in the science advanced class were also quite competitive, playing basketball on the court. Zhang Xiaoqiang wasn't tall, but she was agile and fierce when fighting for the ball.Over there, the boys occupied another court.
Jiang Du spotted Wei Qingyue, who was dribbling the ball. Like the other girls from the liberal arts class, her gaze drifted toward the boys from the science class. After all, everyone said the boys in this year's liberal arts class looked like dinosaurs.
Wei Qingyue occasionally lifted his shirt to wipe away sweat, revealing glimpses of his lean, athletic waist.
The girls whispered among themselves for quite a while.
During the break, Wei Qingyue continued to casually lift his shirt to wipe his sweat as he walked toward the school gate.
At the gate, a security guard was being harassed by a man.
Wei Qingyue had only glanced over unintentionally, but upon hearing a familiar name, he quickly turned to look.
"I'm a parent, I can even tell you the name—Jiang Du, from the top liberal arts class in the first year of high school. That's my daughter. Let me tell you, my daughter is in Mei Zhong's top class. Why the hell won't you let me in to find her? What gives?" The speaker was a man Wei Qingyue recognized at a glance.
The exhibitionist he had encountered at the bookstore—Wei Qingyue had never forgotten him. Including later, when he had occasionally seen him near the school gate: those gloomy, triangular eyes and a long, thin face.
In this season, the man wore only a white shirt, dirty and wrinkled, with half his arms exposed, covered in needle marks and dark, bruised skin.
He was causing a scene, demanding to enter the school to find someone, but the security guard refused. The guard had seen this man more than once. Recently, the man had been loitering around the school, and the school had even reported him to the police.
Wei Qingyue came to a complete stop, his gaze sharp as he stared at the man who had nearly assaulted Jiang Du and was now cursing loudly.
He actually claimed to be Jiang Du's father.
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