Нis еуеs were dаrk аnd dеер, inscrutable.
Whеn shе lookеd over, hеr gаzе wаs unstеаdy, and shе guiltily averted her eуеs.
Sure еnough.
Shе wаs сursing him.
Сhaрtеr 2
Sееing hоw cаlm he was evеn аfter bеing late, he wаs probаbly a rереаt оffеndеr.
I could wаit а few dауs, аnd I’d definitеly саtch him.
—From Su Zаi Zаi’s Little Fаiry Diary
Тhe bell for thе еnd оf clаss rang.
The tеасher оn thе роdium tоssеd the сhаlk into thе chаlk box аnd sweрt а glаncе аrоund thе classroоm. “Those who havеn’t handed in their hоmework, сomе tо the оffice on your own. Class dismissed.”
The students immediately stood up and bowed lazily. “Thank you, teacher. Goodbye, teacher.”
Knowing that Zhang Lu Rang didn’t like being disturbed during class, Ye Zhenxin had waited until after class to turn around and ask him, “Zhang Lu Rang, where did your deskmate go?”
He leaned back in his chair, still holding a pen in his hand. His knuckles were prominent, and the curve of his fingers was graceful.
“Took leave.”
His voice was clear and low, devoid of emotion, like rain falling silently in the dead of night.
Ye Zhenxin widened her eyes and muttered enviously, “Huh? Why take leave… It’s only been two days since National Day. That’s way too cool.”
After waiting a while, she received no reply.
Zhang Lu Rang lifted his gaze slightly, picked up the English workbook on his desk, and flipped to the page assigned last time. He stared at the cloze test, where he had gotten thirteen out of fifteen questions wrong.
Finally, a flicker of emotion stirred in his eyes.
The girl in front continued, “Why did he suddenly take leave? He was fine during Chinese class.”
Unconsciously, he tapped the edge of the desk with the pen in his hand. The corners of his mouth, usually straight, curved downward slightly, and a faint, almost imperceptible spark of irritation flickered in his eyes.
Realizing this, he looked at Ye Zhenxin and said softly, “I don’t know.”
She was still talking, but the topic had already shifted in another direction.
Zhang Lu Rang stood up.
Ye Zhenxin was taken aback. “Where are you going?”
His expression remained indifferent. Without answering, he walked out the door with the English workbook in hand.
Meanwhile, Su Zai Zai was being dragged by Jiang Jia toward the restroom.
On the way, Jiang Jia suddenly remembered something.
“Oh, right, Zai Zai.”
Su Zai Zai took a pack of tissues from her pocket, pulled out the last one, and tossed the empty pack into the trash can next to the sink.
Wiping her hands, she responded, “Hmm?”
“The school sports meet is coming up. Do you want to participate in any events?”
“What events are there?”
“A lot. High jump, long jump, one-minute rope skipping, ten-person eleven-leg race.”
Just as Su Zai Zai was about to answer, she noticed a boy walking up the stairs next to the office out of the corner of her eye. He turned and headed toward the office.
His back was tall and slender, and the tips of his hair were dripping wet.
Her pupils tightened, and a mix of uncertain nervousness and excitement surged in her heart. Before she could walk over, she saw the workbook in the boy’s hand fall to the ground.
He bent down, revealing his profile.
…It wasn’t him.
Su Zai Zai felt a pang of disappointment and silently cursed in her heart.
To think that a peerless beauty like her could be so unsettled by a mere handsome guy.
What a disgrace.
Seeing her lack of response, Jiang Jia thought she hadn’t heard any events that interested her and continued, “There’s also the 100-meter, 200-meter, 800-meter races, and shot put, among others.”
Su Zai Zai looked listless and asked lazily, “Is 800 meters the longest?”Hearing this, Jiang Jia was a bit slow to react and asked in confusion, "Huh? You want it even longer? I think 800 meters is enough to make me half-dead."
Just before entering the classroom, Su Zai Zai turned her head for one last reluctant glance.
The office door was wide open. At the nearby desks, two girls—one standing, one sitting—were chatting with smiling eyes. Raindrops tapped against the turquoise-blue railings as several boys roughhoused nearby.
She withdrew her gaze.
At the same time, a boy emerged from the stairwell, turned right, and walked into the office.
Su Zai Zai sat down at her seat, leaning over the desk with half her face buried in the crook of her arm, revealing only a pair of bright, clear eyes. "I think 800 meters is a waste of my athletic talent."
Jiang Jia’s lips twitched. "You clearly…"
"Don’t call me to join unless it’s ten thousand meters."
"Bullshit!" Jiang Jia shouted.
Her shout was so loud that the previously noisy class instantly fell silent, stunned.
Then, a boy leaned over and teased, "Who’s bullshitting?"
Jiang Jia’s expression turned serious. "Definitely not Su Zai Zai."
Guan Han raised an eyebrow, a hint of mockery in his eyes. "So it’s you?"
"It’s you," Jiang Jia said.
Su Zai Zai spread her hands. "It really is you."
Guan Han: "...Hmph."
His purpose in coming over wasn’t to take the blame, okay?
Jiang Jia covered her own nose with one hand and Su Zai Zai’s half-face with the other, complaining, "Guan Han, can’t you avoid farting in public?"
Guan Han patted her head, scowling. "You looking for trouble?"
Jiang Jia didn’t loosen her grip at all. "I’d rather die than smell it!"
"..."
Soon, the bell rang, and the huddled classmates immediately scattered, returning to their seats.
After a moment of silence, Jiang Jia steered the conversation back to the earlier topic. "I remember last P.E. class, you were panting like a dog after just fifty meters. And you’re telling me ten thousand meters?"
Su Zai Zai blinked innocently. "Panting like a dog?"
"Don’t act like you don’t understand. Want me to demonstrate for you? Dream on!"
But Su Zai Zai never played by the rules…
She stuck out her tongue and panted rapidly a few times, then asked eagerly, "Like this?"
Jiang Jia: "...Enough already, stop being weird."
Not long after, the Chinese teacher walked in.
Su Zai Zai set aside her playful mood, listening to the teacher’s words as she opened her textbook.
She turned to look out the window.
The tree branches were still being battered by the heavy rain, bending slightly. Tiny droplets slid down the veins of the leaves, falling and dropping to the ground.
It was still raining.
He didn’t have an umbrella—would he get drenched again?
Even before class ended, Jiang Jia had already packed her bag. Exchanging glances with the other two dormmates, Xiao Xiao and Xiao Yu, she looked ready to bolt.
That wasn’t enough. Seeing Su Zai Zai showing no signs of moving, Jiang Jia impatiently grabbed the bag hanging by her desk and haphazardly stuffed two books inside.
As soon as the bell rang, the four of them charged toward the cafeteria like hungry wolves.
They quickly got their food, found a seat, and chatted idly.
Xiao Yu suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, are any of you interested in performing for the Campus Night? Our class hasn’t prepared anything yet, and there are only two weeks left."She was the class's arts committee member, responsible for planning all these activities.
The school sports meet lasted two days and one night, with sports events during the day and "Campus Night" in the evening—a talent show where each class performed one act.
Xiao Xiao chimed in, "Oh, do you have an idea already?"
"If I did, I wouldn't be asking you guys."
Suddenly, Su Zai Zai had a thought.
What if she performed and ended with a missing person announcement...
But how should she phrase it!
Say he was super, super handsome, late during the big break today, passing by the snack shop?
Or say he looked especially restrained yet tempting in the rain...
Damn, even she thought that sounded crazy.
After eating, Xiao Xiao and Xiao Yu went back to the dorm first, while Su Zai Zai accompanied Jiang Jia to the snack shop.
Arriving outside the snack shop, Su Zai Zai didn't want to buy anything, so she waited outside for Jiang Jia.
There were many people around her. The three tables outside the snack shop were packed with students chatting, holding hands, and eating instant noodles.
With the constant flow of people, shoulders inevitably brushed against each other.
Su Zai Zai shifted toward the corner.
From a distance, a conversation between two people drifted over.
The boy's voice was rough and loud, very attention-grabbing: "Zhang Lu Rang, did you come here in the rain? Let's head back together."
Zhang Lu Rang...
Wasn't that the cute guy from the advanced class?
Su Zai Zai looked toward the source of the voice, but her view was blocked by the bustling crowd.
"—Mm."
His tone was exceptionally clear and crisp, even more refreshing than the air after rain.
Her heart fluttered, and she remembered the boy she had seen that morning.
He had quietly passed by her, his hair tips seemingly still dripping, the strands at his temples clinging to his cheeks.
Drops of water fell one by one from his jet-black hair, tinted by its color, making Su Zai Zai momentarily feel as if the flowing water would be black too.
His eyes were pitch-black, contrasting with his fair face, making them especially striking.
Su Zai Zai lowered her head to look at the umbrella in her hand, her gaze somewhat dazed.
A wave of frustration suddenly rose within her, accompanied by absurd thoughts.
He must have done it on purpose; he must know how captivating he looks.
So he deliberately got caught in the rain, deliberately passed by her.
Deliberately... tempting her.
Chapter 3
Ha, caught you.
—From "Su Zai Zai the Little Fairy's Diary"
The next day during the big break, Su Zai Zai promptly took her umbrella and ran to yesterday's spot to stake out and intercept him.
She no longer hung her head, playing with puddles on the ground with her shoes. Instead, she looked toward the school gate, her expression extremely serious. She even put on her glasses, which she only wore during class.
In the distance, lush trees were blurred by light rain and thick fog into large, faint patches of color. The scenery was pleasant, as beautiful as a painting.
Contrary to her expectations, the great beauty wasn't someone who liked being late.
Then why was he so calm that day!
It seemed the great beauty was someone who remained composed in any situation. She admired that.
On the third day Su Zai Zai planned to stake out, the weather cleared up.
The big break broadcast exercises started again...
She decided to change her strategy.
Since the great beauty had come from the direction of the school gate that day, he was probably a day student. From now on, she would get up earlier to stake out. That way, she was bound to intercept him eventually.
After the final exercise movement, the dean stood at the front with a microphone, organizing the students to return to their classrooms. But students never listened. Upon hearing the words "return in an orderly manner," they linked arms and scattered in a rush.Jiang Jia was dragged off to the snack bar by Xiao Yu.
Under the blazing sun, the cement ground was scorching hot, the air thick and stagnant. With no shade around the playground, Su Zai Zai felt dizzy from the heat and just wanted to hurry back to the classroom.
Su Zai Zai squeezed through the crowd, head lowered, eyes fixed on the ground ahead, moving carefully and slowly, afraid she might accidentally step on someone’s foot.
And then…
Her head bumped into someone’s chin.
At that moment, she heard a sharp “crack—” from the other person’s jaw, as if the bone had shifted out of place, separating from the upper jaw.
Su Zai Zai: “…”
She quickly looked up, her face full of apology, the words of apology spilling out at the same time: “I’m sorry! There are too many people… Are you… okay…”
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