When Yin Yunyi first transferred to the junior high division of West Fuling Experimental Middle School, it was still midsummer. She carried a light backpack and wore a baseball cap for shade. Yin Yucheng saw her off at the gate, reminding her, "Take off your hat when greeting your classmates."
"Got it," she replied softly.
Following the teacher's guidance, Yin Yunyi bowed properly and said, "Hello everyone, I'm Yin Yunyi."
The teacher pointed her to an empty seat.
The boy next to her had delicate features, with stray strands of hair falling across his forehead. His brows naturally carried an air of impatience, making him seem rather unfriendly.
"Hello," Yin Yunyi greeted him nervously.
The boy merely uttered a casual "Hmm" before lazily turning his head to gaze out the window.
Yin Yunyi looked at the boy's reflection in the glass—his nose and mouth buried in the crook of his elbow, his eyes drooping.
She didn't notice her own reflection in the glass.
Yun Ye could see Yin Yunyi staring at him.
The slouching boy slowly shifted, straightening up to look at her sideways. "Why are you staring at me?" he asked.
His hair was slightly disheveled, his eyes clear, his expression rebellious.
Yin Yunyi widened her eyes, unflinching at his aloof demeanor. "I'm Yin Yunyi," she said.
Yun Ye: "Heard you the first time."
Implying there was no need to repeat herself.
A boy behind them poked Yun Ye with a pen and laughed. "Yun Ye, stop being so difficult. She's asking you to introduce yourself."
Yun Ye drew out a long, questioning "Huh?" before flatly adding, "Oh. I'm Yun Ye."
No one approached Yin Yunyi on her first day. She tried striking up conversations with her deskmate Yun Ye a few times, but his responses were mostly limited to "Hmm," "Oh," and "Yeah."
She couldn't understand why he was so cold.
It even struck her as somewhat rude.
Yin Yunyi gave up on talking to him altogether.
After the first day's classes ended, she inexplicably felt disheartened as she walked out with her backpack.
Before she could take more than a few steps, she heard a boy's voice beside her: "You forgot your hat."
The boy brushed past her and plopped the hat onto her head.
Yin Yunyi stared blankly as his figure disappeared down the hallway.
Yin Yucheng was waiting for her at the gate. "How's the new school?"
Yin Yunyi thought about her uneventful day, unsure how to describe it. She opened her mouth and said, "It's fine."
Back home, Yin Yunyi kept thinking about how to get along with her classmates.
Specifically, Yun Ye.
After half a night of insomnia, she still hadn't come up with a good solution. Instead, Yun Ye's handsome face grew clearer in her mind.
The next day, a classmate named Xu Yao struck up a conversation with her in the hallway. "Did you know your deskmate is the top student here? And he's super cool. Just look at that face—like the whole world owes him something."
Having slept poorly the night before, Yin Yunyi blurted out, "Oh, so he is owed then?"
The moment the words left her mouth, she felt guilty, as if she'd spoken ill of Yun Ye.
When she returned to her seat, Yin Yunyi saw Yun Ye with his forehead pressed against the desk. Puzzled by such a strange sleeping posture, she only realized after sitting down that he was secretly playing a game.
The school prohibited bringing handheld game consoles to class.
As Yin Yunyi opened her notebook, she couldn't help stealing glances at him, finding this behavior far removed from her image of a top student.Yun Ye suddenly raised his head, a red mark pressed onto his forehead. His eyes sparkled as he grinned, revealing small canine teeth. "Wanna play?"
"..."
Was this the so-called "super cool person" Xu Yao had mentioned?
Staring at that adorable smile, Yin Yunyi politely declined, "No, thank you."
Yun Ye showed no sign of dejection from the rejection. With a smirk still lingering on his lips, he lowered his head and continued playing on his phone. "Don't tell the teacher."
From Yin Yunyi's angle, she could still faintly see the red mark on his forehead.
As she flipped through her book, Yin Yunyi found herself distracted, thinking Yun Ye's behavior was bold, unrestrained, and downright rebellious.
A sharp reprimand came from behind: "Yun Ye—"
"Playing games again—"
The homeroom teacher grabbed Yun Ye by the collar and snatched his gaming device, but Yun Ye managed to shut it off at the last second.
Yun Ye remained utterly calm. "I wasn't playing. It's turned off."
The teacher rapped his knuckles hard against Yun Ye's head, making him wince and clutch the spot.
Turning to Yin Yunyi—the epitome of a quiet, well-behaved model student in his eyes—the teacher's voice softened considerably. "Yin Yunyi, was Yun Ye playing games just now?"
Still held by the collar, Yun Ye glanced up at Yin Yunyi. She clenched her fingers, instinctively reluctant to lie. But meeting the gaze of this person who had been her desk mate for barely a day and a half, Yin Yunyi's expression turned hesitant.
The teacher coaxed, "Just tell the truth."
Yun Ye saw her expression.
The teacher had expected Yun Ye to stubbornly deny it to the end, but instead, he admitted honestly, "I was playing."
It was truly over now.
Watching as Yun Ye was dragged out by the teacher, while others either gloated or watched in confusion, Yin Yunyi frowned. Her voice remained gentle as she said, "Teacher, you shouldn't pull him by the collar."
She stated firmly, "That's not right."
The classroom fell silent.
The teacher's lips twitched. Just as he was about to lose his temper, he met Yin Yunyi's obedient face and restrained himself, letting go of Yun Ye's collar.
When Yun Ye returned, the student behind him nudged his shoulder. "You were really bold today."
Usually, everyone caught with a gaming device would obediently admit their mistake and hand it over.
"Damn. That was my sister's. She'll kill me when she finds out." Yun Ye rubbed his temples, frowning. "I need to buy an identical one."
Yin Yunyi had thought he might blame her when he returned, and she tightened her grip on her pen.
Her interactions with Yun Ye had been minimal, but she didn’t want to sour their relationship.
She had written him several notes but hadn’t handed any over. As she worked on her problems, Yin Yunyi gradually forgot about it—until she snapped out of her thoughts and noticed Yun Ye counting the loose change in his bag.
Yin Yunyi asked, "Are you buying a gaming device?"
"Yeah." Yun Ye counted again. After a moment’s hesitation, Yin Yunyi said bluntly, "No matter how many times you count it, the money won’t increase."
Yun Ye: "..."
He didn’t respond, simply gathered the bills and stuffed them into his pocket.
Yin Yunyi reached for her backpack, rummaged through a hidden pocket, and pulled out a ten-yuan bill, offering it to Yun Ye. He glanced down but didn’t take it.
She felt slightly awkward. "Is ten yuan too little... My parents don’t give me allowance. This is all I have."
Yun Ye was silent for a moment before saying, "It’s enough." He took Yin Yunyi’s backpack, neatly folded the ten-yuan bill, and placed it back in the same pocket.
Then he returned the backpack to her.He casually picked up a book from her desk, flipped to the first page, glanced at it, and then said, "Yin Yunyi, thank you."
They had been desk mates for half a semester, but Yun Ye usually didn’t speak to her, only occasionally borrowing a ruler or an eraser.
Yin Yunyi thought Yun Ye was a complicated person.
When something amusing happened, he could be quite lively, flashing his signature smile. At other times, he was exactly as Xu Yao had described—aloof and unapproachable.
After the midterm exams, Yun Ye ranked second in their grade, while Yin Yunyi placed eighth.
It was an unwritten rule in their school to pair students with differing grades together. Their homeroom teacher approached them after class, intending to rearrange their seating.
Yun Ye said, "She’s bad at math."
Yin Yunyi froze for a few seconds, unsure why he had such an impression of her. Calmly, she retorted, "Yun Ye is bad at Chinese."
Yun Ye immediately changed his tune. "Yeah, my Chinese is terrible." Afraid the teacher wouldn’t believe him, he added, "The only reason I got second place this time is because Yin Yunyi tutored me in Chinese. If we switch seats, I’ll do even worse."
Their first seating rearrangement attempt failed.
After school that day, Yin Yunyi agonized over why Yun Ye thought she was bad at math. Carrying her backpack, she followed him and asked, "What’s wrong with my math?"
Yun Ye scratched his head, momentarily confused. "Who said that?"
Yin Yunyi replied, "You did."
Only then did he remember. "Oh, that was because—"
His voice trailed off as he met her gentle, light-colored eyes.
He unlocked his bicycle and swung onto it.
With a few effortless pedals of his slender teenage legs, he leisurely rode past Yin Yunyi.
His voice lingered in the air. "See you."
...
One day, the class hygiene monitor assigned Yin Yunyi and Yun Ye to clean the classroom together.
Girls develop earlier than boys, and at the time, Yin Yunyi was noticeably taller than Yun Ye. She offered, "I’ll clean the blackboard."
Yun Ye, holding the eraser, paused mid-motion on the board. Then, with a quick jump, he wiped away the words at the very top.
Having proved his point in such a childish way, he showed no embarrassment and simply handed the eraser to her.
After finishing their cleaning duties, the classroom was empty except for the two of them. Yun Ye quickly tossed his books into his backpack, slung it over his shoulder, and waved at her. "See you."
Yin Yunyi asked, "Can you wait for me?"
The moment the words left her mouth, she felt a twinge of doubt.
She expected him to refuse, but Yun Ye stopped in his tracks and sat back down on his desk. Resting his hands on the wooden surface, he leaned his head back slightly, looking bored.
Yin Yunyi took her time packing her things. Yun Ye glanced back at her desk—neatly arranged pens, sticky notes, notebooks, and a transparent pencil case printed with translucent cherry blossoms.
His gaze shifted to Yin Yunyi. "You’ve got chalk dust in your hair."
"Oh." She brushed her hair lightly.
Yun Ye yawned. "Not there."
She brushed it again.
Yun Ye glanced over, and then Yin Yunyi saw his arm block the light, casting a shadow over her eyes.
She froze.
His hand barely touched her as he flicked the dust from her hair.
Flustered, she haphazardly stuffed her things into her bag. "I’m done. Let’s go."
"Okay." Yun Ye hopped lightly to the ground.
Yin Yunyi caught sight of his sneakers—the toes were slightly worn from frequent basketball games.On Yun Ye's birthday, Yin Yunyi told Yin Yucheng that she wanted to buy her deskmate a pair of basketball shoes as a birthday gift.
Not knowing Yun Ye's shoe size, Yin Yunyi asked Yin Yucheng to buy a pair near the school and put the receipt inside so Yun Ye could exchange them himself.
After school, as usual, she headed toward the gate. Passing by the basketball court, she caught sight of a familiar figure.
Yun Ye was wearing the basketball shoes she had given him, dribbling the ball. He paused for several seconds, locking eyes with her.
Only when the ball was snatched away by someone nearby did he snap out of it.
Yun Ye didn’t tell anyone that the shoes were from Yin Yunyi.
In the past, he would wear his basketball shoes straight to school, roughing them up all day. But this pair—he carried them in a bag, only putting them on when he reached the court, doing his best to minimize wear and tear.
Before Yin Yunyi could react, a basketball came flying toward her. Instinctively, she raised her hands to block it.
This wasn’t the first time.
Yin Yunyi had been hit by basketballs before—some boys used this method to get a girl’s attention.
Each time it hurt, but she never made a big deal out of it, always telling the grinning boys who came to apologize that it was fine.
This ball was coming fast, about to hit her, when a figure stepped in front of her and effortlessly caught it.
The boy who had thrown it, egged on by his friends, had aimed carefully, already preparing to strike up a conversation with Yin Yunyi.
Yun Ye hurled the ball straight back at him, his voice icy. "If you're playing, then play properly. You asking to get hit?"
The boy, already guilty, took one look at Yun Ye’s unfriendly expression, grabbed the ball, and bolted back to the court.
Yun Ye turned his head, logically assuming he’d hear a "thank you," but Yin Yunyi spoke first.
"You shouldn’t be so harsh next time. Aren’t you afraid they’ll beat you up?"
She tilted her head, looking at his slender frame, her tone full of disapproval.
There was no trace of gratitude for being rescued—Yin Yunyi stated matter-of-factly, "They’re so much taller than you."
Yun Ye turned to stare at her wordlessly for a moment.
Covered in sweat and slightly out of breath, he said, "I’m going back to play."
"Yun Ye," Yin Yunyi called. He looked at her, puzzled. She gripped her backpack straps, pursed her lips, and asked again, "They won’t hit you, right?"
"Probably not that bored."
Someone on the court shouted for Yun Ye. Without another word, he ran back.
By the time Yun Ye finished playing, it was almost six.
His hair damp with sweat, he walked to the bike shed, where only his bicycle remained locked. Across from the shed was a public water tap. Yun Ye turned it on, splashing cold water on his face with one hand before drenching his hair completely.
Shutting off the tap, he lifted his head, water blurring his vision—but he could still clearly see Yin Yunyi standing in front of him, holding out a pack of tissues.
Yun Ye took them. "Thanks."
After a pause, he asked, "Why are you still here?"
Yin Yunyi usually left much earlier.
"I was about to go," she stammered. Seeing him struggle to open the pack one-handed, she tore it open and handed him a tissue.
She couldn’t bring herself to admit she’d stayed because she was worried he’d get beaten up for his earlier "rudeness."
As if… the only thing she noticed about him was that he wasn’t very tall.Yun Ye spread out the tissue and casually wiped his hair. Shredded bits of paper clung to his eyelashes. Frowning, he flicked them away with his fingers, his gaze slightly unfocused. He blinked, and her outline came back into clarity once more.
Just like during their first meeting, she was tall with her hair tied up in a high ponytail, her neck slender and delicate. Her oval face was framed by almond-shaped eyes with light-colored irises, and her nose and lips were both small.
Yun Ye felt his breathing grow slightly uneven. Hastily, he said, "I'm leaving now," and walked straight past Yin Yunyi.
After just a few steps, he turned back and asked her, "Aren't you leaving?"
Yin Yunyi thought of how he usually moved like the wind and replied, "I don't have a bike. You go ahead."
She turned around and walked toward the school gate, her backpack slung over her shoulders.
After a few steps, she heard the jingling of a bicycle bell.
Yun Ye rode up beside her and got off his bike.
Only then did Yin Yunyi notice it was a mountain bike.
She glanced at Yun Ye's height again and asked softly, "Isn't it a bit dangerous for you to ride this?"
Yun Ye gave a vague hum in response, but she couldn't tell what he meant.
They walked a little further.
The evening sun stretched their shadows long. Yun Ye pushed his bike alongside her, and she could hear the sound of the wheels against the ground. She stole a glance at him.
For a few seconds, Yin Yunyi's mind went blank, and a thought naturally surfaced: When Yun Ye grows taller, he'll probably look even better.
Though he was already very good-looking now.
Every time the seating arrangement changed, Yun Ye's Chinese grades would drop.
To preserve his potential as the district's top scorer, their homeroom teacher insisted on keeping them as desk mates for two years.
Yin Yunyi's parents were extremely strict. Aside from studying and cram school, her life had almost no other entertainment. Even using the computer required her to justify it as a study-related activity to her parents.
As a result, even after two years as desk mates, she and Yun Ye had hardly participated in any activities together.
They barely even spoke.
After the high school entrance exams, Yin Yunyi opened the class QQ group and stared at Yun Ye's default penguin avatar before sending him a friend request. To make it seem less deliberate, she added several others at the same time.
Yun Ye accepted immediately.
Their chat remained empty the entire holiday.
When high school started, Yin Yunyi didn't see Yun Ye and felt somewhat disheartened. It wasn't until the monthly placement test a month later, when she entered the advanced class, that she spotted that familiar figure in the corner of the new classroom.
The boy was slumped over his desk, the seat beside him empty.
Just like those two years in middle school, Yin Yunyi walked over and quietly sat down next to him.
Yun Ye straightened up as if nothing had happened.
Their eyes met, then they both quickly looked away as if startled.
Class seating was randomized now, and Yun Ye and Yin Yunyi were no longer desk mates.
The academic pressure in high school intensified, and the daily activities of boys and girls had even less overlap. Instead of blindly indulging in those hazy emotions, Yin Yunyi poured all her focus into her studies.
That day, they happened to be assigned cleaning duty together. Yin Yunyi habitually picked up the eraser and turned her head, only to find Yun Ye standing in front of the blackboard as well. The golden light of the setting sun spilled over him, making his light brown eyes appear even more vivid in the dusk as he looked down at her.
Yun Ye naturally reached out toward her, palm upturned in front of her.
Only then did she notice—after just one holiday, Yun Ye had grown rapidly, becoming tall and slender.Yun Ye stood motionless, staring at her, his tone no different from before: "The eraser."
For just that moment, Yin Yunyi's heart raced uncontrollably, an indescribable emotion seeping from deep within. Flustered, she handed him the eraser, grabbed the newspaper from the podium, and hurried to the window.
Through the glass, she saw Yun Ye with one hand in his pocket, effortlessly reaching the top of the blackboard when he raised his arm.
It was the hottest time in West Fuling—even by evening, the scorching heat and sunlight could bake a person dry.
By the time they finished their duties, it was already 5:30. Yin Yunyi rummaged through her bag for a while before murmuring, "How could I forget my hat?" Unconvinced, she searched again but eventually gave up and slung her bag over her shoulder.
Yun Ye had just returned to his seat after washing his hands. Yin Yunyi glanced at him and reminded him, "There's chalk dust in your hair."
Yun Ye couldn’t be bothered. "So what if there is?"
Remembering something from middle school, she lightly rose on her toes and brushed away the stray strands of hair on his forehead with her fingertips. Yun Ye blinked in surprise, momentarily stunned.
Yin Yunyi quickly withdrew her hand. "Now it's clean."
Still unsure of the strange feeling in his chest, Yun Ye only felt his face grow warm, his breath tightening. He muttered awkwardly, "No need. I like having dust in my hair."
Without another word, Yin Yunyi headed toward the school gate.
Just as she stepped outside, a gust of wind rushed past her, and a hat was gently placed on her head. Like the first time, Yun Ye rode past her on his bike, waving casually.
"See you."
The hat, sized for a boy’s larger head, sat loosely on hers, partially blocking her vision. All she could see were the bicycle wheels. By the time she adjusted the hat, Yun Ye had already disappeared ahead.
The fabric seemed to carry his warmth.
At that moment.
Yin Yunyi suddenly realized—the way her heart raced every time she saw Yun Ye, that feeling had a name.
It was called love.
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