Su Nuonuo quickly ran to the low wall behind the teaching building. She took a deep breath, completely ignoring any ladylike image, stepped onto the pile of discarded desks and chairs by the wall, and grabbed the rough concrete edge with both hands.
But at the very moment she climbed over, her eyes met Lu Zhiye’s—he was standing below, a cigarette between his lips, his expression full of shock.
The spring sunlight fell across his shoulders, outlining the sharp contours of the boy’s side profile.
In his brown eyes, her reflection was mirrored—shock, surprise, and a trace of complex emotion she couldn’t understand.
Su Nuonuo’s eyes instantly reddened.
She looked at him—at this Lu Zhiye who was still alive, whole, and untouched by the scars of fate.
Her throat tightened, and her voice came out so soft, as if afraid of waking from a dream:
“Lu Zhiye.”
She paused. Tears welled in her eyes, yet she lifted a radiant smile.
“I found you.”
The wind passed over the wall, stirring the ends of her slightly curled hair.
The boy below looked up at her, the cigarette in his hand silently dropping to the ground.
His gaze fixed firmly on the girl perched on the wall.
Against the light, her silhouette was rimmed with a soft golden glow.
The blue-and-white school uniform skirt fluttered gently in the wind.
Her slightly curled ponytail was a little messy, a few loose strands sticking to her sweat-damp forehead.
But the most impossible thing to look away from was her eyes.
Those almond-shaped eyes, usually lowered—quiet and obedient—were now filled with something he had never seen before…
Intense, surging emotion—like the wild joy of surviving a disaster.
And also like a bottomless sorrow, all forcibly pressed beneath that brilliant smile.
Lu Zhiye’s gaze darkened, ready to lash out.
But Su Nuonuo jumped straight down.
She landed unsteadily and stumbled toward him.
Lu Zhiye instinctively reached out and caught her firmly.
In the boy’s stiff embrace, she lifted her head. Her lashes were still wet, yet she broke into a dazzling smile.
“Lu Zhiye, I want a hug.”
Her tone carried the choking emotion of something regained after being lost, along with an unquestionable intimacy.
As she spoke, her arms wrapped around his waist.
The surroundings fell into dead silence.
The two lackeys beside Lu Zhiye sucked in sharp breaths. Everyone knew this wall was the “school bully’s territory”—no one had ever dared to trespass.
How did this well-behaved top student dare to do this?
Lu Zhiye’s whole body tensed, and the tips of his ears reddened at a visible speed.
He suddenly pushed her away as if burned, his voice cold and harsh:
“What are you doing? Want to die?”
But the faint tremor left in his fingertips betrayed him.
Su Nuonuo didn’t get angry after being pushed away. She tilted her head and looked at him, enunciating each word clearly:
“I’m Su Nuonuo. From today on, I’m the person who will keep pestering you.”
After speaking, she even reached out and brushed off nonexistent dust from his shoulder.
The sharp preparatory bell for class rang.
Lu Zhiye stared at her retreating figure as she ran back toward the teaching building. He crushed out his cigarette and said to the people beside him:
“Go find out how she knew about this place.”
Su Nuonuo thought, Hehe~ of course I knew from secretly investigating you in my previous life.
In her previous life, although they had been classmates, they hadn’t interacted much. Her crush on him had started in their senior year—one day, she had been surrounded by several vocational school hooligans, and Lu Zhiye had saved her. That was when she began to notice him.
After running back, Su Nuonuo didn’t go upstairs immediately. Instead, she leaned against the wall.
She had hugged him.
Something she hadn’t dared to do in her previous life—she had done it today. Everything she hadn’t had time to do before, she would definitely accomplish in this life.
But why was he so fierce? He was clearly someone who had once sacrificed his life for her.
Why had she seen impatience and unfamiliarity in his eyes just now? Could it be that he hadn’t fallen for her yet?
Su Nuonuo shook her head. Forget it—no more thinking. Since she had been reborn, she would definitely make up for all the regrets of her past life.
As if remembering something, she ran back to the wall and peeked her head over.
“Lu Zhiye, come to class, okay?”
Without waiting for his reply, she jumped down from the desk and ran back toward the teaching building.
As Su Nuonuo ran back, her heart was still pounding wildly.
It felt as though his warmth still lingered in her arms, and she couldn’t help replaying that brief embrace over and over—the one that had left even her fingertips tingling.
She took a deep breath, suppressed the surging emotions, and quickly walked into the classroom.
The classroom was noisy; the teacher hadn’t arrived yet.
Su Xiaoyu immediately leaned over. “Where did you run off to just now? Why is your face so red?”
Su Nuonuo quickly waved her hands. “N-no, it’s nothing. I just ran a bit too fast.”
Just as she spoke, the class teacher walked in with lesson plans in hand, and the classroom instantly quieted.
His gaze swept across the class. “Class begins.”
Su Nuonuo was just about to open her textbook when suddenly—
Creak—
The classroom door was pushed open from outside.
All eyes instantly turned toward it.
Lu Zhiye stood at the doorway.
He seemed to have run there—his hair was slightly messy from the wind, a few strands falling over his forehead. His windbreaker was casually draped over his shoulders, the collar of his uniform inside slightly open.
His expression was indifferent, tinged with impatience, yet carrying a boldness unique to youth.
The homeroom teacher frowned. “Lu Zhiye, you’re late again.”
Lu Zhiye said nothing. He merely swept his gaze lightly across the classroom.
When his eyes landed on Su Nuonuo, her heartbeat suddenly stalled.
His gaze…
It was so cold, as if he didn’t recognize her at all.
But Su Nuonuo clearly saw it—
The tips of his ears were slightly red.
Lu Zhiye shifted his gaze away, walked to the last row, and tossed his bag onto the desk with a dull thud.
After sitting down, he didn’t fall asleep as usual. Instead, he slightly turned his head and looked in Su Nuonuo’s direction.