During break, a few classmates sitting in front of Zhou Jingchen turned around to chat with him, asking about his leg and why he was using a crutch.
He answered some questions but ignored the ones he didn’t want to discuss.
Zhou Jingchen’s gaze drifted through the crowd and landed on Wen Xi, who was chatting and laughing with a few girls. Her playful little face was full of excitement for the new school and new classmates.
Qiao Yan asked him, “What’s your relationship with that girl in front of you with the two small braids? I saw you two getting off the car together this morning.”
“Neighbors,” Zhou Jingchen replied.
After school, Wen Xi and Zhou Jingchen took a crowded bus. Someone noticed Zhou Jingchen with his crutch and shouted, “Who’s giving up a seat?”
Immediately, someone stood to offer him a place to sit. Wen Xi took the opportunity to put her backpack on his lap and began buzzing like a little mosquito at his ear, whispering some gossip she had heard.
Wen Xi’s hair was styled into two delicate centipede braids, done by Aunt Xiang in the morning, braided from the top of her head to the ends, each tied with a small butterfly ribbon. Her cute little face radiated youthful energy.
She leaned slightly toward Zhou Jingchen, her breath brushing his cheek as she spoke:
“Did you know? Jiang Xiaoya’s brother used to go to No. 2 High too. He said that Tang, the math teacher, her husband is the PE teacher here and is having an affair with a female history teacher from the second-year class. A lot of people know about it…”
“The tall girl in our class, Li Na—her dad sells things door-to-door. We even bought ice cream from him before. He’s a bit hunched. Her mom ran off with someone, so their family isn’t well-off.”
“Under the locust tree in the small woods on the right side of the school, a student hanged himself. That place is haunted—don’t go there at night…”
Zhou Jingchen stared at her. The bus was noisy, and sometimes he couldn’t hear her clearly, but Wen Xi’s expressions were vivid. She could control every feature of her face to show different emotions:
Frowning tightly when annoyed.
Wrinkling her nose when something smelled bad.
A sly, half-smile on one corner of her mouth.
Smiling like a flower, her big eyes flashing—sometimes wide, sometimes narrowed.
How could such an adorable girl exist in the world?
That evening, Aunt Xiang cooked a full meal and invited Grandpa Zhou to join. Wen Xi continued talking about her first day at school, amusing everyone at the table.
Grandpa Zhou said, “Little Magpie, you’re such a little joy.”
Wen Xi looped her arm around him, eyes squinting: “See? A smile keeps you young. Spending more time with me might even reverse your age.”
Zhou Jingchen seemed struck by her humor; his beautiful almond-shaped eyes twinkled with a faint smile.
Wen Xi glared at him playfully and gave a soft hum of satisfaction.
There was a basketball court at school. During the second week of enrollment, Wen Xi happened to encounter Chen Xu—a big brother from her old alley.
He was two or three years older than her and Zhou Jingchen, studying two grades ahead of them.
On an autumn afternoon, the air crisp and clear, Chen Xu wore only a sweat-dampened white T-shirt, no school jacket.
He smoothly made a three-point shot, sleek and stylish, casually rolling up his sleeves to wipe his forehead. The tight lines of his abs were faintly visible, drawing cheers from the girls in the bleachers.
“Wen Xi! The school heartthrob! Chen Xu! So handsome!” a girl beside Wen Xi excitedly shook her arm.
“Chen Xu-gege!” Wen Xi suddenly shouted at the figure.
Chen Xu turned around, saw her, smiled, and jogged over in surprise: “Wen Xi? How come…”
Wen Xi pointed to her uniform: “I got into No. 2 High!”
“What class?”
“Class 1.”
Chen Xu had tanned, wheat-colored skin and a sturdy, athletic build radiating masculine energy.
“If you need anything, you can ask me.”
Wen Xi nodded eagerly. Having an older brother or sister she knew at school made her feel proud. Many girls cast envious glances at her while she talked to Chen Xu, feeding her vanity.
“Which school did Jingchen get into?” Chen Xu asked.
“He’s in the same class as me.”
Chen Xu looked slightly surprised: “He should’ve gotten into No. 1 High, right?” Zhou Jingchen was well-known in that area, and Chen Xu had even borrowed his high school textbooks.
“He had a bad cold during the entrance exam and didn’t perform well.”
“Oh, what a pity.”
Chen Xu ruffled her hair: “Class is about to start, I’ll go back first.”
After Chen Xu left, several classmates surrounded Wen Xi, bombarding her with questions: How did you know Chen Xu? Why did he touch your hair? What’s your relationship?
Wen Xi explained he was her neighbor and had even held her when she was little, causing the girls to squeal. She shrugged nonchalantly.
In the afternoon math class—Wen Xi’s least favorite—she was distracted.
She tore a page from her notebook and wrote:“Zhou Jingchen, I saw Chen Xu-gege on the playground. Turns out he’s the school heartthrob of No. 2 High. Many girls go to watch him play basketball.”
She folded it into a paper airplane and, while the teacher wrote on the board, she tossed it precisely to Zhou Jingchen before sitting up properly.
The paper airplane landed on Zhou Jingchen’s desk. He silently picked it up, unfolded it secretly, read it, and frowned.
A while later, the plane returned to Wen Xi’s feet. She picked it up; a single word was written back: “Hmm.”
She tore another sheet:“I saw Chen Xu-gege’s abs. He’s in great shape, touched my hair, asked which class I’m in, and said I can ask him for help.”
Folded and thrown again, but no reply came back. Wen Xi occasionally glanced at Zhou Jingchen and saw him staring at the blackboard, not meeting her eyes.
In fact, Zhou Jingchen also had a thin layer of abs. His body was not muscular but lean, like a straight poplar tree—handsome and upright.
His skin was fair, veins visible on his wrists. Because of his left leg, he relied more on his right leg, core, and upper body for movements.
When he was very young, Uncle Wen and Grandpa Zhou taught him exercises like sit-ups and upper-body training.
His abs were defined but subtle, with a hint of strength. His arms showed firm muscles from years of training.
But Wen Xi never thought of him as a boy, so she didn’t pay attention to his physique.
That night after bathing, Zhou Jingchen came out of the bathroom wearing only sweatpants.
Wen Xi was lying on her bed, legs up 90 degrees against the wall, stretching.
She froze when she saw him, then said: “It’s already autumn. Aren’t you afraid of catching a cold?”
“Not really, it’s not that cold.” Zhou Jingchen took a towel and stood by the wardrobe to dry his hair.
“You know I hate injections and medicine. If you catch a cold and pass it to me, you’re doomed!” the girl said in a stern, cute voice.
Finally, Zhou Jingchen obediently put on a long-sleeved shirt and sat back on his own bed.