In the first semester of her first year in high school, Lin Qingle transferred back from another city, returning to her hometown of Xicheng with her mother.
This was her third time transferring schools. Over the years, as her mother moved for work, she had followed her to several cities. Transferring wasn’t something to be happy about; the first two times, she had done so reluctantly.
However, this time was different.
Xicheng had developed increasingly toward the south over the years, with the south becoming the city center filled with tall buildings, while the old houses in the north appeared short and shabby in comparison.
Lin Qingle’s home was nestled among these shabby buildings.
This area hadn’t changed much compared to a few years ago. She still had to walk through an old, narrow street full of character to get home and climb up a staircase cluttered with various items. As she ascended the stairs, she could still hear the endless chatter and the sounds of mahjong coming from one of the rooms.
Actually, she used to dislike taking this route. But today, perhaps because she was in a good mood, she found everything rather endearing.
“Xiao Qingle, is class over?” As she neared the bottom of her building, she heard someone call out to her. Lin Qingle looked up to see a woman leaning against the second-floor window across from her.
The woman was wearing a sleeveless dress, her arms pale and slightly sagging.
“Aunt Liang.” Lin Qingle stopped and obediently greeted her.
“How was your first day of classes?” the woman asked.
“It was okay.”
“That’s good. Oh my, you’re growing more and more beautiful, even cuter than before.” The woman looked down at her and assessed her several times. “Hey, you’re not leaving again this time, are you?”
Lin Qingle nodded. “Mom said we’re not leaving.”
“That’s good, that’s good. Xicheng is such a nice place.” The woman smiled. “Look at that girl from the Li family; she went away to study for a few years, and now she’s back with her tail between her legs, but she married well. Studying well doesn’t compare to marrying well! Let me tell you, people from big cities are so calculating; they can’t compare to us here. Oh, do you remember that girl from the Li family? The one who always wore a yellow dress, much older than you…”
“Aunt Liang, my mom is waiting for me for dinner.” Lin Qingle interrupted her.
The woman’s chatter faltered slightly, a look of regret passing over her face as she said, “Oh, okay, you should hurry home.”
Lin Qingle replied with a “mm” and turned to head upstairs.
Meanwhile, the woman on the second floor continued to watch Lin Qingle until she disappeared from sight, revealing a casual look of sympathy. “Ah, what a pity…”
Lin Qingle’s home was on the third floor of the building. When she pushed the door open, the place was a mess. Since they had just moved back, many things hadn’t been organized yet.
“I’m back, let’s eat,” her mother, Lin Yufen, said as she took off her apron and stepped out of the small kitchen.
Lin Qingle dropped her backpack and sat down at the dining table.
“Don’t listen to those people’s nonsense.”
Lin Qingle paused in her movements with her chopsticks, looking up in confusion.
Lin Yufen continued, “Big cities are good; you must aim to get into a big city school. They don’t understand; the reason that girl from the Li family couldn’t make it is that she didn’t attend a good school; that’s a matter of her own abilities. You can’t compare yourself to her. You need to get into the best school, and you will definitely have a bright future in a big city. Focus on your studies; education is the most important thing.”
Lin Qingle had heard this “study talk” countless times throughout her life. She took a bite of the bok choy and obediently replied, “Mm.”
“By the way, how was your first day? Were you able to keep up?”
“It was fine.”
“Make sure to ask your teachers if you don’t understand anything.”
“Got it, Mom.”
…
September was quite hot that year, and Lin Qingle’s family still didn’t have the extra money to install air conditioning.
“What are you taking a shower for so early? Be careful you don’t get to school late.” By the time Lin Qingle came out of the bathroom, Lin Yufen was already getting ready to go to work. Her job was quite far, and the bus ride took an hour one way.
Lin Qingle wrinkled her nose. “Mom, it was so hot yesterday; I was sweating.”
“I told you to open the window to sleep. Did you?”
“There will be mosquitoes.”
“Tsk… I’ll buy mosquito coils when I get back tonight.” Lin Yufen hurriedly put on her shoes. “Hurry up; you need to buy breakfast for yourself.”
“Okay.”
Time wasn’t too tight, so Lin Qingle changed into her school uniform, grabbed her backpack, and dawdled for half an hour before heading out.
There was a breakfast stall at the corner of the street they lived on, and Lin Qingle bought a custard bun, eating it as she walked toward school.
“Here!”
Suddenly, a bottle of milk appeared beside her.
Lin Qingle looked back at the hand holding the milk and saw a short-haired girl with single eyelids and slightly elongated eyes, exuding a hint of heroism.
“You wouldn’t not know who I am, would you?” The short-haired girl said, her eyes widening when Lin Qingle didn’t respond. “I’m your classmate, um, the one sitting in front of you.”
Lin Qingle took two seconds to react, still unable to place her: “Sorry, I still can’t remember everyone in the class.”
“It was me who got you the books yesterday; have you already forgotten?” Jiang Shuyi said this, but she clearly wasn’t upset. “I’m the class monitor, my name is Jiang Shuyi.”
This jogged Lin Qingle’s memory a bit; indeed, it was a classmate who helped her get her new books yesterday.
“Ah… thank you for that yesterday.”
Lin Qingle had a pair of peach blossom eyes, which would typically be bright and attractive, but with her blunt bangs and fair skin, her round face softened that bright aura, making her appear quite docile and gentle.
When she sincerely said thank you, it gave off a pure and adorable vibe.
Jiang Shuyi stared at her for a few seconds, feeling an inexplicable urge to protect her.
“What’s wrong?” Lin Qingle asked.
Jiang Shuyi snapped back to reality, chuckling, “Nothing, nothing. By the way, I saw your information in the office; you went to Sanxiao in elementary school, right? I went to Wuxiao. Our elementary schools were only three streets apart.”
“Is that so?”
Jiang Shuyi nudged the milk towards her hand, “Yes! Here, drink this.”
Lin Qingle didn’t take the milk and apologetically said, “Thanks, but I don’t drink plain milk.”
“Ah?”
“I’ve never liked it since I was a kid.”
“Then next time I’ll get you juice,” Jiang Shuyi said. “My house is pretty close to yours, and since we’re in the same class now, we can go home together. As your new classmate, I’ll take care of you.”
Lin Qingle glanced at her and softly replied, “Okay.”
Lin Qingle’s home wasn’t far from the Fourth High School, just a ten-minute walk.
The Fourth High School was the best high school in this small city, and Lin Qingle had only managed to transfer here because of her excellent grades.
“This semester, we’re the first class on duty,” Jiang Shuyi said as they entered through the school gate, greeting the classmates who were on duty.
Lin Qingle wasn’t familiar with her classmates yet, so she just observed.
“How is it? Handsome, right?” After passing the inspection line at the school gate, Jiang Shuyi suddenly leaned in and whispered in her ear.
“What?”
“The one I just greeted, Yu Jiayou.”
Lin Qingle followed Jiang Shuyi’s gesture to look back; among the two rows of students standing by the school gate, there was indeed one tall figure that stood out.
“Um… seems like…”
“What do you mean ‘seems like’? That’s our school’s heartthrob, the pride of our class.”
“Heartthrob?”
“Yes!” Jiang Shuyi said proudly, as if it were a great honor that the heartthrob came from her class. “He was voted for by all the girls in our school, and the number of votes was overwhelming.”
The morning self-study bell rang, and the students still walking hurried their pace. Lin Qingle hesitated for a moment, then stopped. She looked at Jiang Shuyi’s back, trying to make her question sound casual and unintentional.
“So… what about Xu Tingbai?”
“Huh?” Jiang Shuyi turned her head back, her eyes momentarily confused.
Lin Qingle felt a twinge of nervousness at her reaction.
Could it be that he wasn’t at this school?
“You just mentioned Xu Tingbai? Is it the Xu Tingbai from your Sanxiao?”
“Yes.”
Jiang Shuyi’s expression turned a bit strange as she realized, saying, “He isn’t at our school.”
Lin Qingle’s heart sank: “Did he move away?”
She was certain that someone with Xu Tingbai’s academic performance would definitely be at the best high school in this area if he was still here.
Jiang Shuyi took two steps closer to her and said mysteriously, “You don’t know?”
Know what?
After graduating from elementary school, she transferred schools and hadn’t been able to return. It was only this year that she came back because her mother’s job relocated her here. She had been blank about this place for three years and naturally about that person for just as long.
“He can’t see anymore.”
The bell continued to ring, echoing through the hallways and throughout the academy.
Lin Qingle tilted her head slightly, clearly confused. “What?”
Jiang Shuyi said quietly, a hint of nostalgia in her voice, “Oh, I mean he’s become blind.”
Lin Qingle had imagined many scenarios for when Xu Tingbai would see her again—perhaps he would be very happy, that outstanding, sunny boy would smile at her and say, “You actually came back.”
It could also be a bit distant since they hadn’t been in touch for years; it would be strange for anyone. But even if it was awkward, she thought someone like him would at least say “long time no see” to avoid any embarrassment.
Many, many scenarios… In any case, before coming back, she often fantasized about their meeting, feeling a faint sense of joy and excitement.
But she had never considered that Xu Tingbai might not be able to see her.
How ridiculous.
“Little girl, we’ve arrived at the intersection of Yue Qian Road,” the taxi driver in front said.
“Thank you, sir.” Lin Qingle paid and quickly got out of the car.
It was now the break between afternoon classes and evening self-study. She used her dinner money to take a taxi to where she had heard from Jiang Shuyi that Xu Tingbai was currently living.
Before her was a stretch of old buildings and alleys, belonging to the old district of Xicheng.
It was surprisingly not far from her home.
But in her memory, that boy came from an exceptionally wealthy family…
Lin Qingle frowned as she walked deeper into the alley.
The alley was complex, with steep slopes and twists and turns. Jiang Shuyi didn’t know exactly where he lived, so she couldn’t give her precise directions. Plus, there were no pedestrians on the street, so Lin Qingle could only wander aimlessly in circles.
In fact, she didn’t know what she would say if she saw Xu Tingbai today, nor did she know if it was appropriate to rush out to grab a taxi as soon as class ended.
If she hadn’t heard the news from Jiang Shuyi today, she would have waited at school for a “fateful” encounter. If he didn’t recognize her right away, she would catch up to him, tap him on the shoulder, and smile, saying, “Long time no see.”
But Jiang Shuyi had said he was blind, which made it impossible for her to calmly wait for that encounter.
Time passed, minute by minute.
Lin Qingle stopped and leaned against the wall of the alley. She glanced at her watch—it was almost time for evening self-study, and she had to go.
It seemed she wouldn’t see Xu Tingbai today.
Feeling dejected, Lin Qingle sighed and turned to leave. But just as she was about to walk away, she suddenly heard footsteps behind her. They were slow, one step at a time, carrying a hint of hesitation that was barely noticeable.
As if she sensed something, Lin Qingle immediately turned around.
And then, she saw him coming around the corner.
Wearing a plain black T-shirt and simple black pants, Xu Tingbai had grown tall and his physique was strikingly different from the younger Xu Tingbai she remembered.
Yet she recognized him at a glance.
In an instant, an overwhelming joy surged in her heart.
But when her eyes met his, that joy was abruptly tugged back, pulled straight into her chest.
The familiar features were his, yet they seemed different somehow.
The gentle, sunny gaze she remembered was now calm and indifferent, devoid of any spark—a shocking emptiness.
Hearing about it was one thing, but seeing it in person was another.
Lin Qingle silently watched him, feeling as if half of her body had gone cold. When he walked past her, she couldn’t even make a sound.
All she could feel was the light breeze he left in his wake, carrying the unique chill of the alley.
Xu Tingbai passed by, truly unable to see her.
___________
The author has something to say:
This is the first time writing a pitiable male lead, feeling a bit anxious. I hope it turns out to be a warm story in the end~