Winter was near, and cold winds swept leaves in through the slightly open glass door on the balcony. The old, gray curtains fluttered, their ends occasionally brushing the edge of the sofa.
Qingle glanced at Xu Tingbai, who was sitting by the dining table, a Braille textbook in front of him.
The books were already laid out when she arrived, suggesting he had been studying in his own way before she got there. True to his word, he hadn’t told her to leave, just continued with his own tasks.
Encouraged, she sat down beside him, took out her homework, and quietly started working.
They’d been sitting like this for nearly an hour, and she was a bit distracted, so she started watching him instead.
Xu Tingbai’s gaze was fixed on one spot, expression blank, his fingers subtly moving. When the wind stirred, his bangs were pushed aside, revealing a clear, white forehead. He was quiet yet striking.
Propping her chin on her hand, Qingle gazed at him openly, daringly, taking advantage of the fact he couldn’t see her.
It almost felt like they were back to when they were kids, back when they were desk mates. He’d looked just like this when he concentrated on his homework.
“Lin Qingle.” His voice broke her reverie.
She was so absorbed in her memories that his sudden call startled her. “Huh? What is it?”
“What are you doing?” he asked with a frown.
“I’m doing my homework…”
“There’s no sound. You weren’t writing.”
She hadn’t written anything for a while, but she couldn’t exactly tell him she’d been staring at him blankly.
Her ears reddened. “I was stuck… it’s hard to understand.”
“What?”
“English… there’s this really hard reading passage.” Qingle sighed. “I did badly on the exam because of English.”
This was true, and it really was bothering her.
Xu Tingbai paused, almost instinctively saying, “Your English is still bad?”
“Uh… yeah.”
Mentioning this embarrassed her. She’d struggled with English since elementary school, while Xu Tingbai was different—his family traveled frequently, and he could converse fluently with teachers even back then. As a child, she’d been both envious and admiring.
Later, as her desk mate, Xu Tingbai must’ve gotten fed up with her poor English scores, so he kindly helped tutor her in his free time. Under his guidance, her scores had improved noticeably.
“Maybe I just don’t have a knack for it. I always struggle with English… and after seeing my recent scores, my mom scolded me.” Qingle sighed.
Xu Tingbai paused.
So that’s why her mood was so low today?
Qingle asked, “What about you? What are you… reading?”
After speaking, she frowned, realizing she shouldn’t have used the word “reading.”
But Xu Tingbai didn’t seem to mind and simply replied, “A school assignment.”
“You… already understand Braille?”
“Mm-hmm.”
According to the man who sold rice noodles, Xu Tingbai hadn’t attended the special school for long.
But Xu Tingbai was still Xu Tingbai, always brilliant.
“Can I take a look?” Qingle asked.
“Your English isn’t even good yet, so why bother with something else? Get back to work,” Xu Tingbai replied.
“I just want to see.”
Her voice suddenly sounded closer, and he could feel her leaning in. As she moved, a few strands of her hair brushed against his arm, tickling him.
“How do you tell which character is which?” she asked, carefully reaching out to touch the book.
She touched it lightly, and her fingers accidentally brushed against his.
Xu Tingbai’s lips tightened slightly as he withdrew his hand without a word.
“Qingle, focus on your own book,” he repeated. Find the original chapter at g.com.
“I know…” She pouted and pulled her hand back. “Why do I always forget vocabulary and feel nothing for those sentences? Xu Tingbai, could you teach me again?”
Xu Tingbai wasn’t sure what he could teach her in his current state, but for some reason, he didn’t refuse.
“Watch more English and American shows if you struggle with language sense. Immersing yourself in the language environment helps a lot,” he said calmly.
“Oh… but my mom doesn’t like it when I watch TV at home. To her, watching TV is just goofing off.” Qingle thought for a moment and then brightened up. “Oh, I know! I can watch here at your place!”
There was a television in Xu Tingbai’s living room, left by the previous tenant. It was old and worn.
He had never turned it on, only hearing it occasionally when his father was home.
“The TV… is broken,” he said.
But as soon as he said it, he heard the sound of Qingle quickly running over. Then, the TV crackled to life, and a channel appeared on the screen.
“It works!” she exclaimed with delight.
Xu Tingbai paused but didn’t admit his lie. “I thought it was broken since I hadn’t used it.”
“Now that it works, can I come here to watch TV often?”
Xu Tingbai pressed his lips together, realizing he’d instinctively tried to turn her down. But having already resigned himself to Qingle barging into his life, he felt a slight, unexpected anticipation at her plan to visit more often.
“You sound like your mom might be right,” he replied, concealing his amusement.
“Huh?”
“Just the occasional watch, not regularly.”
Qingle replied sheepishly, “I’ll control myself. Besides, with you here, you can keep an eye on me.”
Xu Tingbai’s fingers pressed a little harder against his Braille textbook.
He didn’t respond, but Qingle took his silence as an agreement. She cheerfully returned to her seat. “Alright, it’s settled then. Let’s get back to studying.”
For Xu Tingbai, studying had become less about learning and more a way to fill endless hours, keeping himself from running into a dead end.
But at that moment, listening to her turning the pages beside him, he felt a slight tug at his heart, and even the book under his fingers seemed less dull.
“Oh, by the way, what’s your phone number?” An hour later, she grew restless again, leaning over to distract him.
He paused. “Why do you need my number?”
“So I can call you, of course.”
“…It’s not necessary.”
“But… what if I need to reach you?”
“You won’t have a reason to need me.”
“Then what if you need to reach me?”
Xu Tingbai took a small breath. “I won’t need anything from you.”
He was blocking every path, one after another.
Qingle put down her pen, pouting, and mumbled, “197675486*6.”
“…”
“Anyway, it’s about time for me to go.”
Her tone was low, clearly disappointed that after coming closer, he’d so bluntly pushed her away again. She packed her books in silence, and when she was done, she stood up.
He could hear the rustling of her clothes and her footsteps, aware of every movement she made in the darkness.
Finally, with a thud, the door closed.
The room instantly returned to silence.
She was mad.
Realizing this, Xu Tingbai felt a weight on his chest and suddenly stood up. He quickened his pace to the door, but as he placed his hand on the knob and cracked the door open, he stopped.
He closed the door again.
Forget it… let her be.
“Didn’t remember the number? Want me to say it again?” Just as he was about to turn back, a bright voice suddenly sounded beside him.
Xu Tingbai froze, turning quickly toward the sound.
“197675486*6. Got it this time?”
His expression changed. “Lin Qingle!”
“I’m here, I’m here… What’s wrong?”
“Are you messing with me?”
“No, no! I-I just forgot my pen!” Qingle didn’t tell the whole truth, but she wasn’t trying to trick him.
She’d truly been a bit disappointed earlier, but as she opened the door, she realized that getting someone to accept closeness takes time. So, her heart softened, and she wanted to turn back to tell him that it didn’t matter if he didn’t remember the number… she didn’t mind.
She had simply stood there, calming herself for a moment. But after that brief pause, when she turned back, she saw him get up and walk over.
He was moving quickly, as if he’d wanted to call out to her.
She had to admit, seeing him get up and come after her made that small bit of unhappiness in her heart disappear instantly.
“You… were you just about to give me your phone number?” Lin Qingle stared intently at his face, trying to read his subtle expressions.
Xu Tingbai, as if sensing this, abruptly turned away and said stiffly, “I was just checking if you closed the door properly.”
“Really?”
Xu Tingbai frowned. “Take your pen and don’t leave anything behind.”
“Got it…” Lin Qingle had no choice but to turn back to the table, pretending to grab the pen she hadn’t actually forgotten.
After “taking” it, she returned and said, “Then I’m leaving?”
Xu Tingbai, with a tense expression, reached out and opened the door.
Lin Qingle said, “I’ll come back tomorrow.”
“I’ll come back tomorrow”—just a simple phrase, yet it felt like an enticing promise.
“Goodbye.” She stepped out and even closed the door for him.
Xu Tingbai stood behind the door… This time, the room was truly quiet, so silent he could hear his own heartbeat, thumping wildly.
__
On Sunday, Lin Qingle told Lin Yufen that she was heading to the library, then left the house.
Unexpectedly, as she came out from the small road near her home, she ran into Yu Jiayou and Jiang Shuyi.
It had been a few days since she’d spoken to Jiang Shuyi, and when they met each other’s gaze, there was a hint of awkwardness in both their eyes.
She hadn’t wanted to fall out with Jiang Shuyi; she could feel Jiang Shuyi’s goodwill. But that day, in the heat of the moment, Shuyi had brought up someone she held dear beyond compromise.
“Qingle, what a coincidence! Where are you headed?” Yu Jiayou seemed surprised to see her.
Lin Qingle walked over and greeted him, “I’m going to the library.”
“Oh, perfect! Let’s go together then,” Yu Jiayou said.
Lin Qingle froze.
Yu Jiayou continued, “Jiang Shuyi and I are in the same study group, so we were planning to go study at the library. We didn’t expect to run into you.”
Her main reason for going out today was actually to visit Xu Tingbai’s house; the library was just an excuse. But once she’d said it, she couldn’t take it back. She knew that if she changed her mind now, it would look like she was avoiding them in Jiang Shuyi’s eyes.
She didn’t want Jiang Shuyi to misunderstand—she wanted to make up.
Seeing her hesitate, Yu Jiayou chuckled lightly and said, “Why are you just standing there? Let’s go! If we go early, we can get a good spot.”
Lin Qingle glanced at the time; it was still early.
“Alright, let’s go then.”
_________