In the study, shattered glass fragments scattered across the floor reflected dazzling, brilliant spots of light. Xu Yao stood frozen in place, watching her brother quietly crouch down to clean up the shards of glass littering the room.
“Brother, is this photo really important to you?” Xu Yao completely failed to notice the terrifyingly dark expression on her brother’s face and continued asking.
Xu Yan’s fingers paused. He glanced up at Xu Yao and replied, “No, it’s not important.”
After saying that, he lowered his head again to pick up the broken glass on the floor, as if he didn’t care at all about the final fate of this photo.
Xu Yao raised a slender eyebrow, holding the photo as she leaned down and shook it in front of Xu Yan. “Really not important? If you don’t care, then I’ll just throw it away.”
“You wouldn’t dare.” Xu Yao’s words were cut off by her brother, who snatched the photo from her hand in one swift motion.
Hmph, clearly he cared a lot.
Xu Yao spread her hands and said disdainfully, “Eww~ still saying it’s not important. Some people are obviously dying of concern inside.”
Xu Yan remained silent. He did care deeply.
This was the only photo he had with Ji Ran. Over the past six years, he had moved countless times and lost countless things, but this photo had always been treasured by him.
Because it was too beautiful—so beautiful that even now, recalling it could bring a hint of sweetness.
“Brother, do you still like this person now?” Xu Yao’s sudden question left Xu Yan’s mind blank.
Before Xu Yan could even respond, he was stunned by Xu Yao’s next words.
“Whether you like him or not, I don’t know, but the person in this photo definitely liked you back then,” Xu Yao stated with certainty.
“Why?” Xu Yan’s voice trembled slightly, the familiar tingling sensation creeping back into his fingertips.
“Huh?” Xu Yao nearly had a shocked expression. Wasn’t it obvious? Could her brother really not see it at all?
Xu Yao said smugly, “My dear older brother, you’re not as good as me in this, are you? Look at this photo. You’re looking at the camera, but this person has been looking at you the whole time.”
“With this kind of atmosphere, what else could it be if not liking you?”
With those words, Xu Yan urgently re-examined the photo in his hand.
This photo was taken on the weekend after the high school art festival in their second year. At the time, Ji Ran had been very reluctant, but Xu Yan had dragged him over and asked Qiu Muyang to take a picture.
In the photo, Ji Ran’s gaze was fixed on him.
Instantly, his heart raced.
Only then did Xu Yan realize that Ji Ran’s affection had come earlier than he had ever imagined.
The open book on the desk rustled in the wind, its pages flipping back and forth until they settled back into the youthful, innocent era of their teenage years.
“Class is about to begin. Please return to your classrooms and prepare for the lesson.”
Xu Yan jolted awake from the open Chinese textbook on his desk. Ah, class was starting again.
“What class is this?” Xu Yan tilted his head to ask Ji Ran, his eyes still dazed.
“Math, Du Bo’s class.” Ji Ran smoothed down a stray strand of Xu Yan’s hair that had stuck up and chuckled softly.
“Oh.” Xu Yan nodded awkwardly, pulling out his math textbook from the book box and propping his elbow on the desk as his mind began to wander.
Ever since the art festival ended last week, Ji Ran had taken to smiling at him often. Though they were just faint, subtle smiles, they still made Xu Yan feel strange.
So strange. Why would Ji Ran smile at him so inexplicably? Lost in thought, Xu Yan was suddenly called on by Du Bo from the podium.
“Xu Yan, what’s the answer to this question?” Du Bo adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose, glaring sternly at Xu Yan with a serious expression.
Xu Yan felt a chill run down his spine under that gaze and hesitantly offered a universal answer: “C?”
“Mhm, correct.” Du Bo nodded in satisfaction, signaling for Xu Yan to sit down. “Xu Yan has been doing well lately. Changing desk mates really makes a difference.”
Xu Yan awkwardly took his seat, thinking to himself, What difference could it possibly make? I just happened to guess right.
But once seated, Xu Yan didn’t dare let his mind wander for even a moment. He focused intently, listening attentively to Old Du’s lecture.
However, Du Bo at the podium soon veered off track: “Our class really did an outstanding job during the arts festival this time. I never expected we’d come in second place for the grade, especially with our class’s drama performance—it really took me by surprise.”
And so, Xu Yan spent half the class listening earnestly as Du Bo delivered an appreciation lecture on the arts festival drama. He thought to himself, Du Bo really should have taught Chinese literature instead—specializing in analytical topics like this, he’s much more interesting than the actual Chinese teacher.
“Especially this Xu Yan—I never expected him to play that female supporting role so seamlessly. His acting was really good, huh.”
Here we go again. Xu Yan lowered his head gloomily. Ever since the arts festival, his glorious feat of cross-dressing had spread throughout the entire sophomore year. Even during class, teachers of various subjects would bring it up in passing. It was pure torture.
Unable to silence everyone, Xu Yan could only leave it to time, silently praying that this matter would fade from memory after a while.
After class, Xu Yan couldn’t help but turn around and ask Ji Ran, “Why have you been smiling so much lately?”
“Can’t I smile?” Ji Ran furrowed his brows, his tone unexpectedly tinged with what sounded like disappointment!
Must be an illusion.
“Of course, of course, of course.” Xu Yan forced a smile and stiffly turned back around.
“Yanzi, wanna go to the bathroom?” Qiu Muyang leaned against Xu Yan’s desk at some point, tapping it twice as he asked in a casual, laid-back manner.
“Oh, sure. Even going to the bathroom requires my company.” Xu Yan joked with a laugh, playfully roughhousing with Qiu Muyang all the way to the bathroom.
Ji Ran stared at Xu Yan’s retreating figure, gripping his left hand’s water bottle tightly, his eyes dark and unreadable.
“Don’t you think Ji Ran is acting strange?” Xu Yan asked Qiu Muyang as they finished up in the bathroom, while Qiu was washing his hands.
Qiu Muyang widened his eyes, looking somewhat surprised. “In what way?”
“Huh? Does Ji Ran have a lot of strange traits?” Xu Yan asked, puzzled.
“Well, not really.”
If you excluded the terrifying possessiveness, then Qiu Muyang thought Ji Ran wasn’t particularly strange at all. But looking at the innocent Xu Yan before him, he paused before adding, “What do you find strange about the top student?”
“It’s just that he’s been smiling a lot lately. Isn’t that weird?”
Hearing this, Qiu Muyang felt a wave of speechlessness. He patted Xu Yan’s shoulder, hesitating before saying, “It’s just smiling—nothing strange about that.”
Doesn’t the top student smile at Xu Yan all the time anyway?
“Really?” Xu Yan pressed again, leaving Qiu Muyang momentarily at a loss for words. He nodded and said, “People smile when they’re happy. Let’s go, don’t be so sensitive.”
A reminder to himself as much as to Xu Yan.
“Oh, alright.”
During evening self-study, Du Bo came to the class to announce a major event: the midterm exams would be city-wide standardized tests.
“This midterm exam is a city-wide standardized test—a great opportunity for everyone to show what you’re made of. Make the most of it!” Du Bo stood at the classroom door, his booming voice echoing throughout Class 2.
Immediately, a chorus of groans erupted. Du Bo smiled and said, “Bring out your confidence. We’ve covered material much faster than the scope of the final exams. This midterm is practically no different from a review. Just treat it with a normal mindset.”
Xu Yan wasn’t concerned. He was genuinely bent over, planning for Ji Ran’s birthday.
“November 19th, right on the Saturday of the midterm exams!” Xu Yan calculated the date and couldn’t help but murmur happily to himself.
“Hmm?” Ji Ran heard Xu Yan’s muttering and turned his head just in time to see Xu Yan’s plan.
It was a savings plan, very goal-oriented, though the specific purpose wasn’t clear.
Xu Yan caught the gaze from above and hurriedly covered his notebook.
He couldn’t let Ji Ran see it.
Ji Ran’s eyes dimmed as he stared at Xu Yan, who was hunched over the desk, feeling a pang of discomfort.
November 19th was his birthday. He had saved up a bit of money hoping to treat Xu Yan to cake that afternoon, but Xu Yan already had plans. Was it because of Qiu Muyang?
Ji Ran stopped looking at Xu Yan and instead fixed his gaze on Qiu Muyang, who was sitting in front of him.
He hated Qiu Muyang the most right now.
Suddenly, a unified “Yes!” rang in Ji Ran’s ears.
Ji Ran looked up in confusion and saw Du Bo had already walked to the podium, shouting, “Good! Once more, do you have confidence?!”
“Yes!” Ji Ran turned and saw Xu Yan, who had just been hunched over planning, now enthusiastically raising his hand and shouting. After shouting, Xu Yan leaned close to his ear and whispered, “Feels like a pyramid scheme scene, don’t you think?”
Ji Ran felt the warm breath by his ear. Usually calm, the heat made his heart race uncontrollably, and his ears flushed a faint red.
Xu Yan’s eyes were bright, staring at him with simple directness. He had originally thought shouting “Yes” along with everyone was pretty cringey, but Xu Yan… he was adorable.
“Mhm,” Ji Ran nodded faintly.
“Right? Just like a pyramid scheme. Qiu Muyang, don’t you think that just now felt like a pyramid scheme?” Having gained agreement, Xu Yan immediately poked Qiu Muyang diagonally in front with his pen. Qiu Muyang also chuckled and whispered, “Exactly, it’s no different from those pyramid scheme scenes. Old Du is so cringey.”
“Oh, right, how do you solve this problem, top student?” Qiu Muyang took the opportunity to ask Ji Ran about a question.
Ji Ran’s face darkened. “Don’t know.”
He hated anyone surnamed Qiu the most right now.
Qiu Muyang tremblingly retracted his right hand holding the problem. He felt the top student was really not someone to mess with.
“Xu Yan,” Ji Ran gently nudged Xu Yan, who was craning his neck to whisper with Qiu Muyang. “Can you teach me this problem?”
Xu Yan looked up in surprise. Ji Ran, with his eyelashes lowered, unexpectedly appeared somewhat docile.
“Sure, sure!” Xu Yan excitedly took the English problem from Ji Ran’s hand.
Xu Yan explained with great enthusiasm, but Ji Ran kept glancing out of the corner of his eye at Qiu Muyang sitting in front of him.
Seeing that Qiu Muyang finally didn’t turn around again,
Ji Ran’s tense body finally relaxed once more.
“You aren’t walking with me?” After evening self-study ended, Xu Yan, who usually walked with Ji Ran all the way to the intersection, unexpectedly chose a different small path.
Xu Yan stopped at these words, turned around with a bright smile, and said, “No, it’s just I have a little something to do. I’ll go ahead.”
“Mhm.” Ji Ran nodded at Xu Yan but didn’t continue forward. Instead, he turned sideways, watching Xu Yan leave.
He vaguely realized that his feelings for Xu Yan were far from simple.
If he could, he would impulsively pull Xu Yan back to his side and make him accompany him for the rest of the journey.
But reason told him he couldn’t.
Ji Ran’s head was spinning; he didn’t know what was happening to him.
At that moment, Xu Yan was navigating the winding alleys, planning to spend the night battling it out at an internet café until dawn.
But his phone rang at the most inconvenient time. He answered impatiently, only to hear his mother’s choked voice on the other end: “Xu Yan, come home quickly. Something’s happened to your sister.”
Xu Yan cursed under his breath and dashed out of the alley.