Chapter 11

Chen Xi immediately grasped the implication behind Zhou Yanzhou’s words. She stood rooted to the spot, staring blankly at his kindly face.

She didn’t know how much time had passed—long enough for her legs to go numb—before she forced out a faint smile and replied gently, “I will.”

Afterwards, Chen Xi pressed her lips together, her expression calm. “You should go back now. I’m going inside.”

No matter how much the young girl tried to appear mature, she couldn’t hide her restlessness. Zhou Yanzhou, noticing Chen Xi’s gradually paling face, surprisingly turned away with a touch of cruelty and pressed the accelerator hard, driving off into the distance.

Chen Xi remained where she was, watching the black Mercedes disappear at the end of Wutong Avenue.

Entering the courtyard, her aunt had yet to return, which eased the tension in Chen Xi’s heart somewhat.

She circled the garden and carefully climbed the stairs to the second floor. Without pause, she slipped into her bedroom, took off her princess dress, and changed into her usual clothes.

Perhaps it was the heaviness in her chest that made her restless. She opened a math test paper but found herself unable to focus; her mind stalled, and her pen remained still.

She took several deep breaths, stood up, and pushed open the window by the desk.

A breeze flowed in, stirring the stagnant air of the room. Chen Xi rested her hands on the edge of the desk and gazed at the lush branches of the ginkgo tree in the courtyard. Her turbulent heart gradually settled.

In that moment, she made a private decision—one she would later regret yet accept with all her heart.

—

The following days in Xiping were drenched in rain, the sky dim and somber, making it hard for anyone to feel cheerful.

After the holiday break, back at school during the first evening study session, Zhu Qing once again pulled out a new novel hidden beneath her English textbook to sneak a read.

Chen Xi had grown accustomed to her antics; apart from reminding her to hand in her homework after class, she said nothing harsh.

Midway through the book, Zhu Qing suddenly leaned over, eyes brimming with tears, looking at Chen Xi with sorrow.

Startled, Chen Xi asked anxiously, “What’s wrong?”

Wiping away her tears, Zhu Qing handed the book to Chen Xi and said sadly, “The heroine’s story is so tragic... it’s heartbreaking.”

Chen Xi was at a loss. She couldn’t understand why someone would be so upset over a fictional character.

Suppressing her urge to tease, Chen Xi looked at Zhu Qing with gentle eyes and patiently asked, “Is the ending not good?”

Zhu Qing rested her head on the desk, voice weak: “The hero marries someone else because of family reasons. The heroine goes abroad alone with her child.”

“Later, they meet on a street overseas. The heroine has married a foreigner, and the hero, holding his wife’s hand, brushes past her.”

“They loved each other so deeply—why can’t they have a happy ending?”

Listening to Zhu Qing’s question, Chen Xi’s mind involuntarily drifted to Zhou Yanzhou and those ambiguous rumors surrounding him.

Perhaps someone like him was destined to be beyond the reach of ordinary people.

The rest of the class passed in a daze for Chen Xi, and her test paper was a mess.

A simple question she couldn’t even comprehend.

Finally, when evening study ended, Chen Xi looked up at the chalkboard and sighed quietly with relief.

Back in the dormitory, she grabbed her pajamas and water card and went to the bathroom to shower and wash her hair. Afterward, she borrowed a hairdryer from the dorm supervisor to dry her hair.

By the time she finished, it was half past ten, twenty minutes before lights out.

The dormitory door was still open, but Chen Xi felt stifled, so she stepped outside to get some fresh air—only to run into He Xu, who was just returning from the office.

The boys’ dorm was behind the girls’ dorm, and passing by the girls’ dorm was part of his route back.

He Xu hadn’t expected to see Chen Xi. His homeroom teacher had called him to the office to discuss the math competition, hoping he would pursue that path, but he was still hesitant and hadn’t given an answer.

Seeing his indecision, the teacher waved him off to go back first.

Dazed, He Xu passed the girls’ dorm and instinctively glanced toward the rightmost room on the third floor. To his surprise, when he looked away, his eyes caught Chen Xi standing by the fence.

He stopped abruptly and stared fixedly at her.

Chen Xi wore creamy-white pajamas with a cartoon pattern, her shoulder-length hair neatly draped over her shoulders. She stood in the dim, shadowy corner wearing ginger-colored slippers, her head tilted upward toward the sky.

The rain had just stopped; the ground was still wet, and a musty dampness hung in the air.

—

He Xu licked his lips and looked in the direction Chen Xi was facing, but all he saw was darkness.

Was she lost in thought? Or simply daydreaming?

He stood there for two full minutes before deciding to greet her. He walked slowly over, eyes steady on her back, and spoke in a gentle tone he barely noticed himself using: “What are you thinking about?”

Chen Xi was startled. Turning, she met He Xu’s concerned gaze and instinctively pressed her hand to her racing heart, taking several seconds to calm down.

She had truly not realized when he had appeared. Looking at him, she asked in confusion, “...What are you doing here?”

He Xu shrugged and glanced toward the teaching building. “I just came back from the office, a bit late. Happened to run into you and thought I’d say hi.”

He cast a quick glance at the startled Chen Xi and apologized, “Did I scare you?”

Chen Xi forced a faint smile and shook her head. “No.”

Seeing her downcast mood, He Xu hesitated before asking, “Are you troubled about something?”

Chen Xi didn’t answer immediately but studied the boy before her.

True to his name, he was bright and cheerful, always willing to help others, well-liked by the girls in their grade.

Zhu Qing had once said He Xu resembled the male lead from a campus novel—handsome, tall, good at studies, and, most importantly, possessing a good personality.

His parents were both teachers, and his grandfather was the principal of the Third Middle School—a cultured family.

Looking at He Xu, dressed in a white T-shirt, gray sweatpants, and Nike sneakers, radiating health and vitality, Chen Xi realized he really was quite remarkable.

At least in terms of demeanor, he surpassed most of his peers.

Snapping back to reality, she joked, “It’s been raining nonstop lately. It’s been putting me in a gloomy mood.”

He Xu blinked in surprise and agreed, “Yeah, it’s a bit annoying.”

Then he shifted his tone: “But I bet it will be sunny tomorrow.”

Curious, Chen Xi asked, “How do you know?”

He Xu smiled mysteriously. “How about a bet?”

Chen Xi was taken aback but after a moment inquired, “A bet on what?”

He Xu looked down at her perplexed face and said confidently, “If it’s sunny tomorrow, you help me write my next speech. If it rains again, I’ll fulfill one condition you set.”

Chen Xi wasn’t particularly interested, but the mood was right, so she agreed.

Pretending to think it over, she tapped her forehead and generously consented, “If I lose, I’ll write your speech. If you lose, you write my English broadcast scripts for a month.”

Chen Xi was the head of the broadcasting station and had to write a weekly English script to read over the broadcast. The English teacher often found mistakes in her scripts, so it was her most challenging task.

Without hesitation, He Xu agreed, “Sure, I’m pretty good at English. Writing the broadcast won’t be a problem.”

Lights were about to go out. He Xu glanced at his watch and reminded Chen Xi, “It’s late. Go get some rest. See you tomorrow.”

Chen Xi’s mood, previously gloomy, brightened considerably thanks to the bet.

She dusted off her hands and smiled softly, “See you tomorrow.”

As the lights-out bell rang, Chen Xi disappeared slowly into the dormitory lobby under He Xu’s watchful gaze.

Back in her room, the lights were already off.

Feeling her way in the dark, Chen Xi climbed into bed and lay quietly, pondering whether tomorrow would bring sunshine or rain.

Her eyelids grew heavy, and she drifted off into sleep with scattered thoughts.

Waking with a start, Chen Xi opened her eyes and looked toward the balcony.

It was 6:10 a.m., the sky outside gray and dim, with no sign of dawn or rain.

Rubbing her sore eyes, she pushed the bet from her mind and got up to wash.

Splashing cold water on her face instantly cleared her head. Leaning on the railing, she stretched out her hand but felt no raindrops.

Could it be sunny after all?

—

Chen Xi was still holding onto the bet.

At 6:50, the class bell rang, and students filed into the classroom, pulling out their books to study.

Morning was English study time. Chen Xi had scored 120 on last week’s test but only got half the points on the essay. The English teacher was upset and had made her copy over ten model essays to memorize word by word.

Chen Xi obediently recited her essay but soon drifted off, staring out the window.

Unexpectedly, a red glow appeared on the eastern sky.

Holding her book, she gazed blankly at the sun breaking through the clouds, suddenly recalling the bet from the night before.

She had lost.

At noon during break, Chen Xi declined Zhu Qing’s invitation and walked alone to the entrance of Science Class One.

Peeking inside, she saw a figure seated by the window in the third row.

He Xu seemed to have anticipated her visit; he hadn’t gone to lunch but waited in the classroom.

Hearing her cool voice, He Xu tightened his grip on his pen, exhaling softly and thinking, “I won.”

In the quiet corridor, Chen Xi looked up at the boy, nearly a head taller than her, and admitted defeat, “I lost. What’s the topic for your next speech? I’ll help you write it when I have time.”

He Xu said nothing at first, staring at her. After a moment, he answered, “The theme is how to grow amid adversity.”

Chen Xi repeated his words and nodded, “Okay, I got it. The speech will be ready next week.”

He Xu softly acknowledged this and changed the subject, “Have you eaten? Want to eat together?”

Chen Xi hesitated and shook her head, “No.”

He Xu eagerly invited, “Then let’s eat together. We can discuss the speech details.”

Chen Xi pursed her lips but finally agreed.

On the way to the cafeteria, she asked, puzzled, “How did you know it would be sunny today?”

He Xu hesitated but then said seriously, “Just a guess.”

Chen Xi was speechless.

He Xu cleared his throat and admitted, “I lied—I checked the weather forecast. It’s going to be sunny all week.”

Chen Xi was left speechless again.

—

Zhou Yanzhou disliked the rain as well.

He was tired of the persistent drizzle, feeling the hotel was damp everywhere, the moldy smell following him wherever he went.

After three days, he couldn’t stand it any longer. Grabbing his car keys, he went out for a drive.

No sooner had he left the garage than the sky cleared.

His mood lifted instantly, and he headed to the bar he had visited recently.

The bar featured a resident folk singer with a lovely voice. Zhou Yanzhou often ordered a drink and spent entire afternoons listening to her.

This time, the bar was still nearly empty.

He took his usual seat just as the singer began an old love song titled “Forever Beautiful,” with a lyric that went—

“No matter how beautiful they are,

They can never match your grace.”

The first image that sprang to Zhou Yanzhou’s mind was Chen Xi’s resolute, serene, almond-shaped face.

Startled, he downed a gulp of his drink, silently reminding himself, “She’s just a high school girl. Don’t go causing trouble for her.”