Encounter Once Again

Four years had passed! Nearly every morning upon waking, there was an indescribable sense of loneliness, a feeling that lingered constantly in his heart, pressing heavily upon his chest. It was as if a breath were trapped there, one that could not be released no matter what he did. No matter how busy he kept himself, the moment he stopped, the gloom would flood back in. No amount of effort could dispel it! Until today, when he saw Xiao again—he could not explain why, but he found himself always wanting to seek her out. Yet, after finding her, then what? What was he supposed to do? What should he say? What if she had already forgotten him? He feared he would lose control before her, feared he would embarrass himself. And now, it seemed he had upset her to the point that she’d left! What a headache!

He walked back slowly, growing ever more frustrated with every step. “Strange, why am I the one leaving? I was here first! He should be the one to go! Ugh, it’s enough to drive me mad!” She raked her fingers through her loose hair in irritation.

“Shangguan! Shangguan—classmate…” A voice echoed down the corridor.

“Strange, who’s calling me?” Xiao turned her head in puzzlement.

She saw it was the girl she’d just met today, the one who sat beside her—her desk mate. This girl could be quite absent-minded at times. For example, that morning, while everyone else was listening attentively to the lesson, she alone was staring off into the clouds beyond the window. The teacher had called her name several times, but she hadn’t heard a thing. Xiao had resorted to nudging her with her foot repeatedly, but the girl remained oblivious. In the end, the teacher had to come over and call her directly to bring her back to earth, and she’d had the nerve to ask what the teacher wanted. Xiao could only admire her astonishing courage, though she didn’t approve.

(An imaginary narrator chimes in: Children, remember never to do as this young lady does! In class, pay attention! Don’t wait for the teacher to come and prod you—it’s both disruptive and embarrassing for you! Suddenly, the aforementioned girl creeps up behind the narrator, intent on giving her a kick, but the narrator dodges with a flourish—only to spin straight into a wall with a resounding thud. Bruised and bleeding, the narrator faints on the spot, decidedly lacking in elegance.)

As Xiao was recalling the morning’s events, Xiuxiu had already walked up to her. Xiao glanced over and asked, “Is there something you need?”

Xiuxiu smiled, taking Xiao’s hand. “Oh, it’s nothing really! It’s just… you looked so troubled just now. Are you alright? Don’t worry, if there’s anything bothering you, you can tell me. I’ll do my best to help you solve it—just tell me boldly!”

Her mother-hen attitude was honestly a bit much. Besides, what troubles could she possibly have? “It’s nothing. By the way, what class do we have this afternoon?”

Xiao deflected with a random question, successfully diverting Xiuxiu’s attention. Sure enough, the girl immediately latched onto the new topic.

“PE! We have PE this afternoon! And it won’t just be our class—another class will be joining us. I’m not sure which one, though. I don’t know many people in this school, so I can’t say for sure.”

“Oh.” Xiao suddenly remembered that when she and Meng parted earlier, Meng had said he also had PE this afternoon.

He and Yu were both students in Class A. They’d been classmates since junior high, and after a heated basketball match, Yu had made Hui realize he could never again underestimate the abilities of a Chinese player. Hui had suffered a devastating loss—not scoring a single point! Ever since, Hui had clung to Yu, vowing that one day, he would win.

Close behind them were Bingling, Xuexin, Dongfang Shuo, and his twin sister, Dongfang Yao.

(Here come the handsome boys and beautiful girls! Hui: Don’t fall too hard for me! Author: Hey! Who said you could speak? Be careful or I’ll torment you mercilessly in the next chapter! Hui: Oh, I’m so frightened!)

When Yu saw his friends approaching, he closed his book coldly. “What is it?”

“Ouyang, do you have to be so distant? You’re just wasting the outstanding genes your parents gave you! Hey, where are you all going? Wait for me!” Hui struck a pose he thought was cool and nagged Yu like a concerned mother, but Yu ignored him completely, walking off into the distance. Hui hurried to catch up, still carefully flicking his gelled hair and grumbling, “Damn it, Yu, wait up! Let’s have a rematch this afternoon!” When Yu showed no interest, Hui had no choice but to state his purpose more simply. Yu replied with a curt “fine” and returned to class for a nap.

The others were left behind. “Hey, Hui, you want to compete again? This is the two hundred and ninety-ninth time! And the result’s always the same! I can’t understand you.”

Dongfang Yao looked at Hui in disbelief, amazed at his indomitable spirit.

“So what? Even if it’s the two hundred and ninety-ninth time, or a thousand, or ten thousand times—as long as there’s breath in me, I’ll keep challenging him! Besides, who says he’ll always win? I believe one day I’ll beat him! Isn’t there an old Chinese saying that persistence leads to victory?”

“Yes, but even if you do win one day, today isn’t that day. So you’re going to lose again this time,” Dongfang Yao replied indifferently.

“You—never mind. I have nothing more to say to you.” With that, he walked off. Dongfang Yao stamped her foot in irritation, dragging her brother with her.

When they returned to the classroom, they found the other students clustered around Yu, books in hand. This was not unusual, but Yu remained as aloof and unaffected as ever, as though nothing in the world could stir him—a presence almost godlike.

“This guy, really—Is he even human? How can he always look so indifferent, as if he wants nothing from life? I’d love to see what could actually move him, what might make him change his expression for someone else.”

Hui grew exasperated at Yu’s lack of reaction, even when surrounded by so many people. “If such a person exists, they haven’t been born yet! Who could possibly have that kind of power?” Dongfang Yao, entering the room, couldn’t resist another jab. “Hmph! I don’t know if they’ve been born, but I do know it’s definitely not you.”

Hui shot her a glare and retorted, “Tch! I never said it was me. At least I have that much self-awareness, unlike some people I could mention!” Yao ignored Hui, returning to her seat to prepare for her nap.

Yu, having dealt with all distractions, tidied his desk and lay down to sleep. The others, seeing this, returned to their seats and settled in for a quiet rest. In the silence, it seemed one could hear every breath in the classroom—rising and falling, weaving together a gentle lullaby.