WIFTY - 6

Unrequited love is so lonely.
I’m not someone who can endure loneliness.
——From Su Zaizai’s Little Fairy Diary

In late October, the weather changed rapidly—rain came and went just as quickly.

During the time between dismissal and evening study, though there were fewer students in the classroom, it was still quite noisy. From a distance, he could already hear the commotion inside the classroom, along with the crisp, gentle voice of a girl coming from the school broadcast.

Zhang Lurang walked into the classroom.

Before reaching his seat, he noticed a dark red folding umbrella placed boldly in the center of his desk, clearly intended to catch his attention.

He picked it up and saw a note attached to the handle, covered with several layers of transparent tape for waterproofing.

The writing on the note had been partially smudged, but the words were still legible:

——”Lent by Su Zaizai of Class 9, Grade 10, to Zhang Lurang of Class 1, Grade 10.”

The word “lent” was twice the size of the other characters.

His gaze lowered, his expression indifferent, and he placed the umbrella back on the desk. He gathered a few books, put them in his bag, slung it over his shoulder, and left the classroom, taking the umbrella with him.

He climbed two flights of stairs, turned right, walked straight, and circled around to another building, heading to the classroom closest to the Grade 10 office.

Perhaps because it was near the office or because there were fewer people, this classroom was unusually quiet.

Very, very quiet.

Zhang Lurang only saw one girl inside. She sat on the inner side of the window seats, wearing large-framed glasses, earphones in her ears, flipping through a book in her hands.

Outside the window, the sunset bathed the dense foliage in golden light. The fragmented rays pierced through everything, swaying gently in the breeze, casting halos of light on her book and refracting off her hands in a soft, radiant glow.

It was somewhat blinding.

Zhang Lurang narrowed his eyes slightly and said: “Su Zaizai.”

She didn’t hear him; her movements didn’t pause even for a second. Without calling out again, Zhang Lurang walked directly inside.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed someone standing beside her desk. Su Zaizai paused her page-turning and instinctively pulled one earphone out.

The broadcast’s sound flowed into her ears—a young girl’s voice, melodious and moving.

“There’s a line in Han Han’s A City :

‘This is how things go in life: you fall in love with something in an instant, then spend years questioning why you fell in love with it.’“

……

……

Su Zaizai lifted her head and looked at him.

The boy’s lips were lightly pressed together in a straight line, his eyes clear and bright, devoid of emotion. His black hair was half-wet, making him appear both languid and pure.

He extended his hand, offering her the umbrella, without saying a word.

Su Zaizai didn’t take it, just stared at him silently.

Seeing this, Zhang Lurang leaned forward, placed the umbrella on her desk, and turned to leave.

Su Zaizai quickly called out: “Zhang Lurang.”

The boy paused mid-step and glanced back at her.

“Do you know who I am?” Su Zaizai set down the book in her hands and picked up the umbrella from the desk, shaking it slightly.

Zhang Lurang nodded, offering no further explanation.

Something deep within her seemed to swell, filling her with a mix of excitement and uncontrollable nerves. Suppressing her anxiety, she stood up and shamelessly asked: “Have you been secretly paying attention to me?”

Clearly unprepared for such a question, Zhang Lurang furrowed his brows, showing no interest in continuing their conversation. He turned and headed toward the door.

She followed him, speaking on her own: “I shouldn’t have exposed you. Don’t be mad—just pretend I didn’t say that.”

The corner of Zhang Lurang’s mouth twitched slightly, unable to hold back a low scoff: “Two meters per second squared.”

“…”

It seemed she had indeed been too dramatic that day—shouting his name and loudly reciting problems…

Suddenly, she felt utterly embarrassed.

But she could handle it.

And it appeared her earlier efforts hadn’t been wasted—he still remembered her.

Su Zaizai blinked and quickly changed the topic: “Well, um, I did call you an idiot that day, so lending you the umbrella was my way of apologizing…”

“No need.”

Su Zaizai waved her hand dismissively: “That won’t do—I’m not that kind of person.”

“I cursed back,” he said casually.

Su Zaizai froze.

When had he cursed at her…?

Was he referring to the “idiot” comment from that day?

So he really had been cursing her…

What an unexpectedly cute contrast from the untouchable highland flower!

But how should she respond…

If she angrily retorted something like, “How dare you curse me!” in a fierce tone, would Zhang Lurang stop cursing her in the future?

Though she’d been cursed at, she actually enjoyed the feeling—it made her feel like she’d received special treatment from the handsome guy.

Or maybe she could pat his arm and say: “Haha, good job! I like it when you curse!”

He’d probably think she was crazy…

Forget it—she’d change the topic again.

“By the way, I wasn’t looking for Zhou Xuyin that day. I thought your name was Zhou Xuyin… I was actually looking for you.”

She really wasn’t a fickle woman! She was loyal!

“Mhm.”

So cold… sob.

Su Zaizai persisted: “Why don’t you ask me why I was looking for you?”

“Not interested.”

Not interested…

Fine, if he wasn’t interested, she wouldn’t say anything. Su Zaizai decided to give in.

Let’s change the topic again.

“And about that acceleration thing—I didn’t forget the unit! My brain just blanked out and I made a mistake!” Su Zaizai shamelessly explained.

“Oh.”

“Do you know that saying ‘oh’ is considered cold violence?”

“…”

“You’ve used violence against me.”

“…”

“Domestic violence.”

Zhang Lurang’s steps faltered, and he turned his head to look at her, his gaze subtly shifting.

Su Zaizai calmly corrected herself: “Campus violence—it was a slip of the tongue.”

Zhang Lurang: “…”

Afterward, it was one person talking nonstop while the other resolutely remained silent.

But after descending two flights of stairs, Zhang Lurang couldn’t help but speak up, his tone somewhat heavy: “Why are you following me?”

They had just reached the floor where the advanced class was located. A few more steps would bring them to the back door of the classroom, from which they could already hear the commotion inside. He had come with his backpack to return the umbrella…

Guessing randomly wouldn’t hurt.

Su Zaizai blinked innocently: “I’m not following you—I’m going to the reading room.”

He said nothing more, didn’t enter the classroom, and instead turned a corner, continuing downward.

Her guess must have been correct!

Su Zaizai gleefully followed him.

Though she wasn’t getting any responses from him, Su Zaizai’s natural chattiness and thick skin kept her going. Her constant chatter ensured the situation never grew awkward.

Just as they were about to enter the reading room, Su Zaizai suddenly tugged at the hem of his shirt before quickly letting go.

Zhang Lurang tilted his head.

She licked her lips and cautiously explained: “When I mentioned cold violence earlier, I was just joking… You could tell, right?”

He glanced at her briefly, then returned his gaze to what he was doing: “Mhm.”

Still so cold.

The single word felt like ice, yet inexplicably, it melted into warm water in Su Zaizai’s heart, softly evaporating and spreading warmth throughout her being.

The two entered the reading room.

Zhang Lurang leisurely navigated around several bookshelves and headed toward a table tucked in the corner.

Su Zaizai followed behind him.

There were four chairs placed beside the table, all currently unoccupied.

Zhang Lurang quietly pulled out a chair and sat down. He took out his textbooks and workbooks from his bag, picked up a pen, and began solving problems.

Su Zaizai stood still for a moment before turning toward the entrance.

Out of the corner of his eye, Zhang Lurang noticed her retreating figure. His hand holding the pen paused momentarily, and he raised his eyes slightly before quickly refocusing on his textbook.

Inwardly, he sighed in relief.

…Finally, she was gone.

Her lively personality was honestly something he didn’t know how to handle.

But Su Zaizai hadn’t left entirely—she simply hadn’t brought anything with her. How could she sit beside him and just stare at him the whole time…?

Though, she kind of wanted to.

Still, she didn’t dare try.

Su Zaizai made a detour through the foreign literature section.

Her fingers lightly traced over the spines of the books. She wasn’t focused on finding anything specific; lost in thought, she hesitated for a while before pulling out Letter from an Unknown Woman .

This one will do—it was on the recommended reading list from the Chinese teacher.

Holding the book, she walked back to the corner.

The two seats across from Zhang Lurang were now occupied, leaving Su Zaizai somewhat disappointed. She had originally wanted to sit directly across from him so she could see his face every time she looked up.

Oh well, sitting next to him would do.

It was even closer this way.

Su Zaizai gently pulled out a chair and sat down.

Beside her, Zhang Lurang acted as though he hadn’t noticed, not even batting an eyelid.

Su Zaizai glanced at him briefly before quickly averting her gaze, opening her book, and focusing entirely on the story within.

Outside, the sky was a deep red, tinting the clouds a faint pink, with hints of azure peeking through. The scene was both beautiful and gloomy.

Zhang Lurang glanced at his watch—it was almost time for evening study.

Most people around them had already left.

He closed his workbook and textbooks one by one, stacked them neatly, and placed them back in his bag. Then he stood up.

Beside him, Su Zaizai remained motionless, quietly continuing to read her book.

Her profile was clean and delicate, her small features framed by chestnut-brown hair that partially concealed her face. Her rosy lips were slightly pursed, curving into a faint smile.

Her slender, pale fingers turned the pages of the book.

Her usually bold and lively demeanor had softened considerably, becoming tranquil.

Zhang Lurang paused for a moment. Finally, he leaned forward slightly, tapping the table lightly with his knuckle to get her attention: “Evening study.”

When Su Zaizai looked up at him, her eyes were momentarily dazed, but she quickly snapped back to reality and nodded.

Without another word, he turned and walked out.

Su Zaizai didn’t expect him to wait for her. After slowly returning the book to its shelf, she wandered toward the classroom, her thoughts scattered.

Sometimes, falling in love with someone happens in an instant.

Su Zaizai vividly remembered that moment.

It was that rainy day—the moment he looked over at her.

The instant their gazes met.

Yet, she couldn’t quite figure out why she had fallen for him.

Later, even after many years had passed, no matter how hard she racked her brain or interrogated herself, she still couldn’t pinpoint exactly why she had fallen for Zhang Lurang.

But, luckily, she had never regretted it.

Never regretted going to the snack shop that day.

Never regretted walking out halfway through browsing.

Never regretted choosing to stand outside under her umbrella.

Never regretted inexplicably cursing at him.

She had never regretted meeting him.

And then, falling for him at first sight.