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The results of the midterms had been released. Zhu Xingyao’s efforts in learning German had consumed a significant amount of her time and energy, causing her ranking to drop from third to fifth in the class.
She had mentally prepared herself for this and didn’t think much of it.
However, Li Xixi frowned and whispered: “If that’s the case, what are we going to do during the class meeting when they rearrange the seats? I don’t want to change seats.”
Zhu Xingyao suddenly froze, realizing she had forgotten about this. Xu Xiangyang came in second place and usually didn’t move seats. Xia Jin was third, the academic committee member was fourth, and only then would it be her turn to choose a seat. What if someone else chose her current spot?
She had opened the window slightly, and the damp, chilly air after the rain seeped in.
Her mind was still echoing with Jiang Tu’s deep, low voice saying Ich liebe dich . At sixteen or seventeen years old, all she could think about at the time was—Li Xixi was right, Jiang Tu’s voice was pleasant, far better than the recorded audio in her headphones.
Later, as she grew older,
she began to realize things belatedly. She couldn’t help but constantly recall that scene, her heart fluttering one moment and feeling heavy the next, just like the weather back then.
During the class meeting, Cao Shujun spoke with a pained expression: “For the midterms, although our classmate Jiang Tu ranked first in the grade, our class’s average score is still second to last among the five classes. You guys really aren’t making me look good…”
Everyone fell silent, heads bowed, listening to his lecture.
Cao Shujun recalled the previous homeroom teacher meeting, where Teacher Xie Ya had been full of confidence, and then looked at his students, sighing: “I’m twenty-eight this year, and it’s only been seven years since I took the college entrance exam. Don’t think that one test doesn’t matter—you’ll regret it by your senior year. Every exam is cumulative. I’ve always felt that repeating the same lessons over and over again sounds tedious and isn’t cool. I don’t want to become…” He coughed lightly, “like Director Liu, an overly nagging middle-aged person. Even when I reach middle age, I don’t want to become annoying and repetitive. Some lessons, repeated day after day, lose their meaning. Most of you are seventeen; those who started school late are nearly eighteen. You’ve definitely thought about what you want and who you want to become—it just depends on whether you have the determination…”
It was rare for Old Cao to ramble like this.
After finishing his monologue, Cao Shujun said sternly: “What I just said cannot be repeated outside this room.”
Xu Xiangyang asked: “Which part?”
Cao Shujun knew these students were sharp. He smiled: “The part about Director Liu. Don’t spread it around.”
Everyone burst into laughter.
Cao Shujun straightened his face: “Quiet. There’s one more thing. This year’s New Year’s Gala… Xia Jin and Zhu Xingyao, do you have any ideas?”
The New Year’s Gala and sports meet were events for freshmen and sophomores, with the focus primarily on the freshmen. However, last year, the two of them—one with an opening dance and the other with a closing cello performance—were both dazzling. The school wanted them to perform again this year.
Xia Jin remained silent, seemingly waiting for Zhu Xingyao to speak first.
Zhu Xingyao raised her head and said: “I need to focus on preparing for exams and probably won’t have time to rehearse.”
From behind, Jiang Tu paused in writing his German vocabulary. Was she not participating?
Ding Xiang also lamented quietly: “Ah, the goddess isn’t joining? Then what’s the point of the gala?” He turned to look at Jiang Tu, visibly disappointed: “Tu Ge, it’s such a pity you didn’t see it last year.”
Jiang Tu lowered his eyes and, after a long while, murmured softly: “It doesn’t matter.”
Some things, once missed, were simply gone forever.
Cao Shujun: “What about you, Xia Jin?”
Xia Jin responded modestly: “Teacher Mo already mentioned it to me earlier and asked me to prepare this year’s opening dance.” Teacher Mo was in charge of the gala.
________________________________________
Finally, it was time to rearrange the seats.
Zhu Xingyao asked Li Xixi: “No one should choose this spot, right?”
Li Xixi replied: “Xu Xiangyang and the academic committee member usually don’t move. Xia Jin definitely won’t choose here—after being crushed by Tu Ge last time, why would she come here looking for trouble?”
Zhu Xingyao agreed, feeling reassured.
Unexpectedly,
when it was Xia Jin’s turn to choose a seat, she stood up, scanned the room, and fixed her gaze on their spot: “I’d like to sit in Zhu Xingyao’s seat.”
The classroom fell silent, everyone turning to look at her.
Jiang Tu frowned, and Ding Xiang was stunned: “Seriously?”
Zhu Xingyao froze, and Li Xixi’s eyes widened as she turned to glare at Xia Jin. What was this person trying to do? Feeling deeply irritated, she quickly raised her hand: “Homeroom teacher, Xu Xiangyang just said he doesn’t want to sit there anymore. He said he wants to sit here with us.”
Zhu Xingyao: “…”
Xu Xiangyang: “…”
When did he ever say that? Li Xixi turned to glare at him, her eyes threatening. Realizing she was asking for a favor, she quickly switched to a bright smile, revealing two adorable little fangs, her face changing faster than a Peking opera performer.
Xu Xiangyang scratched his chin in frustration, hesitated for a moment, and reluctantly stood up: “Hmm… On second thought, I’ll sit over there instead. I’ll discuss physics competition problems with Jiang Tu—he’s good at physics.”
Xia Jin: “…”
Cao Shujun glanced at him and then at Xia Jin: “Can you two coordinate after school?”
Xia Jin was furious. It was obvious that Xu Xiangyang and Li Xixi had colluded—coordination was out of the question! She had no choice but to say: “In that case, I won’t change seats.”
As soon as school ended, Zhu Xingyao happily turned to look at Jiang Tu: “Tu Ge, I can continue teaching you German.”
Jiang Tu was also pleased, though his emotions were always subtle—even happiness only showed as a slight curve of his lips. He stood up and looked at her: “Work harder next time. Regaining control will feel better.”
Tu Ge was giving her advice!
Zhu Xingyao laughed awkwardly: “I’ll try my best…”
As soon as Jiang Tu left, Xia Jin walked over to their desk and asked coldly: “What did you mean by that, Li Xixi?”
Li Xixi turned to face her, indignant: “And what do you mean? Why would you want to sit here, specifically naming Zhu Xingyao’s seat?” Did she think sitting here made her the most popular girl in the class?
Everyone looked over. Xia Jin, her face cold, retorted: “What’s it to you? I scored higher than Zhu Xingyao. I can choose wherever I want.”
Zhu Xingyao frowned. She hadn’t performed well, and she couldn’t blame anyone else for that. But she was genuinely annoyed by Xia Jin constantly competing with her. Calmly, she looked at Xia Jin: “The seating arrangement is final now. No matter what you say, I’m not moving. Next time, I’ll improve my ranking.”
Xia Jin stormed off angrily. Li Xixi turned to Zhu Xingyao: “Why do you think Xia Jin wanted to sit in our seat?”
Zhu Xingyao slung her backpack over her shoulder: “Who knows what she was thinking.”
The two walked out of the classroom. Suddenly, Li Xixi exclaimed: “Holy crap! Do you think Xia Jin has a crush on Tu Ge?”
Huh?
Zhu Xingyao stared in shock: “No way!”
“How could it not be? Aside from his family’s poor background, Jiang Tu meets all the criteria for a male god. He’s just as good-looking as Lu Ji, and he ranked first in the grade—better than Lu Ji. It’s just that his cold and aloof personality lowers his visibility, making people think he’s just some nerdy bookworm.” Li Xixi ticked off each point on her fingers and gave an example: “In romance novels, many rich girls fall for guys like Jiang Tu who are cold and proud but poor—it’s all about the desire to conquer.”
Zhu Xingyao said: “But Xia Jin can’t conquer him. Jiang Tu doesn’t like her.”
Li Xixi blinked: “Then who can conquer him—you?”
Zhu Xingyao was startled and quickly replied: “Don’t talk nonsense. He doesn’t like me either.”
And besides, she didn’t have that unhealthy desire to conquer Jiang Tu…
________________________________________
On Wednesday afternoon after gym class, a group of boys who had just finished playing basketball poured into the classroom. Xu Xiangyang placed two bottles of soy milk on Zhu Xingyao and Li Xixi’s desks. “Lu Ji bought them,” he said.
Some students glanced over with suggestive looks.
Zhu Xingyao quietly said: “Thanks.”
Li Xixi looked at the bottle of soy milk with dismay. Xu Xiangyang added: “This one is from me.”
Li Xixi immediately bristled, shoving the soy milk back into his arms: “I’m not drinking it!”
Xu Xiangyang, trying to win her favor, asked in confusion: “Why not?”
Li Xixi, her face red, retorted: “Just... I’m not drinking it.”
Drinking soy milk stunted growth.
Ding Xiang walked in and overheard this, nearly bursting out laughing. With a mischievous grin, he slung his arm around Xu Xiangyang’s shoulder: “Class President, you might not know this, but none of the girls from our old Class 8 liked drinking soy milk, especially Li Xixi.”
Afraid he would say more, Li Xixi grabbed a book and threw it at him without thinking: “Shut up!”
Ding Xiang instinctively ducked behind Xu Xiangyang, jumping slightly and pressing down on his shoulder.
Xu Xiangyang bent his waist slightly—and in the next moment—
Bang!
A thick English dictionary unexpectedly slammed into Xu Xiangyang’s face before falling to the floor with a thud . Xu Xiangyang immediately hissed in pain, clutching his nose. His eyes watered, and soon warmth spread across his palm as blood seeped through his fingers. He glared at Li Xixi, muttering angrily: “Damn it!”
Seeing the blood between his fingers, Li Xixi froze, her face pale. She weakly asked: “Are you okay?”
Xu Xiangyang stared at her: What do you think?
Blood dripped through his fingers onto the floor. Li Xixi snapped out of her daze, quickly grabbing a few tissues and rushing over to press them against his nose.
Xu Xiangyang: “…”
He was almost suffocating under her grip. Turning his head away, he muttered: “I only said a couple of things to you, and it’s been almost a year. Did you really hold a grudge and decide to murder me over it?”
Li Xixi pressed harder again, whispering: “No, it was an accident…”
Jiang Tu glanced at them and calmly reminded: “Let him tilt his head back. The way you’re doing it won’t stop the bleeding. Also, don’t press too hard on his nasal cavity to avoid further bleeding.”
Li Xixi quickly loosened her grip, forcing Xu Xiangyang into a chair and tilting his chin upward: “Tilt your head back.”
Xu Xiangyang didn’t even bother arguing with Li Xixi anymore. Sitting there with his head tilted back, he looked at Jiang Tu and muttered: “You sure know a lot about this…”
Jiang Tu remained impassive: “It’s best to apply a cold towel.”
The classroom fell silent.
Li Xixi accompanied Xu Xiangyang to the nurse’s office.
Zhu Xingyao stayed in the classroom, waiting for Li Xixi. They didn’t return until after school, walking back into the classroom together with Lu Ji and Zhou Yuan. Zhou Yuan draped his arm over Xu Xiangyang’s shoulder, laughing mockingly: “How unlucky can you get?”
Xu Xiangyang swatted his hand away and looked at Li Xixi: “Li Xixi, don’t get mad anymore. I’ve already bled as an apology.”
Li Xixi turned to look at him: “That depends on whether you provoke me again next time.”
Lu Ji turned to Zhu Xingyao, noticing the German textbook on her desk. He smiled and asked: “Is German hard to learn?”
Zhu Xingyao paused. Jiang Tu had asked her the same question before. She shook her head: “Not really. It’s a bit difficult at first, but it gets easier later.”
Lu Ji said: “Can I take a look?”
Zhu Xingyao handed him the oral practice book. Lu Ji flipped through it casually and noticed some handwritten notes and translations. The handwriting was messy but strong, not like a girl’s handwriting. He remembered Zhu Xingyao’s neat and delicate script.
He paused. Zhu Xingyao asked in confusion: “What’s wrong?”
Lu Ji smiled faintly, closing the book and handing it back to her: “Nothing.”
________________________________________
After that day, Lu Ji occasionally had Xu Xiangyang bring Zhu Xingyao a bottle of soy milk during breaks or after gym class. Rumors about her and Lu Ji began to spread more frequently around that time.
“Zhang Sheng bought her soy milk, and she wouldn’t drink it. But when Lu Ji buys it, she does.”
“How can you compare Lu Ji to Zhang Sheng? Lu Ji is a god! Is Zhu Xingyao secretly dating him?”
“I heard Zhu Xingyao hasn’t agreed yet…”
…
These rumors died down somewhat in late January when Lu Ji and Xu Xiangyang left school to attend the winter camp.
They left on the weekend of January 19th.
In the evening, Zhu Xingyao came downstairs from the practice room with her cello on her back. From a distance, she spotted Lin Jiayu and Li Xixi handing out flyers. She hurried over to help, and the three quickly finished distributing them. Zhu Xingyao asked: “Where’s Ding Xiang?”
Li Xixi replied: “He went to pick up the cake.”
Today was Jiang Tu’s 18th birthday—a significant milestone—but he had no intention of celebrating it. He was still working at the barbecue restaurant. Zhu Xingyao, Li Xixi, Ding Xiang, and Lin Jiayu planned to give him a surprise.
Lin Jiayu sent a text message and then turned to say: “I already told Boss Liang. We’ll head over directly.”
Li Xixi looked up at the sky: “The weather forecast said it might snow today, but I don’t see anything.”
Zhu Xingyao said: “Weather forecasts aren’t always accurate.”
Besides, Jiangcheng wasn’t in the north, and it didn’t snow every year. Last year, there was no snowfall.
Twenty minutes later, in the kitchen of the barbecue restaurant, Liang Cheng chased Jiang Tu out. He clicked his tongue: “You’re turning 18 today. What are you doing working? Get out of here!” As he spoke, he removed Jiang Tu’s apron and pushed him out.
As soon as Jiang Tu stepped out of the kitchen, he saw Zhu Xingyao and the others standing neatly by a table, smiling. She still had her precious cello on her back.
He froze for a moment and walked over: “What are you all doing here?”
Zhu Xingyao tilted her head and smiled brightly: “Of course, we’re here to celebrate your birthday.”
“The birthday cake is already ordered,” Lin Jiayu pointed at the cake on the table and muttered, “I remember you haven’t had a birthday cake in years.”
Jiang Tu looked at the eight-inch cake box, silent for a moment before raising his head to look at them. “Thank you.”
Ding Xiang scratched his head and grinned awkwardly: “Let’s sit down quickly.”
Zhu Xingyao took off her cello and held it in her hand. A moment later, she felt it lighten as Jiang Tu picked it up. “I’ll take it to Brother Liang’s rest area. No one will touch it there.”
“No need,” Zhu Xingyao quickly stopped him. “Just leave it here—it’s fine.”
She would need it later.
Jiang Tu glanced down at her, then gave up insisting. He found a chair, placed the cello case on it, and leaned it against the wall.
Liang Cheng had reserved a large table near the glass door, with all kinds of meat and dishes prepared, along with beer! He smiled and said: “Eat as much as you can. Today’s on me. Jiang Tu, don’t be polite—today’s your 18th birthday. It’s special.”
Jiang Tu smiled faintly: “Thank you, Brother Liang.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Lu ran in excitedly: “Brother, Sister Jiayu told me to come here for barbecue!”
He looked up and saw Zhu Xingyao, exclaiming: “Goddess Sister, you’re here too!”
Zhu Xingyao smiled: “Yes.”
Li Xixi was seeing Jiang Lu for the first time. She stared at him: “Hmm, you look quite a bit like Tu Ge.”
Jiang Lu replied confidently: “Of course! He’s my older brother after all.”
The group sat around the table. Zhu Xingyao took off her white down jacket and placed it on an empty chair. Jiang Tu began placing various meats and vegetables on the grill. Ding Xiang opened cans, placing a beer in front of everyone and asking: “Everyone can drink, right?”
Li Xixi picked hers up and took a gulp: “Of course we can! My alcohol tolerance is even better than yours!”
Ding Xiang didn’t believe her: “You’re bluffing.”
Zhu Xingyao chuckled, and as she looked up, her eyes met Jiang Tu’s. Instinctively, she said: “I can drink too.”
Jiang Tu lowered his gaze, watching the sizzling meat on the grill and flipping it with chopsticks. “If you drink here, won’t your parents say something when you get home?”
“My dad is on a business trip, and my mom went to meet him this weekend. They’re very close,” Zhu Xingyao said with a smile. “Besides, they let me drink a little sometimes. My dad says it’s good for girls to have some tolerance—they won’t get drunk after just one drink when they go out. It’s a form of self-protection.”
Jiang Tu fell silent for a moment. “Your dad is right.”
Lin Jiayu, who couldn’t hold her liquor well, also thought Zhu Xingyao’s father made sense. She reflected that wealthy families really did have different ways of raising their daughters. Her own father always said girls shouldn’t drink.
Jiang Tu divided the grilled meat onto their plates.
Li Xixi tasted a piece and immediately exclaimed: “This is so delicious! Tu Ge’s grilling skills are amazing—it’s way better than what I can do!”
Zhu Xingyao turned and laughed: “I told you that last time.”
Li Xixi whined: “Waaah, I’m definitely coming back next time.”
After a while, everyone raised their glasses.
Ding Xiang said: “Tu Ge, I wish you success in getting into Tsinghua or Peking University next year!”
Li Xixi kicked him, annoyed: “Ugh! You stole my line!”
Lin Jiayu burst out laughing and handed over her gift—a Hero-brand fountain pen worth dozens of yuan.
Only Zhu Xingyao stood up. She walked to the corner, opened her cello case, and turned to face Jiang Tu.
Jiang Tu didn’t know what she was planning to do. He pulled out a chair and walked over to her, leaning down to ask: “What are you doing?”
Zhu Xingyao looked up and blinked: “Giving you a birthday present. I didn’t prepare anything, so…” She tilted her fair, lovely face upward, her bright smile radiant. “I’ll play you one… no, two pieces.”
Jiang Tu froze, lowering his eyes and gazing at her steadily: “What did you say?”
The barbecue restaurant wasn’t particularly spacious, and the tables were packed closely together. There wasn’t an ideal spot inside, but the small platform outside the shop worked perfectly. When the door opened, it faced their table directly. Ding Xiang had already moved a chair out there for her.
Zhu Xingyao picked up her cello, turned back, and looked up at him: “I said I’m giving you a birthday present.”
A gift that was too expensive might make him uncomfortable and add pressure.
After much thought, she decided playing the cello for him would be perfect. He would surely appreciate it, especially since he hadn’t attended the gala last time.
January 19, 2008—
On the small platform outside Brother Liang’s barbecue shop, there was no stage, no lights, no fancy dress or makeup. Zhu Xingyao sat on a simple wooden chair, her long hair flowing over her shoulders, wearing a soft white sweater, cradling her beloved cello. She began by playing “Happy Birthday.”
Inside the shop, many customers sat with sizzling meat still on their plates, all eagerly watching her. Some even took out their phones to record or photograph her.
The city lights flickered behind her, casting shifting shadows.
Passersby were drawn to the music, gathering around her.
Suddenly, Li Xixi exclaimed in delight: “It’s snowing!”
Without warning, white snowflakes began falling, eliciting cheers of surprise from the crowd as everyone stretched out their hands to catch them.
Snowflakes landed on Zhu Xingyao’s dark hair, but she glanced up briefly, seemingly unfazed by the sudden snowfall. Calm and poised, she smiled brightly toward Jiang Tu and lifted her bow.
Even without lights or a stage, with just her cello, she shone the brightest wherever she was.
She played Bach for him.
The piece he had overheard from outside the villa, the one he missed during last year’s gala.
Tonight, she made up for all the regrets and missed moments.
Jiang Tu leaned back in his chair, his expression calm on the surface, but his emotions surged like a storm beneath. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he fixed his gaze on the girl.
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