Lin Jiang lived on the tenth floor, and Shen Yan lived on the eighth floor of the same building. Their families were close, and their relationship was so good that Lin Jiang often dropped in to mooch a meal.
Shen Yan’s family was having hotpot that day. The moment Lin Jiang stepped through the door, the aroma sent her eyes darting toward the table. "Auntie Jing, it’s a spicy broth!"
"I knew you’d like it," Li Jing said, emerging from the kitchen.
Shen Yan immediately began to complain. "I’m starting to think she’s your biological child, not me."
"If you don't want to eat, then get out," Li Jing retorted, shooting him a sharp look.
"Auntie, your cooking is way better than my own mom's," Lin Jiang added, playing the part of the sycophant.
"Even though your mom owns a restaurant, her cooking really isn't as good as mine." Li Jing handed Lin Jiang a small bowl of dipping sauce. "If you like it that much, you can either take me as your godmother or just become my daughter-in-law in the future. Then you can eat it every day."
Lin Jiang’s hand, which was reaching for a piece of meat, paused. She instinctively glanced at Shen Yan across the table, but his face was obscured by the swirling steam of the hotpot.
Just as she was about to joke that "Shen Yan would never settle for me," Shen Yan spoke up. "Then I’ll choose for her. Let her be your goddaughter. It’s better that she only terrorizes you; don't let her come after me."
Lin Jiang glared at him, fuming. "Shen Yan, do you think I won't beat you up just because Auntie is here?"
As soon as she said it, Li Jing laughed and reached out to smack Shen Yan on the back. "You don't need to lift a finger. I'll handle him for you."
Shen Yan let out an exaggerated howl of pain.
Lin Jiang smiled and asked, "Why isn't Uncle home from work yet?"
"Oh, I sent him to the supermarket to buy some duck blood. He should be back soon." Li Jing glanced at the clock on the wall.
Lin Jiang gave an "oh" of understanding and lowered her head to eat, completely ignoring Shen Yan’s continued grumbling.
The meal was lively, though Lin Jiang couldn't quite remember how it ended. She returned home smelling like hotpot and finished cleaning up. By the time she was done, it was nearly ten o'clock, and her stomach began to ache again. As expected, one shouldn't indulge in spicy food during their period.
The next morning, Lin Jiang still felt unwell. She couldn't even get up for her morning exercises, let alone attend her small voice-acting class. She had no choice but to call Teacher Cheng and ask for a leave of absence.
After spending two days lying around like a corpse, she finally headed to school on Monday, feeling refreshed. Their class advisor was already waiting in the classroom. He Lai took advantage of the moment the teacher stepped into the hallway to turn around and whisper to Lin Jiang, "During the flag-raising ceremony later, I'll point out that hottie from Class 16 to you."
However, He Lai scanned the Class 16 ranks several times later and couldn't find him. Because she kept fidgeting, she ended up silently enduring several "death stares" from their class advisor.
In the end, they didn't see the handsome guy, but Lin Jiang did see the girl she had encountered after school a few days prior. The girl wore a high ponytail and looked radiant and elegant as she gave a speech under the national flag on the rostrum.
The girls around them were whispering. "Is she wearing makeup?" one asked. Another replied, "Probably not. She’s the host today; she wouldn't risk being singled out as a bad example." The first girl countered, "That’s not necessarily true. My eyes never deceive me."
He Lai turned her head and remarked lazily, "So salty," prompting Lin Jiang to quickly urge her to turn back around.
On the rostrum, the girl finished her speech, concluding with:
"Zhao Siyi, Class 5, Grade 12."
Lin Jiang hadn't intended to memorize it, but the name stuck.
All day Monday, the class discussed when the exam results would be released. It wasn't until Wednesday, just before PE class, that the grades finally came out.
Lin Jiang and her group were lingering at the back of the classroom to check the rankings. Li Kai, the sports representative, was clearing the room, shouting, "Hurry up and get down to PE!" as he walked toward the back.
Being tall, he easily pushed through the crowd to the front. He scanned the score sheet. "Ha! I’m 40th this time. I’ve improved."
"He Lai is 11th and Lin Jiang is 17th. Are they bragging?" someone teased.
"If I didn't know better, I'd think you were the one who got those ranks," Li Kai said, tapping Li Na on the head. "Let’s see... oh, look at that, someone is 37th."
"You want to say that again?"
"I'll say it if you want me to? Where's the dignity in that?"
"Is that so..." Li Na gave a menacing smile.
"Ow! That hurts!" Someone had been viciously pinched.
He Lai and Lin Jiang shared a helpless look and a smile. They were long used to the bickering between these two and didn't bother to intervene. Linking arms, they whispered to each other as they headed down to the sports field.
"But your English score is dragging you down a bit, isn't it?" He Lai asked.
"I actually scored higher this time than last time," Lin Jiang sighed.
"A 77 in English, but over 110 in both Chinese and Math... If I were your English teacher, I'd eat you alive."
Lin Jiang imagined her English teacher’s furious face and felt a cold sweat break out. Then, as if on cue, a voice drifted from behind them: "Bro, that's insane. A 145 in English."
Lin Jiang nearly choked on her own breath.
Both girls turned at the same time to see which "god-tier" student had scored so high. Lin Jiang’s heart skipped a beat with just one listless glance.
Jiang Weifeng.
Lin Jiang was stunned for a second when his name came to mind.
Three boys were walking side-by-side. The one in the middle was tall, thin, and striking. He was looking at his phone nonchalantly as he walked, his hair slightly obscuring his eyes because his head was tilted down.
It was him.
He Lai only needed one look before she grabbed Lin Jiang’s hand, her voice hushed and urgent. "The one in the middle, in the back! That’s the new hottie who transferred to Class 16!"
Lin Jiang was momentarily dazed. "What a coincidence," she said.
"What's a coincidence?" He Lai caught the word.
Lin Jiang quickly recovered. "Oh, nothing. I just meant it's a coincidence that we ran into him as soon as we came downstairs."
He Lai agreed, looking so excited she seemed ready to take flight. She was so distracted she was two seconds late to react when the teacher called for them to line up.
The teacher spent the beginning of the class arranging their formation.
Lin Jiang stood in the third row of girls. Directly behind the girls was a row of boys. Jiang Weifeng stood diagonally behind Lin Jiang. Several boys were talking to him; his voice was still lazy and casual. He didn't use many words in his replies, but he didn't come across as rude.
Lin Jiang didn't have much mental energy to eavesdrop on them, however, as the PE teacher’s voice was far more arresting.
"Today, we’re doing timed runs. 1000 meters for the boys, 800 meters for the girls."
The crowd erupted into a chorus of wails and groans.
"What are you all 'ah-ing' about? I see there aren't many boys in these two classes, so the boys will run first. Sports reps, step forward and lead the warm-ups."
Another round of sighs followed.
Lin Jiang was so nervous her stomach began to ache. She had always been terrible at sports, and after a summer without exercise, she’d be lucky if she didn't collapse.
As she listlessly performed her stretches, she heard the boys behind her whispering. "Jiang Weifeng got a 145 in English."
"No way. He must have cheated, right?"
"Screw off. You think I'm like you?"
"Shitou, you think Brother Feng is like you?"
Another voice chimed in, "Brother Feng couldn't have cheated. He got a 36 in Math and a 54 in Chinese. If he was going to cheat, why wouldn't he cheat on those too?"
"Huh? So his Math score didn't even reach a fraction of his English score..."
The group burst into laughter.
"Get lost! I'll destroy you on the court later."
The boy’s cursing sounded from behind. It seemed he wanted to stop the teasing, but his tone remained indifferent.
Lin Jiang couldn't help but smile, quickly masking it by changing her stretching position.
That day, whether intentional or not, Lin Jiang’s eyes kept catching glimpses of this person named Jiang Weifeng.
The boy next to him was called Shitou. He was of average height but very sturdy, and seemed to be on good terms with him. Others called him "Brother Feng," but Shitou called him "Madman."
Shitou asked, "Madman, how did Zhao Siyi do?"
"Don't know," Jiang Weifeng said, rubbing his nose.
A moment later, as they were waiting to start the race, Shitou asked again, "Look at you just standing there. All the girls are staring your way."
Jiang Weifeng turned and gave Shitou a light kick in the rear. "Is that a surprise?"
The statement was frank, laced with a touch of arrogance.
Lin Jiang couldn't help but make a silent face.
Most boys this age were obsessed with their image, desperately wanting to attract girls' attention while simultaneously acting humble and saying "don't talk nonsense" when asked if someone liked them.
He, at least, was honest.
However, Lin Jiang soon realized why this person’s aura and personality were so overt.
At the same time, she finally understood why Li Na had used the word "hormones" to describe Jiang Weifeng. During that 1000-meter run, he really did move like a gust of wind. When he reached the finish line, the second-place runner was still half a lap behind him.
The watching female students were practically swooning, and nearly half of them were whispering excitedly.
But because the PE teacher was present, they spent most of the race wanting to cheer but not daring to. It wasn't until the final 100-meter sprint that everyone used the excuse of cheering for their own classmates to scream "Go! Go!" at the person in the lead.
When the first-place runner flew across the finish line, the entire field erupted in cheers.
Li Kai, the second to cross the line, gasped for air and complained, "A bunch of fangirls!" Li Na ran up to him, teeth bared as she scolded him... while handing him a bottle of water.
This time, Jiang Weifeng truly lived up to his name.
Lin Jiang, on the other hand, was a mess.
She had watched Jiang Weifeng run as if it were effortless, his expression unchanged even after finishing. But when it was her turn, her legs felt like they were made of lead, and every step was a struggle. Her chest burned with a searing pain, as if she were inhaling smoke.
She finished the race eventually—third from last.
After finishing, Lin Jiang instinctively began to tidy her hair. As she did, she scanned her surroundings but didn't see that particular figure.
Once they were dismissed for free activity, Li Na and a group of girls went chattering off to the graffiti area in the eastern corner of the field.
Lin Jiang had heard Shen Yan explain that the graffiti area had started with people leaving confessions of love on the wall. The school hadn't stopped it, and over time, as more people left messages, it became the most famous landmark for new students at No. 3 High School.
At seventeen or eighteen, didn't everyone have a preference for dramatic tales of love and hate? A crush, even if unrequited, required an audience for comfort.
But Lin Jiang found it pointless. If you liked someone, you should either tell them and accept the outcome without regret, or tell no one at all, letting the past be washed away by the torrent of time.
Lin Jiang pulled He Lai along to rest on the field for a good while before they finally got up to return to the classroom.
A few girls in the class were huddled together discussing something. When they heard the door open, the conversation stopped, and several pairs of eyes looked over in unison. Seeing it was only He Lai and Lin Jiang, they relaxed.
Lin Jiang took her cup to the water dispenser. The girls' voices rushed into her ears—
"I heard Zhao Siyi from Class 5 is his girlfriend."
"Who's Zhao Siyi?"
"You don't know Zhao Siyi? She’s the goddess of Lan Jingyu from the Student Council Sports Department! She just gave a speech at the flag-raising the other day."
"I heard they've been together for over six months. He probably transferred here because of her." The girl lowered her voice for the second half of the sentence, making the gossip seem even more scandalous.
"My friend was in the same class as Jiang Weifeng in tenth grade. I heard he used to be quite a player, but he stopped messing around after Zhao Siyi showed up..."
The female voices rose and fell behind her. Lin Jiang stood there, holding her water cup and staring out the window, her thoughts unreadable.
The sky was a brilliant blue. A gust of wind happened to scatter a cluster of clouds as a few birds soared across the horizon.
***
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