15. Restlessness

Several peaceful days slipped by. The boy band Pei Huan and her friends had admired recently released a new song. The melody was of a style that appealed to the masses, and in the eyes of a devoted fan like Pei Huan, it was nothing short of a masterpiece. After listening to it on repeat at home, she found herself utterly brainwashed, humming its tunes no matter what she was doing.

Lu Yinghuai had heard Pei Huan unconsciously humming this song before. At first, he wondered what it was, but it wasn’t until he overheard Tang Yue discussing it with the other girls that he realized it was the new track by the boy group Pei Huan used to like. His gaze gradually chilled.

During the final class of the morning, the history teacher was absent due to illness, so the period was turned into a study hall. The vice class monitor, Yuan Tao, sat at the podium overseeing discipline. At first, everyone respected the silence and studied on their own, but soon someone couldn’t resist and started chatting, and the quiet murmurs beneath the podium multiplied.

Yuan Tao heard the noise and tapped the desk lightly—a gentle gesture, but enough to draw everyone’s attention. She kept her ever-gentle smile as she spoke, “Let’s keep quiet, everyone. This is a self-study period.”

Someone below, in a mischievous mood, deliberately teased her, drawing out their reply, “Okaaaay—”

Though the noise lessened, there were still hushed conversations. Yuan Tao, seeing it wasn’t excessive, lowered her head and continued working on her own exam paper.

Pei Huan was working through a freshly distributed English test. English was her forte, and she breezed through the questions, even starting to hum a tune as she wrote.

Lu Yinghuai, listening attentively, immediately recognized whose song she was humming. His pen paused for a moment but then continued along the path of his calculations.

Despite his general dislike for that boy band, the melody Pei Huan hummed was unexpectedly pleasant. For a moment, he hesitated, considering whether to interrupt her, but decided against it.

Pei Huan nearly finished the entire test in half a period, then tucked it away and pulled out another. As she stretched her fingers to relax, a paper ball came sailing from somewhere and struck her right on the forehead. Annoyed, she looked in the direction it came from; Li Xuan and Wang Xun, who had orchestrated the prank, were grinning and snickering.

She mouthed silently at them, “Do you want to die?”

Wang Xun, undaunted, made a face at her. Pei Huan pretended to lunge at him, but a gentle cough from the podium made all three glance over. Yuan Tao shook her head at them with a soft warning, signaling them to settle down.

Taking the hint, Pei Huan flashed the boys an international gesture of friendship before turning her focus back to a Chinese literature exam.

Chinese wasn’t exactly difficult for her, but it was far from easy, so she pressed on smoothly until she got stuck on a particular question. No matter how she thought about it, her answer seemed off. She reached over and nudged Lu Yinghuai, sliding her paper his way. “How would you answer this? No matter how I try, mine just doesn’t feel right.”

Lu Yinghuai turned slightly to look at the question.

As he leaned in, the faint, pleasant scent that always lingered around him drifted over. Pei Huan felt acutely aware of how close they were. Her body stiffened; her movements became mechanical. When Lu Yinghuai finished explaining, he noticed she hadn’t responded and turned to look at her.

Their faces were mere inches apart, nearly nose to nose. Pei Huan could see the fine down on his face and her own dazed reflection in his striking eyes.

Lu Yinghuai froze as well. Their proximity was intense—her skin was flawless, her eyes captivating, her lips delicate; every feature was perfect.

They remained like that for a few heartbeats, neither moving. Only when someone scraped a chair across the floor did the spell break, jolting them back to reality. They straightened hurriedly and looked away, pretending nothing had happened.

Only the two of them knew just how wildly their hearts were pounding.

Using the excuse of needing the restroom, Pei Huan slipped out of the classroom. Once in front of the mirror, she caught sight of her crimson cheeks. The scene replayed in her mind—a blend of embarrassment and exhilaration. She pressed her hands to her burning face, half-ashamed, half-thrilled.

Her heart still raced as wildly as before. She splashed her face with handfuls of water, trying to calm both her heated skin and her turbulent heart, but to little avail. Only after several attempts did the flush finally fade.

Back in the classroom, Lu Yinghuai struggled to focus on his exam, the memory distracting him. Eventually, he tossed his pen aside and sat with eyes closed, trying to regain his composure.

Neither of them had expected such an abrupt, intimate moment. Even after several minutes, their hearts still thudded anxiously.

When Pei Huan returned, she avoided looking directly at Lu Yinghuai. Neither spoke, and an awkward atmosphere settled between them.

In the end, Pei Huan broke the silence, and soon the air grew lighter; still, neither mentioned what had just occurred.

Yuan Tao, sitting at the podium, had witnessed the entire episode. She was so frustrated she forgot to intervene, her grip on her pen tightening and loosening repeatedly—a clear sign of her foul mood.

She had believed it was only a matter of time before she and Lu Yinghuai would become an item. Now, out of nowhere, Pei Huan had entered the picture. No matter what she tried before, Lu Yinghuai had always ignored her, yet with Pei Huan, even a simple question drew a completely different response.

Yuan Tao’s eyes grew cold.

At lunchtime, as they walked to the cafeteria, Tang Yue glanced at Pei Huan for a few seconds before saying, “I saw everything that happened between you and Lu Yinghuai during self-study.”

Pei Huan nearly choked. After swallowing, she asked, “What did you see?”

Tang Yue mimicked their earlier moment with a gesture.

“If you’d only seen Yuan Tao’s expression—it was priceless, like someone owed her millions. I nearly died laughing,” Tang Yue gloated.

Pei Huan wasn’t concerned about Yuan Tao’s reaction; what worried her was that Tang Yue had seen it. If Yuan Tao had witnessed it too, didn’t that mean others might have as well?

The thought gave Pei Huan a headache.

Life was becoming increasingly absurd.

But Tang Yue’s next words were a shot of reassurance. “Don’t worry, I was paying attention. Only Yuan Tao and I saw; no one else noticed.”

Pei Huan finally relaxed a little.

“But Yuan Tao’s reaction—seriously, it was hilarious. Everyone knows she likes Lu Yinghuai. Seeing you two so close, she must’ve been fuming!” Tang Yue burst out laughing at her own words.

Just then, Yuan Tao and Tao Ranxi happened to pass by. The former gave them a polite nod, while the latter sneered and walked on.

Tang Yue snorted, “What’s she so smug about? Just hiding behind someone stronger.”

Pei Huan didn’t respond but agreed in her heart.

She and Tao Ranxi had never gotten along. The incident of being locked in the classroom was just the beginning. Since then, they didn’t even greet each other, and everyone in Class Two knew they couldn’t stand each other.

After lunch and a short break, classes resumed. Pei Huan found herself sneaking glances at Lu Yinghuai, but he seemed either oblivious or deliberately composed, staring straight at the blackboard with utmost seriousness.

This continued until the end of the day. Unable to sit still any longer, Pei Huan packed her bag and left first. Lu Yinghuai followed at a leisurely pace, and seeing this, Yuan Tao quickly shouldered her bag and joined him.

That Thursday, it was the turn of the second-year students to host the parent-teacher meeting. After dinner at school, Pei Huan wandered around before returning to her classroom, where many parents had already arrived. Tang Yue, accompanied by her mother, came over to greet her, and Pei Huan responded warmly.

After a few words, Tang Yue’s mother was interrupted by a phone call and excused herself to answer it nearby.

“Aren’t your parents here yet?” Tang Yue asked, leaning on the corridor railing.

“Not yet. They’re never early,” Pei Huan replied, well aware of her parents’ habits.

Soon her parents arrived, as usual, together—never missing an opportunity to show up as a pair, even for both Pei Huan and Pei Yan’s meetings. The siblings had often complained that one seat sufficed, but their father, Pei Dashan, always refused.

“I’m giving you both face by coming, you know,” Pei Dashan would say with conviction.

The siblings had long since given up trying to reason with them.

Shortly after, everyone was seated. Pei Huan sat on the green plastic chair beside her desk, while Lu Yinghuai’s seat remained empty. Pei Huan hadn’t seen him all evening, not even before the meeting began.

Her father sat in Lu Yinghuai’s seat and asked, “Your deskmate isn’t here?”

“I don’t know,” Pei Huan replied, shaking her head.

She had no idea where Lu Yinghuai had gone.

Pei Dashan glanced over Lu Yinghuai’s report card, marveling as he read, “Your deskmate’s grades are excellent—always top of the year. You should take the opportunity to learn from him.”

Pei Huan nodded perfunctorily.

Her mother, Zhong Su, reviewed her scores and, noticing she had improved a few ranks, allowed a rare hint of satisfaction to appear. “Good. Keep it up.”

“So what about my allowance?” Pei Huan asked tentatively.

“Don’t worry, you won’t miss a single cent,” Zhong Su promised.

Only then did Pei Huan feel at ease.

As the meeting began, Pei Huan grew drowsy and started playing on her phone under the table. Suddenly, an idea struck her; she snapped a photo of her father sitting in Lu Yinghuai’s seat and sent it to him with a message.

Pei Huan: My dad is attending the parent-teacher meeting for you.

In a dim bedroom, the sudden glow of a phone woke Lu Yinghuai, who had been fast asleep. Frowning, he was about to turn it face down and go back to sleep, but for some reason, he opened it. The first thing he saw was the photo Pei Huan had sent.

He stared at it for a long while, eyes calm as still water, before replying: Mm.

Pei Huan’s next message came quickly: Why didn’t you come to the parent-teacher meeting?

Lu Yinghuai had no intention of telling Pei Huan about his family situation and didn’t want her to know. So he came up with a casual excuse.

Lu Yinghuai: Something came up at home.

Then he turned off his phone and went back to sleep.