The following week, Yi Xiazhi and Lan Xingchen went to the high school where Su Weimian studied to attend class.
However, due to various reasons, the class Yi Xiazhi and Lan Xingchen attended was different from Su Weimian's.
Because of this, they didn't meet, which was quite a big regret.
After all, Su Weimian was looking forward to being in the same class as Yi Xiazhi again.
Of course, Lan Jinxia was secretly relieved, only heaven knows how much she hates being in the same class with Lan Xingchen!
On the next day after school, Yi Xiazhi stayed behind to clean. It was an early dismissal on Friday, but the sunlight was still glaring.
"Do you know what gets cleaner the darker it gets?" Lan Xingchen asked while holding a cloth, referring to Zhongtai Tienuo. Yi Xiazhi looked up, smiled, and said, "It's obviously the blackboard."
Lan Xingchen smiled and then started wiping hard.
As the chalk writing disappeared, the chalk dust spread around the podium.
Just as Yi Xiazhi walked over to sweep the chalk dust, she accidentally inhaled some and started coughing. Lan Xingchen stopped and looked at her, frowning slightly, saying, "Don't sweep now, there will be more chalk dust later."
"Alright," Yi Xiazhi replied, walking to her desk to pack her bag. She then stared blankly at Lan Xingchen's figure.
He was truly extraordinary. If he were the male lead from a novel that Su Weimian read, he would have been furious and scolded her for being stupid.
Yi Xiazhi smiled faintly, suddenly feeling very happy.
At that moment, Lan Xingchen turned around and met Yi Xiazhi's gaze. Yi Xiazhi blushed slightly and awkwardly turned away.
Lan Xingchen remained silent; he wouldn't tease her by saying, "Hey, girl, did you get mesmerized?"
He was always calm and gentle.
Seeing him pick up the broom to sweep the chalk dust, Yi Xiazhi stepped forward and said, "Let me do it."
Lan Xingchen waved his hand in refusal, saying, "No need, just go back to your daydreaming."
Yi Xiazhi was momentarily stunned but quickly understood, her face turning red. She turned and left the podium.
So, he knew... How annoying.
"Want to go out tomorrow?" Lan Xingchen's voice suddenly came from behind.
"Where to?" Yi Xiazhi turned her head to ask.
"The bookstore." Lan Xingchen dumped the trash into the bin and washed his hands at the nearby sink.
"Oh..." Yi Xiazhi responded.
"Aren't you bored going to the bookstore?" Lan Xingchen walked up to her and asked.
"Yes, you bookworm," she teased with a smile.
"Haha..." Lan Xingchen chuckled lightly, "Do you want to come or not? With me, the bookworm!"
"I'll come." Yi Xiazhi answered.
"Should I pick you up tomorrow?"
"No need. Let's meet at the bookstore entrance." Yi Xiazhi's face turned red.
Lan Xingchen nodded, picked up his bag, turned around, and said to her, "Let's go, I'll see you home."
"Um..." Yi Xiazhi responded and walked out with Lan Xingchen.
Walking behind Lan Xingchen, following him to get his bicycle (Zhongtai Tienuo), Yi Xiazhi suddenly asked, "You really like carrying people, don't you..." Actually, she wanted to say, "You really like carrying girls..." But thinking it might sound like jealousy, she changed it.
Lan Xingchen replied, "Not at all! You can't ride a bike! Otherwise, you could carry me too!"
Yi Xiazhi said, "I want to learn how to ride a bike!"
Lan Xingchen paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "No need, you can't carry me."
Yi Xiazhi's face turned red, and she shouted loudly, "Who said I wanted to carry you? I just want to learn how to ride a bike, that's all!"
Lan Xingchen smiled and said, "Alright, I'll teach you." He then turned to fetch the bicycle.
Watching his back, Yi Xiazhi sighed deeply, suddenly realizing that Lan Xingchen had low emotional intelligence. She helplessly gazed at the sky, wondering if she had fallen for him. Why was she so concerned about him, so mindful of him?
Lan Xingchen pushed the bicycle to Yi Xiazhi's side and told her, "Get on, I'll support you."
Yi Xiazhi carefully sat on the seat and was about to place her feet on the pedals when the bike wobbled. Quickly, she put her feet down.
"Don't worry, I'll help you keep it steady," Lan Xingchen said softly.
Yi Xiazhi gritted her teeth and placed her feet on the pedals.
"Alright, start pedaling," Lan Xingchen called out.
The bicycle began to move unsteadily as Lan Xingchen held onto the backseat and ran slowly beside it.
A few times when Yi Xiazhi almost fell, Lan Xingchen quickly stepped forward to hold the handlebars. He consoled Yi Xiazhi, saying, "Don't worry, let's try again. Ride on the playground along the track. There's grass there, so it won't hurt too much if you fall."
Childishly, Yi Xiazhi said, "You mustn't let go, I don't want to fall. It hurts a lot to fall in summer."
Lan Xingchen paused again, then touched Yi Xiazhi's hair affectionately and said, "Alright, I won't let go."
Yi Xiazhi's face flushed red, immediately recalling a line from a novel she had read: "I won't let go, even if I die."
Yi Xiazhi shook her head, muttering to herself, "Looks like I shouldn't read novels anymore, I'm poisoned pretty badly!"
She placed her feet on the pedals again and started riding unsteadily, eventually reaching the playground and circling it once.
She rode happily, making Lan Xingchen, who was running behind her, exhausted but unable to take a break.
Suddenly, Yi Xiazhi wanted to mimic the female lead in TV dramas and let go of the handlebars, spreading her arms and closing her eyes to enjoy the breeze.
However, being a beginner, the bike soon tilted. Yi Xiazhi opened her eyes wide and screamed, expecting Halley's Comet to collide with Earth.
Lan Xingchen caught her quickly, using himself as a cushion as both Yi Xiazhi and the bike fell on top of him.
Yi Xiazhi quickly stood up, lifted the bike, and pulled Lan Xingchen up, worriedly asking, "Are you okay? Did it hurt?"
Lan Xingchen shook his head and joked, "Yi Xiazhi, you sure remember grudges!"
Yi Xiazhi didn't understand.
"The first time we met, I made you fall. This time, you used me as a cushion..." Lan Xingchen laughed bitterly.
Yi Xiazhi's face turned red. She remembered, that time she was lost in thought and got knocked off balance by Lan Xingchen's bike.
"I... didn't mean to," Yi Xiazhi defended herself with a red face.
"It's fine..." Lan Xingchen smiled gently, pausing for a moment before adding, "Your current skills aren't suitable for such difficult maneuvers, you know?"
"Alright," Yi Xiazhi nodded rapidly like a little chick.
"Alright, let's continue riding," Lan Xingchen straightened the bike.
Yi Xiazhi climbed on, starting again cautiously, having learned her lesson earlier.
"One, two, three!" Lan Xingchen counted and then let go. The bike swayed slightly but soon stabilized.
Seeing Yi Xiazhi's focused expression, Lan Xingchen momentarily lost himself.
At that moment, the sky turned orange-yellow.
Yi Xiazhi circled the playground again and then stopped. Lan Xingchen ran over to her and asked, "What's wrong? Why did you stop?"
Yi Xiazhi smiled faintly and said, "You should let go at an appropriate time, let me see if I can ride alone."
Lan Xingchen smiled and said, "I've already let go!"
Yi Xiazhi's eyes widened in disbelief, "What? You've already let go?"
"Yeah, you're learning fast. Try riding alone once," Lan Xingchen encouraged.
"Alright," Yi Xiazhi excitedly mounted the bike and started moving clumsily.
Being a beginner, the initial movements were wobbly.
After riding a short distance, it started to stabilize. After completing another lap, Yi Xiazhi finally stopped beside Lan Xingchen, joyfully hugging him without any hesitation, jumping around like a child, shouting, "Ah, I've learned it, I've learned it!"
Lan Xingchen initially froze but then let her be.
"Alright, it's not late yet, let's go," Lan Xingchen reminded her.
"Alright. Let me ride you!" Yi Xiazhi completely forgot that she had just learned to ride a bike.
Lan Xingchen poked her nose and said, "Silly, your skills are dangerous. Let me ride you instead."
Because of this intimate gesture, Yi Xiazhi's face turned as red as an apple. Under the sunset, her cheeks became even redder, and her heart beat faster.
Hmm, how many times had she blushed and felt her heart race today?
When she returned home, Yi Xiazhi miraculously found both her parents at home. She suppressed her excitement and calmly said, "Dad, Mom, you're back?"
"Yeah, Tienuo Zongtai, Xiazhi," her mother nodded.
"Xiazhi, is there anything you want? Your parents will buy it for you," her father walked up to her and asked.
Since she was young, as long as she wanted something, they would buy it for her. Besides normal parental love, giving her everything she desired seemed to compensate for the incomplete love they couldn't provide.
Yi Xiazhi felt a bit bitter inside.
"Mom, Dad, I want a bicycle," Yi Xiazhi said.
Previously, she would have politely refused, but today she wanted a bicycle, just a bicycle, because she had just learned to ride one.
Her father paused for a moment and replied, "Alright, I'll bring one back for you tomorrow."
Her mother, however, asked worriedly, "Xiazhi, aren't you incapable of riding a bike?"
"Our classmates taught me today," Yi Xiazhi explained.
"Boy?" Her mother looked at her, furrowing her brows.
"Um..." Yi Xiazhi lowered her head in response.
"Alright, I understand. Go to your room," her mother said without further inquiry.
Yi Xiazhi obediently returned to her room.
After the door closed, Yi Xiazhi's mother softly said to her husband, "Does Xiazhi have someone she likes?"
Yi Xiazhi's father paused for a moment and then said, "Yeah, it's adolescence. Let her be."
"But..." Yi Xiazhi's mother continued to frown, her sentence cut off by her husband. "Only through love does one grow up. Xiazhi is very sensible, but she's still a child. Let her be. Anyway, this day will come sooner or later."
"Uh-huh..."
Inside the room, Yi Xiazhi was lost in thoughts about the afternoon when Lan Xingchen taught her to ride a bike.
Her phone rang, interrupting her thoughts. She fumbled to answer it, softly asking, "Hm, who's this?"
"Xiazhi, I miss you so much!" The most familiar voice came from the other end.
"Wei Mian, I miss you too!" Yi Xiazhi lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling.
"Let's go out tomorrow, alright?" Su Wei Mian asked.
"Eh, I've already made plans to go to the bookstore with someone," Yi Xiazhi replied.
"Ah, stinky Xiazhi, who did you make plans with? Already forgetting old friends for new ones! Is it a boy or a girl?" Su Wei Mian rudely asked.
"Boy..." To Su Wei Mian, Yi Xiazhi never concealed anything, so she truthfully replied.
"Great, so it's favoring a lover over a friend!" Su Wei Mian humphed on the other end.
"Wei Mian, I think I might like him," Yi Xiazhi said.
"Ah? Really? It's only been a week since school started, and your heart has already stirred, Xiazhi?" Su Wei Mian found it hard to believe. "Are you classmates?"
"Um, we're classmates. We met on the way to comfort you that day, and unexpectedly, we ended up being classmates."
"Oh, so it's fate. Tell me about it."
Thus, Yi Xiazhi recounted everything that happened between her and Lan Xingchen, including today's bike-riding lesson.
"Even though I'm annoyed that guy has been so close to you recently, I still hope you're happy. I can hear that you're happier with him... hundreds of times happier than with me."
"Wei Mian..."
"Alright, no more talking. I'm hanging up, my mom's here." Su Wei Mian said.
"Alright, see you later."
"Um, see you later, Xiazhi."
After hanging up, Yi Xiazhi silently stared at the ceiling, lost in thought.
Last night's fantasies caused Yi Xiazhi to sleep late, leading her to wake up late the next morning. If it weren't for Lan Xingchen's call, she might have thought it was only seven o'clock in the morning.
In her sleepy state, she answered the phone, mumbling, "Who's this? What's the matter calling me so early in the morning?"
"Early morning? Oh, it's indeed early now, the sun is already up. I'm calling to remind you to leave..." A gentle voice came from the other end, instantly clearing Yi Xiazhi's drowsiness.
"Lan... Lan Xingchen? What time is it? I haven't..."
"It's ten in the morning, which can also be considered early. So you can still sleep a bit more. I'll be reading books at the bookstore while waiting for you."
"Uh, I'll get up right away. Just wait for me outside the bookstore." Yi Xiazhi started getting dressed.
"Alright." Lan Xingchen hung up.
I wonder if Lan Xingchen will ride his bike today...
Yi Xiazhi pondered this while getting dressed.
As she was leaving, her mom asked, "Xiazhi, where are you going? Aren't you eating?"
"I've made plans to go to the bookstore. See you, Mom." She said hurriedly and rushed out the door.
Her mom worriedly watched the doorway, muttering to herself, "Is she going to the bookstore with the boy who taught her to ride the bike? That's not acceptable."
"Alright, stop worrying. When Xiazhi comes back today, just ask her." Yi Xiazhi's dad, reading the newspaper, consoled her.
"We're always away, and there's such a deep estrangement between us and Xiazhi. How can I talk to her about this?" Yi Xiazhi's mom frowned.
Yi Xiazhi's dad didn't respond.
This estrangement with Xiazhi was a permanent wound in their hearts as parents.
At the entrance of the largest bookstore, Yi Xiazhi spotted Lan Xingchen from afar.
He was wearing a set of casual clothes from Meters/Bonwe, looking clean and youthful.
Yi Xiazhi herself wore a light blue sweatshirt and seven-eighths pants, with a neat ponytail and white earphones in her ears. When Lan Xingchen saw her, she took off the earphones, put them in her pocket, and smiled at him, asking, "Did you ride your bike today?"
"No, I walked here. This bookstore isn't far from my house." Lan Xingchen replied.
"Oh, so you probably didn't wait long." Yi Xiazhi said.
"Hmm... You and Lan Jinxia both like listening to MP3s while walking." Lan Xingchen noted.
"Your sister?"
"Um..."
Entering the bookstore, the vast array of books dazzled their eyes.
"What kind of books do you want to buy?" Yi Xiazhi asked.
"Just browsing." Lan Xingchen answered.
"Um." They went to the prose and poetry section, where Lan Xingchen casually picked up a collection of Tagore's poems, flipped through it briefly, and kept it in his hand, clearly intending to buy it.
"Do you like Tagore?" Yi Xiazhi also picked up the book Lan Xingchen intended to buy, flipped through it briefly, and then put it back on the shelf.
"Not particularly. I just like prose and poetry."
Yi Xiazhi picked up a book by Hai Zi and handed it to Lan Xingchen, smiling and saying, "If it's poetry, my favorite is definitely Hai Zi. This is my favorite collection of poetry and the only one I like."
"Complete Works of Hai Zi Poetry?" Lan Xingchen glanced at the title.
Yi Xiazhi nodded, "Yes, it includes all of Hai Zi's poems." Then she picked up a book of prose, read a few pages, and put it back.
"He was a lonely person, committing suicide by lying down on the railway tracks at a young age, which is really unfortunate." Lan Xingchen, looking at Hai Zi's biography with regret, had read some of Hai Zi's poems before and found them quite good.
"Yes, that's why I like his poems so much."
"Um, then take this one too, Xiazhi. Do you also like prose and poetry?"
"Not really. Compared to prose and poetry, I prefer long novels because they have longer and more exciting stories. Prose and poetry are too short, not satisfying enough, although they are classic." Yi Xiazhi said.
"Oh."
Yi Xiazhi looked at Lan Xingchen as he selected books.
He was quieter than her. Quiet people generally liked reading prose. Perhaps, he was an even lonelier person.
Yi Xiazhi smiled faintly and then said to Lan Xingchen, "Um, I'll go check out some novels first."
"Alright, I'll find you later."
"Um."
Yi Xiazhi went to the foreign novels section, her fingers brushing against the spines, selecting her favorite novels.
Suddenly, she noticed the famous novel "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame." She reached out to grab it, but another hand extended simultaneously.
Their hands paused, and they looked at each other.
That was a girl with a sorrowful gaze similar to Lan Xingchen's, but her appearance was colder. Maybe, she was a girl who appeared cold on the outside but warm-hearted on the inside, Yi Xiazhi thought.
"Are you taking this book?" She asked Yi Xiazhi coldly.
"Um." Yi Xiazhi nodded slightly.
"Then it's yours." The girl turned and walked away.
Yi Xiazhi took the book and walked up to her, saying, "Here, take it."
She looked at her indifferently, and Yi Xiazhi also looked at her.
"Xiazhi!" A voice suddenly broke the awkward atmosphere between Yi Xiazhi and the girl.
The owner of the voice was Su Wei Mian.
"Wei Mian, what are you doing here?" Seeing Su Wei Mian, Yi Xiazhi was pleasantly surprised.
"I came to the bookstore with a new friend to buy books. I didn't expect to bump into you." Then Su Wei Mian tightly hugged Yi Xiazhi, "Xiazhi, I missed you so much. Finally, I see you in person."
Yi Xiazhi also hugged Su Wei Mian and softly said, "Wei Mian, I missed you too. It's great to meet you here."
Su Wei Mian stuck out her tongue and released Yi Xiazhi.
At this moment, a cold voice said, "So you're Yi Xiazhi?"
"Um. Here, take this book. And thank you for becoming good friends with Wei Mian." Yi Xiazhi handed the book to her.
The girl took the book and said, "My name is Lan Jinxia."
"My name is Lan Jinxia..."
"My name is Lan Jinxia..."
When Lan Jinxia mentioned her name, Yi Xiazhi casually remarked, "Oh, so you're Lan Xingchen's sister!"
Upon hearing this, Lan Jinxia's body stiff