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The second class in the morning was English, and the teacher gave the whole class half an hour to write the reading comprehension part of their English weekly report.
The classroom was silent, with only the sound of newspapers flipping pages and the occasional light cough. Even students trying to blow their noses were cautious, fearing that even that sound might echo through the room.
Xu Xing held a ballpoint pen between his fingers, absentmindedly twirling it as he focused on the short passage. He casually underlined the sentences corresponding to the keywords in the text and the questions.
As Xu Xing’s pen made a light scratching sound against the newspaper, he caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye—Xiong Huan, sitting at the front of his desk, suddenly turned around without warning.
Her movement was decisive, as if she had made up her mind before looking back.
Xu Xing was quite surprised. Following Xiong Huan’s gaze, he turned around and saw a painting framed by the back door of the classroom. In addition to the blue sky and white clouds, a handsome young man suddenly walked into the picture.
“Reporting.”
The young man stood at the classroom door, his voice still magnetic and pleasant, but unlike the beginning of the school year when he stood at the podium and complimented girls on how nice their ponytails looked in front of the whole class, his tone lacked any trace of a smile.
The English teacher looked over at the sound and nodded at him.
Fu Dai entered the classroom, heading straight to his seat without looking to the side.
Since he appeared at the back door, Xiong Huan’s gaze had never left him. In her cold eyes, there was a glimmer of eager hope. Fu Dai had finally returned to class, which made her very happy. However, as Fu Dai walked back to his seat, he didn’t glance at her once…
Xiong Huan bit her lip, feeling a vague unease.
Xu Xing furrowed his brow, clearly seeing that the red thread at Fu Dai’s chest looked like a flower that was gradually wilting, on the brink of withering.
On Xiong Huan’s end, the red thread remained vibrant, while the one connected to Fu Dai began to fade, appearing dark red at first but quickly tending towards a deep black.
Xu Xing frowned tightly, rubbing his eyes in disbelief, fearing he was seeing things.
When Fu Dai returned to his seat, Ke Di immediately patted him on the shoulder and cheerfully said, “Buddy, you finally decided to come to class! Hey, I swear you look more handsome after a few days away!”
Ke Di couldn’t hide his happiness, while Lu Che and Zhou Mang were much more reserved, simply greeting Fu Dai with a casual, “You’re here.”
Fu Dai smiled slightly and said, “Ah.”
As soon as he arrived, Fu Dai slumped over his desk and fell asleep. The English teacher only glanced his way without saying anything. When the class bell rang, Fu Dai got up and left the classroom, saying he needed to find the homeroom teacher for something. Ke Di assumed Fu Dai was going to get a leave of absence and didn’t ask further.
Fu Dai didn’t come back for two whole classes.
Tang Mian sat in the seat next to Xiong Huan and turned around to peek at Fu Dai’s desk. She leaned close to Xiong Huan’s ear and whispered, “Fu Dai rarely comes back to class; aren’t you going to check on him?”
Xiong Huan shook her head, her gaze calmly fixed on the test paper filled with black and white text, though her mind was elsewhere. She thought it would be fine when Fu Dai came looking for her.
Xiong Huan was used to being passive, accustomed to receiving all the love Fu Dai gave her. So much so that, in her subconscious, she accepted that receiving Fu Dai’s love was equivalent to responding to him.
During the break before the fourth class, Xu Xing took the report to the office and saw Fu Dai sitting next to the homeroom teacher’s desk, just getting up to leave.
Xu Xing handed the report to the homeroom teacher and walked alongside Fu Dai, unable to help but ask, “Fu Dai… are you okay?”
Fu Dai turned his head and forced a smile, saying, “I’m fine.”
Xu Xing’s gaze fell on the red thread at Fu Dai’s chest, now darkening to near black.
How could he possibly be fine?
Xu Xing walked up beside him and said, “Are you… planning to drop out?”
Seeing Fu Dai’s surprised expression, Xu Xing added, “I happened to overhear the English teacher asking the homeroom teacher.”
Fu Dai replied with a casual “Ah,” feigning ease, “I’m going abroad, but I asked the homeroom teacher to keep it a secret for now.”
Xu Xing frowned.
Fu Dai continued, “My dad said to come back, pack my things, and focus on catching up with my other courses.”
Immigration was a decision that came too suddenly for Fu Dai, but it had long been in his father’s plans and wasn’t a hasty decision. Fu Dai’s father spoke without leaving any room for negotiation; he merely informed Fu Dai, emphasizing that his opinion didn’t matter—Fu Dai just had to comply.
However, when Fu Dai’s father casually said, “Just pack up your things, you don’t need to go to school anymore,” it felt like a stab to Fu Dai’s heart. The things at school could be left behind, but there were friends and the girl he had liked for a whole year there. How could he just “casually” pack up those feelings?
Xu Xing looked at him, hesitating to speak.
The red thread growing from Fu Dai’s heart no longer showed any traces of dark red; his inner feelings were clearly not as nonchalant as they appeared on the surface.
At that moment, the class bell rang, its prolonged “ding-a-ling” echoing down the hallway, interrupting their conversation.
In the end, Xu Xing didn’t ask.
You’re going abroad; what about Xiong Huan?
In truth, even without asking, it was clear that the budding feelings of youth couldn’t compete with family decisions.
The two of them returned to the classroom, one in front and one behind.
Fu Dai looked at the girl in front with the ponytail, feeling a bittersweet pang in his heart. He had done everything to prepare at home, but upon returning to school and seeing Xiong Huan, he panicked. He didn’t know how to face her.
Noon.
Fu Dai treated his friends to lunch, announcing to his close friends that he would be going abroad. Ke Di, Zhou Mang, and Lu Che were his best friends and brothers in high school. Xu Xing was also there but had come along because Lu Che dragged him.
The table fell silent for a moment.
Ke Di was the first to break the silence: “Dude, so this is a farewell meal? Not even a five-star hotel dinner? You actually brought us to a small restaurant near the school!”
Fu Dai chuckled, “This place is full of beautiful memories from our three years of high school.”
As soon as Fu Dai said this, the others fell silent again.
Three years?
There wouldn’t be any more memories with Fu Dai in the last year.
Ke Di complained again, “For a rich kid, our memories can’t be this cheap! You need to reflect on yourself.”
Ke Di’s complaints diluted the bittersweet atmosphere.
Lu Che said, “Let’s keep in touch.”
Zhou Mang asked, “When are you leaving?”
Fu Dai replied, “I’m planning to leave after school this afternoon, go home tonight, and head to City A early tomorrow morning.”
Ke Di asked, “Have you told Xiong Huan about this?”
“…”
The atmosphere suddenly turned icy.
Fu Dai forced a smile, rubbing his face with his hands, muttering, “The thing I regret the most right now is why I bothered her in the first place.”
He had originally made up his mind to pursue Xiong Huan for a lifetime, but in the end, he was the one who broke his promise.
Xu Xing asked in confusion, “Isn’t it okay to have a long-distance relationship temporarily?”
Fu Dai shook his head but didn’t give a clear answer.
Ke Di joked, “You could pretend to cheat! She’ll forget you soon enough.”
But Fu Dai couldn’t joke about Xiong Huan; his expression darkened instantly: “Shut up! I just don’t want to affect her, and I definitely don’t want to hurt her.”
Xu Xing inwardly scorned Ke Di: This guy is really heartless. Although he heard Ke Di had a girlfriend, it clearly wasn’t true love, or he wouldn’t be without a red thread.
After finishing lunch, the group didn’t rush to leave and chatted about various things, lamenting how quickly time flew by. In the midst of their reminiscing, time slipped away hurriedly.
When Xu Xing and the others rushed back to school, the preparatory bell had already rung for a while, and the teacher had entered the classroom.
Fu Dai sat in his seat in a daze as the biology teacher at the podium resumed talking about cell division. Fu Dai grabbed his hair and suddenly turned to Lu Che.
“Ah Che.”
“Hmm?”
Lu Che supported his face and looked at him.
Fu Dai said, “Let me win a game of Gomoku.”
Lu Che replied, “…”
Fu Dai played several more rounds of Gomoku with Lu Che, flipping through loose-leaf paper, but he still hadn’t won a single game against Lu Che.
And every time Lu Che won a round, he would tell Fu Dai, “I’ll let you win the next one.”
Until the class bell rang, Fu Dai dropped his pen, saying, “Forget it, I’m done playing.”
Lu Che twirled the pen nonchalantly and said, “Then we’ll play again when you come back.”
Play again when you come back.
Let you win next time.
Fu Dai suddenly understood Lu Che’s meaning, and his frustration from repeated defeats lifted. Neither Fu Dai nor Lu Che were the kind of guys to openly express brotherly loyalty or sentiment, so he scratched his head and shifted the topic, “But speaking of which, can you finally show me who the person you like is?”
Lu Che had joked with them at the restaurant last time. Although Xu Xing, the only one who had seen Lu Che’s “photo” on his phone, claimed Lu Che was just messing with them and that there wasn’t a photo, Fu Dai still remembered this.
Lu Che said, “I’ll send you a photo once I win them over.”
Fu Dai was even more surprised to hear this: “You still haven’t won them over?”
Lu Che shrugged dismissively, “Aren’t you the same?”
Fu Dai: “…”
Fu Dai didn’t respond further.
In the last three classes, Fu Dai and Ke Di, usually the lively ones, were quiet all afternoon. Fu Dai used to count down to the class bell by looking at his watch; if the countdown hit zero just as the bell rang, he would feel quite proud. But now, he wished the class would never end.
The clock on the upper right corner of the blackboard ticked away.
17:50
The school bell rang punctually.
Xiong Huan, as usual, went to the cafeteria with her deskmate. She quickly tidied up the table, took out her meal card and a small packet of tissues from her bag, and when she stood up, her eyes unconsciously glanced toward the back row—Fu Dai was still sitting in his seat.
Xiong Huan lowered her eyes and stepped out of her seat, approaching Fu Dai along the aisle. Suddenly, her path was blocked by a figure. A sense of joy blossomed in Xiong Huan’s heart because the person blocking her was Fu Dai.
“You…”
Xiong Huan looked up at Fu Dai’s face, and the next moment, she was tightly enveloped in a warm, solid embrace.
The surrounding classmates were shocked by this sudden hug. Amidst their astonishment, several boys led the way in cheering, while the girls secretly laughed and whispered. Those rushing to the cafeteria slowed down, stopping to watch the scene unfold.
Xiong Huan’s fair cheeks turned bright red from embarrassment. She struggled to push Fu Dai away, but his strength was too great, making her struggles appear more like playful resistance.
Xiong Huan became anxious and, feeling humiliated, exclaimed, “Let go of me… Let me go! Fu Dai! If you don’t let go, I won’t pay attention to you anymore!”
After that last threatening remark, Xiong Huan felt Fu Dai’s body stiffen for a moment. However, he still did not release her.
Xiong Huan’s eyes brimmed with anger, glistening with tears, a mix of shame and irritation.
Fu Dai held her a moment longer, his cheek rubbing against her ponytail. He greedily inhaled her fragrance. This embrace was the closest they had ever been in the nearly year-long pursuit Fu Dai had made of Xiong Huan.
Fu Dai’s thin lips brushed against Xiong Huan’s ear, and feeling the heat radiating from her skin, he softly said to her, “It’s over; you really won’t pay attention to me anymore.”
After a moment, Fu Dai added, “But that’s okay…”
Xiong Huan didn’t understand what Fu Dai meant. Suddenly, his arms, which had been tightly wrapped around her, loosened, and after releasing her, he turned and walked away.
Xiong Huan stood frozen in place.
·
The classmates lingering around to watch had not yet dispersed. Xu Xing, the only one in the crowd who had been frowning throughout the whole scene, hurried after Fu Dai.
Just moments before, when Fu Dai had stood up and blocked Xiong Huan’s path, Xu Xing had felt an intense jolt of emotions, as if the red line in his heart had been severely stimulated and was shaking restlessly. And after Fu Dai released Xiong Huan, the once vivid red line seemed to constrict around his heart—just like the day Liu Peilian had felt the red line tightening around her neck.
Xu Xing didn’t have to run far before he caught up with Fu Dai, who was clearly struggling to walk. Xu Xing could see that this was because the red line behind him was pulling him back. Normally hanging down to the ground, the red line was now suspended in the air, appearing to wave at Xu Xing—more accurately, it was thrashing about as if seeking help.
“Fu Dai…”
Fu Dai halted, managing to regain control of his emotions before turning around.
The moment Xu Xing saw Fu Dai, his heart ached. He vaguely saw a glowing red outline representing Fu Dai’s heart emerging from his chest, and at that moment, the darkening red line was binding the heart tightly, fine threads embedding into it, painfully constricting it.
The red line extending beyond his heart still held a faint red glow, twisting as it reached out to Xu Xing for help, like a drowning person flailing at the surface.
Meanwhile, Fu Dai thought he had successfully tucked away his emotions that were on the brink of collapse, unaware of how pitiful his face appeared, full of unshed tears.
Xu Xing bit his lip and reached out to grasp the twisting red line, only to find it automatically wrapping around his wrist, pulling him toward the red line that bound Fu Dai’s heart.
Startled, Xu Xing instinctively tried to pull his hand back, but the line tightened around his wrist, and with just this tug, the wildly thrashing red line quieted down.
The red line binding Fu Dai’s heart gradually regained its vibrant color, transforming into a heart shape.
However, what followed—
That bright red heart shape resembled a glass vessel with a crack at the bottom; the red heart began to drain as the water level fell, the red line spilling out continuously.
Until the red line snapped from his body.
Xu Xing looked on in shock, witnessing Fu Dai before him cry uncontrollably.
Tears streamed down Fu Dai’s face.
Realizing what was happening, Fu Dai touched his cheek in confusion, saying, “Hey, why am I suddenly crying…”
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Lhaozi[Translator]
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