They had a relaxed summer vacation. When school started, Zhao Nanzhuo and Qianye went together to report to the school.

Qianye stepped into the best school in the city, and for the first time, she felt that the people here were different from all the classmates she had known before. It was clear to her now that intelligence, education, and grace could be perfectly combined in one person.

She remembered when she was very young, her mother used to say that if a girl was too beautiful, she wouldn’t be able to study. Girls shouldn’t learn all those messy things. As a result, she never learned much—her only joy was reading various kinds of novels.

But from the moment she entered this school, all her previous beliefs were overturned. A girl could be smart, beautiful, have impeccable grades, and also possess a beautiful singing voice and graceful dancing skills. So, life is unfair, and some things are destined to be this way. For example, the class’s cultural and sports committee member, Lin Manwei.

Qianye was assigned to Class 3, while Zhao Nanzhuo was in Class 4. During the seating arrangement, she was surprised to find that Zhou Ran was seated right in front of her. As soon as she sat down, Zhou Ran playfully winked at her.

Her story was just beginning. This year, she fell in love with someone and laid out all her best years in the tiniest details of him. Secretly, quietly, she kept it in her heart. This is the secret of most people.

We’ve all loved someone, and the secret is summarized in a few similar sentences. Yet, when we unfold it, the patterns and textures are different. Secrets make everyone different. For people like us who have no faith, isn’t it the love for someone that keeps us going?

It doesn’t have the thrilling stories of vengeance or grand romantic gestures, but her life was just ordinary. In reality, how could she have a story that stands out? There aren’t many real, irreversible endings in this story. Many people love someone they can’t have, or maybe they love them because they can’t have them. But who would truly be willing to pour all their heart into something, only to end up with a regret that doesn’t even count as beautiful? We think our love is earth-shattering, but in the eyes of others, it’s as thin as a one-person show.

Only we know that without that person, these years would have been just fleeting moments.

On the fifth day of school, Qianye received two sets of school uniforms. The sportswear was simple and elegant. Some girls complained about having to wear uniforms, but for Qianye, it was actually a good thing. This way, she didn’t have to think about what to wear every day, and she wouldn’t feel inferior because her clothes weren’t beautiful enough. Stripped of all superficial embellishments, she could focus more calmly on herself and her studies. Wrapped in the loose clothing, she felt a long-lost sense of security, as if there was no difference between herself and the people here. With her bright eyes and straight long hair, she slowly drifted through her long high school years, not stunningly beautiful, but with a subtle elegance.

On the first day of reporting, Qianye submitted various forms to the homeroom teacher. The teacher, seeing how well Qianye wrote, smiled and asked a few questions before asking her to help put up a bulletin board next to the basketball court. Qianye had a hard time finding it and borrowed a chalkboard eraser to try to clean the remnants of the previous board.

However, she couldn’t reach high enough, and the classroom was far from the playground, so even borrowing a chair was inconvenient. Qianye kept jumping, trying to reach. At this moment, a boy from a nearby class, who was taking PE class, suddenly ran over. In front of all the classmates, he took the chalkboard eraser from her and cleaned the spots she couldn’t reach. She watched his tall figure as his white shirt swayed in front of her eyes.

From that moment on, he became the only color in her entire youth. Amid the teasing voices of the classmates, Qianye forgot to say thank you, but her face turned red.