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From childhood to now, Zhuang Zi’ang had always been the model student, never skipping a class.
But at this moment, he felt a strong urge to escape the campus.
It was as if he wanted to break free from certain established constraints.
In the northwest corner of the basketball court, there was a low wall surrounded by dense trees.
Zhuang Zi’ang had seen students climb over it before.
Back then, he was the head of the disciplinary committee in the student council, wearing a red armband on his arm.
Now, he was about to engage in something utterly undisciplined and chaotic.
It felt somewhat absurd.
But it didn’t matter; the world was absurd enough as it was.
After circling a few trees, Zhuang Zi’ang realized he had underestimated the height of the wall.
To leap over it would be almost as difficult as a slam dunk.
The wall was smooth, without any handholds.
Forget it; he didn’t even know what he’d do once he got out.
Zhuang Zi’ang was about to give up and turn around when he heard a melody.
The tune was quite unique, with many twists and turns.
(The musical notation provided is likely a simplified representation of a melody and is not translatable directly. It should be retained as is to convey the feeling of a unique, unfamiliar tune.)
Zhuang Zi’ang was certain he had never heard it before.
“Are you trying to get out?” A clear voice sounded from nearby.
Zhuang Zi’ang was caught off guard and startled.
He looked closely and saw a girl leaning against a ginkgo tree.
The girl was very pretty, with an oval face, almond eyes, and an asymmetrical braid draped over her left shoulder.
She wore a pure white shirt paired with a sky-blue pleated skirt that fell to her calves and spotless white canvas shoes.
The most eye-catching feature was the blooming peach blossom tucked behind her ear.
Zhuang Zi’ang had thought Lin Mu Shi was beautiful.
Compared to this girl, however, Lin Mu Shi paled in comparison.
“Are you skipping class too?” Zhuang Zi’ang asked.
“Shh, keep your voice down,” the girl said, putting her index finger to her lips.
Her fingers were beautiful, slender, and long, like carved jade.
Her lips were small and rosy, like freshly picked strawberries.
“Hello, my name is Zhuang Zi’ang, from Class 9,” Zhuang Zi’ang introduced himself softly.
“Su Yudie, Class 23,” the girl replied.
Zhuang Zi’ang knew that there was only one grade level in the entire school district and only 22 classes in that grade.
The fact that she claimed to be from Class 23 likely meant she was wary of him and unwilling to reveal her true class.
She might even know him, the former head of the disciplinary committee.
Su Yudie looked at the high wall: “If you really want to get out, I can help you.”
Zhuang Zi’ang was delighted: “Really? How?”
“You squat down, and I’ll climb the wall using your shoulders, then I’ll pull you up,” Su Yudie said with a smile.
“You’re so small and slender; will you be able to pull me up?” Zhuang Zi’ang was a little worried.
“Don’t worry, I’m very strong,” Su Yudie flexed her arm, showing him her biceps.
“Okay, happy cooperation!” Zhuang Zi’ang immediately squatted down.
Su Yudie was afraid of dirtying Zhuang Zi’ang’s clothes, so she took off her canvas shoes, revealing her snow-white socks.
Then she tied the laces of her two shoes together and placed them on Zhuang Zi’ang’s shoulders.
“This is my pledge: you won’t have to worry that I won’t pull you up after I get over.”
Zhuang Zi’ang laughed: “No need, I trust you.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he felt the girl step onto his shoulders.
Her feet were soft, and she was very light.
“Is it okay? I’m going to stand up,” Zhuang Zi’ang asked.
“Okay,” Su Yudie replied.
Zhuang Zi’ang slowly stood up, positioning Su Yudie so she could reach the top of the wall.
At that moment, a mischievous thought suddenly popped into his head.
The girl on his shoulders was wearing a skirt.
If she were to look up…
Of course, this was just a fleeting thought; he didn’t do anything untoward.
Su Yudie, light as a swallow, climbed over the wall and then extended a delicate hand.
“Give me your hand.”
Zhuang Zi’ang reached out and grasped her hand.
Her hand was soft, delicate, and smooth-skinned.
This made Zhuang Zi’ang doubt whether she could actually pull him up.
It turned out he was overthinking.
Su Yudie truly was, as she claimed, very strong.
Zhuang Zi’ang, using her as leverage and pushing off the wall with one foot, easily climbed over the wall as well.
Looking back at the familiar campus, he felt a mixture of guilt and an unprecedented sense of joy.
“Help me put my shoes on,” Su Yudie extended her feet, clad in snow-white socks.
The wall was narrow, and she needed to use her hands to keep from falling, making it difficult to put on her shoes herself.
Zhuang Zi’ang had never helped a girl put on her shoes before; his heart was racing, and his breathing was a little heavy.
Holding her warm, delicate ankle, it took him considerable effort to put on her canvas shoes and tie a somewhat clumsy bow.
“Clumsy,” Su Yudie commented, then extended her other foot.
“You’re the clumsy one; I said you didn’t need to take your shoes off,” Zhuang Zi’ang mumbled.
With her shoes on, Su Yudie looked down at the ground: “It’s so high! I’m a little scared. You jump down first, and then catch me.”
Zhuang Zi’ang took out his phone and placed it in her palm: “This is my pledge; you won’t have to worry that I won’t catch you after I go down.”
“No need, I trust you,” Su Yudie smiled sweetly.
Zhuang Zi’ang took a deep breath, leaped down, and landed steadily on the ground.
Then he extended his arms, signaling for the girl to jump.
Su Yudie hesitated for a long time before finally summoning her courage and falling sideways.
Zhuang Zi’ang caught her in a princess carry.
The body in his arms was soft and fragrant.
The scene was like something straight out of a romantic drama.
Su Yudie looked up into Zhuang Zi’ang’s eyes, her pretty face flushed: “Put me down quickly.”
“Oh!” Zhuang Zi’ang quickly helped her stand steady.
Turning his head, he saw a familiar figure.
It was a man in his forties, wearing a brown leather jacket and carrying a silver thermos.
It was none other than his homeroom teacher, Zhang Zhiyuan.
This was unbelievably bad luck.
“Zhuang Zi’ang, what are you doing?”
Zhang Zhiyuan had witnessed Zhuang Zi’ang climbing over the wall, but he waited until he landed before speaking, afraid of startling him and causing him to twist his ankle.
If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn’t have believed that the best student in the class would actually climb over the wall to skip class.
“Who is he?” Su Yudie asked Zhuang Zi’ang with an innocent expression.
“Run!”
Zhuang Zi’ang grabbed Su Yudie’s hand and turned to run.
On the bustling street, they quickly wove through the crowds.
“Stop, you little rascal, stop right there!”
Zhang Zhiyuan chased them for half a mile, but eventually, his age caught up with him, and he gave up in exhaustion.
He panted heavily, leaning against a lamppost, opening his thermos, and taking a sip of goji berry tea.
“Teacher Zhang, I’ll write you a letter of apology tomorrow; let me indulge myself for today!”
Zhuang Zi’ang waved vigorously to Zhang Zhiyuan before disappearing into the crowd.
“Are you going to hold my hand forever?” Su Yudie blinked her bright eyes.
“Ah? Sorry.” Zhuang Zi’ang quickly released her hand.
Holding hands with such a pretty girl felt really good.
It was a shame it didn’t last long enough before she noticed.
Thanks for the assist, Old Zhang.