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A new week began, and Zhuang Zi’ang returned to school as usual.
He had lost noticeable weight, and a faint pallor lingered on his face.
“Son, what’s wrong? You don’t look well,” Li Huang Xuan immediately noticed something was off.
“I’m fine. The food at the training camp was awful, so I lost some weight,” Zhuang Zi’ang replied, using the excuse he had prepared long ago.
“Then I’ll treat you to something good for lunch to make up for it,” Li Huang Xuan said, slinging an arm around Zhuang Zi’ang’s shoulders.
From the front row, Lin Mu Shi turned around. “I’ll join you for lunch, too. No—actually, from now on, I’ll have lunch with Zhuang Zi’ang every day.”
Li Huang Xuan pouted. “What’s this got to do with you? My son has Xiao Yudie now and doesn’t care about you anymore.”
But Zhuang Zi’ang cut in, “Let Mu Shi join us.”
Li Huang Xuan was taken aback. “Since when did you two get so close again?”
Only Lin Mu Shi and Zhang Zhiyuan knew about Zhuang Zi’ang’s condition. Now, Zhuang Zi’ang found it easier to talk with Lin Mu Shi than anyone else.
As for Li Huang Xuan, he wasn’t ready to reveal the truth just yet.
During the break, while Zhuang Zi’ang stepped out to the restroom, Lin Mu Shi pulled Li Huang Xuan aside.
“Listen, don’t mention Xiao Yudie in front of him anymore.”
“Why?” Li Huang Xuan asked, confused. Then, as if realizing something, he asked, “Did they have a fight?”
Lin Mu Shi hesitated before replying vaguely, “Something like that. It’s like he’s going through a breakup—you know what that feels like, right?”
Li Huang Xuan scratched his head. “Never been in a relationship, so how would I know?”
“It feels like your heart is being torn apart. Just don’t make it worse for him.”
“How do you know this so well?” Li Huang Xuan asked suspiciously.
“If you care about him, just do what I say and don’t ask too many questions,” Lin Mu Shi said firmly.
Li Huang Xuan sighed. What a shame. How could Zhuang Zi’ang not cherish such a wonderful girl like Xiao Yudie? If it were him, he’d never let her go.
Returning to the classroom, Zhuang Zi’ang noticed that the red class flag had been restored to its place in the corner. It seemed that Xie Wen Yong had stepped up in his role while he was gone.
Zhuang Zi’ang smiled. Life went on, with or without him.
During the fourth period, it was time for the weekly class meeting, led by class leader Xie Wen Yong. Standing at the podium, he passionately summarized the past week’s progress.
“Thanks to everyone’s hard work, our class is improving day by day. But today, I want to give special thanks to one person.”
His gaze landed on Zhuang Zi’ang.
The classroom erupted into spontaneous applause.
“Zhuang Zi’ang, thank you for showing me that putting in effort brings true happiness,” Xie Wen Yong said earnestly.
“I used to see you as a rival, always wanting to beat you, which was childish of me. But I’ve realized there’s so much I can learn from you. Keep an eye on my work, alright?”
His words were heartfelt.
Zhuang Zi’ang felt a bit embarrassed and leaned over to whisper to Li Huang Xuan, “Has he lost his mind? Why’s he getting all sentimental today?”
Li Huang Xuan chuckled. “Last week, Old Zhang spent half a Chinese lesson talking about all the honors you’ve brought to the class, all the things you’ve done behind the scenes. It was like an awards ceremony.”
“I wasn’t even there, and it sounds more like a memorial service,” Zhuang Zi’ang joked.
“Hey, don’t jinx it,” Li Huang Xuan nudged him.
He completely missed the deeper meaning in Zhuang Zi’ang’s words.
“Zhuang Zi’ang, it’s great having you in our class!”
“I feel honored to be your classmate.”
“Yeah, I tell everyone the top student is my friend!”
“If it weren’t for Teacher Zhang, we wouldn’t have known how much you’ve done for us.”
Their words struck a chord in Zhuang Zi’ang’s heart. His eyes glistened with tears.
“Thank you… thank you, everyone.”
Old Zhang was really something.
I’m not even gone yet, and he’s already holding a tribute.
Just then, Zhang Zhiyuan entered the classroom, masking his emotions behind a forced smile.
“Teacher Zhang, what’s with the sentimental mood?” Zhuang Zi’ang asked.
Zhang Zhiyuan smiled. “The physics teacher mentioned you have an upcoming competition. Since you’ll be busy with training and might miss classes, if you win a gold medal and get direct admission, you might graduate early. Shouldn’t we celebrate?”
To avoid raising suspicion, Zhang Zhiyuan had to create an excuse for Zhuang Zi’ang’s absences.
It was a convenient cover story.
As a teacher, there was little else he could do for Zhuang Zi’ang, but at least he could ensure he felt the warmth of his class in these final days.
At noon, Lin Mu Shi followed Zhuang Zi’ang and Li Huang Xuan to the cafeteria. She insisted on using her meal card to pay for all three meals.
As they ate, Li Huang Xuan looked at them suspiciously. “What’s going on? Are you two hiding something from me?”
Having been Zhuang Zi’ang’s best friend for years, he knew his personality well. There was no way he would suddenly switch from Xiao Yudie to Lin Mu Shi.
From their behavior, they didn’t seem like a couple—just friends.
Lin Mu Shi tried to smooth things over. “I know I used to be a bit arrogant, but I’ve changed. You wouldn’t refuse to be friends with the school beauty, would you?”
Li Huang Xuan sighed. “I used to say some harsh things too. Don’t take them to heart.”
Seeing them reconcile, Zhuang Zi’ang felt a small sense of relief.
The next few days passed peacefully. Li Huang Xuan, carefree as ever, didn’t notice anything amiss. Only Lin Mu Shi saw the sorrow hidden behind Zhuang Zi’ang’s forced smiles.
He often stood in the corridor, gazing at the ginkgo tree in the northwest corner of the basketball court.
On the way back from the cafeteria, he lingered by the flowerbed, staring at the blooming hyacinths and wisteria.
More than once, he walked toward the stairs leading to the west campus, only to turn back in pain, unable to take another step forward.
That person had never left his heart.
He thought this week would pass quietly.
Until Friday at noon.
Zhuang Zi’ang, Li Huang Xuan, and Lin Mu Shi stepped out of the classroom. As they descended the stairs, Zhuang Zi’ang instinctively glanced toward the hyacinths—and froze in place.
Sitting in the flowerbed was the girl who haunted his dreams.
Dressed in a pristine white shirt and a sea-blue pleated skirt, she looked like an ethereal vision.
“Big dummy, I’m back!”
The reunion came so suddenly, so unexpectedly.