《Resisting Winter》 CH 1 By the time the evening study session was over, it was fully dark. CH 2 Through the flower garden, Bai Lu and Jiang Ru left the neighborhood. CH 3 The next day, Bai Lu and Jiang Ru both were informed to meet the head teacher. CH 4 Life is frankly different from the TV series. CH 5 The rain drenched her hair in a flash, a strand of bangs stuck at the corner of her eye, Bai Lu gently put it away. CH 6 As it turns out, Bai Lu completely underestimated the strength the cold. Forget about two days, persisting for ten days is a piece of cake for it. CH 7 Bai Lu and Xu Hui finally reached the wonton store. They went into the store and sat down. But when ordering, Bai Lu suddenly had a thought, What kind of wonton would she like to eat? A girl like Jiang Ru, who is slender, sensitive and naive ¡­¡­ what kind of wonton did she eat the day she ran into him? Before, when they went to the cafeteria together every day, Jiang Ru¡¯s meal size was very small. Even with the high load of academic life of Sixth Highschool, she could only eat up to two bowls of rice per meal. She likes to eat green vegetables, but can¡¯t tolerate spicy food. If she eats even a little spicy flavored food, her face will be completely red. ¡°Have you chosen yet?¡± Bai Lu looked up. Xu Hui sat across the table. His chin was resting on the hand resting on the table. The other hand was boringly tapping on the table. ¡°You¡¯ve been looking at it for half a day.¡± He said. The waiter standing next to her waiting also looked at her. Bai Lu returned to her senses and pointed to the menu and said, ¡°Sorry ¡­¡­ just, just the three fresh ones of these.¡± Service Arts students didn¡¯t have any classes on Saturday. So, the school was basically empty on weekends. Students were coming and going out in pairs, far less lively than weekdays. The wonton store had at most a five or six people scattered on the whole store. Xu Hui and Bai Lu sat on their seat. Xu Hui looked a little tired. He was looking out outside while waiting for the food to be served, but yawned several times in the meantime. ¡°Did not sleep well?¡± Bai Lu asked. Xu Hui said faintly, ¡°¡­¡­ no.¡± Bai Lu said softly, ¡°Is there something on your mind?¡± Xu Hui glanced at her, Bai Lu was sitting a little hunched over, because of her position, she appeared to be even smaller. He shook his head, changed the subject and said, ¡°Your home is also in this neighborhood?¡± Bai Lu: ¡°Well, I live in this neighborhood.¡± When the wontons were served, Xu Hui pulled out a pair of handy chopsticks from the chopstick tube next to him and took the vinegar bottle. After drawing two circles around the wontons, he finally stirred them with his chopsticks. The meal was quiet; Bai Lu was sick and had little appetite. Halfway through the meal, Xu Hui¡¯s cell phone rang. He kept his mouth shut and took out the phone with one hand to connect. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m out to dinner.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°When?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Not today ¡­¡­ and not tomorrow, I¡¯m going to sleep at home, the night after tomorrow.¡± At the end of the call, the tone of voice his became more and more impatient. ¡°I said no. Did you not understand? Love my foot. Don¡¯t wait for me and play on your own.¡± CH 8 They stood in the doorway for a while. CH 9 Sun Yuhe: ¡°Born in the same year, same month, same day?¡± CH 10 They ended up making an appointment on Saturday night at six. CH 11 Chapter 11 CH 12 Chapter 12 CH 13 13-17 minutes A minute passed after Xu Hui was defined as a fool by Bai Lu. Bai Lu could see he was too stunned to respond. He may have never called a fool by anyone and that¡¯s why he was so shocked. Finally he deflated like a balloon and hanged his head, humming twice he muttered, ¡°Stupid, I am stupid ¡­¡­¡± Bai Lu smelled the smell of alcohol coming from Xu Hui as he opened his mouth, he was still confused and pretty much drunk. Xu Hui backed up, sat on the sofa, before laying down. His face was blank, as if he still couldn¡¯t overcome the shock. Because the sofa was small in proportion to him, who was tall and had long arms and legs, he had to curl up a little to properly nestle on the sofa. He lied down with his back facing Bai Lu, seemingly angry with her for calling him stupid but actually, he was sleepy. Bai Lu held the chopsticks given by Xu Hui in her hand, looked at him and asked, ¡°Xu Hui, are you tired?¡± Xu Hui did not move. Bai Lu sat for a while but found that he still did not move. So, she slowly stood up, came to his side, bent down and asked again, ¡°Xu Hui, are you tired?¡± Bai Lu could see, although he was sleepy, he wasn¡¯t sleeping. He was blankly staring at the sofa. The sofa was black in colour so his white face looked paler than before lying on the sofa. Seeing him not responding, Bai Lu pursed her lips and whispered, ¡°Then I¡¯ll leaving¡­¡­¡± Done saying, she took her bag, turned around and prepared to leave. She just took a step when a hand pulled her wrist and tugged backwards. ¡°Hey ¡­¡­¡± Bai Lu¡¯s footing became unstable because of the sudden tugging. She wanted to hold something to stabilise her footing but there was particularly nothing around her to hold, except the sashimi boat. But if she held it, it would fall and the food would be wasted. Because of her moment ¡®s hesitation, she tripped and fell on the edge of the sofa. Sitting on the floor, Bai Lu¡¯s face scrunched together. ¡°Xu Hui!¡± She broke free from Xu Hui¡¯s hand and covered her butt, rubbing it a little before hitting him on the shoulder. ¡°You really know how to rile me up.¡± Xu Hui turned around and gave her a lazy look. Bai Lu suddenly realized that they were very close. Bai Lu quickly stepped back but Xu Hui grabbed her shoulder and pulled her to him without much effort. Bai Lu started struggling but to no avail. ¡°Are you trying to run from me?¡± Xu Hui whispered with his mouth on Bai Lu¡¯s ear, his hot breath tickling on her ears making her neck shrunk and her face burned. Xu Hui¡¯s one hand was wrapped around her waist while the other was holding her shoulder. He gave her a squeeze and couldn¡¯t help but whisper, ¡± Your shoulders and waist are so thin ¡­¡­ Are you made of paper?¡± With great effort, Bai Lu took his hand off of her, stood up from the floor and went back to sit on the place she sat before. Xu Hui was like a rested animal. He rolled over to face Bai Lu, rested his head on the cushions and stared at her. Compared to flustered Bai Lu, Xu Hui¡¯s posture was relaxed. His gaze at her was as normal as usual, as if looking at an acquaintance. Bai Lu held the chopsticks and said a little stiffly, ¡°Are you going to eat? Because I¡¯m going to leave after I finish eating.¡± Xu Hui sighed helplessly, slowly got up and sat on the sofa before picking up a pair of chopsticks. ¡°Are you in a hurry to leave?¡± Bai Lu said, ¡°I have something else to do tonight.¡± Xu Hui chucked a piece of sashimi into his mouth, ¡°You always have something to do.¡± Bai Lu: ¡°I have to go to my part-time job.¡± ¡°What do your parents do?¡± ¡°They are¡­¡­ ordinary workers. I do a part-time job because I want to help them.¡± Xu Hui asked naturally, ¡°Are you lacking money?¡± Bai Lu did not even think about it and shook her head. Seeing her reaction, Xu Hui curiously asked, ¡°If you aren¡¯t in need of money, why do you want to help them?¡± Bai Lu looked at him silently. Xu Hui put down his chopsticks and met her gaze without avoiding, as if waiting for her to say something. Bai Lu¡¯s gaze was tranquil, no extra expression could be seen on her face. She looked in his eyes and spoke calmly. ¡°I have a sister who was injured some days ago and had an operation.¡± Xu Hui ¡®oh¡¯ed and asked again, ¡°Was she sick? So you are helping your parents for her treatment?¡± Bai Lu lowered her head and said softly almost inaudibly, as if muttering to herself, ¡°She could be called sick, right?¡± ¡°What do you mean, ¡®could be called¡¯?¡± Bai Lu didn¡¯t answer him. She silently picked up a piece of sashimi and put it in her mouth. Xu Hui stared at her face and said after a long time, with a bit of disgust and irritation, ¡°You are slow both in eating and talking.¡± Bai Lu ignored his sarcastic remarks, swallowed the last bite of sashimi and said, ¡°I have to go now.¡± Xu Hui frowned and looked at the time, ¡°So soon? What time is it?¡± Bai Lu looked at her phone and replied, ¡°It¡¯s past nine o¡¯clock.¡± Xu Hui opened his mouth to say something but shook his head, ¡°Forget it, you can go.¡± After receiving permission to leave from him, Bai Lu said, ¡°Thank you for treating me to something to eat.¡± Xu Hui shrugged his shoulders carelessly. Xu Hui followed Bai Lu to the door and watched her put on her shoe. After pondering for a moment, he asked, ¡°Should I see you off?¡± ¡°No need.¡± Bai Lu glanced at Xu Hui before leaving. He was still leaning lazily against the door with his arms crossed in front of his chest. Bai Lu vaguely felt that he had something to ask her but they ended up saying nothing to either of them. While walking on the way back to her school, Bai Lu thought to herself, he must have remembered. Remember that day he drank too much in the middle of the night, called her, told her those fragmented words, kept mumbling incoherent words and finally cried himself to sleep. But neither of them ever mentioned it, which was surprising for Bai Lu. Bai Lu felt that from that meal onwards, the interactions between her and Xu Hui would go to a different path. And her presumption became correct. Xu Hui rarely sought her out anymore after that night, and she also no longer tediously designed patterns every week to fool him. It was as if the initial newness of meeting someone had passed and they both began to fade from each others¡¯ mind. But they were still in contact. Occasionally some nights, Xu Hui would send her perfunctory messages when Bai Lu was studying, or lying in bed after showering. He would ask her about trivial things like, what she was doing and if she was busy with her part-time job. The text messages would always come with no end in sight, untill she replies. Time passed this way and soon it was September. A new year started and the school officially opened. ¡°Looking at the freshmen students, I always feel old.¡± The senior students sighed and lamented. The weather became hotter too. There were very few students in the afternoon gym class. Everyone would rather stay in their dormitory room and roll on the bed than go out in the sun. A few girls went to the canteen to buy a cold drink. They were laughing and chatting while coming back to the classroom. Their voices were low because there were many students sleeping in the classroom. Bai Lu was one of them. She studied and did some important things past midnight yesterday night, and because of this, she was unsurprisingly tired and sleepy today. The the table was not comfortable, so Bai Lu¡¯s sleep was pretty light. She could hear someone talking around herself. ¡°I have go ¡­¡­? And ask¡­¡­¡± ¡°Will you ever get such a chance?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t say anything now, you¡¯ll have to leave without telling her¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­ Don¡¯t you push me!¡± ¡°Hey ¡­¡­¡± Bai Lu slowly opened her eyes. She swept her sleepy eyes around, just in time to see Li Siyi pushing Wu Hanwen. Both of them abruptly stopped before her table and began to cough, their eyes darting everywhere. Wu Hanwen invisibly glared at Li Siyi, who ignored it and pushed him Wu towards Bai Lu, then went back to his seat, lowered his head and started reading a book. Bai Lu looked at Wu Hanwen, ¡°You have something to say to me?¡± Wu Hanwen¡¯s face was so hot that his forehead was sweating. Bai Lu wasn¡¯t paying attention to him. She was thinking dumbly in her head that perhaps people who study well have large, wide and white forehead, just like Wu Hanwen¡¯s. Wu Hanwen had just calmed down when he noticed Bai Lu staring at his head and subconsciously went to touch his own small bangs. ¡°This, this ¡­¡­¡± Bai Lu looked into his eyes. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Nothing ¡­¡­,¡± Wu Hanwen put down his hand and went back his seat to read the test book on the desk. The book completely covering his burning face. Bai Lu thought about it and asked softly, ¡°It¡¯s the sixth September, you¡¯re going to the competition tomorrow, right¡± Wu Hanwen¡¯s shoulders flinched, he put down the book and asked, ¡°You remember?¡± Bai Lu nodded, her sleepiness did not fully pass so she could not help but yawn. ¡°Good luck.¡± Wu Hanwen smiled, happy that he got what he wanted. Bai Lu asked again, ¡°Where¡¯s the competition?¡± ¡°The province¡¯s unified examination center, I¡¯ve already been there once.¡± Bai Lu humed and joked, ¡°Tsinghua and Peking University are beckoning you.¡± Wu Hanwen: ¡°It is not fair to put pressure on me at this time.¡± Bai Lu: ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have distractions in your mind before the exam.¡± Wu Hanwen scratched his head, ¡°That ¡­¡­¡± his fingertips played with the test paper and draw circles on the surface . ¡°That, at night ¡­¡­¡± Bai Lu waited for him to finish. ¡°That ¡­¡­¡± Li Siyi couldn¡¯t bear it anymore and slapped the table while shouting. ¡°The President is inviting you to dinner at night! He is going to a big battle, can you please come as a deskmate?¡± Wu Hanwen was stunned. He slowly turned around with a glare. Li Siyi ignored the murderous gaze at him and stared at Bai Lu, his small eyes opened to its fullest. ¡°Yes or no, give me a break!¡± Wu Hanwen exploded: ¡°What the hell are you talking about! Are you¨C¡± ¡± Okay.¡± Bai Lu replied. Only then did Li Siyi turned his gaze to Wu Hanwen and raised his eyebrows triumphantly. Bai Lu said, ¡°What do you want to eat? I¡¯ll treat you, you helped me so much in my studies before, and I haven¡¯t thanked you properly.¡± Wu Hanwen said generously but a little embarrassedly, ¡°Students should help each other. No need for you to treat me, let¡¯s just eat in the canteen, I just want you to cheer for me.¡± Bai Lu nodded, thought of something and said, ¡°But you have wait for me, I have to deliver something to someone after school.¡± Wu Hanwen asked, ¡°To whom?¡± ¡°Someone¡¯s birthday today, I¡¯m sending a birthday present.¡± ¡°Who is it?¡± Bai Lu smiled, ¡°You don¡¯t know.¡± Wu Hanwen nodded indistinctly, ¡°¡­¡­ Ok, then I¡¯ll wait for you in the cafeteria after school.¡± September 6, his birthday. Bai Lu came to Xu Hui¡¯s house after school with her bag on her shoulder and a paper bag in hand. She didn¡¯t knock on the door, she knew there was no one inside. Xu Hui was going to have a party with his friends and had invited her before, but Bai Lu said she had something to do in the evening and would not come. She could still remember the cold tone of his voice when he hung up the phone. In her hand were the things she had prepared at the night before. She took the things out from the paper bag, gently placed them on the doorway, and turned to leave. Xu Hui was indeed outside. Today his friends were treating him. Before the afternoon, they skipped classes, dragged him to a KTV room that they booked before and started partying crazily. Xu Hui, as the birthday boy, was drunk heavily and fell asleep in the sofa. At night, Xu Hui opened his eyes. Xiao Ye was leaning on top of him, while screaming and watching the boys playing cards, not noticing that Xu Hui was awake. Only when he sat up did Xiao Ye react. ¡°Ah Hui you¡¯re awake!¡± The sound in the room was already too loud. Hearing Xiao Ye¡¯s loud voice yelling so loudly, Xu Hui¡¯s head hurt even more. ¡°Do you want something to eat!?¡± Xu Hui shook his head, he wanted to smoke a cigarette. He sleepily started groping the table for the packet when his shoulder was poked. Xu Hui turned his head and saw it was Sun Yuhe who called him, holding a pack of cigarettes. ¡°Want to smoke?¡± Xu Hui nodded his head. After coming out of the private room, Xu Hui felt alive again. ¡°It¡¯s too stuffy in the room.¡± Sun Yuhe handed Xu Hui a cigarette and said. Xu Hui lit the cigarette, took a drag, and asked, ¡°What time is it?¡± Once he opened his mouth, his voice was so hoarse that he couldn¡¯t even recognize himself. ¡°Pretty early, it¡¯s only after nine.¡± Xu Hui rubbed his temples, his shoulders were sore and swollen. ¡°Oh, right.¡± Sun Yuhe flicked the cigarette ash to the ground and asked, ¡°You said you knew a girl who was born as the same day as you, how come you didn¡¯t call her?¡± ¡°Humph.¡± Xu Hui did not know what came to mind, snorted with a cold face before shaking his head. Sun Yuhe was a little dumbfounded seeing his reaction and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± After smoking a cigarette, Xu Hui pulled out his money-bag from his back pants pocket and drew a card out. Sun Yuhe saw it and waved his hand, ¡°Don¡¯t bother. You are the birthday boy today, we guys are treating you to dinner.¡± Xu Hui gave the card to Sun Yuhe as if he didn¡¯t hear him and said, ¡°My treat.¡± Sun Yuhe quietly looked at Xu Hui, knowing that he(Sun Yuhe) couldn¡¯t win against him(Xu Hui), he(Sun Yuhe) let out sigh and took the card, ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°I¡¯m leaving now, you guys play.¡± Sun Yuhe: ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to say them goodbye?¡± ¡°No.¡± After saying that, Xu Hui turned around and walked out. Sun Yuhe stood in the same place, watching his distant back. Xu Hui does not even have a bag, wherever he goes, he only brings his money-bag with him in his jeans¡¯ pocket. He walked slightly unsteadily, but because of his tall figure, it wasn¡¯t too obvious. But when he(Sun Yuhe) looked at him, he(Sun Yuhe) couldn¡¯t help the illusion of a single figure walking on the road, alone. CH 14 Bai Lu was having dinner. CH 15 14-18 minutes ¡°Let¡¯s make an appointment.¡± Sun Yuhe suggested. Xu Hui nestled in the sofa and did not move. Seeing him not answering, Sun Yuhe nudged him, ¡°Well? Let¡¯s make an appointment.¡± Xu Hui buried his face in the cushions, Sun Yuhe was puzzled. He couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°What happened?¡± Sun Yuhe nudged and pushed Xu Hui for a long time but he still didn¡¯t move. Sun Yuhe also got a little impatient. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to say anything, I¡¯m leaving. It¡¯s past midnight. What would we two grown up men could do? Love each other?¡± Sun Yuhe stood up and took few steps forward, but when he peeked back, he found that Xu Hui was still lying on the sofa. His face buried in the cushion and body unmoving. Sun Yuhe hesitated a little, and walked back. ¡°Hey.¡± Touching Xu Hui¡¯s shoulder, Sun Yuhe asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Xu Hui slowly shook his head, sat up on the sofa, and took a cigarette. ¡°Forget it.¡±(Xu Hui) Xu Hui lit the cigarette after a few seconds of waiting. The fire from the lighter reflecting on his expressionless face. ¡°You are no fun ¡­¡­¡±(Sun Yuhe) After throwing the lighter on the table, Xu Hui leaned back on the sofa. His face still expressionless and cold. Who knew what he was thinking for having such expression. Sun Yuhe sat beside him and said, ¡°Don¡¯t do that again.¡± Xu Hui turned his head and asked, ¡°Do what?¡± Sun Yuhe stared at him for a few seconds, then shrugged, ¡°If you want to forget it, forget it then. I was just thinking about helping you.¡± Xu Hui sneered, ¡°I need your help for chasing a woman?¡± Sun Yuhe: ¡°Then you do it yourself.¡± Xu Hui turned his head back, staring at the corner of the coffee table in the dark. Being a little impatient, Sun Yuhe said again, ¡°Can you stop squirming?¡± Xu Hui: ¡°I didn¡¯t squirm. When did I?¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s decided.¡± Sun Yuhe clapped his hands and said with certainty, ¡°You call her out tomorrow or any day you think is right. Let me meet her. By the way, which school is she from?¡± Xu Hui shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Sun Yuhe asked a few more questions about Bai Lu but each time Xu Hui shook his head. Only then did Sun Yuhe realized that Xu Hui knew nothing about this girl except her name and cell phone number. Sun Yuhe suggested again, ¡°As I¡¯ve said before, you call her out. I¡¯ll also call Huizi. We can have some fun together.¡± Xu Hui listened and said, ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you bring Huizi out for a long time.¡± Huizi¡¯s real name is Chen Hui. She was Sun Yuhe¡¯s girlfriend, childhood sweetheart actually. They grew up together. Chen Hui is a year older than Sun Yuhe and worked in a restaurant. ¡°She¡¯s busy with work.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ really? fuck.¡± Xu Hui could not help but curse and muttered, ¡°a group of women, busy with work¡­¡­¡± ¡°What? She is also busy?¡± Sun Yuhe asked, ¡°What¡¯s her name again?¡± Xu Hui replied blankly, ¡°Bai Lu. Bai from white and Lu from Egret. Like ¡®A flock of egrets in the sky¡¯.¡± Sun Yuhe nodded understandingly before asking, ¡°How about my suggestion? I also haven¡¯t gone out with Huizi for a long time. It would be like having a double date.¡± Xu Hui was silent. But Sun Yuhe knew his silence means agreement so he got up and said, ¡°Then make an appointment with her, just let me know what time you choosed, and I¡¯ll ask Huizi if she is free.¡± After standing for a while and not listening his reply, Sun Yuhe couldn¡¯t help but probe,¡±Did you hear what I just said?¡± Xu Hui gave a soft ¡®Mmm¡¯. Sun Yuhe just shook his perfunctory reply and left Xu Hui with his own tangled thoughts. ****** After the official start of school, the counting board of the college entrance examination on the wall looked even creepier. The red marking made every student who saw it shudder in fear. As if they aren¡¯t going to exam but war. ¡°I told you not to write the numbers with a red pen.¡± Li Siyi said, ¡°It looks bloody every time I see it.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. The purpose of marking is to let the students see how much time is left and how is their preparation.¡± Wu Hanwen said like an old teacher. ¡°Hey, your lines ah, just like Mr. Bao.¡± Li Siyi patted Wu Hanwen¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°My buddy still wants to rise higher, what can I say.¡± Wu Hanwen finished the competition normally and looked as if he had returned winning a war triumphantly. The teacher came to ask if he had answered all the questions and was nervous. Wu Hanwen said he wasn¡¯t nervous at all and had answered well in the competition. He was also in a more relaxed mood and no longer ran to the library 800 times a day like he did before. For the last week or so, he had been walking around the campus idly with a thick English book every day. He even went downstairs to play basketball with the boys in his gym class. The only problem was that he wasn¡¯t good at sports. Wu Hanwen wiped the sweat on his forehead and threw the ball to his classmates, ¡°You guys play. My body can¡¯t stand anymore.¡± ¡°So, God is still fair.¡± Li Siyi, who was sitting on the side under a shade said sarcastically, ¡°God gave you a flexible brain, so he didn¡¯t give you coordinated limbs.¡± Wu Hanwen¡¯s physical strength was really poorer than boys in his class. He just played a little and was tired as hell, as he he had ran a thousand meters marathon. Wu Hanwen slumped beside Li Siyi and said while huffing, ¡°Stop your mouth for me ah ¡­¡­¡± Li Siyi handed him a bottle of water and said, ¡°Teacher Bao asked you to help him fill the form of sports day, did you do it?¡± Wu Hanwen looked at him and asked, ¡°Why? You want to register your name under any sports?¡± ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± Li Siyi slapped Wu Hanwen on the back and said, ¡°Although our relationship is as strong as iron, but as the saying goes, ¡®You should help your friend in need¡¯. Forget about registering, I am planning to not come to the school on the Sports day, let alone participate.¡± Wu Hanwen laughed and said, ¡°No, you can¡¯t do that. There are few boys in our class, and girls rarely take the initiative to sign up. So you¡¯ll have to come and participate in the sports when your turn comes.¡± Li Siyi let out a loud cry but his cry stopped midway. He pushed Wu Hanwen¡¯s arm, and nudged his chin in one direction. Bai Lu was sitting under the flag-raising platform. Her knees were together, her head resting on them. Who knew what she was thinking about so deeply. ¡°Why is she alone all the time?¡± Li Siyi couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°I haven¡¯t seen her hanging out with other girls.¡± Wu Hanwen looked at Bai Lu and said, ¡°She used to be close to Jiang Ru, and now that Jiang Ru is gone, she talks even less than before.¡± When Jiang Ru was mentioned, Li Siyi couldn¡¯t help but sigh. ¡°Silly girl ah, she is really a silly girl.¡± While Li Siyi was clicking his tongue and shaking his head about Jiang Ru¡¯s misfortune, the person beside him stood up. Bai Lu was looking at her phone in a daze. She was looking at the text message that Xu Hui had sent. She was contemplating what should she reply when a shadow fell on her. Bai Lu quickly put her phone away and raised her head. It was Wu Hanwen. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Wu Hanwen came to her side and asked. ¡°Nothing.¡± Bai Lu replied. Wu Hanwen pointed at her hand and said, ¡°I saw you playing on the phone. Don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t found out.¡± Bai Lu tilted her head and asked in a mocking tone, ¡°Are you a disciplinary member now?¡± Wu Hanwen said in a serious manner,: ¡°Senior students purposes are to study, study and only study. I am the Study Committee President and I have the responsibility of paying attention to students¡¯ study and see if they are using their time properly or not.¡± Bai Lu couldn¡¯t help but smile hearing his words. The wind blew gently, fluttering their hair along it. ¡°I¡¯m going back to class.¡± Bai Lu looked at him and said, ¡°It¡¯s getting cold.¡± Before Wu Hanwen could say anything in response, Bai Lu stood up and walked away. She took a few steps in the direction of the school building before standing still and turning back to Wu Hanwen, ¡°Is it okay if I don¡¯t participate in any sports in the Sports Day?¡± Listening her soft voice and seeing her body glowing in the sun, Wu Hanwen froze and subconsciously nodded his head. ¡°Can ah ¡­¡­¡± Bai Lu thanked him and walked towards the school building. ¡°It¡¯s true that women are flowers at the tip of heats and friends are road-side dogs.¡± Li Siyi appeared out of nowhere, and together with Wu Hanwen, he looked at the direction where Bai Lu disappeared and lamented. Wu Hanwen returned to his senses and pushed him. Li Siyi also took this chance to vent his anger of not letting him taking the Sports Day off. The two pushed each other and laughed together. The P.E. class was still not over. Bai Lu went into an empty classroom on the second floor. Xu Hui sent messages for the third time. Bai Lu could feel how impatient he was from the message. ¡°Are you coming or not, can you say it clearly?¡± Bai Lu finally replied with a sentence. ¡°OK, but date has to be twenty-ninth of this month.¡± Xu Hui replied, ¡°Can you answer the phone?¡± Bai Lu closed the classroom door behind her. Just in time, Xu Hui¡¯s phone call came in. ¡°Why twenty-nine?¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t have any day off before that.¡± Xu Hui was quiet for a while. Bai Lu listened the sound coming from the phone. It seemed he had lit a cigarette. ¡°Why are you so busy all day long? Are you the president of the country?¡± Although he couldn¡¯t see, Bai Lu instinctly shook her head and replied, ¡°No. Just busy with work.¡± Xu Hui humed and asked, ¡°Are you sure you can come at 29?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Ok. I will tell you the place once the time comes.¡± After saying each other goodbye, they both hung up the phone. Bai Lu raised her head. The classroom window was not closed, she could hear the sound of laughter of the students playing in the ground. Their voice sounded a little distant because of the distance and her hazy mind. Everything became far away, further than the afternoon sun. Bai Lu sat by herself in the room until the bell rang. Wu Hanwen was true to his word. He didn¡¯t put Bai Lu¡¯s name under any sport. Three days before the Sports Day, Wu Hanwen posted the registration form for the sports on the class blackboard. The next day at school, who knew which guy took advantage of the inattention of the students and wrote the word ¡°Be¡± in front of the registration form, which made the whole class laugh. ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± The teacher also showed a rare smile and asked, ¡°then this ¡®be registered for the sports¡¯ you have all seen it?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Take care of your own items, collect your numbers when the time comes. The class president will set up the stage of our class.¡± The sports meeting didn¡¯t end until the eleventh of the month. The school did not dare to open the school on the National Day. Because the school was closed on that day, the senior students could take three days off. That was the only ¡°long vacation¡± for the students in the year. Having such a rare vacation, the students couldn¡¯t hide their excitement. The whole school was also abuzz with excitement. Li Siyi was unlucky enough to be registered to the men¡¯s 3000 meters race. Seeing his name under such bone wrecking sport, he gave Wu Hanwen a good beating while crying like a baby. Wu Hanwen avoided his clutches and said, ¡°I can¡¯t help it. I was only fair. You are not the only one who got such extreme sports.¡± ¡°Bah! Fair?¡± Li Siyi bared his teeth, ¡°Then how come someone didn¡¯t get a share, huh?¡± Bai Lu happened to be out of the classroom, so Wu Hanwen said openly, ¡°There are many girls who didn¡¯t registered for the sports. It won¡¯t be a problem if she didn¡¯t signed up.¡± Li Siyi was suspicious and asked,¡±Didn¡¯t you say girls rarely signs up for sports? How come teacher didn¡¯t say anything now?¡± ¡°Because girls are soft ah. Their physique isn¡¯t par with us.¡± Li Siyi narrowed his eyes in suspicious before letting out a sigh, ¡°You really know how to argue with logical words. Where did you find such words and say it? Teach me. I also want to beat you with your own medicine and show how bitter it tastes.¡± Bai Lu returned from the bathroom, Wu Hanwen turned his head to read the book again, pretending it wasn¡¯t them who just talked about her a moment ago. The day before the Sports Day, the class president led the students to set up the tracks and field for the sports. The senior class had already participated in the games twice and so they were far less interested in the competition than they were in the vacation. School ended early in the afternoon and the whole building was immersed in a festive atmosphere. The teachers, who usually forbids students not to run around, also let the students run and jump in the corridor at that time. Bai Lu packed up her things and was ready to go. ¡°Hey!¡± Hearing Wu Hanwen¡¯s voice, Bai Lu turned back. She saw him holding a pile of ribbons and waving at her. When Bai Lu walked to him, he gave her the head of a ribbon and asked, ¡°Can you help me a little?¡± Bai Lu took the ribbons and helped him put the them in order. Wu Hanwen looked up while tying the ribbons and asked, ¡°What time will you come tomorrow?¡± Bai Lu¡¯s hand inadvertently paused, before she went back untangling the ribbons. ¡°You haven¡¯t registered under any sports, how about coming here and distributing the leaflets?¡± Wu Hanwen looked at Bai Lu with a smile and said, ¡°Help me and I¡¯ll give you free chocolate to eat then.¡± Bai Lu asked in surprise, ¡°You guys bought chocolates?¡± ¡°Well, we bought it from the class fee, and drinks too, for the athletes to replenish their energy.¡± ¡°Athletes ¡­¡­¡± Bai Lu¡¯s smiled hearing such words to describe the students who participated in the sports from him. Wu Hanwen also smiled and said, ¡°Li Siyi said, walking down the track is also called finishing the game. So, those who participated in the games could be called athletes.¡± After helping him organizing the ribbons, Bai Lu said goodbye to Wu Hanwen and went away with her school bag on her shoulders. Wu Hanwen suddenly remembered that she still hadn¡¯t told him what time she would arrive at school the next day. But she was already gone and there was no chance of asking again. Bai Lu went to her home after school. She left early last time so she thought she should take the chance to pass some time with her parents. The next day, Bai Lu walked from home to school. Her mother packed a small lunch box with homemade food and melons for her before she left. Bai Lu took the bus and went to the commercial pedestrian street located in the city center. The green tiles of the pedestrian street was glistening with a thin layer of mist. The sole of her rubber shoes stepped on the slightly slippery road. Because it was early in the morning, there were few people on the pedestrian street. There was a small fountain beside the road. The crystal clear water of the fountain was reflecting the early morning sun and blue sky. Next to the fountain was a tall and old acacia tree. Bai Lu arrived there and saw Xu Hui was standing under the tree. He was wearing a black hoodie, jeans, and light-colored board shoes. Both of his hands were stuffed inside his jeans¡¯ pocket. He stood quietly under the tree without his bag, but his back was slightly bent. His gaze looking at the air blankly. His side profile was just like that day when she saw him drenched in rain. CH 16 It was a bit cloudy that day since Autumn had just started. The weather has turned slightly cooler, especially in the early morning. CH 17 Xu Hui got angry. CH 18 Bai Lu sat on the bench with her head down in a daze. CH 19 The rain outside the window was falling heavily. The pendulum of the clock was swinging on the wall. Left and right, left and right. Thin fingertips tapped the table continuously. The book on the table was blown by the wind. But the owner didn¡¯t pay attention to it. Bai Lu¡¯s Mom came inside and closed the window. ¡°It¡¯s raining. Why didn¡¯t you close the window? What if the rain comes in?¡± Bai Lu propped herself up from the desk and yawned. Her mom looked at her sleepy eyes and said, ¡°Are you sleepy? Don¡¯t study anymore, go to sleep.¡± Bai Lu shook her head,¡±Not sleepy.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t even open your eyes, and still saying you¡¯re not sleepy?¡± Her Mom shook her head and took it upon herself to put away the books on the table, ¡°You don¡¯t have to study so much on vacation.¡± Bai Lu said a little sarcastically: ¡°Other parents are guarding their children to study.¡± Bai Lu¡¯s Mom smiled thoughtfully and stroked her head while saying, ¡°Learning is good but it¡¯s not as important as the body. You need to take care of the body, otherwise. ¡­¡­ Hey, what is this?¡± The small black box caught her eyes and she reached out to take it. ¡°Yo, a necklace, very nice.¡± There was a mirror on the table. Bai Lu¡¯s Mom took the locket and compared it to her own neck. Both mother and daughter had white skin, and the silver chain looked extraordinarily delicate when wore in their neck. ¡°Did you bought it?¡± Bai Lu didn¡¯t answer, her mom took her silence as her answer. ¡°Good. You study so hard. It¡¯s good to buy something and reward yourself a little.¡± She put down the locket and advised, ¡°Okay, now go to sleep. You have to return to school tomorrow.¡± Tomorrow was October 3rd and school would start the day after tomorrow. But Bai Lu, as a dormitory student had to return to the school a day early to organise her things. Bai Lu lied down in her bed at her Mom¡¯s urging. Her Mom helped her cover her with the blanket. After turning off the light, her Mom left the room. The moment her Mom left, Bai Lu¡¯s cell phone vibrated. It was a text message from Xu Hui. He also sent a photo. In the picture, he was standing at the riverside, the river flooded with small waves. A house could be seen behind him. He was leaning on the stone fence of the house, wearing a T-shirt and jeans. The corner of his shirt were blown up by the wind. His hair a little messy for being tousled by the wind. A girl was standing beside him, smiling widely and hugging his waist. In the cool weather of autumn, she wore an ultra-short pants, revealing a pair of snow-white long legs. Bai Lu changed her position while keeping her eyes on the phone and laid with her head on the side. He had sent her many pictures like this, starting yesterday. During the holiday, Xu Hui went out with his friends to play on the riverside villa his family owned. He had asked Bai Lu to join him on the vacation, but Bai Lu did not agree. That¡¯s when he started to send pictures like this. Xu Hui¡¯s way of expressing his dissatisfaction was always very blunt. Bai Lu could clearly understood his motive for sending his pictures with other girls. He was trying to rile her up. But he had underestimated Bai Lu¡¯s calm nature. Bai Lu typed: ¡°Have you eaten?¡± A call came from him rather than a reply. Xu Hui was too lazy to send a text message. ¡°Hello?¡±(Xu Hui) ¡°Um ¡­¡­¡±(Bai Lu) ¡°Why are you whispering in such a low voice? Are you doing anything bad?¡± ¡°No, everyone is asleep.¡± The sound of strong wind blowing on the other side could be heard through the phone. Xu Hui¡¯s voice sounded distant than usual because of it. She heard the rippling sounds of the river waves, the leaves rustling, and also the bright laughter of girls not far away. CH 20 Xu Hui slowly quieted down. His breathing and anger, both became like a puddle of water. As if the one who was agitated wasn¡¯t him. CH 21 The night was quiet and the neighborhood was even quieter. There wasn¡¯t much people on the street, occasionally few cars passed by. CH 22 Bai Lu¡¯s memory was jumbled. CH 23 There was a lot of noise in the room. CH 24 Sun Yuhe was worthy of being Xu Hui¡¯s best friend of many years. His explanation of Xu Hui¡¯s nature of being ¡®insecure¡¯ and ¡®clingy¡¯ was very reasonable. Even Bai Lu herself was moved by his message. But when she realized Jiang Ru and her retched ending, she quickly forced her heart to harden. ¡°He used to study better than me.¡± The word ¡®used to¡¯ felt like a faraway dream, because now they were both heading down a completely different path. Bai Lu lowered her head and looked at the screen, as if looking at him. No one could understand what was in her mind. She looked at the teenager under the sun, all the complex emotions and the painful resentment slowly faded away. All her senses become straightforward and simple. In the silent afternoon, two lonely teenagers were thinking of each other. For the first time for that day, Bai Lu replied to his message while sitting in the classroom. [Bai Lu: What are you doing?] Xu Hui probably didn¡¯t expect Bai Lu to reply to his message at all and sent a series of question marks in quick succession. Bai Lu: ¡°¡­¡­¡± Then, another text message was sent. [Xu Hui: Oh, you saw it?] Bai Lu wanted to laugh but held herself. [Bai Lu: Yeah, I did.] Everything became quite again. The class bell was about to rang, Bai Lu was about to put away her phone when Xu Hui sent her another message. [Xu Hui: Are you free on Sunday, can you come to meet me?] The bell rang, and the English teacher entered the classroom with her usual short heels stepping on the corridor with the usual thump, thump, thump. Bai Lu¡¯s fingers quickly flew on the keypad. She replied his message as soon as possible and quickly turned off the phone. Wu Hanwen turned his head at that moment, just in time to see her put the phone back into her school bag. His lips parted but he didn¡¯t say anything in the end. CH 25 The mall has started playing music with a gentle note. CH 26 The human memory is strange, if the contents aren¡¯t mentioned for a long time, they would forget it, but sometimes a small index can instantly turn the situation in a completely different way. CH 27 The media has been broadcasting news about environmental issues in recent years, harping on about the Greenhouse Effect and Global Warming. CH 28 Coming out of the building, Bai Lu stood still for a while in the neighborhood. Her gaze couldn¡¯t help but be attracted by a picture plastered on the wall. It seemed to be a poster of a resort. The poster wasn¡¯t very big but it was beautifully drawn. CH 29 Wu Hanwen promised to help Bai Lu and started teaching her all sort of techniques to study better.