The next morning, I went to school in exceptionally good spirits. On the way, my eyes unconsciously scanned the surroundings, searching for a familiar figure.
And then I saw him.
Xie Junxing was walking with a few friends, his demeanor as calm as ever. Just seeing him made my heart flutter, and the corners of my lips involuntarily curved upwards.
Unexpectedly, his eyes met mine.
Xie Junxing paused slightly, then said something to his friends before suddenly walking towards me, leaving them behind. I stood there, stunned.
"Does the wound… still hurt?"
I could hardly believe my ears.
A mix of surprise and joy welled up inside me, making me stammer:
"Ah… I'm fine now. Thank you for… your concern."
My face flushed slightly. I couldn't help but feel so happy I wanted to laugh:
"He… actually initiated a conversation with me."
Xie Junxing looked at me for a moment, his gaze lingering on my hand. Then he suddenly said,
"Give me your hand."
I was taken aback, but I complied, slowly extending my hand.
Immediately afterward, he placed a small bag of food in my hand.
"This… is for you."
I was flustered, instinctively wanting to refuse:
"No need, I—"
"Eat breakfast."
His voice was low, concise, but firm.
Under his gaze, I reluctantly accepted it. My heart was overflowing with joy, too happy to hide.
Just then, Xu Minyao and a few other girls walked past. Her eyes stopped on the bag in my hand, and she froze.
I said nothing, only subtly curved my lips into a smile, quickly retracting it just enough for her to see, but not enough for Xie Junxing to notice.
Xu Min Yao pursed her lips, clearly unhappy, but said nothing, silently leaving with her friends.
Xie Jun Xing stayed behind to say a few more brief words to me before saying goodbye. I waved him away, feeling much lighter, and then returned to class in a very relaxed mood.
As soon as I got to my seat, I regained my composure and put down my schoolbag.
Yuan Han saw me and said,
"Little cotton ball, I've finished my assignment."
He held out the paper, his eyes full of anticipation.
I took it, said nothing, and just glanced at it. I thought to myself,
"It's not too bad…it's still salvageable."
I picked up my pen, circled a few places, and pointed out the mistakes to Yuan Han. He listened attentively, asking questions about anything he didn't understand, and I patiently explained.
When it was time to go to class, I closed my test:
"Okay, that's enough. Think about it yourself. I'll prepare another lesson for you this afternoon."
Viễn Hàn nodded, carefully looking at the graded paper.
Just then, the teacher entered the classroom.
"Get ready, we have a monthly test coming up. Remember to review thoroughly. I'll give you some types of questions that are likely to appear on the test."
The teacher wrote on the board while lecturing. I listened attentively, even though I already had a good grasp of the material, I still carefully took notes to reinforce my understanding.
Near the end of class, the last period was self-study. I was a little tired, so I leaned down on my desk and dozed off for a bit.
Viễn Hàn didn't make any noise.
After a while, when he was sure I was asleep, he gently reached out and brushed away the strands of hair from my forehead. The movement was very light.
He suddenly thought to himself:
"Looking closely… this little ball of fluff is quite beautiful."
Viễn Hàn chuckled to himself. The school bell rang, signaling the end of classes, and he gently woke me up:
"Little ball of fluff, wake up. School's over."
I rubbed my eyes, yawned softly, and packed my books as I followed Yuan Han home... to his house for tutoring as planned.