After the sports meet, Hua Yan felt that Lu Chengsha was somewhat different from before.
She couldn’t quite pinpoint the specifics. For example, he didn’t seem to urge her to study as diligently as before. Initially, Hua Yan didn’t notice and thought everyone was relaxing after the monthly exams, as the next set was still over a month away. However, it was quite unusual that he stopped sending her the daily practice questions.
Another example was when she went back and watched the videos she had taken several times. She also took a photo of Lu Chengsha running and sent it to him. Despite her efforts to repay him with kindness, having spent half an hour selecting a satisfactory frame from thousands of dynamic shots, which captured his agile and vigorous figure under the soft light of the sunset perfectly — it could be used as a news material photo. Yet, Lu Chengsha only replied with a string of ellipses.
Infuriated, Hua Yan immediately wanted to call him and ask if he had any issues with her photography skills!
He wasn’t talkative to begin with. After they got a bit familiar, Lu Chengsha improved slightly, but then he seemed to revert to his old self, becoming monosyllabic again, as if he didn’t know what to say.
Teaching App: Hmm.
Teaching App: Okay.
Teaching App: Sure.
Hua Yan was slightly dissatisfied with the long string of single-word responses. However, remembering that Tingjian Experimental School was under a lot of pressure because their monthly exam results hadn’t surpassed those of Zhengyi High School, leading to the teachers being extremely dissatisfied and doubling the workload and exams, she felt relieved.
Autumn on campus always arrived unexpectedly. The plane trees at Tingjian Experimental School, which were full of green leaves a few days ago, suddenly turned orange and yellow, carpeting the ground.
After class, Hua Yan enthusiastically took dozens of photos. There were many Zhengyi High School students around. Instinctively, she wanted to share them with Lu Chengsha.
Just after sending the photos, Hua Yan noticed the disdainful looks from Tingjian students passing by and realized that he had been there for a year and had seen it all before. It wasn’t anything new.
But it was too late to retract the photos.
Hua Yan was momentarily annoyed but didn’t expect to see Lu Chengsha that night.
After the evening self-study session, before she even entered the community, she saw a boy in a black school uniform standing like a lamppost with a bag on his back, pursing his lips and staring motionlessly at a corner of the grass.
Hua Yan thought he had lost his mind and quietly approached to scare him, but then she heard a few very faint meowing sounds.
She was also startled.
Turning her head, she saw a worn-out cardboard box in the corner, with two small, thin, and somewhat dirty heads poking out, emitting weak, pitiful meows.
They were probably abandoned.
Lu Chengsha finally noticed her. He slightly turned his head, then quickly looked away, his expression one of utter… confusion.
Hua Yan almost burst out laughing.
“If you want to rescue them, then rescue them!”
Lu Chengsha’s expression shifted to one of slight helplessness and confusion: “…How?”
Hua Yan checked the time: “But it’s so late, most pet hospitals are closed. Let me ask around…” She pulled out her phone and then remembered to ask, “By the way, is your leg really healed?”
Lu Chengsha gave a faint “Hmm,” and as if to prove it, he kneeled down, his backpack bouncing on his shoulders. He tentatively reached out a hand but didn’t dare get too close.
Hua Yan was messaging someone and, seeing this, wanted to laugh even more.
“Come on, if you want to pet the kittens, just pet them… Ah, although they might have bacteria, just wash your hands afterward.”
After a moment of silence, Lu Chengsha gave an answer Hua Yan never expected: “I’m not really brave enough.”
Hua Yan was stunned: “…??? You’re afraid of such tiny kittens!”
“It’s not that,” Lu Chengsha lowered his head and explained, “…They’re too fragile. I’m afraid of hurting them.”
“Ah? So you were just standing there because of that?”
Lu Chengsha tacitly agreed.
Hua Yan found him both funny and a bit adorable. She immediately squatted down, extended her fingers, and petted the fluffy heads of the kittens. The kittens shrank back a little but quickly nuzzled her fingertips. She smiled, “They’re not that fragile. Try it if you don’t believe me…”
Lu Chengsha hesitantly extended a long finger.
Hua Yan felt like she was watching a scene from a movie and, holding back her laughter, mimicked Lu Chengsha’s previous encouragement: “Come on, try it. It’s not hard.”
Encouraged by her, Lu Chengsha finally placed his finger under a kitten’s chin and gently, very gently, petted it. The kitten meowed twice, nuzzled his finger, and quickly licked his fingertip.
Watching from the side, Hua Yan saw Lu Chengsha’s pupils dilate, and then he swiftly pulled his hand back as if he had been shocked.
If she weren’t squatting on the roadside, she would have laughed herself silly.
Fortunately, Hua Yan managed to contact a pet hospital that was open late, though it was a bit far away. She hesitated: “Do you want to go together?”
Unexpectedly, Lu Chengsha said, “I’ll go alone. It’s too late for you.”
“You didn’t even dare to touch them, better not! And…” Hua Yan stared at him, “Did you forget your phone?”
Lu Chengsha was caught by her words: “I can go upstairs and get it.”
“Don’t bother.” Hua Yan pushed him, “Let’s go, let’s go together.”
In the end, Lu Chengsha had no choice but to pick up the tattered cardboard box. Late at night, the two of them squeezed into a taxi. It was already getting cold, and the two kittens in the box were shivering. Lu Chengsha thought for a moment, then took off his school uniform jacket and covered the box with it.
After a while, he lifted his jacket and glanced at the kittens underneath. The neon lights outside the car window flickered, illuminating his profile. His usually indifferent features unexpectedly showed a hint of gentleness.
Hua Yan, sitting next to him, felt a sudden flutter in her heart.
When they arrived, the staff quickly came out to help clean and feed the kittens, while the two of them waited nearby.
The staff saw their attire and said, “You’re still high school students, right? It’s too late now. You should go back first and come by after school tomorrow.”
It was indeed late, already around one or two in the morning.
Hua Yan had received a couple of urging messages on her phone, which she had dismissed. In the taxi on their way back, she remembered to ask Lu Chengsha, “Is it okay for you to return so late?” He seemed to come from a very strict family.
Lu Chengsha replied, “I live alone.”
“Eh?”
He explained, “My parents are abroad, and my grandfather comes once a week.” He paused, “To supervise my studies.”
Hua Yan was momentarily speechless. Does Lu Chengsha really need supervision for his studies?
But then she suddenly remembered, “Have you been very busy lately?”
Lu Chengsha paused again, “Not really.”
“Then you…” Hua Yan was about to continue asking when she suddenly realized that during the entire conversation, Lu Chengsha hadn’t looked at her once. Even when their eyes occasionally met, he quickly looked away as if she were some kind of monstrous beast.
She couldn’t help but turn her head to stare at him.
Who knew Lu Chengsha would immediately turn his head to look out the window?
Initially uncertain, Hua Yan now felt more convinced and said, “Are you… avoiding me?”
Lu Chengsha immediately said, “No…” But in an instant, as if he realized something, his tone faltered and he stammered, “…Yes.”
Hua Yan crossed her arms and questioned him, “So why are you avoiding me?”
Lu Chengsha fell into silence.
His silence made Hua Yan lose her confidence.
She couldn’t help but reflect, thinking, could it be that she didn’t make it into the top fifty in the exams, and she didn’t come first in the sports meet, making Lu Chengsha think she was too dumb…
That couldn’t be it! She had already tried her best!
It’s Lu Chengsha’s expectations that are too high!
If she were really despised for this reason, it would be too unfair.
However, the more Hua Yan thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed. No wonder he stopped sending her the daily practice questions, didn’t urge her to study, and had been cold and distant in his replies lately. It turns out he had already given up on her.
Hua Yan pouted and turned her head to look out the other side of the car window.
Late at night, the streets were deserted and quiet, with only a few lights on, making the atmosphere inside the car even more awkward and silent.
At that moment, the driver in the front suddenly spoke up, “Young couple having a quarrel? Sorry, I overheard a bit just now. Young man, it’s not right to ignore the girl. Whatever it is, you should talk about it. If you’ve had a change of heart, that’s even worse…”
His rambling voice, with a slight accent, broke the silence like a thunderclap.
Hua Yan was startled and quickly said, “Driver, you misunderstand. We’re not a couple. We’re just… regular classmates. No, we’re just ordinary friends.”
After all, they weren’t even from the same school. But by the end of her explanation, Hua Yan felt inexplicably annoyed.
Lu Chengsha slowly shifted his gaze back.
“Mm.” He even nodded in agreement.
“Huh? But…” The driver glanced at the two high school students in the rearview mirror. When they got in, they were talking and laughing, especially with the boy protectively helping the girl into the car. They looked every bit like a young couple.
Hua Yan, who had been only slightly annoyed, was now even more annoyed.
She pulled out her phone and immediately saw the photo of the plane tree leaves she had sent to Lu Chengsha. She had foolishly asked him, “Do you like it? I really do.” If she had only wanted to retract it a bit in the afternoon, now she wanted to retract it very badly.
But there was still no way to do so.
She angrily jabbed at her phone screen.
Lu Chengsha finally spoke again.
“I didn’t do it on purpose…”
Hua Yan, still looking down, replied irritably, “So you did it on purpose?”
“I just…” Lu Chengsha struggled to explain, his tone becoming more awkward, “didn’t dare to look at you.”
Hua Yan hadn’t expected such an answer after all this time.
That excuse was too weak!
“I’m not a kitten.” She continued jabbing at her phone screen. “What are you afraid of? Do you think looking at me will break me…” She sniffed dejectedly, “If you don’t want to be friends, just say it. I’m not going to force it.” In fact, she didn’t lack friends.
Lu Chengsha was also a bit dumbfounded. He hadn’t expected the conversation to take this turn.
He immediately said, “I don’t despise you.”
“Then why are you avoiding me?”
They were back to the same question.
Lu Chengsha didn’t know how to respond. Not long ago, a friend had asked him if he had any feelings for her. He could straightforwardly ask, “What feelings?” But now… he suddenly couldn’t be so honest with himself.
Even the messages he had sent her, which were originally straightforward and clear, now felt laden with some unclear intentions.
Lu Chengsha himself found it strange.
So he tried to minimize his presence.
This kind of thing was hard to explain. He slightly turned his eyes. In the dimly lit backseat, the girl was bowing her head, her long black hair cascading down, revealing only a small earlobe.
He just… wanted to pinch it.
Lu Chengsha quickly redirected his gaze and sat up straight. He moved his lips and said, “It’s my problem. Lately, I’ve been… not quite myself.”
“Hmm?”
Hua Yan raised her head to look at him.
“I’ll try to overcome it. I don’t want to stop being friends with you…” He struggled to explain, “I really want to…” but he got stuck.
Hua Yan thought he had finished.
“You really don’t think I’m dumb for not making it into the top fifty and despise me for that?”
Lu Chengsha shook his head firmly, “No.”
Since he said so, Hua Yan decided not to dwell on it and immediately pushed further, “Then next time, don’t just reply with one word to my messages!”
Lu Chengsha hesitated for a moment, “Hmm… okay.”
“And send me the daily practice questions, whether I do them or not!”
Lu Chengsha nodded, “Okay… hmm.”
“And remind me to study!”
Lu Chengsha quickly replied, “No problem.”
“And share interesting things with me!”
Lu Chengsha hesitated, “…Alright.”
Hua Yan nodded in satisfaction, “I’ll think of more later…!”
She tapped on her phone, looking at the photo she sent, finally no longer upset.
By now, it was nearly two or three in the morning. Hua Yan yawned as drowsiness hit her. There was still a bit of a journey left. Unable to stay awake, she leaned her head against the car window and told Lu Chengsha, “Wake me up when we arrive,” before quickly falling asleep.
A moment later, the driver glanced in the rearview mirror at the girl who had fallen asleep, slumping to one side, finally resting on the boy’s shoulder. The boy, meanwhile, was cautiously still, occasionally stealing glances at her, and now and then gently repositioning her. The driver thought to himself, “How are they not a couple? Do I not understand high school students these days?”
Hua Yan was groggily woken up by Lu Chengsha. She got out of the car, went home, washed up, and went to bed.
But what she didn’t expect was—early the next morning, still cozy in her soft bed and feeling sleepy, she opened her WeChat and saw Lu Chengsha’s profile picture. It was the familiar orange and yellow plane tree leaves she had sent him.