The September sun was so hot, like broken glass stabbing into their eyes.
Zhou Wan Xia was running on a completely unfamiliar street. Her backpack hit her back again and again, the stationery inside her backpack clattering loudly. The map in her hand showed the distance between the blue dot she was now and the red dot that marked her destination had three roads that she could not even know the name of!
Sweat slid down her forehead and into the corner of her mouth, salty and bitter.
Being late on the first day after transferring to new schools was the worst possible start she could imagine. This was even worse than falling in front of the whole school.
When she finally found the school gate, the security guard was about to close it, "Hey, student! Which class are you in?"
"Grade 10...Class 3..." She said between breaths, hands on her knees.
"Class 3? Hurry! It is Mr. Li's class now ! He is not easy to deal with!" Those words hit her like thunder. She felt that all her bad luck in life had gathered on today.
The corridor of the teaching building was terribly quiet, only her footsteps and heavy breathing echoed. With every step closer to the classroom, her heart beat faster.
She stopped in front of the door labeled "Grade 10, Class 3". Taking a deep breath that cannot calm her beating heart, she knocked on the door of the classroom. "Excuse me."
At once, more than forty pairs of eyes turned toward her like searchlights. On the podium stood a middle-aged man wearing black-framed glasses. He turned slowly at the sound of her voice. He was not angry, but his gaze over the top of his glasses carried a strong authority that made her scalp tingle.
"New student?" He glanced at his watch, "9:15 a.m. I have been teaching for twenty years. You are the first to be late in my class."
A few suppressed laughs rose from the classroom.
Zhou Wan Xia lowered her head, "My name is Zhou Wan Xia...I was transferred from Jiang Cheng..." She can hear her voice trembling.
She did not dare to look up. She stared at a dirty tile near the tip of her shoes.
"Alright, find a seat." Mr. Li said, scanning the classroom, "There is an empty seat next to Lu Zhi Yan. Sit there."
Zhou Wan Xia looked toward the seat in the last row by the window.
There was a boy sitting there.
He wore a white school uniform, sleeves rolled casually to his elbows, showing part of his forearm. The sunlight outlined his sharp side face. He had a straight nose, thin lip and behind silver-rimmed glasses, his eyelashes cast a faint shadow.
He was writing something and never looking up.
Zhou Wan Xia forced herself to walk through the rows of desks under everyone's eyes and sat in the empty seat beside him.
She glanced at him quickly.
At that exact moment, he looked up.
His eyes were light and calm. He gave her a brief, indifferent look, then lowered his head again and continued writing.
Just one look made her sit stiffly.
She stared straight at the blackboard, but from the corner of her eye she kept watching him. He was not taking notes. He seemed to be solving something on scrap paper. His handwriting was neat and thin, strong but elegant, just like her first impression toward him.
Mr. Li continued teaching, but Zhou Wan Xia did not hear a single word.
Oh no! The whole class saw me being late. The iceberg next to me must think I am a nuisance.. How am I going to survive this semester...
When the bell rang, the classroom came alive. Some students stretched, some rushed out in groups, some put their heads down to sleep.
Zhou Wan Xia stretched slightly, suddenly a loud bang came from the window. It is the sound of basketball hitting the glass!
She turned her head and saw outside a boy in a black T-shirt, waving into the classroom with a bold grin, "Zhi Yan! Do not skip sports class again! Mr. Liu said if you do not come, he will personally drag you there!"
Without looking up, Lu Zhi Yan replied calmly, "Not going."
"Hey! You—"
Suddenly, the classroom became quiet again. Mr. Li was still at the podium organizing his papers. He pushed up his glasses, "Lu Zhi Yan, you should attend sports class. Do not stay in the classroom all day."
Lu Zhi Yan said nothing.
Zhou Wan Xia secretly glanced at him. His face was showing no change, as if he had not just been called out by Mr. Li.
Then, he suddenly stood up.
She froze.
Mr. Li looked surprised, "You...where are you going?"
"Mr. Liu asked me to bring the new student around," he said flatly, like stating a simple fact.
Mr. Li hesitated, then he waved his hand, "Go."
Zhou Wan Xia had not even processed what happened before Lu Zhi Yan was already at the door. She grabbed her backpack and hurried after him. She heard some whispers behind them, but she did not want to hear them.
In the corridor , he walked fast. She almost had to jog to keep up with his long legs. Without turning back, he spoke quickly, listing places like a programmed machine.
"Library, third floor, needs a card to access...Laboratoty, second floor, your schedule has this...Cafeteria, the far-left window one has sold sweet and sour ribs, no need to line up, but small portions. You need to go early."
"Ah...okay..."
"Academic office, end of first floor, the place where you get your student ID...Medical clinic, east side of the administrative building and turn right...Basketball court and field, do not walk through the middle, you will get hit."
"Oh...got it..."
He never looked at her, just like completing a task.
Zhou Wan Xia followed behind him, watching his shadow stretch long in the sunlight. She accidentally stepped on his shadow once, but he quickly moved ahead again.
He stopped his steps suddenly.
"Finished?" She almost bumped into his back. She looked up. His expression was still calm, but for a split second she thought she saw something in his eyes, something complicated.
"Did you remember everything?"
Only then did she realize she had not remembered much at all. She had been too busy trying to keep up with his steps. Her face slowly turned red.
He looked at her for two seconds, then looked away, "Forget it." He turned to leave.
"Wait!" She suddenly called out, surprising herself.
He paused slightly.
Gathering courage, she asked, "Did Mr. Liu really asked you to bring me around the school?"
Silence filled the corridor .
Then, he answered, voice still calm, "No, Gu Yao was too noisy."
After that, he walked away without turning back.
Zhou Wan Xia stood there, stunned.
Because Gu Yao was too noisy? So, he used "bringing the new student around" as an excuse to leave sports class? And left her standing in the corridor ? What a strange person...
She did not know whether to be angry or amused.
"Do not mind him. He is like that with everyone." Zhou Wan Xia turned and saw a girl with a ponytail smiling at her.
"I am Lin Yu Meng. I sit one row in front of you." She held out her hand, "You are Zhou Wan Xia, right? Your name is really pretty."
"Thank you…" Zhou Wan Xia gently held her hand, looking slightly embarrassed, "Lu Zhi Yan, he..."
"Like the iceberg?" Lin Yu Meng laughed, "That is what everyone calls him. But do not be fooled. He is actually nice. Last semester when I was sick for a month, he lent me all his notes although he did not say a single word to me."
She leaned closer and lowered her voice, "Did you notice? He was walking toward the field at first. Then, he stopped, turned back, and stood behind that pillar for about ten seconds, just watching you. Then, he left."
Zhou Wan Xia froze. She instinctively looked toward the corner where Lu Zhi Yan had disappeared, replaying the scene from just moments ago in her mind.
No, Gu Yao was too noisy.
His tone really did not sound like he was lying. But was what Lin Yu Meng said true?
"How do you know he came back?"
Lin Yu Meng blinked, "Because I was standing by the water dispenser over there just now. I saw everything clearly. He had already walked halfway there, then he stopped for two seconds and turned back. He stood right there..." She pointed at a pillar not far away, "...for about ten seconds, just watching you. Then, he left."
She looked at the white pillar at the corner of the corridor. From that spot, he could clearly see the place she had been standing. Her heart stirred gently, like a small ripple on a quiet lake.
"Just do not tell him I know, okay?" Lin Yu Meng stuck out her tongue, "Otherwise, he will definitely think I am such a gossip. I am heading back to class first, take your time looking around the school!"
Lin Yu Meng waved her hand and skipped away.
Zhou Wan Xia stood where she was. She glanced at the pillar, then in the direction where Lu Zhi Yan had disappeared.
She remembered sitting by the window just now, the sunlight outlining the curve of his face. She remembered the way he had looked up at her, calm and distant, like an autumn lake. She remembered the flat tone in his voice when he said, "Gu Yao was just being too noisy," and that brief, complicated look in his eyes. Maybe beneath that iceberg-like coldness, there was a warmth she had not discovered yet!
Zhou Wan Xia pulled her gaze back and slowly walked toward the classroom. When she passed the pillar, she stopped. Reaching out, she gently touched the white wall.
It still held a trace of the sun's warmth.
She suddenly smiled.
Being late on her first day after transferring to a new school. Being stared at by the whole class. Being left alone in the corridor by her iceberg deskmate...It really was the worst possible beginning she could have imagined. Without any reason, her mood did not seem that bad anymore.
From the field, the whistle for sports class blew again. Zhou Wan Xia stood in the corridor as sunlight fell over her, casting her shadow against the white wall. She suddenly remembered that when she had chased after Lu Zhi Yan earlier, she had stepped on his shadow. At the time, she had been too busy catching her breath to notice, but thinking back now, that might have been the most interesting thing that happened today.
Back in the classroom, his seat by the window was still empty.
On his desk lay a sheet of scrap paper full of formulas. At the corner, there was a small line written casually.
"3 September, Sunny."
It is today's date.
Zhou Wan Xia sat down and began organizing her stationery. Sunlight fell onto her hand, warm and soft.
The seat beside her was still empty, but she no longer felt as nervous. Because she knew that the boy who seemed like an iceberg had stood behind that pillar for ten seconds, long enough to make sure she would not get lost. Ten seconds were enough for him to finish a small act of care he might never admit.
Zhou Wan Xia looked out the window, the corner of her lips lifting slightly.
Maybe this strange city, this strange school, this strange class, and that strange deskmate would slowly become less strange one day in the future...