Gardenia Blossom Season

Part 5

9

Xu Xing Zhan, shockingly, did poorly on this monthly exam and fell to fifth place in the grade.
He had never dropped below third before.

Soon, I found out why.

As I was coming out of the snack shop, the class bell rang. I took a shortcut through the small grove.

Not far away, Jian Qing Mai pulled Xu Xing Zhan to the corner of the wall. With her hands behind her back, she leaned in close to him.

If I remembered correctly, Class 2 had PE this period.

"Xu Xing Zhan, do you like that girl, Xu Zhi, from Class 3?"
"No." He answered quickly.

"Then why did I hear people say that you two..."

"Neighbors." Xu Xing Zhan replied concisely, "She's just my neighbor."

Jian Qing Mai smiled slyly and stood on tiptoe to peck his lips, as light as a dragonfly skimming the water.

"Xu Xing Zhan, I like you."

Xu Xing Zhan hesitated for a few seconds, then suddenly pulled her into a tight embrace and kissed her deeply.

The kiss was clumsy and intense, filled with the raw excitement of youthful inexperience.

I stood there watching for a while.

I thought I would feel sad, but strangely, all I could think about was—I'm going to be late for class.

I turned and walked away.

After running a short distance, I heard footsteps behind me.

I looked back.

Zhou Ji was munching on a piece of bread, his cheeks puffed up.

He kept running toward me without slowing down, his black hair bouncing with each step.

As he passed by, he kindly reminded me, "You're late for class—why aren't you running?"

His voice was muffled, cheeks puffed like a little hamster.

When we got to the stairs, he stopped abruptly, and I bumped into his back.
Zhou Ji started coughing violently, his face turning red.

He pointed at the bottle of water in my hand.

I said, "I drank from it."

"Cough, cough, I—cough, cough—won't touch the bottle with my mouth—cough, cough, cough—"

Seeing him struggling, I handed the water over.

He drank the remaining half bottle in one go.

"A drop of kindness must be repaid with a fountain!" His face was still flushed from coughing.

"Very well."

Zhou Ji's repayment came quickly.

After school that afternoon, we changed seats, and I moved to the spot by the window.

As soon as I sat down, I heard two knocks on the window.

Zhou Ji was leaning against the window sill, his dimples showing clearly as he smiled.

He waved a bottle of water and a cup of yogurt in his hands. "Savior, I've come to repay your kindness."

10

It felt as if it had been deliberately arranged.

After that, I ran into Zhou Ji everywhere I went.

Somehow, inexplicably, I found myself getting closer and closer to him.

I would ask him about difficult science problems, and he would ask me for advice on how to write better essays.

Zhou Ji was incredibly smart when it came to academics, the kind of smart that made others envious—effortlessly so.
I would spend an entire night mulling over a question, and he could figure out the solution after just a short while.

No wonder all the science teachers liked him.

My deskmate asked me why I was suddenly so close to him.

I told her I had saved his life.

She looked at me like I was an idiot.

No one brought up my relationship with Xu Xing Zhan anymore; everyone silently agreed not to mention it. It was obvious to everyone that he and Jian Qing Mai had a special connection.

I still ran into Xu Xing Zhan almost every day, but we hadn't spoken in a long time.

Ever since I threw that bottle of milk away, he hadn't given me another one.

Instead, Jian Qing Mai would strut past the doorway of our class every day, carrying a bottle of milk, showing off in various ways.

Each time, my deskmate would roll her eyes and mutter, "If she keeps flaunting like this, I won't be able to resist reporting them for dating early!"

Seeing that I remained unmoved, she asked why I wasn't angry.

I replied, "To be honest, at first I was a little sad. But that sadness was about my disappointment in Xu Xing Zhan, not about Jian Qing Mai. My disappointment also had to do with my own mistakes. It's not like we were a couple, right? I had no right to control him. Even if we were together, I wouldn't be able to stop others from doing what they want."

"I used to like Xu Xing Zhan, but I'm over it now."

"I'm only seventeen. I have endless possibilities ahead of me. I'm optimistic, hardworking, and even a bit pretty. Why would I waste my life over a guy who's always cold to me?"

"Not to brag, but I'm all about my studies right now. Just wait until I'm done with that. Once I'm finished studying, I'll have as many admirers as I want."

My deskmate timidly asked, "So, um, how long do you plan on studying?"

"Life is boundless, and so is the sea of knowledge."

"..."