Wei Qingyue's hair had grown longer than the school's standard. The class teacher tactfully reminded him, "You should get a haircut."

His hair quality was excellent, jet-black and shiny, fluffy and voluminous, looking uneven and varied from a distance. Wei Qingyue got his hair cut at a small shop, the kind that cost ten yuan a time. It was very simple, just a casual trim without cutting it much shorter, giving him a sort of 90s Hong Kong star vibe.

The boy had a rust-red shirt, a vintage style, paired with a jacket, looking like a beautiful cactus. His appearance was particularly conspicuous at school. Because no one his age dressed like that, even the teachers didn't know what to say when they saw him. Wei Qingyue was first in his class, and his father was a well-known local entrepreneur who often sponsored the school, the kind who would occasionally appear in the news. As for his nonconformity, the teachers mostly turned a blind eye.

Until he was caught smoking on the balcony during a surprise inspection by the dorm auntie. Seeing his attire and his handsome face, the auntie concluded he was a brat who didn't study hard and only cared about dating, and she began to lecture him earnestly.

It was a clear afternoon, the sun shining brightly, but the wind was dry and cold, blowing his hair over his eyes, occasionally revealing a pair of sharp eyes, like floating clouds obscuring the sun. The auntie glared at him, wishing she could chop off all that hair of his.

While he was being scolded on the balcony, the girls in the opposite dormitory discovered for the first time that Wei Qingyue from Class One lived on this floor. Everyone crowded onto their balconies to watch, excitedly discussing, "It's Wei Qingyue!"

It was strange, the students didn't discuss which pretty girl was wearing what pretty clothes, but instead focused on him. Wei Qingyue often didn't wear the school uniform. His hairstyle, his clothes, all became the focus of the students' secret discussions. The girls unanimously agreed that the top student was actually quite a show-off.

They had really misunderstood Wei Qingyue. He always bought whatever caught his eye and wore whatever he liked. He wasn't trying to attract others' attention; he didn't have the slightest thought of doing so.

Wang Jingjing had always hoped for a decent-looking guy to appear in the boys' dorm opposite, but unfortunately, there never was one. The balcony was filled with boys' clothes, and someone even had a pair of saggy underwear that looked like a worn-out rag fluttering there. The girls couldn't help but complain when they accidentally glimpsed them. There was even a bright red pair, which was even more dizzying.

She pulled Jiang Du along, leaning on the railing with great interest to watch Wei Qingyue. On the balcony, the sound of girls giggling and laughing chaotically filled the air. Jiang Du's gaze mixed with everyone else's curious stares, unusually composed. She watched him quietly, her eyes and brows curving into a small arc.

Thinking about it, ever since the flag-raising duty rotated to other classes, her chances of seeing Wei Qingyue had become practically zero. Every time she passed Class One, she wanted to pretend to glance in casually, but it was too quick, so quick that she couldn't even tell if he was there or not, and Jiang Du could only guiltily avert her gaze.

It turned out that even with just a wall between them, it was still so hard to run into each other.

The girls had all put on sweaters and thick coats. The cold air visited every few days, and those afraid of the cold were already wearing thin down jackets. Wei Qingyue always wore few clothes. He was still wearing a shirt with a faded denim jacket over it, as if he couldn't feel the cold.

Zhang Xiaoqiang was on the adjacent balcony, close to Jiang Du's dorm room. The girls from the two dorms began to chat with their heads stretched out. They were talking about Wei Qingyue—which girl from which class was chasing him now, how handsome and stylish he was, how he had such a great personality. After a jumble of random talk, Zhang Xiaoqiang suddenly said:

"You guys really underestimate him. Wei Qingyue has great ambitions; he's going to study abroad. Besides, he's not the type to deliberately act cool to show off. That's too childish."

The noisy chatter quieted for a moment. Everyone knew Zhang Xiaoqiang had a close relationship with him. They were junior high classmates, the kind who could cross classes to ask questions. It seemed Zhang Xiaoqiang was more qualified to comment on Wei Qingyue, while they were forever stuck in the most superficial imaginings of him.

Jiang Du felt her heart clench, wrinkling into a ball. She hoped with all her focus that Zhang Xiaoqiang would talk more about him, about the Wei Qingyue they didn't know. All the air seemed to stagnate, all the sound of the wind was superfluous. She only wanted to hear every single word from Zhang Xiaoqiang's mouth that was about him.

Soon, her hope was dashed. Zhang Xiaoqiang clearly stopped there, as if she wanted to set the record straight for him but was unwilling to go into detail. A faint melancholy suddenly passed through her heart. Jiang Du stared blankly at Zhang Xiaoqiang, which was noticed by Chen Huiming. As everyone was dispersing, she told Zhang Xiaoqiang:

"Dorm leader, I think Jiang Du seems a little jealous of you."

The words came out easily. Chen Huiming remembered every look and gesture Wang Jingjing had made when she cursed at her back then.

Zhang Xiaoqiang was slightly taken aback, then asked with a smile, "What?"

"When you were talking about Wei Qingyue, she kept staring at you with a strange look. It was just weird," Chen Huiming said, looking at Zhang Xiaoqiang ingratiatingly. "Your grades are so good, and your parents are so accomplished. It's actually normal to be envied."

"Maybe you're overthinking it. When I was talking about Wei Qingyue, everyone was looking at me, right?" Zhang Xiaoqiang was very subtle, but she understood perfectly. She, of course, also remembered that Chen Huiming had had conflicts with Jiang Du and Wang Jingjing.

Chen Huiming blushed deeply, embarrassed. She had to add, "Then maybe I really was overthinking it. You're right, so many people like Wei Qingyue. Wang Jingjing even writes him love letters. But Wei Qingyue definitely wouldn't be interested in her."

Zhang Xiaoqiang smiled and didn't reply.

"Dorm leader, did you sign up for a performance for the New Year's Day show?" Chen Huiming was still trying to make small talk. The atmosphere was awkward, so she asked again.

Zhang Xiaoqiang nodded, "I did, but I don't know if it'll get cut." Not only did she sign up for a performance, but she had also pulled in Wei Qingyue. She knew he played an instrument, and performing together would be quite meaningful. Looking back years later, it would be a ray of light from their youthful days, one that belonged to her and Wei Qingyue.

It wasn't so much that she liked Wei Qingyue, but that she admired him. Zhang Xiaoqiang had been well-behaved and conventional since she was young, always "the child from next door." She was perfect in everything, almost never made mistakes, a standard model student—excellent grades, got along with classmates, loved to work. Wei Qingyue was never like that. He was an anomaly among the high-achieving students. Everyone actually envied him. Anyone who had ever been his classmate could not ignore Wei Qingyue.

At this age, it was a period of rapid self-formation. Everyone wanted to be a little different, or rather, felt that they were special. Looking back years later, many people's youths were actually like this: full of inner turmoil, with delicate and ever-changing thoughts. After being beaten down enough by society, those things would fade away, and they themselves would be surprised at how they used to be. Youth is truly wonderful, it's just that too many people don't realize it when they're in it. By the time they look back in hurried amazement, they are already old.

Wei Qingyue never thought about being different; it was just that his very existence was unique. The dorm auntie went to the Class One teacher, who could only laugh helplessly and say he would discipline him properly. The boys in his dorm, on the other hand, were talking about those girls, complaining they were boy-crazy, acting like they were chasing a star whenever they saw Wei Qingyue. There was also a subtle sourness among the boys. For example, Wei Qingyue often received love letters and various gifts—a glass jar of stars, chocolates, handmade cookies, CDs, all showing the girls' delicate thoughts. These all belonged to Wei Qingyue. When the other boys ate the food he tossed them, they would make half-joking, slightly sour remarks, but they didn't take it too seriously.

After arriving at the classroom in the afternoon, Wang Jingjing's three-minute passion flared up again. She mumbled, "Agh, I really hope Wei Qingyue replies. I really want to know what he'd write in his reply! Agh, agh..." She sighed dramatically and endlessly. In reality, she hadn't written to Wei Qingyue in a while. If he didn't reply, there was nothing anyone could do.

This was especially true since there were no holidays between the National Day holiday and New Year's Day, meaning all of November and December. Wang Jingjing felt bored. "When you're bored, you want to act out"—that's what the shameless Lin Haiyang said. The first time Jiang Du heard it, she was completely stunned.

But she also inexplicably admired how Lin Haiyang could make such crude words sound so... fitting for adolescence?

Wang Jingjing brought up the old topic again. Somehow, Lin Haiyang behind them seemed to have donkey ears. He leaned over with a smile in his eyes and asked if the two were discussing how to fawn over Wei Qingyue again.

"None of your damn business!" This was Wang Jingjing's catchphrase. She got along very well with the boys and was one of them. Besides Zhang Xiaoqiang, she was also a very popular girl. She was boyish, and her gender was somewhat ambiguous to the boys.

As they horseplayed around, Chen Huiming silently glanced in their direction again and again. A contemptuous smile touched the corner of her mouth. Wang Jingjing was an idiot, and Jiang Du loved to act weak—a match made in heaven for a pair of bitchy best friends.

Because the weekend was approaching, and New Year's Day was just around the corner, everyone was restless and couldn't really quiet down. The class committee was discussing how to decorate the classroom, who would host, how to write the emcee's script, who to borrow the sound system from... Only Jiang Du was quietly hunched behind a small mountain of reference materials, starting to write a letter.

She wanted to wish Wei Qingyue an early "Happy New Year" in the letter.

It was just a simple, small wish like that.

"Jiang Du?" Zhang Xiaoqiang came over to her, startling Jiang Du so much that she froze, her mind feeling like it had rusted shut. Her pen stopped, and she subconsciously pulled an atlas over to cover the letter. She gave an unnatural smile. Of course, Zhang Xiaoqiang saw her strange reaction, but she had no hobby of prying into others' privacy. Her eyes were full of warmth and frankness:

"Can you help our class write the script for the New Year's Day party?"

Jiang Du was stunned.

Zhang Xiaoqiang smiled, "Look at me, I forgot to ask. Are you planning to sign up for a performance?"

Jiang Du let out a soft breath and shook her head. "I can't do anything. I'm tone-deaf and have two left feet."

Her words made Zhang Xiaoqiang burst out laughing, so hard her gums showed. She glanced outside and said, "Come with me to buy some balloons, okay? It'll be a good chance to tell you about the performances so we can figure out how to write the script."

Jiang Du wanted to refuse. She didn't really like participating in these activities; being an audience member was enough. But alas, she was considered the best writer by everyone, so of course, she had to show up for this kind of artistic event.

It got dark early. The little shop at the school gate was brightly lit, its business booming recently. With so many classes at Mei Zhong, everyone except the third-years was buzzing with energy because of the approaching New Year's Day. The shop was crowded with girls. The two of them mingled in the crowd, surrounded by dazzling decorations and deafening dance music. Zhang Xiaoqiang swayed her body to the rhythm and casually asked Jiang Du which Chinese singer she liked.

"I don't have a fixed favorite, but recently I've been liking Huang Jiaju." She responded to Zhang Xiaoqiang with sincerity. "What about you?"

Zhang Xiaoqiang's eyes sparkled. As if thinking of something, she said, "I like Pu Shu. He's very unique, isn't he? I like special people, the kind who never follow the crowd."

For some reason, when she said this, her smile became even brighter, like a dazzling star.

She wanted to praise the other girl, but Jiang Du wasn't good at saying such things. She paused for a moment before managing to squeeze out, "I think you're pretty special too."

"Really? What a coincidence, I feel the same way about you, haha!" Zhang Xiaoqiang laughed again. Her comment made Jiang Du feel shy.

When the two of them came out of the shop, the food stalls were sparse. Steam rose quietly into the air. It was no longer the peak time for students to eat. Inside a tented stall selling fried noodles, under the dim light, sat a boy heartily eating noodles.

"Wei Qingyue!" Zhang Xiaoqiang suddenly called out. Jiang Du froze along with her. She looked up, and sure enough, the boy's gaze shifted towards them.

The long-awaited chance encounter happened so abruptly. But Jiang Du's first reaction was that she was completely superfluous—Wei Qingyue and Zhang Xiaoqiang were the ones who knew each other.

"Why don't you head back first?" Zhang Xiaoqiang asked Jiang Du considerately. She matter-of-factly pushed the balloons in her hand to Jiang Du. In her mind, Jiang Du and Wei Qingyue didn't know each other well, so it might be awkward.

Out of goodwill, she was telling Jiang Du to go back to the classroom first.

This kindness instantly plunged Jiang Du into a swamp of bitterness. She was a little flustered, but she managed to hide it well under the cover of the night:

"Okay, I'll go then."

She did her utmost to restrain her desire to take a few more glances, straightened her back, and walked towards the school without looking back. Faint voices came from behind her. She knew the two of them had started talking, but she couldn't hear what they were saying.

How pathetic. Jiang Du walked silently to the school gate. The wall cast a shadow, and she stood in it, only then secretly looking back. The distance was a bit too far now. She could only see the fleeting figure of the busy stall owner under the tent and the iron wok with sparks flying from underneath. However, she couldn't see Wei Qingyue. The feeling was as if those sparks had died out in the palm of her hand, losing all their warmth.

She turned around dejectedly, walked out of the shadows, and the streetlight stretched her shadow long.

The classroom was a bit messy. When Jiang Du came in, she saw Chen Huiming standing by her seat, holding something in her hand.

In an instant, Jiang Du felt all the blood rush to her face. She practically lost control and ran over, snatching the thing from Chen Huiming's hand.

It wasn't the letter. Chen Huiming had just accidentally knocked one of her books off the desk. But she didn't know that.

Jiang Du's action was obviously rough. Her face was flushed, and her heart was still pounding powerfully against her chest. Chen Huiming looked at her in surprise, and a few boys behind them also saw the scene.

"Do you have to be like that, Jiang Du?" Chen Huiming looked very unhappy and tutted.

A strong sense of self-preservation completely took over Jiang Du. Her voice changed. "What are you doing, taking my things without permission?"

"What are you talking about?" Chen Huiming rolled her eyes irritably. "I knocked it off by accident, and wasn't I picking it up? What's wrong with you, getting angry over such a trivial thing? Which eye of yours saw me taking your stuff without permission?"

"Jiang Du," the class president behind her came to mediate. "What Chen Huiming said is true, I saw it. You might have misunderstood."

Jiang Du felt extremely embarrassed. She opened her mouth, wanting to say "I'm sorry," but Chen Huiming had already sneered and spoken, "Don't you usually seem so frail? Your voice is pretty loud, huh?"

As she spoke, she gave Jiang Du a look that said, "You're so hypocritical."

Wang Jingjing was nowhere to be found. If she were there, a fierce fight would have definitely broken out. Jiang Du knew she was in the wrong, so she didn't retort, only softly saying, "I'm sorry."

"Honestly, all she does is pretend to be a lady," Chen Huiming complained. "What's with the attitude? She's like Lin Daiyu when talking to boys, but a machine gun when talking to girls."

"Alright, Chen Huiming, it's a small matter, can't you just clear it up? We're all classmates, peace is what matters." The class president stepped in to stop her. Chen Huiming was quite unconvinced and glared at the president. She was very dissatisfied with this peacemaking attitude. "You just side with whoever can act, don't you?"

Hearing this, the class president also got upset. "What are you talking about? I'm just looking at the facts. How did I become the person you described?"

Chen Huiming didn't want to argue with the class president. With a dark face, she went back to her seat and slammed her book down hard. The classroom went quiet for a moment. When they came to their senses, Chen Huiming had already run out of the classroom in a huff.

She ran right into Zhang Xiaoqiang and Wei Qingyue, who were walking side by side.

Seeing her strange expression, Zhang Xiaoqiang called out to her, "Chen Huiming, what's wrong? Where are you going? Class is about to start."

Chen Huiming's eyes suddenly reddened. She stopped and said, "I accidentally knocked over Jiang Du's book, and I even picked it up, but she blew up at me without listening to any explanation. She's so fierce, and the class president even takes her side. She's so disgusting, always acting pitiful in front of boys. I know boys like her type, the ones who can act. I can't act, so I'm the one who gets ostracized!"