Chapter 4

In March 2017, I was punished to stand outside the homeroom teacher’s office because my grades had plummeted. The homeroom teacher called my parents, but neither of them answered.

On the wall opposite, there were photos of various universities’ admissions. I read them one by one, aimlessly.

I never thought about which school to attend. If I was doomed, so be it; the future was just a word I couldn’t grasp.

Suddenly, Chen Yabai’s voice appeared beside me. He pointed at one of the university photos and said, “I’m going to this Police Academy.”

His leg was still lame, and I had no idea why he was standing next to me.

I tried to turn my head, but he held the back of my neck, not letting me move, his fingertips cold: “You have to go to the Media University across from me. That way, you just cross the street to get there. You should be a journalist.”

I thought he’d seen the ideal major I filled in last class and was about to mention my strengths, like being truthful and daring to speak out. But Chen Yabai lazily added his reason: “You have a beautiful smile.”

The radio was playing that hit song from the year, probably called “The Wind Rises.” I didn’t say anything and suddenly walked down the corridor. When I reached the corner, Chen Yabai suddenly called out to me with a laugh, “Miss Little Yuan.”

I turned around. He was standing in the light, the wind blowing his hair, his profile shining brilliantly.

He asked, “Where are you going?”

I replied, not so kindly, “To the bathroom.”

He looked at me and responded with a smile.

The lyrics on the radio were at “Turning through the years, different profiles / Suddenly barging into your smiling face.” Anyone who met Chen Yabai at seventeen would find him quite annoying.

He appeared for a moment, but left me dizzy for a lifetime.

Later, I went to that Media University, crossed that street many times, closed my eyes for thirty seconds and opened them again, but never met Chen Yabai. Liar.

So, from the very beginning, maybe we shouldn’t have troubled each other at all.