The journey to school by car took a little over an hour. On the bus, Xie Shu chatted with the teacher for a while before he began to feel drowsy.
No nap at noon, and the afternoon would be a disaster.
Although they weren't having classes now, the stifling atmosphere on the bus still made one long for sleep.
It wasn't just him; many students were taking a quick nap with their eyes closed.
Later on, he and the teacher stopped chatting. The teacher took a nap, and Xie Shu chatted with Ruan Nianxi on WeChat before his eyes grew heavy and he drifted off.
He had messaged Ruan Nianxi in advance, though, and even sent her his location, estimating his arrival time at school.
When he woke up, he found the bus parked in front of the gymnasium's plaza.
It was the teacher sitting outside who nudged him awake, signaling that he could get off. The other students were also getting up one by one, lining up to disembark.
Xie Shu stood up and waited for the teacher to move before he stepped to the aisle, looking for a less crowded gap to exit.
There were still quite a few people getting off, and he didn't want to squeeze through, so he decided to wait.
Checking his phone, he noted the time was about what he had estimated.
Hmm… several WeChat messages?
Unlocking his phone with his fingerprint, he saw they were from Ruan Nianxi, sent about fifteen minutes ago.
Standing on the bus, Xie Shu had to stoop to text, which was inconvenient, so he simply sat back down.
Now seated by the window, he opened Ruan Nianxi's chat.
Just as he sat down and entered the chat, Su Qianyi happened to be passing by. Her attention had always been on him, so naturally, she took a curious glance at his phone.
Her gaze was immediately drawn to the glaring red dot on the screen, a stark 99+.
And next to that glaring 99+ was her name.
99+?
That meant he hadn't seen any of her messages, not even opened them?
If he had, the number wouldn't be 99+.
Even if he had read them and marked them as unread, it would only show "1".
So he hadn't just been ignoring her messages; he hadn't even been looking…
The truth struck Su Qianyi like lightning, and she stood frozen in place.
Xie Shu's fingers moved swiftly on the virtual keyboard, snapping her back to reality.
He had time for others' messages, to reply to others, but not to look at hers?
Out of curiosity, she glanced again at the name on his phone screen: Nianxi.
Even without the surname, the only person that came to mind was Ruan Nianxi…
That woman she detested!
Hadn't they barely interacted before?
Why did it suddenly seem like… their relationship had gotten much closer?
She knew they were childhood sweethearts, but as far as she remembered, they had hardly been in contact in high school because they were in different classes.
And back then, Xie Shu often spent time with her, so his contact with Ruan Nianxi was minimal.
Even when Ruan Nianxi would actively seek him out in their first year, he was always careful to keep his distance to avoid any misunderstandings.
After starting university, she and Xie Shu were nearly inseparable, and she knew they hadn't been in touch during that time. But now, why were they…
And since when…?
"What's going on up there? Move it!"
A voice from the back of the bus broke Su Qianyi's train of thought.
She had only stopped for a few seconds, but because the aisle was narrow, if she didn't move, no one behind her could pass.
The queue behind her was still waiting to get off, and the blockage was annoying, prompting someone to urge her on.
Xie Shu, replying to Ruan Nianxi's message, turned his head at the sound.
Their eyes met, but neither spoke.
Xie Shu calmly looked away, pocketed his phone, and seeing Su Qianyi still motionless, he stepped into the aisle and off the bus.
After he moved, Su Qianyi finally stirred from her daze.
Once off the bus, Xie Shu headed straight in a particular direction.
***
Fifteen minutes earlier, Ruan Nianxi had messaged him that she was waiting at the gymnasium. While on the bus, he had asked her exactly where she was, considering the size of the gymnasium and its many doors.
Since they had already talked, Ruan Nianxi knew Xie Shu had arrived.
As Xie Shu approached the side door where she was, she came out to meet him.
From afar, Xie Shu saw Ruan Nianxi, and in a few strides, he was in front of her. In her clear eyes, he saw his reflection wrapped in boundless joy.
The afternoon sun wasn't as scorching as at noon, but the heat from the ground hadn't fully dissipated.
Ruan Nianxi, though she had stayed in the shade of the gymnasium's side door, still had sweat on her forehead.
Her long hair draped over her shoulders, and Xie Shu felt a pang of distress. He couldn't help but reach out to tuck a few stray strands behind her ear.
"It's so hot, why run out here? Don't do this again; I'll come to you in the future."
His tone was gentle, with a hint of reproach, but mostly concern.
Feeling Xie Shu's touch, Ruan Nianxi stiffened, forgetting to respond.
After tucking her hair behind her ear, Xie Shu didn't stop there. He traced her hair down to the nape of her neck.
"Got a hair tie?" he suddenly asked.
"Uh…" It took a few repeats for Ruan Nianxi to process his words, "No, I forgot."
She had no classes in the afternoon and had been in her air-conditioned dorm. Realizing it was almost time for his return, she had rushed out. Once outside the dorm, she felt the heat but didn't want to go back, so she left as she was.
"Would you mind if I use my method to put up your hair?"
"Huh? Oh, sure."
"Don't judge it, then."
Xie Shu then took out a pen from his pocket and handed it to Ruan Nianxi: "Hold this for me."
He moved behind her, gently gathering her black hair.
Ruan Nianxi couldn't see how Xie Shu was styling her hair, but she felt his carefulness, his touch so light.
"Give me the pen."
She obediently lifted the pen to her shoulder, and Xie Shu took it, softly inserting it into her hair.
With her hair now up, Ruan Nianxi's neck felt cooler, not as stifling as before.
Xie Shu stood in front of her again: "Does it feel a bit cooler?"
"Yes, thank you."
Ruan Nianxi's smile was radiant and captivating.
On the small plaza in front of the gymnasium, Su Qianyi, who had been watching Xie Shu since getting off the bus, had naturally witnessed the entire scene unfold.
Proofreader & Editor:Peter Pan