After evening self-study, the classroom quickly emptied out, leaving only a few students on duty. Lin Tiao rummaged through her bag and drawer, looking everywhere for her keys.
Jiang Yan leaned against the wall, playing on his phone.
“Found them,” Lin Tiao finally located her keys in a pocket in her bag and looked up at him. “Shall we go?”
Jiang Yan straightened, put away his phone, and casually grabbed her bag in one hand while slipping his other hand into his pocket. “Let’s go.”
The two walked out of the classroom, one after the other. The sound-activated lights on the second floor were malfunctioning, and only faint light from the stairs provided minimal visibility.
In the dim light, someone suddenly rushed down the stairs, and Lin Tiao, unable to dodge in time, bumped into Jiang Yan, who was walking beside her.
“Sorry!” The boy who bumped into them quickly ran off, leaving only the sound of hurried footsteps fading into the distance.
Lin Tiao stepped back, rubbing her arm. In the darkness, she could barely see anything. After taking a few steps, her foot suddenly slipped on the edge of the step, and she lurched forward.
In a flash, someone grabbed her by the collar of her uniform and yanked her back. Familiar laughter echoed in her ear. “Are you dumb?”
“Want me to punch you and open the door to a whole new world?”
The laughter grew clearer as he reached over to ruffle her hair roughly. “You really are silly.”
When they reached the ground floor, the lights in the first- and second-year buildings had already been turned off. The outline of the buildings loomed faintly in the dark.
Only the third-year building remained brightly lit, with faint silhouettes of students moving near the windows.
The shadows of trees swayed under a pale autumn moon veiled by a light mist. The chilly moonlight cast a thin, cold glow, while vehicles occasionally passed along the road.
Rumors about a flasher in the area had already spread among the students.
During evening self-study, homeroom teachers read aloud safety notices issued by the school authorities, instructing non-boarding students to get signatures from their parents and ensure that they would be personally picked up. Boarding students were not allowed to leave campus after evening self-study without their homeroom teacher’s permission.
At the nearby bus stop, there weren’t many people left. Small groups huddled together, discussing the topic with a mix of fear and disgust, all casting wary glances at those around them.
In a corner stood two figures, one tall and one short.
A chilly autumn breeze swept through, and Lin Tiao pulled up the collar of her uniform, covering her chin and leaving only half of her pale face visible. Her voice was muffled. “It’s getting late. Why don’t you go on ahead? The bus will be here soon.”
Jiang Yan leaned against an advertisement board, his gaze fixed on his phone without looking up. “I’ll wait. Not in a rush.”
Lin Tiao leaned closer. “What are you looking at lately?”
Her words halted when she saw the physics problems on his screen.
She averted her gaze, licked her dry lips, and sighed in mock despair. “Fine. I’ll never understand the world of a genius.”
Jiang Yan put away his phone and tucked it into his uniform pocket, a faint smile on his lips. “Oh? Didn’t you used to say you were a genius yourself?”
“I take it back, every word.” Lin Tiao lifted her chin, kicking idly at a nearby post. “But I’ve noticed you’re always looking at physics lately.”
“Yeah, there’s a competition in December.”
Jiang Yan had been participating in various physics competitions since junior high and had won countless awards. He’d originally planned to compete nationally in his first year of high school, but unfortunately…
Thinking of what happened back then, his gaze softened, and he let out a barely audible sigh.
Lin Tiao, who greatly admired people skilled in physics, couldn’t help clicking her tongue in respect. “So, do you plan to focus on physics in the future?”
“More or less. I’ll join competitions, win awards, and hopefully secure a recommendation to Tsinghua University.” As he spoke, a memory of his father, Fang Hai, surfaced in his mind.
"Little Yan, study physics well, get into Tsinghua University, and fulfill the dream I never achieved."
“Beep!”
A sudden horn pulled Jiang Yan from his thoughts. He glanced at Lin Tiao, casually asking, “And you? Any plans for the future?”
Lin Tiao froze for a moment before shaking her head. “I don’t know.”
At her age, few people could clearly map out their future. Most drifted between uncertainty and acceptance, never fully grasping what lay ahead.
Lin Tiao had never made any plans for her future; in both studies and life, she leaned toward living in the moment, without thinking too far ahead.
Only now did she realize that the boy in front of her wasn’t as carefree as he appeared.
He had his own life plan, moving forward steadily and leaving those still struggling far behind.
When she got home, she was surprised to find both Fang Yisong and Lin Yongcheng home. She changed her shoes and walked over with her bag. “Dad, Mom, what brings you both back today?”
Lin Yongcheng closed his laptop and took off his glasses. “Your teacher, Mr. Yu, just messaged your mom. He mentioned there’s been a flasher around your school recently. Your mom and I were worried, so we came back to check on you.”
“Oh.” Lin Tiao pulled out a safety responsibility form from her bag and handed it over. “Old Yu wants you guys to sign this.”
She had initially planned to ask her friend Meng Xin to sign it for her, but now it was unnecessary.
Fang Yisong glanced over the form, then signed her name in the parent’s section. “Here’s the plan: I’ll arrange for a driver to pick you up during this period. That way, your dad and I can rest easier.”
“Sure, that works for me. I’ll go to my room now. You guys should get some rest.” Lin Tiao slipped the form back into her bag and headed toward her room.
On her way, she glanced back at her parents sitting in the living room without much conversation between them, sensing something unusual.
But a moment later, she saw her mother peel an orange segment and feed it to her father.
She raised an eyebrow, clicked her tongue softly, and went into her room.
With Fang Yisong’s driver picking her up, Lin Tiao safely made it through the rest of the semester.
—
On a winter night, the elusive flasher, who had been prowling near the school, was finally caught by a group of students. They tied him up and sent him to the police station overnight.
By morning, a banner from the police had arrived at the school’s office.
News of the flasher’s capture spread quickly. Hearing of the arrest, local residents and school staff were overjoyed, almost ready to set off firecrackers at the school gate.
The school leaders enthusiastically praised the students for their bravery.
At the Monday flag-raising ceremony, the principal read a speech he’d prepared for them, his booming voice echoing through the playground.
“Such individuals are scum, a blight on society. Our students at No. 10 High are courageous, fighting against evil and protecting the people. In them, we see the spirit of virtue and integrity that our school was founded on.”
“I hope everyone here will learn from these brave students! A round of applause!”
Thunderous clapping erupted from the crowd below.
Standing on the platform, Jiang Yan remained expressionless, shivering in the cold wind that blew his uniform, his face tight with frustration.
Damn.
If he had known beforehand about all the trouble that would come after capturing the man, Jiang Yan certainly wouldn’t have let Hu Hanghang disclose all their names, schools, and class details at once.
After the principal's speech came the awards ceremony. The school had somehow procured certificates for acts of bravery, awarding one to each of the four students involved.
At the end of the ceremony, there was a group photo.
"Alright, everyone look at the camera," the photographer said, setting up in front of the tripod. "Three, two, one..."
Click.
The scene froze in that moment.
In the middle of the group, the outstandingly handsome young man held his certificate expressionlessly, the school flag billowing beside him in the breeze, its edge brushing his face.
Just as the shutter clicked, he slightly turned his head, reaching up to pull the flag aside, casually revealing half of his sharply defined face. The stark contrast between the red flag and his pale skin was striking.
Later, this photo made Jiang Yan the most talked-about figure in the Xicheng school forum, with an abundance of admirers.
Of course, that’s all in hindsight.
After the ceremony ended, Jiang Yan left the crowd of endlessly chattering school officials, slipping back into the classroom through the side stairs.
Since Jiang Yan unexpectedly ranked first in the grade during the midterms, posts about him on the forum hadn’t stopped. This act of bravery only boosted his popularity further, making him the most talked-about student at No. 10 High of the year.
All the intimidating rumors about him gradually faded, overshadowed by his achievements. Lately, the number of girls leaving love letters for Jiang Yan was almost enough to wear down the entrance of Class 18.
Fortunately, as the ceremony had just ended, there weren’t many people in the classroom—only the guys he usually played basketball with, who greeted him with a grin, “Yan, that was cool.”
Jiang Yan raised a hand in acknowledgment, too lazy to respond verbally, and tossed his honorary certificate into his desk drawer without a second glance.
With the heater on in the classroom, he took off his jacket, tossed it aside, leaned back in his chair with his legs propped on the desk bar, and started looking at his phone.
Gradually, more classmates returned, and the room grew lively.
Lin Tiao had stopped by the small convenience store with Meng Xin on the way back, so she was a bit late. “The principal wanted to chat with you guys in the office—why didn’t you go?”
“What would we have to talk about?” Jiang Yan replied, lowering his phone to meet her gaze.
She looked in a good mood, smiling brightly, her clear black-and-white eyes sparkling. Her cheeks were flushed, her school uniform unzipped to reveal a white sweater underneath, her neck fair and delicate, with an elegantly defined collarbone.
He casually averted his gaze, tapping his fingers lightly on the desk. “Now that it’s over, are you still going to have someone pick you up every night?”
“Probably—it’s cold now.” Lin Tiao opened a bag of milk candies, grabbing a handful to place on his desk. “By the way, how did you guys manage to catch that guy?”
“We ran into him by chance.” He opened a candy, set one on her desk, then put another in his mouth.
Last Friday, Hu Hanghang and a few others went to an internet cafe to play games. Around one in the morning, feeling hungry, they wandered to a nearby alley for a late-night snack.
The winter night was dark and cold, and the street outside the alley was completely empty.
A girl who had finished her shift at the convenience store changed her clothes and headed to the bus stop across the street, unaware of a shadow following her.
The incident happened suddenly, with a piercing scream faintly echoing from across the alley.
The boys exchanged glances, and in the next second, took off running toward the source of the sound.
A girl in a black down jacket had fallen to the ground, facing a man in a suit whose actions were anything but respectable.
Upon seeing Jiang Yan and his friends, the man hastily pulled up his pants and tried to flee into the shadows.
Xu Yichuan stayed behind to help the girl, while Hu Hanghang and Song Yuan chased the man. Familiar with the area, Jiang Yan and Guan Che split up to intercept him, finally catching him at the busiest intersection.
After hearing this, Lin Tiao felt both shocked and relieved. “It’s a good thing you guys were there, or else it could have been much worse.”
“What goes through the mind of someone like that, doing such perverted things?” she added with disgust.
Jiang Yan, who had overheard part of the questioning at the police station, replied casually, “Career-focused man under stress.”
“Even so, he can’t release stress that way,” Lin Tiao muttered, eating her candy. “Do you ever feel stressed?”
“Of course, I’m not a god,” he replied with a chuckle, glancing at her.
“So how do you usually relieve stress?”
“Watch TV,” he said after a moment’s thought. “Play games.”
“Oh…”
When he put it like that, Lin Tiao seemed to understand. “So, the soap operas and palace drama games you’re always on—are they to help you relax?”
“Pretty much. They’re low-effort to watch,” Jiang Yan replied, scratching his ear and retracting his stretched-out legs. His knee bumped the desk, and with a soft rustling, the honorary certificates he’d stuffed in his drawer spilled out onto the floor, along with a few other items.
One of the certificates landed on his leg, then dropped to Lin Tiao’s feet.
He leaned down to pick it up, but she beat him to it. “Mind if I take a look?”
“Go ahead.”
Lin Tiao opened it, and the first thing she saw in the top-right corner was a small, blue ID photo.
The boy in the picture had a blank expression and a buzz cut, his sharp features fully exposed, giving him a wild, rebellious look that was a far cry from his current composed demeanor.
“When was this taken?” she asked.
“Third year of middle school,” he replied nonchalantly.
Back then, he had been in a fight and injured his head, resulting in his hair being shaved off. After spending half a month in the hospital, he’d gone straight to graduation photos with his head shaved.
“Looks like you were quite rebellious back then.”
She smiled, glancing at him.
In just over a year, his buzz cut had grown into short, neatly trimmed black hair. His features had lost some of their earlier fierceness, now appearing smoother and more refined, though his pale skin remained unchanged.
As she finished looking, she noticed a few pink envelopes on the ground. She bent down and picked them up as well. “What’s this?”
Turning one over, she saw a pink heart sticker sealing it.
Below it, in neat handwriting, were the words:
"To Dear Jiang Yan."
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