Chapter 10, Undercurrents Surge

It has been raining like this every day, and water can even be squeezed out from the room, yet I still hope for dry clothes. Therefore, I brought an electric heater up from downstairs, drying them little by little. Afraid of burning them, I sit by and watch.

Lin Danyun chuckled softly and said, "What bad things are you up to? Let me see." She pulled a book out from under the blanket and threw it on the floor, saying, "You can't even let me look at this? I wonder what kind of life you all are living." She replied irritably, "Do you think everyone studies art? We are going to face the real exam with real weapons in the future."

Lin Danyun remained silent for a long time, and after a while finally said: "He treats you quite well"

Mother He once asked whose clothes they were, and she hesitantly replied that it was cold during evening study sessions, and a classmate lent them to her. Mother He then inquired which classmate, and to save trouble, she said it was from Han Zhang. Only then did Mother He stop asking questions

He looked at him with some surprise, wasn't it all just noise that brought them here? Why get so serious and angry all of a sudden! Even more indignant, he blurted out: "Who eats from the same bowl as you! The unluckiest thing in my life is knowing you!"

There are countless such instances. Some well-meaning individuals, having nothing to do, compiled a book titled "Classic Quotes of Master Xu" and circulated it widely in the class, making it quite popular

She had no choice but to turn around and say with a stiff upper lip: "Of course, it is he who lent it to me. I will dry it and return it to him."

Zhong Yue frowned, suddenly reached out and pinched her finger, saying: "It's as cold as ice, and you still say it's not cold." He stood up and walked to the podium, took out the key from his pocket, and opened the drawer to get the remote control. He was in charge of the keys for the multimedia equipment.

Everyone else was focused on their homework, and no one noticed. Only Lin Danyun, upon seeing his distracted demeanor, felt as if a heavy mountain had suddenly pressed down, causing the world to lose its color in an instant. At that moment, she stood up, pushed her chair aside, and left without looking back.

His sudden intimate gesture startled not only others but even He Ruchu herself. However, because he acted with such naturalness, without any hint of pretense, it seemed purely an unintentional mistake. After a moment of daze, she regained her composure, and her heartbeat returned to normal. Even Han Zhang, with wide eyes, curiously glanced back and forth between her and Zhong Yue, his mouth twitching as if to say something, but in the end, he said nothing.

Everyone thought she had just gone out for a walk and would be back soon, so they didn't pay much attention to it. Little did they know that by 10:30 PM, there was still no sign of her. As everyone was preparing to leave, He Ruchu said, "Let me help Lin Danyun pack her things. I can keep them here for now and give them to her tomorrow."

At the beginning, it felt as if someone had grabbed her by the pigtail, causing her to hurriedly tuck it away, glancing around and changing the subject: "Didn’t we say we were going to buy clothes at 'Yunshang'? Are we still going?"

Lin Danyun did not respond, but took it from her hand and examined it carefully. The collar still bore the school badge of "Shanglin No. 1 Middle School." Turning to look at her, he asked lightly, "Is this not Zhong Yue's? How did it end up with you?"

So I asked: "How could he possibly lend you his clothes in such good condition?"

A few people came out together and parted ways at the bottom of the building

Both Han Zhang and Lin Dan Yun were taken aback, and they could only awkwardly sit down again

How did I first realize that she was unhappy? I do not know why, but I always feel guilty, yet she did nothing wrong. I pondered in silence, after all, it was just a piece of clothing

The phone rang, and Lin Danyun asked her what she was doing. She covered her lips and yawned, saying she was sleeping. Lin Danyun exclaimed: "It's already 11 o'clock, and you're still sleeping? Are you a pig? Get up, get up, 'Yunshang' has received many beautiful winter clothes, let's go take a look." She said it was raining outside and didn't want to go. Lin Danyun was not willing to give up, saying: "You get up first, aren't you afraid of rotting if you keep sleeping? I'll come find you after lunch."

How could she be so angry and flustered, pointing at her and saying: "Alright, Lin Danyun, you're turning your elbow outward! Just wait and see if I will accompany you to go shopping in the future!" She rushed over to hit her. Lin Danyun quickly dodged and pulled Han Zhang, saying: "This is the hornet's nest you stirred up, hurry up and resolve it! After all, I just helped you a moment ago."

He Ruchu was still sulking just now, with a sullen face saying, "Who wants to wear your clothes! They are filthy!" Han Zhang suddenly stood up, pressing one hand on her shoulder, and said in a deep voice, "Why do you think I'm dirty now? We used to share a bowl for meals and it was never a problem!" Usually, He Ruchu would scold him for being dirty every day, but she would just let it go. However, for some reason, today she felt inexplicably angry.

Zhong Yue looked at them, and his hand movements involuntarily paused

Han Zhang observed the scene of them sitting side by side, which had not evoked much feeling in the past, but at this moment felt uncomfortable. Thus, he made small talk, saying: "He Ru, don't you feel cold? Here, take my coat—after all, I find it too warm."

As the major examination approached, He Ruchu had no thoughts of anything else, being busy with her studies every day. In the days leading up to the exam, everyone was immersed in their studies, refusing to go home until the school urged them to leave. Seeing her classmates working so hard, He Ruchu felt embarrassed to slack off, carrying her backpack and leaving early and returning late every day. However, her father, feeling distressed, coaxed her by saying that after the exam, he would take her out to have a good time.

Secretly flipping through "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"—later, I bought it back behind my mother's back, brazenly hiding it in my backpack, carrying it back and forth every day without fear of it being discovered. Hearing the door being pushed open, I hurriedly stuffed it under the bed—turning around, I saw Lin Danyun, who patted her chest and said: "You scared me to death!" Still feeling a lingering fear.

Han Zhang was so angry that his eyelids were twitching; he was particularly restless today. After a long while, he suddenly burst into laughter and said playfully, "He Ru Chu, don't pretend like nothing's wrong. You used to say 'Marry me' when we were kids, and now you claim not to know me! Hey—don't get angry just yet—Lin Dan Yun, did she ever say that?"

Oh, is that so? She turned her head to closely observe her expression, noticing her words were evasive, and that she lowered her head, not daring to meet her gaze, which deepened her suspicion

Han Zhang stood up to block He Ruchu, who was rushing over—Zhong Yue was quicker and grabbed her hand, quietly saying: "Stop messing around, come sit here with me." She felt the warmth of his palm, warm and comforting, and her heart began to warm as well. Indeed, she sat down beside Zhong Yue, quietly not saying a word.

Lin Danyun smiled with her lips pressed together and said, "Although I don't remember, there must have been. When we were kids playing house, weren't you two always pretending to be mom and dad? Hahaha" After saying this, she burst into laughter

After the New Year, we will be busy preparing for the final exams. This year, "Shanglin No. 1 High School" will hold a joint examination with several other provincial key high schools of comparable strength. The school places great importance on this, stating that everyone must achieve good results to bring honor to the school. Especially for Class Zero, the responsibility is significant. Teacher Xu has repeatedly reminded everyone to review diligently, proceed cautiously, and not to be careless and lose the city.

Xu Mo-tou is actually quite an interesting person. He teaches mathematics but always prefers to speak in a flowery manner. For instance, when criticizing someone for making a racket, he would say: "People say the wind is howling, the horses are neighing, and I can hear you roaring from far away! You are even noisier than the Yellow River!" When he delivers this with his distinctive tone, characterized by his small nose and small eyes, it is particularly amusing. Later, everyone started calling that student "Yellow River," and for a while, whenever we saw him, we would sing: "The wind is howling, the horses are neighing, the Yellow River is roaring, the Yellow River is roaring..." This often led to bursts of laughter.

Because there is an exam next Monday, although it is a holiday on Saturday night, everyone is huddled in the classroom studying and doing homework. Lin Danyun also joined in, and a few people pushed their desks together to sit in a circle and discuss. Han Zhang had just returned from playing basketball, shouting that he was hot, and took off his jacket, placing it aside

For several consecutive days, the rain has been incessant, and everywhere is damp; even the sheets and blankets seem to have absorbed moisture, making sleep uncomfortable. Amidst the wind and rain, a new year arrives.

She said awkwardly, "We are classmates, and we sit in front and behind each other, so it is only right that we help each other." She quickly changed the subject, "It's already half the afternoon, are you still going to buy clothes? I'll go with you—"

Han Zhang chuckled and said, "I didn't expect you to care about me so much!" He Ru Chu rolled her eyes and replied, "A dog can't change its habit of eating feces."

"Don't you have air conditioning in your classroom?" She still did not believe it

Zhong Yue listened quietly without saying anything, took a piece of paper and a pen, and began to work on the problems. Everyone then fell silent, each engrossed in their own tasks. Only Lin Danyun, who was not cut out for studying, yawned and looked around restlessly

For example, after he finishes explaining an example problem, he would say to everyone: "It is impolite not to reciprocate; courtesy requires reciprocity—now this problem will be completed by everyone." The final tone is drawn out for a long time. Even more remarkable is his "Explaining Characters and Words"—every semester there is a rectification movement to eliminate the "bad practices and evil influences" in the class (in the exact words of the notorious Xu). He said: "Making a mistake once or twice is understandable, but by the fourth time it becomes intolerable! What is 'sin'? Four wrongs constitute a sin! Things should not happen more than three times; after three times, it is a 'sin'..." Even more remarkable is his "Explaining Characters and Words"—every semester there is a rectification movement to eliminate the "bad practices and evil influences" in the class (in the exact words of the notorious Xu). He said: "Making a mistake once or twice is understandable, but by the fourth time it becomes intolerable! What is 'sin'? Four wrongs constitute a sin! Things should not happen more than three times; after three times, it is a 'sin'..."

One cannot just lie in bed all day. After procrastinating, I finally got up, ate something casually, and pushed open the window, only to see the damp, drizzly weather outside. I couldn't help but curse, "Ah, this dreadful weather, when will it finally clear up!" Turning my head, I noticed Zhong Yue's trench coat still hanging there. I took it down and felt it; it seemed still damp and not yet dry.

Only Lin Dan Yun's expression changed dramatically. It is precisely because she is more familiar with Zhong Yue than others that she understands what his subconscious slip of the tongue signifies

Zhong Yue walked back and said, "How about I switch seats with you? The air conditioning is blowing right at me." As he spoke, he began to pack up his books. Han Zhang hurriedly stopped him, saying, "It's not that troublesome!" He then turned to He Ruchu and said, "If you're still cold, you can wear my coat." He took off his jacket and handed it to her.

How could I almost run out of words at the beginning? So I said: "Of course, we must help them wash it. We can't return their clothes dirty after wearing them, is there any logic in that?"

Everyone was startled, looking at each other in confusion, all asking: "Why did she leave so suddenly? What happened?" Zhong Yue shrugged and shook his head, indicating that he did not know

She rolled her eyes and said, "Where did you get all this nonsense! Did I say I was cold? I'm just tired of sitting; is it not okay to stand up and stretch a bit?" Han Zhang shrugged and remarked that she was being stubborn. Zhong Yue then said, "Shall I turn up the air conditioning?" She was still sulking with Han Zhang and quickly replied, "No, no—I’m not cold."

"Then why didn't you return it to him at that time? You even washed it for him." A girl washing clothes for a boy inevitably leads her to overthink the situation

On the statutory holidays, even they have a day off, but they still have to attend evening self-study sessions. Waking up at 6:30 every day, it is a rare opportunity to sleep in. She listened to the sound of the wind and rain outside, which came in bursts, while the sky was dim, resembling nighttime. Her heart felt increasingly at ease and lazy, reluctant to get out of bed. Mother He urged her several times, but seeing her buried under the blanket, humming and laughing, she had no choice but to let her be

He was momentarily taken aback, as he rarely spoke to her in such a serious tone. Usually, he would only be this polite in front of elders or strangers—today, for some unknown reason, he seemed different. Unable to remain angry, she said: "I am sitting under the air conditioning, so it is not cold right now. You should put on something yourself; it will get cold soon. If you go out and catch a cold from the wind, it will definitely lead to illness."

Lin Danyun interrupted her: "No, it's raining. Let's go another day when it's sunny. I need to go home; I still have an exam paper to finish." She didn't want her to see her downstairs and left alone.

Yes, yes—I was cold, so he lent me his clothes

"Well, it was on the way back, he lent it to me." In the middle of winter, the more we talked, the more I sweated, probably from the heat of the fire.

Lin Danyun ignored her and turned to look at the electric heater, hesitatingly saying: "This outfit looks familiar—doesn't it resemble Zhong Yue's?" She was particularly attentive to every detail about Zhong Yue. Zhong Yue was tall and wore a trench coat with a distinctive flair, which is why she recognized this piece of clothing

The warm air from the air conditioner blew her hair up like it was the beginning, and no matter how much she tried to press it down, it wouldn't stay. She simply ignored it and focused on her exam paper. Her long, dark hair arrogantly crossed the boundary between Chu and Han, flying straight onto Zhong Yue's shoulder. He felt an itch on his neck and reached up to scratch, only to realize it was her hair fluttering around. He carefully savored the sensation of her hair brushing past his ear, a tingling, soft feeling, like threads entwined in sunlight, like the fragrance of wine carried by the wind, like the sound of a flute played on water, and like the moonlight beneath the clouds, both present and elusive, intermittent yet continuous. He slightly closed his eyes, completely lost in the moment, wholeheartedly enjoying the indescribable subtle emotions within him.

She stood up and stamped her feet vigorously, then exhaled and rubbed her hands together. Zhong Yue asked, "Are you feeling cold?" She felt embarrassed and simply replied that it was okay. Han Zhang immediately said, "What cold? Look at the playground; people are still playing basketball in shorts. Look at how much you are bundled up, like a rice dumpling. Every time we ask you to come out and exercise, you always make excuses and are unwilling. Now you know the consequences, looking fragile and delicate all day like Lin Daiyu..."