01

The solitary wandering cloud kissed the surface of the sea and then vanished

I did not know that later I would meet someone during an entire youth without comfort

Merely encountering you has already astonished the remainder of my life

Xia Chan looked up at him, her eyes filled with confusion

"I am sorry." Xia Chan said softly without raising her head, leaving the boy in shock, and then quickly jumped down from the wall

Monet met her gaze and said with utmost naturalness: "A scoundrel, is it? I know."

Xia Chan stared at him like a thief

A tingling sensation surged through her ankle, and the pain began to spread. Xia Chan squatted down to rub her ankle, and upon regaining her composure, she looked at the high wall behind her, her eyes reflecting a hint of resentment

Indeed, being associated with Monet has even brought bad luck.

Xia Chan brushed his hand away

The hot breath he exhaled sprayed onto Xia Chan's earlobe and neck, and at such a close distance, there was a sense of oppressive ambiguity, causing Xia Chan's fair neck to be tinged with a blush

Xia Chan was more than half a head shorter than him, and the air around her was filled with a masculine aura, causing her to shyly turn her face away

I hope to gradually fade away amidst the sound of turning pages and the discussion of topics

A chubby boy with a watermelon-shaped head is anxiously pulling up his pants, staring at her with the wide-eyed gaze of someone encountering an alien creature.

She is not a student who enjoys fighting, causing trouble, or skipping classes in rebellion. Although most of the time she likes to daydream in class, pretending to pay attention.

"No need to thank me," Monet nodded and cheerfully patted her palm.

Waiting is a tedious process. However, because it is in the Jianghuai region, waiting becomes filled with anticipation

Xia Chan frowned unhappily, pondering that Ella was not on the way from the neighboring school, and the person she spent the most time with every day was Jiang Huainan. Why would he ask about Jiang Huainan?

Opposite the window is the Science Building, and between the Humanities Building and the Science Building is a basketball court. Tall and straight camphor trees stand guard in a circle, with a row of stone benches for resting beneath them. Sunlight filters through the gaps in the leaves, casting spots of light of various sizes on the ground, where Jianghuai Nan occasionally appears

Xia Chan, feeling extremely irritated, looked up and immediately spotted the school badge in his hand. Her brows furrowed, and she stood up, intending to snatch it away. Monet raised his hands to evade her, deliberately refusing to give it to her.

Every day, Xia Chan waits for him near the Tonghua Road bus stop on her way to school. Sometimes she makes excuses, saying her bicycle chain is broken, and other times she deliberately walks on busy mornings, all in order to hitch a ride on Jiang Huainan's bicycle's rear seat. Jiang Huainan often tells her that she is being foolish and that he doesn't want to take care of her, but in the end, he always ends up giving her a ride as they rush along together

His tone, which regarded shame as a source of pride, left her at a loss for words to refute him. Xia Chan had always thought she had encountered enough thick-skinned people, but she had never met anyone as shameless as him. He could easily provoke her.

You, you... I, I..." The boy seemed to have his tongue tied.

Compared to the top students and those who drift through their days in chaos, she resembles a fish in the mid-level warm water zone. In her own world, she follows the rules, spending all her leisure time thinking about a person named Jiang Huainan. Sometimes she writes in her diary, sometimes she doodles aimlessly, but more often she waits for the class bell or gazes at the playground outside the window

After much commotion, Monet ultimately decided not to return the school badge

Monet propped his hand on the adjacent table, tilted his head to look at Xia Chan, and asked with unusual confidence: "Are you looking for it?"

After much contemplation, Xia Chan ultimately decided to take a risk and confront Monet to settle the score

Monet looked at her, surprised to see her shy, and with both hands on her shoulders, he smiled and asked, "Is he your man? Do you like him?"

Thank you very much for the matter regarding the bar. She extended her hand as a gesture of reconciliation

Outside the wall are old residential buildings and an alley, with most of the wall's plaster peeling off, revealing a dull gray color. Large patches of climbing ivy hang above, with the stems covering two-thirds of the wall. The tendrils' suckers cling tightly to the wall like the feet of a gecko, while the withered old vines intertwine with the newly sprouted branches. The peak season has passed, and some of the leaves above have begun to turn yellow.

Xia Chan always feels happy about such cunning little schemes succeeding

Xia Chan gave up, staring at Monet, her eyes wide open, and asked: "What do you want?"

"Of course, I didn't pick it up. I'm not the kind of person who just picks up random things. Besides, if I were to pick something up, it would have to be something valuable." Monet provocatively tossed the school badge into the air, quickly snatching it back with a flick of her hand, and approached her with a playful grin, "I took it."

She did not understand how Monet got her phone number. When she called, it was unreachable, and her reply of "not going" also fell into silence. Halfway through the English class, Xia Chan held a pen in her right hand while frequently lighting up the phone screen placed behind her book with her left hand

The wall to be climbed has a very obvious foothold, likely caused by frequent treading. When Xia Chan climbed up, she hardly exerted any effort. As she supported herself on a brick and was about to jump, she caught sight of a pair of terrified eyes.

After finishing the fourth class on Friday, the announcement in the broadcast stated that all students must wear their school badges for the flag-raising ceremony next Monday, as there would be leaders from the province coming for an inspection. After lunch, when she returned to the classroom, Xia Chan began rummaging through the desks and cabinets in search of her school badge

What are you looking for

From the pages of the book to the crevices of the drawer, the school badge seemed to have vanished. She remembered placing it in her stationery bag without moving it, yet she could not understand why it was nowhere to be found

It was easy to leave the classroom. Xia Chan pretended to have a stomachache and slipped out to buy medicine, but her palms were sweaty the whole time she was lying. The teacher trusted her and approved it directly.

Regarding the previous words, she could remain indifferent; however, the last sentence, which was directly revealed by an unrelated person, struck a heavy blow in her heart, unearthing the secrets she had kept hidden.

Xia Chan's cheeks quickly flushed, and she pushed his hands away with both hands, saying angrily: "He is my friend, don't talk nonsense."

Next to her is the men's restroom. To avoid strong odors, there are ventilation windows above the restroom. Previously, I did not notice this from below, but now standing at a higher position, I realize that this spot allows a clear view of the last few squat toilets.

Then, a message from an unfamiliar number popped up on Xia Chan's phone screen: No. 78, Zhiwei North Road, Times Square, Tianxing District

Monet said, "If you don't let me go, come find me." Then, he skipped class

Monet had just finished playing basketball and returned to the classroom, his head lowered, his eyes unusually bright, as he leaned in front of Xia Chan to express his concern

Striving to calm the anger within her, she calmly reflected on the events that had transpired, resolutely deciding not to hold it against him. A chance encounter is not worth getting angry over, and there is no need for excessive entanglement.

"Return the school emblem to me." Xia Chan said with a faint smile

Alright, just answer me one question. Monet propped himself up on the table and stood up straight.

He looked down at her from a height, glancing sideways with a smile: "Who is the person that goes to school and comes home with you every day?"

Monet leaned slightly, his lips close to her ear, softly calling out in a gentle yet highly seductive voice: "Asha"

There is a distance from the teaching building to the boys' dormitory, and Xia Chan walked over calmly. Since it was class time, the entire dormitory building was very quiet. As she rounded to the back of the building, sunlight had become difficult to penetrate.

Xia Chan was too lazy to pay attention to him, neatly stacking her homework and textbooks, then crouching down to carefully search the surrounding ground

Monet was somewhat taken aback by her reaction. He gently rubbed Xia Chan's hair and smiled to comfort her, saying, "Don't be angry, I was just asking."

Monet also looked at her, his expression unchanged, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth: "I don't want anything."

Xia Chan took a deep breath and, with a hint of resignation, said: "Where did the school badge come from? I don't believe it was found."

Unable to exit from the school gate, Xia Chan thought of the wall behind the boys' dormitory, which was the entrance and exit favored by online gaming youths who were keen on spending the night at internet cafes. Although the location was somewhat awkward, being very close to the public restroom, she could not afford to think too much about it.

Xia Chan was feeling angry. When the bell rang for the first class in the afternoon, she turned her head and warned him: "If you don't return it to me today, I won't let you off!"