Two

I cannot describe my feelings at that moment; I only felt that each step I took past him was as heavy as if it were filled with lead

Although there is still a backpack between him and me, at this moment, I feel as if I can hear his heartbeat.

Perhaps having seen enough, she tossed out a remark: "I don't have time to deal with you anymore, I'm leaving"

I pretended to know nothing and devoted all my energy to studying. Everyone thought I didn't care, but only I knew that during that time, I often suffered from insomnia. In the pitch-black night, I tossed and turned, beginning to doubt myself, wondering if I had indeed been too rash. Then I started to doubt Lu Mingyu; what did he really think of me? If he considered me a friend, then why was he so indifferent to my feelings?

At that moment, my unyielding pride inexplicably flared up again, and I pushed him away without gratitude, rising to leave.

The proctor, who appeared to have an old-fashioned scholarly demeanor, glared at me ominously through his glasses, then picked up my exam paper and glanced at my name

In my dream, he said to me with unwavering determination, "Pei Jixing, you are my lifelong good friend. I swear, I will always treat you well for the rest of my life"

As someone with short legs, how could I possibly compare to the main player of the basketball team, Lu Mingyu? In just a few steps, he caught up to me and grabbed hold of me.

The two of us walked side by side along the corridor, the sunlight stretching our shadows long. After a period of silence, he finally spoke again

A gentle cold breeze blows by, and I hide in the embrace of this young man, hearing my heart bloom, the wounds have scabbed over

He was startled by my silent tears and quickly took out a tissue from his pocket to wipe my tears

Can Chen Meihua use her astonishing and soul-stirring performance to tell me that all of this is real

No, the previous sentence.

I instinctively raised my tear-streaked face. In my blurred vision, a tall figure in a clean uniform appeared. He set down the thick stack of notebooks in his hands, crouched down, and gently asked, "Pei Jixing, what’s wrong? Are you okay?"

Why are you helping me like this? You refused me from the very beginning; in fact, it would have been appropriate for you to expose me on the spot today.

A voice suddenly rang out behind me, calling my name with great intensity

I said, this matter is in the past

Enough! I stopped in my tracks and forcefully shook off his hand. Covering the painful wound on my forehead, I looked at him wearily and said lightly, "I want to go home"

How long is a lifetime

"Are you Pei Jixing? The one who ranked second in the entire school last year?" His tone was filled with disdain, "Is that how you achieved your grades?"

Oh, I pretended to clear my throat, "because we are friends"

For a moment, I thought I was dreaming, a nightmarishly cruel dream

The paper ball was supposed to be thrown to the person behind you, I did not expect it to land in your hands

At that moment, a crumpled piece of paper suddenly hit me. My gaze instinctively followed it as it rolled to the ground, and when I looked up again, the invigilator had already approached me.

What have I done wrong again

Yet I stubbornly held my ground, unwilling to lower my pride and ask him to reason with me

I can tell at a glance that you are covering for someone else. Do you think you are particularly great? If you are so great, why don't you save your mother? Huh? Pei Jixing, let me tell you, you are nothing but a loser! You were sold by someone and you still pay them money!

Amidst this noisy and chaotic process, I, as the party involved, maintained that posture, while tears streamed down in large drops.

His voice remains as cold as ever, clearly expressing words of concern, yet it is impossible to detect any sense of care in them

I do not know, I replied sullenly

I turned around and saw Lu Mingyu running towards me at full speed. His expression was so sad that he looked like he was about to cry. I averted my gaze and walked forward without pausing.

The moment the words fell, the boy standing in front of me, with red-rimmed eyes and a melancholy expression like that of a tree, suddenly embraced me without any warning

Seeing her in this state, the teacher hurriedly pleaded with the principal on her behalf

However, no matter how I think about it, there is no reasonable answer

At that time, I should have stood up and admitted it, but my mind was in a daze

Pei Jixing, you need to think carefully—" The teacher, seeing that I remained unmoved, began to gently guide me.

I know he wants to turn himself in, but for me, the situation has already reached this point; what use is it for him to go now

This sentence is like a hard fishbone, stubbornly lodged in my throat, preventing me from uttering a single word

I do not want him to see the ugly wound on my forehead

He pulled me with great force as if he were possessed, heading towards the teaching building

I do not even know where I found the courage to calmly finish this statement

I do not know

He swallowed hard, his face filled with regret, and suddenly grabbed my hand: "Let's go, we will find the teacher now and clarify this matter."

Chen Meihua glared at me angrily, but did not continue to scold me. She lit a cigarette, watching me cry while she smoked.

Unlike everyone else, I do not even know where to go for a meal

As a result, not only did I fail the exam for my subject, but I was also unable to attend the other exams. I was trapped in the office the entire morning. At first, I was waiting for the homeroom teacher to return and handle this matter, but instead, I was met by Chen Meihua and the principal.

Hearing these words, he suddenly stopped in his tracks, turned around, and looked at me with red-rimmed eyes: "What did you say, say it again?"

In this moment where seconds feel like years, countless voices are clamoring in my mind. I am not without hesitation, after all, the consequences of cheating on an exam are severe, and I do not know how to face Chen Meihua when I return. Although she usually does not pay attention to me, if I were to do anything that would tarnish her reputation, what awaits me would be far more than just a scathing reprimand.

I checked the time and realized it was already the lunch break. Everyone was busy going to eat and rest, and then preparing for the upcoming exam

Like her, I am also sensitive and tend to get caught up in many trivial matters, yet I can never bring myself to be the one to take the initiative to make peace

In my brief life of just over a decade, this is the first time I have felt that kind of shame, as if I were being stripped bare in front of a large crowd

I crouched down, buried my head in the crook of my arm, and could not help but sob uncontrollably

I merely hope that before the gateway of the college entrance examination, he can adhere to the rules like others and not stray from the path. Yet, he does not even spare me the time to hear the profound meaning behind my unspoken words

I think, in this world, there is probably only him who possesses such magic for me

Upon hearing the words "loser," I could no longer bear it, covering my ears, while tears flowed like running water.

I just heard about your situation while having a meal in the cafeteria. His voice became extremely hoarse, "Little Star, I am sorry. I went too far."

I was too much before, concerned about my pride, and deliberately ignored you. He pressed his lips together, like a child who had done something wrong, glancing at me from time to time, "I am sorry, truly sorry, I will never do this again."

But I already have the answer in my heart

No one has ever told him that when a person is deeply saddened, one must never ask the question, "Are you okay?" Because the answer received will always be a cry that adds insult to injury

The paper ball was thrown to me, but I do not know who it was. I stood up, my gaze unwavering as I looked at him, "You take the scroll, I will go to the office myself"

It is Chen Jialing, that lofty top student

He stared at me, seemingly trying to find clues in my gaze.

What may disappoint him is that, from beginning to end, I have not looked at anyone other than him

Next, there is the sound of high heels leaving as they step on the floor

Lu Mingyu has indeed not spoken to me for several consecutive days, just as I expected

A sense of foreboding gradually arose as the invigilator picked up the crumpled paper from the ground, unfolded it, and then his expression grew increasingly grim

After all, I am not some amiable, kind, and tolerant little darling

But if I just say it like this, how am I supposed to face Lu Mingyu? I simply cannot betray him.

Yes, it has always been like this. Chen Meihua's way of solving problems is either to act pitiful and play the victim, or to double the punishment on me, making me appear as a little victim in the eyes of others

Just after the atmosphere between him and me suddenly dropped to freezing point, those chaotic rumors about me began to spread again

The principal glanced at me, and there was nothing much to say. He simply leaned in and asked in a low voice, "You really don't know whose paper ball this is?"

I only know that with every step I take away from my seat, it feels as if I am in a dream, completely unaware of the trouble I have caused.

As I sat down in my seat, the exam bell rang, and my tears finally could not be held back any longer, overflowing with the accumulated grievances of so many days. They fell onto the exam paper, blurring the ink. I tried to stop my foolish self, but it seemed impossible. So I put down my pen and chose to let myself be empty for a while

I did not cheat. The rebuttal came out instinctively as I stared at him with red-rimmed eyes

I am neither complaining about him nor am I angry; I simply do not wish to step into that office again, which is filled with a chilling atmosphere, nor do I want to recall the moments I experienced there before

At that moment, a voice called out my name

She even pretended to cry, explaining to the teacher and the principal how diligently I studied every day, asserting that my grades were genuine. While crying, she fiercely scolded me and occasionally broke through the teacher's attempts to stop her to hit me, as if the more severely she struck me, the easier this matter would be resolved

I will give you one more chance. If you tell me who threw it, I will return the paper to you. Otherwise, you might as well not take the exam and come with me to the office

The corners of my mouth couldn't help but curl into a smile as I patted him on the shoulder: "Because we are friends, once you apologize to me, this matter will be behind us."

He patted me on the shoulder and said, "It's alright, I know this incident is not your fault. You can go back and write a reflection, and we will move past this matter."

At this point, I am remarkably similar to Chen Meihua

I arrived at the examination hall early, only to see Lu Mingyu already gathered with his friends, chatting. As I passed by, he did not even glance at me.

Because I had no idea that the invigilator was a key member of the school and a former head of the academic affairs office. My actions undoubtedly left him no dignity and successfully provoked his anger

Little Star ... ...

As she spoke, she indiscriminately poked my head with her manicured fingers

In fact, many times, people cling stubbornly, whether in sorrow or in anger, ultimately because they cannot obtain a simple apology. At this moment, having heard those words, all the grievances that had filled my heart suddenly became clear, as if a difficult problem had been effortlessly resolved. Those feelings of discontent that had lingered in my heart like stagnant rain clouds also vanished completely.

This action gave me a jolt, and I took a step back, looking at him with a mix of defensiveness and grievance. His eyes, unguarded, turned red, and he took out a steaming hamburger and porridge, hesitating, neither able to hand them over nor to take them back.

I believe I will never forget this feeling for the rest of my life

Upon hearing this response, Chen Meihua instinctively paused for a moment, then glared at me fiercely, crying even more sorrowfully

Walking lightly along the corridor of the school, I just want to find a place to enjoy a good cup of hot water

"Alright, I will take you back," he said as he took my backpack, placed the porridge and hamburger inside, and then slung it over his own shoulder

The monthly exam has finally arrived as scheduled

The homeroom teacher and the other teachers, who had never witnessed Chen Meihua lose her temper, were clearly frightened and quickly intervened to stop Chen Meihua from coming up to hit me

He gave me a sarcastic glance and then collected my paper, saying: "Alright, then who gave you this crumpled paper?"

I am not well, I am not well at all

I only know that this sentence is like a magical potion, effortlessly healing all my wounds from the inside out

I did not speak and shook my head

Before this, Lu Mingyu was looking at me with a panicked expression

"How are you? Does it hurt?" He gasped for breath and, without a second thought, reached out to tuck the stray hair from my forehead behind my ear

If this is the case, then it will truly be over between Lu Mingyu and me

I do not blame you. I looked straight at him and said, "I am just really tired right now"

Chen Meihua was extremely angry; she stormed in and threw her counterfeit LV bag forcefully at my head. The sharp object on her bag left a deep cut on my forehead. I did not scream, but awkwardly lowered my head, watching her cosmetics spill out haphazardly from her bag.

He called out to me loudly: "You are bleeding. It would be better to go to the infirmary and have it checked."

The situation is more serious than I had imagined

When I walked out of the teaching building, the school was almost deserted.

After leaving the office, Chen Meihua changed her previously humble demeanor and forcefully pushed me, saying: "Haven't you learned your lesson? Didn't I tell you? I don't care what you do outside, just don't bother me! Do you know how hard I work to earn money? Now I have to come out and get my wages docked, are you trying to drive me to my death?"

I certainly know who threw it. Reason tells me that I should let go of this burden and then sit down properly to answer the questions. But my emotions tell me that I absolutely cannot do this, I cannot.

I felt my body stiffen, my head held high, believing that I had experienced an incredible dream

The teacher let out a cold laugh, clearly not believing this.

And I am like a senseless puppet, allowing her to trample on my self-esteem

In this moment, even the air seems to condense.