The slightly hot wind of early summer blew in through the window, lifting the white curtains and swirling lazily between them.
"I used to think he didn't need to give up. He was always so talented, so outstanding, far surpassing most people. But then I realized, maybe the reason he gave up was precisely because he was always too good, too outstanding. Sometimes, people can be defeated by their own pride."
Nie Qingzhou's elbow rested on the cabinet, his hand supporting his chin. The storytelling ended here, and he didn't seem to intend to continue.
Wen Zhong frowned.
"You sure have a lot of friends. What exactly do you want to say? That I'm like your friend? That I'm studying too hard? That I'm being defeated by my own pride? That I've lost some so-called light? Don't joke around. Learning has always been painful, and competition will always exist. Otherwise, what's the point of the college entrance exam?"
Nie Qingzhou smiled faintly at Wen Zhong for a while, then said casually, "I was just telling a story."
Wen Zhong was stunned.
He tugged at the corner of his mouth, feeling that his earlier eager denial just now was really ridiculous. He was fooled by Nie Qingzhou.
It was too ridiculous.
Others thought he was proud, but he was just an empty shell. A hollow echo would resound at the slightest knock, instantly exposing his emptiness.
Yes, he understood everything Nie Qingzhou said. But could he just stop there? Could he face his parents' disappointed eyes, could he face all the red envelopes and gifts they had given him over the years?
Besides "excellence," he had nothing else to support himself.
Wen Zhong had also seen and envied the kind of light Nie Qingzhou mentioned. After their reunion at Teacher Qiao's house, when he saw Xia Yi playing the piece she had written, she had that kind of dazzling light.
That kind of light made him feel very small.
Wen Zhong murmured, "When Xia Yi plays the piano, there's light in her eyes."
Nie Qingzhou's eyebrows shot up, his expression turned unhappy in an instant. "You kid..."
Wen Zhong snorted, cutting him off. "You like Xia Yi?"
Nie Qingzhou was choked back. He looked away for a moment before turning back and saying confidently, "The whole grade knows I chased after her and got rejected. Isn't it normal for me to like her?"
"You're not good enough for her."
"..."
"You may have good grades now, but she's on a different level than you. She'll be much more successful than you in the future," Wen Zhong said with certainty.
Nie Qingzhou was silent for a while, then gave a thumbs up and said, "You've got quite an eye, kid."
Then he suddenly laughed, leaning back in his chair and relaxing his body. "Okay, just for that sentence, it was worth carrying you to the infirmary."
He never thought he would be reduced to fighting over a girl with a seventeen-year-old kid.
"Take it easy, don't treat the college entrance exam as your lifeline. The so-called 'everything will be fine after the college entrance examination' is just a comforting lie. There will only be more hardships in the future. If you can't accept yourself, you'll be as miserable as you are now for the rest of your life," Nie Qingzhou softened his tone.
He had seen a future further than them, a life beyond the finish line of the college entrance exam. He had witnessed the struggles of countless "winners" of the exam, including himself.
Life is a long journey of seventy-eighty years, and they were only eighteen during the college entrance exam. Fate, even for the diligent and intelligent, was often stingy with its favors, let alone those seeking quick success and desperately betting everything on a single throw.
Footsteps were heard from the corridor outside. Their teacher in charge returned with medicine, sweating profusely. Seeing Wen Zhong awake, the teacher let out a sigh of relief, placing a hand on his chest and asking with concern how he was feeling.
Nie Qingzhou stood up consciously, giving his seat to the teacher. Picking up his bag, he said, "Teacher, I'm going out for a bit, I'll be back soon."
The teacher turned his gaze to Nie Qingzhou with a face full of distress. Nie Qingzhou pretended not to see and slipped away before the teacher could speak.
Nie Qingzhou slipped away to the Italian pizzeria across from the school. The most popular item in this pizza shop was not actually the pizza, but a French dessert made by the Italian chef - macarons.
He carried two boxes of macarons, looking at their vibrant colors through the transparent packaging, thinking to himself, who would have thought that macarons would become popular because of their colors in the future.
As he paid and turned around, he saw two girls in Zhengyi High School uniforms walking into the shop. One of them, a girl with a bun hairstyle, said to the clerk, "Two Naples pizzas to go, please."
He thought the girl looked familiar. When she took out her purple plaid wallet, it suddenly dawned on Nie Qingzhou.
Life is full of unexpected encounters. Wasn't this the girl he had a crush on in high school? The one who was speaking next to him when his 16-year-old self received a call from his 26-year-old self.
Nie Qingzhou froze for a moment, then walked past her with his dessert. As he pushed open the glass door, he glanced back at the girl, sighing with emotion.
He had almost forgotten what she looked like in high school, and almost didn't recognize her when he saw her suddenly.
It was as if he and the provincial capital were in two separate worlds, running independently. Only he had grown up, while everyone else remained young and naive. And his heart already belonged to someone else; seeing her again brought him nothing but surprise.
He even felt that with her being so young and innocent, liking her was almost like a crime.
The timing was wrong, everything felt wrong.
A few hours later, in front of Changchuan's small store, Xia Yi took the colorful dessert, and looked at it with some surprise and curiosity. She picked up a purple macaron and took a bite, then raised her bright eyes to look at Nie Qingzhou.
Her hair had grown past her chin, framing her face loosely. No one would mistake her for a boy now; she looked every bit the beautiful girl she was.
Pfft, hypocrite, aren't you still committing a crime? Is the timing right now? Why does everything feel so right? Why is your heart beating so happily?
He cleared his throat, changing the subject. "Do you like it?"
Xia Yi nodded, "I like it."
Nie Qingzhou, having shot himself in the foot, stood stiffly in place. Xia Yi was silent for a moment, then said, "Your face seems to be always red recently?"
Nie Qingzhou patted his face, saying seriously, "Yeah, the weather's been getting hotter, it's making me flush."
Xia Yi thought for a moment, then put away the dessert box and pointed to the shop. "Grandma got watermelons today, the first batch of summer. She saved two for us."
"Wow! That's great!" Nie Qingzhou turned and slid into the shop, calling out loudly, "Grandma! Grandma! Do you have watermelons?"
Grandma's vague voice came from the kitchen, telling him to wash his hands first.
Xia Yi hugged the dessert box and walked behind the counter of the small store. She watched as Nie Qingzhou walked to the kitchen, saying "I'll cut it, I'll cut it," his silhouette moving back and forth in the window.
Nie Qingzhou had kept his promise. He now spent most of his time at the shop, practically Grandma Xia's third grandchild, a new member of the Xia family.
Looking at the beautiful dessert in the box, Xia Yi smiled softly.
At lunch on Monday, the five of them took up a whole table as usual. Zhang Yukun, chewing on his food, said, "Amazing, Zhou-ge, the only third-prize winner in the province. Just a little bit more, and you would've gotten a spot for independent enrollment."
Lai Ning followed and said, "It's okay, Zhou-ge can get in on his own!"
Nie Qingzhou smiled and said, "Thanks for your good words."
No one else knew about him dropping out of the competition except for him, the teacher in charge, and Wen Zhong. So everyone thought he had won third prize normally, and he didn't intend to clear up the misunderstanding.
"Oh, by the way, I heard today that Lao Zhang wanted Zhou-ge to give a public lecture, to share his essay-writing experience. Zhou-ge flat-out refused!" Zhang Yukun pointed at Nie Qingzhou.
"A public lecture? Are you going to do it? I've seen excellent seniors from second and third year sharing their learning experiences before, but it's rare for first years. Why didn't you agree?" Zheng Peiqi asked in surprise.
"I've also told Lao Zhang, I wrote short stories for every round of this competition, which is completely unconventional. Argumentative essays are the safest bet for the college entrance exam. Writing fiction is almost like seeking death. What's the point of me sharing story-writing techniques with everyone? Wouldn't that be misleading?"
Nie Qingzhou leaned back in his chair and said helplessly.
"Fiction? That's awesome! Zhou-ge, tell us about the plot! Let me tell you, if you just talk about how to write essays, not many people will listen seriously. But if you talk about novels, everyone will be hooked." Zhang Yukun got excited.
Nie Qingzhou didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He strongly suspected that Zhang Yukun was so excited because he believed he had written something akin to a Jin Yong or Gu Long wuxia novel. [Two famous 20th-century wuxia novelists.]
"It's not the kind of novel you're thinking of."
"It's still more interesting than dry argumentative essays, right? Maybe it could be inspiring to hear about it?"
Zhang Yukun was persistent. He turned to Xia Yi, urging excitedly, "Xia-jie! Remember when Zhou-ge was tutoring us in essay writing? He was so cool! Quick, persuade him, he'll definitely listen to you!"
Xia Yi put down her chopsticks and turned to Nie Qingzhou, her dark eyes looking straight into his. "I also want to listen to your public lecture."
She paused, then added, "You were really cool."
Nie Qingzhou's pupils shrank. He covered his forehead, waving his hands frantically. "Okay, okay, that's enough, I'll go, I'll go!"
Zhang Yukun smiled happily. He winked smugly at Xia Yi and reached out his hand. "Yeah!"
Xia Yi calmly raised her hand and high-fived him.
Nie Qingzhou felt like he was being played.
So he trotted off to the office and told Teacher Zhang that he had changed his mind and agreed to give the open class.
Zhang Zihua was overjoyed. He crossed his legs and said in a strong voice, "Oh? This morning you were still looking troubled and saying no, no. How come you're so proactive now?"
"I think people should be brave enough to try new things." Nie Qingzhou said it in a high-sounding manner.
He paused, then said to Zhang Zihua, "Teacher, I plan to apply for the physics and chemistry class in second year."
Zhang Zihua was a little surprised. "Huh? With your Chinese marks, shouldn't you go for the liberal arts?"
"My grades are pretty balanced, it's just that my essays are stronger. I don't think writing is something that can only be cultivated in the liberal arts. It still depends on your own reading and practice."
"Well, as long as you've thought it through."
"Teacher Zhang, I think your teaching is great, I really like your classes." Nie Qingzhou suddenly said very sincerely and earnestly.
This sudden praise caught Zhang Zihua off guard, and he stared at him blankly.
"So, Teacher, could you please try your best to continue being my Chinese teacher in the second year?"
Zhang Zihua cleared his throat. "Thank you for your praise, but I can't be the Chinese teacher for the experimental class..."
"I was brave enough to try giving an open class. Teacher, why don't you give it a try too? Even if it's for me, give it a shot!"
Nie Qingzhou had heard about Zhang Zihua losing out in the school's internal power struggle, and then completely giving up after his divorce. Seeing Zhang Zihua's current state, he felt there was some truth to the rumors.
Zhang Zihua thought for a moment, then let out a long sigh. "Alright, alright, I'll try my best."
Nie Qingzhou smiled and said sincerely, "Then there's one more thing I want to tell you."
"What?"
Nie Qingzhou leaned in close and whispered, "Teacher, you really need to take a shower."
With that, Nie Qingzhou ran to the door, waving with a smile. "I suggest at least once a day in the summer. I'll be going then, my captain, good luck!"
Zhang Zihua was stunned. He raised his arm to smell himself, then laughed and cursed. "This kid!"