Chasing Summer

Since PE was the last class of the day, many people came to the sports ground directly with their school bags.

As soon as the bell rang, these people immediately put on their school bags and ran out.

Lin Zhexia still had to go back to the classroom to pack things up before heading over to Class 1 to meet up with Chi Yao.

There weren’t as many empty seats on the bus on the way back compared to when they came. The bus was full of students from No. 2 High. Lin Zhexia and Chi Yao took the bus home together. She followed behind Chi Yao and paid her bus fare. After she got on, she looked around and found that there was only one empty seat left.

The empty seat was against the rear door.

Lin Zhexia felt a little ashamed. She stretched out her hand and pulled on the handing strap from Chi Yao’s school bag, “Don’t you have anything to say to me?”

“For example, letting me have this seat or something,” Lin Zhexia continued, “otherwise I would be ashamed to sit.”

Chi Yao had already changed back to his school uniform. After playing basketball, he seemed to have rinsed his hair. His bangs were slightly wet.

When he spoke, he glanced at Lin Zhexia and said, “What to do? I’m shameless, you’re ashamed to sit but I’m not.”

Lin Jiexia, “…We should respect the old and love the young.”

Chi Yao, “Which one are you, old or young?”

Lin Zhexia was wise, she said with all honesty, “I’m the young.” Then she added, “Dad.”

Chi Yao had nothing more to say.

He took his school bag off his shoulder and threw it into Lin Zhexia’s arms, “Sit and help me carry my bag.”

Soon, the driver pressed the button to close the door and the bus slowly moved.

There was a lot of noise on the bus.

Lin Zhexia sat on the seat, and Chi Yao stood beside her. He raised one hand and grabbed onto the bus strap directly above her. She could see him as soon as she looked up.

Since Chi Yao was standing beside her, even if there were more and more people getting on the bus, no one was able to push where she was.

—Like a natural barrier.

Originally posted at nuebibli(dot)com, please do not read elsewhere.

On the way, she took out her phone to see if Lin He had sent her a message.

Except she didn’t see a message from Lin He, but a message from the new friend she had just added.

Chen Lin: [Link]
Chen Lin: it’s this.
Chen Lin: he was the one who killed the forum on the first day of school. in one day, the first page of the forum was all about him. the post with the most comments already has more than ten pages.
Chen Lin: I told you this today, I knew all you cared about was your homework and didn’t even listen to me [○??｀Д???? ○]

Lin Zhexia clicked the link on the bumpy bus ride. A moment later, a slightly blurred snapshot suddenly came into sight.

This photo was probably taken in the afternoon.

In the photo, the sun was dazzling, it came in through the window unrestrainedly and openly.

This very sloppy snapshot actually captured many people, but among these people, there was someone whose existence could not be ignored.

The youth sitting in the back row was wearing No. 2 High School’s school uniform. The collar of his uniform was slightly opened and his bony collarbone could be seen. He sat in the middle of a group of people, surrounded by other boys. It looked as if he was a people person, but his whole being gave a strong sense of distance.

The same school uniform felt different when he was the one wearing it. The pair of light-colored pupils were lit by the sun, with sharpness so strong that it burns.

But these are not what’s most important.

What’s most important is that— the person in this photo is the same person standing next to her right now.

It’s the one she can recognize even if he turns into ashes.

Chi Yao.

Lin Zhexia’s expression changed from bewilderment to hesitation.

And then from hesitation to a loss for words.

Finally, it became an expression of an old man on the subway looking at his phone.

Below this photo, there were full of comments.

1F: [Picture].
2F: [This person, who is he, from our school?]
3F: [whose heart is beating so loudly? oh, it’s mine.]
4F: [in ten minutes, I want every single piece of information about this person.]

After a while, someone really began to report information.

133F: [Before I clicked in, I was still wondering who caused such a sensation. After I clicked in… oh, it’s Chi Yao, never mind then.]

It wasn’t easy catching someone who knew the details. All the other floors1 told 133 not to leave.

So 133F stayed and said a few more words:

[First year, Class 1, Chi Yao.]
[He’s my former schoolmate, he was already very famous in middle school.]
[Does he have a girlfriend? I don’t know.]
[But I advise you guys not to approach him, because you will be rejected miserably.]

Lin Zhexia’s expression became even more complicated as she read further.

She wasn’t from the same school as Chi Yao so she didn’t know that this person was so ostentatious in school.

She felt as if she had seen.

A.

Person she didn’t know.

This man, with the same name, same surname, and even shared the same face as Chi Yao.

And this Chi Yao, seemed to be, very famous in school.

…

Lin Zhexia stared at this photo for a while, then raised her head to look at the Chi Yao standing beside her.

Compared with the “Chi Yao” in the photo, which seems a little distant, the current Chi Yao was obviously truer to life. The setting sun shone upon him, and his whole being was covered by the noise on the bus.

As tall as he was, he still stood out among many people inside the bus. At this moment, he was also going through his phone with his eyes drooped down.

He seemed to notice her gaze. His eyes deviated a little and turned to look down at her, “This face of mine charges fees, 50 for a glance.”

Lin Zhexia was stunned for words.

She was just about to say, “You’re a scam”.

But soon, she heard Chi Yao say:

“After all, some people charge 8 yuan for running errands, my price should be quite reasonable.”