We ordinary people also need to fall in love.

(I also felt that my writing was immature and there were indeed traces of imitation in the beginning. You can read on and see that the further you go, the more open your mind will become and the more skilled your writing will feel.)

(If the following content still does not meet your expectations, please forgive me and offer your valuable suggestions. I will carefully consider them and make improvements.)

"Hey Zhao, did you see that school beauty today? What do you think of her?"

"Uninstall Tomato Novel from your phone! Who named the school beauty? Did Xu Sheng say anything?" After saying that, Lao Zhao changed the subject, "But to be fair, it's really good, I feel it's no worse than the internet celebrity ones."

"Even internet celebrities don't seem that good-looking, and they all wear makeup and use beauty filters. Xie is naturally beautiful," another roommate commented.

"Really? Is it real or fake? If that's the case, then I'd better be brave and go after her." The person who asked the question first joked.

"Don't make your sister Xie laugh," Lao Zhao chuckled. "You goblin from the dungeon, are you going to go up there and humiliate yourself?"

Li Mubai lay in bed, suffering from insomnia. He opened his eyes and stared at the pale ceiling. His two roommates were still whispering, which also brought his thoughts back to the past.

Before the subject selection in the first year of high school, he and Xie Shu were in the same class. She had excellent grades and was naturally chosen by the teacher to be the class monitor.

After being assigned to the humanities-focused honors class in the second year of high school, she remained the top student and the class monitor. However, a whole year passed, and apart from handing in a few assignments, there was little communication between them.

There was no communication, which should have been a normal thing, but...

Li Mubai also harbored unrealistic fantasies about Xie Shu; the pursuit of beauty is human nature.

But reality starkly tells him not to have too many illusions.

She was ranked first in her grade, and boys from the same grade, and even those in the second and third years of high school, would often come to the classroom door to ask her to deliver snacks and small gifts. She was always the one featured on the confession wall.

He barely made it into Pingyang No. 6 Middle School, a key provincial high school, and his academic performance is only average. He is an ordinary student with no financial resources and only slightly better modeling skills.

This crush, which began because of his looks, could only be buried deep in his heart. If he told others, they might just laugh at him.

He attributed his entry into the top liberal arts class to a stroke of luck.

Fortunately, there was only one top-tier liberal arts class in their year, whereas there used to be two. Now, most parents are having their children choose science, so the number of liberal arts students is decreasing, and the number of liberal arts classes can only be reduced accordingly, which means less competition.

That's how times are. Li Mubai's family had suggested that he choose science, but he was more interested in humanities. Forcing him to study science would only be counterproductive.

There are generally very few boys in the liberal arts classes. In his second year of high school (3), there were only six boys, all of whom were assigned to the same dormitory room.

The two boys who were just chatting, one named Zhao Feng and the other Yang Kun, were in the same class in the first year of high school. The one who gave the opinion was Jiao Yong.

"Li Mubai, were you in the same class as Xie Shu in your first year of high school?" Yang Kun suddenly asked in a low voice, interrupting his thoughts.

"Yes, what's wrong?"

"Then tell us, how was Xie Shu in his first year of high school?"

Yang Kun looked very excited. He had just joked about pursuing Xie Shu, but it was all wishful thinking.

"When I was in the first year of high school... I didn't know him very well, but he seemed like a rather aloof person."

He didn't say much, as he understood the principle that too much talk leads to mistakes. If he paid too much attention to a female classmate, it would easily arouse suspicion that he liked her.

"A cool, aloof academic genius? Taking notes."

"666, do you think this is some kind of low-end game? Taking notes?" Zhao Feng couldn't help but tease, then turned to Wang Rui: "I think Wang Rui has a better chance than you."

Wang Rui, lying in bed, wasn't asleep. He was rather handsome, like a certain young male celebrity. Hearing Zhao Feng's words, he spoke up:

"Haha, sorry, I already have a boyfriend."

With the demeanor of a typical sports student, Jiao Yong immediately sat up straight, his gossipy nature ignited.

"Someone ran away! Is it someone from our class?"

"No, they're from another class. Don't ask too many questions, guys. We're keeping our relationship secret; the school doesn't allow early relationships." Wang Ruiqian chuckled.

"So what? Which young man doesn't dream of love?" Yang Kun retorted. "I fantasize about having a sweet romance in high school, taking a walk with my sweetheart on the playground in the afternoon, studying together, and making progress together."

"Oh, oh, oh~ You're even taking walks together and studying together? Don't get your hopes up, you little Chu boy. You'll be quiet once the dean of academic affairs catches you." Zhao Feng mocked at the right moment.

"Hey Zhao, you want to get elbowed, don't you? Your family won't let you date so young, so you're taking revenge on society?"

When this was mentioned, Zhao Feng suddenly paused for a second, then sighed:

"Sigh, there's nothing I can do. My family is quite strict with me. They have to make me go home by nine o'clock at night. My mom said she'd break my legs if I started dating too early."

"You can secretly date, learn from Wang Rui," Li Mubai said after thinking for a moment.

"Li Mubai, don't pressure him. The truth is, he can't find a girlfriend, and his strict family is just an excuse," Yang Kun said, revealing the real reason.

"Damn it! You dare to ruin my image in the eyes of my new classmates? You better not sleep too soundly tonight," Zhao Feng said, feigning malice.

Yang Kun ignored him and turned to look at Li Mubai:

"By the way, Li Mubai, your modeling skills aren't bad either. Do you have a girlfriend like Wang Rui?"

"No, I don't want to start dating too early."

"Okay, but you've been in the same class as Xie Shu for a whole year in your first year of high school. Don't you like it?" Yang Kun suddenly asked curiously.

……

Li Mubai's mind raced. He hesitated for a few seconds, which would easily give away his intentions. He said naturally, "There's no liking or disliking, we're just classmates."

He decided to change the subject and prevent them from asking any further questions:

"By the way, are there any students in our class who haven't arrived yet? It seems like my deskmate's seat is empty during the first evening self-study session of the new semester."

"It seems to be a girl. I heard she didn't come today because of something. She might arrive tomorrow. Maybe she'll be a pretty girl."

"It could also be a Tiger tank," Yang Kun guessed.

Li Mubai didn't care much about these things. Whether it was the tiger style or the beauty, it didn't matter. As classmates, everyone should just do their own thing.

He was more used to living alone. When he was in the first year of high school, he would invite three or five friends to eat in the cafeteria.

He was all alone, not that he was isolated, but that being alone made him feel freer.

He doesn't have to worry about others wasting his time by being slow, nor does he have to worry about others urging him on to grab food at a certain window.

Unable to fall asleep, Li Mubai silently turned on the bedside lamp and took out the new book he had bought that week—a collection of essays titled "Loneliness is a Gift of Life."

"Laobai, are you reading?"

"right."

"What book are you reading?" Feng Wanli, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up. He was one of the better students and wore thick glasses.

"A collection of essays." Li Mubai didn't mention the title; it was better not to reveal his specific preferences to others.

"Oh." Feng Wanli immediately lost interest and lay back down on the bed. "Yang Kun, Zhao Feng, stop talking. It's almost midnight. You have class tomorrow."

"Okay, okay."

Li Mubai turned his desk lamp to its lowest brightness and opened the first chapter:

"Loneliness is a conscious act of solitude in life, not a punishment, not a retreat for the wounded and the sick, nor a quirk, but the only true state of being as a person. Once you know this, it won't be so difficult to endure it; you will feel as if you are breathing fresh air and living in a vast space."

Attached:

Human growth is not something that happens overnight, but rather a gradual process of change.