We ordinary people also need to fall in love.

He encountered many students from Class 3 along the way, but the number of people gradually decreased as he approached the white courtyard. When he arrived, it was quiet all around and he didn't see anyone. He came here to take a look because it was quieter.

The main gate of the courtyard is made of wood and stone, with two small stone lions standing in front of it, and a black plaque with gold characters hanging above it—Xishan Academy.

No wonder so many people want to get into No. 1 High School. It's not just because of its excellent teaching resources, but also because its basic and special facilities are far superior to those of other schools.

The wooden doors of the academy open opposite each other. Stepping over the threshold and entering the academy, low green bamboo grows along the roadside, and there is a small house on each side, both of which seem to be locked.

The room in the very center was open. When Li Mubai went inside, he found that it was a room for storing books. There was also a path on the right side of the room that led to the outside of the academy.

Li Mubai took a book off the bookshelf. It looked like a past issue of a Chinese literature society, but why was it mixed with teaching materials?

He casually flipped through a few pages, then put it back and moved it to another bookshelf.

This shelf seems to be for natural sciences, so why are there literary novels here? Li Mubai pulled out a copy of "The Three-Body Problem".

Is everything a mess? Li Mubai glanced at the other bookshelves and it seemed so.

Li Mubai actually has obsessive-compulsive disorder, but it's not that severe. He just wants to tidy up particularly messy places, especially the classification and organization of books.

He took out his phone and glanced at the time—12:43. Luckily, he had brought his phone with him today, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to tell what time it was in this place.

After thinking it over, Li Mubai decided to reorganize and categorize the books here.

There weren't many books, and he worked until 1:10 p.m. Looking at the neat bookshelves, he felt a sense of accomplishment.

Li Mubai then took out another book from the bookcase—"A Brief Account of Poems from the Western Mountain," a facsimile of an ancient book.

He remembered that the set of books was priced at 6,280, but now, because it is rare on the market, some have been sold for tens of thousands.

Li Mubai was amazed that such valuable books were gathering dust in this academy. Should he say that No. 1 Middle School was rich and powerful?

He placed the book on the table in the center and pulled out a chair to sit down.

"This set of books has ten volumes in total. I borrowed the first volume last time."

Mei Yulu walked into the room with a book in her hand, and placed the book on the table as she spoke.

Li Mubai didn't say anything. He picked up the first volume and started flipping through it, not caring at all who delivered the book or why Mei Yulu, a student at No. 1 Middle School, was there during lunch break.

Seeing that he didn't respond, Mei Yulu wasn't angry. She walked to the bookshelf and looked at it.

"When I came to borrow books last time, I noticed that the books here were all scattered around. I wanted to tidy them up, but I didn't have the time."

At this point, she suddenly chuckled softly:

"I never expected that the messy bookshelves at No. 1 Middle School would be tidied up by the students at No. 6 Middle School."

"Um."

Li Mubai's tone was indifferent. Perhaps he could put the book back in his hand and leave now, but what was the point? He was not Duke Wen of Jin, and Mei Yulu was not King Cheng of Chu. Why should he deliberately back down?

Mei Yulu took out another book from the history bookshelf, pulled out the chair opposite him and sat down. The table was big enough that even when they sat facing each other, there was still a certain distance between them.

She casually flipped through a few pages and asked, seemingly nonchalantly:

"If you like this set of books, you can borrow it in my name. Return it to me when you've finished reading it, and I'll pay you back."

"Need not."

The atmosphere gradually fell silent. Li Mubai had no intention of speaking; he simply turned the pages of the book in his hands.

The book records the poems of all the poets from Xiyue Province and some of the works of poets who were exiled there. Li Mubai even saw his old acquaintance Li Bai, who was categorized in the volume on exile.

"Um... were those two girls at Qian Yuan Mall on January 17th your friends?" Mei Yulu hesitated for a moment before finally asking the question that had been bothering her ever since that day.

"Yes."

"Is one of them someone you like?" Seeing Li Mubai answer, Mei Yulu became a little bolder.

Li Mubai didn't know whether she was referring to Xie Shu or Chen Qiuhe, but he didn't intend to answer the question.

Seeing that he didn't answer, Mei Yulu's eyes dimmed. She hesitated for a long time before finally making her bold request:

"Could you... not like anyone else? Wait for me, wait until I can get into any university, after the college entrance exam..."

Li Mubai was stunned as soon as Mei Yulu uttered those words. How could she make such an outrageous request? Before Mei Yulu could finish, he interrupted her:

"No, that's impossible."

"Why not?" Mei Yulu asked without thinking, her voice tinged with excitement.

"Like I said last time, we should let go of the past."

"I know it's all in the past! But why can't we start over?"

Starting over? The person is still the same. Looking at you reminds me of the past. How can I forget your departure without saying goodbye?

People are sometimes contradictory; on one hand, they talk about the past, but on the other hand, they resist a new beginning.

The past ended badly, and starting over might not necessarily end well, so why not make a choice, maintain the previous state of being out of contact, and let time wash everything away?

"It's better to forget each other in the rivers and lakes than to cling together in hardship," Li Mubai said calmly.

"What if I say no?" Mei Yulu looked up, her eyes a little moist.

Li Mubai is actually someone who can't stand seeing girls cry, but a short pain is worse than a long one. This relationship had already ended, and he had slowly moved on, but Mei Yulu seemed to still be stuck in that summer vacation.

"Do whatever you want, time will heal you anyway," Li Mubai said.

He and Mei Yulu attended different schools, one at No. 6 Middle School and the other at No. 1 Middle School. Mei Yulu didn't even know where he lived, so they had no chance to meet.

He also didn't understand why Mei Yulu, who was quite excellent in every way, insisted on clinging to him.

"No, I won't come out of this." A tear slid down her cheek as she said this almost stubbornly.

"Li Mubai".

A clear voice came from the doorway. Mei Yulu turned her head away, seemingly unwilling to let anyone see her disheveled appearance.

"...Class monitor."

Li Mubai said something, closed the book, and prepared to leave, but Xie Shu sat down next to him first.

……

When did Xie Shu arrive? Did she hear the conversation just now? What is she thinking? Li Mubai was filled with doubt.

"What book are you reading?"

Unexpectedly, Xie Shu didn't notice that there was another girl in the room, wiping her wet eyes with a tissue.

"A Brief Account of Poems from the Western Peak," Li Mubai replied.

"May I take a look?" Her tone was flat, revealing no emotion.

Li Mubai pushed the book in front of him towards her.

"Aren't you looking at this volume?"

Xie Shu had excellent observation skills. She took out the third volume that Li Mubai had just been reading and gave it to him, while she herself started reading the first volume.

……

"Should we leave?" Li Mubai glanced at Xie Shu beside him. Xie Shu showed no intention of leaving, turning the pages of the book in his hands.

"Hello, my name is Mei Yulu."

A voice came from across the table. Li Mubai glanced at her and saw that although Mei Yulu's eyes were still a little red, she had almost recovered.

"My name is Xie Shu," Xie Shu replied politely.

"Xie Shu? He ranked third in the last joint final exam?"

"Um."

Mei Yulu recalled for a moment, then smiled and said:

"I'm in fourth place, five points behind third. If I get a few more questions right, I can make it into the top three."

What kind of assumption is this? Li Mubai thought to himself, he could also say that if his English and math were better, he might be able to get into the top ten, but in reality, there aren't that many "ifs".

Xie Shu gave a soft "hmm," seemingly oblivious to the provocation in Mei Yulu's words. His fingers, which had been turning the pages, suddenly stopped, pointing to a poem. He leaned closer to Li Mubai and asked softly:

"What do you think of this poem?"

Uh—is this the time to talk about this?

Despite thinking this, Li Mubai still looked in the direction Xie Shu was pointing.

Upon seeing this, Mei Yulu unconsciously tightened her grip on the book.

"It's pretty good, better than other works."

Li Mubai praised the collection, saying that most of the poems included in this document only have documentary value and are not very literary, but there are occasionally some excellent works.

Xie Shu chuckled, closed the first book in his hand, and moved on to the next one.

"Li..." Another voice came from outside the door.