We ordinary people also need to fall in love.

"Mu Bai, Li Mu Bai, you can't leave! If you leave, what will Zhang Chun and I eat?"

Huh? I'm involved too? Zhang Chun clearly didn't know this reference.

"Qiuhe, let's go to the cafeteria for lunch," Liu Ting called out.

"Oh right, eating is the most important thing."

Li Mubai finished his meal alone and was about to return to the classroom when the pale orange sunlight filled the entire campus. Autumn in Pingyang City not only has continuous autumn rains, but also times when the autumn sky is clear and crisp. The sunset hangs in the sky.

Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever taken a walk on the playground in the afternoon.

Taking a walk is a way to relieve stress. As you walk slowly, the pent-up emotions in your heart will gradually dissipate in the wind.

But most people who come to the playground for a walk are in pairs. It seems like there's no reason for a person to stay long, so they probably just digest their food and then go back to the classroom.

Li Mubai is the latter. Of course, this can also be considered an experience. In life, you always have to experience things you haven't experienced before but can do, such as participating in basketball games and performances.

He slowly walked around, but perhaps because he was alone, he didn't feel the joy and leisure of a walk; he only had the urge to return to the classroom to study.

I glanced at the playground, then at the teaching building, and decided to go back.

…………

"Class monitor."

Xie Shu happened to be walking alone from the entrance of the playground. She stopped and looked at him.

The orange sunset dyed her school uniform orange as well, and she asked:

"Shall we take a walk?"

Let's walk around again and stay a little longer.

They didn't seem to have much to talk about, or perhaps they were both quiet people.

It wasn't until they had walked halfway around that someone broke the dull atmosphere.

Are you unhappy?

...Li Mubai didn't answer. Could his silence be a form of acquiescence?

"Because of grades?"

……

"Li Mubai".

She called his name softly, but only received the autumn wind as a response.

"Didn't you notice you got first place in the grade for Chinese?"

I've found out, but compared to you who's ranked first in the humanities, what does this amount to?

Xie Shu continued, "You might think that your English is bad, your math is terrible, and you have no talent in those two areas."

"But why not think about it the other way around? Even with these two subjects, you still got into the top class and were still in the top twenty."

Actually, his grades in these two subjects weren't that bad, just average or mediocre.

Xie Shu stopped and faced him as they were almost finished walking the lap.

She breathed a sigh of relief, then suddenly smiled and said:

"Li Mubai, don't think too badly of yourself. Believe in yourself and keep going."

..........

"Thank you."

Xie Shu's surname perfectly concealed the awkward situation of someone wanting to call her by her name but being unable to say it.

"A friend is someone you can rely on and who can offer support when you encounter problems." (How to Make Good Friends: Techniques for Teenagers to Build and Maintain Friendships)

"Li Mubai, Teacher Wu wants to see you in his office."

He had just returned to the classroom when Yang Kun came over and said something.

"Okay, sure."

Li Mubai felt a little uneasy. After all, Wuchang Kingdom had given him the task of getting into the top ten. He didn't know what would happen if he failed to complete the task.

"Teacher Wu."

He knocked gently on the door, entered, and called out.

"Hmm—your grades, while improved a bit, are still significantly weaker in math and English. Do you know what that means?"

Li Mubai shook his head, indicating that he did not know.

"This means you have a lot of room for promotion, which is why I arranged for you to sit behind Xie Shu."

It turned out to be a clever idea from the homeroom teacher.

"I trust you and Xie Shu, one a vice class monitor and the other a class monitor."

Li Mubai looked at the ground guiltily.

"Anyway, if you have any questions about your studies, ask Xie Shu, but don't interfere with his studies too much. Okay, go back to your evening self-study session now."

"Okay, thank you, Teacher Wu."

……

"Ade, my window! Ade, my deskmate!" Chen Qiuhe read aloud in a monotone voice.

"It's not like we're never going to see each other again," Li Mubai said.

"That's different. We used to be deskmates, but from now on we'll be desks in front of and behind each other."

After evening self-study ended, the seating arrangement was officially changed. Li Mubai and Chen Qiuhe moved to the first group, next to the wall. Wang Rui took the initiative to sit inside, while Li Mubai sat in the aisle seat.

Li Mubai had originally hoped that Chen Qiuhe would be sensible enough to sit in front of him, but to his surprise, she sat directly inside.

...Since we're here, let's make the best of it. To put it simply, since we're here, let's bury ourselves here.

It was quite late when he got back to his dorm, so he quickly washed up and went to bed.

Li Bubai: "How did you do on the exam?"

Yan Shu: "A little bit better than last time."

That's good, as long as it didn't interfere with my studies.

Okay, so what should the other person ask next? Of course, it should be, "And you?"

But after waiting for a while, Li Mubai still hadn't received a message from her. Girls' thoughts were really hard to guess. He had already thought of his words in his mind.

Yan Shu: "Will the project continue for the next two weeks?"

Li Bubai: "Continue."

Consider it cultivating a hobby.

Yan Shu: "Alright, it's your turn to ask a question."

Li Bubai: "Use a profound event or person as the theme?"

Li Mubai was simply satisfying himself.

Yan Shu: "Not good."

Yan Shu: "That's too broad."

The other party replied almost instantly, immediately rejecting the request.

Okay, he also wants to write down what happened and who he met today.

Li Bubai: "Then let's write about mountains."

Yan Shu: "Okay."

After chatting with Yan Shu for a few more minutes, he put down his phone and started reading. He said he was almost finished with this book, "Loneliness is a Gift of Life."

Actually, it takes quite a while, since he not only studies but also sometimes reads other books, so you could say he's attacking from three fronts.

"About ten years ago, Pittsburgh's public television station would always play the song 'Look on the Brighter Side' when it ended its midnight programming. While the song played, images of UFOs destroying Pittsburgh with death rays would appear on the screen. Even after the city was almost completely destroyed, the singer would still repeat: 'Even though life is full of disappointments, let's look on the brighter side!'" (From "Loneliness is a Gift of Life")