BSS - Chapter 10
Chapter 10
Xu Wei's expression didn't betray anything; she just nodded faintly.
The next second, she caught a fleeting glimpse of disappointment in the girl's eyes and her heart softened.
She's still just a kid, after all, she thought.
She walked over, brushed Deng Chuan's long hair aside, and rested a hand on her shoulder. "Are you guys done with the movie?" she asked.
The group chattered all at once, saying they were done. They added that it was boring and made them sleepy, telling their teacher not to watch it.
Xu Wei smiled and asked, "What did you watch?"
The students answered and started chatting with her. A bolder one asked if Teacher Xu was out with her boyfriend.
Xu Wei answered good-naturedly that it wasn't, that an old classmate had come to visit and they were out for dinner.
Deng Chuan said nothing, sulking about something again. Feeling relieved, Xu Wei was in a good mood. She touched the girl's neck and said, "You finally have a chance to relax. Cheer up a bit."
Xu Wei's fingertips were slightly cool. Deng Chuan held her breath, and the tips of her ears instantly turned red.
Before she could reply, Xu Wei glanced back and said goodbye with a smile. "My friend's coming out. I'm leaving now. Have fun, you all."
The group said their goodbyes and followed her gaze. A rather tall man in a shirt and trousers was turning his head to say something to Xu Wei.
They were too far away to see his face, but their figures looked well-matched.
Deng Chuan watched, unable to name the feeling. On one hand, she was happy that Xu Wei had shed her recent coldness and taken the initiative to be close; on the other, she was irritated that Xu Wei was close to someone else. The two feelings intertwined, mixed with her own awkwardness in response to Xu Wei's friendly gesture, creating an unspeakable frustration that clogged her heart.
In her seventeen years, the calm lake of her heart had never experienced such a feeling. She knew it was trouble, but she didn't know how to relieve it or who to confide in.
Deng Chuan lowered her lashes, standing dazed for a moment in disappointment. The laughter of her friends around her only accentuated her loneliness and confusion. She was like a kitten-smart, confident that she already understood all the rules of the world. But having never weathered a storm, a single, inexplicable flutter of her heart was enough to drench her fur.
After her friends finished using the restroom, the group busied themselves buying some desserts and snacks in preparation for the evening. Only then did they head back.
The group cheerfully discussed their plans for the night. At their age, life wasn't complicated, and happiness seemed to come with extraordinary ease.
Her friends chatted animatedly, but Deng Chuan was somewhat silent. Though surrounded by people, loneliness followed her like a shadow. She had always been adept at maintaining her inner calm, drawing strength from it to support a stable life. At this moment, however, that ability had turned into a slow, torturous slicing of her chaotic emotions.
Only later did Deng Chuan understand. The first experience of liking someone, it turned out, was loneliness.
The city lights were just beginning to glow. Su Mian was carrying a large takeout bag of pizza that occasionally brushed against Deng Chuan's leg as they walked. Deng Chuan said nothing, simply quickening her pace to leave the others a few steps behind. She walked on her own, head down, passing through the mottled shadows of trees under the dim yellow streetlights.
She entered the school grounds. The moonlight was cold and clear. Ahead was the turn of the staircase in the teachers' dormitory. Deng Chuan was walking fast. At the corner sat a large pot of devil's ivy, planted by some teacher. As Deng Chuan brushed past it, the sensation of the plant lingered on the back of her hand, slightly itchy.
The tranquility of the night spread out from the moment she noticed it. Only then did Deng Chuan realize how quiet her surroundings were, making the lights in the hallway seem unusually hazy. Looking out from the corridor, the night sky was boundless, like a giant curtain.
Everything seemed to become hazy, as if in a dream. In this state, she finally felt she could dare to lay bare her secret feelings, dissecting them for display under the lights and the moonlight. It was such a simple thing, really. A gray flower. It darkened in the light and glowed faintly against it, yet its shimmer never faded.
Counting her secret thoughts like this, she ascended the stairs.
At the end of the hallway, Xu Wei was holding a bag, keys jingling in her fingers.
She was tall and slender. Hearing the movement behind her, she cast a casual, indifferent glance over her shoulder. It felt as if they were separated by a thousand mountains and rivers.
Deng Chuan's heart tightened. She saw Xu Wei standing in the dim light of the hallway, where even the specks of dust on her hair were visible. Her features were delicate and reserved, her entire being hazy along with the light, as illusory as trying to scoop the moon from the water. It wasn't until she recognized the approaching person that her face broke into a smile, reflecting the silvery moonlight from the window-quiet and gentle.
Deng Chuan had been consumed with worry for this person the entire way back, but when she actually saw Xu Wei, her mood suddenly became strangely calm.
She took a few steps closer. In the short span of a few breaths, time seemed to stretch out, pulled along by her footsteps.
Deng Chuan drew near, close enough to see the slight moisture on Xu Wei's lipstick. Only then did she stop and take the initiative to speak. "Teacher Xu."
Xu Wei stood her ground. Deng Chuan had well-proportioned features-a soft contour, elegant eyes and brows, with only a slight bump on the bridge of her nose that gave her a touch of heroic spirit. She walked toward her, strands of hair falling across her forehead, swaying gently with her unhurried steps.
For the first time in a long while, Xu Wei felt a little nervous.
The moonlight tonight was exceptionally bright, and the surroundings were exceptionally quiet. Both of them sensed something unusual, as if something was changing imperceptibly. In the silence, insects' antennae touched the ground, plants grew quietly, and the night, like a witch's robe, cloaked everything from sight.
Xu Wei nodded and asked her, "Where are your friends?" She opened the door, and a few coquettish meows came from inside.
"They're behind me." Deng Chuan stammered inwardly, not knowing how to explain to Xu Wei why she was walking ahead all by herself.
Fortunately, Xu Wei didn't ask, probably having heard the faint commotion from the stairs behind them.
The cat's meows were persistent, and a look of resignation appeared on Xu Wei's face. As if struck by inspiration, Deng Chuan took the initiative to ask, "Teacher, can I see the cat?"
Xu Wei didn't mind. "Come in," she said as she walked inside and flicked on the light, the click of her high heels sharp and clear.
Deng Chuan's eyes lit up. The school's teacher apartments all had the same layout, but this one was very tidy. There were tulips on the table, a spider plant on the windowsill, and small potted green plants everywhere. It was very much in Xu Wei's style.
Even the cat was the same. It meowed fiercely but sat composedly on the sofa. It didn't move when the light came on, just let out another long, drawn-out cry.
It must have been about two months old, still in that awkward growth stage with a big head and a small body. Its frame hadn't fully stretched out yet.
"Be quiet," Xu Wei said. Then she added a mischievous comment: "Ugly."
Deng Chuan squatted down to play with the cat. Even when playing, the kitten was unhurried; it didn't pounce or get frantic. After Xu Wei had spoken to it, it stopped meowing and focused intently on its back-and-forth with Deng Chuan.
It was hard to tell who was teasing whom.
Xu Wei took off her jacket, poured Deng Chuan a glass of water, and set it on the sofa. She came closer to watch them, unable to resist reaching out to pet the cat's head. It felt nice, so she stroked it a few more times. The cat, displeased, burrowed into Deng Chuan's arms.
They both laughed. When their gazes occasionally met, only they could see the tenderness in each other's eyes.
A night breeze blew in through the open window. Xu Wei stood up and asked Deng Chuan, "Are you cold?"
Deng Chuan shook her head.
Still, Xu Wei went over and closed the window.
Su Mian and the others didn't see her at the door and sent her a WeChat message asking where she was.
Deng Chuan felt her phone vibrate and understood it was time to leave. She spoke up to say goodbye to Xu Wei.
Xu Wei saw her out and handed her the bag she had been carrying earlier. Deng Chuan now saw that it was a bag of fruit. She tried to refuse, but Xu Wei placed it in her hands without taking no for an answer. It was a heavy bag, weighing down her fingers.
All evening, Deng Chuan felt as if she were being weighed down by that weight.
After the weekend, the results of the monthly exam were due to be released.
Usually, during the Sunday evening study hall, even if the papers weren't handed back, the scores for all subjects would be announced. This week was different. By the end of the first study hall session, there was still no news about the scores.
The class president came over and knocked on Deng Chuan's desk, telling her that Xu Wei wanted to see her in the office. He was holding a stack of Chinese language exam papers, and after speaking, he began distributing them by row.
His actions caused a stir in the classroom. Deng Chuan paid it no mind, leaving the commotion behind as she walked wholeheartedly toward the office, her spirits soaring the entire way.
Xu Wei was alone in the office, her computer on. The screen showed a spreadsheet, as if she were entering grades.
When Deng Chuan entered, Xu Wei looked up and gestured for her to come closer.
Deng Chuan was a little nervous, but she saw Xu Wei sitting composedly with her hands clasped together. When Deng Chuan was near, Xu Wei looked directly into her eyes and said softly:
"Deng Chuan. You did very well."
There was a gentle affirmation in Xu Wei's eyes. She reached out, pulled a paper from a stack on the top left corner of her desk, and handed it to her.
Deng Chuan stood straight, flipping over the paper. The handwriting was hers, the page was full of red check marks, and the score was written in a flamboyant hand-a soaring "150".
The tension left her shoulders, and they slumped down a little. She stood in a more relaxed posture.
Xu Wei noticed this detail, and the smile in her eyes deepened.
"You're the only one in the entire grade with a perfect score."
She sighed softly. "And I was the one who wrote this exam. To think there's only one perfect score."
She looked up and saw Deng Chuan standing there motionless, her expression calm but her eyes filled with joy. Xu Wei couldn't help but smile again.
When Xu Wei smiled, the distance between them seemed to shrink.
Deng Chuan said, "It's because Teacher Xu is a good teacher."
Xu Wei gave a slight frown of mock disapproval and said firmly, "No. It's not easy to get a perfect score on this exam. You've studied very well, and your foundation is solid. When it comes to the reason for your success, your own effort accounts for the larger part."
Deng Chuan suddenly remembered Yu Xiao asking her about the extra problems Xu Wei had given her, so she asked, "Teacher. I'm not entirely sure about my overall grasp of the material right now. Could you help me make a plan?"
Xu Wei said, "It's still too early for that. You haven't finished learning the foundational knowledge, and the framework isn't in place yet. A blind plan won't be effective."
Seeing the disappointment in Deng Chuan's eyes, she added, "However, the high school curriculum isn't highly systematic, so we can practice in modules."
She then said, "Come over here, I'll list them out for you."
Deng Chuan took a few steps closer and squatted down beside her chair.
Xu Wei took a blank sheet of scratch paper. She began listing out the various knowledge points by category, also writing down the corresponding key difficulties and question types.
Her fair wrist hovered before Deng Chuan's eyes, a common black hair tie around it. Only then did Deng Chuan notice that Xu Wei's hair was down, draping over her shoulders like a dark cloud.
Xu Wei's list was very thorough, and Deng Chuan watched, captivated.
Unconsciously, she leaned closer and closer, her warm breath brushing against Xu Wei's wrist.
Both of them noticed. They each held still, letting another moment pass without a word.
When Xu Wei felt the warmth on her wrist again, she took the initiative to speak. "It must be uncomfortable for you to squat. Go get a chair."
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