BSS - Chapter 13

Chapter 13

After the morning reading session, some students put their heads down to catch up on sleep, while others ate breakfast. The classroom was in disarray, with some people slumped over their desks, and the aroma of meat buns and tea eggs filled the air.

The smell lingered. After a while, those inside no longer found it unpleasant. But when Xu Wei came in for class, she furrowed her brow and told them to open the windows to air the room out.

A cold draft shot into the room, sending a shiver through everyone.

Someone whined, "Teacher, it's so cold! Let's close them."

Xu Wei said, "With all the doors and windows shut, are you trying to cultivate a plague in here?" She added, "Besides, this will wake you up a bit."

She seemed to be in a very good mood today. When she spoke, a cheerful smile danced in her eyes. She looked fully recovered from her illness, though her voice was still a little low and hoarse.

Xu Wei lectured for half the period. For the remaining half, she wrote a few problems on the blackboard for everyone to solve.

Deng Chuan finished quickly, and Wu Fuwu borrowed her answers to check his own. Yu Xiao, a step too slow, asked Wu Fuwu to pass them to her when he was done. He joked around, crumpling his own answer sheet into a ball and tossing it over. His aim was off, and it hit the head of the student sitting in front of Yu Xiao.

Their little group stifled their laughter. Yu Xiao, holding back a laugh, turned to glare at Wu Fuwu before quickly apologizing to the student in front of her.

Hearing their muffled laughter, Xu Wei looked up from the lectern. "Laughing while doing your work? Is knowledge that amusing?"

Deng Chuan looked up at the sound of her voice, her eyes meeting Xu Wei's. Both of them froze for a moment.

Deng Chuan was about to look down, but Xu Wei curved her lips into a smile at her. The morning sun streamed in through the window, creating a soft, fuzzy halo around her head. Deng Chuan sensed a sort of unspoken intimacy in the gesture, and her heart instantly melted.

Outside the window, the wind rustled through the remaining leaves with a soft, whispering sound.

These fulfilling days passed by remarkably quickly. Every day in the third year of high school was packed to the brim. From morning till night, the days felt endless and arduous. But when you happened to glance back, you'd realize just how many days had already gone by.

The second monthly exam was right before the midterms. The academic curriculum was now mostly covered, and some of the faster students had already started their first round of review on their own. No one dared to slack off; everyone was pushing themselves, terrified of being left behind. Teachers and parents repeatedly emphasized that this was the best time to pull ahead of the pack. If you relaxed for even a moment, others would catch up.

The people around Deng Chuan also started to get nervous. Wu Fuwu did math practice tests behind her every day, calling back and forth with Yu Xiao in front of her. The two would have meltdowns together, advising each other to "stay away from math and cherish life." While complaining, they vowed to choose a university major that didn't require math. Jiang Meng would respond to their racket with a helpless smile. She was still her quiet self, her emotions rarely fluctuating, always gentle with everyone.

Deng Chuan also buried her head in practice tests, correcting her mistakes. Algebra and geometry, reading comprehension, fill-in-the-blanks, how to balance imperial and ministerial power, how to realize democracy and republicanism, and so on. When she grew tired, she would look up and gaze out the window. The ginkgo tree had lost most of its leaves, and the grayish-blue sky was visible between its bare branches.

Occasionally, she would feel a bit dazed. After living the same day over and over for so long, she would sometimes feel a disorienting sense of confusion, as if she didn't know where she was.

Xu Wei, on the other hand, maintained a steady, unhurried pace, lacking the urgent, nagging demeanor of the other teachers. She taught class and handed out worksheets as usual. Most of her worksheets were ones she had created herself, and even students from other classes came to borrow them from Deng Chuan. For the standardized tests ordered by the school, she would only circle the mandatory problems, leaving the rest as optional.

Beyond that, she never spoke of pressure or the need to chase after others.

Deng Chuan's class was a very low-maintenance one. Aside from the occasional minor friction between students, they never caused any serious trouble like smoking, drinking, or fighting. Every day passed in an orderly and peaceful manner.

Deng Chuan took out the math review plan Xu Wei had made and went through it concept by concept, following the summaries.

She was completely focused. When she studied, she rarely thought of Xu Wei. Being able to see her in class every day was enough for Deng Chuan to make all the hardships of these days vanish completely.

Su Mian was going to Beijing over winter break for a TOEFL prep course. She hardly ever came to the classroom anymore, instead holing up in the teacher's dormitory to take online classes or do practice problems. She was under immense pressure, staking everything on this one chance. Deng Chuan often went to see her, and the two of them would eat the delicious food Su Mian's mother made in the dorm.

After the midterm exams, they officially entered the first round of review. For math, they were given a thick workbook of review problems; for English, there were endless practice newspapers; and for Chinese, a session for watching current events news was added before the evening self-study period.

The school scheduled their days even more tightly. Back in the dorms at night, people rarely chatted after lights-out. Everyone was afraid of being groggy for early morning classes, so they seized every moment to sleep.

Everyone seemed to be racing along their own path. Deng Chuan liked this feeling of step-by-step fulfillment. It felt as if everything could be brought under her control through hard work.

One day, just after the class bell had rung, the door was gently pushed open a moment later.

Xu Wei walked in. She had just settled herself at the lectern when she frowned and said, "There's a smell in this classroom. Open the windows and let it air out."

She was wearing a woolen coat today, with a black turtleneck sweater and a light blue collared shirt layered underneath. It was a very prim yet elegant outfit. Deng Chuan looked at the shirt, finding it strangely familiar, and then suddenly realized she had the exact same one.

She felt a small thrill of surprise. In her heart, she suddenly grew very fond of that shirt.

After finishing the day's lesson, Xu Wei had everyone work on problems as usual.

Deng Chuan finished quickly. When she looked up, she noticed again that while everyone else was buried in their work, Xu Wei was leaning against the lectern, staring blankly at a point in the air.

Perhaps sensing her gaze, Xu Wei suddenly snapped out of her daze and looked over. Her expression was still blank as their eyes met directly, and for a moment, neither looked away.

Xu Wei's expression was neutral. Looking down from her position, her eyes reflected Deng Chuan's stunned face. A hint of a smile appeared but vanished in an instant. The corners of her eyes and brows lifted slightly, revealing a captivating charm.

Deng Chuan was the first to look away, the back of her ears burning hot. Her gaze fell on a crumpled ball of paper on her desk, stained with red ink.

Dangerous and pure.

She couldn't help herself; she stole another glance at her from the corner of her eye.

Subconsciously, she felt that Xu Wei was a little different today.

Xu Wei was still leaning sideways against the lectern. Her makeup was heavier today, lending her face a sharp sort of beauty. The skin of her neck was porcelain white, and a small pendant hung from her earlobe. A breeze blew in from the window, sending strands of her hair flying. She raised a hand to tuck her hair back, and the movement made the earring sway, unleashing a beauty so overwhelming it was almost suffocating.

Deng Chuan lost her composure. It was a rich, vivid beauty, so intense it was almost tangible, as if it were about to blossom and fill the entire world. And yet, Deng Chuan still found Xu Wei to be subtle, just as she had seemed on the first day. Standing at the lectern, Xu Wei appeared ethereal, yet she was solidly, tangibly present. So close, and yet so far.

Unfathomable and impossible to control.

A swelling emotion suddenly filled her heart, as if the slightest pressure would cause it to pour out.

After a while, since it was a timed practice, Xu Wei estimated that time was almost up. She walked slowly down from the lectern, moving along the rows of desks to check on the students' progress.

Everyone fell silent. The only sound in the classroom was her unhurried footsteps, drawing closer and closer from behind. Deng Chuan clutched her pen, nervously holding her breath.

Slender, delicate fingertips, dusted with white chalk, picked up the answer sheet Deng Chuan had placed on the top left corner of her desk. With the movement, a whiff of jasmine fragrance drifted over.

Xu Wei stopped, standing there to examine the paper closely. The warmth of their bodies was very close. A warm, sweet fragrance drifted up to Deng Chuan.

She didn't look for long, but to Deng Chuan, it felt like a century had passed. When Xu Wei finished, she didn't return the paper. Keeping it in her hand, she said nothing, but reached out to adjust the collar of Deng Chuan's school uniform jacket. She didn't bother looking at anyone else's answers and walked back to the lectern.

With a little time left before the bell, Xu Wei tapped the lectern and said, "I've taken a look, and most of you did okay. We definitely don't have time to go over it today. One student did very well. I'll post her answers in a bit, so you can all check your work against hers."

"If there's anything you don't understand, we'll discuss it tomorrow. Okay?"

Seeing everyone nod in agreement, Xu Wei nodded back and told them to continue their self-study for a little longer.

The bell rang at that exact moment. Xu Wei dismissed the class. She borrowed some paper tape from a student in the front row and prepared to post Deng Chuan's answers on the bulletin board herself.

The bulletin board was cluttered with various notices and materials. She found an empty spot, but it was a bit too high for her. She reached up, struggling to apply the tape.

Deng Chuan walked up behind her and held the paper in place. Seeing her, Xu Wei seemed to let out a sigh of relief. She pushed the tape into Deng Chuan's hand and said, "You do it," while holding the paper steady herself.

Neither of them spoke, the only sound being the ripping of the tape. After the answers were posted, Xu Wei took a step back, brushed her hair back, and said with a smile, "I've commandeered your answers."

"It's fine," Deng Chuan said, her intense gaze still fixed on her.

Xu Wei grew a little uncomfortable. She glanced to the side and murmured, "Mm."

Wu Fuwu came over to look at the answers. Seeing Xu Wei and Deng Chuan standing there side by side, he didn't think much of it and called out, "Teacher Xu, are we still doing the weekly practice test this week?"

The weekly practice tests were standardized ones ordered by the school, and Xu Wei would usually circle the required problems in advance. The rest were implicitly optional. She hadn't circled any problems on this week's test yet.

Xu Wei looked at him and replied, "It's optional. It depends on your own schedule."

"The whole thing?" Wu Fuwu asked.

Xu Wei nodded. "Mm."

She glanced at Deng Chuan, but Deng Chuan's attention was no longer on her. She had turned to look at a notice on the bulletin board, presenting Xu Wei with a view of her elegant profile.

Xu Wei didn't say anything else. Seeing more and more students heading over to look at the answers, she walked to the lectern to gather her things. She had a class in the room next door soon.

The classroom door banged open, and Su Mian blew in like a small whirlwind. She accurately located Deng Chuan and threw an arm around her neck.

The movements were so fluid that they made Xu Wei pause and stare.

Deng Chuan twisted her neck awkwardly and asked what she was doing. Su Mian pressed close to her ear but asked loudly, "I just remembered today, isn't your birthday coming up soon? How are you planning to celebrate?"

Xu Wei hugged her textbook to her chest. She turned as if to leave, but then paused.

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