Later, when they were reassigned to different classes, Jiang Yan and Song Li'an found themselves further apart, as they excelled in different subjects.
Even though Jiang Yan had chosen purely humanities subjects, mathematics remained her biggest challenge. She could score the highest marks in Chinese composition, but couldn't even scrape together twenty points on the second part of the math exam.
As the curriculum became increasingly complex and exams more frequent, even the air seemed to grow tense.
On the way home for holidays, the vast sea of clouds in the sky transformed into a geography question in their minds.
However, the geography teacher would keep the class back after morning exercises, pointing out the waning moon in the hazy dawn to teach about lunar phases.
Lu Beibei would still find time after class to mumble about going to the corridor to "get a cup of cute water."
Jiang Yan and other classmates struggling with math were regularly called to the office to receive extra practice problems...
Song Li'an later discovered that Jiang Yan wasn't going to eat, so he started bringing her food from the cafeteria every day. It might be sticky rice dumplings, caramel egg tarts, or custard buns, usually accompanied by a cup of soy milk, as Jiang Yan didn't like congee.
He'd call Jiang Yan out through the back door and watch her eat by the window at the end of the corridor.
With the heavy coursework, holidays were reduced to once every three weeks, and the time they spent together grew increasingly scarce.
Jiang Yan excelled in humanities, while Song Li'an was gifted in sciences. Jiang Yan would never choose sciences for class placement, and she wouldn't let Song Li'an choose humanities either.
No one knew what the future held, but for now, Song Li'an seemed obedient and compliantly chose sciences.
Jiang Yan, swallowing a custard bun, mumbled with her mouth full, "When we're on break, I'll treat you to a meal, little brother."
Song Li'an raised an eyebrow, not accepting the "little brother" title, but didn't say anything. Instead, he tried to push for more, saying, "Just one meal? That doesn't seem fair. I've been bringing you food every day, so shouldn't I get..."
Before he could finish, a voice of agreement suddenly came from behind, completing his thought: "Shouldn't you get... a 5000-word self-criticism essay?"
Song Li'an's fingers, resting on the windowsill, twitched slightly before he slowly turned around.
Jiang Yan, who was drinking soy milk, almost choked and couldn't help but cough a couple of times. She looked up and met the dean's gaze.
As study time became increasingly tight, more and more students chose to skip meals. The deans had been turning a blind eye to students bringing food. But to do it so blatantly right under his nose was too much to ignore.
Jiang Yan and Song Li'an's names appeared on the notice board once again.
"You guys are already the talk of the school," Lu Beibei told Jiang Yan.
Jiang Yan looked confused.
Su Yixiao, sitting in front, turned around to explain, "You're the legendary 'sneaky eating duo,' bearing the brunt of the dean's wrath. Thanks for taking one for the team."
...
In their senior year, it was their class's turn to host the Monday assembly. Due to the class reassignments, Jiang Yan had risen from vice class monitor to class monitor and naturally became the host.
This particular Monday assembly also included an awards ceremony. After Jiang Yan finished her routine speech, the awards ceremony began.
As she stepped down from the podium, intending to return to her class's ranks, she was stopped by a dean who asked her to hand out prizes to the award-winning students.
The honored students lined up neatly in rows, each to receive their prize—a school-customized notebook—before going up to the podium.
Jiang Yan stayed behind, standing in front of the table to hand out notebooks. During this time, she thought she heard Song Li'an's name called, but she didn't see him even until the end.
The teacher had collected the remaining notebooks, and just as Jiang Yan was about to leave, Song Li'an suddenly ran over.
He was wearing the student council armband, with beads of sweat on his forehead. When he looked at her, his eyes were brimming with vibrant enthusiasm.
Catching his breath, his eyes gleaming with an inexplicable joy, he held out his hand to Jiang Yan, asking, "Where's mine?"
Jiang Yan stood before an empty table, momentarily stunned, then reached out her hand.
Most students felt increased pressure due to the awards ceremony, creating a somber atmosphere. But suddenly, the mood among the students lightened, with faint sounds of teasing in the background.
The dean speaking on the podium, thinking one of his statements had resonated with the students, became even more animated in his speech. The teachers maintaining order at the front paced back and forth, arms crossed, keeping a watchful eye on the situation below. The entire grade stood in the playground, whispering among themselves, taking the opportunity to review knowledge points...
The sunshine illuminated every inch of air with crystal clarity, the pale blue sky pristine and cloudless.
At the foot of the podium, in front of the playground, in this place with nearly a thousand people, Song Li'an felt a tingling sensation on his scalp, as if he'd been electrified.
Perhaps due to extreme shock, or influenced by his inner feelings, whenever Song Li'an recalled this moment, he felt as if he and Jiang Yan had held hands for a very long time.
In the end, it was Jiang Yan who let go, and the teacher who had collected the prizes returned with a notebook.
...
When their grades were compared separately for humanities and sciences, they were actually quite similar—both excellent but not outstanding. However, Jiang Yan's math scores were too unstable, with one particular test pulling her average down severely, which was why she hadn't received an award.
In the past, Song Li'an had used these notebooks for scratch paper, but this time, the notebook sat on his desk for several days, as he couldn't bring himself to use it.
