"The teacher has suddenly come up with something and today's class will have to end early. You all are free to exchange poetry or go do something else," the male teacher said, and then hurriedly left the classroom.
Ji Yun glanced at the time.
10:15 AM.
He still had 5 minutes left.
As soon as the teacher left, the poetry class became lively all at once. Some of the boys, who attended with less than pure intentions, immediately began to show off their poetic talents, as if peacocks spreading their tails!
Ji Yun had originally come to have a proper class, but unfortunately, the teacher had left.
"Shall we walk by the creek? It's stifling to stay in the classroom all day, isn't it?" Ji Yun said to Qiu Mo.
Qiu Mo glanced outside; thanks to the sun's dwindling power, the sunlight was no longer as scorching, but instead held a touch of that April weather feel.
"Sure," Qiu Mo didn't object.
The campus had a mountain creek nearby the back hill, where there was a lawn and green willows. Qiu Mo had always enjoyed reading there.
Walking for only a few minutes, Ji Yun and Qiu Mo arrived at the cool mountain creek. The stream was crystalline clear, revealing the pebbles at the bottom. The cascading leaves from the mountaintop flowed down like small boats, further accentuating the stream's purity.
"I have traversed Jiangnan,
That countenance amidst the seasons, blooming and fading like a lotus..." Ji Yun suddenly burst with poetic fervor, reciting these lines spontaneously.
Qiu Mo, hearing Ji Yun's impromptu recitation, had a noticeable ripple in her clear, stream-like eyes.
This was her favorite poem.
"The east wind is absent, the willow catkins of March do not fly," Qiu Mo murmured unconsciously.
While internally raising the pitchfork of a little demon, Ji Yun elegantly smiled and continued reciting,
"Your heart is like a small, lonely city
As if the evening descends upon the cobblestone streets,
No footsteps to be heard, no unveiling of March spring curtains,
Your heart is a small window, tightly closed
My eager horse's hooves are a beautiful mistake
I am not a returnee, just a passerby..."
On reciting the last "just a passerby," Ji Yun deliberately deepened the emotion.
It was as though he already understood that everything was spoken without words, everything was contained within these verses.
At first, Qiu Mo was merely immersed in the poetry itself. Whenever his unique and melancholic phrases sounded, her heart would stir.
She liked this ambiguity, where understanding transcended declaration.
Thus, she didn't like it when any boy professed their love to her with great solemn promises.
She preferred to leave some room for mystery.
Even if there was just a bit of liking, she hoped not to easily puncture the hazy nature of their relationship, after all, they were still only students...
"I had a dream, I dreamt that after I grew up, just like a soul lost, I would fearlessly conquer snowy mountains, wander the borders without a place to rest. I dreamt that people by my side gradually moved away, and I appeared at our class reunion, ten years later, like a clown, with you still so radiant and dazzling, and I didn't have the courage to ask about your recent life," Ji Yun said slowly.
Qiu Mo lifted her gaze, looking at Ji Yun, who recounted this dream. For some reason, she felt that at this moment, Ji Yun seemed to have aged many years, and the dream he spoke of felt as real as if he had experienced it himself.
"It's just a dream, right?" Qiu Mo said.
"Yeah, it's just a dream. Do you know what's the first thing I want to do after waking up?" Ji Yun said with a carefree smile.
"What is it?"
"I'm sorry for troubling you; I shouldn't have. I've always intended to be just a passerby in your life, but after this dream, I feel that I shouldn't leave myself with any more regrets," Ji Yun continued to speak.
"Ji Yun, I..." Qiu Mo's heart was already in turmoil.
"You don't need to answer. I shouldn't hide this from you. Actually, I... I... have a terminal illness," Ji Yun slowly revealed, his voice filled with the previous poet's melancholy and ruggedness, making his words seem all the more sincere and real!
Qiu Mo's mouth gaped open in shock!
"My snow-capped mountains, my frontier – I fear they will only exist in my dreams. I really wanted to see what you'd be like in ten years, shining like a bright pearl as in my dreams, but I probably won't have the chance," Ji Yun went on to say.
The stream continued to tremble as it flowed, but the water began to turn murky.
Ji Yun's words also muddied the once clear waters in Qiu Mo's heart.
She didn't know what to say at that moment.
This was something she had never expected.
It meant that Ji Yun was not simply suffering from some inexplicable heatstroke.
The punishment of Lü Jing was also his final gift to Lou Yu.
He was so talented.
Why was fate so envious of him?
"On the day I learned of my condition, I must admit I was scared, which is why I spoke to you so impulsively... But now, I'm no longer afraid. I will try my best to receive treatment, to live until the day you marry, so I can attend your wedding with other classmates... to see what you are like in ten years, to see the man of your dreams. He must be excellent, outstanding," Ji Yun said with a "soon-to-pass" gentle smile, his cheeks full of hopeful wishes, full of a healing spirit!
"Ji Yun, I... I... I never saw you as just a passerby, you are in my heart..." Qiu Mo was startled and then confided her innermost thoughts to Ji Yun.
"No!" Ji Yun placed his hand on Qiu Mo's lips, refusing to let her speak those words. "Never say that. I can only be a passerby in your life; there will be an angel who will come to protect you."
Upon hearing this, Qiu Mo's tears almost welled up.
He was terminally ill, yet still always considered her feelings!
How could she have ignored him for three days?
She was truly a bad woman!
"I should be going. But before I leave, I would like to kiss your cheek, may I?" Ji Yun made his ultimate request.
Qiu Mo's defenses were long gone; she neither shook her head nor nodded.
Ji Yun lowered his head and slowly brought his lips closer.
Qiu Mo stood frozen, not daring to move an inch.
Suddenly, Qiu Mo felt a big kiss on her lips, her lip's edge felt like a delicate candy being sweetly and gently savored...
This unexpected kiss flushed Qiu Mo's cheeks with red; she was so flustered that she didn't know where to place her hands.
Ji Yun's breath was hot and mighty like the blazing sun, enveloping her so completely that she couldn't move, even making her feel weak at the knees.
So it is true; a kiss can feel electric and numbing, especially one that is unguarded, heartfelt, and stealthy!
"Score!!"
The little devils in Ji Yun's heart were celebrating their victory!
The sensation couldn't have been more thrilling!
Even if you're out of my league in ten years, the first kiss is mine!!
Ha, feeling so cheeky now!
But then again, who can blame me? I was at the peak of my high school appearance, with exceptional temperament, superior intellect, and exemplary conduct...
Sure, Qiu Mo is a goddess, but I, Ji Yun, was also the male god of high school, okay? No matter how I end up in the future, nabbing Qiu Mo's first kiss on merit is an achievement as proud as stealing souls from the Grim Reaper himself!
...