The quiet mountain road was lined with lush green trees, their leaves whispering in the breeze. The afternoon heat had dissipated somewhat, and the crimson hues of the setting sun blanketed the earth. Ryan stood bathed in the glow of the twilight, his short, flaxen hair spiked rebelliously, yet strangely softened by the warm light.
"What are you doing here?!"
His voice was harsh, eyes ablaze with anger.
Emily sat motionless on the ground. Slowly, she lifted her head from her knees, her face glistening, dark, misty eyes gazing at him blankly. She stared at him with an unfocused, almost hollow expression, as if she hadn't heard his question.
"I asked you, what are you doing here?!"
Ryan growled at her, fists clenched in frustration. He had told her he didn't want to see her again, yet here she was. From his bedroom window, he'd seen her walking up the mountain road, and had initially planned not to open the door. No matter how long she waited outside, he had resolved not to let her in. But then, she suddenly stopped walking, collapsed onto the roadside, clutching her knees, head bowed as if she might be crying.
He still intended to ignore her, but she'd sat there, lost, for two hours straight.
"What's your game?"
Ryan grabbed her shoulders, yanking her up from the ground, glaring at her with frustration.
"Hey! Say something!"
As he shook her, Emily seemed to slowly wake from a daze. She shook her head, trying to pull herself out of the illusion she'd been trapped in moments ago. It wasn't possible. It was just her imagination—just like the countless times before when she had chased after fleeting figures, only to realize with bitter disappointment that it had all been a foolish mirage.
But Ryan, standing before her…
Though a bit gruff, childish, clumsy, and sometimes a bully, she could feel the warmth of his breath. She could see the hesitant concern in his eyes, buried beneath his anger, and even hear the faint beat of his heart.
The leaves rustled softly in the evening breeze.
Was this just another illusion? She felt as if she could really hear his heartbeat—a sound gentler than the evening wind beneath the sunset's glow.
"Are you… sick?" She took a deep breath, her eyes no longer vacant, filled with concern as they focused on him.
"No."
"Are you feeling better? Is it a cold? Fever? Stomachache?"
"I'm not sick! Do you not understand?!"
It seemed like she truly didn't. Rising on her tiptoes, she gently pressed the back of her hand to his forehead. Her hand was so cool, like a snowflake from early winter. That touch sent a soft, icy tremor through Ryan, causing his heart to skip a beat.
"Mm, seems like you don't have a fever," Emily said softly, her smile light, delicate like a snowflake. "Sorry, but you always say you're fine, so it's hard for me to believe you now."
Ryan's expression tightened. "I asked you why you came here!"
"But... you seem thinner, and your face is paler," she examined him carefully, her voice filled with concern. "Maybe you're not feeling well in some other way?"
"Emily!"
"Could it be... your heart?" Her eyes widened in alarm as the thought suddenly struck her. "Is there something wrong with your heart?!"
"Why don't you ever understand what I'm saying?!" Ryan yelled, his frustration boiling over. "I told you I'm not sick! I told you I don't want to hear your voice anymore, I don't want to see you anymore! Don't you get it?! Are you an idiot?!"
Emily stood there, staring at him blankly.
The evening sky was painted with brilliant hues of sunset. The mountain road was bathed in the warm, glowing light, and the trees by the roadside rustled softly in the evening breeze, their leaves seeming to sway gently as if they were drunk on the beauty of the twilight.
After a long pause, standing in front of him, she slowly nodded and said, "No, I don't understand."
Her reply was so straightforward and simple that Ryan was left speechless, unsure whether to laugh or be angry. It was like a balloon on the verge of bursting from too much air, only to be pricked by a tiny, unexpected needle.
With a bitter smile, she looked at him and said, "Because I'm not planning on doing what you say, I might as well pretend I don't understand anything."
"You—!"
"I want to talk to you, to see you again, to stay by your side, to see you smile and happy," Emily said, her gaze clear and unwavering, like a stream of crystal-clear water. Her smile trembled slightly, but she continued to look directly at him, her eyes never blinking.
Ryan felt a surge of frustration well up from deep inside him.
"Damn it, what makes you think you can just do whatever you want!" His veins stood out on his forehead, and the diamond in his nose flashed angrily in the fading light. "I told you, I don't want to see you, and I mean it!"
She gave a quiet smile.
"Oh."
Lowering her head, she rummaged through her bag and pulled out a soft leather notebook. Gently, she lifted his hand and placed the notebook in his palm. "These are the notes from the past few days' classes, along with some review materials. Exams are in less than two weeks, and you need to study hard if you want to pass."
He stared at the notebook in his hand, gripping it tightly until the pages crumpled like wilted leaves. His arm tensed as he prepared to throw it—
"Don't!" Emily leapt up, clinging to his arm like a monkey, pulling it close and hugging it tightly to her chest. "Please don't! It took me an entire night to copy all those notes! Look at my dark circles—don't I look like a panda? Please, if I have to stay up any longer, I might get sick too!"
Her voice was half-pleading, half-playful, but there was a genuine desperation behind her words.
"You're an idiot!" Ryan snapped.
Emily blinked, confused.
"Even if I throw the notebook, it won't break! Why are you so worked up about it?"
"Uh, yeah, that's true." she scratched her head awkwardly and let go of his arm.
Ryan's face remained expressionless. "I should just tear it up instead," he said, his lips tightening as he held the notebook with both hands, ready to rip it apart.
"I'll disappear right away!" Emily shouted, grabbing his hands in a panic. "I'll leave immediately, just don't tear it up!"
Ryan raised an eyebrow coldly. "Even if I tear it, you can always copy it again."
For a brief moment, he saw through her act of caring, realizing that even for her, staying up late had been an exhausting effort.
"But then you'll have to wait another day to get the notes," she replied, undeterred.
"If I leave today, I can come back tomorrow, and the day after that. You might even see me at school. But if you look at the notes tonight, you'll remember more for your exams." She smiled sweetly, her eyes curving like crescent moons. "And this way, I'll also have time to prepare more study materials for you tomorrow."
Ryan looked at her, caught off guard by her determination and persistence. The slight tremor in her voice didn't escape him, nor did the sincerity in her eyes.