In another time and space, on September 10, 2012.
The first half of the sophomore year had just begun, and autumn quietly arrived on the heels of summer.
The summer vacation had just ended, and most students appeared listless, still immersed in the lingering symptoms of the holiday.
Shi Hai, however, was different from these people.
But at this moment, he felt just as perplexed as everyone else.
Because on this day, when he was about to take out the textbook for his first class from his desk, he pulled out something else that left him dumbfounded.
A pale pink envelope, with a heart-shaped sticker sealing it.
This must be that legendary thing...
It is that, right?
The thing only seen in love movies and school romance dramas—a 'love letter'.
Shi Hai first felt puzzled, thinking, "Does anyone still write love letters these days? So old-schooled?" Then, realizing that this was really happening, he reflexively shoved the textbook and the 'love letter' back into the desk.
Then he looked around, like a novice thief rummaging through a cash register for the first time.
Fortunately, it was still early, and there weren't many people in the classroom, and those few classmates hadn't noticed what was happening on Shi Hai's side.
So, he calmed himself down and sat down.
Excitement, nervousness, a racing heart… none of these are happening to him.
Being more mature than his peers, Shi Hai first tried to think of any girls he had interacted with.
And then he sadly discovered that his database was empty.
It seemed that he had no close female friends, and had barely spoken to any female classmates in his own class.
This was not surprising, as Shi Hai played the role of a background character in the class, someone with a relatively low presence.
It wasn't that he was isolated; Shi Hai just didn't like to join in the fun, and he was naturally quiet, so he naturally drifted away from the lively circle in the class.
He only had good relations with a few nearby boys, and really had no contact with the girls in the class.
So, what if he expands the scope?
The love letter might not necessarily be from a female classmate, right?
But when Shi Hai thought about it, he realized he could at least name the girls in his class, but he didn't even know the names of girls from other classes, other departments, or other colleges.
What if he went back even further?
In middle school and high school...well, Shi Hai was even more reclusive back then, with basically no social interactions.
After all, his family situation was terrible during middle and high school.
It seemed that only in elementary school did Shi Hai have the experience of sitting with a girl at the same desk.
However, that girl, who shared a desk with him for six years, didn't speak to him much by the time they graduated. Although they were desk mates, it felt like there was a Mariana Trench between them...unbridgeable.
This wasn't just a mental feeling, but also due to that indelible 'three-eight line' that forbade even a corner of their clothes from crossing.
Shi Hai still remembered once when he accidentally knocked his eraser to the other side of the line, and when he reached out to retrieve it, he deliberately used his other hand to avoid touching his deskmate, crossing the line with only half of his right hand.
He didn't touch his seemingly germophobic deskmate at all...
Yet, she glared at him for an entire day.
This caused a devastating blow to young Shi Hai's heart, making him wonder if he had some unpleasant odor on him.
Was it really worth glaring at someone just for picking up an eraser?
Well, it seemed he had no luck with girls from birth, and school romance had nothing to do with him.
So, what was this letter about?
Could it be...a secret admirer?
Or was it a prank meant to make fun of him?
Recently, classmates had started using smartphones with video recording functions, so it could be some restless person trying to mess with him.
But who would be so bored as to mess with someone as inconspicuous as him?
If someone wanted to prank, it should be the class's popular guy, Ye Guang.
Shi Hai was puzzled.
Anyway, he should look at the content first.
While Shi Hai was lost in thought, other classmates started entering the classroom.
Led by Ye Guang, the lively group gathered in the front half of the classroom, loudly sharing their summer experiences.
"Xiao Gao, where did you go in the last few days of summer vacation? You came back early, but we didn't see you."
"Oh, just stayed in the dorm...what about you guys? I heard you went to the amusement park with some girls from the finance department before school started. Why didn't you take me?"
"We tried to contact you, but your roommate said you were sleeping and couldn't wake up."
"When was that? I don't remember? My roommate never told me."
"Case closed! Your roommate tricked you!"
"Just wait until I get back and deal with that jerk!"
They joked around for a while and then started talking about the upcoming specialization choices.
In the Computer Science department, starting from sophomore year, students had to choose a specialization, such as Computer Applications, Software Engineering, Network Engineering, or Multimedia Technology.
This semester, they would fill out their specialization preferences, and from the next semester, they would be divided accordingly.
Shi Hai hadn't decided which direction to choose yet.
"...Morning."
At this moment, a deep male voice brought Shi Hai back to reality.
Shi Hai looked up at a cool guy, about 1.83 meters tall, and raised his hand in greeting.
"Oh, morning."
If asked to name the prettiest girl in the university, Shi Hai might not have an answer, but the most handsome boy would undoubtedly be Chu Chen, even the class's popular guy Ye Guang had to step back.
With a cold face, upright posture, unruly black hair, melancholy aura, indifferent eyes, and a glance that could make girls' hearts flutter.
This was the cool guy Chu Chen, who often sat next to Shi Hai by the window in the last row.
Without any exaggeration, Shi Hai felt Chu Chen would be perfect as the male lead in a campus idol drama.
But his aloof demeanor kept all admiring girls at a distance.
Shi Hai didn't think Chu Chen was that 'cold'. See, he even greeted good morning, right? But that was probably because they were both guys, their seats were close, and they were friends, so there was no barrier. If it were a girl, it might be different.
So, if someone sent a love letter to Chu Chen, Shi Hai would find it perfectly reasonable, totally fitting.
...Could it be that the letter was placed on the wrong desk?
Actually, that seemed quite possible.
Should he hand over the love letter?
Thinking this, Shi Hai's expression towards Chu Chen became strange.
Noticing Shi Hai's expression change, Chu Chen asked after sitting down.
"What's up?"
"Uh...nothing."
Chu Chen thought for a moment and didn't press further, just said.
"...Alright, let me know if there's anything."
"No problem."
Shi Hai thought he hadn't had a chance to examine the love letter closely, didn't see if it had a recipient's name on it, and it might be written inside.
To be safe, he decided to check the content first, and then hand it over if it was indeed misplaced.
As class was about to start, Shi Hai put away his thoughts and focused on the lesson.