The moment I stepped through the school gates, my phone buzzed incessantly. I figured the group chat was already in an uproar. As I walked, I pulled out my phone and scrolled through their messages one by one.
Pear: "Help, the amount of information today is overwhelming."
Jing: "Judging by this, Jia must have nailed it."
Xuan: "It's always you, Shen Jia."
Zi: "Our Jia doesn't make a move often, but when she does, she's spectacular."
Pear: "I was wondering why nothing was happening before; turns out you were saving it all for today."
Messages like these flooded the chat, all teasing me. I replied with confidence:
"Do you even know who I am? I always strike when the time is right. That's how I roll."
I'm good at witty banter, even though I might feel a bit intimidated in front of Chu Qingci. But it doesn't matter—they don't know that, so I can make things up as I please.
After replying, I put my phone away and continued walking, debating whether or not to strike up a conversation with Chu Qingci.
"Shen Jia."
His voice startled me. I instinctively turned around. "What's up?"
I stopped in my tracks and looked at him. His gaze was unusually complicated, his lips pressed together in silence. He seemed to want to say something, his lips moving slightly, but no sound came out.
I waited, thinking he would speak. But to my surprise, he said nothing.
"Never mind. It's nothing."
He stood there, looking at me, and after a pause, finally uttered those words.
His behavior puzzled me. As his voice faded, he pulled out a pair of earphones from his school uniform pocket and put them on.
Then, looking at me, he spoke in a calm tone. "Aren't you leaving?"
With that, he walked past me.
I hurried to catch up. "I'm coming, I'm coming."
This guy is so strange—calling my name only to say nothing. I tilted my head to stare at the back of his head as he walked ahead of me.
He's really tall. From my angle, he blocked most of the path in front of us. Slightly annoyed, I shifted to the side.
Now walking behind him from a different position, I followed him from the school gate to the bus stop.
We boarded the bus, one after the other. He, as usual, sat in his preferred spot. But this time, I chose a seat diagonally behind him.
As I walked past him, he turned slightly, giving me a brief, indifferent glance. His gaze lingered on me for about two seconds before he turned away.
I sat down. The bus began to move slowly.
From the back, I watched Chu Qingci. Perhaps he was tired today—barely after the bus started, he closed his eyes, leaning back as if resting.
The window near the back seat was open, and the autumn wind blew in, cool and crisp. It tousled the stray strands of hair on his forehead, swaying them gently.
His face was pale, almost unnaturally so, like he wasn't in the best of health. Even his lips looked slightly unhealthy, though there was still a faint hint of pink.
I stared at him absentmindedly until a stronger gust of wind jolted me back to reality.
Adjusting my jacket against the chill, my movements inadvertently startled him. He opened his eyes slightly, but the bus was nearing our stop.
Five minutes later, we arrived. I stood and made my way to the door.
After stepping off, I paused and turned around. Chu Qingci had also gotten off the bus.
"I'll be going now," I said softly.
He nodded and replied, "Wait."
He held out his school uniform jacket, extending it toward me. "The weather's getting colder. Dress warmer next time."
His gaze met mine directly, his brows furrowed slightly, an expression of mild exasperation.
Smiling, I looked at him, my eyes curving. "Got it. Thanks."
Hearing my reply, his expression softened, and a faint smile appeared on his face.
"Alright then, thanks for the jacket," I said, waving as I turned to leave.
Chu Qingci walked off in the opposite direction.
Time flowed like sand in an hourglass, slipping through fingers that couldn't grasp it. The season gradually deepened into autumn, and the time for our arrangement was drawing near.
Recently, my interactions with Chu Qingci had been smooth and pleasant. However, we still hadn't settled on when to meet for our meal, and I hadn't added him on WeChat yet.
It was the weekend—time to take the initiative.
Just as I thought about it, I opened WeChat and saw a friend request waiting for me.
The profile picture was blank, and the name read: "Chu Qingci."
I was stunned. How did he get my contact information?
I accepted the request and sent a question mark in response.
"Bian Li," he replied succinctly.
Then, another message popped up.
"I waited long enough for you to ask for my contact. Got tired of waiting."
Before I could reply, another message followed:
"I'm free this afternoon."
After hesitating and typing back and forth, I finally responded:
"I was afraid my intentions would be too obvious, so I didn't add you."
Then I answered his second message:
"How about this afternoon? Let's meet at Jiahe Restaurant on Wangbei Road."
After sending the message, I leaned back on the sofa, adjusting my position, and waited for his reply.