Chapter 7: Old Scenery
The morning alarm jolted Su Yu awake. Thankfully, he hadn’t had any nightmares, but he was still drowsy, not used to waking up early.
Su Yu ruffled his messy hair, thinking he should probably get a haircut soon, and went to the bathroom to wash up.
He felt the familiar urgency of his student days again, as if every second counted. Su Yu watched the time, the routine both foreign and familiar. As his memories returned, his movements became smoother. He quickly finished his morning routine, grabbed his bag, and stood at the door, slowly closing it behind him.
Standing in the doorway, gazing at the old scenery, he hadn’t had time to reminisce yesterday. But now, standing in the morning light of the hallway, looking at the unchanged, old corridor, his eyes couldn’t help but well up.
A lifetime filled with too many regrets, reliving it was something everyone had fantasized about. If given such a chance, he wouldn’t repeat his mistakes.
Su Yu checked his phone. It was a few minutes earlier than usual. He wasn’t in a hurry, so he waited at the door.
“You’re early today.”
A voice came from upstairs. Su Yu looked up and saw He Mu Qing coming down. He thought he was prepared, but he still froze for a moment.
It was Monday, flag-raising ceremony day, and even senior year students couldn’t escape it. So, He Mu Qing wasn’t wearing her favorite dress but the dull school uniform. The cool morning sunlight filtered through the old building’s worn-out grids. Green ivy climbed up the stone pillars, and the sunlight, tinted green by the leaves, fell on the girl’s high ponytail, bobbing with each step. She liked to wear her hair in a ponytail when she wasn’t in a dress.
Dust motes danced in the sunlight, as if adding a nostalgic filter to He Mu Qing. Su Yu found it familiar yet couldn’t tear his gaze away.
“Dummy, what are you looking at?”
He Mu Qing reached Su Yu’s side before he knew it, poking his forehead with a slender finger. “You’ve been acting strange since yesterday. Did you confess to Xia Qian Ge after all and got rejected, and now you’re losing your mind?”
“We’re going to be late… let’s go.”
Su Yu ignored He Mu Qing’s teasing and headed downstairs first.
“It’s still early, how could we be late? Why are you walking so fast?” He Mu Qing called out from behind, catching up and walking beside him. “What are we having for breakfast?”
“Let’s… let’s have steamed buns.” Su Yu thought for a moment and replied.
“Steamed buns? Same as always then.” He Mu Qing nodded. “You go buy the buns, I’ll get the soy milk. Meet at the bus stop.”
“Okay.”
Listening to this conversation, identical to the past, Su Yu felt his eyes welling up again.
“Hey, why are you crying…” He Mu Qing was startled by the sudden tears in Su Yu’s eyes. She took out a tissue and handed it to him. “It’s just a rejection, isn’t it? Don’t you boys always say there are plenty of fish in the sea? Why are you being so pathetic?”
“Got some dust in my eye. It’s windy this morning.” Su Yu smiled and took the tissue. “I told you I didn’t confess. Don’t ruin my reputation.”
“Haha, I’m going. You just keep crying.”
He Mu Qing made a face and left Su Yu behind. He slowly followed, a smile he couldn’t suppress playing on his lips.
…
For a long time after starting high school, they went to school together like this, dividing the breakfast duties, then quickly eating while waiting for the bus, rushing onto the arriving bus. Su Yu would then pull He Mu Qing through the crowd to find her a good seat.
But today they were lucky and grabbed a window seat for two. The morning sun was dazzling, casting a rainbow halo through the scratched bus window.
He Mu Qing dozed off, her head gradually resting on Su Yu’s shoulder as the bus bumped along. Su Yu stared out the window, lost in thought. The familiar street scenes drifted past: the stationery store, the food stalls… and He Mu Qing’s favorite milk tea shop. Su Yu still remembered her favorite mango pudding from that shop.
He had taken this route countless times, but only now did it feel new. His gaze followed the messy electrical wires stretching along the elevated road until he saw a familiar bronze plaque with a few large characters, worn by wind and sand: Yangming High School.
“I’m going. I have to prepare for the flag-raising ceremony. Study hard, okay? Only one month left until the exams.”
“I know, even my mom isn’t this nagging.”
Su Yu and He Mu Qing parted ways at the school gate. He Mu Qing was the flag bearer for the national flag team and had to go to the field early on Mondays to prepare for the ceremony. Su Yu also attended the Monday flag-raising ceremonies. He often saw the slightly neurotic girl solemnly carrying the flag onto the stage, her high ponytail swaying with her steps. He had never imagined that the girl who loved to wear dresses could also have such a heroic side.
He Mu Qing was truly beautiful. Su Yu often saw photos of her during the flag-raising ceremony on the school’s confession wall, people asking for her name and class, or directly confessing their feelings. But in three years of high school, Su Yu had never heard of He Mu Qing having any romantic involvement with any boy.
She didn’t seem interested in such things. She preferred to talk to Su Yu about new dessert shops and their delicious mango pudding, though none could compare to the one near their homes.
Lost in memories, Su Yu unknowingly followed the crowd into the teaching building. His senior year classroom was on the sixth floor. But even after climbing the stairs with his heavy backpack, he was only slightly out of breath. If it were before, he would have been sweating and panting.
Su Yu remembered the way. He needed to go straight, then turn left, pass the restrooms, and finally find his classroom at the west corner: Class 1, Grade 12, the top class in Yangming High School.
The short walk felt long to Su Yu. Compared to waking up at home, stepping into the classroom filled him with a sense of trepidation.
He turned left, passed the restrooms, and walked west. Then he saw a wooden door with a slightly rusty sign: Class 1, Grade 12.
Su Yu’s breathing quickened involuntarily. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest. One step… two steps…
Su Yu entered the classroom just as the bell rang. The teacher hadn’t arrived yet, and the classroom was filled with noise, a cacophony of sounds and moving figures. Not him… not her. Su Yu didn’t immediately look for his seat. His eyes scanned the room, finally settling… and then the surrounding chaos faded, leaving only her.
The girl was different, seemingly not in the same world as the surrounding noise. She sat quietly in the faint sunlight, reading a book. It wasn’t a textbook, but Eileen Chang’s Love in a Fallen City. Su Yu remembered everything about her clearly.
He met her again, just like the first time. Back then, he didn’t know what kind of story would unfold between them in the future.
But this time… he still didn’t know.
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