Chapter 11: Little Fish
“Holy crap, how did you suddenly get so good at the game? And your grades are skyrocketing too. Be honest, are you cheating?”
Chen Kai clung to Su Yu, chattering incessantly. He was still obsessing over being crushed by Su Yu in their game last night. Through the computer screen, he suddenly felt like Su Yu had become a different person, drastically so.
“Just practiced a bit. It’s not that hard. I was just going easy on you before.”
Su Yu leaned back in his seat, feeling bored. He casually responded to Chen Kai. With exams approaching, the school was concerned about the tense atmosphere and its impact on the students’ performance, so they often held psychology lectures.
But Su Yu couldn’t focus. With only two or three weeks left until the gaokao, no one wanted to waste their time on this. Others worried about the unfinished practice problems on their desks, while Su Yu worried about…
He suddenly looked up. Xia Qian Ge was sitting in front of them, whispering something to a few girls. The girl covered her mouth and giggled from time to time. Her long, dark hair now reached past her neck, almost to her shoulders. And Su Yu liked long hair.
“Hello?” Chen Kai waved his hand in front of Su Yu’s face. “What are you looking at?”
“Nothing.”
Su Yu shook his head and shifted his gaze to the stage, where the lecturer was speaking passionately into the microphone.
“Looking at Xia Qian Ge?” Chen Kai lowered his voice, as she was sitting right in front of them. “Still thinking about her? You got third place in the weekly exam, just a little behind Xia Qian Ge. Really not going to try?”
Su Yu just shook his head, unsure himself. “Let’s talk after the exams.”
…
The lecture ended, but the exams continued. Su Yu returned to the classroom, and soon, class started again.
Su Yu rested his head on his desk, hoping to get some rest, when a notebook suddenly appeared in front of him. He looked up, meeting Xia Qian Ge’s gaze.
“There are a few problems I don’t understand.” Xia Qian Ge looked at him, her eyes, the eyes Su Yu had admired for so long, curving into crescents. “Can you explain them to me?”
Su Yu glanced at the problems in the notebook. Xia Qian Ge wasn’t good at physics, so she often asked him for help, as physics happened to be Su Yu’s forte.
“Of course.”
“Then… start from here.”
Xia Qian Ge nodded vigorously, leaning closer to Su Yu, pointing out the parts she didn’t understand.
“This problem…”
The problem wasn’t difficult for Su Yu, but his attention was divided. He could feel Xia Qian Ge close to him, her soft hair brushing against his neck, tickling him. The faint, pleasant fragrance that lingered around her was familiar, momentarily distracting him.
“Isn’t that wrong, Su Yu? Did you make a mistake here?”
“Huh?” Su Yu focused on the problem. He had indeed made a mistake. “Yeah, I explained this part wrong. It should be like this…”
“Su Yu, someone’s looking for you.”
Someone called out from the doorway. Su Yu looked up, his gaze fixed on the door. He saw He Mu Qing hiding behind the doorframe, her bright eyes staring at him.
“I’ll be right back. I’ll explain the rest of the problems later.” Su Yu glanced at Xia Qian Ge apologetically.
“Oh… it’s okay.”
Xia Qian Ge’s gaze shifted from the pretty girl at the door, a smile playing on her lips. She shook her head. “Go ahead, don’t keep her waiting.”
“Okay…”
For a moment, Su Yu wanted to explain something, but seeing the indifference in Xia Qian Ge’s eyes, he swallowed his words, put down his pen, and left the classroom.
…
“What’s up?”
Su Yu looked at He Mu Qing, who had suddenly come to find him. The He Mu Qing he knew never came to his class. Even when they went home together after school, they always met at the bus stop. Not many people in his class knew about their relationship, not even Xia Qian Ge until later.
“Just come with me.” He Mu Qing didn’t explain, grabbing his sleeve and pulling him towards the rooftop.
The senior classrooms were on the sixth floor, and the rooftop was just one floor up. Su Yu could feel the curious gazes of his classmates. A boy and a girl going to the rooftop together could only mean one thing. Su Yu hadn’t expected to attract attention this way.
As soon as they stepped onto the rooftop, He Mu Qing let go of his sleeve and turned to look at him, tears welling up in her eyes.
“What’s wrong?” Su Yu’s playful mood vanished. He noticed the redness around He Mu Qing’s eyes. “Why are you crying? You’re not a kid anymore.”
“My dad’s checkup… they found stomach cancer.”
He Mu Qing’s voice was soft, like the wind on the rooftop. Such an illness was like a demon, capable of tearing a family apart in an instant. She was still a naive girl, understandably afraid.
“Is it serious?”
“The doctor said they caught it early, and the chances of recovery are high. They told us not to worry too much.” He Mu Qing bit her lip, holding back her tears. “I don’t want to worry, but…”
“As long as it can be cured, it’s fine. You look better when you’re being fierce.” Su Yu patted He Mu Qing’s head.
“Don’t touch me, it’s annoying. And you’re still smiling.” He Mu Qing pushed his hand away, glaring at him. “My mom wants you to come over for dinner tonight. She wants to thank you.”
“Well, she should thank me.” Su Yu nodded seriously. “How about… you offer yourself as repayment?”
“Get lost, pervert.”
He Mu Qing glared at Su Yu, her eyes filled with more than just fierceness, even a hint of murderous intent. She punched him lightly on the shoulder and ran off…
Her voice, carried by the wind, reached Su Yu’s ears.
“You explained problems to Xia Qian Ge, so just marry her, you scumbag.”
…
“Do you still want to continue?”
Back in the classroom, Su Yu was in a good mood. Rebirth had given him the chance to change many things. He was no longer as powerless as before. He could change everything from his past life… but what about her? Su Yu was uncertain about the look in the girl’s eyes before his death, that obsessive madness… could it really be changed?
Su Yu looked at the notebook that had been taken back and asked Xia Qian Ge.
“No need, I’ve figured out the rest of the problems.” Xia Qian Ge turned around, staring at the smile on Su Yu’s lips. “Who was that girl just now?”
“Not a senior, just a friend.”
“Just a friend? I thought you were… dating.”
Su Yu just smiled. In the past, he would have stumbled over his words, trying to explain, but now he didn’t want to. If Xia Qian Ge misunderstood… perhaps that wasn’t a bad thing.
“I’m going back to my problems.”
Xia Qian Ge turned back and lowered her head to study. But for some reason, the sound she heard wasn’t the rustling of pen against paper, but the sharp scratch of nails against the cover of her book.
Why would a fish abandon the bait and jump out of the pond? The question wrapped around her heart like a thin silk thread, all pointing to the same answer.
He seemed… different.
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