Chapter 16: Swallows Bring Spring’s Grace, the Voyages Southward
School—whether middle or high—these two periods of intense academic pursuit are defined by a square, orderly space teeming with youthful energy and dark, aching wounds. Within these walls, countless students clad in identical uniforms harbor their own vivid dreams. Dreams of the future, dreams of the present, dreams about themselves, or about others...
The class beauty, the class heartthrob, the school beauty, the school heartthrob, the academic prodigy, the offspring of officials or the wealthy—these figures occupy the highest peaks of adolescent fantasy.
Beauty, wealth, power—these are the microcosms of society’s value system.
Class Two of Senior Year Three is no exception; it too contains these echoes.
Yan Qingwu stands at the pinnacle of their class.
Her family is affluent yet shrouded in mystery. Her face is delicate as the moon in melancholy, her figure tall and slender like graceful willow branches, every step exuding a subtle fragrance of orchids, all wrapped in a cool, reserved demeanor. Upon arrival, she stunned everyone by scoring first in the entire school, an achievement so dazzling that even in the largest cities she would stand out from the crowd.
School beauty and academic prodigy—she is the faith of all Second High School. It is easy to imagine that her every action stirs turbulent waves.
Even though she stands so close to her classmates now, in less than a year she will unfurl her radiant wings and soar toward a broader world—a world far, far removed from the nearly one-third of Class Two who won’t even make it to college.
Everyone will be left behind by her, teachers included.
Class Two is renowned solely because of her.
———
“Hello...” Yan Qingwu glanced at Sui Yi, slightly lowering her fine brows, recalling faint fragments about her.
Sui Yi—she vaguely remembered the name.
Yan Qingwu had transferred to the school only in the final week of last year. She managed to participate in a single end-of-term exam for the second year and, with her conspicuous performance as the top student, cemented her position at Second High.
In stark contrast, Sui Yi’s academic ranking was only average; in fact, even the second-best student in Class Two couldn’t break into the top hundred of the entire grade.
Still, that hardly mattered. The point was, under such circumstances, Yan Qingwu and Sui Yi barely knew each other, having only met a few times. Yet Yan Qingwu still greeted her.
This alone revealed her upbringing.
“Hello.”
Sui Yi replied, and then the two quietly went about gathering their belongings.
To others, however, such a greeting seemed almost unnecessary.
After all, they had spent a week together and crossed a winter holiday as classmates. Was “hello” really appropriate for the first meeting after the break?
Sui Yi clearly saw no problem with it. She stuffed all her books into the drawer and glanced at the clock on the wall.
Senior Year Three was a nightmare. Classes ended at eleven-thirty, and an hour later, they had to return for afternoon self-study. That hour was only for lunch.
If teachers dragged out their lessons, lunch would become a battlefield. Perhaps bringing one’s own bread was second nature for many.
Still, she decided to go to the cafeteria. It seemed her meal card could last another half-month; beyond that, she’d have no money for meals.
Sui Yi moved swiftly, heading straight for the door. The others realized only those with nearby homes or cars would go home for lunch; most students headed to the school cafeteria.
“Let’s go, it’s lunchtime. Lin Lan, let’s eat!”
“Let’s go!”
“Qingwu, do you want to come with us?”
Someone asked Yan Qingwu. She gently shook her head, “No, thank you. You go ahead.”
“Oh, then we’re off.”
As soon as they were out of earshot, Qian Fengling tugged at the girl who’d just called out to Yan Qingwu, scolding, “Why did you ask her? Do you think she’d eat at the school cafeteria?”
“I was just trying... My mom says befriending her could help our grades... Besides, she rides the bus or bike every day, doesn’t seem that unusual!”
Grades? Qian Fengling shot a sidelong glance at the chubby-cheeked, pouty girl, her lips curling into a cold smile.
Could a child from an ordinary family possess such poise? Could Sui Yi’s simple short-sleeve shirt be worth hundreds or thousands?
Such naive, ignorant people!
———
Yan Qingwu left the classroom just in time to witness a scene in the distance, her gaze rippling faintly.
It was the top student from the neighboring class... and her own deskmate... Sui Yi?
Sui Yi exited the classroom, followed by someone. She turned to face the person who had caught up and blocked her way.
“You seem to like standing in people’s way,” Sui Yi said as she sidestepped him and continued forward.
“Hey, do you really not know who I am? We’ve met so many times!”
“Mm, I remember...”
“Then why...”
“Meeting doesn’t mean I know your name; no one ever told me.”
“Yu Hang. My name is Yu Hang. Now someone’s told you!”
Yu Hang grinned, hands in his pockets, walking beside Sui Yi. He sneaked a glance at her face, “You’re heading to the cafeteria, right? Let’s go together.”
“.....”
Sui Yi looked at him but said nothing.
One after the other, they entered the cafeteria, got their meals, and sat across from each other. Only then did Sui Yi have the leisure to look Yu Hang in the eye, her hands folded on the table. After a moment, she spoke, “Go on...”
Go on... Go on with what? Yu Hang’s gaze flickered as he came to, stirring his noodles with his fork, smiling, “I saw what happened with you on the bus.”
He raised his fork, poking the air, his face animated, “Your move was awesome! You’ve trained, haven’t you?”
He was very certain.
Every teenager has a martial arts dream—did he see her as some kung fu master? No wonder he, usually so proud, would lower himself like this...
On any other day, he would have dismissed her; after all, their lives belonged to utterly different worlds.
Sui Yi was a little amused, but felt no ill will toward him. She took a sip of milk, soothing her somewhat uncomfortable stomach. Her slender, fair fingers touched the transparent glass, clear and snowy white.
“Do you think it’s appropriate to say that to someone who fails the eight-hundred-meter run every year?”
Sui Yi gently reminded him. Only then did Yu Hang realize—apparently, Sui Yi’s health was poor and she often missed P.E. class.
“But you...”
“It was just luck.”
Sui Yi ignored him and continued eating. Yu Hang, face flushed, stared at her intently, though he soon grew puzzled.
Her posture was graceful, chewing slowly and quietly, serene and composed—a fluid, cultivated elegance pleasing to the eye.
What was Sui Yi’s background...?
“Sui Yi, who taught you to eat like this?” Yu Hang, used to speaking his mind, asked her without restraint.
Sui Yi didn’t reply. Only after finishing her meal did she sip her milk and wipe her mouth with a napkin.
She answered, “Self-taught.”
Self-taught? Yu Hang choked, “Self-taught? How’s that possible, the way you eat...”
“Eating is a habit, usually taught and cultivated by family. But those without family can only teach themselves. If you’re curious, you can just think I’m good at self-learning. I’m done; excuse me, enjoy your meal.”
Sui Yi’s perception was keen; she had already noticed the burning gazes from others, a couple particularly sharp, as if they could pierce her.
She set down her napkin and left directly, leaving Yu Hang awkwardly behind.
He realized again—she was an orphan.
(This story will include some campus details, perhaps reflecting my own lingering emotions two years after graduation. I always felt that the ivory tower concealed life’s most beautiful colors, whether it was the pure white chalk, the light blue uniforms, or the deep black of late-night tutoring, all soaked through the years of youth. After graduation, seeing high school students still makes me feel sad, even though at that time, I was just an ordinary, utterly ordinary student. Youth? What is that! Fate? Some people’s fate is decided from the start, but I hope Sui Yi’s fate will soar ever upward!)