Chapter 1

Friday afternoon.

The autumn sunset painted half the sky red.

The classroom windows for grades one and two overlook the basketball court, with the last window offering the best view.

When Zhou Anran had almost finished cleaning, reaching the last window, she paused, tilted her head and looked out.

The teaching building is not close to the basketball court. The years that ran freely on the basketball court have become blurred by distance, far in the past, like little blue and white line figures running endlessly.

Zhou Anran thought she knew that person's appearance well enough, but she couldn't recognize him among these lines of little people.

The gaze returned to the second group, sixth row, on the left seat.

The spot is already taken.

The books on the table were not arranged neatly, but they weren't completely messy either.

It is like its master.

He is an excellent student in the eyes of all teachers.

but not the kind of well-behaved student.

After class, he always leaves more energetically than anyone else.

The black backpack often hangs loosely on one shoulder.

Because he was lazy, not even a class representative wanted to take on the role, let alone a formal committee member.

"Reran, have you swept yet?" Yan Xingxi's voice suddenly rang out.

Zhou Anran came to her senses: "Almost done."

After taking the cleaned garbage to be disposed of, Zhou Anran and Yan Xingxi's mission was complete.

The two returned to their desks to pack up their bags. Yan Xingxi turned back to look at the back row: "He Mingyu, aren't you leaving yet?"

The boy at the next table, wearing a pair of glasses, was lowering his head to write an exam paper. Hearing this, he looked up at them and said: "I'll be leaving soon."

"Then let's go first." Yan Xingxi didn't say much more. "Come on, Reran,"

Class Two is on the second floor.

Zhou Anran was walking downstairs with her subordinates.

The parents of the protagonist and Yan Xingxi are friends, both living in the same residential complex. They have played together since childhood.

Our bus back to the neighborhood will pick us up outside of the east gate of the school.

To get from the teaching building to the east gate, you have to pass by the basketball court.

Thinking that she could see him again later, Zhou Anran's heart fluttered with excitement. Her steps became lighter, and even the heavy backpack on her shoulders seemed to feel lighter now.

On the field, he was always the most eye-catching sight.

Many passing students, both male and female, often unconsciously pass by.

Zhou Anran blended in, so she wasn't particularly noticeable.

This was one of several occasions during the week when he could have gazed at him openly and without attracting attention.

Halfway down the stairs, Yan Xingxi wanted to ask Zhou Anran if they wanted to buy a cup of tea outside before heading back. As she turned her head, she saw that Zhou Anran's eyelashes were long and curled, with their tips slightly upturned. A small dimple appeared on Zhou Anran's pale cheeks, almost white in color.

Even after all these years, Yan Xingxi is still occasionally melted by this look.

>The school has regulations regarding hairstyles and attire. Zhou Anran has always been well-behaved and obedient, never trying to change her hairstyle or dress up extravagantly. She still has a baby face, and she's gentle and unassuming, so she doesn't stand out in class.

Yan Xingxi couldn't help but stare at him for a few more seconds.

As she went down, Zhou Anran's dimples were momentarily hidden by her hair that reached just past her shoulders, then appeared again, only to be covered once more.

It was still there when it came out.

"Well, well." Yan Xingxi's hand swayed, "What's the matter, you seem unusually happy today?"

Zhou Anran's heart skipped a beat: "Aren't you happy that it's vacation?"

"Of course I'm happy." Yan Xingxi continued to stare, "But I feel you are even happier than usual today."

Zhou Anran averted her gaze: "My mom said she'll be making tiger-skin claws tonight. I'll bring some over to you later."

Yan Xingxi immediately shifted her attention when she heard this: "Aw, Ruan Ruan, my dear aunt made tiger's paw."

After leaving the teaching building, Zhou Anran and Yan Xingxi continued to chat in a desultory manner.

The basketball court soon came into view.

The court in Area Two is a spacious expanse, divided by red and white lines into six standard basketball courts.

Two rows, three in each row.

He and his friends seem to prefer playing in the third spot on the first row.

My eyes naturally fell on the third court in the first row.

As the distance narrowed, the boys running on the field were no longer just blurry blue and white lines. You could now see their individual features more clearly.

There were lanky ones, some muscular, some with hair so long they must be about to get a scolding from the teacher, and others who had taken the easy route and gotten their hair buzzed short.

But none of them were him.

No one is him.

Even if their face is still unclear.

Zhou Anran could still easily tell that he wasn't at the third court in the first row.

He still looked at the other courts with hope.

The first row, the first one is missing him, and the second one is also missing.

The second row, the first one is empty, the second one doesn't have him, and the third one is still empty.

Then, my heart felt a little empty too.

The backpack became heavy again.

Two people stood by the edge of the field for a few seconds before leaving. Perhaps they were boarding students who weren't going home, heading towards the school direction, or our direction.

Passing by, Zhou Anran heard their voices.

"Where's Chen Bai today? Isn't he usually at the court every week around this time to play basketball?"

"That's right, I thought I might see him today. It's been days since I last saw him."

"You said you pretended to pass by their classroom yesterday to see him, didn't you?"

"Didn't you guys see this yesterday?"

The atmosphere and Zhou Anran's heart were the same.

...is lost and wistful.

I also thought I could see him again today.

Mingming heard him and his friends talking about going to play basketball after class.

Once he confirmed the other wasn't on the field, Zhou Anran retracted his gaze and looked down listlessly until he saw Yan Xingxi's hand waving in front of him.

"Ranran."

Zhou Anran tilted her head: "What's wrong?"

"Yan Xingxi: "I still want to ask you what's wrong, you were just very happy, now you seem down again. You didn't even react when I talked to you."

Zhou Anran pursed her lips: "What did you just say to me?"

Yan Xingxi: "Want to buy a cup of tea before going back?"

Zhou Anran felt a little guilty. She had been lost in her own thoughts and hadn't really listened to her friend. She nodded and said, "Go ahead, I'll treat you."

"That's great!" Yan Xingxi was the opposite of calm and collected. She was carefree and didn't think much about it, "Just right, I haven't got much money left this month anyway."

Zhou Anran continued chatting as they walked.

They quickly passed the field.

I couldn't help but glance at the third court in the first row. I recognized a few familiar faces there, one from our third class and the rest from our own class.

All of them are people who play with Chen Bai.

Because I played with Chen Bai, that's why I feel so close to him.

But his friend is playing ball, why isn't he there?

Zhou Anran couldn't help but start to daydream again.

So by the time that shout of "Watch out, classmates!" drifted over, he was a half-beat slow to lift his head —

The orange basketball was almost about to smash into his face.

It was a sudden, completely unprepared scene. There was no time to dodge, and Zhou Anran froze in place, waiting for the pain to come.

Almost at the same time, a refreshing, clean scent invaded my nostrils. A cold, white, long hand came from the side, stopping the basketball that was right in front of me.

It should be less than two inches apart.

Close enough for Zhou Anran to clearly see the fine velvet on that big hand and the blue veins slightly protruding from the exertion.

And above the wrist, there's that little mole, glimpsed a few times before, sometimes close, sometimes far away, enough to instantly recognize someone. This time, it was finally right in front of me.

Originally it wasn't black, it was a small speck of brown.

Zhou Anran's heart suddenly beat faster.

Accompanied by the sound of his own heartbeat, only he could hear, the master's voice also rang in his ear. It was soft, a bit lower than that of someone his age, but still with a clarity unique to youth.

"He almost knocked me over and didn't even apologize."

Sounds from the stadium came together in a jumble.

"Bro, you're finally here, I've been waiting for you for ages. Wanna play some more?" said with an enthusiastic tone.

"Sorry, classmates." It was said rather perfunctorily.

"Oh, Gao Lao, what were you doing?" asked curiously.

So it turns out the homeroom teacher just left temporarily?

Zhou Anran's heart was still beating rapidly, her fingers curled at her side, and she felt a little urge to turn her head and look at his appearance.

Yan Xingxi was also a little startled just now, only now she reacted, pulling back two steps to the side, and shouted towards the court: "You guys don't look at where you're throwing the ball!"

Zhou Anran patted his hand in a seemingly indifferent manner, but couldn't resist looking at him sideways.

Nancheng doesn't have distinct four seasons.

It's already late October, but the weather is still very hot. Most students are still wearing their summer uniforms.

But some people seem to be born under a lucky star.

The boy was tall and lanky, his loose blue and white school uniform making him look particularly clean and refreshing. His side profile, gilded with a thin layer of sunlight, had smooth and sharp lines. His eyelashes were black and long, and the crease of his double eyelids was deep.

That ball that almost hit him was in his hand, and he casually tossed it around a couple of times. The guy's smile was lazy, and his eyes were fixed on the other side of the court, not paying attention to anything else at all.

Zhou Anran's heart, which had been hanging high, fell heavily.

What was lost can be filled in again.

But it should not be lost.

It should have been expected.

He should know that his actions just now were simply ingrained upbringing, and whether it was a passerby A, B, C, or D he helped, he probably doesn't care.

After all, this isn't the first time he's helped.

On the day of the freshmen's report, it happened to coincide with Xingxi's grandfather's 70th birthday. The parents had already asked the teacher for leave and would come back two days later to report.

Zhou Anran's parents were also working that day, so they didn't ask for special leave to come see her off. She came to the Second Middle School alone.

The place to handle procedures is on the second floor of the office building. Arriving early, there were no other people on the stairs.

That day, Nanshang City saw heavy rain.

Zhou Anran slowly went upstairs.

After climbing the last staircase, I looked around for a place to stand. On the ground, someone had carelessly thrown away a banana peel, and without noticing it, I stepped on it. The rain made the pavement slippery, and my whole body lost its balance as I fell backward—

Then he fell into a scorching, powerful embrace, and the refreshing scent engulfed him.

A low voice whispered in his ear, "Be careful."

Zhou Anran turned her head, and her eyes met a pair of narrow, dark black eyes.

A head poked out from the railing of the stairs on the third floor. Someone shouted towards this side: "Chen Bai, come quickly."

It's as if he saw their current poses. The other person's face lit up with a playful smile: "What are you doing? I waited for you for ages, and you were here flirting with girls? Did you just make a move? You're fast."

Zhou Anran's face flushed slightly.

I don't know if it's red or not.

The boy beside me seemed completely oblivious. As soon as he stood steady, he quickly let go. He looked up towards the head near the third floor and scoffed, "What's wrong with you? A girl almost fell, I just gave her a helping hand, all you do is talk!"

He was wearing a simple white T-shirt and black shorts. His short, dark hair was styled to fall over his forehead, making him look clean and refreshing. When he smiled, his eyes crinkled at the corners with a youthful energy.

"Then come up here quickly."

It wasn't until someone on the third floor spoke again that Zhou Anran remembered she should probably thank him, but the boy didn't give her a chance.

He didn't linger, nor did he glance back. He strode up the stairs.

Suddenly, a wind arose.

The nearby camphor tree on the second floor was swaying in the wind, with raindrops trickling down its lush green leaves.

Zhou Anran raised her head in the sound of wind and rain, only managing to see a running, tall figure, and white horns being blown by the wind.

(Editor in charge:romance novel)