“2017.10.01 Clear Weather”
Dear Y, the distance between me and you was getting closer and closer.
— Excerpt from Tao Shuran’s Diary
Tao Shuran had been the good child in the neighbors’ mouths since she was young.
On one hand, it was because she looked too gentle, with a pair of almond eyes that lacked any aggression, her brows and eyes brimming with warmth when she looked at people. On the other hand, it was because her personality was simply too honest.
So honest that even her lies could be seen through at a glance.
After officially moving to West Kang Road, Tao Shuran got to know another “good child” in the neighbors’ eyes—Fu Changpei.
He was just like her: obediently listening to his parents, studying diligently, and completing homework on time.
The two of them were worlds apart from the utterly unreliable Liang Yuanjing.
So much so that on the day they became friends, even Zhao Yanyun came over incredulously to ask her.
“You mean, you’re studying together with Liang Yuanjing and the others?”
Tao Shuran nodded, deciding to clear up these prejudices in their parents’ minds.
“He studies pretty hard. Several times when I went to the teacher’s office on Sundays, I ran into him.”
“Is that so?” Tao Hongfeng interjected, “That kid has a playboy face overflowing with romantic entanglements. Our Ranran needs to be careful and keep her distance from him.”
Tao Shuran realized what her dad meant.
She put down her chopsticks and said a bit embarrassedly, “Dad, what are you saying.”
“Exactly, our Ranran isn’t the kind of bad child who dates early.”
Tao Hongfeng said, “I’ve looked into it. There are only about ten boys in their Liberal Arts Class altogether.”
Hearing this, Zhao Yanyun finally relaxed. She quickly finished her porridge, grabbed her satchel, and hurried out the door.
Tao Hongfeng shouted after her, “Finish breakfast before you go!”
“No time.” Zhao Yanyun said, “The department has an emergency meeting today. I have to get there before eight.”
Her figure came and went in a rush. Tao Hongfeng stood up to clear the dishes on his own and suddenly sighed.
“Although your mom really hopes you’ll become a lawyer, I don’t think it’s necessary. She’s out early and back late every day, working overtime on weekends.”
“Ranran, Dad still hopes you can be happy and safe.”
Hearing this, Tao Shuran felt a bit melancholic too.
Propping her chin, she said softly, “But everything I like, Mom doesn’t agree with.”
Just like when they chose streams in the second year of high school, she had once tentatively suggested wanting to study sciences, only for Zhao Yanyun to reject it outright.
Zhao Yanyun held up her failing physics transcript and bluntly asked what qualification she had to study sciences.
“Study liberal arts, learn law, become a lawyer after graduation. I have some connections in this field.”
Zhao Yanyun raised her chin: “Ranran, this is the best path I’ve chosen for you.”
“Is this path definitely the best?”
On the way to the exam venue, Tao Shuran ran into Fu Changpei by chance. She asked him doubtfully, her clear eyes fixed on him without blinking.
Coincidentally, Fu Changpei’s exam room was next to hers.
With twenty minutes until the official exam, the two of them stood in the corridor outside the classroom reviewing their books.
“Not the best, but it certainly won’t lead you astray. Then again, does the best path necessarily mean happiness?”
Fu Changpei looked up, his gentle gaze meeting hers, carrying a rationality and maturity rare for their age.
“Do you want to choose a track, or the wilderness?”
His single sentence brought Tao Shuran sudden realization.
It was like parting the clouds to see the sun; the gloom lingering in her heart dispersed.
Tao Shuran curved her eyes: “I wish you first place again today.”
“Thanks.”
Fu Changpei pulled a pen from his pocket and handed it to her: “Lend you this pen. I use it for every exam. Consider it passing my good luck to you.”
Tao Shuran took it with both hands: “May the study god’s pen bless me.”
Perhaps Fu Changpei’s pen really had some magical effect.
Tao Shuran performed well in this Monthly Exam. Although her scores were still at the bottom of the class, they were much better than the disaster of her first Baseline Exam.
Previously, the Baseline Exam rankings were done uniformly across the grade, but starting with this Monthly Exam, the rankings were officially determined by liberal arts and sciences streams.
There weren’t many liberal arts students at Affiliated Middle School. Out of over a thousand students schoolwide, they numbered just under three hundred.
Tao Shuran ranked 196th among those three hundred.
Compared to before, her three main subjects—Chinese, math, and English—had made huge progress.
Looking at the transcript, Fang Qingyi shouted happily, “Yay!
I’m not dead last this time!”
Zhao Zhengnian said, “Wow, A Jing said he’d get first and he did. That’s too cool.”
Among the top ten in the grade-wide rankings, Tao Shuran turned her head to look at the sciences category, where Liang Yuanjing’s name topped the list, with Fu Changpei in second.
The two of them were only one point apart, neck and neck.
Tao Shuran smiled faintly.
She had always known that his arrogance was backed by real ability.
Zhao Zhengnian sighed, “What a sight, but too bad A Jing isn’t here today.”
Fang Qingyi asked casually, “Yeah? Where’d he go? Haven’t seen him the last few days.”
“You guys don’t know?” Zhao Zhengnian said, “During National Day, their Flight Class has special training. They’re not taking classes with us.”
Tao Shuran’s lashes fluttered, concealing her regret.
The day the Monthly Exam results came out was the last day of September.
Despite the students’ protests, the school mercifully decided to give them one day off during National Day to adjust.
In class, Zhou Wu summarized this Monthly Exam, praising the obvious progress of Tao Shuran and the others.
And with a grand wave of his hand, he rewarded each of them with a copy of 53 Real Questions.
Fang Qingyi’s mouth twitched repeatedly, unable to speak.
After class, Wen Fangfang came over on her own and handed them a bottle of jasmine flower tea.
“For you to drink.”
Fang Qingyi: “Let’s hear what you want first.”
Wen Fangfang’s gaze was eager: “I want to join your study group.”
“Really want to study, or for Liang Yuanjing?”
Fang Qingyi gave her no face and said straightforwardly, “Sorry, class rep, our group’s full. Just right at 1v1.”
“Aren’t you five people?”
“Fang Shiyue from the morning just said she’d join us.”
“Perfectly: me and Fu Changpei, Ranran and Liang Yuanjing, Fang Shiyue and Zhao Zhengnian.”
Wen Fangfang frowned: “That Fang Shiyue from Art Class?”
“Two underachievers together—what’s the use.”
She turned her head and glared resentfully at Tao Shuran, muttering, “Studying so poorly yet hogging Liang Yuanjing. Who knows if she likes him.”
Hearing this, Tao Shuran’s face paled slightly.
She didn’t feel well and didn’t want to stay there. She pulled a tissue from her bag and headed to the bathroom at the end of the corridor.
Just as she closed the stall door, voices started up beside her, one on each side, wrapping around her like an inescapable nightmare.
Wen Fangfang’s anger hadn’t subsided. At that moment, she was venting to her best friend without restraint.
“This new transfer student doesn’t know what tricks she used to hook Liang Yuanjing.”
“Is she doing it on purpose knowing Liang Yuanjing’s family has money? I heard her reputation at Xianyao No. 1 Middle School wasn’t great before.”
“She’s so shameless. Everyone knows I like Liang Yuanjing, and she still won’t let me in on purpose.”
Wen Fangfang’s friend chimed in: “Really? Can’t tell this new girl is so scheming.”
Tao Shuran silently pushed open the door without saying a word.
Just then, all the talk stopped abruptly. Wen Fangfang exclaimed, “I think I got my period. What do I do, Zhao Han? I didn’t bring pads.”
The girl called Zhao Han hurriedly said, “I’ll go borrow some for you.”
“But class is about to start. What now?”
While they were at a loss, Tao Shuran knocked on the door.
“Wen Fangfang, it’s me.”
Her voice was exceptionally calm, as if she hadn’t heard any of the gossip.
“I brought pads. Here, for you.”
Back in the classroom, Tao Shuran sat down. On her desk was the hot water Fang Qingyi had just fetched for her. She smiled gratefully.
Soon, Wen Fangfang returned too.
Her expression was unnatural. She paused in front of her and spoke rapidly.
“Thanks for lending me the pad. I’ll give you a whole pack back tomorrow. No need for your fake kindness.”
Tao Shuran looked up at her, emotionless.
“Not because of you. Any girl in this situation—if I have them, I’ll help.”
…
After hearing the whole story, Fang Qingyi was furious.
“Zhao Han, yeah, from Science Class 4 next door. How impressive they are, gossiping about others in the bathroom.”
“Besides, we didn’t even know Liang Yuanjing would join the study group when we formed it?”
Fang Qingyi said indignantly, “Liang Yuanjing clearly only joined for Fu Changpei’s sake. Everyone knows those two are inseparable.”
“If you ask me, just go chase Liang Yuanjing yourself. That’ll piss her off!”
Tao Shuran’s gaze sharpened, her expression changing drastically.
Fang Qingyi stuck out her tongue: “I’m kidding, Ranran.”
That evening when she got home, Zhao Yanyun was uncharacteristically on time from work. The family sat together for a hot meal.
Tao Hongfeng picked up a chicken leg and put it in her bowl, smiling. “I ran into your Teacher Zhou today. He said you made great progress this exam and to push hard before Gaokao.”
Zhao Yanyun also looked at her daughter’s transcript, marking it up with red pen checks and circles.
“Same old story. Your math, physics, and chemistry are too weak. Should I get you a tutoring class?”
Before Tao Shuran could speak, Tao Hongfeng cut in, “Where does Ranran have time for more tutoring classes now?”
“Apart from that half-day rest on Sunday, she’s at school all the time. Sciences are weak, but liberal arts made up the difference, right?”
Zhao Yanyun said, “She’s not the sharpest, so she definitely needs to put in more effort than others.”
Seeing another criticism session brewing, Tao Hongfeng quickly asked Tao Shuran, “You done eating?”
“Take the chicken soup warming in the kitchen to your classmate’s house. They tutor you every week. It’s right after the exam—ask him about anything you don’t get.”
Tao Shuran said “mm” and, avoiding her mother’s gaze, hurried out the door.
In Zhao Yanyun’s heart, Tao Shuran would always be that somewhat mediocre, not clever enough, a bit clumsy child.
Her most common saying was: “The slow bird flies first.”
But this time, she had already improved a lot compared to the first exam.
As the teacher who had diligently tutored her these days, Tao Shuran pushed open the door, eager to share the news with Fu Changpei, her heart a bit joyful.
She said with her head down: “Fu Changpei, you know what? I got into the top twenty in class this time!”
Unexpectedly, Fu Changpei’s house was pitch black, yet the door wasn’t locked.
Not seeing the threshold clearly, Tao Shuran stubbed her foot and stumbled forward.
She crashed right into a hot chest.
Liang Yuanjing looked down at her suddenly falling into his arms. His hands lifted empty, dark eyes spilling a bit of lazy amusement.
He opened with a teasing tone: “What, want a reward?”