Chapter 29: Desk Mate

Heiyu Yi followed the source of the sound until he reached the door of a classroom. He stealthily poked his head through the open doorway and saw the girl, standing poised and graceful behind a desk, answering the teacher’s question.

"Is there something you need, student?"

The female teacher, noticing several students casting glances toward the door, gestured for the girl to sit down and turned her head to look at the head poking in from the hallway.

"Uh, no, I'm just looking for my classroom."

Heiyu Yi felt his face flush. With an awkward smile, he pulled his head back, clutched his books, and hurried away.

"Alright, let's continue the lesson. Miyamoto, where is Matsutani?"

The teacher turned back, signaling for the students to ignore the distraction and focus, but noticing an empty seat in the back row, she asked with concern.

"Probably played games too late last night and didn't want to come today. Should we call him?"

"Oh, no need. Let him get some rest."

It was the kind of statement that would have been shocking in a normal school or class, but the students in the room seemed accustomed to it and showed no surprise.

"Class 5, Class 5, where is it? It should be on this floor."

Heiyu Yi walked from one end of the corridor to the other with his stack of books, but still could not find Class 5.

"Could it be...?"

Suddenly looking excited, Heiyu Yi hurried back to the classroom where the girl was. He looked up, and sure enough, this was the place. He was overjoyed to be in the same class as her, and he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Who are you looking for, and what department are you from? Don't you know we are in the middle of a lesson?" The teacher placed her book on the podium. To her, a beautiful poem required absolute silence to show respect for the poet. Having been interrupted by Heiyu Yi twice already, she was quite annoyed, especially given his disheveled, odd-jobber appearance.

"Uh... sorry, teacher. I'm a transfer student who arrived today." Heiyu Yi shifted his books to one arm and used his free hand to fish his student ID out of his pocket.

"Then hurry to your classroom! Why are you wandering around outside, and why aren't you wearing your uniform?" The teacher’s attitude softened immediately upon learning he was a student of the school. She was relieved she hadn't said anything too harsh; at Linchuan Academy, one had to be careful. A single misstep could offend a student with a powerful background.

"This is my class." Heiyu Yi winked at the teacher and walked into the room with his books.

"Very well. What is your name? Please introduce yourself." The teacher gestured for him to come to the podium.

"My name is Heiyu Yi. Hello, everyone. I hope we can all become good friends." Standing on the podium and looking at the thirty or so peers—his future classmates and friends—Heiyu Yi felt a surge of excitement. He had longed for this school life and imagined they would welcome him with warm applause.

There was no applause, no jeers, not even the murmur of conversation that usually follows a new student.

The students below were either looking out the window, staring at their books, or slumped over their desks. Only a few looked at him, watching silently with the expression one might reserve for a stranger from a distant land.

Feeling awkward, Heiyu Yi stood there, unsure whether to continue or step down. The teacher just stood to the side, watching coldly, making no arrangements for him.

*Clap. Clap.*

A single, monotonous sound of applause rang out, sounding exceptionally loud in the quiet room.

It was the girl. She was smiling, clapping to welcome him.

Heiyu Yi’s embarrassment vanished. In his eyes, the rest of the class faded away, leaving only her.

She sat by the window in the last row. Sunlight fell across her hair and profile, casting a hazy glow that made her look ethereal and divine.

In the blink of an eye, everyone in the classroom seemed to transform into her—sitting in different seats, looking at him from different angles, wearing friendly smiles and clapping gently to welcome him to the class.

Heiyu Yi was intoxicated.

"Student Heiyu!" The teacher’s voice broke the spell, shattering his beautiful fantasy.

"Ah, yes." Heiyu Yi wondered if he was sick. Why was he so out of it today? Was he hallucinating?

A girl with straight-cut bangs in the first row heard his name, a flash of fear in her eyes. She quickly turned toward the wall, bowing her head to hide her face behind her hair.

"Go sit there," the teacher said, pointing to an empty seat in the last row of the second column.

"Yes, thank you." Heiyu Yi didn't pay close attention to exactly where she was pointing. Seeing two empty seats in the back, he walked toward them, already having chosen his desired spot.

He ignored the teacher's instruction and went straight to the last row of the third column. He dropped his books on the empty desk, pulled out the chair, and sat down, smiling and waving at her, who was less than a meter away.

As he sat down, the quiet classroom erupted into a buzz of whispers and discussion.

"Are these students lagging? They're only reacting now. We're seatmates now, so please take care of me." Heiyu Yi turned to the girl who appeared as a goddess to him and reached out his hand with a familiar smile.

The girl had already turned away, picking up a pen and looking at her textbook, ignoring him completely.

Heiyu Yi bent down, pretending to tie his shoelaces to hide his embarrassment.

"Heiyu! Not there—" the teacher shouted, wanting to warn him, but she was stopped by a sharp look from a student in the front row.

"Is something wrong, teacher?" Heiyu Yi asked as he sat back up.

"No, nothing. Let's continue."

The teacher sighed, cast a sympathetic look at Heiyu Yi, picked up her book, and resumed her analysis of the poem.

The girl in the front row heard the whispers and peeked at Heiyu Yi's seat through the gaps in her hair, a gloating smile on her lips.

He wouldn't last long.

Heiyu Yi sat in his seat, hearing the strange, low whispers around him. He didn't think anything was wrong and didn't realize he had taken the wrong seat, interpreting their murmurs as their way of expressing enthusiasm.

He glanced at the "goddess" beside him for a moment. She was still reading, so he didn't bother her further. He organized his books and found the poetry anthology for the lesson. Although he had never been in love, he knew it was impolite to stare at a girl.

"Huh, who wrote this?" He flipped through the pages. He had a great memory; he could memorize a poem after reading it once, and in twenty minutes, he had reached the final page.

In the blank space, a few lines of elegant, flowing, and graceful handwriting were inscribed, exuding a gentle and free-spirited aura that sparked the imagination.

*Love is a life-and-death vow amidst the snow of a thousand mountains; love is the eternal oath that the mountains shall have no edges and the heavens and earth shall unite before I dare to part from you; love is the tacit understanding that a single smile can convey; love is sharing the storms of ordinary life... Love.*