Seeing her enter the classroom, they enthusiastically waved at her: “Long time no see—and, Happy New Year!”
“Happy New Year.” Lin Zhexia responded.
After putting down her backpack, she asked: “What are you talking about?”
Chen Lin said, “Talking about my brother.”
When Lin Zhexia heard the word “brother,” she almost flung the pencil case she had just taken out: “…”
Chen Lin glanced at her: “What’s wrong with you?”
Lin Zhexia: “Nothing, just a bit surprised that you have a brother.”
“My brother is ten years older than me, already working, and usually not in Lianyun City,” Chen Lin said, “so we’re not very familiar with each other.”
Lin Zhexia quietly placed her pencil case on the desk: “I see.”
She appeared calm on the surface, but was screaming internally:
It’s all Chi Yao’s fault for suddenly coming out with those words that day.
She is nearly overreacting today.
She had spent many Spring Festivals with Chi Yao.
But none had been like this one, so…
So…
She thought for a long time, but couldn’t find the right words to describe it.
Forget it.
Lin Zhexia stopped thinking about the New Year events. She organized her homework while listening to Tang Shuxuan talk.
Tang Shuxuan lowered her voice: “Do you know, there’s a couple in our class who started dating during the break.”
“I know,” Chen Lin said, “it’s too obvious, I felt something was up between them last semester.”
Tang Shuxuan shrugged, losing her desire to share gossip: “Well, then I don’t need to name names.”
Only Lin Zhexia listened in confusion: “Huh?”
“Who? Who and who?”
She asked again, “How is it obvious? I had no idea.”
Tang Shuxuan secretly pointed: “It’s who and who from the next group, didn’t you notice?”
Lin Zhexia followed Tang Shuxuan’s finger and saw a female classmate wearing glasses and their class’s math representative.
They both looked very shy. The math representative was standing next to the girl, scratching his head and talking to her somewhat bashfully.
Lin Zhexia belatedly realized: “They’re actually, dat-ing?”
Chen Lin couldn’t help saying: “Actually, I’ve wanted to say this for a long time—your reaction time to these things is long.”
Tang Shuxuan also said, “Yes, it is.”
Lin Zhexia: “…”
Chen Lin continued: “Besides, dating isn’t a big deal. Back in middle school, there were classmates secretly dating, though it was like playing house. Weren’t there any in your previous class?”
Lin Zhexia shook her head: “No, I went to an all-girls middle school; there were no boys.”
The only boys she had contact with all these years were.
Were those from Nanxiang Street who didn’t distinguish gender, like bros, childhood friends?
With Chi Yao being the leader.
During middle school, they would all link arms and go to internet cafes to play games, though she didn’t like playing their games, and even when she went along, she would just stay on the side watching TV dramas.
So when it came to matters of the heart, she understood less than girls her age.
Even to the point of some ignorance and deficiency.
Tang Shuxuan understood: “So you went to an all-girls school before, no wonder.”
She patted her chest: “Don’t worry, you can come to me with any emotional issues in the future, I’m Class 7’s emotion expert.”
Lin Zhexia looked at her: “Have you dated many times?”
Tang Shuxuan: “No.”
“…?”
“But often it’s people without dating experience,” Tang Shuxuan said confidently, “who like to advise others.”
After adapting to high school life, the first semester of tenth grade passed quickly.
Before they knew it, these new students had officially entered eleventh grade.
It was summer again.
Compared to the naivety and novelty when they first entered school, everyone in eleventh grade seemed to have become more like real high school students.
That greenness and immaturity had imperceptibly faded somewhat.