Chapter 73

*Campus IF Line — “First Encounter”*
At the start of the first year of high school, the classes had just been reassigned. It was exactly noon break, and it was their group’s turn to clean the public sanitation area.
In the adjacent sanitation zone they were responsible for, two girls from Class Seven were holding brooms and whispering to each other on the side, discussing something in low voices.
“Did you hear? At today’s freshman assembly, the freshman representative from Class One didn’t show up. The school leaders were practically freaking out, and yet no one could get in touch with him.”
“Huh? Then won’t he get punished the moment he enters school—made to write a self-criticism?”
“What are you thinking? That’s the top special-admissions student the school leadership begged and begged to keep. He was already a god-tier straight-A student in our junior-high division. I heard after the middle-school entrance exam he was originally going to transfer his household registration to Beijing. The school worked so hard to persuade him to stay. Now they can’t even pamper him enough—punish him? Punish us, more like. Hurry up and sweep. If Director Qiu catches us later, we’ll definitely get chewed out. My older sister said the disciplinary dean in the high-school division is super nitpicky. He’s strict as hell.”
In previous years, Jingcheng No. 1 High School—aside from students advancing directly from its own junior-high division—would only prioritize admitting top students from a few junior-high schools within Jingcheng city. But this year was different. This year, the Education Bureau, to expand scale and ensure educational resources across different areas could be kept in step as much as possible, broadened the enrollment range. Students with excellent grades from the districts and counties also had a chance to be admitted to No. 1.
Qin Sang had been admitted from the neighboring Ningjiang County. Just barely, she was assigned into No. 1’s Experimental Class One—the famous “devil” top-student key class.
The one speaking beside her was clearly someone who had advanced directly from No. 1’s junior-high division. After all, Director Qiu’s name was not only terrifyingly powerful in the high-school division— even the junior-high division was scared of him. Every year, when seniors who graduated from No. 1 talked about this disciplinary dean, they always looked conflicted, faces full of fear and panic.
Qin Sang, this “outsider,” instead only half understood and didn’t know much. She lowered her head and swept fallen leaves into the dustpan. When she was about to go dump the trash, the two girls suddenly called out to her.
“Hey, you over there—”
At first, Qin Sang didn’t realize they were calling her. Only when the other girl frowned and shouted, “I mean that girl holding the dustpan—did you hear me talking to you or not?”
Qin Sang’s steps paused. She turned her head to look. “Are you talking to me?”
“Who else would I be talking to?” The other girl frowned, arrogant and overbearing. “Is there anyone else here? Stop playing dumb! Aren’t you from Class One? Let me ask you—do you know your class’s freshman representative? Did he come to school or not?”
No. 1’s uniforms were interesting. For ease of management and to distinguish classes at first glance, the uniforms all had specific marks. For example, the students in Experimental Class One all had a red class badge on their uniforms.
Qin Sang had no emotion. She only kept her head down, focused on her own work, as if she hadn’t heard the other person at all. She lifted the dustpan and dumped it into the trash can.
“Hey, what’s wrong with you? You really won’t respond no matter what, huh? Deaf—can’t hear? I’m talking to you and this is your attitude? You—”
As she spoke, the girl was about to step over the line toward her, looking like she wanted to come over and teach her a lesson. But before she could finish, the girl beside her tugged her and said, “Forget it, forget it. Don’t argue with her. The noon-break bell already rang. If we don’t hurry back, we’ll definitely get our discipline points deducted.”
“But she’s too infuriating. Look at her attitude!”
Her companion lowered her voice. “People from small places are like this. I heard from some people in Class One—my former classmate from junior high, Tang Minmin. She told me their Class One has a bumpkin from some poor backwater assigned to the same dorm as her. They say she’s full of weird quirks. Why pick a fight with her? If you get too close, you might catch some filthy disease. Let’s go.”
“So she’s a bumpkin. No wonder she’s so freakish.” The girl frowned in disgust. “So unlucky.”
Qin Sang’s hand holding the dustpan paused. Her lashes lowered. She said nothing, but the tip of her nose inexplicably stung.
From the moment she entered school, she had noticed it: the people here were not friendly to her. Most of No. 1 was made up of locals. Only she was an “outsider” who had suddenly barged in—an “odd one out.”
She had no companions, no friends. Two weeks of military training, and the girls in her dorm didn’t seem to like her much either. Whether going to the cafeteria to eat or resting in the dorm, she was always alone—solitary and lonely.
Even today’s cleaning: Tang Minmin, who was supposed to clean the parking lot area with her, didn’t come. Tang Minmin lay on her desk and laughed lazily. “Sorry, classmate Qin. My period came and my stomach hurts. I already asked the homeroom teacher for leave. You’re a girl too—you should know menstrual cramps can be deadly. You’re such a kind person; you wouldn’t force me, right? Today’s cleaning will have to trouble you to do it alone. I’ll make it up next week.”
Qin Sang sighed, dragged the trash bin to the back to dump the trash. After she finished, she put away the cleaning tools. Just as she was about to return to the classroom, she suddenly heard rustling sounds from the bushes beside her.
She froze for a moment and looked sideways at the swaying bushes. Then, abruptly, a thin, weak meow came from inside—so faint that if you didn’t listen carefully, it would be easy to miss.
Qin Sang frowned. If she didn’t hurry back to the classroom, if the discipline committee seniors caught her, she would inevitably get points deducted, but…
Qin Sang hesitated for an instant. The meowing was tiny, as if it had run into some trouble. The cries gradually weakened, until there was no sound at all.
Her heart tightened. She put down the broom and dustpan and leaned over to look. She parted the bushes and crawled in, and finally saw the cat inside.
It was about what she had guessed—actually even smaller than she’d imagined. There were many stray cats on the school’s back hill, but most of them only ran wild there and rarely came to the teaching buildings. This area was far from the back hill. There were many vehicles and students coming and going. There was nowhere to hide, and it wasn’t suitable for survival.
This kitten, not long after birth, was probably abandoned here by its mother. Otherwise, a mother cat generally wouldn’t leave her kitten too far away.
The kitten still hadn’t opened its eyes. Its whole body was filthy. It was breathing more out than in, and it looked like it was about to freeze to death.
Qin Sang immediately took off her uniform jacket and carefully wrapped the kitten and held it up. It was shivering from the cold; she didn’t know how long it had been left here. Perhaps out of a desire to live, it curled up and let out its final cries for help—even if no one heard.
“Don’t be afraid. I’ll help you.”
Qin Sang held it very carefully, not daring to use much force. She had never raised a cat. She actually didn’t know how to feed one, and she knew even less what she should do to keep such a tiny kitten alive after picking it up.
The kitten in her arms was still trembling. Its tightly closed eyes never opened. It let out a faint meow, as if it had understood her words and was responding to her.
“A cat this small can’t survive without the mother cat feeding it.”
Suddenly, a clean, clear boy’s voice came from above her head.
Qin Sang looked up along the sound. The thin light was like liquid gold, falling on her eyelids and stinging slightly.
She subconsciously narrowed her eyes a little. Within the clear halo of light, a boy sat perched high on the wall top. His figure was lean but not lacking in strength. The blue-and-white school uniform on him looked especially clean and neat. With his back to the sun, his face couldn’t be seen clearly. He only looked down at her from above.
Qin Sang’s expression was a little dazed. The girl’s features were delicate. Her fair skin was slightly flushed from the sun. Sweat beaded on the bridge of her upturned nose. Her eyes were round, her gaze clear, and the tear mole beneath the corner of her eye made her look even more innocent—pitiful in a way that made people’s hearts soften.
She stared blankly as he jumped down from the wall, effortlessly, as if he had done it a thousand times. The movements were practiced and smooth, all in one flow.
Perhaps her stare was too direct and unhidden. The boy lazily lifted his eyelids and glanced at her. His gaze swept over her class badge and student ID, and he raised a brow. “You’re a Class One student?”
Qin Sang nodded, looking as obedient as could be.
Suddenly, a backpack thrown in from outside the wall landed with a slap right in front of them. Immediately after, someone climbed up onto the wall top, mouth running off. “I’m telling you, you ancestor, can’t you wait for me? You just ate and then ran this far. I’m about to throw up.”
Jiang Mingyi finally managed to climb down from the wall. When he saw Qin Sang, he jumped in fright. “Damn, you scared the hell out of me. What class are you in? It’s already class time—why aren’t you back in the classroom? Sitting here silently—who are you trying to scare to death?”
Jiang Mingyi was making a huge fuss. He shouted in a loud voice. Qin Sang lowered her head slightly, holding the cat, and didn’t speak.
Then, the boy’s cold, tired voice spoke up. “You don’t want your bag?”
Only then did Jiang Mingyi remember to pick up his bag. While he was struggling around and grabbing it, a shout came from far away:
“Over there—!”
“What are you doing? How long has the class bell been ringing? Why are you still standing there?”
The other party’s voice was particularly loud; even from far away, you could hear his words clearly.
Director Qiu was on patrol. From across the way, he saw Jiang Mingyi picking up his bag at a glance.
Jiang Mingyi’s scalp went numb. “Damn. Don’t tell me I’m this unlucky. Qiu the skin-flayer.”
Director Qiu ran over from the opposite side, shouting as he ran.
“Don’t move. Did you hear me? Let me find out what class you’re in and you’re finished.”
Jiang Mingyi originally wanted to run. Seeing that he didn’t move, Jiang Mingyi even asked suspiciously, “What are you doing, ancestor? If you really don’t run, it’ll be too late.”
The boy’s voice was lazy. “Run for what? There are cameras here.”
Jiang Mingyi looked up—sure enough. There was a surveillance camera at the diagonal corner of the parking lot pointing right this way, capturing everything clearly. Even if they ran now, if the footage was checked later, it would still show who they were.
Jiang Mingyi cursed. “So damn unlucky. First day of school and we got caught red-handed.”
Qin Sang also grew nervous for no reason. During military training, she had heard Director Qiu’s reputation. They said he was iron-faced and impartial, extremely strict. Any student caught by him would inevitably get dragged out and publicly executed.
It was already noon break. The classmates who were cleaning had long since returned to the classroom. She had only taken a bit longer because cleaning alone was too hard. And the school did not allow keeping cats. If it was discovered…
She shrank her shoulders and silently hugged the kitten in her arms tighter, her face turning a little pale.
Suddenly, everything in front of her went black. Darkness covered down like a flood. Along with the clean minty scent, a clear, casual voice came.
He said, “If you don’t want to be discovered, don’t move.”
Qin Sang’s body stiffened slightly. She didn’t dare move again, maintaining the original posture.
She couldn’t see what was happening outside. She only heard clearly as Director Qiu ran over, panting. “Everyone inside, come out for me. What class are you? First day of school and you dare climb walls for me—pretty gutsy, huh!”
Jiang Mingyi broke the pot and let it crack. “Reporting, teacher, we went to do a good deed. We helped an old grandma cross the street and got delayed, so we were late.”
“I spit!” Director Qiu glared. “Jiang Mingyi, don’t think I don’t recognize you. You were already unruly in junior high—running around all day, causing trouble. Get your ass out here right now!”
Qin Sang only heard a rustling sound, as if a figure passed in front of her eyes and paused slightly, only for a moment, before moving away.
She heard Director Qiu scolding that classmate Jiang Mingyi—scolding him viciously. But when it came to him, Director Qiu suddenly became pleasant. Even the fierce tone carried a bit of a flattering smile. “Classmate Xie, why didn’t you come to the freshman assembly this morning? How did you end up mixing with this brat?”
Jiang Mingyi clicked his tongue, unconvinced. “Director, that’s not right. Why are you doing grade discrimination? What do you mean ‘this brat’?”
Director Qiu cursed, “Stand there and behave. Do you have a right to talk? Can you compare with Classmate Xie? Classmate Xie is our city’s top scorer on the middle-school entrance exam. And you? A loafer, never proper all day. Don’t think I don’t remember you. That one who skipped training at night during military training and climbed over the back-hill wall—that was you, wasn’t it?”
Jiang Mingyi explained, “That was an emergency, so I had to make a special decision. I told you I had urgent business. The drill instructor wouldn’t approve leave, so I had to, under special circumstances, take special measures.”
Director Qiu was so angry at his thick skin that he laughed. “Get lost. Hurry up—carry your trash bag to the Discipline Office and wait to write your self-criticism. As for Classmate Xie…”
The boy’s expression was flat, looking like he didn’t care. “I’ll hand in a self-criticism.”
“Mm.” Director Qiu nodded in satisfaction. As he dragged Jiang Mingyi away, his peripheral vision caught the cleaning tools thrown nearby, and he suddenly remembered. “Right. Whose class’s stuff is that? Who threw it here and ignored it? Did you see anyone else lingering here?”
Jiang Mingyi acted as if nothing had happened, pretending not to hear. Director Qiu looked behind him again. “Classmate Xie, did you see which class’s student threw the tools here?”
Qin Sang was so frightened that her breathing stopped. Hiding in the bushes, with the jacket covering her vision tightly, she couldn’t see anything. She only heard Director Qiu’s question, and a chill shot up her spine.
She kept her head lowered, meek, not daring to make a sound. But the hand holding the cat trembled uncontrollably.
She didn’t know how long passed. She only knew that every second of waiting was torment.
Then, suddenly, a cool, clean voice sounded by her ear. “No.”
Qin Sang finally let out a breath. Only after Director Qiu walked away—after the noisy shouting also faded into the distance—did she dare to lift the jacket a slit.
Autumn was bright and clear. Wind passed through the treetops. The spread light and shadow blurred the boy’s lean, straight back.
Within the thin, orange-yellow light, he walked farther and farther away.
Qin Sang stood up holding the cat. The uniform jacket that carried her warmth slipped down. She gripped the corner of the cloth. The small red class badge and the hanging student ID were especially conspicuous. On the square, white-background ID photo, the boy’s brows and eyes were wild and unrestrained; his facial contours were distinct, the lines smooth and clear—like a heavy, vivid stroke left on that proper ID photo.
In the lower right corner of the student ID, his class and name were written clearly.
“First Year, Class One. Xie Yuncheng.”