The Scorching Sun - 81
The class reunion happened to fall on one of Fang Zhuo's days off, though the hotel was quite a distance from A University.
They had agreed to meet for dinner, but Yan Lie showed up at the school as early as ten in the morning and messaged Fang Zhuo from the parking lot on the first floor of her dormitory.
Fang Zhuo slipped on her shoes and hurried downstairs.
She swiped her card and stepped through the entrance, still looking around for him. From the shadows, Yan Lie heard the commotion and poked his head out, lifting a hand toward her with a bright, dazzling smile.
Yan Lie seemed as though he had been made for summer. Clear eyes, a carefree personality, an innocent smile. There was something intensely youthful about him, all heat and vitality. Dashing was perhaps the word that suited him best. He was someone who could make your heart stumble, and just as easily make you lose your way.
The summer breeze swept in from the other side of the parking lot, wrapped itself around Yan Lie, then came drifting toward Fang Zhuo.
Fang Zhuo walked over, raising a hand to shield her eyes from the sunlight. "Why did you come so early?"
"I wanted to see you," Yan Lie said. "You weren't going to come find me."
He had brought a parasol. Striding over, he opened it and held it above Fang Zhuo's head, angling it toward her as he leaned closer at the same time.
"Aren't you hot?" Fang Zhuo asked.
Yan Lie lied without hesitation. "No."
It was the middle of July, the height of summer. Under the blazing sun, the streets of A City radiated an unbearable heat. Even the waves of warmth rising from the concrete pavement made it difficult to breathe.
They had left much too early, none of their classmates had said anything in the group chat yet, they had no choice but to wander around nearby.
If there was one place where they could enjoy free air-conditioning without being disturbed, it had to be a bookstore. The school library was closed, and Fang Zhuo happened to have some materials she needed to look up, so she and Yan Lie went to the Xinhua Bookstore nearby.
It wasn't quite lunchtime yet, but plenty of people had already come to the bookstore to escape the heat. The air-conditioning inside was blasting. A group of locals sat along the wall, chatting quietly.
At the back of the first floor was a noisy little supermarket. They took the escalator upstairs, the second floor was devoted mainly to textbooks for elementary, middle, and high school students, along with various educational devices. After giving it a cursory glance, the two of them continued up to the third floor.
Fang Zhuo followed the signs to the shelf she was looking for, crouched down, and picked out two books. When she turned around, she found Yan Lie had been following right behind her the whole time.
Holding the books against her chest, Fang Zhuo pressed a finger against one of their sharp corners and glanced around before saying quietly, "We're in public."
"So what if we're in public? Am I someone who can't be seen?" Yan Lie said. "I look decent enough. Surely having me hang around you isn't embarrassing? Besides, I'm not even doing anything."
Fang Zhuo lowered her head. After a moment of silence, she said, "I can't read with you here."
Yan Lie had always had a rather unusual way of thinking, and he was particularly skilled at reassuring himself. He smiled, ruffled Fang Zhuo's hair, saying brightly, "Fine. I'll go get you some milk tea."
Fang Zhuo carried the books away and found a well-lit spot.
The reading area was already packed, she could only stand by the window and read.
Not everything in the book was material Fang Zhuo had studied before. She followed the headings in the table of contents, scanning ten lines at a glance in search of the information she needed.
She had just found a study resembling one of the assignments her teacher had given her and was about to examine its research process when someone called her name from ahead.
Fang Zhuo looked up. The girl standing across from her seemed familiar yet strangely unfamiliar, for a moment, she couldn't remember who she was.
The girl tugged at the corners of her mouth. The upward slant of her lips and the downward pull of her cheekbones gave the awkward smile a faintly sharp edge. She asked, "Where are you working?"
Fang Zhuo remembered her. She pressed her fingers against the book, worried she might deform it, then eased her grip and replied, "I'm still in school."
"Oh. Which school?" the girl asked. "I heard someone say they'd seen you working the register at a little supermarket before, so I thought you worked there."
Fang Zhuo didn't want to answer. When she saw the girl still standing there, she finally said in a flat voice, "I was working part-time."
"Oh."
The girl hesitated, unable to think of anything else to say, and turned away. A while later, she circled back uncertainly.
"I'm in A City now too," she said. "Are you doing well in college?"
Fang Zhuo lifted her eyes and gave her a cold look.
Her attempt at pretending they were close had failed. Her expression was beginning to crack, but she couldn't bring herself to swallow any more of her pride.
"You were pretty lucky. You even got into A High afterward." She stumbled through the words, watching Fang Zhuo's expression. "Looks like your dad treated you pretty well..."
"Zhuo Zhuo."
The girl was still talking when the voice behind her made her flinch. She turned her head slightly, finding Yan Lie already walking past her.
"Baby, your milk tea."
Yan Lie pressed the cup into Fang Zhuo's hand, casually draped an arm around her shoulders, then glanced at the person across from them, silently asking what was going on.
Fang Zhuo only said, "My dad couldn't get me into A University, and neither could luck."
The girl was still staring blankly at Yan Lie. At Fang Zhuo's words, she looked genuinely incredulous. "You're at A University?!"
"Mm." Fang Zhuo looked at her. "Anything else you want to ask?"
"No... I'm leaving." The girl sounded flustered.
Lowering her head, she took two steps before turning back and saying abruptly, "I'm sorry."
Only after she had hurried far away did Yan Lie ask, "Who was she?"
"An old classmate." Fang Zhuo no longer felt like reading. She finished the important passage, then closed the book.
Yan Lie remembered how quiet and withdrawn Fang Zhuo had been when she'd first arrived at A High. He could more or less guess that she'd hadn't been happy at her old school. She simply never talked about it, like it had been nothing important.
When Fang Zhuo mentioned it, even her tone was indifferent. "Maybe I really wasn't very likable back then."
She'd worn old, shabby clothes every day and never been able to keep up with the ways her classmates entertained themselves. Her life had followed the same monotonous, tedious rhythm day after day. More than that, she never liked going along with the group's opinions.
She had been too mature for her age, which made her seem out of place, yet she hadn't been exceptional enough to earn anyone's admiration.
The younger people were, the less capable they were of concealing their malice. Sometimes they didn't even understand why they were doing it. They simply chose, on a whim, to exclude someone, to turn cold.
Life had a strange way of bringing people back around. Who could have imagined the people who had once looked at each other with cold indifference would meet again here, years later, carrying such different attitudes toward each other?
In a daze, Fang Zhuo thought she really must have changed a great deal.
"That's nonsense," Yan Lie said, pulling her closer. "So many outstanding people at our school like you, and you think you're not likable? What about me? Am I not representative enough?"
"That's only because I changed." Fang Zhuo analyzed it with complete objectivity. "If you'd grown up with me, you probably wouldn't have liked me either."
Yan Lie protested indignantly, "An innocent person was unjustly condemned, and so was your boyfriend.”
Fang Zhuo lowered her head to take a sip of milk tea. The cold sweetness brought a small measure of pleasure to her mind. Seeing that it was about time, she said, "Let's go."
-
The homeroom teacher had left early too, arriving at the hotel in a whirlwind and calling all the students who were wandering around to hurry over.
The class group chat sprang back to life after a long silence, filled with jokes and greetings.
Students soon began arriving and sending everyone updates on what was happening at the venue.
One after another, the group photos were posted, and the homeroom teacher looked terrible in every single one. Furious, she sent angry stickers, scolding the boys for their atrocious photography skills and horrifying taste. After that, she refused to take any more pictures.
A few minutes later, the newly uploaded photos showed a dramatic improvement. The heavier filters and perfectly calibrated beauty effects left the homeroom teacher thoroughly satisfied, she agreed to continue serving as their human backdrop for check-ins.
By the time Fang Zhuo and Yan Lie arrived at the private room, there were already more than twenty people inside.
Seeing Yan Lie, Zhao Jiayou shouted his name. A whole crowd immediately surrounded him and dragged him off to the corner to chat.
Wei Xi came over too, waggling her eyebrows as she grabbed Fang Zhuo and pulled her to the table next door, then leaned in to whisper conspiratorially into her ear.
More than a year had passed, yet the homeroom teacher seemed almost unchanged. She had even put on makeup especially for the occasion, somehow looked healthier and more radiant than she had during their senior year.
A few of the boys ordered a case of beer. The homeroom teacher had two glasses, then got surrounded by everyone demanding that she tell stories. She began reminiscing about their high school days and couldn't help becoming emotional.
Pointing at several students, she told them about the worries she'd once had for them. Touching the loose strands of hair beside her ear, she said mournfully, "I was losing hair by the handful back then. Good thing you few still had some conscience and didn't let all my good intentions go to waste."
The students she'd singled out smiled shyly and raised their drinks to her.
"You kids in this class were all very sensible. That's good. At least all the worrying we did wasn't for nothing." The homeroom teacher craned her neck and found Yan Lie among the crowd. Pointing at him, she said, "We have Lie Lie to thank for a lot of that. He helped me with so many things. I know I used to scold you, but your teacher is incredibly proud of you."
Yan Lie smiled. "Because you're a teacher I respect very much too."
The homeroom teacher pressed her lips together, raised her glass toward him from across the room, and nodded, visibly moved.
Wei Xi nudged Fang Zhuo with her elbow, slowly curling her spread fingers into a fist as she asked, "Girl, tell me. How exactly did you manage to land such a high-quality, clueless straight guy?"
Several girls nearby crowded over too, eager to take notes.
It was a difficult question for Fang Zhuo to answer. But faced with their earnest, hungry expressions, she couldn't bring herself to say she didn't know. After racking her brain for a while, she hesitantly offered, "Ind... indulging him?"
Wei Xi wrapped herself around Fang Zhuo's arm and leaned closer, asking for instruction. "Indulging a straight guy? Is there an actual step-by-step guide?"
Fang Zhuo thought back and managed to piece together something resembling a strategy. "Occasionally agree to some of his unreasonable requests. Try to understand his childish ideas. If he gets angry, comfort him a little."
Wei Xi tried to imagine herself doing it, then said mournfully, "You're telling us to walk straight up to a steel wall and smack ourselves against it... I can't do it!"
"Fang Zhuo!" the homeroom teacher called from across the room.
Fang Zhuo hurried over.
The homeroom teacher took her hand, gazing at her with unfocused eyes. "It's great. I saw the short video. I've been following it every day. Your uncle has opened his own shop now, and business is going pretty well. You can finally study without worry."
As she spoke, her voice grew emotional, her eyes moistening. "Actually, your teacher always knew you would do just fine, you're the most resilient student I've ever taught. You made it through that period. Now society owes you something back for all the effort you put in."
Fang Zhuo nodded and said seriously, "Teacher, there is actually one thing I've been wondering about for a long time."
"Go ahead."
Fang Zhuo asked, "That video was so horribly filmed. How on earth did you recognize me?"
Everyone burst out laughing.
"You looked so spirited!" the homeroom teacher said. "You're the prettiest girl in your teacher's eyes!"
Fang Zhuo laughed along with them.
The homeroom teacher had gotten a little overexcited from the alcohol, her cheeks flushed as the drink went to her head. When she left the hotel, her husband came to pick her up.
Before leaving, she turned back toward everyone and said, "You all have brilliant futures ahead of you. That's why I became a teacher, to see you reach them. But never forget to keep improving yourselves. The road ahead is long."
Her husband kept saying, "All right, all right, they know," as he took her by the arm and led her away.
Everyone discussed where they should go next. In the end, they waited until the worst of the evening heat had faded and took a walk along the flood-control embankment.
Later that night, the students from out of town had to leave. And so, in the end, the wild celebration came quietly to an end.
Yan Lie still held the parasol as he took Fang Zhuo's hand and walked her home.
-
In Yan Lie's bedroom, the succulent they'd brought home from school had already been divided into separate pots. A collection of little ceramic planters now filled the windowsill.
He had even gone out of his way to learn how to care for succulents properly, including how to control the amount of water and sunlight they received.
He brought Fang Zhuo over to look and pointed at the straw-woven figure stuck into the soil. "It's going to fall apart."
Fang Zhuo thought to herself that it had already been falling apart to begin with. His repairs had merely extended its life.
"Kind of a shame." Yan Lie carefully touched the faded red cape. "This is something that belongs to you and me."
"Mm," Fang Zhuo murmured.
"So hurry up and give me something new," Yan Lie said. "Something that won't break. I want to be able to keep it for a long time."
Fang Zhuo looked bewildered. The first thing that came to mind was an advertising slogan: "A diamond lasts forever."
But she couldn't afford a diamond, nor was she particularly convinced that carbon was worth so much. Yan Lie was better off not getting his hopes up.
She said cautiously, "I... I could give you a specimen? Those last forever too."
"A specimen?!" Yan Lie blinked, startled. "A scarf, a love letter, or something else would all be fine. But a specimen... Teacher Fang, I don't think I understand."
"Oh, oh, right." Fang Zhuo realized her mistake and hurriedly tried to rescue herself, forcing out an explanation. "I meant dried flowers. They're pretty."
Her clumsy excuse made Yan Lie laugh.
Fang Zhuo knew his weakness very well and continued, "Like you."
"Thank you." As expected, Yan Lie was immediately touched. "I'll like the dried-flower specimen too."
Fang Zhuo nodded. "Mm."
The two of them sat in front of the windowsill, quietly letting the evening breeze wash over them.
The last trace of red along the horizon faded with the sky as night settled completely over the world.
Fang Zhuo said, "Wei Xi asked me today why you like me. Actually, I'm not entirely sure myself."
Yan Lie lay sprawled across the table, his face turned toward her, his gaze soft as he smiled. "Well, why do you think it is?"
Fang Zhuo fell silent, idly turning the succulent's green leaves between her fingers.
After a long while, she said, "It can't be because I'm easy to get along with, right?" When she'd first met Yan Lie, she'd been rather cold toward him.
"Because you're cute," Yan Lie said. "Romantic."
The word "romantic" seemed to amuse him a little, so he added, "The kind of romantic only I can understand."
Fang Zhuo thought he was making fun of her, and he was making it extremely obvious.
"There must be plenty of people who can appreciate it."
The straw-woven figure's cape lifted in the breeze, like a tiny person unafraid of anything.
Yan Lie's voice was low and gentle as he asked with a smile, "Do you know what I was just thinking about?"
"What?"
Yan Lie raised a hand and gestured vaguely toward some point high in the sky outside. "Can you see the moon out there?"
Fang Zhuo followed his gaze.
But there wasn't a moon in the sky tonight.
"If you're one side and I'm the other, then as gravity turns us, we'll each have our own waxing and waning, our own seasons of light and shadow. When the sky is dark and you're unhappy, I can hide you away, so no one else can see you. I'll be the only one who can reach you."
Yan Lie traced an indistinct shape in the air with his slender fingers.
"Wherever you are, I'll know."
"You're the other half I can't live without.”
---
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