The early morning mist was thick with a chill as Lin Chen ran toward the school, his backpack bouncing with each stride. When he pushed the classroom door open, the rush of wind followed him inside. The classroom was empty, with only the thin slivers of sunlight streaming through the front windows, casting long, narrow beams of light across Su Wanqing's desk. He hurried over to her seat, his fingers trembling as he held the folded note in his hand—he had rewritten it three times last night, even revising the punctuation, worried that he might say something wrong and make Su Wanqing feel bad again.
Taking a deep breath, Lin Chen gently opened Su Wanqing's Jane Eyre. The edges of the pages had worn slightly, and tucked in the corner of page 58 was a dry ginkgo leaf—he knew from his past life that this was her favorite part of the book. The moment when Jane Eyre confronts Rochester at Thornfield. She had transcribed this section in her journal over and over. Carefully, he slipped the note between the pages, his fingers brushing the yellowed pages, his heart thumping in his chest. Would she think the apology is too overdone? Would she still be upset about yesterday?
Just as he finished putting the book back, he heard the sound of footsteps in the hallway. Lin Chen quickly dove back to his seat, pretending to focus on his math practice book, but his eyes kept darting toward the door. Su Wanqing entered, her pink backpack slung over one shoulder, droplets of morning dew still clinging to the tips of her hair. When she saw Lin Chen, she paused for a moment, then gave a faint smile, not greeting him as she usually did, before sitting back in her seat.
Lin Chen's heart sank. He gripped his pen, feeling like the pressure was going to snap it in half. It looks like she's still upset. He stared at the graph of functions on his practice book, but all he could think about was Zheng Hao's voice: "If you keep being a coward, someone's gonna snatch Su Wanqing away!" Yeah, rebirth was for fixing regrets. I can't let my stupid self-doubt push her away again.
The bell for morning study rang, and the classroom slowly filled with students. The sound of pens scratching across paper filled the room. Lin Chen sneaked a glance at Su Wanqing, and sure enough, she pulled out her Chinese textbook, opened it to Jane Eyre, and began reading. His heart raced. He watched her finger trace the pages, and when she got to page 58, she stopped. Her finger hesitated before it carefully pinched the note between her fingers.
Su Wanqing unfolded the note, and her eyes slowly lit up. The handwriting wasn't beautiful, but it was neat, written with sincere care: I'm really sorry for yesterday! It wasn't that I didn't want to chat, it's that I was too nervous, and my brain just froze. I've actually read Jane Eyre too. When Rochester hid that he already had a wife, I was so angry for Jane—she was so brave with love and hate, she shouldn't have been deceived like that! At the bottom right, there was a crooked smiley face, clumsily drawn but radiating pure sincerity.
Lin Chen watched as the corners of Su Wanqing's mouth slowly turned up. The disappointment in her eyes faded like wind blowing away fog, replaced by a smile she couldn't hide. He quietly exhaled, his back drenched in sweat. His grip on the pen finally steadied.
"Ding-ling-ling—"
The bell rang to signal the end of the class break, and before Lin Chen could turn around, Su Wanqing was already walking toward him, clutching Jane Eyre. Her voice was filled with excitement. "Lin Chen! You think Rochester shouldn't have lied, right? I was talking to my best friend about it, and she was saying that Rochester only hid it because he loved Jane so much, but I just don't buy it! If love doesn't even have honesty, what kind of love is that?"
Lin Chen was taken aback by how eager she was, a mix of surprise and joy rushing through him. He quickly nodded. "Exactly! Jane Eyre values equality above all. What Rochester did wasn't love, it was selfishness! He knew Jane would never settle for being inferior to him, so he hid the truth. That's basically marriage fraud!"
"Exactly, exactly!" Su Wanqing sat down next to him, placing the book in between them, her finger pointing at the page. "And when Jane leaves him, I cry every time I read it! She loves him so much, but she still leaves because of her dignity. That's what makes her cool! If it were anyone else, they probably would have just compromised."
Lin Chen watched the light in her eyes, and all the tension and self-doubt melted away. He pointed at the sentence in the book, his voice serious. "That wasn't giving up, it was being clear-headed! She knew that staying with Rochester, even with love, would have meant living beneath him. That's not the life she wanted."
"Exactly! You totally get it!" Su Wanqing's eyes brightened even more, and she asked eagerly, "So, do you think when Jane goes back to Rochester, it's because she feels sorry for him, or because she really loves him?"
The two of them chatted back and forth, discussing the characters from the book and their choices in life, from Jane's independence to Rochester's transformation. The conversation flowed easily, and with every word, they seemed to connect more. Sunlight streamed through the windows, warming the pages of the book, and the noise of the other students seemed to fade into the background. Lin Chen looked at Su Wanqing's serious profile, listening to her clear voice, and felt a sense of gratitude. Thank goodness I wrote that note. Thank goodness I didn't chicken out. Otherwise, we wouldn't be having this amazing moment.
"I think it's because she loves him!" Lin Chen pointed at a passage in the book. "After Rochester lost everything, he finally let go of his pride and stood on equal ground with Jane. Jane never loved him for his money or status; she loved the sincerity he had deep inside. Now that sincerity has finally come to light, that's why she went back."
Su Wanqing was about to nod in agreement when the bell rang sharply. Both of them paused, surprised to realize the entire break had passed. Su Wanqing quickly packed up her things, glancing at Lin Chen with a smile. As she headed back to her seat, she silently mouthed the words "Let's continue talking after class", her eyes full of laughter.
Lin Chen watched her walk away, his heart so sweet it felt like it was soaked in honey. He lowered his head and opened his practice book, suddenly realizing that overcoming his insecurities wasn't that difficult. All it took was a little courage and initiative to grab the life he wanted. This time, not only would he conquer his studies, but he would also chase after Su Wanqing—he wouldn't let her slip away from him again.
During class, Lin Chen paid extra attention, occasionally meeting Su Wanqing's eyes. Each time, they exchanged a quiet smile. But he didn't notice that Zhao Kai, sitting in the back, was watching them closely. His pen was gripped so tightly that it squeaked, his face dark and angry. He had intended to find Lin Chen and start trouble, but seeing the two of them talking so happily made his anger boil over. Clenching his fists, he quietly simmered with rage. Lin Chen, you dare get this close to Su Wanqing? Watch how I handle you!