The fair-skinned young man was covered in sweat, his eyes cold and detached.
A basketball bounced on the ground with a rhythmic THUMP, THUMP, THUMP.
Shen Yi walked over, and before Li Mei could speak, he coolly stated, "Give Qin Jiao any more trouble, and you can forget about being a teacher."
Li Mei froze.
The young man before her had already tucked the basketball under his arm and was walking away.
When Li Mei snapped out of it, she had a sudden realization. 'So Qin Jiao wasn't happy about this, but Shen Yi was!'
'Thank goodness I didn't actually expel Qin Jiao. Otherwise...'
**
Pingan Middle School was the best school in town. But in that era, the school building's walls were mottled and peeling. The sports field was just a dirt lot with no rubber track. When the wind blew, dust flew everywhere, and when it rained, the field became a muddy mess.
After putting her things back in her dorm, Qin Jiao wrote a letter of complaint, stuck a stamp on it, and dropped it into a mailbox before leaving the school grounds.
Ping'an Town in the 1980s was quite lively. Although people were still very poor, their daily lives were warm and simple.
Workers clocked in at the factories and went home to a hot dinner with their families after their shifts. Children walked happily along the roadside, clutching glass marbles, while elderly men leaning on canes watched them pass with kind eyes.
An ordinary and simple life.
Yet it was a kind of happiness many could never hope to reach.
Small eateries lined the streets. As the fragrant aromas wafted out from them, Qin Jiao's stomach growled in response.
She had started her journey before dawn, eating only a small steamed bun along the way. Even though she had secretly drunk some spring water so she wouldn't starve, the nostalgic atmosphere made her heart soften. She decided to find a place to eat.
But the thought of her empty pockets made Qin Jiao sigh.
'I almost forgot.' Her eighteen-year-old self was dirt poor. She couldn't even afford a bowl of noodles, let alone the bus fare home for tomorrow.
"Want some noodles? My treat."
A familiar voice sounded from behind her. Qin Jiao, whose expression had been calm and even a little resigned, froze.
She turned her head and looked at Shen Yi in surprise. "You're treating me?"
'The sun must be rising in the west!'
'After that huge misunderstanding, the eighteen-year-old Shen Yi isn't mad at me? He actually wants to treat me to noodles?'
"So, are you offering to treat me then?"
'...' 'Right. He's just as neurotic as he was in my last life, always so sarcastic.'
'I had no choice about the ride earlier, but I've decided to stay away from him, and I need to stick to that.'
Qin Jiao said, "No, thanks."
She turned and walked away. As Shen Yi watched her leave, a complex look filled his eyes.
But after taking only a few steps, she turned back around. A glimmer of light sparked in Shen Yi's eyes.
Qin Jiao walked back to Shen Yi. "Forget about the meal," she said, "but could you lend me ten yuan? I'll pay you back when school starts."
When Qin Jiao had gone back to the dorm earlier, she'd seen that only Lin Nian was still there.
Lin Nian would never lend her money, and Qin Jiao didn't want to walk all the way home.
'But she was already prepared for him to refuse. If he did, she'd just have to figure something else out.'
But just then, the young man suddenly pressed twenty yuan into her hand.
His fingers brushed against her palm, and they felt surprisingly warm.
Qin Jiao paused, then said, "This is too much."
"I don't have change."
Qin Jiao carefully tucked the 'huge sum' of money into her pocket. "W-well, okay then," she said, her tone distant. "I'll pay you back when school starts."
With that, she turned and walked away.
'I can't let my guard down just because he was suddenly kind enough to lend me money.'
'After all, when Shen Yi gets one of his fits, he's completely insane,' Qin Jiao thought. 'It's best if I don't get involved with him in this life.'
When Qin Jiao arrived at the base of the girls' dormitory, she saw two familiar figures.