At the beginning of dusk, everything was bathed in a layer of golden light, radiating a faint luster, like a dreamlike world in a book.
Chang Xuyu told her classmate to go on ahead, while she crouched alone in the hallway, quietly listening to the sounds coming from the classroom beside her.
"Wow, Teacher, you're amazing. I've never seen this method of solving problems before."
"Teacher, how did you get to be so young and still so smart?"
The girl inside kept praising him every now and then, her voice sweet.
Chang Xuyu held a small pebble in her hand, rolling it around in her palm. She looked up at the sky, then down at the stone, unable to warm it no matter how much she held it.
Then she realized it was because her hands were too cold.
She slowly stood up and shoved both hands into her pockets. She pursed her lips, but her legs still didn't dare take another step.
About half an hour passed like this, and finally Yi Zhuo came out.
"Goodbye, Teacher!" the girl said to him as she departed.
Chang Xuyu turned around. As she left, the girl smiled at her.
She suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable.
Yi Zhuo nodded. Only when the girl had walked far away did he stroll over to stand in front of Chang Xuyu. His beautiful eyes held a faint trace of fatigue.
He rubbed his brow and sighed softly, a puff of white mist rising before him.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," he said hoarsely, looking at her somewhat thin clothes. He frowned. "Are you cold?"
Chang Xuyu sniffed.
"Not cold."
A hint of displeasure flickered across his face, but he just pressed his lips together and said nothing more. He took her hand.
"Still say you're not cold? Your hand is so icy. Why didn't you wait somewhere else?"
Chang Xuyu didn't answer.
She didn't want to tell him that the truth was, she wanted to hear his voice.
Seeing that she remained silent, the boy took off his scarf and wrapped it around her neck.
Then he took off his coat, draped it over her shoulders, and buttoned it up.
Chang Xuyu stared at his movements in a daze. The warmth of his hand brushed against the delicate skin of her neck for a moment, making her eyelashes flutter.
He was only wearing a gray turtleneck underneath.
"Brother Yi Zhuo, what about you? Aren't you cold?"
His scarf was thick, with a faint scent of mint. Her eyes were the only part of her face exposed as she asked softly.
Hearing the address he hadn't heard from her in years, Yi Zhuo was slightly taken aback, his movements pausing.
"I'm fine."
His voice was a little husky.
The long corridor before them was empty, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
They walked forward slowly, aimlessly.
Chang Xuyu noticed that their conversations seemed to have grown sparse.
It was different from before.
After an unknown amount of time, Yi Zhuo suddenly sneezed.
Chang Xuyu looked at him.
The boy shoved his hands in his pockets, met her gaze, and kept his expression blank.
"Don't act tough either, Brother Yi Zhuo."
She had imagined their reunion before, but today's encounter was too sudden. After all this time, she couldn't just fall back into the habit of relying on his kindness.
So the little girl silently removed the coat and scarf and handed them back to him.
"Brother Yi Zhuo, you don't have to do this."
He looked down at the clothes she offered, his lips pressed together.
After a moment, he took them back.
"Let's go."
He took her small hand.
"Where to?"
"To take you home."
Xuyu frowned at this, and forcefully shook off his hand.
"No."
Their eyes met. Looking at his empty palm, Yi Zhuo's gaze toward her turned cold.