"Yeah, yeah, super awesome. My mom is planning to sign me up. Ugh, vacation is gone again!"
Chang Xuyu smiled. "Study hard and make progress every day."
The little girl let out a muffled groan, feeling like all her energy had been drained.
"Hey, Xuyu, how about you come with me to check it out after class?"
Chang Xuyu looked at her and asked slowly, "Is that okay? We're just two little kids..."
"Oh, what's wrong with that? We'll just take a quick look. Please, Xuyu."
She knew that a fair-skinned little lady like Xuyu wouldn't be able to resist her begging.
Sure enough, Chang Xuyu couldn't turn her down and finally agreed.
After class, Chang Xuyu cleaned the pencil shavings off her stool. As soon as she slung on her backpack, her female classmate grabbed her, and they chatted and laughed all the way into the tutoring center.
The reception teacher saw two children, glanced at the calendar—it wasn't class time—frowned, and came over to ask what they wanted.
"Hello, teacher. My mom signed me up for a class. I wanted to come take a look around," the little girl said obediently.
The teacher thought for a moment and smiled helplessly. "Alright, but don't wander off."
"Okay!"
The tile floor was very clean, with a few barely noticeable cracks. The walls were painted white and green, and the door frames were a shade of Naples yellow.
They walked and looked around, both a little surprised.
"It looks just like school!"
"Yeah, it does."
As they went deeper in, they faintly heard voices.
The little girl pulled Chang Xuyu toward the source of the sound.
Chang Xuyu was worried. "What if they're having class? Maybe we shouldn't go..."
"It's fine, it's fine. It's probably not a big lecture hall. We'll just take a peek. No problem."
As they got closer, they looked up and saw a sign that read "Specially Hired Teacher's Professional Classroom."
Specially hired teacher?
"Wow, so impressive!"
From inside came a male voice, neither loud nor soft, emotionless, with very clear articulation.
Hearing that voice, Chang Xuyu froze. It was as if a sharp blade had sliced through her sky, parting the clouds to reveal the blazing sun.
Something struck her heart, and her defenses crumbled in an instant.
She couldn't hear what anyone else was saying anymore. Her eyes suddenly grew hot. Ignoring her classmate's objections, her legs moved on their own, stepping inside—
A beam of golden light fell, almost blinding.
Her shoes made no sound on the tiles. A shadow stretched in from the doorway, and everyone inside turned slightly to look.
The source of the voice—the so-called "specially hired teacher"—suddenly brightened.
Their eyes met. It was the very person she had been separated from for so long: Yi Zhuo.
He was taller now, sitting there with his long legs bent, wearing a dark padded jacket. His jaw was sharp, his expression still aloof, but his temperament had grown more mature.
So he had been this close to her all along.
Chang Xuyu held back her tears.
Beside him was a girl about her age, probably his student. The girl blinked, looked at her, and asked with a smile, "Can I help you with something?"
Chang Xuyu snapped back to reality. A flicker of panic crossed her eyes as she looked at the girl, and her throat felt dry.
"N-no, nothing," she said, steadying herself as best she could. She gave a slight bow. "Sorry for interrupting your class."
The girl inside looked at Chang Xuyu and slowly smiled at her.
"It's okay. My teacher is the kindest; he won't blame you.
After all, with Teacher Yi's age, achievements, and good looks, it's only natural for other students to want to come and see."
As she spoke, she glanced up at Yi Zhuo.
The boy's brow was slightly furrowed, his expression somewhat displeased.
Chang Xuyu couldn't read his eyes. She bit her lip, took one last look at him, and turned to leave.
It seemed he didn't intend to keep her.
She supposed that was right. Several years had passed. He probably didn't recognize her anymore. Only she was still foolishly stuck in the same place, hoping to see him again one day.
Chang Xuyu's hand tightly gripped the hem of her clothes.
Seeing her about to leave, the person inside seemed unable to hold back any longer. He suddenly stood up and called out to her.
"Xuyu."
Her footsteps halted.
Yi Zhuo's head ached a little, but he didn't want to part with her so hastily this time.
"Wait for me for half an hour," he said, his voice a bit hoarse.
The sky was bright. In this white world without fiery clouds, people looked like a sketch. He stood inside, his gaze fixed on her small back. Light slanted in from above, and the scene was carefully composed with blank space—one tall, one short, on a diagonal. Even the composition was so conventional.
The outcome probably didn't matter anymore.
She suddenly let out a breath, fought back the tears, turned to him, and gently curved her lips.
"Okay, I'll wait for you."