After the school bell rang twice, the number of people on campus gradually decreased.

In the classroom, a few students on duty were chatting and slacking off, while the rest of the students had already left in groups of two or three. There were hardly any people waiting at the entrance to pick up students.

When you stand inside the teaching building, you will find that you can't see the setting sun because the vast skyline is blocked by the towering residential buildings nearby. Only a relatively narrow field of vision remains, separated by the uneven corners of the buildings and the fiery clouds.

The splendid evening glow faded away with the setting sun, and the campus was completely surrounded by the deep darkness of dusk.

Sunny Xu and Seigetsu Zhu first went to the office to report the situation to the teacher, and then went to the location of the study group, which was Class 5 of the second year.

But on the way, Seigetsu Zhu asked him a surprising question.

"Huh?"

Sunny Xu was a little surprised.

He wasn't surprised that his relationship with Starry Lin had already been rumored like this, but rather that this class monitor of Class 5, the only super top student in the second year liberal arts class at No. 15 High School who could surpass him in grades, would gossip like other students...

Of course, his answer was always the same.

"No, we're not in that kind of relationship."

He didn't say anything else. If he mentioned that they had been living under the same roof during this time, and often as a man and a woman alone together... even if they behaved properly and only studied late at night without any improper behavior, it would inevitably make others speculate.

If this matter were to spread, rumors of them having a child out of wedlock would probably arise the next day.

"Isn't it?"

This time, Seigetsu Zhu was surprised. Her fair cheeks blushed slightly, feeling very apologetic, and quickly said.

"Sorry, I heard it from my friends. The way they talked about you two made it seem like you were a couple, which caused me to misunderstand."

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Seigetsu hesitated for a moment before continuing:

"And, actually, it's not just them who think that way."

"Yeah, I know." Sunny Xu sighed, "I'm afraid that as long as the students at No. 15 High School who know us, 99% of them will misunderstand our relationship."

"It's not just that..."

As they were talking, they had already arrived at the door of the office.

Sunny Xu just walked in and realized that it wasn't just the duty teacher, but also the homeroom teacher of Class 1 of the second year inside. This middle-aged woman, who usually had a bad temper and always had a gloomy face, had a relatively gentle attitude towards Sunny Xu and waved at him when she saw him. It seemed that she was specifically waiting for him.

Sunny Xu felt a little uneasy. Although he never violated the school rules, his grades were among the best, and he was well-liked by all the teachers, he still felt somewhat fearful when facing this homeroom teacher with unpredictable moods.

He had seen the homeroom teacher scolding students in the office more than once, and the scene was unbearable. This middle-aged woman would curse in various dialects without any scruples. No student in Class 1 was not afraid of her, and they privately called her "Mother Demon" or "Menopausal Woman".

Perhaps only Starry Lin, who always did things her own way, could truly ignore the pressure from the homeroom teacher and treat her words as if they were nothing.

"I heard that you're going to join the study group in Class 5?"

"Yes."

"That's good, but will your family have any objections?"

"No, I usually stay at home alone, and when I go back, I just do my homework, so it won't have any impact."

The homeroom teacher and Sunny Xu chatted about family matters and academics for a while, and then praised him a few words. Then she glanced at Seigetsu Zhu, who was talking to another teacher next to her, and said with a serious tone:

"Since you have joined, remember to communicate more with Seigetsu Zhu. In this grade, the two of you have the most potential."

Sunny Xu listened and nodded from time to time to prove that he was indeed paying attention; but the words the homeroom teacher said about "getting into a good university" and "bringing glory to the school and your family" were like water off a duck's back to him.

His gaze quietly drifted to the water dispenser in the corner, the green potted plants, and the confiscated books, basketballs, and footballs piled up in the corner... his thoughts had long flown to the sky.

Until--

"I heard that you have a good relationship with Starry Lin?"

Hearing the name of his good friend from the teacher's mouth, Sunny Xu was stunned for a moment before he came back to his senses.

"...It's okay, she's my neighbor."

His answer was relatively honest, although there was some concealment, he didn't lie.

"Just neighbors? Nothing else?"

The homeroom teacher lowered her voice a bit and stared at him with piercing eyes, as if she wanted to get to the bottom of it.

Sunny Xu subconsciously frowned.

"I promised to help her with her studies, that's all. By the way, Teacher, you should have noticed, right? Starry has made significant progress recently, not only because I'm helping her, but also because she's working hard on her own..."

The homeroom teacher nodded and interrupted him directly.

"Okay, since you say so, I'm willing to believe you. I won't mention this matter again."

Sunny Xu opened his mouth, suddenly wanting to ask who had reported it, or... but in the end, he simply closed his mouth.

"It's good that you're willing to help your classmates." The homeroom teacher had a look of earnest advice, "But remember to keep a balance and don't neglect your own studies."

Sunny Xu was a little lazy to speak and just nodded.

Before he and Starry Lin became friends, she had been called to the office.

It was in this office that the homeroom teacher warned her with a serious face not to influence other students--

These "other students" referred to him.

He didn't know if someone had reported it or if the homeroom teacher had found out herself.

But in the end, it was all in vain. Sunny Xu and Starry Lin eventually became friends, and no one could stop it.Thinking of this, he didn't know why, but he felt an urge to laugh, and a smile unconsciously appeared on his face.

Seeing his expression, the homeroom teacher seemed to misunderstand and also started to laugh.

"Alright, alright, I believe you know what you're doing. You can go now, don't keep others waiting."

When Sunny Xu left, he found that Seigetsu Zhu was no longer in the office.

……

As soon as he stepped out of the door, he saw a slender figure standing by the railing, quietly gazing at the night.

The sky darkened quickly. It was still dusk when he entered the office, but now night had fallen. The corridor was empty, with only the evening breeze blowing, lifting the girl's ink-colored hair, a picture of tranquility.

Seigetsu Zhu brushed her wind-tousled hair behind her ear. Hearing footsteps behind her, she was about to turn around and greet him, but found him lazily leaning on the railing next to her.

She smiled, put on a relaxed tone, and asked softly:

"How did it go? You were definitely asked about Starry Lin, weren't you?"

"…How did you know?"

The boy beside her, his hands on the railing, turned his face curiously.

"Just a guess."

Seigetsu Zhu answered frankly.

"Starry Lin is quite famous now. She was always noticeable, but now everyone knows her. However, she didn't do anything bad to become famous, so the teachers can't say much... So, the pressure is on you now."

"…You're right."

Sunny Xu felt a bit helpless.

"Moreover, you're not ordinary either, Xu. For the teachers, they would definitely keep a close eye on a good student like you, fearing that one day you might stray off the right path, wasting a potential college entrance exam star."

"…I just think they're boring. They're adults, yet they care about student gossip."

"Well, dating is mainly due to parental pressure, and it's generally not accepted by society." Seigetsu Zhu's attitude was quite objective, "The key is, it does distract people and affect their studies, just like playing online games. There have been many cases in the past where both parties were top students, but after becoming a couple, they failed to get into their ideal schools."

"I know." Sunny Xu shook his head, "So, I'm not dating anyone, and I've never thought about it."

As for being distracted…

Sunny Xu thought it was a completely meaningless worry.

Even if he could smoothly sail through high school, could he be content with mediocrity in the future?

This was something his teachers and other students couldn't understand. Only Starry Lin could empathize with him.

Just like what Starry Lin said today, Sunny Xu also yearned for that world beyond common sense, dangerous yet thrilling, yearned to understand himself, rather than obediently sitting in the classroom listening to lectures every day, and scratching his head over boring homework and textbooks at home.

Such an opportunity - such an opportunity was right in front of the two young people, they were facing a path that seemed within reach to break free from mediocrity and transcend the ordinary.

Sunny Xu didn't immediately agree to his friend's conditions, and he could think of using exam scores as a trade-off, he felt he had already shown great determination.

"Hehe, the problem is that everyone is unlikely to believe it."

"What others think is their business, Starry Lin and I have decided to ignore it."

Sunny Xu looked down at the pitch-black lawn and trees below, and replied in a muffled voice.

"Yes, that's the best way to do it."

Seigetsu Zhu left the railing, put her hands behind her back, and smiled at him.

"Let's go, Xu."

"Okay…"

Before Sunny Xu could finish his sentence, he suddenly felt a chill on his back, as if something had brushed past the back of his head.

He realized something was wrong, turned around abruptly, but all he saw was darkness.

The winding corridor and the classrooms had already been swallowed by the night, and he couldn't see anything clearly.

When he turned back, he found that the class president was slightly opening her mouth, showing a small "o", with a surprised look on her face.

"Did you see something?"

Sunny Xu quickly asked.

Seigetsu Zhu blinked and answered in an uncertain tone:

"I'm not sure… Maybe a bird flew past behind you?"

As soon as she finished this guess, she shook her head to deny it.

"No, if it was a bird, its head was too big. And… it seemed more like it jumped over."

"Jumped over?"

"Yes. It looked like it jumped from here…"

Seigetsu Zhu first pointed behind him.

"Jumped over there."

As she spoke, her finger made a large movement, drawing an arc in the air.

Sunny Xu followed the direction of her finger—

What the girl was pointing at was the building opposite the one they were currently in.

……

Under the dim night sky, the two buildings were more than twenty meters apart. On the edge of the rooftop of the opposite building, there seemed to be a long-limbed, twisted figure standing, staring straight at the boy and girl in the corridor.