The night grew darker and deeper.

Behind them was a faint light emanating from the police station, while the two of them stood beside a parked police car, under the shadow of the eaves. No one could hear their conversation.

Sunny Xu finally had the chance to have a serious conversation with his classmate, the class monitor.

Chatting in a place where no one was around made him feel a bit more relaxed.

...Except for the occasional glances from their classmates in the distance, and the curious looks from Starry Lin, who was talking to her sister. It was a bit annoying. But Seigetsu Zhu seemed completely unaware. Her attention was focused entirely on their conversation.

"So that's what happened. It all started from that haunted house, right?" she said knowingly. "I didn't know such a place existed, but it sounds like an unexpected accident."

"So you can rest assured now, right?" Sunny Xu spread his hands. "This whole thing has been just between the two of us from the beginning."

Seigetsu Zhu pondered for a moment, and when she looked up, she said something that surprised Sunny Xu.

"Your encounter started this semester... no, it started after the mid-term exams, about a month ago, right?"

"You knew?"

"Heh, I've been paying attention all along. Your relationship started to improve from that time. Although you and Xu were neighbors since he transferred here, you were more like strangers to each other. It was only after a certain incident that you became inseparable. I've always been curious about the reason behind it, and now I finally have the answer."

"...Now I'm the one who's truly surprised," Sunny Xu sighed.

"You're not a stalker, are you? How could you know so much about me and Starry?" he asked, amazed.

"I don't need to actively seek information. It just comes to me without me realizing it," Seigetsu Zhu replied, raising her finger to her lips and smiling faintly. "I just need to keep my mouth shut and quietly listen to my friends' conversations."

"I usually let it go in one ear and out the other," Sunny Xu recalled his daily life in class. After school, everyone would be busy chatting with friends and discussing interesting topics, and he would usually be preparing for the next class. "I can't believe you actually listen attentively."

"Most of the time, I treat it as background noise. I only pay attention and remember things when it's about someone I care about. That's how I usually do things," Seigetsu Zhu answered calmly.

"In other words, the most important thing is that 'I care'," she said, looking directly at him, her pupils shimmering with a faint light, as if waiting for his response.

Sunny Xu felt a stir in his heart.

He considered himself someone who didn't easily fall for others. He would sometimes act silly and funny to attract the attention of girls, pretending not to care even when he cared a lot, just like other boys his age. He would even feel a bit superior to them psychologically.

Because he was different from them, Sunny Xu truly didn't care.

But now?

For a moment, the surroundings fell silent.

Sunny Xu didn't dare to look at his sister and friends, nor did he want to see the members of the study group and their families. He just stared quietly at the class monitor, and he could even hear the buzzing of countless insects attracted by the light, flying around the lamppost above.

And so, Sunny Xu remembered the time when they sat side by side in the classroom, waiting anxiously in the empty classroom, under the threat of approaching monsters, in the deep sea-like darkness.

That short experience wasn't too far away from them, it had just happened a few hours ago. But the words the girl had said at that time became somewhat blurry and difficult to recall.

And now, it finally resurfaced in his mind.

What did she say?

She seemed to say "I envy you," and she also said she wanted to take the opportunity of being alone with him to talk more...

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She really said that.

The distance between them wasn't as close as it was back then. It was just Seigetsu Zhu's gaze that gave him the illusion of being close. The wet red lips of the girl with short hair shimmered with an enticing luster under the lamplight.

- What does this mean? Is she hinting at something?

Sunny Xu couldn't help but let his imagination run wild.

If the class monitor really had feelings for him, what should he do?

No, there's no need to ask such a question.

Of course, of course...

Of course, he should firmly reject her.

How could he start dating so early! Sunny Xu thought. No, no, absolutely not.

If the two most outstanding students in Tenth High School started dating and it resulted in a drop in their grades, it wouldn't just be their problem.

To put it more seriously, it would be for the sake of the teachers' hearts. It was said that the head of the grade group, who had slightly thinning hair, had had high blood pressure for over ten years, and he was determined to produce a top student in this year's batch... There was no hope for the science stream, as the head of the grade group had almost all his attention focused on the top students in the arts stream. If he found out about this, he might just faint.

But when he calmed down and thought about it, Seigetsu Zhu's "care" might not necessarily refer to that aspect of things.

After all, he was second in the grade, and when Seigetsu Zhu looked at the grade ranking list, she would see herself at the top, and if she looked down one more spot, she would see him.

"Are you saying that you care about me?" All the intense thoughts mentioned above actually only lasted for a very short time. Sunny Xu hesitated for a moment, and finally decided to be straightforward, pointing at himself.

Then, not knowing if it was expected or not, Seigetsu Zhu quickly shook her head.

"Ah, I'm sorry, that's not what I meant..."

As expected.

"Then, is it about Starry?"Sunny Xu scratched the back of his head, becoming even more confused.

"Why do you care about her? Have you two met before?"

Seigetsu Zhu blinked her eyes, finding it a bit amusing.

"Is it because you're used to seeing Starry Lin with Xu? The reason is obvious."

"Huh?"

"Because she's beautiful. Isn't that why everyone pays attention to her?"

"Just because of her appearance?"

Sunny Xu felt a bit frustrated.

"Yes."

Seigetsu Zhu replied matter-of-factly:

"Girls also judge by appearance. Everyone likes beautiful and cute things, especially someone as beautiful and gentle as Starry Lin. I bet she feels nice to touch, right?"

...That's true.

Sunny Xu nodded unconsciously, showing his agreement.

But he still felt that something was off, and his eyebrows furrowed subconsciously.

Judging someone solely based on their appearance and ignoring their inner qualities...how should he describe it? Sunny Xu felt that it was a bit superficial, contradicting the education and values he had received since childhood.

If it were someone else, it would be a matter of different perspectives. But when Seigetsu Zhu said it, he found himself feeling a bit disappointed.

Since transferring to Class 15 and hearing about Seigetsu Zhu, this girl who had always been the top student in her grade, trusted by teachers and classmates alike, had become the person he needed to catch up to with all his might.

Of course, it was just a feeling of disappointment, not despair. Because Sunny Xu knew very well that he had imposed his own thoughts on others without any reason for them to respond to such expectations.

"Appearance cannot determine a person's worth. There must be other things worth paying attention to." He said.

But the class monitor responded with an even more affirmative attitude:

"Generally, it can't, but if someone is as beautiful as Starry Lin to a certain extent, it's probably not a problem."

However, whether or not Seigetsu Zhu noticed Sunny Xu's subtle sense of disappointment, she added.

"Also, Xu, my previous statement might have given you the wrong impression. Of course, I care about you too, otherwise I wouldn't have noticed that your sister is a police officer... um, how should I put it, we can be considered academic competitors, right? If I don't take you seriously, I'll be pulled down from the position I've always maintained."

"I don't really care about that." Sunny Xu said seriously, "What's important is seeing my own progress steadily improving. Blindly comparing scores will only lead to losing direction."

"Is that so?" Seigetsu Zhu nodded as if she found it reasonable, but her next words frustrated him even more, "Maybe you're right. After all, I've never had the opportunity to compare myself to others."

"..."

"Haha, I'm just joking."

Seeing Sunny Xu's annoyed expression, Seigetsu Zhu laughed even more, as if she wanted to return the mockery he had just given her.

"I really felt pressured at that time. During the first monthly exam, you were still outside the top ten, but you caught up during the mid-term exam. I used to be able to maintain a considerable lead over the second place, but that time, I was only about twenty points ahead of you..."

"It was nineteen points." Sunny Xu corrected, "The teacher showed the class your test paper. You lost three points in the Chinese essay, two points in the English listening, two points in the English essay, one question in the history multiple-choice, one question in the politics multiple-choice, and you didn't answer the last solution of the last question in math, losing two points... It was just a small difference."

"..."

Seigetsu Zhu covered her mouth with her hand and couldn't help but burst into laughter.

This boy really cared a lot.

"By the way, Seigetsu Zhu, when you said 'I envy you,' was it because of Starry?" Sunny Xu coughed and quickly changed the topic.

"Oh... " Seigetsu Zhu thought for a moment and nodded, admitting, "Yes, it's because you're the person in school who is closest to her. Actually, it's not just me, I think everyone envies you."

More like everyone keeps their distance. Sunny Xu thought.

"If possible, I also want to be friends with Starry like you."

The class monitor sighed lightly, and her tone didn't sound very hopeful.

"Is that difficult?"

"...I don't know." Sunny Xu shook his head, "Who she chooses to be friends with is up to her."

Just then, they both noticed someone approaching and turned their heads simultaneously.

"Um, hope I'm not interrupting."

Standing not far away was Wang Yue, and he weakly spoke as both Sunny Xu and Seigetsu Zhu stared at him.

"I just came to say that everyone is ready to leave."

*

"Goodbye!"

"See you tomorrow, class monitor and Xu!"

"Everyone, remember to rest early and have a good night's sleep, okay?"

"Haha, let's not talk about that. Just don't have any nightmares..."

Standing by the roadside, after bidding farewell to the members of the study group, Sunny Xu turned to Seigetsu Zhu and said:

"Alright, I've told you everything I know. Is there anything else?"

...Actually, he didn't reveal everything. He vaguely covered up his abilities and Starry Lin's abilities.

But Seigetsu Zhu didn't seem to mind. Seeing the girl's eyes shining, he knew that she was immersed in the novelty and joy of discovering a whole new world hidden beneath the surface of everyday life.

Sunny Xu was familiar with this feeling because he had experienced something similar with Starry Lin.

At the same time, Starry Lin and Li Qinglian's conversation seemed to come to an end, and the two walked towards him.

"If there's no problem, let's part ways here."Since the two were already neighbors, there was no need to worry about being suspected of living under the same roof just because they were going home together.

"Alright, see you!"

Seigetsu Zhu waved at him with a light-hearted expression, then bid farewell to Sister Lian and Starry Lin with a beaming smile.

"See you tomorrow!"

Sister Lian said "goodbye" with a smile, while Starry Lin remained silent, only nodding lightly in response.

"Little Sunny, let's head this way."

Sunny Xu had been following the pace of the two girls, one big and one small, for a while. His mind was full of curiosity about "what they had been talking about just now". He was hesitating whether to ask now or to inquire privately after returning home when he suddenly paused.

He turned his head.

Under the dim street light, the girl was standing quietly by the roadside.

It was late at night, and the streets in the center of the city were still bustling, but she was leaning against the lamppost behind her, all alone.

Occasionally, someone would whizz by on a motorcycle, stirring up a gust of wind. Seigetsu Zhu gathered her wind-blown hair behind her ears. She looked around for a while, then simply sat down on a roadside bollard.

With one hand propping up her chin, she gazed at the busy road in front of her. She looked somewhat lonely.

It was only then that he noticed something:

Seigetsu Zhu seemed to be alone.

Everyone had made phone calls, and the remaining classmates had all been picked up by their parents. He, Starry, and Sister Lian had started on their way home, but only Seigetsu...

She was always alone.