Chapter 19: The First Step

ation. It bounced high up into the air, causing some bystanders to feel anxious, thinking an inevitable fight was about to break out.Wang Weiwei and Lin Zhoudance unconsciously gathered around, ready...Chapter 19: The First Step

Yue Zijiang couldn't help but feel restless. In school, he was always well-received, cool and handsome, clean-cut, sometimes even described by elders or teachers as "obedient." Although riding a motorcycle home after school every night made him look impressive, sometimes enjoying the admiration of passersby filled him with confidence.

The cheers from little girls and secret admirations from pretty classmates seemed like fleeting clouds in Yue Zijiang's eyes.

Only when Tang Wu appeared would he feel as if an electric shock had hit his heart, making him realize that a girl like Tang Wu should remain exclusively with him to experience happiness and joy.

Sometimes persistence is an intangible force that can make Yue Zijiang quickly forget the pain of being rejected by Tang Wu. He could suppress his restlessness and return to a more peaceful state, confident in something he couldn't explain. It felt like this girl had always been part of him from a long time ago, and they were meant to be together.

So when Yue Zijiang invited Tang Wu during break time and was rejected for offering her a ride home after school, he didn’t get discouraged. He smiled and nodded: "If not this time... there will surely be another chance in the future, right"

Tang Wu could only nod helplessly as the bell rang for class to start. Yue Zijiang waved at Tang Wu with a cool demeanor before turning back up the stairs.

He ran into Zhang Xi and Li Ai on his way back. As they all knew each other and often played basketball together, Zhang Xi greeted him: "Oh, another attempt at wooing someone"

Seeing Yue Zijiang's wry smile, Zhang Xi and the others understood the outcome immediately. Since Yue Zijiang had openly pursued Tang Wu recently, though he hadn't seen much progress, it was still remarkable.

Among Li Ai and Gao Sunyi, Zhang Xi was the most handsome and came from a better family background and also dared to take risks more often than them, but when it came to pursuing Tang Wu, even Zhang Xi knew his limits. The others were naturally far behind. Yue Zijiang could still get some warmth from Tang Wu and engage in further communication with her, which was something they couldn't match. Thus, Zhang Xi nodded sincerely yet admiringly: "Keep going!" This thought filled everyone’s hearts with a bit of hope. If Tang Wu could be won over, it would surely create a beautiful scene when she showed affection for someone.

Would there be a celestial beauty cheering them on from the stands during basketball games

...

"Is this your phone number" Chen Lingshan suddenly asked during their conversation. This surprised Xue Yiyang greatly, as he and Chen Lingshan had only ever interacted verbally up until now. As for exchanging phone numbers to deepen their friendship, they had never reached that stage before. When did Chen Lingshan start asking about phone numbers

People naturally tend to seek benefits while avoiding harm. Thus, when answering Chen Lingshan's question, he subconsciously ignored her phrase "your" and completely forgot about the strange shine in Chen Lingshan’s eyes when she saw Su Can's home number among those he had written.

After everyone's attention shifted to Yue Zijiang’s pursuit of Tang Wu, the matter between Chen Lingshan and Su Can was further sidelined. Before, Chen Lingshan kept her distance from Su Can out of prudence. Now they were gradually returning to a friendship-like interaction, but Chen Lingshan could not interact with Su Can alone; she needed other friends around as intermediaries through Xue Yiyang to communicate with Su Can.

This didn't cause any controversy either, after all, someone like Su Cen pursuing Chen Lingshan would undoubtedly place him among the vast number of failed suitors.

In people's eyes, Chen Lingshan maintaining contact with him highlighted her amiable personality. Since they couldn’t be lovers, at least they could become friends.

This was perhaps the most beautiful sentiment during high school times; in this simple era, there wouldn't be many material interests or emotional investments involved in a relationship, making it unlikely for love to turn into hate.

Most often, it was just a faint sense of melancholy.

So even when seeing Chen Lingshan and Su Cen getting close, people couldn't help but feel sympathetic towards Su Cen.

Only the weak or losers garnered sympathy. Being listed as a friend by someone one liked was already a cruel verdict in itself.

Afters exchanging phone numbers, Chen Lingshan smiled to avoid seeming abrupt: "Xiao Mei and others often organize activities; we're all acquaintances who can get together during holidays too! Xiao Yunyun is also getting close with us!"

This led to Xiao Mei and other girls snickering at Su Cen without good intentions. After the incident of Su Cen confessing, they often joked about him and Chen Lingshan. This wasn't because they had any ill intent but rather found it amusing. They already felt a sense of disparity beforehand; when Xiao Yunyun actively pursued Su Cen in vain, who would have thought he actually harbored intentions for class beauty Chen Lingshan! The kid really had big ambitions, which amused everyone to tease Su Cen.

Su Cen's calm response to their provocations and jests was quite dull. People felt that unless his personality was genuinely as peaceful, he must have been severely shaken by Chen Lingshan.

Chen Lingshan believed she had made her intentions clear in what she said previously. She proactively requested to exchange phone numbers; anyone not as dumb as Xue Yi Yang could see the targeted nature of this action towards Su Cen, and there was even a subtle hint: "You can call me."

Calling to contact had already been the first step.

Chen Lingshan didn’t want to let Su Cen develop a pessimistic mindset that wasn't entirely hopeless.

Su Cen heaved a sigh of relief. After the incident at Xiao Yunyun’s house, he was still worried Chen Lingshan would harbor some ill feelings, but she turned out to be more open-minded than expected. Being able to become ordinary friends seemed like a luxury to him; in his previous life, he wouldn’t even have had the chance to interact with Chen Lingshan. Rebirth had already changed many things for him.

Just as the bell rang for class, Chen Lingshan took one more look at Su Cen but didn't see any particularly surprised expression on his face. Before returning to her seat, her close friend Li Luzhi leaned in with a hint of puzzlement and asked: "You really gave them your phone number!"

Seeing Chen Lingshan nod, Li Luzhi harrumphed without further comment. She knew countless people had tried asking for Chen Lingshan's phone number from her, but she remained loyal to the principle of keeping friends' secrets and refused to reveal anything. This made many boys unhappy with her. Now that Chen Lingshan was openly giving her number to Su Cen, Li Luzhi felt incredibly frustrated inside. What qualifications did this man have—regardless of family background, grades, height, or appearance—to earn such favor from Chen Lingshan!

Recently, Chen Lingshan has felt a sense of unreality. She tends to connect the now low-key Su Can in her classroom with the one she first saw at the city's bidding meeting, where she got a glimpse of his other side.

The afternoon at the Kerry Hotel, he was composed and calm, wearing clothes that were completely different from his current student attire. Even those trendsetters at No. 1 High School couldn't match the noble demeanor he exuded.

At that moment, he seemed to be just a step away from embodying the role of a prince charming, yet it starkly contrasted with her memory of him as a dirty and unkempt boy!

Unfortunately, Chen Lingshan couldn't share this sensation with others. In her mind, Su Can's entire persona took on an even more unique charm and allure.

Tang Wu received a note in class, which seemed unbelievable to Chen Lingshan. Passing notes secretly was something only unruly students would do, akin to openly defying authority in the classroom. This kind of behavior could never be associated with top students ranked within the top thirty in the entire grade, let alone someone as impeccable as Tang Wu.

Unexpectedly, Tang Wu held a crumpled note and paused before unfolding it.

The indifferent Chen Lingshan, who generally didn't like to talk much with Tang Wu, wasn't interested in peeking at the origin or content of the note. She wouldn't want to appear inferior in front of Tang Wu.

After class, when facing Su Can, Tang Wu nodded slightly.

To Yue Zijiang, Tang Wu's nod might signify the dawn of a new era and unprecedented success. For Su Can at this moment, her nod meant he had taken his first bold step.

The decline of Yue Zijiang began when he proposed escorting Tang Wu home after school, only to be declined with a shake of her head.

Su Can's note contained one sentence: "I've lost several documents for my science subjects and need to borrow yours. Can you wait for me after class"

...

The approach was quite conventional, yet effective.

Walking on the playground of No. 1 High School with autumn's setting sun casting a blood-red hue in the sky, Su Can caught a subtle fragrance emanating from the stands and concrete platforms around him.

"The guy who often comes to see you is in second year, right... Have you known each other for long"

"I don’t know." Tang Wu remained indifferent, shaking her head as she walked beside him. Her long hair was tied diagonally and fell over her chest from the front of her shirt. A pink T-shirt highlighted her prominent bust, while a gray-brown blouse hung loosely on her body, giving off an aura that was independent and aloof.

Some people are destined to become legends; like this girl by his side, just being with her made Su Can feel at ease and content. He hoped she would have an extraordinary future rather than fading away after ten years. This simple wish seemed within reach now.

In the end, he had won over Xue Yiyang. When passing him a note for Su Can, Xue Yiyang stared at Su Can with a look of amazement, as if seeing a madman: "I’ll skip my third class today because I have a match; I can’t be crazy like you..."

After the second class ended, Xue Yiyang left to participate in his game, leaving Su Can with another bewildering remark: "You’re digging your own grave!"

This proved that Su Can had a good grasp of Tang Wu’s psychology. Her cold exterior revealed her difficult situation despite her excellence at No. 1 High School. Standing atop the peak made it easier for others to isolate her, especially with Tang Wu's personality. Therefore, she was more detached and used this to shield herself from everything that made her uncomfortable in No. 1 High School.

She probably missed the more relaxed environment at No. 3 Middle School. Su Can’s note hit her heart exactly; it reminded her of an afternoon before the high school entrance exam, when she walked around No. 3 Middle School with Su Can. Su Can used the same excuse—borrowing study materials.

Tang Wu stifled a laugh but didn’t expose him. After all, everyone in the class knew that Su Can and Xue Yiyang were inseparable friends; if someone needed to borrow materials, Xue Yiyang was more suitable than her.

Su Can and Tang Wu walked around half of the campus before heading towards the school gate. On their way, they talked about trivial matters concerning No. 1 High School and former No. 3 Middle School. Given Tang Wu’s personality, there wasn’t much to talk about. However, if someone saw them at that moment, seeing cold-hearted Tang Wu responding to questions would make people even more baffled about the relationship between Su Can and Tang Wu.

But this world always has some unexpected events happening.

When Su Can and Tang Wu stepped out of the school gate, a group of disappointed individuals who were about to leave noticed their appearance with immense joy.

The moment Ye Zijiang and his friends, leaning against motorcycles outside the door, saw Su Can.

Chen Lingshan, laughing and chatting as she bought small items for girls at a school gift shop, along with her group of female companions, caught sight of Su Can and Tang Wu walking side by side in the twilight’s unrealistic sunlight.

Xue Yiyang, wearing an AC Milan white jersey and about twenty or thirty other soccer players who had just finished playing ball, sweat all over their bodies, saw two people slowly leaving school half an hour after classes ended.

As Xue Yiyang gulped down a cold bottle of soda, his eyes widened in surprise; he felt both his heart and lungs tremble simultaneously. Before his brain could react to regulate the shock, it seemed as if the organs inside him had frozen over.

===ar. The path you choose no one else can prevent. What's most important is not which fork in the road you take but what you choose when presented with fleeting opportunities and countless paths forward...