Love in Cthulhu

Chapter 16: A Second-Year Middle School Boy and a Literature Girl

Naturally, Zhou Nan didn't go to the back mountain today; he simply wasn't in the mood.

But he didn't know what to do. Going home was out of the question; the Cold War wasn't over, and the revolution still needed to be carried out.

Jian Xi is still at the old house, and he doesn't want to face her before things are settled. That kind of confession would be very damaging to her, and it would be even more self-destructive to him. He feels like he has betrayed the real Jian Xi, and he also feels disgusted from the bottom of his heart.

He wandered around the long street to kill time, riding the same road again and again, his eyes empty, reflecting only the passing cars and pedestrians hurrying along wrapped in their coats.

Actually, this county town isn't small, but it's been broken down into too many small parts. You have to cross different bridges to get to almost every town. The core town where he lives is just a small place; you can circle it in an hour.

After circling around for the third time and returning to the same old spot, even the old man selling goods gave him a surprised look. He suddenly realized that there were only so many places he could go. He could write down the names of the people he knew in less than half a page. If he crossed them out one by one, he would find that he had no one to talk to.

This is where he grew up, but he got lost in the winter after confessing his love to the monster. He didn't know where to go, and he wasn't afraid. He just wandered around the town.

That's so stupid, can't you stop being so depressed?
He slapped his head hard, deciding to change his mood and go check out the new campus.

With the handlebars completely off the ground, the bicycle glided freely along the riverside road. The wind was sharp and biting, making Zhou Nan's hair disheveled.

The school's new campus is located at the bridgehead on the riverbank. Along the way, the surrounding area is all open land under construction, and there isn't even a decent shop in sight. There are only a few scattered old houses with a large "demolish" painted on them in white lime.

But after all that, there are magnificent marble columns, like those of a Roman temple.

For a moment, Zhou Nan even thought he had come to the wrong place. Such a luxurious building shouldn't exist in this remote little county.

But the gleaming marble pillars still shone brightly even on a cloudy day, and the new school's sign—Yunshan Middle School—was prominently displayed on the luxurious stone archway.

This name is impressive and has a long history. When it was founded by the local governor in 1547, it was called Yunshan Academy. It has a history of hundreds of years, having survived wars, bandits, and resistance wars.

Over the past few decades, due to repeated changes in local administrative divisions, the renowned Yunshan Academy has been split off and several different schools have been established.

With the merger of the city and county this time, the schools were also merged and given their old names under the new policy. The education finance allocation was said to be dedicated to creating a new look for the provincial key schools. The entire plot of land by the river is for the new campus, and a small road was even specially built to separate it.

At the end of last semester, the teachers all said that everyone would be going to the new campus next semester, where all the equipment would be brand new and of high quality. Zhou Nan didn't take it seriously at first.

Standing here today, he was shocked. This place has such an air of supreme authority, it's like a Roman emperor might walk out at any moment. If you go to school in a place like this, won't you feel like you're going to court?
Three weeks before the first batch of students move in, you can still hear the sound of excavators working on the school grounds as you get closer, and it is clear that there is still a large area of ​​land that has not been completed.

It seems they've overshot their target and messed things up. Although the main buildings are complete, the supporting facilities are still insufficient. It's like they're rushing things. Hopefully, we won't hear construction noise after the start of the school year.

Beneath the dazzlingly luxurious school gate stood a brand-new security booth and electronic gate, next to which stood a bright red notice board. Zhou Nan pushed his cart to the notice board.

The above is a series of public notices. First-year high school students will be officially divided into arts and sciences after the new semester begins, and which classes they will go to will be determined based on their final exam scores.

Unsurprisingly, he saw his name on the list of students in the liberal arts liberal arts class, which was the most elite class in the fast-paced program.

However, the competition in these places is also fierce. Although there is no elimination system, if you fall behind in your grades, you may be transferred to a slightly less competitive experimental class.

The experimental class is not bad either, but there are some people with connections there, so the overall strength is slightly inferior. The liberal arts class can be said to be the face of the entire school, guaranteeing that the red list is displayed high.

Jianxi's grades couldn't keep up with this pace. Zhou Nan glanced around and found that she was in a regular class. This meant that after being classmates for so long since elementary school, they were finally going to be separated.

It's hard to say whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. If it were the old Jian Xi, he might have felt a little disappointed.

But would it be good to put Jian Xi in another class, away from his watchful eye? What if she gets upset and eats two students?
As he thought about it, his mood worsened again. He pushed his bike away and went to the construction site next to the school that was still under development.

The large expanse of green lawn has not yet been completely dug up. Sitting here, you can see the surging river. The Han River meanders through here in an S-shape. The river surface is wide and unobstructed, and the islands in the river on the opposite bank are clearly visible. Next to it is the newly built cross-river highway bridge, where traffic flows like a tide.

The cold wind was biting, and sitting in such a place was inevitably cold, but only the chill could clear one's mind.

Looking at the silent river, Zhou Nan felt that he had taken a very dangerous step, as if he were standing on the edge of a cliff, dangerous yet light, and that if he took the slightest wrong step, he would fall into an abyss of no return.

But he was helpless. He couldn't gamble with the lives of those around him. Even if they didn't die, they would never wake up and would cause trouble for even more people. That would be more torturous than death.

He felt utterly powerless; this feeling of powerlessness was what he hated most in his life, just like when he finished the high school entrance exam.

The lawn rustled as someone walked behind Zhou Nan. A faint fragrance wafted on the breeze, invigorating and captivating the soul.

This scent was completely different from Jian Xi's. He knew that many girls would retain the fragrance of a certain shampoo after showering and washing their hair, and Jian Xi was one of those people. Every time she showered, she was like a walking air freshener, and the scent would fade away in about an hour. But the fragrance he was smelling now wasn't so strong. It was subtle, understated, and didn't emphasize itself. It was very faint, almost unnoticed, but once you noticed it, you couldn't ignore its presence.

Yes, like some kind of elaborate trick, it's probably some very high-end perfume.

Zhou Nan snapped out of his reverie and turned around in surprise.

Standing diagonally behind him was a girl in a British-style brown coat with a Peter Pan collar, over which was a wool plaid skirt and fleece-lined leather boots. She was tall and slender, like a young female model. Her lips were hidden in her scarf, and her long, straight, unadorned black hair swayed in the wind.

Most importantly, she wears glasses! Heavy black-rimmed glasses, deliberately tucking away her long sideburns, make her already petite face appear even more delicate and radiant.

Upon seeing that flawless, porcelain-like face, Zhou Nan heard a thud in his chest, like a frog leaping into the deep waters of an ancient well, creating ripples.

In terms of looks alone, Jian Xi is the most beautiful among his peers. Rather than pure liking, it's more about how familiar they are with each other that makes them feel comfortable. He could confess his feelings, but it's also fine if he doesn't.

But the one in front of him was undoubtedly the perfect match for his taste. Her ethereal beauty seemed to be able to remove even the dust, and her glasses were the perfect complement to her appearance. This was exactly what a literary girl should look like. What's more, she happened to have a book tucked between her arms!

With just one glance, Zhou Nan turned back.

Liking someone is one thing, but at most it just unexpectedly cheers him up a little. You can't just see a pretty girl you like and then go up to her with a brick and ask if she dropped it. Besides, he just confessed to the monster Jian Xi that morning. Even if it was a lie, he still said it out loud.

Moreover, this girl looks like she's from a wealthy family. The material and appearance of her clothes are different from others. She's probably a girl someone brought back from their hometown for the New Year. She doesn't seem like someone who should belong to this county.

The girl bent down, holding the hem of her coat with both hands, and sat down. The inexplicable scent of perfume then filled the air, making it even clearer to him.

The two remained silent for a long time, gazing in the same direction, like two standing rocks in a flowing river.

What's going on? Zhou Nan's mind was in a mess. Girl, what's your name? This lawn is so big, why did you have to choose a place so close to me to sit down? And why haven't you said a word?

This is similar to how boys urinate in the toilet. If there are five stalls in a row, the first person will go to stall number one, and the second person will definitely choose stall number four or five, rather than standing side by side with the first person. If the later person insists on standing with the first person when there are so many empty stalls, they might get a meaningful look.

He felt he should just stand up and walk away, but that wouldn't be good for the girl's feelings, making it seem like she was some kind of pollutant.

But he couldn't stand the atmosphere that felt like an invisible knife was stuck between his neck. He and Jian Xi had been together for too long, and their relationship was always one of bickering and teasing each other. It was rare for them to be like this, where they would glare at each other without saying a word.

It felt like the Cold War.

Zhou Nan subtly turned his body slightly so that he could see more clearly out of the corner of his eye. He didn't dare to turn too quickly, nor did he feel comfortable going over to strike up a conversation directly; it felt like he was doing something wrong.

The girl remained seated, one hand wrapped around her thigh to hold the hem of her skirt, while the other hand was clenched into a fist near her lips, as if she were afraid of the cold, or as if she was thinking about something. Her eyelids were lowered, and her long eyelashes looked like the wings of a bird taking flight.

Holy crap, what's with that hesitant look on your face? We just happened to meet and were sitting on the same lawn, girl, what's with this coy way of acting like you're about to jump up and confess your feelings?
Wait a minute? A confession?
Zhou Nan carefully observed her out of the corner of his eye for a while. The girl really had no expression, but her unconscious actions of hugging herself tightly and shaking her leg slightly, and always opening her mouth slightly in his direction and then immediately closing it, betrayed her inner unease.

What?! This delicate sorrow, this unspoken entanglement, this unspoken meaning...

That's right, this is exactly what happens when you unexpectedly meet someone who makes your heart flutter, and you want to make a move to keep them, but you're too shy to say it. It's definitely love at first sight!
Zhou Nan instantly understood and felt that this was the most reasonable guess; otherwise, there was no reason to explain her behavior.

But girl, although I'm handsome and dashing enough to make your heart flutter, I'm already taken. You might not believe it, but this morning I confessed to a demon you wouldn't even dare to dream of.

What? You're so scared you're turning pale and want to tell me to give up? How can I do that? To put it mildly, I'm sacrificing my own flesh to feed the eagle; to put it grandly, I'm saving the world. The reasons are far too complex to explain in a short time. If you want to blame someone, blame it on the fact that we weren't meant to be in this life. We can only regret it for the rest of our lives and try to continue our relationship in the next life! Brother, I'm going now. It will take me three days to half a year. When the crabapple blossoms bloom, I'll still be here waiting for you!
His mind was filled with all sorts of random thoughts, and at times like this, only his inner吐槽 (tu cao, a Chinese internet slang term for complaining or ranting) spirit could temporarily make him forget his melancholy and get his thinking active again.

As the saying goes, it's easy for a man to pursue a woman, but easy for a woman to pursue a man. It's really easy for a girl to pursue a boy, but often a young girl just can't bring herself to do it. Someone like Jian Xi, who thinks she's the biggest bandit in the world, is a prime example of this kind of evolutionary mutation.

A literary girl is bound to be reserved, virtuous, and gentle. Even if she meets a handsome young man she's attracted to, it's understandable that she wouldn't dare to take the initiative. In this situation, a guy with high emotional intelligence is the magician who can turn an awkward situation into a good one. Zhou Nan thought to himself, "I understand everything, how can I let you continue to be in a difficult position? I'll take the initiative!"

"The wind is quite noisy today."

Awesome! Absolutely awesome! Zhou Nan cheered loudly in his heart for his burning chuunibyou spirit. He was so cool it was explosive.

Listen to this deliberately profound tone, listen to this poem full of deep meaning. A lonely boy and a lonely girl meet on a deserted riverbank. This romantic and dreamlike moment should be the collision of souls just beginning to fall in love!

I've already told you my heartfelt cry, so now shouldn't you open your heart and respond to me, so that we can end this sad chapter with a reluctant farewell, just like Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai!
The girl hesitated for a moment, then stood up. Her long black hair fell slowly down, the ends fluttering in the wind. She pressed her hair down and responded in an extremely serious tone.

"But this wind... it seems to be crying, can you hear it?"

(End of this chapter)