Offside game

Su Yi woke up again the next morning. He looked at his watch; it was almost nine o'clock.

After getting up and washing up, Su Yi turned on the TV and went to make breakfast. As usual, it was the Dongdu News. First came the routine news about the leaders—where they had visited, what meetings they had held—things that had nothing to do with him. But the next news item was a little more interesting.

"Yesterday, a large-scale power outage occurred in the city for unknown reasons, and power was not restored until early this morning. According to relevant sources, the power outage has been ruled out as being caused by power lines or human error, and the specific cause is still under investigation. Some experts suspect it is related to the strange luminous event observed in the sky over the city yesterday afternoon by the Purple Mountain Observatory. Some power and astronomy experts have come to the city to conduct on-site investigations, and our station will continue to follow up on relevant news about this event."

Upon hearing this news, Su Yi suddenly had a peculiar feeling, as if some connection had been established in the dark, yet he couldn't grasp the specific thread. Could it be that the mild concussion he suffered yesterday was still having aftereffects? Su Yi shook his head, trying not to think about it.

After finishing his meal, Su Yi noticed the paper package on the living room table. He remembered the seeds An Jing had given him, and examined them closely, but couldn't recall what kind of plant they were.

The former Su Yi was a model student, excelling in both academics and conduct. Coupled with his handsome looks, he was a star at school. He and the equally outstanding An Jing had always had a good relationship, even harboring a slight, budding romance. Those were happy times for him; having such a beautiful girl by his side, showing her the flowers he grew, that simple happiness filled him with dreams of a better life. But the car accident drastically changed him. He was inherently a strong-willed person, but at that time, he closed himself off, rejecting everything. He couldn't distinguish between genuine kindness and—pity.

Thus, a dramatic change occurred: the model student who was focused on his studies became a marginalized teenager who frequently skipped classes and was addicted to video games.

Sometimes, changes in people are subtle, and a change in mindset is just a momentary epiphany.

Last night's sudden outburst greatly changed his mindset, and he suddenly felt enlightened about many things he had stubbornly insisted on before.

Today, I walked into the yard again and looked at the flowerpots lying neglected in the corner. All the flowers I used to grow had withered and died because of my neglect. Perhaps it really is time to start a new life, and I'll begin with this seed.

Su Yi found a flowerpot, filled it with soil, and planted the seeds inside. He then placed the flowerpot in the sunniest spot.

He needs to think things through carefully and find a direction for his life.

On this day, the students of Class 2, Grade 12 witnessed an unprecedented scene: Su Yi, who had been elusive for the past year, appeared in the classroom early in the morning.

As Anjing walked into the classroom, she habitually looked at that seat. When she first saw that figure, she thought it was her imagination. When she realized it was real, she was stunned for a moment, but she quickly recovered and sat down in her seat as if nothing had happened. However, no one knew what she was thinking.

When a habit is suddenly broken, it's always hard to adjust. It was like that a year ago when an excellent student became a delinquent, and it's like that a year later when everyone has gotten used to the seat being empty so often, only to be filled again.

When the homeroom teacher entered the classroom as usual at the start of morning self-study, she couldn't help but glance at Su Yi, who was sitting quietly reading in his seat, a few more times. She didn't say anything, and casually walked around the classroom for a while before returning to her office. However, she couldn't help but mention the unusual behavior to the other teachers.

For all the teachers, Su Yi was a student with complex feelings. Talking about him often came with a sigh, as the transformation from a promising student to a notorious truant was too drastic, and the events that unfolded in his life were often regrettable. Therefore, given today's situation, the teachers tacitly maintained a cautious attitude, trying their best not to provoke him.

While Su Yi appeared silent and calm, his heart was far from tranquil. A year of wasted time was enough for him to miss and forget so much. Reopening the textbooks brought a jarring sense of unfamiliarity. At first, he tried to listen attentively to the teacher's explanations, but he found the effortless ease of the past gone; now it felt like listening to gibberish. The high school curriculum had long since covered everything in the textbooks, and teachers had reviewed many subjects multiple times. What remained was for students to solidify their knowledge, followed by endless practice problems. For Su Yi, however, it wasn't just the material from the second semester of his junior year that he needed to relearn, but also much previously forgotten knowledge.

Realizing this, he simply stopped listening to the lectures and decided to first make a plan to review all subjects in the shortest possible time. Time, that was all he needed. But now, he really didn't have much time left.

During the break, Su Yi also overheard many classmates discussing the matter, realizing that news of Guo Ruo's trip abroad had indeed reached the school.

Upon hearing the news, the students reacted in various ways, some with envy and others with regret. After all, it was quite a pity that the school had lost a beautiful girl to admire. But ultimately, envy was the majority. Some sighed that it's definitely good to have a good father. Guo Ruo's grades weren't outstanding, always ranking in the upper-middle range, but with her qualities, getting into a decent art school wouldn't have been a problem. Now, she was able to go abroad directly because of her family's financial situation.

While everyone was discussing this matter, there were also many meaningful glances directed at Su Yi. Among the students, there were also some rumors circulating about Su Yi, An Jing, and Guo Ruo. After the major changes in Su Yi's family, he deliberately distanced himself from many people, especially An Jing. However, some people saw him with Guo Ruo, which inevitably led to many versions of the story, making the relationship between the three of them seem complicated to others.

Now that Guo Ruo has gone abroad, Su Yi has surprisingly come to the school to teach, which has once again made many people speculate about something.

Su Yi seemed oblivious to all of this. All he was thinking about now was preparing for the exam in a few months, hoping to minimize his regrets, no matter the outcome.