There was a musical instrument store in the office building. Wei Qingyue was here to buy some small items.

Jiang Du observed him discreetly. Standing in a corner with her grandpa beside her, she had to act natural. If she were to greet him, it had to look like the most ordinary schoolmate relationship.

But in reality, that was all their relationship was.

The weather was cool, and Jiang Du's throat wasn't very comfortable. A wave of itchiness came over her. She wanted to cough but was afraid of startling Wei Qingyue, so she covered her mouth and let out two small sounds, like a kitten. Her grandpa suddenly called out to her, "Jiang Du, have you caught a cold?"

Ah...

She immediately panicked. Sure enough, Wei Qingyue, who was in front, turned his head. He pushed his hat back, revealing his grown-out hair. It was a little messy, but unexpectedly... it looked very nice. She liked his hair.

Jiang Du, feeling extremely awkward, forced a smile and raised her hand slightly. "Hi."

She didn't even know why she greeted him like that. 'Hi?' What was that? But when classmates occasionally ran into each other on the street, this was how they said 'hi'.

Her grandpa looked at the two of them in surprise, clearly not expecting Jiang Du to know the boy who had entered the elevator after them.

The elevator doors opened. Wei Qingyue and the grandfather-granddaughter pair got off on the same floor. He was more natural and composed than her, smiling as he said, "What a coincidence?" Then, he also greeted Jiang Du's grandpa. Her grandpa was a straightforward person and directly told Wei Qingyue that Jiang Du was here to see a tutor, then asked if he was also planning to get tutoring.

She immediately blushed with embarrassment, tugging at her grandpa's sleeve and saying unnaturally, "He's number one in our school."

As soon as the words were out, she quickly regretted them. Elders were all like this. If you let your elders know that your classmate was number one, then a barrage of comments like "So impressive" and "Look at how he studies" would surely follow endlessly.

Although her grandpa wasn't that exaggerated, he gave Wei Qingyue a thumbs-up and said with a grin, "Jiang Du, you should ask your classmate for advice more often. If you find the right study method, you'll get twice the result with half the effort."

Wei Qingyue maintained a basic level of politeness. Soon, he said, "I'll head over there first. Goodbye."

"Goodbye." Jiang Du waved her hand stiffly. The heart that had been in her throat finally settled back down. She didn't dare to look her grandpa in the eye, afraid the old man would notice something. As she walked, she said, "Grandpa, Wei Qingyue and I aren't in the same class, and we don't know each other well. That's why I was too embarrassed to greet him in the elevator, and you still told me to ask him for advice."

Her grandpa said dismissively, "What's wrong with that? Classmates should help each other."

Hearing this, Jiang Du laughed again. It sounded like something an elementary school teacher would say. She said, "If a bunch of people go to him for advice every day, will he have any time left to study?"

During the trial class, her grandpa went home first. When she was little and attended hobby classes, her grandpa would initially take her and pick her up on his bicycle. She would wear a little skirt, knee-high socks, and the bows on her shoes would flutter in the wind. Later, she could take the bus by herself. Now she was a high school student, but if she was doing something for the first time, her grandpa would still insist on taking her.

So, not having a mom and dad didn't seem to be a big problem.

She didn't expect to be so lucky again today. During the break between classes, she ran into Wei Qingyue again near the restrooms.

It was as if she was blessed by the god of luck today. Jiang Du held her breath.

"Why do you always like to pretend you don't see me?" Wei Qingyue smiled, his eyes twinkling.

'It's because I like you that I pretend not to see you.' Jiang Du was stunned. She quickly came to her senses and hurriedly explained in a fluster, "That's not it."

As she spoke, the girl clutched her clothes.

"Just kidding." Wei Qingyue glanced behind her a few times. "Tutoring for math here?"

Jiang Du nodded and couldn't help but ask him, "What about you? It looks like you're carrying a guitar. Do you study music?"

"Just learning for fun when I'm bored."

"You know how to do so many things." She praised him cautiously.

Wei Qingyue looked nonchalant. "Just for fun, I'm not that good. Just to pass the time." He always spoke like this, everything was light, like a feather, as if there was nothing heavy for him in this world.

"I think you must play very well, just like with your studies, with great ease." Jiang Du tried her best to seem like a good conversationalist. When he spoke, she was already nervously thinking about what she should say next.

Wei Qingyue smiled. "It's so-so. I just learned it casually."

Some students with good grades hated it when others said they were hardworking, or when they were caught studying hard. They always said they didn't do well on tests, that they hadn't reviewed well... However, when the exam results came out, they were as good as ever. Wei Qingyue never said things he didn't mean. He wasn't modest, nor did he boast. He said whatever was on his mind. Without him needing to prove it, Jiang Du knew he was telling the truth.

It was strange; Jiang Du believed everything he said.

"I wish I were half as smart as you. I still need tutoring," the girl said reservedly.

Wei Qingyue looked extremely calm and said carelessly, "What's there to tutor in math? It's just the same old stuff over and over."

His words made Jiang Du very embarrassed, as if she were a pig. For a moment, she didn't know what to say.

Wei Qingyue finally realized his choice of words was inappropriate. He could only smile. "I didn't mean you're stupid. Maybe," he thought for a moment, "you just haven't had your breakthrough yet."

The boy looked down at his watch. "I have to go now."

She didn't expect time to stop; she just wished it would pass more slowly. Jiang Du restrained her emotions and forced her lips into a smile. "Okay, goodbye."

Wei Qingyue had already turned to leave, but he suddenly turned his head back and called out to her, "Jiang Du."

It was just an ordinary calling of her name, but Jiang Du felt a fine, dense pain immediately creep over her heart, tugging at it. She didn't know why the feeling was so intense.

She tried hard to compose herself and turned back. "Is there something else?"

"That Wang Jingjing..." Wei Qingyue had just wanted to ask about this on a whim, but when the words reached his lips, they seemed to be blown away by the wind, and he didn't know what to say. He smiled and shook his head. "It's nothing. Your essay was read aloud in class by the Chinese teacher again."

Jiang Du could only tuck her hair back. "Actually, my essays aren't that good."

"I don't know if it's just my imagination..." Wei Qingyue trailed off, blinking. He suddenly changed the subject. "The tree in front of the school library, at night, looks like a person standing there. Have you noticed?"

Her heartbeat suddenly spun out of control, catching her off guard. Jiang Du forgot to even blink. What did he know? Why was he asking this? Their eyes met, like a dragonfly lightly touching the surface of the water.

She tried her best to put on a confused expression, but her voice trembled slightly. "A tree? There's a tree near the library? I don't think I've noticed."

"Is that so?" Wei Qingyue couldn't quite describe the feeling he got from her answer. It was subtle, vague, and no word could accurately describe it. He smiled silently and turned to leave.

The boy finally entered the elevator, leaving Jiang Du standing there stunned for a moment. Suddenly, she ran to the window in one breath, her eyes fixed on the view below. She was waiting for a figure.

Soon, the boy's hooded sweatshirt, jeans, and the guitar on his back came into clear view. Jiang Du stared unblinkingly as that figure moved, without any pressure or need to worry about anyone's gaze, like a free-growing vine that could spread without boundaries.

He passed the fountain, went around the flower bed, and walked under a tree to get his bicycle. He rode it straight down the steps, bouncing a few times. There was a traffic light there. One, two, three, four... Jiang Du counted silently in her head. Wei Qingyue waited for a seventeen-second red light. He crossed to the other side, where silk trees were planted along both sides of the road, until the boy's figure disappeared into the surging traffic, no longer discernible.

Jiang Du suddenly turned around and leaned against the glass, her hands empty.