After class, Cheng Chu smoothed out the paper tucked between the pages of her book and turned to Gu Miao, saying, "Thank you just now."

The young man's ears turned slightly red, and a shy smile appeared on his lips. "No, it's nothing."

Who would have thought that Gu Miao, who always had a cold and stern demeanor that could make people tremble with fear, was actually such a shy and introverted young man in reality?

Cheng Chu looked at his slightly blushing ears and couldn't help but find it both strange and adorable.

She propped her head up, her eyes shining as she stared straight at him.

The young man's eyelashes trembled slightly with nervousness, his bangs falling straight down over his forehead. 

His dark eyes flickered inexplicably, like a big, fluffy dog.

Suddenly, Cheng Chu had the urge to reach out and touch his head.

Her fingertips trembled, but she suppressed the impulse in her heart.

The cold wind blowing through the classroom made people shiver uncontrollably. In her hands, Gu Miao held a warm hot water bottle, her heart feeling like it was placed on a fire, flipping and roasting. 

Why was she looking at him like that? Did he have something on his face or were his glasses dirty? 

Gu Miao lowered his eyes, feeling both panicked and joyful. He wanted to lift his head to look at her, but couldn't help feeling timid. 

Just looking at her back made his heart race uncontrollably. If he were to make eye contact with her, he feared he would immediately die of nervousness. 

Fortunately, the girl only looked at him straight for a moment before turning away. 

Gu Miao breathed a sigh of relief, but a shallow feeling of melancholy surfaced in his heart. 

He suddenly hated his stuttering and the cowardice and timidity in his heart. 

Several times, Lin Qifeng from the next class came to find her. He would hide in the shadows like a despicable thief, watching the two of them standing in the hallway, laughing and talking.

He felt jealous and resentful, but deep down he had to admit that only a boy as brilliant as him deserved to stand by her side.

Because they were people of the same world.

*

On Thursday afternoon, Cheng Chu was unsurprisingly kept behind by her piano teacher.

Actually, she had practiced all night last night and had made some progress, but compared to her peak state in high school, she still had a long way to go.

Surprisingly, the teacher didn't scold her this time. After all, compared to yesterday's performance, Cheng Chu's performance today was slightly better.

But only slightly.

"From now on, stay and practice for half an hour on Wednesdays and Thursdays." The teacher said this and then turned and left. 

As class ended, Cheng Chu realized that today was her turn to clean with Gu Miao. 

She approached Ji Mingyue who had come to find her and asked, "Can you help me tell Gu Miao from our class that I might be late and he can leave after finishing his own cleaning?" 

Ji Mingyue nodded and, after Cheng Chu's repeated urging, turned and left.

Time seemed to fly by as Cheng Chu played the piano.

When Cheng Chu left the piano room, it was already completely dark outside. The lights in the teaching building had all been turned off, with only a few faint streetlights shining through.

Cheng Chu felt her way up the stairs and was surprised to find that the lights in her classroom were still on. 

As she entered the room, she saw Gu Miao standing next to the last pile of garbage, bowing his head and tidying up the trash bags.

The classroom was completely transformed, with a spotless blackboard, neatly arranged desks, and even the floor was so clean that it seemed to shine.

To Cheng Chu's surprise, Gu Miao had done all the cleaning by himself. 

"I'll do it." Cheng Chu didn't even have time to put down the music score before she walked over to grab the garbage bag.

But she was avoided by Gu Miao.

There was only one dim light on in the classroom, and the light was faintly shining.

Gu Miao lowered her head and quickly packed the garbage: "No, it's okay."

"Then I'll go with you to throw it away." Cheng Chu quickly said.

This time he didn't refuse.

The light in the corridor was dim, and Gu Miao carried the garbage bag with ease.

The footsteps of the two were light, but they were particularly clear in the quiet corridor.

Gu Miao turned her head and quietly looked at her.

It seemed that only in such a not very bright environment, he dared to muster up the courage to look straight at her.

The girl's silhouette was hidden in the moonlight, with a hazy beauty.

Only those peach blossom eyes were shining brightly. Gu Miao's heart trembled slightly as he heard the girl whisper, "Thank you for helping me clean, I'll do it for you next time."

"No, no, it's not necessary," Gu Miao's voice was tinged with panic.

The girl didn't know how happy it made him to do something for her. 

It was as if the timid and insecure version of himself finally had some capital in her eyes. Even if it was just a little bit, he couldn't help but feel a sweet sensation in his heart.

Cheng Chu sighed, knowing he wouldn't agree, and didn't say anything else. She just silently planned to do more cleaning the next time they did it together.

The two of them walked into the classroom, packed their bags, and left the teaching building.

The street was lit up with warm yellow lights, and the cold winter night seemed to become warmer.

Cheng Chu's house was not far from the school, only a five-minute walk away. As they arrived at the school gate, she asked Gu Miao, "Which way are you going?"

Gu Miao pointed to the left.

"Well, that's on my way too. Let's walk together," Cheng Chu said with a smile.

On this winter night, the moon and stars were shining bright. The girl's beautiful peach blossom eyes curved into a bright crescent moon that sparkled and shone.

Gu Miao's heart skipped a beat and he quickly nodded. The two walked side by side, and Cheng Chu could even smell the clean soap scent on Gu Miao's body.

Mixed with the winter wind, there was an inexplicable chill in the air. 

She looked at the silent boy, pondered for a moment, and said, "Actually, you can talk more often. Your voice is very pleasant to listen to."

Gu Miao stumbled on his feet. He thought of the note he had repeatedly rubbed his fingers over countless times, with that same sentence written on it.

It was the first time someone had said that to him. 

Knowing it was meant to comfort him, a warm feeling still rose in the icy corner of Gu Miao's heart. 

"Hmm, okay," he murmured softly.

As he looked down with a heavy heart, the frustration in his eyes melted away like ice when he saw the girl.

The dim streetlights cast a yellow glow as Cheng Chu looked at the handsome young man and couldn't help but say, "Actually, not everyone in our class is like Yu Yin. There are some people who are quite nice, like Zhou Ran and Luo Qianqian. They are willing to talk to you."

Cheng Chu knew that the young man was introverted and solitary, with no friends and no desire to talk to anyone.

But she wanted to tell him that there were many people in the world like her, willing to accept his flaws and willing to wait for him, and willing to embrace his darkness.

The young man's dark eyes gazed at the withered branches on the roadside, and he remained silent for a long time. Cheng Chu thought he didn't believe her, and a sour feeling rose in her heart.

She kicked a stone by her foot, lowered her eyes, and fell silent.

After a long time, she heard the boy's low voice saying, "Hmm."

"I'll listen to everything you say," he said.

Cheng Chu's dim eyes instantly lit up, and she looked at Gu Miao, nodding with a smile.

The two walked quietly all the way, and soon arrived at the entrance of Cheng Chu's residential area.

Cheng Chu stopped and looked up at Gu Miao, whispering, "I'm home now. See you tomorrow, be careful on your way."

Gu Miao nodded, "Hmm."

He watched the girl's figure until it disappeared, then turned around and walked back to school in the dimly lit campus.

He walked into the bike shed in the dark, mounted the only bike parked there, and pedaled away into the vast moonlight. 

*

Friday was always the most restless day for the students. But today was an exception, all because of a physics exam in the afternoon. 

As soon as class ended, the students didn't go out to play. Instead, they sat at their desks, either reviewing their physics notes or pondering difficult problems. 

Zhou Ran was stuck on a difficult problem. Although he studied hard, his grades were only average. The classroom was silent, and Zhou Ran couldn't help but glance at his desk mate. 

His desk mate was one of the best students in the class, always ranking first in physics and chemistry. He didn't go to the advanced classes, solely because he struggled with English. 

Zhou Ran had been sitting next to him for a few months, and they had only exchanged a few words. Yesterday's group discussion in class was the longest sentence Zhou Ran had ever heard his desk mate say. 

Zhou Ran was originally hesitant to disturb him. Gu Miao was always gloomy and hardly talked to anyone.

Zhou Ran lowered his gaze and looked at the blank space on the page, thinking about the afternoon exam and yesterday's unusual behavior from Gu Miao during their group project.

He gritted his teeth and lightly tapped his desk mate, whispering, "Gu Miao."

Gu Miao furrowed his brows and turned his head to the side, his dark eyes heavy.

Zhou Ran was instinctively intimidated, and the words on the tip of his tongue disappeared in the face of this cold gaze.

It took him a few seconds to remember what he wanted to say.

"Um, do you know how to do this problem?" He extended his textbook and spoke cautiously.

Gu Miao was somewhat surprised. 

Besides Cheng Chu, hardly anyone in the class would initiate a conversation with him.

He lowered his gaze slightly and looked at the problem in the book, feeling a strange emotion in his heart.

There was a momentary pause in the air. 

Zhou Ran looked at Gu Miao, who had lowered his gaze, and awkwardly took back the book: "Never mind, I'll think about it myself."

He regretted it a little in his heart. He knew that Gu Miao wouldn't pay attention to him, so why bother going to find him?

As Zhou Ran spoke with a slightly embarrassed tone, Gu Miao pursed his lips.

He thought of the girl under the dim yellow light, looking at him with sincere and bright eyes.

She said that there was actually someone willing to listen to him.

The cold winter wind carried a bit of a biting chill, but Gu Miao felt a corner of his heart burning recklessly.

A warm and peaceful temperature slowly spread to every corner of his body.

Zhou Ran, who was sitting next to him, was still pondering over the unsolvable physics problem with his head down. 

Suddenly, a piece of paper was pushed over on the desk, filled with detailed problem-solving steps and thought processes.

Zhou Ran looked up in surprise and uncertainly asked the cold-looking Gu Miao, "Is this for me?"

The aloof teenager nodded and spoke with a slight stutter, "Take a l-look, if you don't understand, come ask me again."

"Okay, okay." Zhou Ran exclaimed with both surprise and joy, "Thank you, Gu Miao. You're actually a really nice person."

For the first time, he realized that his desk mate was such a person with a cold exterior but a warm heart.

Gu Miao's eyes flickered slightly, he lowered his head and remained silent.

A nice person? He sneered inwardly, this was the first time someone had ever described him that way.