The morning breeze of autumn carried a slight chill.

Cheng Chu looked up and met Gu Miao's eyes.

They were as deep as a boundless night, black and profound.

Luo Qianqian, standing beside them, nervously swallowed and quietly pulled Cheng Chu's hand. "Let's go, Chuchu."

Cheng Chu's heart was pounding. She didn't know when Gu Miao had stood at the door of the classroom, or what he had heard or seen.

Had he seen her acting so arrogantly?

She was supposed to be taking the warm and sweet route!

Cheng Chu forced a smile, her stiff lips curling up. 

"What a coincidence, haha. Luo Qianqian and I are going to have breakfast. Do you want anything? I can bring you some."

A hint of a smile appeared in Gu Miao's eyes as he shook his head slightly. The classroom was filled with a strange atmosphere, a very eerie silence.

Although Gu Miao didn't see anything, he heard Luo Qianqian's words at the door.

He was naturally cold and unsociable, with few friends at school, so he was indifferent to everything.

But when it came to Cheng Chu, his icy heart couldn't help but ripple.

Returning to his seat, Gu Miao received a fierce glare from Yu Yin.

He chose to ignore it and tore a piece of paper from his notebook, writing a few words and passing it to his desk mate Zhou Ran.

'What's happened?' 

Zhou Ran lowered his gaze and saw the thin handwriting on the paper. 

He glanced at Yu Yin and whispered, "Just now, Yu Yin cursed at you quite badly. Cheng Chu couldn't stand it and smashed his water bottle."

Gu Miao was stunned, and his emotions couldn't help but surge. 

Really, she did it for him?

The white fluorescent lights in the classroom were bright, and Gu Miao felt his eyes getting a little hot for no reason. 

Zhou Ran continued, "But to be honest, I really enjoyed it. I couldn't bear to hear him insult you like that." 

It's just that he didn't have the courage like Cheng Chu to stand up and refute it with righteous indignation. After all, people are inherently selfish. 

Who would want to get into trouble for someone they don't even know well? 

Gu Miao also understood this truth very well. 

He had never received any kindness for no reason. Who would be good to a gloomy and introverted person for no reason? 

If he put himself in someone else's shoes, even he wouldn't stand up. 

But Cheng Chu was different. 

She was like a blazing and dazzling light, illuminating all the gloom and darkness in the world. 

She would stand up for a stranger and fight for justice, naturally she would also fight for... A classmate who was just an acquaintance. 

Little did she know what it meant to Gu Miao. In a life that was dark and endless, she was the only light in his world. 

The morning breeze blew into the classroom, rustling the books on the desk. 

Zhou Ran patted his shoulder and said, "You're lucky you weren't here earlier, or you two would have started fighting." 

Suddenly, he realized that his actions were too intimate and awkwardly withdrew his hand. Gu Miao nodded and lowered his eyes, his thoughts churning. Would this cause trouble for Cheng Chu? 

It was all because of him that things had escalated. With this in mind, he tightened his grip, and his dark eyelashes gently fell. It was all because he was useless. 

* 

Cheng Chu walked out of the classroom with Luo Qianqian. The fresh morning breeze gently blew, and Cheng Chu took a deep breath, calming her rapidly beating heart.

The fallen leaves on the path had not yet been swept away, forming a golden carpet that made a crisp sound when stepped on.

Cheng Chu felt a tightness in her chest, suddenly realizing how little she knew about Gu Miao.

His family, his stuttering problem, and even his destitute poverty all made Cheng Chu feel confused and unfamiliar.

As an adult, Gu Miao was the leader of the entire Gu family, with an imposing presence that commanded respect.

Cheng Chu had always assumed that Gu Miao, growing up in such a family, would have had a life of luxury and been adored by all.

But these past few days, she had seen him wearing mismatched sneakers, carrying a worn-out backpack, and being bossed around by his own cousin, unable to even afford breakfast. 

In her memory, Gu Miao was powerful and resilient, dominating the business world and striking fear into everyone's hearts.

Back then, Gu Miao was willing to do anything to protect her.

But this time, it was her turn to protect him.

After returning to the classroom, it wasn't yet time for class to start. Cheng Chu saw Gu Miao lying on the desk, only revealing a dark tuft of hair, seemingly unaffected by anything.

Cheng Chu's heart relaxed a little.

She was afraid that he had heard what Yu Yin had said at the door and felt uncomfortable.

The teacher had already entered the classroom early. Cheng Chu opened her textbook, wanting to take a look at the content of the next class.

A yellow sticky note was sandwiched in the middle.

"Thank you."

Only two short words, but they made Cheng Chu's mouth curve upwards.

The clear chirping of birds outside the window and the faint scent of grass in the air dissipated the complex smells in the classroom. 

"Are you so happy reading that you're smiling?" Luo Qianqian looked at her in confusion and whispered.

Cheng Chu took the sticky note off the book and neatly folded it into a square, quietly putting it in her pencil case.

Time seemed to pass particularly quickly during school, and before she knew it, the morning had already passed.

After the third class in the afternoon, Cheng Chu was doing her homework when she heard someone shout, "Cheng Chu, someone's looking for you."

She looked up in confusion and saw a girl waving at her from outside the window.

"Chuchu, I didn't even know you changed classes. I just went upstairs to look for you." When she arrived at the classroom door, Ji Mingyue pulled her close and said affectionately.

The girl was carrying a violin on her shoulder, her hair tied up in a high ponytail, and her bright apricot eyes were filled with joy.

Cheng Chu laughed at herself and said, "Isn't it because my grades aren't good enough?" 

"Okay, okay, stop trying to make me feel sorry for you. Are you trying to kill me with those words?" Ji Mingyue tugged at her sleeve. "Let's go."

"Go where?" Cheng Chu was a bit confused.

"To the music building. Don't you remember it's Wednesday today?" Ji Mingyue sighed helplessly. "You're usually the most proactive one, but today I have to remind you."

Only then did Cheng Chu remember that the last class on Wednesdays and Thursdays was an elective class where students could sign up for classes they were interested in or choose to study in their own classrooms.

For music special admissions students like Cheng Chu and Ji Mingyue, this time period was automatically designated as practice time.

High school seemed like a distant memory for Cheng Chu, and these past few days she had been frantically trying to catch up on forgotten knowledge, completely forgetting about this class. 

"Okay, let's go," said Cheng Chu.

Ji Mingyue looked her up and down and asked, "You didn't bring your sheet music today?"

"I forgot, let's just go." She couldn't even play a coherent piano piece, let alone bring her sheet music.

There was a connecting corridor between the teaching building and the music building.

It was dusk, and the setting sun shone through the trees, casting deep yellow fragments of light on the entire corridor.

Cheng Chu and Ji Mingyue walked side by side, but all Cheng Chu could hear was her chattering voice.

Cheng Chu glanced sideways and saw the girl's beautiful almond eyes, bright like crushed crystals.

In high school, she and Ji Mingyue were good friends, both talented in the arts, and had many common topics.

But after graduating from high school, she gave up music in accordance with her family's wishes, while Ji Mingyue was accepted into the music academy she had always dreamed of. 

In terms of music, Ji Mingyue didn't have any natural talent, but she was diligent enough. She was the kind of girl that Cheng Chu had always admired - gentle and bright, persevering in her dreams.

She watched as Ji Mingyue smoothly entered the best orchestra in the country, stepped onto bigger stages, and gradually gained fame in the music industry. 

The gap between them grew larger and their common topics became fewer, until they gradually lost contact.

But when Gu Miao had an accident and her world was on the brink of collapse, Ji Mingyue was the first to call, anxiously inquiring about her condition and asking if she needed any help.

The sunset outside the window seemed to carry a warm temperature, and Cheng Chu looked at the lively girl in front of her, feeling a warmth in her heart.

In this world, not everything was lost. She had friends and family who loved her, and most importantly - Gu Miao. The world is so beautiful.

*

The two of them arrived at the music building, and Ji Mingyue bid her farewell. 

All the practice rooms were on the first floor, but Cheng Chu had forgotten which one was hers. 

She wandered around, hoping to awaken distant memories, but she really couldn't remember.

"Hey, Cheng Chu, what are you standing there for? Why don't you go in?" Cheng Chu turned around and saw her high school music teacher standing behind her.

"Uh, hello, teacher." Cheng Chu awkwardly smiled, about to ask where her practice room was, but then heard the teacher continue, "Come on, let's go. I want to hear how you've been practicing this week."

Cheng Chu slowed her pace and finally entered the practice room under the guidance of her teacher. Room number eight, she quietly remembered. 

The music room was small, only a few square meters in size. The walls were a simple white, and in the cramped space, there was only a piano and a piano bench.

"Play Moonlight Sonata, third movement," the teacher stood by the piano, arms crossed.

Cheng Chu's hand, which was about to lift the piano cover, froze.

She hadn't practiced piano in who knows how long. Maybe she could still play Fur Elise, but Moonlight Sonata, third movement? Impossible.

"Um, teacher, I haven't practiced enough. Why don't you check on someone else first and let me practice a bit more?" Cheng Chu nervously smiled, her eyes watery and blinking.

Cheng Chu was always diligent, and the teacher had a good impression of her. Faced with such a good student, she was willing to be more lenient.

"Alright, you practice well. I'll go check on the others first."

Cheng Chu obediently nodded her head. As soon as the door to the music room closed, she took out her phone to look up the sheet music and then focused on the small screen, stumbling through the piece as she practiced.

This song demanded a high level of finger dexterity and strength, requiring months and years of practice.

No matter how well she played before, after years of not touching the piano, it was impossible to master in just a few dozen minutes.

But Cheng Chu was never one to give up easily. Even though she knew she would be scolded later for being late, she didn't want to waste a single minute.

The music room was on the first floor, and the setting sun poured in. Cheng Chu had trouble seeing the phone screen, so she simply pulled the curtains shut.

Outside the window, passing students chattered noisily, but Cheng Chu paid no attention, focusing solely on playing.

A Chinese parasol tree stood outside the music room, its golden leaves fluttering in the wind. Gu Miao walked at the back of the crowd, holding his physics book tightly in his arms.

As he passed by Room 8, he stopped and leaned against the massive tree, just as he had done countless times before. 

He gazed silently and intently at the closed curtains of the music room, listening to the sound of the piano.