Chapter 905: Under the Flagpole

At Yucai Middle School, the new semester had already begun two weeks ago.

It was just past one in the afternoon; lunch break had just ended, the class bell had rung, and the entire teaching building was unusually quiet.

Only occasionally could you hear teachers' voices from classrooms with open windows.

Li Luo and Ying Chanxi walked hand in hand through the campus, with Teacher Zhang Wei accompanying them, sighing helplessly: "I just meant for you two to stroll around school, but now you're wearing uniforms—I can't even leave you alone."

"Why not?" Ying Chanxi asked, puzzled.

"You two look no different from middle schoolers in those uniforms," Zhang Wei gave them a look, "what if the discipline director or other school officials see students skipping class during lessons, holding hands while walking around campus? What would you have me do?"

"No problem, we're just wandering around," Li Luo chuckled, pulling out a card from his pocket, "and I've got my Qian Da student ID. As for Chanxi, Teacher Zhang, you don't think the discipline director would fail to recognize her, do you?"

Hearing this, Zhang Wei paused, then laughed: "Come to think of it, you're right—I won't bother you two anymore."

With that, he waved his hand: "If anything comes up, come find me in the office—I've got work to do."

"Mm-hmm, bye Teacher Zhang," Ying Chanxi waved quickly, then turned to Li Luo, "but isn't it fine having Teacher Zhang with us?"

"Teacher Zhang is busy too; it's not fair to waste his time," Li Luo said, still holding Ying Chanxi's small hand as they walked toward the teaching building, "besides, today's our private time—better not let anyone interrupt."

"Hmph~" Ying Chanxi was deeply pleased by that, her lips curling slightly as she obediently followed Li Luo forward.

Soon, they entered the teaching building and headed straight for the classroom they'd been in during seventh grade.

At this moment, students on the second floor of the seventh-grade wing, in the first classroom near the restroom, were having math class.

Li Luo and Ying Chanxi peered sideways from the corridor; Ying Chanxi tugged Li Luo's arm and said, "Look, third row by the window—that's where we sat when school first started."

"You remember clearly," Li Luo chuckled, "you insisted on sitting next to me back then, even refused to let Zhao Rongjun sit there—looks like you planned it all along."

"I did it to keep an eye on your studies," Ying Chanxi huffed, "don't make things up."

"Fine, fine, let's say that's true," Li Luo grinned, still holding her hand; after looking at the classroom, they went downstairs toward the cafeteria.

They strolled leisurely through the teaching building, passed the basketball court below, and Li Luo couldn't help but sigh and complain: "When we were here, this place was still concrete ground—now it's been renovated so beautifully."

Ying Chanxi looked at the professional, attractive basketball court and couldn't help covering her mouth with a light laugh: "It's not just the middle school—go back to our elementary school now, they've changed it so much you wouldn't recognize it."

"And even Fu Yi High School—the gymnasium was rebuilt, and we only used it once at graduation; new dormitory zones are under construction too—we won't even get to use them."

"Oh right, Qian Da also has plans to build new teaching buildings and dormitory zones, but we won't see them before we graduate."

Hearing this, Li Luo was speechless: "Why does everything good always miss us?"

"What does it matter?" Ying Chanxi shook her head, hugging his arm, "as long as you're with me, that's enough."

"Eww~ You can actually say something so mushy?"

"Get lost! If you don't like it, fine."

"I do like it—say a couple more lines?"

"I won't say any more."

Ying Chanxi huffed, pulling Li Luo forward, adding a complaint: "Some people back then only cared about basketball—played during lunch break, skipped dinner just to play, kept playing after school on weekends—never had time to be with me."

"You never said you wanted me to be with you," Li Luo said innocently.

"Didn't I tell you to go home and do homework?" Ying Chanxi punched him twice, annoyed, "it's your own fault for not coming back!"

"Doing homework counts as being together?"

"Then what else?" Ying Chanxi pouted, "weren't we together while doing homework?"

"Even then, it should've been going out for a walk or something."

"I was too shy."

"You've got a thin skin."

"It's all your fault," Ying Chanxi grew angry remembering, "back then, rumors spread around school about us, and you said you didn't like me, that you'd never date me—I was heartbroken for ages."

"Uh—well, I didn't think much about it then," Li Luo sighed helplessly; every time this came up, he wanted to slap himself.

As they talked and walked, they soon reached the cafeteria, wandered through the small grove beside it, then went to the plastic track and playground across the stream.

This was where the weekly Monday flag-raising ceremony took place; Li Luo looked up at the flagpole and sighed again: "Aren't you usually the one giving speeches up there every week?"

"It's not that interesting," Ying Chanxi shook her head, "after doing it a few times, it's just the same old recycled lines."

"That's a bit too much," Li Luo clicked his tongue, "other students only get to share their study experience once in a while—you treat it like nothing."

"Exactly," Ying Chanxi hugged his arm, "speaking on stage is worse than standing with you in the class lineup."

"Why is your mouth so sweet today?"

"Don't you like it?"

"Whether I like it or not? I'll have to taste it to find out," Li Luo said, suddenly getting an idea—he pulled Ying Chanxi toward the flagpole.

Then he pushed her against the back of the flagpole and leaned down to kiss her.

I have to say, wearing their middle school uniforms and hiding behind the flag-raising platform to do this—even though they're college students now—still feels especially thrilling.

Ying Chanxi couldn't help imagining—what if Li Luo had bullied her like this back in middle school? What story would that have been?

Thinking this, she sank deeper into the moment, utterly unaware of time or the world.

Only when Li Luo let go did she snap back to reality, cheeks flushed, gently pushing him away as she nervously glanced around: "You're ridiculous—what if someone saw us?"

"No problem," Li Luo chuckled, "no PE class in first period this afternoon—no way someone would happen to see us."

With that, Li Luo licked his lips, savoring the taste, then continued holding Ying Chanxi's small hand as they walked on.

They circled the entire Yucai Middle School and returned to the teaching building.

They went upstairs to Zhang Wei's office to say goodbye, and Zhang Wei stood up to see them out the school gate.

"If you ever want to come back, just contact me," Zhang Wei smiled warmly, "come visit often—I'll be happy."

"Thank you, Teacher Zhang," Li Luo said sincerely, gesturing to Ying Chanxi's hand, "when we get married, we'll send you an invitation—please come."

"Of course," Zhang Wei smiled, "I'll be waiting."

"It's a deal."

Watching Li Luo and Ying Chanxi walk away from the school gate, Zhang Wei stood on the street outside, gazing at their fading figures.

The back view in the junior high school uniform seemed to merge with the childish figure from three or four years ago, until they could no longer be distinguished.

Zhang Wei's expression was filled with emotion, his heart at peace.

He could say that the class he led during Ying Chanxi's cohort was the most satisfying of his teaching career.

Even now that he had been promoted to a higher teaching rank and taught only key classes, where students entering Fuyi High School was as easy as eating and drinking,

for him, the most unforgettable was still Li Luo and Ying Chanxi's cohort.

After all, getting key class students into Fuyi High School clearly posed zero challenge.

But if you could produce even one or two Fuyi-bound students from a regular class, other teachers would look at you with new respect.

As for Li Luo's class, not to mention Li Luo himself as the dark horse, three students—Shao Heqi, Xu Yinghuan, and Jin Yuting—had entered Fuyi High School through the entrance exam.

Although Jin Yuting eventually paid the school-choice fee, she still counted.

In addition, there was Zhao Rongjun, that little genius who entered Fuyi High School early through independent admission.

And most importantly, Ying Chanxi.

She had long held the top rank in the grade, a position once reserved exclusively for key class students, and in Fuyi High School's independent admission exam, she crushed the prodigies from other schools to claim first place in the early-entry class.

This achievement, even in Yucai High School's history, had almost never occurred.

What Zhang Wei hadn't expected was that, after graduating high school and entering university, those two kids—Ying Chanxi and Li Luo—had actually ended up together.

After all, as homeroom teacher, Zhang Wei knew the class dynamics best.

Students thought teachers didn't know, but teachers were well aware of every classroom rumor.

He had heard countless times about the gossip between Ying Chanxi and Li Luo.

But he knew clearly that Li Luo, that clueless kid, hadn't awakened yet—he had zero interest in girls back then, so he never interfered.

As long as Ying Chanxi's grades weren't affected, that was enough.

He had no idea what happened during those three high school years that actually brought them together.

Fate—truly, it was wonderfully inexplicable—

On the other side.

After leaving Yucai High School, Li Luo held Ying Chanxi's hand and wandered aimlessly down the street.

Since childhood, the two had grown up almost entirely within this area, familiar with every corner.

Almost every spot they passed held special memories of them both.

"Look at this fried chicken shop," Ying Chanxi said, pointing to Zhengxin Chicken, "every time after evening self-study, you'd detour here to buy a chicken cutlet."

"Didn't you eat too?" Li Luo chuckled. "Didn't you open your mouth when I handed you some? We were accomplices, okay?"

Ying Chanxi sniffed, then muttered softly, "Anything you handed me, I always ate."

I just couldn't refuse.

"Besides, their sour plum juice is amazing," Li Luo said, already salivating. "Pair it with the cumin-flavored chicken cutlet—one bite of meat, one sip of sour plum juice—unbelievably satisfying."

They wandered the street like this, every shop bearing traces of both of them.

After circling Jincheng Community, they finally returned home around four o'clock.

Then Ying Chanxi eagerly dug out two tiny toy shovels from some forgotten corner of the house and dragged Li Luo downstairs.

Seeing this, Li Luo sighed helplessly: "You really want to dig?"

"What else would I want?" Ying Chanxi stopped, turned, hands on hips, staring at Li Luo. "Today I'm the Birthday Person—you have to listen to me."

"Alright, alright," Li Luo said, reluctantly following her to a row of trees in the community.

"Which tree was it again?" Ying Chanxi scratched her head, struggling to remember.

But since Li Luo had decided to go along with the Birthday Person's wishes, he didn't delay—he confirmed the exact spot in his memory and walked straight to a tree: "Here. Dig."

"You still remember so clearly?" Ying Chanxi beamed, sprinting over, crouching by the tree, and digging vigorously within the area Li Luo indicated.

"This tree's closest to our stairwell—where else could it be?" Li Luo lied casually, crouching beside her to dig, while warning her: "When we dig it up and you see my wish note, don't get mad, okay?"

"Why would I get mad?" Ying Chanxi dug while answering. "Hurry up—do you even remember writing something bad about me?"

"Uh—I forgot," Li Luo mumbled, avoiding direct confession. "I'm just warning you now, so you won't get angry and ruin your birthday."

"I know, I'm not that petty," Ying Chanxi said, then felt her small shovel strike something hard.

Her face lit up; she brushed away the thin layer of soil, and immediately, the box beneath was revealed.

Li Luo stared at the box, stunned, deeply moved.

For Ying Chanxi, the box was separated from her by only a few years.

But for Li Luo, it had been over twenty years—

He never imagined he'd see it again in his lifetime.

Thinking of this, Li Luo helped Ying Chanxi loosen the soil around the box; after a few more minutes, they finally pulled it out.

After covering the hole with dirt again, they carried the box upstairs to 402.

Then Li Luo said: "Take a shower first, change clothes, then I'll make dinner. After we eat, we'll open the box."

"Okay," Ying Chanxi nodded, then looked at Li Luo with shy eyes and whispered, "Then—shall we shower together?"