Yaxi went ahead and purchased the milk despite everything.
The following morning, she arrived at Classroom 201 earlier than anyone else, placing the carton of milk on Chen Ling's desk. The surface of the desk had been cleared, with only a schedule pinned to the upper right corner, its dates frozen five days prior. She peered inside the desk—fortunately, his books remained untouched. He will come back, she thought, clutching onto this certainty.
When she returned to class, not a single person spared her a glance. The gossip surrounding Chen Ling had long overshadowed her existence. She was nothing more than a shadow in their eyes; no one truly paid her any mind.
Suddenly, it dawned on her: all along, she had assumed everyone was watching her, judging her, hating her. But in truth, they didn't care about her at all.
Lu Ziyang, who hadn't spoken to her all morning, suddenly grabbed her hand without restraint after lunch.
"I was out of line," he admitted. "Xu Xiaoyi already scolded me for what I said that day. She was on her period and already dealing with cramps."
Yaxi yanked her hand away, refusing to meet his gaze. "Then you're apologizing to the wrong person. Whether or not she was on her period that day, I deliberately hit her. I can't stand her because I like Chen Ling—and I made sure my blow landed hard."
Lu Ziyang's eyes widened, his mind reeling as confusion mingled with anger. He couldn't tell whom he was angrier at as he spat out:
"You're completely messed up."
Yaxi shot back without hesitation: "Am I? And you're not? Stop pretending you're some wounded soul. Now that they've broken up, isn't this your perfect chance to swoop in? Why don't you transfer to Class 2 and cozy up to Xu Xiaoyi instead?"
"I'm nothing like you!" Lu Ziyang's face flushed red as his intentions were laid bare.
In truth, these past few days, he had seized every opportunity to comfort Xu Xiaoyi, sending her countless messages throughout the day to ensure she wouldn't dwell on the breakup.
"Such a lapdog," Yaxi remarked, a smirk tugging at her lips.
"Aren't you just as obsessed with Chen Ling?" Lu Ziyang retorted sharply. "How pure do you think your motives are? Sure, he initiated the breakup—but don't misinterpret things. He did it because he's head over heels for Xu Xiaoyi, which is why she's so upset. There's no betrayal or dramatic fallout between them, like you seem to hope for. They're still deeply in love…"
As he spoke, his voice faltered, losing its initial vigor until he ended up feeling sorry for himself.
He slumped forward, head bowed like a dejected puppy. Watching him, Yaxi couldn't help but find amusement in his misery.
"You're quite the strategist, aren't you? Hurting others while destroying yourself in the process," she quipped. She carefully organized her notes into a neatly bound booklet, each page color-coded by subject, key points highlighted, and errors meticulously analyzed. Only after slipping the cover onto the notebook did she finally address him: "You're mistaken. I'm not blindly pining for Chen Ling, nor am I hoping for their relationship to fall apart. As for why he broke up with her—even someone as clueless as you could figure it out. So how could I not understand?"
She understood better than anyone.
But how could fleeting teenage infatuations be called love? It was merely a brief romance, destined to fade. What the future held, no one could predict.
Yaxi curled her lips into a faint smile, strands of black hair cascading from her shoulders down her back. Leaning one hand on Lu Ziyang's desk, she fixed her gaze on him.
For the first time, Lu Ziyang noticed the size of her eyes. Her pupils were ink-black, deep and inscrutable, framed by sparse yet thick lashes that curled upward like a cat's.
Unfortunately, her complexion left much to be desired, and her facial structure lacked refinement, almost squandering the beauty of those striking eyes.
"Do you know why Xu Xiaoyi likes Chen Ling?" she asked, her voice laced with mockery.
Caught off guard by her piercing stare, Lu Ziyang shook his head.
"Because he's more patient and smarter than you. All three of us grew up together, and you're not unattractive either. But when Chen Ling entered the picture as an adoptive son years later, he still managed to win her affection. Clearly, it's because you never truly persisted in pursuing her. Now that he's stepped aside, the opportunity is yours—but here you are, playing the noble martyr, refusing to make a move. If Chen Ling ever returns, you'll simply sit back and watch them reunite."
Lu Ziyang had no counterargument.
Back when they were younger, Xu Xiaoyi had always trailed behind him. He had liked her for a while before growing irritated by her constant presence. By the time Chen Ling joined their group, inserting himself between them, Lu Ziyang realized too late that Xu Xiaoyi had blossomed into someone radiant—someone he no longer had the right to claim.
Frustrated, Lu Ziyang raked a hand through his hair and kicked the leg of the boy sitting in front of him.
"What the hell, Lu Ziyang, are you picking fights again?" the boy snapped without turning around.
"Jealous of my superior legs, huh?" Lu Ziyang sneered, delivering another kick.
After venting his irritation, he sifted through Yaxi's earlier words, zeroing in on the phrase "you're not unattractive either." A sudden realization struck him—perhaps Yaxi found him attractive too.
Propping his arm on the back of his chair, he leaned back with a cocky grin. "Well, if I can't have Xu Xiaoyi, then neither can you have Chen Ling. If you ever decide to set your sights on me, beg me, and maybe—just maybe—I'll consider giving you a shot."
Yaxi stood up abruptly, smacking him on the head with her notebook. "Don't flatter yourself. My standards aren't that low. Not everything is worth swallowing."
Ever since that day in the snow when he had berated her, Yaxi had dismissed him entirely, unwilling to show even a shred of deference.