I walked to the English classroom in a trance. I didn't even realize that I walked into the classroom after the class started, and it was the first time I was late for an English class.

"Thank you for deigning to join us, Miss Ryan." Teacher Weikang said contemptuously.

I dodged into the classroom and raced to my seat to sit down.

It wasn't until the end of the lesson that I realized that Jack wasn't sitting next to me as usual. I felt a pang of guilt that hurt my heart. But he and Ike were waiting for me outside the door as usual, so I didn't think I was unforgivable. As we walked together, Jack seemed to be back to his old self and began to talk eagerly about the forecast for the weekend. The continuous rain seems to take a break at the weekend, so his trip to the beach should be fine. I tried to make myself as enthusiastic as possible to make up for the disappointment I had brought him yesterday. It's not easy: it rains or not, and the temperature is up to 5°C, and that depends on our luck.

The morning passed in a blur. It was hard for me to believe that what Roger said, and the way he looked at me, was not my own fiction. Maybe it's just a dream that's too realistic, and I'm confused with reality. The likelihood of this idea is much greater than the likelihood that I really have some kind of attraction to him, no matter how small.

So when Mary walked into the cafeteria with me, I was both uneasy and scared. I wanted to see his face and wonder if he had changed back to the cold, aloof man I had known for the past few weeks. Or, by some miracle, I actually heard the words I thought I had heard this morning. Mary babbled on and on about her plans for the ball—both Meisa and Reilis had invited other boys, and they would all go along—completely oblivious to my absent-mindedness.

Disappointment engulfed me as my eyes were precisely on his table. The other four were there, only he wasn't there. Has he already gone home? I followed Mary through the crowd with her mouth never stopping, and I felt like my whole body and mind were crushed. I had no appetite at all - I didn't buy anything to eat, just a bottle of lemonade. I just want to quickly walk away and sit down and chew on the loss in my heart alone.

"Roger Wright is staring at you again." Mary said, finally breaking my abstraction of his name. "I wonder why he's sitting alone today."

I jerked my head up. Following her gaze, I saw Roger. He was smiling crookedly, staring at me. The empty table he was sitting at was at opposite ends of the cafeteria from where he usually sits. As soon as he met my gaze, he raised a hand and gestured with his index for me to come and sit with him. I stared at him in disbelief, and he had to wink at me.

"Is he calling you?" Mary asked, her voice bordering on rudeness.

"Maybe he needs someone to help him with his biology homework." To make her feel better, I whispered and muttered. "Well, I'd better go over and see what he wants."

As I walked over, I could feel her eyes always on my back.

I walked over to his desk and stood unsure behind the chair across from him.

"Why don't you sit with me today?" He asked, smiling.

I sat down mechanically and stared at him warily. He was still smiling. It's hard to believe that such a beautiful person exists in reality. I was so scared that he would suddenly disappear into a puff of smoke, and then I woke up and realized that it was just a dream.

He seemed to be waiting for me to say something.

"It's a little different today." Eventually, I managed to squeeze out a few words.

"Hmm......" He paused for a moment, then decided to finish his sentence in one breath. I made up my mind that even if I was going to hell, I was going to finish it all. ”

I waited for him to say something more explicit. Minutes and seconds passed.

"You know, I don't understand what you're talking about." I finally pointed it out.

"I know." He laughed again, then changed the subject. "I think your friend is mad at me because I stole you."

"They can live." I could feel their annoying gaze on my back.

"I'm not going to give you back, though." As he spoke, a narrow glint in his eyes.

I swallowed subconsciously.

He laughed, "You look worried." ”

"No," I said, but ironically, I broke my voice. "Indeed, a little surprised...... What caused you to change your attitude? ”

"I told you - I'm tired of it, and I don't want to drive myself away from you anymore. So I gave up. He was still smiling, but his black-gold eyes looked serious.

"Give up?" I repeated his words in confusion.

"Yes - give up forcing yourself to follow the rules. Now I just want to do what I want, and let the trivial things go about it. He explained, a smile on his lips a little dim, and a stiff taste spread in his tone.

"You've confused me again."

The smile that was almost gone resurfaced on the corner of his crooked mouth.

"When I talk to you, I always say more than I want to say. -- That's a real problem. ”

"Don't worry - I didn't understand a word." I quipped.

"That's what I'm counting on."

"So, in common English, are we friends now?"

"Friend......" he said thoughtfully, with a look of uncertainty on his face.

"Or not." I said in a low voice.

He grinned, "Okay, we can try." But I'm going to say it first, I'm not going to be a very good friend to you. His smile aside, the warning is definitely relevant.

"You've said it many times." I reminded him to try to make his voice sound normal and not to care about the sudden twitching of his stomach.

"Yes, that's because you don't listen to me. I'll wait until you believe that. If you're smart enough, you should get out of the way of me. ”

"I think your opinion on the topic of my IQ has been repeated many times." I narrowed my eyes.

He smiled apologetically.

"So, if I ...... If we're not smart enough, we're going to try to be friends? "I struggled to come up with this confusing quid pro quo.

"Sounds exactly right."

I looked down at my hands folded over the lemonade bottle, not knowing what to say now.

"What are you thinking?" He asked curiously.

I looked up into his deep, golden eyes, and was immediately mesmerized. Then, as usual, the truth was blurted out.

"I'm trying to figure out who you are."

His jaw tightened, but he managed to keep a proper smile.

"Any progress?" He asked abruptly.

"Nothing has progressed." I confessed.

He chuckled: "Then what is the basis for your theory?" ”

I blushed. I've been torn between Batman and Spider-Man for a month. But I really can't admit these thoughts.

"Don't you want to tell me?" He asked, with an all-too-seductive smile on his lips, and slowly tilted his head over me.

I shook my head vigorously: "It's a shame." ”

"You know, it's frustrating." He complained.

"Nope." I quickly denied it, my eyes narrowing. "I can't imagine why it's frustrating – simply because some people refuse to tell you what they're thinking -- even though they've been haunted by something special about someone, and have been sleeping all night speculating about what someone might be implying ...... So, now, why is this frustrating? ”

He grimaced.

"Or worse," I continued, and the long-suppressed grievances now erupted uncontrollably. "Let's put it this way, somebody has done a whole bunch of extraordinary things—from saving your life one day in the most unlikely circumstances, to treating you like a mustard right thereafter—and he never gives any explanation for them, not even after he promised them. These, again, are not frustrating in the slightest. ”

"You're angry, aren't you?"

"I don't like double standards."

We all looked at each other with straight faces.

His gaze crossed my shoulder, and then, without warning, he snickered.

"What?"

"Your boyfriend seems to think I'm you off - he's thinking about whether or not to come over and end our argument." He snickered again.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I said coldly. "But either way, I'm sure you're wrong."

"I'm not wrong. I'm telling you, it's easy for most people to read. ”

"Not me, of course."

"Yes. You are not included. His tone changed suddenly, and his eyes turned to a pensive look. I really wonder why. ”

I had to look away from his deep gaze. I intently unscrewed the lid of the lemonade bottle, took a big sip, and stared absentmindedly at the table.

"Aren't you hungry?" He asked, trying to distract me.

"Not hungry." I didn't want to tell him that I was so full—holding back the anxiety of my stomach.

"What about you?" I looked at the empty table in front of him.

"I'm not hungry either." I couldn't read his expression - it looked like he had thought of some private joke and laughed to himself.

"Can you do me a favor?" I hesitated for a moment and asked.

He suddenly became cautious: "It depends on the situation, it depends on what you want." ”

"It won't be too much." I assured him.

He waited vigilantly and curiously.

"I just want to know...... Next time you decide to ignore me for my sake, can you give me a heads-up? I'm so prepared. As I spoke, I buried my head in the lemonade bottle in my hand, experimenting with how many turns I had to make to open the cap with my little finger.

"Sounds reasonable." I looked up and saw that he was pursing his lips so that he wouldn't let himself laugh.

"Thank you very much."

"So, in return, I'm going to ask for an answer?" He demanded.

"Just one."

"Tell me one of your theories."

Wow. "Another."

"You don't limit what I can't ask, you just promised, give me an answer." He reminded me.

"In the same way, you have broken your promises." I'm going to fight against an army.

"Just a theory -- I'm not going to laugh."

"No, you will." I'm fairly sure of that.

He lowered his head, then lifted his eyes to stare at me through his long, dark eyelashes. The glow of his black-gold eyes.

"Okay?" He leaned to me and whispered.

I blinked, my mind going blank. Well done, how did he do it?

"Uh, what?" I asked, dazed.

"Tell me, just a little theory." His eyes were still on me.

"Well, well, bitten by a radioactive spider?" Maybe he's still a hypnotist? Or maybe I happen to be one of those pathetic, easily manipulated guys?

"You're not even touched." He teased.

"Not a spider?"

"It's not."

"Nothing to do with radioactivity?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Damn." I sighed.

"Kryptonite can't resist me." He chuckled.

"You said you wouldn't laugh, remember?"

He tried his best to keep his face strained.

"I'll guess someday." I warned him.

"I hope you don't try it lightly." He got serious again.

"Because ......?"

"What if I'm not a superhero? What if I'm the bad guy? He smiled playfully, but his eyes were unfathomable.

"Oh," I said, as if many of the things he had hinted at suddenly came to fruition. "I see."

"Really?" His face sank suddenly, as if he was afraid that he would accidentally reveal too much.

"You're dangerous?" I guessed, and then intuitively realized the truth of what I was telling - my pulse couldn't help but quicken. He's dangerous. He was trying to tell me that all the time.

He just looked at me with emotions in his eyes that I couldn't understand.

"But you're not a bad person." I shook my head and whispered. "No, I don't believe you're a bad person."

"You're wrong." His voice was almost inaudible. He lowered his eyes, encroached on my bottle cap, and played with it in his hand. The cap swirled rapidly between his slender fingers. I looked at him and wondered why I wasn't scared in the slightest. What he was trying to convey was literal - it was too obvious. However, I only felt anxious and anxious...... Also, more strongly than any feeling, I was deeply fascinated. It was the same feeling I felt every time I approached him.

The silence lasted until I noticed that the cafeteria was almost empty.

I jumped up: "We're going to be late." ”

"I'm not going to class today." As he spoke, the cap spun between his fingers, so fast that only a vague outline remained.

"Why not?"

"Skipping classes once in a while is good for your physical and mental health." He looked up at me with a smile, but his eyes were still unsettled.

"Okay, then I'll go." I told him. I'm a coward indeed, so I don't dare to take the risk of getting caught.

He turned his attention back to the cap of the bottle he had temporarily requisitioned: "See you later, then." ”

I hesitated and struggled, but the first bell forced me to rush out the door - I glanced at him one last time to make sure he was still there, not even a centimeter had moved.

As I ran all the way to the classroom, my mind was spinning wildly faster than the bottle cap. Only a handful of questions have been answered, and many more are emerging. At least, the rain has stopped.

I'm lucky. When I got to the classroom, Mr. Ruth hadn't arrived yet. I quickly sat down in my seat, noticing that both Jack and Reilis were staring at me. Jack looked resentful, and Reilis was shocked and in awe.

Then, Mr. Ruth walked into the classroom and told the class to quiet down and listen to him. He struggled to hold a few crumbling cardboard boxes in his hands. He puts everything on Jack's desk and asks him to pass the cardboard box to the class.

"Alright, students, I ask each of you to take a piece from each box." As he spoke, he pulled a pair of plastic gloves from the pocket of his lab coat and placed them on his hands. The shrill rattling sound he made as he tugged on his gloves and pulled them on his wrists was a bad omen for me. "First, it's an indicator card." He continued, picking up a white card with logos on all four corners and showing it to us. "The second, it's a four-tooth applicator—" What he lifted looked more like a sleek shop-haired blade with almost no serrations. "-- and then, the third is a sterile miniature lancet." He lifted a small blue plastic wrapper and tore it open. I couldn't have seen the barb on the needle at this distance, but my stomach was churning.

"I'll walk around the classroom and drop a drop of water on your card with a dropper so it's ready, so don't start until I walk to you." He started at Jack's table and carefully dropped a drop of water into each of the four corners of each card. "Then, I want you to carefully prick your fingers with lancets......" He grabbed Jack's hand and plunged the needle into Jack's middle finger. Oh no. Cold sweat began to ooze from my forehead.

"A small drop of blood on each of the four teeth of the four-tooth applicator." He was still demonstrating, squeezing Jack's fingers until the blood flowed. I swallowed all over my body, and my stomach felt heavy.

"Then apply the applicator to the card." He finished, holding up the card, which had been dyed red at all four corners, to show us. I closed my eyes, tried to ignore the buzzing in my ears, and continued to listen to the lecture.

"Next weekend the Red Cross will have a volunteer blood donation vehicle to Ao Xiang Harbor, so I think it's important for you to know your blood type." He sounded proud. "Those of you under the age of eighteen need written consent from your parents - the relevant forms are on my desk."

He took the dropper and continued to walk around the classroom. I pressed my face against the cool black table, trying to keep myself sane. Around me, my classmates began to prick their fingers, and I heard bursts of screams, whining, and giggles. I began to breathe through my mouth, inhaling and exhaling with difficulty.

"Imia, are you alright?" Mr. Ruth asked. His voice was close to my head and sounded a little panicked.

"I already know my blood type, Mr. Ruth." I said weakly. I really didn't dare to look up.

"Are you feeling dizzy?"

"Yes, sir." I mumbled and kicked myself in the heart so that I wouldn't let my guard down at the first chance and let myself fall into a coma.

"Can anyone take Ruth to the infirmary?" He shouted.

I didn't have to look up to know that the guy who volunteered had to be Jack.

"Can you still walk?" Mr. Ruth asked.

"Yes." I whispered. As long as I can get out of here, I think, even if I climb out, I will climb out.

Jack seemed quite keen on this, and he wrapped one hand around my waist and pulled my arm over his shoulder with the other. I leaned my weight on him and walked out of the classroom.

Jack slowly walked through the campus with his arm around me. I stopped as we walked around the corner of the cafeteria and out of sight of Mr. Jack in Building 4, if he was looking.

"Let me sit here for a moment, okay?" I pleaded.

He helped me to sit on the side of the sidewalk.

"Also, whatever you're going to do, put your hands back in your pockets." I warned him. I still feel dizzy. I knelt in the opposite direction to Jack, pressed my face against the cold, damp concrete pavement of the pavement, and closed my eyes. It makes me feel a little better.

"Wow, Imia, you look blue." Jack said anxiously.

"Imia?" A completely different voice came from afar......