But the very last row, right up against the wall, would get white plaster on you if you weren’t careful—not good. The seat in the second-to-last row, though, was just as inconspicuous, right next to the back door and window, with good air and an easy escape after class. Sometimes, when a pretty girl walked by, you could even exchange a quick, smiling glance.

　　A perfect spot.

　　“Alright, everyone’s found a seat, now quiet down.” Natalie Young stood at the podium, her delicate face clearly showing a lot of shyness and youthfulness.

　　At Natalie Young’s call, the previously noisy classroom gradually quieted down.

　　Brian Bolton also followed the voice and looked at Natalie Young on the podium.

　　“Ms. Natalie Young, we meet again.”

Chapter 010: Class 5, Grade 10

　　“Classmates, first of all, welcome to Shuangdun High School. Let me introduce myself. You already know my name, Natalie Young. I just graduated this year from Buyang Normal College. I’ll be your homeroom teacher and teach you Chinese. In this year of Grade 10, I hope we can all get along happily and work hard together.”

　　As soon as Natalie Young finished speaking, a voice called out from the back row, stirring up the class: “Alright!”

　　Brian Bolton turned to look. It was a short-haired boy, considered handsome among his peers.

　　This was Rachel Jordan.

　　Once an active member of Class 5, Grade 10, captain of the soccer team, one of the most popular figures in Grade 10. Later, he switched to being a sports student and took first place in the school’s 400-meter race at the sports meet. Though a bit domineering—somewhere between a student and a little rascal—he always looked out for his classmates, and everyone respected him.

　　What Brian Bolton remembered most was that when he got into trouble at school twice, it was Rachel Jordan who helped him out.

　　But clearly, Rachel Jordan’s heckling didn’t win Natalie Young’s attention. On the contrary, Natalie Young frowned slightly: “No talking, okay.”

　　Then, Natalie Young began to talk about things to pay attention to in high school—academics, daily life, and so on.

　　At first, she spoke a bit haltingly, but as she went on, she became more fluent.

　　Brian Bolton wasn’t interested in these topics. He just kept scanning his classmates, those he remembered and those he didn’t, and the unforgettable ones.

　　There was a girl with ear-length short hair, sitting in the third row, wearing a short-sleeved plaid shirt that revealed two slender arms, her skin as fair as cream. At the collar of her plaid shirt, a section of her neck, as smooth as mutton-fat jade, was visible.

　　Brian Bolton could see her profile, a few strands of hair tucked behind her ear, her cheeks slightly chubby in a babyish way—very cute.

　　He found himself staring, lost in thought.

　　……

　　“College entrance exams are coming up soon. Which university are you planning to apply to?”

　　Grace Lawson, with her ear-length short hair, sat under a crooked tree at the edge of the abandoned sports field, resting her chin in her hands, her bright eyes gazing at the afternoon sky, where sparse white clouds seemed to be shifting shapes.

　　Three meters away, under another tree with a broken trunk and only half its branches left, a young man with a buzz cut looked lost, but pretended to be relaxed: “Where could I go? Maybe a junior college. But I don’t want to go to a junior college—I want to go out and work. I want to go to Shanghai. Shanghai has Xu Wenqiang!”

　　“I want to go to Shanghai too.” Grace Lawson looked seriously at the buzz-cut boy. “But we should keep studying. University is important for us. I probably won’t get into a university either, but I want to go to a junior college. You should go too. After we graduate, we can think about where to go.”

　　“No!”

　　The buzz-cut boy stood up excitedly, walked over to Grace Lawson, and imitated Xu Wenqiang’s deep tone: “Where I go isn’t important. What matters is that I walk my own path!”

　　Grace Lawson looked at the buzz-cut boy in surprise, at the confidence that burst out in that instant.

　　He wasn’t handsome, nor tall, a bit rustic even, but he had an unshakable confidence: “I want to go to Shanghai. I’ve thought it through. I’ll find a job first—I don’t need to make much money, just enough for a place to stay. I want to write novels. I want to be a writer.”

　　His words rang out with conviction.

　　“Then I support you.” Grace Lawson nodded with a smile. “You have a talent for writing.”

　　“Heh.” Hit by Grace Lawson’s smile, the previously high-spirited buzz-cut boy suddenly became shy, scratching the back of his head. “Not bad, I guess.”

　　Grace Lawson teased, “When you become a famous writer, you’d better not ignore your old classmates.”

　　“How could I? If you come, I’ll roll out the red carpet for you.”

　　“Of course I’ll come.”

　　“Mm.”

　　A sweet feeling lingered in their hearts.

　　Neither of them spoke, as if something called “a meeting of minds” was drifting between them, something to be savored.

　　After a moment of silence, the two got up and walked along the path back toward the classroom.

　　As they were about to turn onto the main road, Grace Lawson suddenly turned around and said solemnly to the buzz-cut boy, “Brian Bolton, I’ll definitely come find you in the future.”

　　The gentle look on the boy’s face melted into a brilliant smile: “I’ll be waiting for you.”

　　The afternoon sunlight filtered through the leaves along the main road, dappling and swaying.

　　Boy and girl, innocent and pure.

　　……

　　“Whew.”