Chapter 50: After Class, She Came Into My Arms (48)

By the latter half of their second year in high school, nearly everyone began to study in earnest. Of course, there were exceptions—Class Twenty-Two was a gathering place for the school’s bottom ranks. The classroom’s learning atmosphere was stagnant, except for one person: Aci.

She sat exceptionally upright, and apart from Lu Yu occasionally teasing her, Aci kept her eyes fixed on the blackboard throughout the lesson. Even during breaks, she held a book in her hands, absorbed in reading. Lu Yu was puzzled by this. How could her grades be so poor when she appeared so diligent?

He wasn’t the only one perplexed—He Rose felt the same. But since Lu Yu spent nearly every hour of the day by Aci’s side, He Rose never had a chance to approach her.

One day during class, Aci sat up straight, and Lu Yu tilted his head to watch her. The teacher lectured endlessly at the front of the room, and Lu Yu noticed that Aci hadn’t turned a single page in her book. He leaned closer and saw those clear eyes of hers, now misty and unfocused.

“Aci?” he called softly.

She turned to him, confusion written on her face.

“Where’s the teacher now in the lesson? I’d like to listen, too.” Lu Yu pretended to open his book.

Aci instinctively touched her earlobe and replied with a smile, “I don’t know, actually.”

“You’re not paying attention?”

“I—I can’t understand it,” she murmured, lowering her head. The delicate tips of her ears flushed red.

She was truly obedient; even if she didn’t want to listen, she still sat there so properly.

He suddenly smiled. “Don’t you get bored?”

Aci shook her head. Actually, it wasn’t so bad. Back when the heavenly Buddhas preached, the Celestial Palace sent several Immortal Lords to attend. Aci listened politely for three days and nights. The other Immortal Lords, upon leaving, cursed the Heavenly Emperor nearly to death, but only Aci felt indifferent. She had always been slow to react; nothing ever disturbed her calm.

Lu Yu reached over and gently ruffled Aci’s hair, his voice soft. “Tomorrow, let’s skip class. I’ll take you out for the whole day.”

Aci pondered seriously for a moment. “Would that be bad?”

“It wouldn’t,” he assured her.

“Alright then.”

“Little Bai, where should we go?”

“How about the amusement park?”

The amusement park—Aci had never been there.

“Is it a nice place?” she asked.

Most children liked amusement parks, and in Lu Yu’s eyes, Aci was just a child who would never grow up. She would surely enjoy it.

He nodded with certainty.

Aci felt reassured. She sat by the window, her fair cheeks, dark eyes, and a gentle smile alight on her lips. The fragmented sunlight softened her features, making her breathtakingly beautiful in Lu Yu’s eyes.

Suddenly, he spoke, his tone gentle, calling, “Aci.”

“Hmm?” The young girl turned her head, sunlight still lingering in her gaze.

Lu Yu’s silhouette suddenly appeared in her eyes, so unexpectedly—yet, somehow, it felt inevitable. He saw himself reflected in Aci’s eyes, and only himself.

I like you.

The words caught in his throat. He wanted to say them, but now felt too abrupt. He should prepare everything: sweet candies, bright roses, balloons scattered across the sky… and a burning heart to say to her, I like you.

But now was not the time.

“It’s nothing,” he said.

“Oh.” Aci lowered her head, rummaged in her bag, and placed a candy in Lu Yu’s palm. Then, secretly, she unwrapped one for herself and slipped it in her mouth. At that moment, she smiled, her brows arching playfully.

Lu Yu suddenly felt unsettled. He wanted to throw away the candy in his hand and steal the one nestled in her mouth. But he lacked the courage.

She would get angry.

Yet… even her angry expression was adorable.