Probably because it was a weekday, even though the school was open to visitors, there weren’t many people around.
Lin Yu and Lu Ziqing had registered their details on the school’s public account in advance. After showing their confirmation to the security guard, they were allowed in.
Lu Ziqing looked around. “Why is it so empty?”
“The students are in class right now,” Lin Yu explained. “Come on, I’ll show you around.”
Returning to his old school brought a wave of nostalgia to Lin Yu.
In the first few years after graduation, he had found time to visit every year. But as work got busier, it had been five or six years since he last came back.
The school had changed quite a bit—old buildings had been renovated, new traditional-style pavilions had been added, and the landscaping had been redesigned.
But the little convenience store was still the same—tucked into the first floor of the arts building, with a chubby white dog lazily sunbathing beside a bench.
A delicious scent drifted out from inside.
Lu Ziqing was intrigued. “What do they sell here? Smells amazing.”
“Egg pancakes,” Lin Yu said. “Back then, when I was too lazy to go to the cafeteria for dinner, I’d buy one with a sausage from here—five yuan each.”
Lu Ziqing immediately went to buy one.
When he came back, he complained, “The price went up. Now it’s seven yuan.”
Lin Yu: “Prices keep rising. It’s inevitable.”
Lu Ziqing tore open the paper bag and held the fragrant pancake out to Lin Yu.
Lin Yu: “I’ll pass. I’ve had these for years…”
“Don’t pretend,” Lu Ziqing said. “Your eyes have been locked on this pancake since I bought it. Are you really going to tell me you don’t want a bite?”
Lin Yu hesitated, then took a bite.
It tasted just like before.
The pancake was soft, the egg golden and tender, the sauce sweet and savory—each bite was incredibly satisfying.
Sauce dripped from the corner of his mouth, and he awkwardly licked it away.
He pushed the pancake back. “I’m full. I already had noodles earlier.”
Then he realized—giving Lu Ziqing his leftover pancake didn’t seem quite right either.
He had already taken a bite. Not to mention that his saliva was on it—what did it even mean to hand over something he had already bitten? Was he expecting the other person to eat his leftovers?
Lin Yu said, “I’ll go buy you a new—”
Before he could finish his sentence, Lu Ziqing took a big bite and swallowed half the pancake in one go.
Lin Yu: “…”
Lu Ziqing finished eating without a care and tossed the plastic bag into the trash. “Let’s go. Let’s check out your old classroom.”
Lin Yu had no choice but to act as if nothing had happened. “The classroom?”
Lu Ziqing nodded. “Yeah, don’t you want to see your old teachers?”
Lin Yu hesitated. “It’s been years. I’m a little afraid it’ll be awkward…”
“What’s there to be afraid of?” Lu Ziqing slung an arm around his shoulder with a carefree grin. “I’m here. I guarantee I’ll keep the atmosphere lively.”
……
The senior-year teaching building was at the northernmost part of the campus. White walls, green tiles, with towering pine trees in front of it.
“I was in Senior Year Class 19,” Lin Yu recalled. Then, thinking it over, he said, “Let’s just take a quick look from the door and leave. The students are still in class; we shouldn’t disturb their studies.”
Lu Ziqing smirked. “You were definitely a model student back then—the type teachers adored, right?”
“Not entirely,” Lin Yu smiled as a memory surfaced. “I used to secretly eat sunflower seeds and read novels in class when I got bored. But since my grades were good, even if I got caught, the homeroom teacher would just tell me to hide the shells better next time.”
His tone carried a hint of pride, as if he had accomplished something earth-shattering.
“Wow,” Lu Ziqing said, feigning amazement. “So rebellious.”
Lin Yu chuckled. “You never did anything like that in school?”
“Oh, nothing as wild as you,” Lu Ziqing said sarcastically. “I just cooked hotpot in the classroom, sent a teacher who harassed girls to the hospital, and accidentally set the curtains on fire while burning incense.”
Lin Yu stared at him, dumbfounded.
Lu Ziqing sighed. “Compared to you, I really pale in comparison. I need to learn from you—ah, learn more.”
Lin Yu smacked him on the back, his face turning a little red.
“Ow! Domestic violence!” Lu Ziqing dramatically pretended to collapse to the side. “I’m gonna tell the teacher. But what if they favor you just because you were a model student?”
Lin Yu was about to hit him again when the school bell suddenly rang.
“The class bell,” Lin Yu glanced at the time. “That was the third period. One more class, and the morning session will be over.”
As soon as the bell rang, students poured out of the classrooms like floodwaters bursting through a dam.
The two of them squeezed their way to the fourth floor, where Class 19 was located. Lin Yu peeked inside and happened to lock eyes with someone.
Standing at the podium was a middle-aged man with a round belly, wearing a white dress shirt.
The man’s face lit up with surprise. “Lin Yu!”
He enthusiastically tucked his book under his arm and strode over, reaching out for a handshake. “It’s been so long! What brings you back to visit? No work today?”
Lin Yu quickly extended his hand as well. “I’m on leave today, so I thought I’d come by…”
He introduced, “This is my senior-year homeroom teacher, Mr. Xu.”
Lu Ziqing immediately reached out with a bright smile. “Hello, Mr. Xu! I’m Lu Ziqing, Lin Yu’s subordinate. I came with Director Lin to visit his alma mater. He always says you’re knowledgeable and inspiring. Now that I’ve met you, I can see he wasn’t exaggerating.”
Lin Yu was stunned.
When had he ever told Lu Ziqing anything about his school?
And when had he ever mentioned Mr. Xu?
This guy… he could butter people up without batting an eye.
Mr. Xu was delighted. “Oh, you’re too kind… So Lin Yu is doing so well now? He’s already a company director?”
Lu Ziqing nodded with a smile. “To be precise, our company has over two hundred employees, all under Director Lin’s leadership.”
Mr. Xu’s gaze instantly turned more respectful. “Xiao Lin! What a coincidence, the next period is a self-study session. Why don’t you share some study tips with the students?”
Lin Yu’s face turned red. “Ah, well… I didn’t prepare anything…”
“What’s there to prepare? You’re a leader now, aren’t you? Public speaking should be second nature to you,” Mr. Xu said warmly, pulling him into the classroom. “These kids will take the college entrance exam next year. Your talk will be just what they need for motivation!”
Lu Ziqing smirked and chuckled under his breath.
Lin Yu shot him an exasperated glare.
“I’ll grab a chair and sit in the back,” Lu Ziqing grinned. “Gotta listen to Teacher Lin’s lecture.”
….
After Lin Yu finished speaking and answering students’ questions, the morning’s final bell rang.
He shook hands with Mr. Xu to say goodbye.
Mr. Xu was very pleased. “I knew it—someone like you can give a speech off the cuff without any trouble.”
The classroom had been buzzing with excitement earlier, and students had eagerly asked to add Lin Yu on WeChat.
Lin Yu felt a little embarrassed. “I was just saying whatever came to mind…”
Mr. Xu had to rush home to cook lunch for his kids, so he bid them farewell and hurried off.
As they left the building, Lin Yu turned to Lu Ziqing, feeling a bit uneasy. “I… I did okay just now, right?” he asked Lu Ziqing, a bit unsure. “I figured I shouldn’t be too serious. I wanted to say things that would interest them and be helpful…”
Standing before his juniors and his former homeroom teacher, Lin Yu had actually felt more nervous than he did when speaking at his company.
He hadn’t talked about the usual clichés of hard work and discipline. Instead, he spoke of university life—the autumn leaves of the city, the morning mist over distant mountains, the Orionid meteor shower streaking across the sky.
“I remember Romain Rolland once said that ideals and passion are the rudder and sail of the soul’s voyage.”
Lin Yu leaned against the railing, watching the students running below.
“I guess all I can do is be a dream-maker for them. Their yearning for dreams will guide them where they want to go.”
“First place.”
Lu Ziqing suddenly blurted out an unrelated remark.
Lin Yu: “Huh?”
Lu Ziqing: “Among all the great speakers I’ve met in my life, you’re number one.”
Lin Yu stammered a little: “T-That’s quite the high praise.”
Lu Ziqing smiled faintly: “I have plenty of other compliments too. Want to hear them?”
For some reason, Lin Yu didn’t quite dare to meet his eyes.
He had never noticed before how beautiful Lu Ziqing’s eyes were—slightly upturned at the corners, pupils dark as ink, like a piece of glazed glass dipped in black ink.
When he spoke, his words carried a smile, and his eyes narrowed slightly, like a folding fan being closed.
Lin Yu stared at the first button of his collar, trying to find something to say to ease the awkwardness, when suddenly, someone called out to him from the right.
“Lin… Lin Yu?”
Lin Yu looked up, took a moment to recognize the person, then broke into a delighted smile: “Ah, it’s you…”
Lu Ziqing frowned slightly, displeased at being interrupted.
A young man in a black turtleneck sweater, with gentle features, walked straight over and grasped Lin Yu’s hand. “I never expected to see you back here…”
Lin Yu: “Are you here to visit the teachers too?”
The man looked a little shy. “I actually started working here this year—teaching math for the senior class.”
Lin Yu’s eyes curved into a smile. “Ah, congratulations!…”
Ahem.
Lu Ziqing suddenly grabbed Lin Yu’s wrist and carefully brushed along his sleeve, smoothly pulling Lin Yu’s hand out of the man’s grasp. With a serious tone, he said, “Wow, there was a huge bug just now, right on your sleeve.”
Lin Yu tensed. “Where?”
“It’s fine now, I already shooed it away,” Lu Ziqing said with a friendly smile at the other man. “And you are…?”
Lin Yu cheerfully introduced them: “This is Li Yan, my classmate from our first year. We even sat together.”
Li Yan nodded shyly at Lu Ziqing. “Nice to meet you.”
First-year classmate.
Deskmate.
And, from the scent, clearly an alpha.
Lu Ziqing shook Li Yan’s hand expressionlessly, then turned to Lin Yu. “It’s almost time. We should get going.”
“Uh,” Li Yan hurriedly said, “if you don’t mind, let me treat you to a meal at the school cafeteria. There’s a small restaurant on the third floor where you can order dishes. The food is pretty good!”
Lu Ziqing: “That won’t be nec—”
“We’d love to,” Lin Yu said with a bright smile. “It’s been years since we last met. You’ve changed a lot. I remember you used to be so skinny, but now you look much stronger. You even seem more confident.”
Li Yan scratched his head, a little embarrassed. “R-Really? I have been working out recently…”
Then, as if summoning his courage, he lowered his voice. “And I have to thank you for standing up for me in front of everyone back in first year… for encouraging me…”
The two of them started chatting enthusiastically.
Lu Ziqing silently fumed for a long time.
Seeing that no one noticed he had fallen behind, he unhappily followed after them.
Classmates, huh.
Friends through hardship, huh.
Heartwarming reunion, huh.
Hmph.
Watch me tear your little high school romance script to shreds.
[mfn]Author’s Note
Brave Xiao Lu, fear no obstacles![/mfn]
