7. The Male Supporting Character on Campus

This kind of life was full of drive, yet truly exhausting. After finally managing to complete his entire schedule for the day, Chu Xiang snuck out of study hall to the library to read extracurricular books.

In his spare time, he enjoyed reading popular science books on physics, chemistry, and biology—topics like how to make soap, the principles of gunpowder, or how to formulate perfume. Initially, it was just a small, personal interest, but as he read more, he found it genuinely fascinating.

However, having stayed up too late the previous night, he gradually grew drowsy even with his interesting books. His eyelids fought each other until, unable to hold on any longer, he closed the book, curled up on the window-side sofa in a "Ge You slouch," and drifted off to sleep.

When he woke up, he was momentarily disoriented, unsure of what day it even was. As he sat up, rubbing his stiff lower back, he noticed someone sitting beside him.

"Wu Qiyun?" His voice was raspy, his eyes still clouded with sleep.

Wu Qiyun was leaning against the sofa, holding a book. Hearing his voice, she shifted her gaze toward him. "Mm."

Chu Xiang rubbed his hair. "Why are you here? Is class over?"

Wu Qiyun replied, "The homeroom teacher came to check the study hall discipline and noticed you were missing, so I came to find you."

Chu Xiang woke up instantly, but then thought it was strange. "Then why didn't you wake me up?"

Wu Qiyun held up the book she was holding and gave it a shake. "I found this book of yours quite good, so I started reading it and forgot."

Chu Xiang looked at her in astonishment. She started reading? She forgot? Was this something Wu Qiyun would actually do?!

The other party didn't seem to notice his expression. She returned the book and stood up. "Class is over. If we go any later, there won't be any food left in the cafeteria."

"Oh," Chu Xiang took the book and followed her out.

Wu Qiyun asked him, "Are you not sleeping well? Why did you come here to sleep during study hall?"

Chu Xiang had been inspired by her to pivot toward studying business management, so he was willing to talk to her about these things. "...I was reading too late last night, and when I came here to read, I just fell asleep."

Wu Qiyun realized the truth. The look she cast at Chu Xiang as she turned her head changed slightly; she felt a stir in her heart, suddenly realizing that Chu Xiang was more mature than she had imagined.

The conversation flowed well, so Chu Xiang asked her, "Have your family matters been resolved?"

Wu Qiyun lowered her gaze. After walking for a while, she said, "Property division doesn't happen that quickly. I've moved out and am living alone."

Chu Xiang could understand that divorce was never easy for the wealthy, and he felt relieved that Wu Qiyun was able to cleanly cut ties with that chaotic household and move out, handling things with such rationality and efficiency. But upon deeper reflection, he felt it wasn't easy for her to achieve that.

In a family like a quagmire, many people are simply dragged down, both harmed and twisted. In his past life, he had a classmate who became a delinquent out of despair due to his unfortunate family life. By their senior year, that classmate had been imprisoned for murder. Thinking back to when they went to school together in elementary school, that boy’s grades had clearly been better than his own.

"Take care of yourself living alone."

A warmth spread through Wu Qiyun's heart, and she smiled as she agreed.

A few days later, perhaps having heard him mention his plans to study abroad, Wu Qiyun gave him a set of English test preparation materials. They were ones she had found very useful during her own exams, and she shared her experiences with him as well.

Chu Xiang hadn't expected Wu Qiyun to be so thoughtful. Wu Qiyun simply said, "Classmates should help each other."

Chu Xiang peered through his thick lenses, staring into her eyes, and asked with a smile, "Are you planning to study abroad?"

Wu Qiyun nodded. "Yes. These prep materials are the ones I used; they are excellent."

Chu Xiang twirled the prep book with his fingertips, still smiling. "Then let's study together from now on."

Wu Qiyun frowned. She wanted to say that she had already finished her exams and that Chu Xiang’s progress was completely different from hers... but in the end, what she said was, "Okay."

Hearing this, Chu Xiang beamed, revealing his white teeth. There was something about his expression that felt a bit like a mischievous triumph.

He rarely smiled like that; usually, he was reserved and quiet, and he certainly never had a "mischievous" look. Wu Qiyun felt dazzled by the light reflecting off his teeth, and her head felt a bit dizzy.

Though they called it "studying together," it wasn't much different from before, except that during free periods, they would go to the library's study room to study together. Occasionally, Wu Qiyun would help him solve a problem or two that he didn't understand.

Chu Xiang admired Wu Qiyun; she was always full of energy every day, seemingly never tiring of solving problems and reading books. He couldn't keep up; if he stayed up too late at night reading difficult business materials, he would be incredibly sleepy during the day, sometimes unable to stop himself from nodding off on his desk.

After all, this wasn't his first time as a high school student. His focus was primarily on the company, and his studies were just something he carried along on the side.

However, as a top student, Wu Qiyun couldn't understand Chu Xiang’s habit of sleeping in the study room. She had woken him up before, but Chu Xiang would just look at her with bleary eyes while slumped over the desk, looking pitiful: "I was reading company materials until one in the morning, I'm so tired..."

After that, she couldn't bear to wake him again.

Later, she got used to it. Sometimes, when she felt frustrated by a difficult problem, she would turn her head, see his quiet, sleeping face, and suddenly feel calm again, her study fatigue dissipating.

But even a top student is human. Being human, watching oneself work diligently while the person next door slept like the dead could be annoying—especially when the person next door would ask her to help grade his completed practice papers before he fell asleep.

Wu Qiyun would angrily slap the graded test paper onto that harmless, sleeping face.

Chu Xiang would wake up in a start and reach out to grab the paper, catching her hand as it pressed against his face.

Wu Qiyun would quickly pull it back.

Chu Xiang would shake off the sleepiness, holding the paper, then sit up and tilt his head to look at her, his tone innocent: "Are you angry? You're so fierce..."

Wu Qiyun: "No, I'm just urging you to get up and correct your mistakes."

Chu Xiang: "Really?"

Wu Qiyun looked back with a calm expression: "Really."

Chu Xiang chuckled, leaning his body toward her until his shoulder bumped hers. "A'Nan said we should go to the grasslands for the summer break. If my ranking doesn't drop in these final exams, I'll treat you to the trip as a thank you. How about it?"

Wu Qiyun subconsciously said, "I have tutoring during the summer break..."

Chu Xiang: "It's only for a week; we can squeeze in the time. Don't worry, there will be several other girls."

Wu Qiyun pursed her lips.

Chu Xiang stared at her face, leaning in. "Go. I'm treating you. This time, it's an adult trip."

Wu Qiyun looked away and, as if by some strange force, nodded.

Chu Xiang smiled immediately, satisfied, and sat back to continue his work.

Wu Qiyun began to feel heat rising in her face, certain that it must be burning red. Afraid he would notice, she kept her head down, picking the most difficult problems to work on. After solving two, she finally calmed down, her mind filled with the logic of the problems she was stuck on, completely forgetting about the distracting Chu Xiang.

Chu Xiang admired Wu Qiyun’s self-discipline. She could resist all kinds of temptations and focus on only one thing. Because of this, even when he sometimes really wanted to tease her and pull her attention his way, he would secretly hold back, unable to bear destroying her focus.

And so, through all that studying, the final exams arrived.

Just as Chu Xiang had set his goal, his grades did not drop; in fact, he moved up one place. When the results were handed out, he reached out to tug at the ponytail in front of him.

Wu Qiyun turned her head.

Chu Xiang unfurled the grade slip and waved it back and forth in front of her, smiling.

His desk-mate, Jiang Yuan, looked at him curiously and teased, "Chu Xiang, are you really showing off your grades in front of the study committee member?"

Wu Qiyun shot Chu Xiang a look and then turned back without a word.

Chu Xiang stretched his arm across the desk, pulling at that ponytail again and again. No matter how far she moved it, his long arms were always able to reach it.

Wu Qiyun finally got annoyed and whipped around. "I know!"

Chu Xiang laughed.

Jiang Yuan’s eyes darted between the two of them. "What’s that supposed to mean?"

Chu Xiang didn't explain, instead leaning over to look at Jiang Yuan’s scores. "What place did you get this time?"

Jiang Yuan instantly lost his gossipy mood. "Eighth, but my grade ranking dropped." He was incredibly dejected.

Chu Xiang patted his shoulder. "As long as you do well on the college entrance exam, don't put so much pressure on yourself."

Jiang Yuan looked at Chu Xiang with a complex expression and sighed. "I really envy you."

Chu Xiang patted his shoulder, understanding his feelings. He had once been that kind of person, too—with no safety net in life, forced to climb upward constantly, only to be kicked down to the underworld just as he finally reached the peak.

"My life is bitter too. I study until one or two in the morning every day. Look at my dark circles." He leaned in to show Jiang Yuan.

Jiang Yuan was skeptical, but upon closer inspection, it was true. "You're pushing yourself that hard? You aren't just staying up late playing games, are you?"

Chu Xiang pushed him away and went back to sleeping at his desk.

Wu Qiyun, sitting in front, heard every word, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up.

The "adult trip" was scheduled for mid-July, because the beginning of July marked the anniversary of Chu Xiang’s parents' death.

Early in the morning, Chu Xiang went to the cemetery, and his uncle's family came as well. Chu’s father had been an only child, and his mother had only one younger brother, so his uncle was his only close relative.

His uncle and aunt prepared fruit offerings, each carrying a bouquet of white chrysanthemums. The four of them stood before the tombstone, talking about what had happened over the past year.

His uncle said that Chu Xiang had become mature and started handling company affairs; his aunt said that their little cousin had started middle school and loved musical instruments, with a talent just like her aunt—wishing that "Sister, if only you were still here."

Chu Xiang stood there, listening, and the emotions from the bottom of his heart welled up, his eyes growing hot.

Leaving the cemetery, he had a meal at his uncle's house. As for their suggestion for him to move in with them, he refused, just as the original owner had done.

His little cousin was very lively; she seemed to want to talk to him but was also a bit afraid of him. Wherever he went, she would follow him without drawing too much attention.

Chu Xiang noticed and found it somewhat amusing, so he tried to be as gentle and patient with her as possible.

Once the little girl saw that, she immediately took advantage of the situation, leaning on the sofa and asking, "Brother, why don't you come stay for a few days during the summer break? We can go to the theme park; I want to go!"

Chu Xiang said, "I'm going on a trip in a little while."

The little girl’s eyes lit up. "I want to go too!"

Chu Xiang thought of Wu Qiyun. She wasn't familiar with the friends from the residential compound; if his little cousin went, she could play with Wu Qiyun and they could share a room, so he agreed.

The little girl was so surprised her eyes went wide, and she immediately ran off to tell her parents the great news.

Chu Xiang hadn't expected such a big reaction, and he laughed after the surprise wore off. The little girl really did like this brother of hers; it was just that in the past, he had been too "cold and aloof," and despite their good relationship, he had never been very close or warm.

He thought of his past life again. In that life, his cousin had detested Cheng Jin, to the point where she didn't want to see or hear about her. In truth, it was because she was heartbroken for her brother.

He spent the afternoon at his uncle's house and left in the evening. Chu Xiang didn't go home. Instead, following the original owner's habit, he went to a street intersection during a time of low traffic.

There was a flower shop by the intersection. Just like every year, he walked in and bought a bouquet of white chrysanthemums.

"Senior?" A surprised voice rang out from behind him.

Chu Xiang turned around and saw Cheng Jin wearing an apron.

It suddenly occurred to him: Yes, of course, this was also a place where the original owner had intersected with Cheng Jin.

There is always a special reason why one person remains unforgettable to another. Chu Xiang’s inability to let go of Cheng Jin was because she had appeared just when he was in his darkest hour, providing a splash of color and a glimmer of light.

Today was his lowest day. This year, having lost his grandfather, felt even gloomier than the previous anniversaries—and then he had met Cheng Jin.

She personally wrapped a bouquet of white chrysanthemums for him and watched him leave.

Chu Xiang followed his usual custom, placing the white chrysanthemums by the side of the road at the intersection. Then, regardless of whether the ground was dirty or not, he sat down, watching the endless stream of traffic and quietly zoning out.

Cheng Jin stood at the entrance of the flower shop, looking at the back of the figure not far away.

The flower shop owner walked over. "What are you looking at?" Seeing that back, he understood. "There was a car accident at that intersection. A couple died. Ever since then, every year, this child comes to pay respects to his parents. Ever since I opened the flower shop, I’ve seen him on this day every year. It’s quite pitiful."

Cheng Jin was filled with astonishment; she would never have guessed that this was the case.

Sitting by the road, Chu Xiang was releasing the sorrow that belonged to the original owner, letting it spread, and then gradually pulling it back as time passed. He felt the original owner's emotions, as if he were seeing his own parents. When he left that world, were his parents just as sad? Did they remember this day year after year, and from then on, in the 365 days of every year, was the undertone of this day forever grey and sorrowful?

The sky gradually darkened. The original owner's emotions slowly dissipated, and his own mood calmed down.

He moved his slightly numb legs and stood up.

As he walked back a few steps, he encountered Cheng Jin, who had caught up with him.

"Senior, the flower shop is closing. These extra flowers, take them!"