They had actually been at the same school for so many years. If it weren’t for the fear of “bad influence,” her world would probably have been turned upside down by this boy and the people behind him long ago. Cold sweat had already soaked through the white school uniform on Zoe Young’s back as she leaned against the windowsill, staring blankly at Andrew Lane and Ryan Johnson shouting at each other. “Andrew Lane, why are you meddling? Ha, I get it, you like Zoe Young, don’t you?” Ryan Johnson shook his head with a cheeky grin. “You like Zoe Young, Zoe Young is a bastard!” The same insult, passed from one generation to the next—contempt and malice are far easier to inherit than any legacy. Before he finished speaking, Andrew Lane’s fist had already landed. “If she’s a bastard, then you’re fucking unnecessary!” The only two curses Andrew Lane had ever uttered in his life were both for Ryan Johnson. They started fighting, tumbling from the top of the stairs all the way to Zoe Young’s feet. Zoe Young just stood silently on the landing, watching them without saying a word. She stared coldly at the floor tiles, not a trace of tears in her eyes. Andrew Lane, beat him to death.

Zoe Young sat at her desk, her face slightly flushed, watching Andrew Lane apologize to Ryan Johnson under his mother’s scolding. Ryan Johnson, with a bruised and swollen face, wanted to say something, but his mouth wouldn’t open; only his small eyes still shot out anger. The art teacher on duty tried to smooth things over, making the scene lively and noisy, but she just sat alone on the small stool by the door, watching them.

Zoe Young felt extremely uncomfortable and anxious inside. The mix of anger and grievance she’d just felt made her want to shout “Go for it!” when Andrew Lane was hitting Ryan Johnson, but she just stood there blankly and didn’t stop them. Now, finally calm, she looked up at the cold white lights, and at Andrew Lane and Ryan Johnson who seemed less than real under the lights, and she finally sobered up.

Trouble. Zoe Young couldn’t say anything, only looked at the stubborn, downcast Andrew Lane with a guilty expression. Andrew Lane’s mother was furious, and as she scolded Andrew Lane, her gaze would occasionally shoot at Zoe Young like a knife. Zoe Young lowered her head, staring at the laces of her pale blue shoes, and noticed a crack had appeared on the left lace, not very obvious. She stared at that faint crack, so nervous and focused that the back of her head started to ache. “Yu Qing, don’t worry, I’ll take Ranran to the hospital right now. I’m about to be driven mad by this little troublemaker of ours. He’s been causing trouble at home these days, and now he’s even bullying Ranran at math class. I think winning that prize has gone to his head. Just wait till I get him home! All right, don’t get upset, I’ll drive him to the provincial hospital now, you go ahead with your meeting.”

Zoe Young listened to Andrew Lane’s mother’s phone call with her head down, easily deducing that Andrew Lane’s mother and that woman knew each other, maybe even quite well.

At this moment, she couldn’t even find her own heartbeat, but her mind was exceptionally clear. So Charles Johnson knew, so Charlotte Lee knew, so Andrew Lane… must know too. That’s why, long ago, they said: “My mom told me to stay away from you.” The tears that had just been welling up in Zoe Young’s eyes dried up instantly. She looked up, feeling her heart pounding in her chest, but she was completely calm.

She was in trouble. Zoe Young couldn’t say a word, only looked at the stubborn, downcast Andrew Lane with a guilty expression. Andrew Lane’s mother was furious, and as she scolded Andrew Lane, her gaze would occasionally shoot at Zoe Young like a knife. Zoe Young lowered her head, staring at the laces of her pale blue shoes, and noticed a crack had appeared on the left lace, not very obvious. She stared at that faint crack, so nervous and focused that the back of her head started to ache. “Yu Qing, don’t worry, I’ll take Ranran to the hospital right now. I’m about to be driven mad by this little troublemaker of ours. He’s been causing trouble at home these days, and now he’s even bullying Ranran at math class. I think winning that prize has gone to his head. Just wait till I get him home! All right, don’t get upset, I’ll drive him to the provincial hospital now, you go ahead with your meeting.”

Zoe Young listened to Andrew Lane’s mother’s phone call with her head down, easily deducing that Andrew Lane’s mother and that woman knew each other, maybe even quite well.

At this moment, she couldn’t even find her own heartbeat, but her mind was exceptionally clear. So Charles Johnson knew, so Charlotte Lee knew, so Andrew Lane… must know too. That’s why, long ago, they said: “My mom told me to stay away from you.” The tears that had just been welling up in Zoe Young’s eyes dried up instantly. She looked up, feeling her heart pounding in her chest, but she was completely calm.

The art teacher, tired of trying to smooth things over, turned the attention to her: “That little girl, you’re Zoe Young, right? Come here, come here, apologize too. If it weren’t for you, there wouldn’t be so much trouble. Come on, let’s get this over with.”

Why should I apologize?! Zoe Young stood up, finally mustering the courage to look everyone in the room in the eye. She remembered Andrew Lane’s mother’s gaze—the first time she met Andrew Lane’s mother was when she’d gotten Andrew Lane in trouble with the tomatoes and eggs in her lunchbox. Andrew Lane’s mother was a well-mannered but fiercely protective parent, so the restraint and reproach in her eyes were at odds, making her expression very complicated.

Today, her gaze was just as complicated, but this time, reproach and resentment clearly had the upper hand. Keep your head down and avoid trouble, or refuse to admit fault? For the first time, Zoe Young felt truly afraid, but she had to stand tall.

“It’s not Zoe’s fault, it’s all my fault!” Andrew Lane shouted, tilting his face up, only for Andrew Lane’s mother to smack him hard on the back of the head. Andrew Lane immediately fell silent, covering the back of his head and biting his lip, trying hard not to cry. Andrew Lane’s mother lowered her hand, her gaze at her son full of regret and pain, but she still put on a very stern and angry face. Zoe Young leaned against the wall, and suddenly a cold smile crept onto her lips. Under the gaze of the two adults, she walked up to Ryan Johnson. “I’m sorry.” Zoe Young bent over and bowed, speaking softly.

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4. Octopus

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Zoe Young sacrificed her evening episode of “Slam Dunk,” paid with a “sorry,” and got in return a copy of the school-mandated Hua Luogeng Olympiad math textbook, along with a few pages of notes filled with half-finished problems.

Tina Young hadn’t spoken to her in a long time. Not long after the apple incident ended, Tina Young had stormed into Zoe Young’s room, pointed at her for ages without saying a word—maybe because she didn’t know what to say. She thought Zoe Young had claimed the apple for herself, wanted to accuse her, but was too embarrassed to announce that the apple was actually hers.

Unexpectedly, Zoe Young just tilted her head and smiled, then described the whole situation to her from start to finish. “So, how did you get Andrew Lane’s birthday wrong?” Tina Young said nothing, lowered her head, and tears rolled down her cheeks like little golden beans: “They told me.” Her voice was thick with sobs. Zoe Young felt gloomy—no wonder they were so excited to see the expected gift, even showing it off on the playground. After that, Tina Young became very quiet, and, though she’d never liked reading, became obsessed with a novel and eagerly recommended it to Zoe Young.

Zoe Young leaned over her little desk, sneaking a glance at the cover hidden under her math book, just like her. The four big characters on the cover stood out: “Flower Season, Rainy Season.” “What’s the story about?” “It’s about high schoolers.”

Zoe Young gaped. “Is it good?” Tina Young ignored her silly question, sighed softly, and gently stroked the cover with her right hand: “I just read the part where Xinran left her part-time job. She cried, but she didn’t even know why.” Zoe Young never did read “Flower Season, Rainy Season,” but she felt the whole book was already written on Tina Young’s face. That dreamy, longing expression, as if she’d already gone to another world. “Tingting, do you… like Andrew Lane?” Zoe Young put her hands behind her back and tilted her head, trying to steer the topic away from “Flower Season, Rainy Season.” As she asked, it was as if a drum was beating in her heart, and she stared intently at Tilly’s eyes, trying to ignore the pounding in her chest.

Tina Young seemed to have moved past the apple incident. She rested her chin in her hands, gazing out the window, her right index finger absentmindedly tracing the characters on the cover.

“We’re just friends,” Tina Young said. Many years later, whenever Zoe Young remembered the childish tone and affected expression with which Tina Young said those words, she would always laugh. So serious, yet pretending to be nonchalant, putting on a show, and yet completely sincere. Half of the melancholy was imitation, and half was truly sad.

But at the time, Zoe Young was completely stunned, standing there, overwhelmed by a flood of indescribable feelings.

It seemed like envy.

She knew that this attitude must have come from that magical “Flower Season, Rainy Season.” It had changed Tina Young, making her wear a dreamy expression and look at Zoe Young with distance and disdain. Her gaze drifted far, far away, turning Zoe Young, Charlotte Lee, and the others into a blurry background.