Zoe Young shouldn’t be like this. She should have been able to stand there with a blank smile, nod or sigh at the right moments, casually say a few words like “Teacher, I’ll pay attention,” and then continue with her life the moment she walked out of the office.

She promised Alan Carter that she would live well, so naturally she wouldn’t go looking for trouble.

She didn’t know what was wrong with herself.

Zoe Young bowed slightly and said, “Teacher, I’m leaving.” The politics teacher replied coldly, “Call Michael in.”

Zoe Young stood at the door, unsure whether she should wait for Michael or just go back to class. She hesitated for a moment, then suddenly saw Andrew Lane appear from around the corner, holding a stack of papers.

Andrew Lane was still clutching his phone in his left hand. He had originally meant to leave his phone in the classroom, but after thinking it over, he brought it with him anyway.

He hadn’t expected to run right into Zoe Young. As he stood there at a loss, Zoe Young suddenly smiled.

It was as if she knew he was feeling awkward, so she used her smile to tell him she didn’t mind.

At least, that’s how Andrew Lane understood her smile.

To live for an obsession, is for all beings—“Sorry, I didn’t mean it just now, I don’t know what happened, I was being petty, just ignore me.”

Andrew Lane was holding the papers in his right hand and his phone in his left, so he couldn’t scratch his head.

“Delivering papers?” Zoe Young acted as if she hadn’t heard his apology at all.

“Yeah.”

There was nothing left to say, and he’d already apologized. Clearly, there was no need to go to the science museum anymore. Andrew Lane gave a wry smile.

This was the end of it.

He nodded and started walking to the other end of the hallway.

“Andrew Lane.”

“What?” He looked up.

Nervous, very nervous.

“Let’s go to the science museum together.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t play dumb. If you don’t want to go, just say so. I won’t force you.” Zoe Young returned his words to him.

Andrew Lane stared in surprise, mouth wide open. Zoe Young was looking at him, her smile carrying a hint of mischief.

A very lively smile.

Andrew Lane imitated her tone very seriously and said, “Okay.”

Many years later, when Andrew Lane looked back, he would still remember that moment—a beam of sunlight broke through the clouds, shining through the window onto them, as if a melodramatic scene from a TV show was being painted with all its might. Yet the warmth of that light, and the perfect timing, felt as if it would never happen again in his life.

Everyone has a moment when they feel like the whole world is playing a supporting role just for them.

Zoe Young thought for a long time about what was wrong with herself. First, she’d crammed like crazy before the exam, then started blurting things out, and even grinned foolishly at Andrew Lane.

Michael noticed her silence, slung her left arm around her neck, and said, “You know, acting cool in front of the teacher comes at a price.”

“It’s not acting cool. I’ve always been cool.” Zoe Young said with utmost seriousness.

Michael burst out laughing, just like she had when she was standing outside the door earlier.

“Seriously, I don’t get it. Why am I starting to make trouble for myself? I thought... I thought I’d be like I was in first year, that there wouldn’t be any more... Anyway...” Zoe Young stopped joking, but didn’t know how to explain it to Michael, who didn’t know the whole story.

Her words were vague, but Michael didn’t seem to care what Zoe was actually saying.

“Trouble is great.” Michael laughed.

“Getting into trouble is a privilege of youth. Zoe Young, you’re a beautiful young woman.”

Michael laughed out loud again, and Zoe looked up at the ceiling in confusion, letting out a soft sigh.

“When you’re young, you don’t think about consequences. You find someone to love and live your days happily.”

Zoe Young didn’t know why Michael was saying these things, or why there was a hint of despair in her tone. She only saw the sunlight shining on Michael, sparkling with the brightest youth.

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6. When Ryan Lewis fell in love with Hannah May

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“This is a plasma ball, the science museum’s treasure. Almost every science museum has one—it’s a classic! You’ve never played with one?”

Andrew Lane unabashedly grabbed Zoe Young’s wrist, trying to put her hand on the shiny sphere.

“No!” Zoe Young almost curled up into a ball, struggling to free her hand from Andrew Lane’s grip, but she just couldn’t break free.

Andrew Lane was extremely happy, grinning mischievously as he pretended to reassure her: “Don’t be scared, it doesn’t hurt. It’ll just make your hair stand on end, that’s all. It really doesn’t hurt, the current is tiny. Haven’t you ever gotten a static shock when you take off a sweater...”

But what he was really thinking was, Gotcha! I’ve found your weakness, haven’t I?

To live for an obsession, is for all beings—go ahead and scream, even if you scream your lungs out, no one will come save you...

Suddenly startled by his own thoughts, his face flushed, and he shook his head, trying to get rid of such strange and unhealthy ideas.

As soon as he got distracted, he couldn’t control the struggling Zoe Young, and in the chaos, his own hand touched the plasma ball first.

There was a slight tingling at his fingertips, a crackling illusion in his ears. Andrew Lane felt a tingling at the roots of his hair, and when he looked down, he saw Zoe Young standing next to him, eyes wide, staring at his hair.

Then she carefully reached out, stood on tiptoe, and gently brushed her fingertips over each strand of his hair standing on end.

Zoe Young was like a little leopard cub, just venturing out from her mother’s territory to explore the world. Andrew Lane could almost see his own silly reflection in her clear black eyes.

The tingling sensation from his hair traveled all the way down his spine. Andrew Lane didn’t know if the strange pleasure in his heart was from the static electricity or from her.

So he could only stand there awkwardly, not daring to move, keeping his hands above the ball, letting her explore seriously, his senses on high alert, rippling with her gaze. Andrew Lane stared intently at the plasma ball, suddenly feeling the urge to write an ode to Faraday.

Technology is for people.

Andrew Lane turned his head slightly and coughed awkwardly.

Zoe Young, you—you’re too close to me.

But he didn’t say it out loud.

Charlotte Lee had wandered into a forest of mirrors. She was upset, had long since shaken off Jennifer Lewis, pretending they’d gotten separated, but in fact, she was avoiding her partner at every turn.

She’d been paying attention to whether Class One was also visiting the second floor, but after searching everywhere, she hadn’t seen any familiar faces from Class One. Suddenly, she felt her own mindset was ridiculous. She used to text Thomas Chase every few days, though she could never keep it up for more than a couple of exchanges because of his indifference and her own pride. She’d clearly decided to give up, but still felt anxious, and for a moment even wanted to act on the impulse she’d had in the washroom—to apologize to Thomas Chase, or just confess and get it over with.

Charlotte Lee hugged her notebook, looked up at the main mirror, and realized that because of the infinite reflections, she was now standing among countless Charlotte Lees.

Side, back, front—every angle, surrounded by dense images of herself. Charlotte Lee suddenly felt a bit of panic and emotion. She reached out her index finger to touch the fingertip of the girl in the mirror, wanting to ask her: where is the real Charlotte Lee hiding, behind which mirror?

Charlotte Lee rested her forehead lightly against the mirror, closing her eyes in exhaustion.

She hadn’t come in first this time, and she even felt a bit paranoid—whenever she saw people looking at her, or chatting while glancing her way, she always thought they were talking about her failure.

Earlier, she’d seen Andrew Lane and the top student Zoe Young horsing around by the zero-gravity simulator from afar, and all she felt was a heavy sigh.

With darkness before her eyes, she suddenly didn’t want to open them again.

What was the song Andrew Lane used to like?

“The innentan neverst. Wake me up when September ends.” (Innocence never lasts. Wake me up when September ends.) Anyone, please, come wake me up, okay?

Suddenly, she felt someone gently pat her on the shoulder. Charlotte Lee turned around and met Thomas Chase’s gaze.

In the mirror, hundreds and thousands of Thomas Chases surrounded her.

Charlotte Lee’s tears welled up in an instant.

Thomas Chase gave a wry smile. “You’ve been really sad lately, haven’t you?”

Charles Johnson had asked her the same thing, but Charlotte Lee only heard it from Thomas Chase. In her world, only his words echoed, radiating the warmth of early spring.