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墨書 Inktalez
"Sophomore year is a turning point, and the academic workload will be heavier. For an ordinary person, these two years are the most important in life, and there are no second chances. You were once my most reliable student, but I can clearly see that your attention has been wandering lately. Your current state of learning worries me a bit. Just look at your ranking in this month's exam; how did you slip so far down? Are you struggling with any particular subject?"
No matter how much the Teacher pleaded, Feng Ning only replied, "I'm sorry, Teacher. I'll adjust as soon as possible." If pressed further, she would add, "There are some family matters," but that was all she would say.
Teacher Tie had no choice but to let her return to class.
In the afternoon, Qilan was undergoing chemotherapy, and Feng Ning took a day and a half off to accompany her at the hospital. She returned to school the following evening. As she sat down in the classroom, she was busy organizing her things.
A voice called out to her:
"—Your comprehensive science paper."
Looking up, she saw Jiang Wen. He had just finished playing basketball, holding a bottle of mineral water in his hand, still sweating, with his sleeves rolled up above his elbows.
"Thank you," Feng Ning replied casually.
Although they were in the same class, she could hardly remember the last time she had seen him.
Feng Ning briefly recalled that it hadn't been long ago.
It seemed like just a few days earlier when she had finished eating in the cafeteria and ran into Jiang Wen and Pei Shurou talking at the supermarket entrance; he had a slight smile on his lips. She pretended not to see them and deliberately walked around them.
"I got first place this time," Jiang Wen suddenly said.
"What?" She was momentarily taken aback, still confused.
"Class first, grade first."
Feng Ning realized he was talking about the exam results. She nodded and commented, "Not bad, congratulations."
Jiang Young Master responded with a nasal hum, maintaining his usual arrogance.
For a mere jest, he had been competing with her in silence until now.
Somehow, one of his words relaxed a nerve in her mind. Feng Ning's mood improved; she took a couple of breaths of fresh air, smiled slightly, opened her comprehensive science paper, and began reviewing the mistakes at the top.
She had only gotten the first part of the last physics question right.
She hadn’t attended class that morning and didn’t know if it was just a calculation error or if her entire process was wrong. With two days' worth of homework left undone, she didn’t have time to recalculate everything.
With no one else to consult at the moment, Feng Ning called out to Jiang Wen who had just sat down, "Can I borrow your paper for a moment?"
Their seats were separated by an aisle. In the same row, Feng Ning sat in Group Four against the wall while he sat in Group Three near the aisle.
"Why did you write the process for the last physics question so simply? I don't quite understand it."
Jiang Wen thought for a moment, "The teacher said this question is beyond the syllabus and needs to be solved using limits. If you can't write it, just leave it blank."
"How can that be?" Feng Ning said casually, beckoning him over. "If you can write it, why can't I?"
"I've won awards in physics competitions." That being said, Jiang Wen still got up and sat down next to her.
Feng Ning handed him a piece of scratch paper. "Start your performance."
Seeing Jiang Wen's hand resting on the edge of the desk but not moving, she asked, "What are you doing, acting all high and mighty?"
"You just..." Jiang Wen's obsessive-compulsive tendencies kicked in. "Don't you have any clean paper?"
"Aside from the few formulas I just wrote, what's wrong with this paper?" Feng Ning replied, confused.
He answered reluctantly, "It's not very clean anywhere."
It was the first time she had encountered someone who needed pristine paper to explain a problem. Feng Ning chuckled softly, "Young master, you really need to change this pretentious habit of yours."
Jiang Wen propped his left hand on the stool and held a pen in his right hand, explaining while writing the process on the paper.
His handwriting and appearance were completely opposite.
—As delicate as his looks were, his handwriting was extremely messy.
Feng Ning thought to herself that she should give Jiang Wen a calligraphy book someday. A handful of rice scattered on the paper would look neater than his writing.
She sincerely said, "Jiang Wen, with handwriting like yours, it really doesn't match your fussiness about scratch paper. Isn't that a waste?"
He paused his pen, speechless. He shot her a glare. "Do you still want to listen?"
"Yes, yes!"
"Set the circle tangent to the right boundary of the magnetic field at point D; the radius of the particle's trajectory in the magnetic field satisfies this." As he spoke, he wrote out a formula with flair. "Then use geometric relationships to derive using limits."
Jiang Wen's thoughts were clear, and he explained the problem quickly. He liked to look at people while explaining, and his naturally upturned eyes lacked emotion but seemed to convey deep feelings.
She slightly zoned out and didn't catch his previous steps clearly, asking in confusion, "How do you calculate the time for the small ball moving in the magnetic field?"
"A few equations are combined," Jiang Wen endured for a moment. "Were you even paying attention?"
"Ah, I'm tired. My reactions are a bit slow," Feng Ning rubbed her eyes and patted her face. "Alright, you can continue."
On this hot summer day, her fingers felt unusually cold, causing her to shiver slightly.
Jiang Wen noticed the dark circles under her eyes and unconsciously frowned. "What have you been busy with lately?"
He asked casually and with restraint, keeping a reasonable distance from her.
"There are many things to do. Which one do you want to hear about first?" Feng Ning deliberately spoke lightly. A strand of hair fell beside her cheek as she continued to look at the problem, tiredly sorting through the steps in her mind.
He had a few words on the tip of his tongue but ultimately held them back.
The small ball on the arc seemed to really start moving along its trajectory. Feng Ning shook her head, forcing herself to perk up.
Jiang Wen glanced at his watch; it was exactly seven o'clock. He set down his pen. "You should take a nap."
"Huh?"
"Sleep until seven-thirty, and then I'll continue."
"Oh... alright."
Feng Ning felt both sleepy and weary, no longer pushing herself. She pulled out her school uniform jacket from the drawer, rolled it up, placed it on the desk, and lay down.
*
Zhao Binlin burst into the classroom noisily, calling out, "Jiang—" He received only a faint glance in return. Once he realized the situation, he froze, swallowing the rest of his words.
Turning around, he spread his arms and pushed everyone who was about to enter back outside. "Go on, get out."
"What’s going on?" Xi Gaoyuan shouted. "Where's Jiang Wen? Not in the classroom?"
"Just pretend he's dead."
The summer school uniform was thin; her slender arms were bent as she faced the wall while sleeping, her ponytail brushing against his wrist.
Jiang Wen glanced at the cluster of black hair but remained still, lost in thought.
After a long while, a refreshing night breeze swept in, pulling him back from his contemplation.
Feng Ning had already fallen asleep; her breathing was light and rhythmic. Outside the window stood a tree where a late cicada called intermittently.
Students passed by downstairs, and the wind carried the sound of their conversation far away.
Jiang Wen felt very tranquil.
He put on his headphones and focused on the clock hanging in the center of the classroom.
Flying insects circled around the light, the seconds completing a full rotation, and the minute hand moved one notch.
The moonlight filtering through the window was blurred, yet still beautiful. A male voice sang in his headphones.
"He's a hypocrite and"
"She should be locked up in a cage"
If only time could slow down a bit more.
A little more.
To stop at seven twenty-nine.
The minute hand would never reach its destination.
She would always sleep so peacefully beside him.
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