Chapter 42: Shadow
The first class in college was at 8 AM, but everyone in the dorm woke up early, bustling around in the cramped space, washing up, getting dressed, and walking out with their new books, full of excitement for their first university class. The campus was filled with such students.
But the thriving campus scene would probably fade soon, perhaps in just a week, or even sooner. Eventually, even arriving to class on time would become a luxury.
Su Yu was the last to get out of bed, fast-forwarding to the numbness that would set in a week later. The messy morning in the dorm felt familiar yet strange. Some things, even experienced twice, never grew old. But some things, even experienced just once, were too painful to even recall. But in life, there are always shadows, and even with a second chance, he had to face them.
There was still some time before class, so Gu Chuan and the others clamored to go to the cafeteria for breakfast. They walked with their arms slung around each other’s shoulders, like the small-time gangsters who always called each other “bro.” Although Su Yu was a reluctant participant, he separated himself from them as soon as he entered the cafeteria.
Perhaps because it was the first day of school, the cafeteria was unusually crowded. Su Yu looked at the long line of breakfast stalls, unsure what to eat. In the end, he chose a steamed bun shop, not because he wanted steamed buns, but because the line wasn’t too long.
Su Yu scrolled through his phone while waiting in line. Of all the people he knew before, not many would stay in touch after he went to college. Xia Qian Ge might be one, and Chen Kai would occasionally send him a message, mostly about seeing Mo Yufei at the university and even talking to her. But the person who messaged him the most… was He Mu Qing. She would ask him about some problems and complain about the hardships of senior year.
He wasn’t a very good comforter, he had never been. He Mu Qing always called him a blockhead, but she would still tell him things she wouldn’t tell her parents. Su Yu would just listen with a chuckle, occasionally offering some advice, but never saying too much.
The girl was generous and beautiful, and she would definitely have a bright future. So even under the guise of helping her, interfering with her life would be a selfish mistake.
Su Yu glanced at the line; he was almost at the front. His phone suddenly vibrated, a notification sound. Someone had accepted his friend request.
He frowned and looked at the new friend in his contact list. The profile picture was of a woman sitting in a hospital room, looking out the window, in black and white. The woman sat in the shadows, her face obscured, giving off a cold and gloomy vibe.
Normally, Su Yu would have dismissed it as a generic, moody profile picture. But for some reason, he felt that this picture was real, as if he could see the person behind the screen.
Su Yu thought about it. He hadn’t added any new friends since coming to Qingchuan. Why would…
The woman from the bar? He suddenly remembered the woman he had met at the bar. This was a chain reaction, because this profile picture… was so similar to her style, mature… cold and aloof.
The woman had given him her contact information, but after that day, his friend request had gone unanswered. Su Yu had assumed she had just been polite and didn’t actually want to be his friend.
Su Yu didn’t think much of it. After all these days, he could barely remember her face. He only remembered her sitting in the dark corner of the bar, drinking alone, the liquid moistening her red lips, glistening seductively in the dim light.
But now she had suddenly accepted his friend request. Su Yu deliberately waited for a while, but the woman didn’t send him any messages. It seemed her acceptance had been an accident.
He was about to check her moments when a sudden movement behind him made him instinctively turn off his screen. Someone had bumped into him. He turned around and saw a small figure, a head shorter than him.
“I’m… I’m sorry. I accidentally dozed off.”
An Zhi’s round, deer-like eyes were hazy with sleep, a few strands of messy hair falling behind her ears. She looked like she had woken up too late to get ready.
“You can fall asleep while standing?” Su Yu found it amusing and smiled. “You seem a bit clumsy.”
“No… it’s because I saw you standing in front of me, Su Yu, that I… I couldn’t help but fall asleep.”
An Zhi lifted her head, as if trying to argue, but her voice grew quieter. She wrinkled her nose and lowered her head again, muttering stubbornly, “I’m not clumsy. I got into Qingchuan University. I was first in my class.”
“Here, your steamed buns. A consolation for someone who is all alone.”
“Huh? For me?” An Zhi looked at the two large steamed buns in Su Yu’s hand and swallowed, then hesitated. “Actually, I wanted to…”
“Don’t worry, they’re meat-filled.”
“Okay, thank you.”
A smile bloomed on An Zhi’s face. She took the steamed buns from Su Yu and blinked her big eyes. “I’ll go buy soy milk and get us a seat.”
The girl skipped away, her ponytail swinging behind her, revealing the snow-white skin of her neck, dazzlingly white.
…
“An Zhi, do you remember me? I’m Gu Chuan, from the party…”
“I’m Lu Siyuan, Su Yu’s roommate.”
“Chu Feng.”
“Hi… hi everyone.” An Zhi smiled nervously, her words coming out a bit jumbled.
“An Zhi, are you living alone with students from other majors?”
“Yeah, I came late for registration, so there was no other choice.”
“That’s not good. You should get to know your classmates.” Lu Siyuan shook his head, smiling gently. “I’m planning on holding a class meeting next time, so everyone can get to know each other. You can hang out with them more.”
“Okay, okay.” An Zhi nodded obediently.
Su Yu ate his steamed bun, watching them from the side, occasionally receiving a few knowing glances from his roommates. Of the four of them, Gu Chuan was a no-good, Chu Feng was too quiet, and only Lu Siyuan seemed reliable.
Lu Siyuan was someone with high emotional intelligence, especially in front of pretty girls. He was humorous and charming, his words and actions always appropriate, making people feel comfortable, like a spring breeze. This was something Su Yu probably couldn’t achieve even in a second life.
They chatted while they ate, their relationship quickly growing closer. An Zhi was also an easy person to get along with, pretty and soft-spoken, but… a bit naive, too simple.
Feeling bored, Su Yu went back to scrolling through his phone. He still had to like He Mu Qing’s moments from the past few days. He scrolled absent-mindedly and opened the moments of the woman from the bar.
He had no interest in cold, aloof women, so he opened her moments with little enthusiasm. As expected, it was empty, showing only recent posts.
But as he was about to exit, he accidentally saw the woman’s background picture. The moment he saw it clearly, his pupils constricted, his smile freezing on his face, his expression stiff.
The woman’s background picture… was of the front of an elementary school. The name of the school was even clearly engraved on the plaque.
Everything seemed normal, but… why was it his old elementary school?
