Chapter 6 Dear Passerby
I am a passerby in your life, a passerby who has always loved you.
one
Early on Saturday morning, Xiaoyuan called me to a coffee shop near the school. Although I was a little depressed because I couldn't sleep in any longer, I thought that I could spend a wonderful weekend quietly with Xiaoyuan while enjoying the fragrant coffee and basking in the sun. I thought it was worth it.
But when I got to the cafe, I realized I had been cheated.
Besides Madoka, Hanako-Yin was also there. I don't know where Madoka got the news from, but Hanako-Yin agreed to tutor her on the condition that I would also be present.
I made an expression that said "you betrayed me", and Xiaoyuan smiled at me apologetically, clasped her hands pitifully and raised them to her chest, making a "please" gesture to me. I could only sigh and walk over obediently.
I always can't bear to reject Xiaoyuan.
There was a pile of exercise books on the table in front of Xiaoyuan, and she looked like she was ready to cram for her lessons.
Hanako Yin, who was sitting next to Xiaoyuan, lowered her head and acted arrogant and indifferent.
I ignored him and walked over, pulled out the chair next to him and sat down. He seemed startled and looked up at me in surprise.
I glared back at him: "What? Stop looking surprised as if you're here. Don't you know I will definitely come?" I vented all the remaining anger I had about waking up on Hua Ziyin.
Hua Ziyin was not annoyed. After a second of silence, she squinted her eyes, looked at me with a smile and said, "Of course I knew you would come. I was just wondering where your pink lace bow-knotted clothes are? Your taste today is very high-end and classy. It's a bit unlike you, Song Hexue!"
He deliberately emphasized the three words "Song Hexue" and looked at me with interest.
When he said that, even Xiaoyuan noticed my outfit and pulled me to look left and right: "Hexue, you look really good in this."
I originally thought that today was just a happy Saturday for Xiaoyuan and I to spend together, so I wanted to dress comfortably. So before going out, I put on an ankle-length gray-blue loose windbreaker over my beige dress, and didn't wear those weird lace bow clothes.
Originally, she wore those strange clothes just to hint at Xu Yun. There was no need to dress so weirdly all the time. However, she didn't expect that it would attract Hua Ziyin's attention.
I secretly complained about how boring a person must be to always pay attention to other people's clothes, and said self-deprecatingly: "Because I have gained so much weight recently that those pink lace bow clothes can no longer fit in, and I haven't had time to buy new ones, so I can only wear a torn sack for now."
"You like to see me wearing a pink lace bow dress?" I deliberately put on an expression of disbelief, "Then I'll wear it for you to see next time."
Xiaoyuan couldn't help laughing because of what I said. Hanako Yin looked at me with a look of disappointment, and then pushed the pile of exercise books in front of him towards Xiaoyuan in a huff.
Xiao Yuan was immediately dumbfounded: "This... all of this, do I have to do it today?"
Hanako Yin flipped through the exercise books, took one out and handed it to Xiaoyuan: "You will do this one today."
"Well, what about the others? No, don't we have to finish all of these later?" Xiaoyuan still hasn't recovered from the shock brought by the pile of exercise books.
Seeing that Xiaoyuan was frightened, I quickly spoke up for her: "Hey, Hanako Yin, can you help others with their studies? The key to learning knowledge is to understand it thoroughly, not to do a lot of questions."
Without even looking at me, Hanako Yin moved the remaining pile of exercise books in front of herself and said, "These are what I need to do."
"Ah?" I looked at Xiaoyuan, and Xiaoyuan looked at me. We were both so surprised that we almost bit our tongues. "Don't tell me that this is how you got the first place in your grade."
"What else?" Hua Ziyin replied to us indifferently while lowering her head and flipping through the exercise book.
"Isn't it because you are 'better' than us in IQ?" Xiaoyuan blinked her big eyes and looked at Hanako Yin in confusion.
"Yes, yes." Even I couldn't help but agree with Xiao Yuan. When he was always the top student in Baisha School and I was always second, I accepted my fate and admitted that I was not as smart as him.
Xiaoyuan and I quietly waited for Hanako Yin's answer, hoping that he would say something like that he had been a genius since childhood. This way, we could comfort ourselves that it was not our problem that we could not rank higher than him.
However, after a long time, Hua Ziyin raised her head from her exercise book and looked at me: "You actually want to know why you are always second in Baisha School, and I am always first, right?"
This was a question that had been bothering me for a long time, and I couldn't help but nod. I waited for his answer, but Xiao Yuan shouted as if she had discovered a new world: "He Xue, did I hear you right ? You were always the second in your grade at Baisha School? But why now..."
"But why are her grades so average now?" Hanako Yin raised her eyebrows and looked at me, answering Xiaoyuan's question, "Because she probably wants to look like an ordinary person now."
"Ah?" Xiaoyuan looked at me in confusion, "Was Hexue once an extraordinary person?"
More than just unusual?
Hua Ziyin said nothing and just looked at me with a smile.
I glared at him to prevent him from saying anything that would shock Madoka again.
"Xiao Yuan, don't listen to his nonsense." I said, "What he said was all about before I went to college. You know, it's completely different now than it was before. Physics and chemistry are so difficult now, so since I went to college, my grades have become very average."
"Is that so?" Xiaoyuan believed me immediately. She took out a workbook from in front of Hanako Yin and handed it to me. "Come on, let's work hard together."
"I don't want to." I pushed the exercise book aside, looking helpless. "Anyway, no matter how hard I study, I can't surpass him, and I can't get the first place in the exam. It's meaningless."
"Surpass him?" Xiaoyuan was shocked, as if she was looking at an alien. "Tsuruxue, your goal is to surpass Hanako Yin? Aren't you just trying to get into a slightly better school like me?"
Oops, I almost got exposed again by accident.
"Ah, that..." I quickly changed the subject, "I mean, the first place in the grade was only obtained by doing a lot of questions. It's meaningless."
Hua Ziyin glanced at me coldly: "Do you look down on hardworking people so much?"
"I didn't say hard work is bad, I just said it's more interesting to win first place based on IQ."
Hua Ziyin looked at me in silence. I was feeling proud of myself when he suddenly laughed, "Do you know why I am hardworking? Because I don't need to compete with you in IQ."
"You..." This man was so arrogant that I couldn't help but mock him, "You talk as if you are very hardworking. I remember that someone who was 'hardworking' once overslept and forgot to take an important competition selection test."
Hanako Yin and I were engaged in a heated argument, with Xiaoyuan watching from the side, completely confused and unable to get a word in.
"What? Do you really think I didn't go because I forgot?"
Hua Ziyin stared at me and murmured in a very low voice: "I thought you were so smart that you would understand."
"Understand what?" I had no idea what he was talking about.
"I didn't go because, if I went, someone wouldn't get first place, and if he doesn't get first place, he wouldn't be able to participate in the competition. Do you understand what I mean?" Hua Ziyin looked at me, and spoke each word softly and slowly, but it was as if water drops on the eaves on a rainy day , gently knocking on my heart drop by drop.
He didn't take the exam that time, not because he forgot, but because he did it on purpose because he wanted me to qualify for the competition.
How is it possible? How could someone like Hua Ziyin do such a thing?
He must have said that as usual, wanting to see me make a fool of myself!
It must be like this!
"What a joke! How can someone like you be so kind..."
"Yes." Hua Ziyin interrupted me coldly, "How could I be so kind? So, what I said just now was just a lie, don't take it seriously."
"I won't be fooled, I knew it would be like this..." I breathed a sigh of relief and raised my head, but inadvertently caught a glimpse of Hanako Yin's sad eyes. I was suddenly too flustered to continue, and quickly changed the subject: "Xiao Yuan, what do you want to eat? I haven't had breakfast yet, and I'm a little hungry."
"Ah, how could I have forgotten about this?" Xiaoyuan was fooled and stood up and said, "I'll go get some cheesecake and latte, right? They'll be right there."
Xiaoyuan left her seat, the topic suddenly came to an end, and there was an endless silence between Hanako Yin and me.
