《为爱唯爱(英文篇)》江枫不眠

1、不期而遇的朝阳 ……

　　September in Nanchong still carried the fierce bite of the lingering summer heat. The afternoon sun filtered through the towering camphor trees of Nancheng No.1 High School, casting dappled shadows across the asphalt. The air was thick with the distinct scent of sun-baked rubber tracks, mingled with the faint, elusive fragrance of osmanthus.

　　Inside the classroom of Class 3, Grade 11, the ceiling fans whirred lazily overhead, seemingly powerless against the stifling heat.

　　Lu Cheng'an sat in the back row by the window, a black gel pen in hand, his head bowed over a physics olympiad problem. He wore a washed-out white T-shirt beneath a loose blue-and-white school uniform jacket, zipped neatly up to his collarbones. The sunlight traced the exquisite contours of his profile—the high bridge of his nose and his slightly lowered lashes making him look like a figure stepped out of a serene oil painting.

　　"Cheng'an, wanna play some ball?" The chubby guy in front turned around, trying to coax the class's unshakeable anchor into joining them.

　　Lu Cheng'an didn't even lift his head. The pen glided smoothly across the scratch paper as he replied in a voice as crisp and cold as ice, "No."

　　The chubby guy, long accustomed to this young master's aloofness, pursed his lips and turned back. Lu Cheng'an was the most talked-about figure at Nancheng No.1 High School, not just for his flawless face, but for his undisputed reign at the top of the grade and his absolute indifference to everything. Some called him aloof, others found him boring, yet no one actually dared to mess with him.

　　The teacher, radiating a warmth like a little sun, sighed helplessly, "Alright, stop lingering in the doorway. Come in, everyone. Let's give a warm welcome to our new classmate, Zhang Heyu."

　　A smattering of applause broke out, but most eyes remained glued to Zhang Heyu.

　　Zhang Heyu seemed entirely used to such attention. He waved generously to the class, his gaze sweeping across the room before landing precisely on the only person in the back row who wasn't looking at him—in fact, the boy was staring back at him with a chilling glare.

　　Their eyes met.

　　Lu Cheng'an's gaze remained as still as a placid lake, carrying even a faint trace of annoyance at being disturbed. Zhang Heyu, however, seemed inexplicably drawn to him. The smile on his lips deepened, his bright eyes locking onto Lu Cheng'an, as if he had just discovered a fascinating new toy.

　　The homeroom teacher cleared his throat. "Zhang Heyu, your seat..."

　　Scanning the room, the teacher noticed that the only empty seats were in the front rows. Given Zhang Heyu's tall stature, sitting up front would be quite cramped.

　　"Lu Cheng'an," the teacher suddenly called out.

　　Lu Cheng'an lifted his eyes, responding with a faint, "Hmm?"

　　"Let Zhang Heyu take the empty seat next to you. Since your grades are excellent, you can help the new student settle in."

　　The knuckles of the hand holding the pen turned slightly pale. Lu Cheng'an glanced at the spacious empty seat beside him—a rare "private sanctuary" he had fought hard to secure.

　　"Teacher, I'm not used to having a deskmate," Lu Cheng'an said, his tone still icy and carrying an unmistakable edge of refusal.

　　The teacher wasn't having it. Frowning, he said sternly, "This is a decision made by the class committee. Follow the arrangement. Zhang Heyu, go take your seat."

　　Zhang Heyu had been waiting impatiently. Hearing the teacher's words, he immediately grabbed his basketball and strode over to Lu Cheng'an's side, bringing a fresh breeze with him.

　　"Hey, deskmate. I'm Zhang Heyu. Zhang as in the bow radical, He as in illustrious, and Yu as in universe," he said, shoving the basketball under the desk before plopping down onto the chair beside Lu Cheng'an. He leaned over, his face breaking into a brilliant, sunlit smile.

　　The distance between them vanished in an instant. Lu Cheng'an could even catch the faint scent of Zhang Heyu's shower gel, a blend of sunshine and sweat that invaded his senses with an undeniable, aggressive charm.

　　Lu Cheng'an ignored the enthusiasm. He merely cast a cold glance at the boy before withdrawing his gaze and returning to his calculations on the scratch paper.

　　"Don't be so cold. We're deskmates now, so please take care of me," Zhang Heyu said. Undeterred by Lu Cheng'an's frosty demeanor, he leaned in closer as if discovering a new continent, his eyes falling on the physics problem. "Wow, olympiad problems? You're amazing. I can't make heads or tails of this."

　　Lu Cheng'an finally stopped his pen.

　　He turned his head, his dark, profound eyes staring directly into Zhang Heyu's. They were less than ten centimeters apart.

　　Zhang Heyu froze under his gaze, his heart inexplicably skipping a beat.

　　"Back off," Lu Cheng'an murmured, his thin lips parting to release four freezing words.

　　Zhang Heyu blinked, his smile only widening. Instead of retreating, he rested his chin on one hand, watching Lu Cheng'an with profound interest. "Deskmate, you're incredibly handsome. Why are you so cold? Like a little iceberg."

　　Lu Cheng'an's eyes darkened instantly. Looking at this audacious transfer student, an inexplicable wave of irritation rose in his chest. He despised people who lacked a sense of boundaries.

　　"Zhang Heyu," Lu Cheng'an called his name, his voice low.

　　"Here! Right here!" Zhang Heyu answered instantly, his eyes sparkling.

　　"Move your basketball further away." Lu Cheng'an pointed to the ball under the desk, which was dangerously close to rolling against his foot. "And don't talk to me randomly during class."

　　Following his finger, Zhang Heyu obediently kicked the ball back to his own side. He then mimed zipping his lips, signaling that he would keep quiet.

　　Yet, his eyes were still laughing, brimming with a sly, mischievous light.

　　Lu Cheng'an took a deep breath, suppressing the dark shadows in his eyes, and lowered his head once more.

　　Outside the window, the cicadas continued their deafening chorus. The sunlight pierced through the gaps in the leaves, casting a distinct, invisible boundary line across the desk between them.

　　Watching the slender fingers that had resumed holding the pen, Zhang Heyu's lips curved into an almost imperceptible arc.

　　Interesting.

　　This seemingly icy, top-tier deskmate was far more entertaining than he had imagined.

　　And though Lu Cheng'an appeared focused on solving the problem, the tip of his pen had already strayed from its intended path, leaving a long, dark streak of ink across the paper. In his peripheral vision, nothing remained but the radiant, sun-like presence beside him, emanating heat.

　　He knew, with absolute certainty, that his once tranquil high school life was about to be thoroughly, irrevocably disrupted by the guy named Zhang Heyu.