We ordinary people also need to fall in love.

Tuesday's PE class was the same as Class 1's, but Xing Yi was still nowhere to be seen. He must have gone to participate in some math Olympiad. Last week, when he mentioned it in the meeting room, everyone around could hear him.

The concept of the International Mathematical Olympiad only exists in Li Mubai's knowledge. He is not good at math and does not pay attention to such competitions. He only knows that they seem to be very prestigious. He writes his speech during this physical education class.

Before going to bed that night, Yan Shu sent another message, which he felt was a bad omen. Regardless of whether it was true or not, he had to be careful.

He has always been accustomed to rejecting others with a cold response: brief replies, no emotional engagement, few words and bland remarks.

But this approach doesn't apply to Yan Shu. The two remain poetry study partners, maintaining a partnership without instant replies or daily chats.

"Class, turn to the string section in your textbooks. Today we'll learn about the different types of string instruments..."

There's a music class on Wednesday afternoon, but the students can't concentrate on the music theory; they only care about whether the piece sounds good or not.

"The violin is a Western bowed string instrument that originated in the 17th century. The body is about 35.5 centimeters long and is made of a top, back, and sides glued together. It is mainly made of materials such as spruce and maple... By the way, does anyone in our class know how to play the violin?"

It appears to be a question, but it actually implies something.

Seeing that no one raised their hand, the music teacher continued, "Xie Shu, I remember you played a very nice piece when you were in your first year of high school. Would you like to play it again for the new students today, so that they can experience it firsthand?"

—Speak your mind if you want to hear it.

"Yes, teacher."

"I have a violin in my office. Would any of you guys like to go with Xie Shu to get it?"

"Teacher, it's me!"

Pick me!

"Teacher, look at me!"

The boys were immediately eager to escape the classroom and spend time alone with Xie Shu.

The music teacher glanced around and suddenly pointed: "Hey you, boy over there, since you didn't raise your hand, could you please go and do it?"

"...The music teacher's move is too ruthless," Li Mubai thought to himself. "Wang Rui didn't raise his hand either, so why didn't they call on him?"

"Is the speech draft finished?" Xie Shu asked on the way to the office.

"It's finished."

"Um."

The conversation ended there.

Hey, you blockhead, come up with a topic!

Li Mubai regretted not buying a book on the art of speaking.

He seemed to have nothing in common with Xie Shu, and walked silently to the office.

Li Mubai looked around but couldn't find it.

"Here."

Xie Shu pointed to the black violin case on the table.

"oh oh."

It was placed very obviously, but he didn't know there was such a thing as a violin case.

He tried to lift it, but it wasn't heavy. Why did I have to do it myself?

"Is it okay? Do you need any help?" Xie Shu asked from the side.

"It's alright, class monitor, I'm fine."

He understood; it turned out the music teacher couldn't bear to see Xie Shu doing manual labor.

This was the first time in his life he had ever encountered a musical instrument. Although it was just a violin case, it was enough to make Li Mubai take it seriously, afraid of damaging it.

He doesn't know how much a violin costs, but he's quite interested in it and has a lot of violin pieces on his playlist. However, given his family's financial situation, learning the violin is a difficult task.

Back in the classroom, the teacher paused the song that was playing.

"Here you are. Put your violin here."

After putting away his violin case, Li Mubai, the "tool man," returned to his seat.

The teacher opened the package, took out the violin and bow, and handed them to Xie Shu.

"Class, let's quiet down for a moment. Theory is just theory; you can't truly understand something without practice. Let's have Xie Shu play a piece, and I believe you'll have a more direct experience with string instruments."

Everyone shut their mouths and stopped talking.

Xie Shu has a great figure. Standing on the stage, even in her loose blue and white school uniform, she looks like an elegant swan.

She tilted her head slightly, rested the violin between her chin and collarbone, gently held the violin with her chin and left shoulder, and raised the bow with her right hand to test the tension of the bow.

The bow fell, and a melodious sound rang out, striking the wall and echoing back into the small classroom.

The melody of the zither was long and distant, tinged with a touch of melancholy, as if a person were walking alone in an endless desert, surrounded by vast wilderness, not knowing where to go.

The two-minute piece only came to an end when the last note faded away.

Applause rang out in the classroom, but this time Li Mubai didn't just clap his hands casually.

Great, wonderful! This is true music!

It's a pity that I don't know the song's name, so I can't add it to my playlist.

"Very good, as excellent as ever," the teacher praised.

"Thank you, teacher." Xie Shu bowed slightly, her face showing no joy at being praised; such things were commonplace for her.

After music class, it was time for club activities. Li Mubai was still savoring the violin piece he had just played, trying to memorize the melody so he could hum it to NetEase Cloud Music later and see if they could recognize it.

Xie Shu opened the door to the activity room. The room, after being cleaned, was no longer covered in dust like it was at the beginning of the semester.

This activity room not only has a conference table, but also individual desks. There is a relatively large desk by the window, which is a little distance away from the other members' seats and is the president's exclusive seat.

There wasn't much to do in the literary club's classes. Some members might discuss literature with each other, but most members would find a spot and do their homework on their own. That's how Li Mubai experienced his first year of high school.

Class started, everyone arrived, and Xie Shu briefly explained the rules of the literary society to the new students, after which they were free to do as they pleased.

Li Mubai felt a resentful gaze fixed on him.

...Oh no, I forgot to accept Zhou Ruo's friend request over the weekend. I was only thinking about Saturday, and two days have passed. That's how his memory is; he forgets unimportant things very quickly, after all, his brain is only so big.

But it's alright, it's good to dampen their "spirit".

"Senior Sister Xie Shu, could you please accept my friend request? I have a few questions I'd like to ask you."

Turning around, Tian Yulin contacted Xie Shu, but it seems that Xie Shu did not accept her friend request.

Li Mubai found a seat. He had brought his speech and homework. He would do his homework first, and Xie Shu would probably come to him after he finished talking.

The classroom wasn't big; it seemed like they were doing homework, but they were actually eavesdropping.

"What's the problem?" Xie Shu asked.

"Uh... I forgot. I wrote it down on my phone. I'll ask you on QQ this weekend, senior."

"No need, just write it down and ask again next Wednesday."

Tian Yulin felt a little embarrassed. Where was the crevice in the ground? Could someone please help?

"If you don't have anything else to do, go do your own thing. I'm busy here."

"...Okay." Tian Yulin was slightly unwilling, but she could only step aside and find a seat.

"Did you bring your speech?" Xie Shu asked as he approached Li Mubai.

"I brought it."

"Then grab a chair, let's go over there and discuss this."

Following the direction Xie Shu pointed, that was the president's position.

"OK."

Xie Shu sat in his seat, but when he looked up, he saw that Li Mubai was still carrying a chair.

……

"Sit next to me."

"OK."

Li Mubai placed his wooden chair next to the cushioned office chair. The president's treatment is really good.

He took out his speech draft, and Xie Shu also took out hers. She tilted her head to look at his draft.

The afternoon sunlight streamed through the glass, gently bathing Xie Shu in a dreamlike glow, turning her jet-black hair a pale gold. Was this the Dali Garden effect?