Chapter 7

Ethan and I became desk mates, but we didn't speak to each other for the entire first half of the semester.

He didn't like studying. After class he was basically never at his seat.

I focused intently on the lessons, always listening attentively without distraction.

He even had people help him with homework. During self-study periods he was either napping at his desk or skipping class to go to internet cafes.

Oh, and people were always coming to chat with him, making a racket.

That day during self-study, he wasn't there.

I had stayed up late the night before and was a bit sleepy, so I put my head down on the desk for a while.

I don't know how long it was, but when I drowsily opened my eyes, I met a pair of eyes staring right at me.

Ethan had returned at some point and was lying on the desk facing me, also napping.

But he hadn't closed his eyes. His messy black hair, thick brows and long lashes, deep eyes as bright as stars.

He stared at me motionlessly. When our eyes met, I was startled, but he didn't flinch.

He pushed his tongue against his cheek and said lazily: "There's an eyelash on your face."

This was the first thing he ever said to me.

I instinctively reached up, quickly looking in the small mirror on my pencil case to remove the eyelash.

At the same time, I softly said: "Thank you."

He laughed, propping his head up with one hand while rapidly twirling a pen with the other. His voice was full of interest: "You're welcome, desk mate."

Afterwards, I blushed and didn't dare look at him, opening my textbook instead.

I was an honest child. All my energy in life was devoted to studying.

Top of the class, top few in the grade, everyone had high hopes for me.

Except for my mom Cathy.

She neglected me completely, focused solely on mahjong. If she could spare the time to come home and check on my dad, it was already her greatest kindness to me.

My aunt often said: "For a family like ours, going to school is your only way out."

My cousin also said: "People at the bottom of society don't have many chances to change their fate. Education and work are crucial."

So I kept myself tightly wound, burning the midnight oil throughout high school.

I lived such a tiring life, but also full of hope, longing for fortunes to turn and to escape this sea of suffering.

Ethan was an unexpected intruder in my life.

I rarely spoke to him, but he started paying attention to me intentionally or unintentionally.

When it got cold, I wore an old sweater under my school uniform that was a bit frayed.

In class when he was bored, he noticed the loose threads under my clothes and reached out to pull at them.

Coming from a wealthy family, even his shoes cost thousands of dollars. He probably didn't understand the significance of those threads.

By the time we both realized something was wrong, he had a bunch of yarn wrapped around his hand, and the sweater under my uniform was shorter.

He said awkwardly: "Sorry."

I blushed: "It's okay."

A week later, I came to school and found a shopping bag stuffed in my desk.

When I opened it, it was a new pink sweater, price tag still attached.

I panicked terribly for a moment and stuffed the bag into his desk.

After class started, he discovered it and leaned closer to me, lowering his voice to ask: "Is the size wrong? I had my mom buy it at the mall."

I felt my ears burning, extremely embarrassed: "No need."

"What do you mean no need? You can't wear that old one anymore."

"Really, no need. Thank you."

He raised an eyebrow, about to say more, but I had already silently distanced myself from him, staring intently at the blackboard.

Ethan chuckled softly.

Afterwards, I witnessed his domineering side for the first time.

After school when I had almost reached the gates, he called out to me amid the crowd: "Lucy! Lucy!"

I turned back in shock. He smiled at me, walked over and directly stuffed the bag with the sweater into my hands: "Desk mate, you forgot your clothes."

After that, rumors started spreading in class that Ethan was pursuing me and had bought me a sweater.

I felt very anxious.

For a well-behaved good student, dating was like a raging flood or ferocious beast.

Fortunately, because my grades were so good and I was favored by the teachers, no one in class gossiped about me.

I only overheard Janie asking Ethan acidly: "What do you like about Lucy anyway? Isn't she just good at studying?"

Ethan laughed and asked in return: "Isn't being good at studying enough?"

"But she's like a dummy."

"You're the dummy. Lucy isn't a dummy, she's well-behaved."

So the whole school found out that Ethan liked the well-behaved girl Lucy.

When the rumors spread, it caused me some trouble.

But it was just trouble. I learned to turn a deaf ear.

When Ethan tried to talk to me, I deliberately kept my distance and rarely responded.

He got the hint and gradually returned to how we were before.

In the second semester of 11th grade, my homeroom teacher found me and said the school cafeteria had two work-study positions available. She asked if I was willing to do it.

She knew about my situation. She had always helped me apply for the school's special hardship subsidies.

At that age, every girl wants to save face. But I couldn't afford to.

I needed money.

I wanted to get a pair of glasses for my nearsightedness, because I was starting to have trouble seeing the blackboard clearly.

So every day at lunch, another senior boy and I would put on duty armbands and start collecting trays in the school cafeteria.

It was really just an hour and a half.

The huge cafeteria was bustling and crowded during lunch time, people packed in like sardines.

When I encountered classmates, no matter what kind of looks they gave me, I remained silent, learning to accept it.

Lucy's life had taught her to bow her head to reality long ago.

Not only did I do work-study at school, during winter and summer breaks I often had my cousin help me find part-time jobs.

I worked at a fast food place in the clothing market, at an underground arcade in the city center, handed out flyers, and occasionally bought some small toys wholesale to sell to kids in the park on holiday evenings.

I was very hardworking and used to hardship.

So in the school cafeteria, when a boy deliberately threw his leftover tray at me, splattering me with soup, I said nothing.

But unexpectedly, Ethan saw this.

He got angry and walked straight over, pressing down on that boy's head and sternly said: "Apologize to her!"

Ethan was a troublemaker, but that boy was no pushover either. He immediately cursed: "Apologize my ass!"

Enraged, Ethan kicked him. The cafeteria tables and chairs toppled over.

Then the cafeteria descended into chaos.

That boy was no match for the group. He and his few companions were beaten black and blue.

I stood to the side shaking with fear, watching Ethan viciously beat people. I went to stop him with tears in my eyes -

"Stop fighting! Please stop!"

Later, along with me, we were all called to the disciplinary office.

I kept crying, wiping away tears between sobs.

Ethan stood to the side, his voice somewhat urgent for some reason: "Don't cry, Lucy. It's okay, it has nothing to do with you. Don't worry."

I was very scared and also a bit resentful towards him: "Who told you to fight?!"

"He bullied you. Shouldn't I have hit him?"

"I don't care. Who asked you to interfere?"

"I care. I can't watch others bully you."

In their eyes, the young Lucy must have been an ungrateful person.

But at that time, I really did resent Ethan quite a bit.

I was honest and introverted, focused solely on studying. I really didn't want to cause trouble.

I was more afraid of it reaching Cathy's ears and her cursing at me with vulgar language.

Fortunately, that incident didn't blow up.

Later, Ethan and I were called to the principal's office together.

I heard with my own ears Ethan call the principal "Uncle Li".

I also saw the usually stern-faced principal snort and turn his gaze to me, scolding Ethan: "You little brat, you're really something. Fighting and puppy love - you've got it all covered."

"Don't wrongly accuse me. I admit to the fighting, but puppy love? Do you have any evidence?"

"The evidence is standing right here. What more do you want?"

"Don't say that, uncle. Lucy is a good student with great grades."

"Nonsense. If she wasn't a good student, I would have called both your parents in already."

"No need for that trouble. Just call my parents over. See if the school needs anything else donated?"

"You cheeky brat, all smiles. Let me tell you, you can misbehave yourself, but don't drag others down with you. If her grades slip, I'll give you a good thrashing."

"Alright then. If she gets first in the grade, don't you owe me some kind of reward?"