That Nameless Summer Chapter 30

Adjust seat

During Wednesday’s class meeting, the head teacher walked into the classroom holding a stack of seating charts. Chalk dust fell on the podium, raising fine dust.”The seats are adjusted for the first time this semester. They will be arranged according to the scores of the last monthly exam, taking into account the balance of arts and science.” As soon as she finished speaking, there was a slight commotion in the classroom. Song Li was lying on the table, spinning his pen unconsciously with his fingertips. He was not interested in the seat change – no matter where he sat, he always seemed to be alone.

Ling Qingye sat next to him, still flipping through the math competition questions, as if the noise outside had nothing to do with him.The sunlight fell on his book pages through the window, reflecting his slender fingers. Song Li glanced at them with his peripheral vision, and suddenly remembered that in kindergarten, these hands always held the corners of his clothes, timidly following behind him, calling him “Brother Song Li.”They were neighbors at that time, and the roses in the Ling family’s yard were in full bloom, and the two fathers always smiled and distributed candies to them. But then the Ling family suddenly moved away, like a silent farewell, which made that memory dusty.

“Song Li, third group, fourth row.” The head teacher’s voice interrupted his thoughts.Song Li stood up and walked to the designated seat with his schoolbag on his back. When he passed by the last row, he saw Qin Jiangwen packing his things. Xu Jiangyou was standing next to him, muttering “Why are you so far away” with a look of reluctance on his face. Qin Jiangwen lowered his head to pack and paused. The tips of his ears were red, but he didn’t say anything. He just quietly pushed an exercise book towards Xu Jiangyou.

Song Li withdrew his gaze and sat down in his new seat. As soon as he put down his schoolbag, he saw Ling Qingye walking over, holding a stack of books in his hands and placing them on the empty seat next to him.”Tablemate.” Ling Qingye’s voice was still cold, but with a trace of imperceptible certainty.

Song Li raised his eyebrows, a little surprised.Ranked by performance, Ling Qingye should have been sitting in the first row, but he chose the middle seat by the window, right next to him.”Why don’t you go to the front row?” He asked, his tone was calm and his emotion could not be heard.

“Be quiet by the window.” Ling Qingye explained simply, bending down to tidy up his desk. The collar of his school uniform was still tightly buttoned, and his profile was clean and neat.Song Li didn’t ask any more questions, but there was a strange feeling in his heart – this reason was too far-fetched.

After the seats were adjusted, the classroom gradually became quiet.Song Li was lying on the table, looking at the sycamore branches outside the window, and suddenly felt that the atmosphere around him was familiar.Ling Qingye turned the pages of the book very lightly, and the rustling sound was like the chirping of cicadas on summer nights when he was a child. It reminded him of those afternoons spent in the courtyard of Ling’s family. Ling Qingye sat next to him and read comics with him. The sun fell on the top of their hair, making them as warm as a fairy tale.

“What are you thinking about?” Ling Qingye’s voice suddenly sounded, interrupting his thoughts.

“Nothing.” Song Li withdrew his gaze and turned to meet Ling Qingye’s eyes.The young man’s pupils were very dark, as if hidden in a deep pool. The usual coldness had faded a bit, revealing some unpredictable emotions.

Song Li suddenly remembered the scene at home last night – his father was drinking again, throwing a glass at his mother, cursing and saying something. He pushed Xu Jiangyou into the room, and stood in the living room to block him until the man fell drunk on the sofa.He had never told anyone about that suffocating feeling, including Ling Qingye.

Ling Qingye seemed to be aware of his emotional fluctuations. He stopped turning the pen and didn’t ask any more questions. He just took out a mint candy from his schoolbag and placed it on the corner of Song Li’s desk: “Refresh yourself.”

Song Li pinched the mint candy, the coolness of the candy wrapper came through her fingertips, and the depression in her heart suddenly disappeared.He remembered that Ling Qingye didn’t like sweets, but he always handed him a mint when he was sleepy or in a bad mood.Just like when he was a child, Ling Qingye would give him the sweetest candy and say, “Brother Song Li, this is not sour.”Those memories buried by time always quietly emerge in such inadvertent moments.

During the recess, Xu Jiangyou ran over with a look of resentment on his face: “Brother, Qin Jiangwen and I are three rows apart! It won’t be convenient to ask him questions in the future!” She turned to look at Ling Qingye and said with a smile, “Ling Qingye, you have to take good care of my brother, he always gets sleepy in class.”

Ling Qingye raised his eyes, glanced at Song Li lightly, and said calmly: “I know.”

Xu Jiangyou wanted to say something else, but when the class bell rang, he had to pout and run back to his seat.Song Li looked at her back and shook his head helplessly. When he turned around, he saw Ling Qingye looking at him with a faint smile in his eyes, as fast as an illusion.

In math class, the teacher wrote complex function problems on the blackboard. Song Li was a little distracted and tapped his fingertips on the table unconsciously.Ling Qingye noticed it and quietly pushed his notebook towards him. The key points were marked in red pen with neat and clear handwriting.Song Li glanced at it and said nothing, but silently wrote down the key points.

After school, when Song Li was packing his schoolbag, he found a book with wrong questions on the table, with Ling Qingye’s name written on the cover.He opened it and saw that the wrong questions in it were all marked with detailed problem-solving ideas, as well as some reminders of easy mistakes, which were obviously compiled by Ling Qingye.

“Yours?” Song Li took the wrong question book and looked at Ling Qingye.

“Yeah.” Ling Qingye nodded and said calmly, “You are weak in math, it will be beneficial to see.” He paused and added, “Don’t be in a hurry to return it, take your time and read it.”

Song Li held the wrong question book and felt the texture of paper on her fingertips, feeling warm in her heart.He knew that Ling Qingye looked cold, but was actually thoughtful, just like when he was a child, he would give him his toys and would bravely stand up to protect him when he was bullied by other children.

The two of them walked out of the teaching building side by side. Dusk had already spread over them. The street lights in the alleyway were on, and the dim light reflected their figures.”Do you still remember the roses in your yard when you were in kindergarten?” Song Li suddenly spoke, his voice was very soft, with a hint of temptation.

Ling Qingye paused, turned to look at him, a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes, and then calmed down: “Remember.” He paused and added, “You always like to pick one and stick it in my head.”

Song Li smiled, with a rare curve on his lips: “You were still crying at that time, saying that I bullied you.”

“No.” Ling Qingye retorted, but his tone was softer, “I just don’t think it looks good.”

The two chatted about their childhood memories, and the atmosphere gradually became more relaxed.Song Li suddenly felt that the distance separated by time seemed to be slowly shrinking.He knew that Ling Qingye’s parents were gay and that he was adopted, but he didn’t know about Ling’s mother’s death, he didn’t know about Ling’s father’s betrayal, and he didn’t know that he had become an orphan.Just like Ling Qingye didn’t know, he had remarried twice in the past few years and endured the cold eyes and meanness of his stepfather.

When he reached the fork in the alley, Ling Qingye stopped and said, “I’m going this way.”

“Yes.” Song Li nodded, looked at his back, and suddenly said, “Ling Qingye.”

Ling Qingye turned back with questioning eyes.

“Thank you for the wrong question book.” Song Li said with a sincere tone.

A faint smile appeared on Ling Qingye’s lips: “You’re welcome.” He paused and added, “See you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow.”

Song Li watched Ling Qingye’s back disappear into the dusk, and tightened his fingers on the wrong question book.He suddenly felt that changing seats this time might not only be a change of seats, but also a reconnection of destiny.The past buried by time and the pain hidden in the heart may be slowly healed by getting closer to each other.

As dusk grew darker, the street lights at the alleyway stayed on longer, reflecting Song Li’s tall figure.He turned around and walked towards home, thinking to himself that this spring might really be different.What he didn’t know was that Ling Qingye was standing at the corner not far away, looking at his back, with a hint of complex emotions in his eyes, including nostalgia, distress, and a hint of throbbing that even he himself was not aware of.

The bond between the teenagers is quietly heating up.Those unspoken words and unnoticed thoughts are slowly brewing in this ordinary campus daily life, waiting for the day when time will reveal them.