After hearing Zhuang Zi'ang's response, Lin Mushi was stunned for a long moment. Wow, Zhuang Zi'ang, with your serious demeanor, I thought you were just a study-obsessed bookworm. hought you'd fall in love.

  "Zhuang Zi'ang, if you keep going like this, yoing to go astray," Lin Mushi scolded, her voice rising with a mix of and frustration.

  "It's not like I have the ce to ruin myself," Zhuang Zi'ang replied with a wry, bitter smile.

  Lin Mushi didn't uand what he meant, but she felt sorry for him. There were only three months left until graduation. Studying was the most important thing right now. Even a small slip-up at this stage could affect his entire life.

  "Zhuang Zi'ang, I forbid you to skip any more csses." "That girl is from who-knows-where. You'd better keep your distance from her." "If you keep this up, you'll have no future!" ...

  Lin Mushi was both angry and anxious, her tone being almost anding.

  No future. Her words hit the mark perfectly.

  Uhe glow of the neon lights, the evening breeze ruffled the hair on Zhuang Zi'ang's forehead. Despite being misuood, he was touched by her . Just like Teacher Zhang said, there were still many people in this world who cared about him.

  He didn't want to avoid his true feelings anymore. He decided to y his heart bare.

  "Mushi, I'm eighteen. It's perfectly normal to have a crush on a girl." "Maybe it's because the heavens took pity on me, so they sent someoo keep me pany." "It wasn't until I met her that I uood what true love feels like."

  Being with Little Butterfly was a wonderful feeling Zhuang Zi'ang had never experienced before. He could fet his sadness, fet time, fet the whole world. It felt as if in the vastness of the universe, only the two of them existed.

  Lin Mushi found it hard to believe. "That's impossible. You only met her st week."

  Zhuang Zi'ang smiled. "True love isn't about how long you've known someone."

  "'You don't even know which css she's in. Aren't you afraid she's lying to you?' Lin Mushi excimed."

  "So what if she is? It's like a moth to a fme. Even knowing it will be buro ashes, it still flies towards the fire without hesitation."

  Besides, Zhuang Zi'ang thought to himself, what does a person whose life is about to end have that's worth being scammed out of? In these final days, he didn't care about anything else. He just wao follow his heart and live out the rest of his short life to the fullest.

  Zhuang Zi'ang raised his hand and hailed a taxi, thelemanly opehe door for Lin Mushi.

  "Mushi, maybe when you meet someone like that, you'll uand how I feel."

  Sitting iaxi, Lin Mushi was filled with worry. Zhuang Zi'ang was definitely hiding a huge secret. And what about that girl? Was she really that special?

  Bae, Zhuang Zi'ang ged the water in the fish tank and added some fish food. He figured that in about two months, he'd have to returwo fish to Little Butterfly. By then, even taking care of himself might be a huge challenge.

  His ph. It was his doctor, Dexiu. There was nothing particurly urgent; the doctor just wao che his dition.

  "Dr. , is there really nothing that be done?"

  "I'm sorry, Xiao Zhuang."

  "I uand. Thank you, Doctor."

  Dr. didn't know how to fort him, so he just asked him to e to the hospital in a couple of days for another check-up, even though he k ointless.

  After hanging up, Zhuang Zi'ang tore open the medie packets and poured a rge handful of those foul-smelling pills into his mouth, washing them down with water. The bitter taste surged up, making him gag several times.

  Now, he felt a little less like dying. Even if it meant just one more day, one more ce to see her, it would be worth it.

  The night passed without i.

  The m sun streamed through the sheer curtains, warming the sleeping teenager. Si was the day of the monthly exam, he could afford to sleep in a bit ter than usual. Zhuang Zi'ang had set his arm half an hour ter.

  Suddenly, his phone on the bedside table bred to life.

  Zhuang Zi'ang reached out from uhe covers, fumbled for the phone, and slid to answer, pressing the speaker button, his voice still thick with sleep.

  "Hello? Who is it, so early in the m?"

  A sweet, melodic voice came from the speaker. "You zy bum! The sun's already high in the sky, and you're still sleeping?"

  Zhuang Zi'ang's eyes snapped open, a up ihis was the first time Su Yudiel had ever called him.

  "Little Butterfly, where are you?"

  "I'm out buying breakfast. I'll e find you in a bit. What do you want to eat?"

  Anything Little Butterfly bought would be delicious.

  He hurriedly hung up the phone, jumped out of bed, tidied up his messy room a bit, and then dashed into the bathroom for a shower.

  Warm water cascaded over his skin, washing away the fatigue of the night. He had dreamed of Little Butterfly again st night, doing unspeakable things.

  Zhuang Zi'ang got dressed, and just then, there was a kno the door. He ope to see the smiling face that had been haunting his dreams.

  "M, Little Butterfly!"

  "The sun's already up here. What do you mean, m?"

  Su Yudiel had bought tws of gee and some tea eggs. While Zhuang Zi'ang was slurping down his gee, she started peeling the eggs.

  She pced a peeled egg in Zhuang Zi'ang's boicked up another one.

  Zhuang Zi'a a bit embarrassed. "I do it myself."

  Su Yudiel smiled. "This is to nourish your brain. Do well on your exam today. Beat all those guys from yesterday. Don't just talk big and then fail to deliver."

  "Don't worry. In my humble opinion, those guys are nothing but cy chis and pottery dogs!" Zhuang Zi'ang decred fidently.

  "Bragging again. Shameless," Su Yudiel said, giving him a pyful look.

  "I was the top student in rade for two years in a row. Haven't you heard?" Zhuang Zi'ang asked, surprised.

  "Oh, really? Maybe I heard something about that," Su Yudiel replied casually, not sounding very ied.

  Zhuang Zi'ang took a bite of his egg, feeling a bit disgruntled. "You're such a scker. You don't even care about exam rankings."

  He suddenly remembered the matter of cheg the exam room assigs yesterday afternoon. There was no student named Su Yudiel among the students with the surname Su.

  He hesitated several times but ultimately decided not to ask. If she had something she couldn't talk about, stantly pestering her would only make things difficult for her.

  After finishing breakfast, Su Yudiel took out a red string from her pocket and tied it around Zhuang Zi'ang's wrist.

  Zhuang Zi'ang frowned. "What's this? Isn't it a bit girly fuy to wear this?"

  Su Yudiel expined, "I heard that wearing this during an exam brings good luck."

  "Superstitious nonsense. I never wore one before, and I still got first pce," Zhuang Zi'ang mumbled.

  "If you don't like it, then take it off and throw it away."

  "Well... I guess I'll wear it!"

  Zhuang Zi'ang raised his wrist and examihe red string. It was a vibrant color and had a faint st of peach blossoms.

  Alright, he thought, I hope the exam gods will bless me.

  The two of them walked to school together. The tree-lined path was covered with fallen flower petals. The peach blossoms were almost gone.

  When they arrived at the exam hall, Zhuang Zi'ang asked, "Little Butterfly, which are you taking the exam in?"

  Su Yudiel smiled. "I'm not taking the exam."

  "Not taking the exam?" Zhuang Zi'ang was fused.

  Su Yudiel took out that stack of leave slips from her bag again and waved them at Zhuang Zi'ang.

  The homeroom teacher's signature on them looked like illegible scribbles; he couldn't make out a single character.

  Zhuang Zi'ang wao ask more questions, but the bell signaling the start of the exam rang.

  "Do your best on the exam. I'll buy you a Coke when you e out," Su Yudiel said, giving Zhuang Zi'ang a gentle push into the .

  Zhuang Zi'ang sat at his desk, smelling the faint peach blossom st from the red string on his wrist, pletely baffled.

  What kind of homeroom teacher would give a student so many bnk leave slips? And allow her to skip the monthly exam? Little Butterfly, could it be that you're just like me...?