3:Kuuki Ga Yomenai

By the afternoon, after Lin Xian left for work, Lin Nian also went out to a nearby internet café. The joy of high school boys is always the same, as if they are all connected by a string, the ends of which meet in the smoky, noisy internet cafés scattered across the streets.

On the computer's LCD screen, the welcome message in white letters lay quietly in the center. After waiting for five or six seconds, the opening music of Tomato Garden's version of Windows XP played, and the screen transitioned into the desktop—blue skies above and green slopes below.

In the small internet café, Lin Nian felt a little more awake. Boys of his age always feel energized when they hear the startup sound of a computer. However, there were classmates in his class at Shilan High School who said that the XP startup sound in internet cafés wasn't the same as the genuine version, because most internet cafés used pirated systems. The authentic XP startup sound was said to be more melancholic.

Melancholic? Lin Nian didn't understand how the startup sound could be melancholic. Even if it played sad music, boys and girls eager to play games would still be excited, adrenaline rushing through them.

Sitting in the corner, Lin Nian hung his headphones around his neck and skillfully logged into QQ. His username was "Fei Shang Lantian" (Fly Up to the Blue Sky). It was a bit tacky, but compared to some classmates who had usernames like "Tomorrow's Me," "Forgotten Love," or "The Scar of Sunset," some of the wealthier, more leisure-filled students even paid for membership and uploaded flashy dynamic avatars. Lin Nian thought his username, with a blue sky and white clouds as the profile picture, was quite refreshing.

After all, there's a saying that being tacky to the extreme is actually trendy, so occasionally, Lin Nian felt that his username was quite trendy, like a person who stays sober while everyone else is drunk.

Moreover, this tacky username had a story. Whenever classmates saw that his friend list included a female friend named "Biyuntian" (Green Cloud Sky), they would express surprise and ask if she was his girlfriend. Lin Nian would often just stay silent and let them guess, because very few people would guess that "Biyuntian" was actually his older sister. This led many classmates to privately say that Lin Nian had an older girlfriend, a beautiful one, which made many students eye him curiously.

"Ding ding ding."

As soon as Lin Nian logged into QQ, the class group icon on the bottom right started flashing. He clicked on it and saw that his classmates were chatting happily, looking like he had missed a lot. After all, he didn't have a computer at home. The only electronic entertainment device was the SDC mobile phone his sister Lin Xian used for work. But it didn't have QQ, just games like Snake and Tetris, which Lin Nian had defeated countless times.

Scrolling up through the chat history, Lin Nian saw that the chatter all started with a post from a female classmate, Su Xiaotang: "Let's have a final gathering before the school starts for the winter break."

Su Xiaotang was one of the wealthiest girls in Lin Nian's class. It was said her family was in the coal business. She was beautiful, elegant, and wealthy, with many admirers in the class. This year had not seen a

particularly bad atmosphere of comparison among students, and Su Xiaotang managed to be assertive without making people dislike her, which was a rare charm.

Her words were often treated like commandments by the boys in the class. As long as it wasn't too much, most of them would follow her lead. If there was any "authority" in the class group, she would definitely rank in the top three. The class monitor, Zhao Menghua, was second, and the first spot was reserved for someone else.

Once Su Xiaotang spoke, the chat group became as lively as an awakened fish pond. Those who were invisible, lurking, or peeking all popped out, exchanging one-liners about the gathering.

"What should we eat for the gathering?"

"I heard there's a new café in the High-Tech Zone with good Western food."

"We need a place with a lot of people, cafes are too small for a big group. We should go for spicy hotpot."

"How about a Chinese restaurant? I know a place where the food's flavorful, and most importantly, the portions are big. We're a large group."

"I'm tired of big meat dishes after the holidays. How about a vegetarian restaurant to change it up?"

"Vegetarian food? There's nothing good to eat there. I think we should go for an all-you-can-eat seafood buffet."

"Forget the seafood. A relative of mine does seafood business, and we got a bunch of seafood for New Year. I can't even finish it all, I'm almost sick of it."

Su Xiaotang wants to have a gathering? Seeing the lively chat, Lin Nian touched the keyboard but didn't type anything. Many people knew that his relationship with Su Xiaotang was a bit complicated, and he generally ignored such private events she initiated.

"Lu Mingfei, are you there?" Su Xiaotang suddenly asked.

The group chat went silent for about ten seconds, and everyone probably silently stared at their screens, wondering why Su Xiaotang suddenly mentioned Lu Mingfei, the "loser." If Su Xiaotang was one of the top-ranking figures in the class, then Lu Mingfei was definitely at the bottom.

It wasn't unusual for someone to mention Lu Mingfei, since he was a "loser" but not a complete outcast. However, Su Xiaotang specifically calling out Lu Mingfei was odd. It felt as if the emperor were asking, "What about the beggar by the city gates?"

It was a little strange, as the two were unrelated, and Su Xiaotang's call for him sparked a lot of curiosity.

"I'm here, I'm here. Just logged in. What's going on?" Lu Mingfei was online at that very moment, immediately rushing to respond.

"We're having a gathering, but we haven't decided on where to eat yet. You're close to Lin Nian, right? His family doesn't have a computer, so can you go tell him? I'll pay for both your meals." Su Xiaotang, the little angel, was always generous with meals.

"Got it. I'll let him know, but whether he comes or not, I can't guarantee." Lu Mingfei readily agreed, always quick when it came to free meals.

"Looks like someone's getting lucky." Someone teased, though they didn't specify who.

"Lin Nian probably won't come. He never shows up when someone else is paying for the meal."

"Why doesn't Su Xiaotang just go find Lin Nian herself? You should know where he lives."

"It's too far. I'm in the East City, and he's in the West City. Only Lu Mingfei and Liu Miaomiao are closer to him." Su Xiaotang replied.

"I don't know where he lives." Liu Miaomiao chimed in.

"It's fine. I'll handle it. Anyone who tries to take this from me will regret it." Lu Mingfei sounded exceptionally chivalrous, as always.

Seeing this, Lin Nian had even less desire to join the conversation.

"So, back to the main topic, what are we eating for the gathering?" Su Xiaotang steered the conversation back.

The group was very considerate and didn't bring up the previous matter again. It was clear that the true focus of the gathering had shifted.

Su Xiaotang was subtly fishing for something, and Lu Mingfei was just the bait.

As for who the "jade" was, everyone knew, but no one made a big deal out of it.

It wasn't a secret that Su Xiaotang was interested in Lin Nian. Her indirect and direct hints had been obvious to everyone.

Compared to the more reserved girls in high school, Su Xiaotang's feelings for Lin Nian were apparent to anyone who was paying attention.

It was clear to everyone during the cultural evening when Su Xiaotang paid to have students from other classes come and cheer for Lin Nian's swordsmanship performance. By then, most of the class had already figured it out.

But knowing was one thing, and whether something would happen was still uncertain.

High school romance was like drumming on a cowhide drum. One side uses the drumstick to vent emotions, and the other hides inside the drum, secretly enjoying it.

You can't rush drumming. It's about being patient. If the drummer is too forceful and deafens everyone, the person inside the drum is likely to get hurt as well. If they drum too softly, they'll be afraid the person inside won't hear. In the end, unless the drum skin is broken, no one will know if anything will come of it.

Now that they were in their second year of high school, about to enter their third year, everyone was heading in different directions. Even Su Xiaotang, who had been playing the drum for two years, was growing anxious, especially since there were still several beautiful girls in school eyeing Lin Nian with interest. This made her strike the drum even harder, causing a loud clatter.

This gathering was probably meant to be a gesture, but to others, it sounded more like a trap.

"Speaking of the gathering, how about we have hotpot? The weather is getting colder, and I heard there's a cold front

coming in. Hotpot would warm us up," suggested Chen Wenwen, the president of the literary club.

"That sounds great! Hotpot is fun when there are a lot of people, and the restaurant won't mind the noise either," someone else agreed.

"I'm actually sick, but I think hotpot would help me shake off the cold. Just don't blame me if I end up infecting anyone," another person chimed in.

"Hotpot is good. Agreed," the group quickly rallied behind the idea.

"Yeah, I know a place that serves amazing hotpot, and it's not far from school, so it's convenient for everyone," Zhao Menghua, the group leader, also jumped in, making the suggestion feel even more official.

With the two main figures—Su Xiaotang and Zhao Menghua—speaking up, the hotpot option was essentially locked in. The rest of the group began discussing the finer details, like whether to go with a spicy or mild broth.

At this point, an unexpected and out-of-place comment appeared in the chat.

"Anyone know about Cassell Academy?" Lin Nian had typed, making it clear he was about to divert the group's attention once more.

This sudden question felt like a jarring note in the otherwise lively conversation. It had nothing to do with the gathering, and it wasn't a subject anyone had anticipated.

The chat froze for a moment, as everyone processed Lin Nian's off-topic question. No one responded immediately, unsure whether they should engage with such an unrelated topic in the midst of their hotpot planning.

After a long pause, someone finally replied with confusion: "Cassell Academy? What's that? Never heard of it."

"Yeah, it sounds like something overseas?" someone else added, trying to stay on topic.

But Lin Nian's question wasn't something to dismiss so easily. It seemed like he had something more on his mind than just a random inquiry about a foreign school. Maybe he was considering it as an option for his future, or maybe it had something to do with his sister, Lin Xian, whose work might be related to international networks.

Despite the conversation veering off track, the group, almost unconsciously, returned to the topic at hand after a brief moment of awkward silence. The chatter resumed around hotpot preferences, but Lin Nian's question lingered in the background, unanswered, for the rest of the group.

Lin Nian sat back, feeling the weight of his own thoughts. Though the group had gone back to their hotpot plans, he couldn't shake the feeling that something more important was happening just beneath the surface of all the chatter and noise. As he observed the conversation continue, he realized that it wasn't just about the gathering, or even the food, but about connections. And those connections—no matter how subtle—had a way of pulling people together in unexpected ways.

As the chat died down and the plans were solidified, Lin Nian leaned back in his chair, his thoughts lingering on Cassell Academy, wondering if he might one day find a place in a world far different from the one he knew now. For now, though, he was left to navigate the delicate, unspoken intricacies of his friendships and what might come next—both with Su Xiaotang, who clearly had an interest in him, and with the future that seemed just beyond his reach.