Chapter 1.1: The Envelope
In another time and space, on September 10, 2012.
The first half of the sophomore year had just begun, and autumn quietly arrived on the heels of summer.
The summer vacation had just ended, and most students appeared listless, still immersed in the lingering symptoms of the holiday.
Shi Hai, however, was different from these people.
But at this moment, he felt just as perplexed as everyone else.
Because on this day, when he was about to take out the textbook for his first class from his desk, he pulled out something else that left him dumbfounded.
A pale pink envelope, with a heart-shaped sticker sealing it.
This must be that legendary thing…
It is that, right?
The thing only seen in love movies and school romance dramas—a ‘love letter’.
Shi Hai first felt puzzled, thinking, “Does anyone still write love letters these days? So old-schooled?” Then, realizing that this was really happening, he reflexively shoved the textbook and the ‘love letter’ back into the desk.
Then he looked around, like a novice thief rummaging through a cash register for the first time.
Fortunately, it was still early, and there weren’t many people in the classroom, and those few classmates hadn’t noticed what was happening on Shi Hai’s side.
So, he calmed himself down and sat down.
Excitement, nervousness, a racing heart… none of these are happening to him.
Being more mature than his peers, Shi Hai first tried to think of any girls he had interacted with.
And then he sadly discovered that his database was empty.
It seemed that he had no close female friends, and had barely spoken to any female classmates in his own class.
This was not surprising, as Shi Hai played the role of a background character in the class, someone with a relatively low presence.
It wasn’t that he was isolated; Shi Hai just didn’t like to join in the fun, and he was naturally quiet, so he naturally drifted away from the lively circle in the class.
He only had good relations with a few nearby boys, and really had no contact with the girls in the class.
So, what if he expands the scope?
The love letter might not necessarily be from a female classmate, right?
But when Shi Hai thought about it, he realized he could at least name the girls in his class, but he didn’t even know the names of girls from other classes, other departments, or other colleges.
What if he went back even further?
In middle school and high school…well, Shi Hai was even more reclusive back then, with basically no social interactions.
After all, his family situation was terrible during middle and high school.
It seemed that only in elementary school did Shi Hai have the experience of sitting with a girl at the same desk.
However, that girl, who shared a desk with him for six years, didn’t speak to him much by the time they graduated. Although they were desk mates, it felt like there was a Mariana Trench between them…unbridgeable.
This wasn’t just a mental feeling, but also due to that indelible ‘three-eight line’ that forbade even a corner of their clothes from crossing.
Shi Hai still remembered once when he accidentally knocked his eraser to the other side of the line, and when he reached out to retrieve it, he deliberately used his other hand to avoid touching his deskmate, crossing the line with only half of his right hand.
He didn’t touch his seemingly germophobic deskmate at all…
Yet, she glared at him for an entire day.
This caused a devastating blow to young Shi Hai’s heart, making him wonder if he had some unpleasant odor on him.
Was it really worth glaring at someone just for picking up an eraser?