Zhou Rui had left.
She didn't cry much during the farewell, but her eyes told the story. The photo booth pictures they took—silly, smiling, with bunny ears and fake mustaches—were now tucked in Tianxin's notebook. They'd laughed that day like they were children again. But now, the silence Zhou Rui left behind clung to Tianxin's steps like a shadow.
Tianxin called her every night.
The first few days, Zhou Rui picked up, their voices soft and smiles bittersweet. But then… the calls stopped going through. The line always rang, but no one picked up. Tianxin messaged, left voice notes, even tried late at night.
Nothing.
One morning, sitting beside Zhou Rui's empty desk, Tianxin stared at her phone screen:
"Message not delivered."
She quietly locked it and stuffed it in her pocket. Her heart felt like it had dropped somewhere.
Junxi didn't say much either.
He came to school once or twice a week. Even when he did, he was cold, expression unreadable. He didn't talk in class. He stopped sitting near anyone. He seemed to carry an invisible wall wherever he went.
And now… it was just her. Alone.
After school that day, Tianxin walked out slowly, past the courtyard where they used to eat snacks, past the water tap where Zhou Rui once drenched her by accident. When she reached the crossroad near the fruit stall, she stopped.
The road buzzed with traffic. Cars, bikes, people rushing everywhere. She looked left and right… but her feet wouldn't move. Zhou Rui always helped her cross. Always.
Now…
She froze. Her hands clutched the straps of her bag.
Then—
"You planning to stand here till sunset?"
She turned. Jiasheng was there, sweaty from basketball practice, hair slightly messy. He blinked at her, then noticed her face.
"You're scared again, aren't you?" he said quietly, walking up.
She nodded, unable to meet his eyes.
He didn't tease. Not this time.
He stepped beside her and casually held out his hand.
"Let's go. I'll walk with you."
She hesitated.
"You sure?" she whispered.
Jiasheng didn't reply. He just grabbed her hand gently and started walking.
She followed, silently.
After they crossed, he let go.
"Next time," he said, "just wait for me. We'll go together."
Tianxin looked up, surprised.
He smirked. "Don't go crossing alone like a lost duck."
She huffed. "Excuse me—duck??"
But he was already walking ahead, hands in pockets.
She followed, slower, smiling a little through the heaviness in her chest.
Zhou Rui was gone. Junxi was cold. But Jiasheng…
Maybe he was still here.