One & Two

One & Two

The conversation between the two paused briefly. Just as Teacher Chen was about to return to the topic of Zuo Wentao, Hesta suddenly rose from the padded lawn.

"Where are you going?" Teacher Chen asked.

"Nowhere," she replied coolly. "Just taking a walk."

Then Hesta left without looking back. The moment she thought of their last conversation in Chen Beiyi's office, she immediately lost all interest in speaking with the person before her.

Chen Beiyi watched Hesta's retreating figure from where she stood, but did not go after her.

Everyone tightened their collars and gathered around the astronomical telescope.

The students on the inner side called for their friends around the edge to come closer. The teacher adjusted the telescope, and everyone took turns looking through it. Hesta slowly moved forward with the line. When she bent down, she saw two thin patches of mist in the limited field of view—gray and hazy, said to be distant nebulae.

She wanted to ask what those two nebulae were called, but the student behind her had already thrown out another question. By the time the teacher had given a complete answer, Hesta had drifted off into thoughts of something else and no longer kept pace with the others.

The people who had been chatting quietly gradually fell silent, and the astronomy teacher's voice became clearer and clearer. Hesta understood little of it, and she did not want to disturb her friends, who were immersed in their view of the universe. On this freezing night, she once again felt intensely that she was alone amid the crowd.

Only this time, the once-sweet illusion had already vanished without a trace.

The astronomy club teacher carried a star pointer and occasionally sent a green laser into the night sky. She connected