What the Camphor Tree Saw

Pu Yu pressed her lips together, her fingertips curling slightly beneath her sleeves.

Following up on his answer, she asked, "Then if I don't want to move, if I want to keep being your deskmate, would you be willing?"

The sounds around them suddenly disappeared.

Yuan Su finally turned to look at her. The daylight slanting through the window was reflected in his dark eyes, along with the clear image of her face.

Something complicated and unreadable churned within them.

Doubt, self-mockery, and perhaps a trace of secret hope even he had not noticed.

But in the end, those tangled emotions were covered by sharp thorns.

"No," he said.

Pu Yu's heart sank a little at that single word.

To him, this might be an intrusion. Perhaps he preferred the freedom of being alone, without having to worry about a deskmate beside him or being pestered with physics questions he found incredibly simple.

She lowered her eyes, her long lashes concealing a hint of disappointment, and her voice softened. "Then... I'll go ask Teacher Cheng to rearrange the seats. You won't have to move a desk for me."

With that, she stood without any hesitation.

She had meant to speak to Teacher Cheng before everyone finished changing seats, while swapping with another classmate would still be convenient.

But just as she turned to step away-

A large, burning-hot hand suddenly reached over from beside her and caught her wrist with unerring accuracy.

His grip was a little too firm, almost rough in its haste.

Forced to stop, Pu Yu looked down in surprise.

Yuan Su was still leaning back in his chair, his head tilted slightly to one side. His gaze rested on the lush camphor tree outside the window, his jaw drawn taut. He simply refused to look at her.

His well-defined fingers encircled her slender wrist tightly. The warmth of his palm seeped through her thin skin, hot enough to make her heart flutter.

"Don't you think it's a hassle?"

His Adam's apple bobbed as he abruptly asked the seemingly unprompted question.

Before Pu Yu could work out what he meant, he tugged her toward her seat.

Caught off guard, Pu Yu dropped back into her chair and looked at him in bewilderment.

What did he mean?

Was asking the teacher to change seats a hassle?

But wouldn't bringing over a new desk be even more of a hassle for him?

The two of them remained locked in a silent stalemate.

Several seconds passed before Yuan Su released her. The lingering sensation of her smooth skin left him feeling awkward, and he rubbed his fingertips together.

He turned his head away, slipping back into his careless, indifferent facade.

"There's nothing good about being my deskmate. It's nothing but trouble."

As Pu Yu looked at his awkward profile, her fleeting disappointment suddenly vanished, replaced by a curious sense of intrigue.

The corners of her lips even lifted slightly. "Like what?" she asked softly.

Her reaction seemed to leave Yuan Su momentarily speechless.

He listed his "offenses" in a flat voice. "Like skipping class all the time, sleeping through lessons, getting into fights, being publicly reprimanded, and-"

And carrying debts he could never pay off, with any number of debt collectors who might show up in front of him with knives at any moment.

That dark, damp undercurrent of his life was something he never wanted to lay bare before this girl, who was untouched by any of it.

"So what?"

Pu Yu suddenly spoke, cutting off his unfinished words.

Yuan Su fell silent.

He turned his head and found himself looking into a pair of crystal-clear amber eyes.

All the "offenses" he had listed seemed powerless in the face of her calm tone, which held an unmistakable note of "so what?"

"Yuan Su." She said his name softly, her voice clear and gentle. "After saying all that, are you really trying to ask whether I'm willing to be your deskmate?"

His back visibly stiffened.

He neither admitted it nor denied it.

But sometimes, silence was the best answer.

A soft smile rippled through Pu Yu's eyes. Looking at his profile, she spoke each word gently but firmly:

"I am, Yuan Su."

"Not because Teacher Cheng arranged it, and not because there aren't any empty seats."

"It's because I think being your deskmate is nice."

Her smile was clearly reflected in those dark eyes that were always so distant and cold, along with her open sincerity, untouched by any shadow.

He remained silent for a long time, long enough for the bell to finish ringing.

Cheng Siyi had already come in to hold the class meeting, explaining the new "one-on-one support" study guidelines and the class's upcoming arrangements in detail.

Her voice was clear and gentle as she explained each stage of their final-year revision goals and the importance of the next few exams.

"Those of you who are especially weak in certain subjects need to seize this opportunity."

"We've assigned deskmates and groups so you can complement each other's strengths. I hope you'll discuss more, ask more questions, and improve together."

Pu Yu listened attentively, jotting down the key points in her notebook.

Teacher Cheng went into great detail about study plans and plans for their final year of high school.

Yet the person beside her remained silent, giving her no response.

The class meeting moved from one item to the next, and time trickled by.

Pu Yu glanced at the faint red mark on her wrist. Her heartbeat still had not settled.

The bell rang, and the classroom grew noisy again.

Pu Yu slowly closed her notebook.

Should she go speak to Teacher Cheng?

There might still be time to change things.

She could sit anywhere, really. She simply did not want to put him in a difficult position.

The girl pressed her lips together and turned toward him, a hint of uncertainty in her voice.

"Yuan Su..."

"Let's just keep these seats."

He abruptly tossed out the stiff reply, then slumped over his desk and casually opened a book to cover his face, making it clear he wanted no further conversation.

Pu Yu froze for a moment.

Did that mean... he agreed?

After a brief pause, her heartbeat quietly quickened again.

The afternoon sunlight filtered through the camphor tree's layered branches and leaves, scattering tiny, swaying patches of light across the desk.

The breeze gently pressed a leaf downward, and it happened to reach through the half-open window.

And so it saw-

Between the edge of the book and his tousled black hair, a faint blush stubbornly climbed from the base of his pale ear to its rim, as though determined to conceal all his deliberate distance and coldness.

But leaves could not speak, and little Yu remained unaware. Only the camphor tree saw.

That secret, silent warmth, along with the pounding in the boy's chest, dissolved into the dappled light and shadow.