Autumn really did have the most comfortable weather of all four seasons.
The bright midday sunshine warmed the classroom without the scorching heat of midsummer. Outside the window, the plane trees had turned golden, and whenever the wind blew, two or three leaves drifted in and landed by the windowsill, adding the dry scent of leaves to the chalk-dust air.
The students who had been studying in the classroom had long since laid their heads down. This was the quietest time in the classroom, so quiet they could hear the swish of the groundskeepers sweeping the school paths outside.
A minute before the warning bell was due to ring, Chen Shi'an came out of his Seated Meditation.
He stretched a little, just as if he had woken from a nap.
He turned to look at the Class Monitor napping at her desk. She was sleeping soundly.
She lay limply across the desktop, her head buried in her arms. Her long black hair had slipped down, a few strands tinted light brown by the sunlight resting against her flushed cheek. Her breathing was slow and soft, like fine snow settling on leaves.
She seemed to be sleeping very comfortably. Her sleeves were loosely bunched around her wrists, and even the exposed skin had a faint, warm pink tint.
The warning bell marking the end of the lunch break rang.
Lin Meng Qiu's shoulders gave a slight tremble in her sleep, and then her delicate brows furrowed.
Chen Shi'an thought she was about to wake up, but before long, her furrowed brows gently relaxed again, and she went on sleeping.
"..."
Chen Shi'an found it funny. Seeing other students trickling into the classroom, he reached out and poked the girl's soft shoulder.
"Class Monitor."
"..."
"Wake up, Class Monitor."
"×!"
Lin Meng