Chapter 19: The first step
Yue Zijiang could not help growing restless. At school, he was already showered with praise: cool, handsome, clean-cut, and occasionally even "obedient," according to his elders or teachers. Riding his motorcycle home every evening was a little showy, but indulging in the vanity of attracting passersby's attention sometimes left him brimming with confidence, almost floating.
The cheers of those young girls and the secret affections of the beauties in his year seemed as insubstantial as drifting clouds to Yue Zijiang.
Only Tang Wu's appearance could strike his heart like an electric shock. It made him suddenly understand that if a girl like Tang Wu ended up in someone else's arms later in life, it would be a desecration. Only he could give her joy and happiness.
Persistence was sometimes an immense, invisible force. That force actually allowed Yue Zijiang to quickly forget the pain of having been rejected by Tang Wu once, suppress his restlessness, and regain something approaching calm. He did not know where this confidence came from. He simply felt as though this girl had belonged to him since long, long ago, as though they were meant to be together. Even many years from now, they would remain bound together like this. That familiarity seemed to transcend their unfamiliarity through some unseen design, and no force could break it.
Thus, when he called Tang Wu out during the break and she rejected his offer to take her home after school, Yue Zijiang was not discouraged. He smiled and nodded. "If not this time, then another time. There'll always be a chance, right?"
Helpless, Tang Wu nodded. Just then, the bell rang for class. Yue Zijiang waved at her with easy grace, then turned back toward the stairs.
He happened to run into Zhang