Cupid, son of Venus and Mars, always carried a small bow. His arrows never missed their mark. This adorable yet mischievous sprite had two kinds of arrows: golden-tipped ones that sparked love, and lead-tipped ones that ended it. He also carried a torch that illuminated the soul.
...
In the blink of an eye, the flea market was nearly over. Jin Jiahui and Feng Yulan hadn’t even eaten lunch. By the time they finished molding their lifelike clay figurines, it was already past three in the afternoon.
The classroom was empty. Jin Jiahui bought two packs of instant noodles and some snacks from the convenience store. He sat on a chair and leisurely started eating.
Almost no one walked through the school building. In the empty classroom, only Jin Jiahui and Feng Yulan remained, creating a rather romantic atmosphere.
The two lifelike clay figurines were taken out of their boxes and placed on the table. Jin Jiahui’s figurine was posed in a punching stance, his eyebrows knitted fiercely, his gaze sharp and piercing. You could almost feel the speed and power behind the punch. Though casually dressed in a school uniform T-shirt, it radiated a sharp, sword-like aura.
Feng Yulan’s figurine was completely different. It simply stood there, yet exuded a faint sense of tranquility and gentleness. Its short hair, cut to ear-length, flowed softly. It was impossible to tell this was a boy.
Jin Jiahui looked at the figurine, then at Feng Yulan, and laughed. “This figurine looks quite like you.”
Feng Yulan smiled with pursed lips. “Yours too.”
“Haha! So I’m this handsome!” Jin Jiahui carefully examined his figurine and felt even more satisfied.
“You’re most handsome when you’re serious,” Feng Yulan thought to himself, but unexpectedly blurted it out. He immediately blushed crimson and hurriedly explained, “Um... no... I mean, men are most handsome when they’re serious... um... not that I mean... well...”
“Mm, I know, I know,” Jin Jiahui said, also feeling a bit shy. “Ahem! Let’s eat the noodles!”
The atmosphere was awkward. Neither spoke until Jin Jiahui finished his bowl of noodles, soup and all. Then he finally came up with a topic.
“Ahem, can I have your figurine? In exchange, I’ll give you mine,” Jin Jiahui said, tilting his head up and trying to sound casual.
In reality, this was a disguised confession...
“Huh?” Feng Yulan slightly showed a look of confusion, then immediately realized. He lowered his head and replied in a soft voice, “Mm...”
So Jin Jiahui placed his figurine in front of Feng Yulan, then placed Feng Yulan’s figurine in front of himself.
“Hey, what are you grinning at?” Luo Liangjian walked into the classroom and saw Jin Jiahui grinning stupidly at the instant noodles in his hand, with Feng Yulan’s figurine placed in front of him.
“Oho, what’s this?” Luo Liangjian picked up Feng Yulan’s figurine. “It’s quite exquisite!”
“Don’t touch it,” Jin Jiahui said, snatching the figurine from Luo Liangjian’s hand. He carefully wiped it down to ensure no dust or dirt, then placed it back in the box.
“Tsk tsk, I say, are you two dating?” Luo Liangjian said teasingly.
Feng Yulan blushed and carefully placed Jin Jiahui’s figurine into the box.
Jin Jiahui was munching on a bread roll, his face stern, not speaking.
“Holy crap! It’s not true, is it!” Luo Liangjian exclaimed in shock. “I was just joking! Although Feng Yulan looks very much like a girl, he really is...” Luo Liangjian didn’t continue, because Feng Yulan was indeed a real boy who had used the restroom with the boys...
“You’re overthinking it,” Jin Jiahui said. “Pure friendship.”
“I hope so,” Luo Liangjian said meaningfully.
The two boxes containing the figurines were placed in the drawers by Jin Jiahui and Feng Yulan. They didn’t put them in their backpacks for fear of crushing them.
Time flew by. Ye Wen and her two friends also shopped to their heart’s content at the flea market. By the time it was about to end, many more people were buying food, and the few food stalls were crowded.
The school bell rang leisurely, but students were still enthusiastic. Many stalls couldn’t pack up. By the end, many students had decided what to buy and were now busy purchasing. By the final moments, almost everything was heavily discounted, allowing them to save money. Of course... competition was much fiercer.
At the school gate, the little maid had been waiting for over ten minutes, carrying some vegetables. She intently watched every student coming out, hoping to spot her young mistress.
“Ye Wen~” Shuizishi waved, signaling she was here.
Jin Jing and Lu Yu wanted to buy more things, so they didn’t come out with Ye Wen. Ye Wen walked alone to Shuizishi and pointed to a notepad.
“What’s for dinner?”
“Hot pot!” Shuizishi shook the bag in her hand. “I bought lots of delicious stuff!”
Ye Wen nodded, took two bags from Shuizishi’s hand, and headed home.
“Eh? Miss, I can carry them!”
Ye Wen shook her head, insisting on sharing some of Shuizishi’s workload.
Shuizishi had to give in, but still swapped the bags for the two lightest ones, containing tofu and mushrooms.
...
Jin Jiahui and Feng Yulan left the school gate together as usual, then parted ways at the fork in the road.
As Feng Yulan walked down a side road, he glanced back at Jin Jiahui and saw him looking too. He immediately blushed, his heart racing. He took off running like a little rabbit and vanished.
Feng Yulan ran all the way home. His sister was washing vegetables in the kitchen. Hearing the door open, she asked, “Xiao Lan? Back already?”
“Mm,” Xiao Lan replied, then dashed into his room and closed the door.
Jin Jiahui’s figurine was taken out and placed on the bookshelf. Feng Yulan thought for a moment, then covered it with two books. He looked around, satisfied that it wouldn’t give anything away, and nodded.
At the same moment, Jin Jiahui placed Feng Yulan’s figurine on his desk, where it could be seen at first glance—this exquisite clay figurine.
“Thump.” At this moment, their hearts seemed connected, sharing the same heartbeat rhythm.
A sweet feeling spread in their hearts. Closing their eyes, they saw each other’s faces.
Both shook their heads simultaneously. The strange feeling vanished instantly, as if it had never existed. Closing their eyes no longer brought up each other’s images, but with just a thought, the other’s figure would appear. As if something unseen connected them.
Heart to heart, they were connected...
