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The cause of the whole affair was, in truth, rather simple. Weiwei Yu had been caught numerous times hiding under her desk during self-study, reading romance novels. Like one who lives by the river and is often caught with wet shoes, she was discovered yet again by the homeroom teacher, who confiscated her book. But this particular novel had just been borrowed from her cousin the week before. Freshly released and carried back from the provincial capital, it was nearly impossible to find in regular bookstores. Her cousin hadn’t even had a chance to read it before Weiwei had snatched it away with the promise to return it immediately after finishing. Now, with the teacher’s confiscation, her cousin would surely turn against her.

Desperate, Weiwei Yu pleaded with Astragalus Huang, hoping she would, as she had in the past, help her out by sneaking into the teacher’s office during the holiday when the school was empty, climbing in from the holly tree by the north window, and recovering the book in secret. After all, the teacher had confiscated so many novels and comics; one missing wouldn’t be noticed.

The homeroom teacher’s office was on the third floor, right beside a window that stood just over a meter away from a slender holly tree. Only someone as nimble and light as “Master Huang” could climb in. Astragalus had done this more than once. They agreed to sneak in on Sunday, with Weiwei keeping watch below while Astragalus scaled the tree to retrieve the book.

Just as she reached the windowsill, ready to slip into the office, footsteps echoed in the corridor and a key rattled in the lock. Quick to react, “Master Huang” sidestepped onto the air conditioning unit beside the window, clinging to the frame and pressing her back against the wall—a sight that made Weiwei, down below, tremble with fear.

The office door was flung open; the person entering slammed it shut, only for it to be pushed open again, scraping noisily across the floor. A woman’s voice, thick with tears, cried, “Go! Just go! Don’t follow me anymore! From now on, it’s over between us!”

A man’s voice replied, “Let me in!”

It sounded as if the woman was bracing the door, preventing the man outside from entering, but she was no match for his strength. The door burst open, striking the wall, and the two began to struggle.

Astragalus recognized their voices, and, curiosity overcoming her, she cautiously turned her head to peek through the window. The woman was indeed Teacher Zhou; the man, astonishingly, was Vice Principal Huang. The two tussled, colliding from one desk to another, scattering books everywhere.

Seeing this, Astragalus’s first thought was that Vice Principal Huang was attacking Teacher Zhou. Instinctively, she gripped the window frame, ready to jump in and help. But Vice Principal Huang quickly gained the upper hand, pinning Teacher Zhou to a desk and kissing her forcefully.

Teacher Zhou’s hands, at first clawing the air, gradually relaxed and fell limp, finally winding around Vice Principal Huang’s back.

Astragalus, perched on the windowsill, was petrified.

Her mind went completely blank, unable to process what was unfolding before her. Teacher Zhou, Vice Principal Huang… Teacher Zhou, Boss Sha, Sha Zhouyin… Faces flashed before her eyes. It couldn’t be—surely Teacher Zhou was being forced? Vice Principal Huang was assaulting her, a wolf in sheep’s clothing! She ought to rush in and help Teacher Zhou, right?

Yet her arms and legs were frozen. Twisted awkwardly against the window, she couldn’t move at all.

It was a long while before Vice Principal Huang finally released Teacher Zhou. The two remained draped over the desk. Sobbing, Teacher Zhou asked, “What do we do now? What should we do?”

Vice Principal Huang stroked her face and said, “Don’t be afraid. It’s a different era now. If we want to be together, we’ll find a way.”

Teacher Zhou replied, “No, no… You don’t know what he’s like when he’s angry. He’s capable of anything… I’m terrified to let him find out, yet every day I have to pretend nothing’s happened, force a smile—I can’t hold on much longer, I’m so scared… And you, your family…”

Astragalus listened as the two whispered about how to free themselves from their respective spouses so they could be together—planning to divorce and leave Huangsha Town for jobs in the provincial capital, with Vice Principal Huang already contacting old classmates and making arrangements. At last, she had to accept the truth: Teacher Zhou and Vice Principal Huang were having an affair.

Teacher Zhou was going to divorce Boss Sha, return to the provincial capital, abandon her husband and her son… But what about Sha Ying? That obedient, gentle, beautiful, outstanding Sha Ying—would he be left without a mother? How could Teacher Zhou bear to leave him behind?

Weiwei, unable to hear what was happening inside the office, saw Astragalus frozen and staring inside, unmoving. Worried that something had gone wrong, she craned her neck and called out, “Hey, hurry up! What are you doing up there?”

Her shout startled Vice Principal Huang and Teacher Zhou, who sprang apart. Turning, they caught sight of Astragalus’s head at the window. Teacher Zhou screamed and stumbled back; Astragalus screamed as well and, stepping back, fell from the third-floor windowsill.

Fortunately, “Master Huang” was built of sturdy bones, and the ground below was grassy. Apart from breaking her left leg on a tree branch during the fall, she was otherwise unharmed. Still, the injury kept her bedridden for over two months.

By then, it was nearly the end of the term and the coursework was intensifying. Weiwei Yu was wracked with guilt, convinced Astragalus’s injury was entirely her fault. Every day after school, she rushed to Astragalus’s home to share her class notes.

“You’re the school’s top student, our best hope for getting into Lanling First High. If this delays your exams, I’ll have no choice but to end myself in apology! Here, these are today’s math and English notes—I wrote nonstop all class, my hand’s about to fall off! Look, my fingers have calluses now! Your mom teaches literature and your dad teaches physics, so I didn’t bother with those classes…”

Astragalus, both amused and touched, accepted the notes and placed them on her bedside. “I’ll read them tonight. My dad will return them to you tomorrow. Really, you should pay attention in class. Missing a few days isn’t a big deal—my parents can help me catch up.”

Weiwei said, “Actually, since I started taking notes for you, I pay much more attention in class—haven’t dared daydream at all, and I feel more efficient than ever.” Her eyes darted to the bedside and quickly snatched up two unfamiliar notebooks, grinning slyly as she read the names on the inside cover. “Ah, so our star student’s been taking notes for you, no wonder you don’t need mine!”

Whenever Weiwei teased Astragalus about Sha Zhouyin, she’d blush shyly. Though nothing was ever said outright, a girl’s intuition told Weiwei what Astragalus felt. But this time, Astragalus didn’t show embarrassment. Instead, she forced an awkward smile and stuffed the notebooks beneath Weiwei’s own.

Just then, Sha Zhouyin arrived, halting Weiwei’s teasing. He greeted them and pulled out two notebooks from his bag. “Xiao Qi, these are today’s math and English notes…”

Astragalus cut him off. “Weiwei already did them for me. You don’t have to come every day.”

Weiwei joked, “Mine are a mess, nothing like Sha Zhouyin’s. If I’d known he was doing it, I wouldn’t have bothered.”

Astragalus pulled a long face and said nothing.

Sha Zhouyin continued, “Today, the teacher taught variance, which is new. I’ll explain it to you.”

Astragalus replied, “No need, my dad knows this stuff—he’ll teach me.”

Weiwei chimed in, “I never understood what variance was either. Let me listen in too. I’ve never heard Sha Zhouyin teach before—what an honor! So many girls would be jealous.” She winked at Astragalus.

Sha Zhouyin set down his bag and prepared to explain, but Astragalus suddenly said, stiffly, “If you want to explain, do it in the main room. I need a bath. Please call my mom for me.”

Sha Zhouyin’s face flushed red; he was left awkwardly holding his books. Weiwei, misunderstanding, hurried to explain. “Hey… I was just joking. It’s only the first lesson—we’ll figure it out later. It’s getting late, I should head home.”

Seeing Astragalus’s pointed expression, Sha Zhouyin silently packed his things. “I’ll come by tomorrow.”

Astragalus, impatient, said, “Weiwei comes every day, you don’t need to. We’re both girls—it’s easier.”

Weiwei finally sensed something was off and looked at Astragalus with concern. Her expression was complicated. As Sha Zhouyin dejectedly reached the door, Astragalus suddenly called out, “How’s your mom lately? I heard she was sick—she’s all right?”

Sha Zhouyin turned, seeming relieved, and smiled. “She’s fine. The doctor said she’s just overworked, a bit of nervous exhaustion—she’ll recover with some rest. She asked about you yesterday, actually.”

Astragalus’s hands squeezed the blanket. “What did she ask?”

“She wanted to know how your injury is, how long until you recover. She was on duty the day you fell and feels guilty. She told me to take care of you and make sure you don’t fall behind in your studies.”

Astragalus clutched the blanket. “Thanks to her and… for getting me to the hospital. Please thank her for me, tell her not to worry—I’ll be fine soon. Tell her to look after herself, too. Your dad must be busy—be sure to take care of your mom.”

The more Weiwei listened, the more uneasy she felt. After Sha Zhouyin left, noticing Astragalus still frowning and glum, she asked gently, “What’s wrong? And you and Sha Zhouyin… are you guys all right?”

Astragalus replied, distracted, “We’re fine. Why wouldn’t we be?”

“Then why did you chase him off as soon as he arrived?”

Astragalus pulled the blanket over her head. “He annoys me, okay? I can’t stand him!”

Weiwei grinned. “So you say, but did you have a fight?”

Astragalus wanted to retort but held back, replying sourly, “I’m stuck in bed, can’t move, and watching him bounce around makes me jealous, all right? Who needs his help with lessons? It’s just two months—missing a whole term wouldn’t stop me from coming first in class, hmph!”

Weiwei didn’t know what had happened in the office that day, and later, frightened by Astragalus’s injury, she hadn’t noticed anything odd about Teacher Zhou or Vice Principal Huang. According to her subtle inquiries with Sha Zhouyin, he hadn’t realized anything either. Aside from those involved, Astragalus seemed to be the only one who knew.

Astragalus was going out of her mind. For someone so lively, being bedbound in a cast for two months was torment enough, but keeping such a heavy secret inside, unable to tell anyone, was even worse.

The weather grew hotter, her healing wound itched beneath the plaster, yet she couldn’t scratch. Night after night she tossed and turned, tormented by pain and by her secret, unable to sleep.

She still couldn’t understand: if Teacher Zhou had once defied everything to be with Boss Sha—breaking with her parents, only letting Sha Zhouyin visit his grandparents alone during New Year’s—surely their love was as deep as the romances in Weiwei’s novels, the kind that endures all hardships, unbreakable unto death. Yet now, how could she be having an affair with Vice Principal Huang and even plan to abandon her husband and son? It was as if, after enduring countless trials, Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai finally wed, only for Zhu Yingtai to have an affair with Ma Wencai a few years later—utterly incomprehensible.

The adult world was far too complicated for a naive young girl to comprehend.