She’s Crazy C06

In late October, the weather changed quickly. The rain came fast and left just as swiftly.

Between the end of afternoon classes and the start of evening study sessions, the classroom was relatively empty but incredibly noisy. Even from a distance, he could hear the commotion inside, along with the crisp, gentle voice of a girl broadcasting over the speakers.

Zhang Lurang walked into the classroom.

Before he even reached his seat, he noticed a dark red folding umbrella placed right in the center of his desk, carelessly positioned as if deliberately trying to catch his attention.

Picking it up, he found a piece of paper stuck to the handle. To make it waterproof, several layers of clear tape had been applied over it.

There was a sentence written on it, though it had been smudged by something, making parts of it a little blurry.

But the words were still readable.

— Borrowed by Zhang Lu Rang from Class One, Grade One, from Su Zai Zai of Class Nine, Grade One.

The word “borrowed” was written in a font twice the size of the others.

His gaze lowered, expression indifferent. He set the umbrella back on the desk, packed a few books into his bag, slung it over his shoulder, and walked out of the classroom. Before leaving, he took the umbrella with him.

Up two floors, a right turn, then a straight path leading to another building—he headed toward the classroom closest to the Year 1 teachers’ office.

Maybe because it was so close to the office, or perhaps because there were fewer people around, the classroom was incredibly quiet.

Especially quiet.

Zhang Lurang spotted only one girl inside. She was sitting by the window, wearing oversized glasses, earbuds in, flipping through a book.

Outside the window, the sunset cast its golden light, filtering through the dense foliage. Flecks of sunlight danced on the book pages as the breeze rustled the leaves. The light refracted on her hand, giving it a soft, luminous glow.

It was a bit dazzling.

Zhang Lurang narrowed his eyes slightly and said, “Su Zai Zai.”

She didn’t hear him. Her hands continued turning the pages without the slightest pause.

He didn’t call her again and instead walked straight in.

Out of the corner of her eye, Su Zai Zai noticed someone standing by her desk mate’s table. Her hand stilled for a moment before she instinctively pulled out one of her earbuds.

The voice from the classroom speaker drifted in—clear, soft, and captivating.

“There’s a line in Han Han’s A City that goes like this:

‘The affairs of this world are nothing more than this—falling in love with something in an instant, then spending years questioning why you loved it in the first place.’”

…

…

Su Zai Zai looked up at him.

The boy’s lips were pressed into a straight line, his dark eyes clear and bright, devoid of any emotion. His black hair was slightly damp, giving him a lazy yet strikingly fresh appearance.

He raised his hand, offering the umbrella to her without a word.

Su Zai Zai didn’t take it. She just stared at him.

Seeing this, Zhang Lurang leaned forward, placed the umbrella on her desk, then turned to leave.

Su Zai Zai quickly called after him, “Zhang Lurang.”

He paused, turning back to look at her.

“You know who I am?” Su Zai Zai put down her book and picked up the umbrella, waving it slightly.

Zhang Lurang nodded but didn’t respond.

Something swelled inside Su Zai Zai, making her heart race with excitement. She fought back her nervousness and shamelessly asked, “Have you been secretly paying attention to me?”

Zhang Lurang frowned slightly, clearly not expecting such a question. He lost interest in continuing the conversation and turned to leave.

She followed him, talking to herself as if making excuses. “I shouldn’t have exposed you like that. Don’t be mad, just pretend I never said it.”

Zhang Lurang’s lips twitched, unable to hold back his sarcasm. He muttered, “Acceleration, two meters per second squared.”

“…”

So he really did hear her that day—shouting her name and loudly reciting physics formulas…

God, this was embarrassing.

But she could handle it.

Besides, all her efforts weren’t in vain—at least he remembered her.

Su Zai Zai blinked and swiftly changed the subject. “Anyway, about that… I really was cursing at you that day. So, lending you the umbrella was my way of apologizing.”

“No need.”

Su Zai Zai waved a hand dismissively. “That won’t do, I’m not that kind of person.”

“I already cursed back,” he said nonchalantly.

Su Zai Zai was dumbfounded.

Wait… when did he curse at her?

That “idiot” from that day?

So he was calling her an idiot?!

The aloof, untouchable school genius actually held grudges over little things. That unexpected contrast was… oddly cute!

But how should she respond?

If she got all riled up and snapped, “How dare you curse at me?!” he might never dare to insult her again.

And honestly… she kind of liked it.

It felt like she was getting special treatment from a handsome guy.

Maybe she should just pat his arm and say, “Hahaha, nice one! I love it when you insult me!”

…Yeah, no. He’d definitely think she was crazy.

Forget it. Time to change the topic again.

“Oh, and that day—I wasn’t looking for Zhou Xuyin. I thought you were Zhou Xuyin… I was actually looking for you.”

She wasn’t some fickle flirt! She was a devoted woman!

“Mm.”

So cold. Sob sob sob.

Su Zai Zai pressed on. “Aren’t you curious why I was looking for you?”

“Not interested.”

Not interested…

Fine, if he wasn’t interested, she wouldn’t tell him. Su Zai Zai decided to give up.

New topic.

“Also, about that acceleration thing—I do know the unit for acceleration! My brain just short-circuited at that moment, that’s all.” She shamelessly explained.

“Oh.”

“You know, just saying ‘oh’ is a form of emotional neglect.”

“…”

“You just abused me.”

“…”

“Domestic abuse.”

Zhang Lurang stopped walking, turned to look at her, his gaze unreadable.

Su Zai Zai calmly corrected herself. “Campus violence. Slip of the tongue.”

Zhang Lurang: “…”

And so, one person talked endlessly, while the other resolutely maintained silence.

But after descending two flights of stairs, Zhang Lurang finally couldn’t help himself. His tone was heavy as he asked, “Why are you following me?”

They had just reached the floor where the advanced class was. A few more steps and they’d be near the back entrance of the classroom. From here, the noise from inside could already be heard.

He was carrying a backpack. He came to return an umbrella…

If she just guessed something random, she wouldn’t lose, right?

Su Zai Zai blinked innocently. “I’m not following you. I’m going to the library.”

He didn’t say anything else, nor did he enter the classroom. Instead, he turned a corner and continued walking down the corridor.

Looks like I guessed right!

Su Zai Zai happily followed after him.

Even though she didn’t get a response, she had the advantage of being naturally talkative and thick-skinned. She kept chatting away, making sure the atmosphere wasn’t awkward.

Just as they were about to enter the reading room, Su Zai Zai suddenly tugged at the corner of his shirt but quickly let go.

Zhang Lu Rang turned his head slightly.

She licked her lips and carefully explained, “That thing I said about emotional neglect just now was a joke… You got that, right?”

He glanced at her, then withdrew his gaze. “Mm.”

Still so cold.

That single syllable, as brief as ice, quickly melted into water within Su Zai Zai’s heart.

Gentle water, evaporating into the air, spreading outward.

—

The two of them walked into the reading room.

Zhang Lu Rang unhurriedly made his way around a few bookshelves, heading toward a table in the corner.

Su Zai Zai followed behind him.

The table had four chairs, all of them empty.

Zhang Lu Rang quietly pulled out a chair and sat down. He took out his textbooks and practice sheets from his backpack, picked up a pen, and started working on his assignments.

Su Zai Zai stood in place for a moment before turning toward the entrance.

Out of the corner of his eye, Zhang Lu Rang noticed her leaving. His hand, holding the pen, paused briefly, and he lifted his gaze slightly before quickly refocusing on his textbook.

A sigh of relief escaped in his mind.

…She finally left.

She was just too energetic—he really didn’t know how to handle her.

But Su Zai Zai hadn’t actually left. She just hadn’t brought anything with her and couldn’t very well sit next to him and stare at him the whole time…

Even though she kind of wanted to.

But she didn’t dare.

Su Zai Zai wandered over to the foreign literature section, tracing her fingers lightly over the spines of the books. She wasn’t really looking for anything in particular, and after much indecision, she pulled out Letter from an Unknown Woman.

This one will do. Pretty sure it’s on the literature teacher’s recommended reading list.

Holding the book, she walked back to the corner.

The two seats across from Zhang Lu Rang were now occupied. Su Zai Zai felt a little disappointed—she had wanted to sit directly across from him so she could see his face whenever she looked up.

Oh well, sitting next to him works too.

It’s even closer.

Su Zai Zai quietly pulled out a chair and sat down.

Zhang Lu Rang, beside her, acted as if he hadn’t noticed, not even blinking.

Su Zai Zai glanced at him, then quickly shifted her gaze away. She opened her book and focused on the story.

Outside, the sky was a deep red, dyeing the clouds a soft pink. Behind them, a faint blue peeked through, making the view both beautiful and somber.

Zhang Lu Rang glanced at his watch. It was almost time for evening self-study.

Most of the people around them had already left.

He closed his practice sheets and textbooks one by one, stacked them neatly, and put them into his backpack before standing up.

Su Zai Zai remained still, quietly engrossed in her book.

Her side profile was fair and delicate, her features small and refined. Her head tilted slightly downward, with chestnut-brown hair partially covering her face. Her lips were gently pressed together, curved into a faint arc.

Her slender, fair fingers turned the pages.

The usual liveliness and boldness were now replaced with a peaceful quietness.

Zhang Lu Rang stood there for a moment before finally bending slightly and knocking on the table with his knuckle, giving her a soft reminder: “Evening study.”

Su Zai Zai looked at him, her eyes still hazy with distraction, but she quickly snapped back to reality and gave him a small nod.

Without saying anything else, he turned and walked out.

Su Zai Zai hadn’t expected him to wait for her anyway. After slowly putting the book back, she absentmindedly made her way toward the classroom.

Sometimes, falling for someone happens in an instant.

Su Zai Zai remembered that moment clearly.

It was that rainy day. The moment he looked over.

The moment their eyes met.

But she could never figure out why she liked him.

Even years later, after racking her brain and interrogating herself countless times, she still didn’t know why she had fallen for Zhang Lu Rang.

But, fortunately—

She had never regretted it.

She never regretted going to the convenience store that day. Never regretted walking out halfway through. Never regretted choosing to stand outside with her umbrella. Never regretted inexplicably scolding him.

Never regretted meeting him.

And then, falling for him at first sight.