Chapter 596
Loss of Voice
The lunch break had just ended, and the 2:30 pm class bell had not yet rung.
The afternoon sun in early winter was as pale as diluted honey, lazily pouring onto the windows of the teaching building, yet it offered no warmth whatsoever.
The boarding students struggled to get out of bed and poured out of the dormitory building in twos and threes, hurrying towards the teaching building.
Mo Yixia, a day student, was already sitting in a seat by the window in the classroom, next to her deskmate Zhang Meng, who kept glancing towards the door.
"Mo Yixia, you can't bring your phone to school..."
Seeing Mo Yixia replying to messages on her phone as if no one else was around, Zhang Meng was even more nervous than Mo Yixia herself. She quickly lowered her voice to remind her and unconsciously leaned closer to her, trying her best to cover for her, afraid that the students passing by in the corridor would see her.
"I know."
Without looking up, Mo Yixia lightly tapped her fingertips to zoom in on the photo sent by Guzheng, scrutinizing every detail.
"Do you know that we are now senior high school students, and the college entrance examination is only six months away? The school's requirements for us will only become stricter, especially regarding checking our phones."
"I know."
"You...you know that and you still dare to bring your phone? If you're caught, your parents will be called in..."
"Call the parents?"
Upon hearing this, the girl, dressed in a school uniform, wearing a mask and a baseball cap, finally stopped what she was doing.
"Yeah, they'll definitely call our parents!"
Zhang Meng thought she had taken it to heart, so she quickly pressed on, saying, "Your grades are so good now, you've been praised as a model student for improvement countless times. It would be such a waste if you got criticized by the teacher for playing on your phone."
Mo Yixia remained noncommittal, then forwarded the photos sent by Guzheng to Han Zhou before leisurely putting away her phone and turning to look at him.
“I’ve always been a good student, so I don’t know much about these things…”
She took out the books she needed for the first class from her bag, along with a blank sheet of paper whose purpose she didn't know. "Will my parents really be called in if I play on my phone in the classroom?"
Zhang Meng was stunned for a moment, then hesitated and said, "Is it just my imagination? Why do I feel like you seem to be looking forward to it..."
Are you looking forward to it?
Upon hearing this word, the girl turned to look out the window.
The plane trees lining both sides of the road had long since shed their leaves, their bare branches stretching towards the sky, cutting the pale blue canopy into irregular geometric shapes.
The shadows of the trees lay slanted across the road, dappled and languid, frozen in place with the few remaining withered yellow leaves from yesterday, as if even time itself had yawned along this stretch of road.
The classroom was filled with the occasional sound of turning pages, some people were quietly reciting their lessons, and others were tidying up their stationery. Everything seemed to be proceeding in an orderly manner, yet there was an indescribable quietness.
Boring, uninteresting.
She wanted to do something fun and, incidentally, teach someone a lesson.
After a long while, the girl rested her chin on her hand and raised her hand to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
"Yes, I'm really looking forward to it."
……
What do you mean by "it's a pity it didn't snow"?
Seeing Mo Yixia's reply, Gu Zheng was only slightly puzzled for a moment before quickly putting it out of her mind, assuming that the other party was just envious and jealous. Satisfied, she turned off her phone.
She didn't post this photo to show off; it was just a response to the comment about "flat chest" from the night before last.
She holds grudges very well.
Hmph, so what if she has bigger breasts? She still has to go to school and study.
The thought of someone sitting in the classroom looking sour made Guzheng feel great. After thinking for a moment, she unlocked her phone again and sent another message.
"High school students should be studying properly. Why are you playing on your phone during class?" But perhaps she was caught by the teacher, or perhaps she just wanted to avoid seeing it, Mo Yixia did not reply this time.
Gu Zheng held her phone and waited silently for a while. Seeing that there was still no response, she was not annoyed. Instead, she became more and more smug. She thought that since this guy had given up, she would not send any more photos to provoke him.
Great, I won again this time!
She happily put away her phone, only to turn around and see Han Zhou with a bitter expression on his face.
"What's wrong with you?" she asked curiously.
"nothing."
Seeing Gu Zheng looking over, Han Zhou immediately put away his phone, forcing a smile. "Maybe it's because this mountain is too high, and we're a bit short of oxygen."
This was clearly nonsense, and Gu Zheng immediately rolled her eyes at him. But Zhong Ling, who was beside her, took it seriously and immediately turned to look at him with a concerned expression: "Junior, are you feeling unwell?"
"Senior, you're too easy to fool."
Gu Zheng bluntly exposed, "How could he not be feeling well..."
Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly froze on the spot.
Han Zhou and Zhong Ling both wore expressions of disbelief.
Not far away, Wang Lengqiu, who was studying how to set up a tent, stopped what he was doing and looked back.
Amidst the howling mountain wind, Guzheng remained stunned for a long time before tentatively asking, "Did I just... hear what my senior was saying?"
"Ah."
Han Zhou nodded with a complicated expression. "Senior sister was indeed asking me if I was feeling unwell."
Guzheng's eyes lit up: "My hearing has improved?"
"It's because Xiaoling's voice has gotten louder."
Wang Lengqiu walked over at some point and said softly, "Although I couldn't hear very clearly, I did hear her speak just now."
All three of them simultaneously turned their gaze to Zhong Ling's face.
After being "voiceless" for many years, Zhong Ling finally let the world hear her voice again on this day. This should have been a happy thing, but at this moment, Zhong Ling did not seem excited or thrilled. Instead, she lowered her head slightly, her eyes were unfocused, and she gave people a sense of unease and helplessness.
"Senior?"
Han Zhou waved his hand in front of her eyes.
He had gotten used to using "letting others have their way" to enhance his hearing. Whether it was normal conversation or a soft whisper, it all sounded the same to him. If Guzheng hadn't suddenly spoken up, he might not have even noticed that his senior's voice had become louder.
But why is that?
It can't be because the air is thinner up in the mountains, making the sound clearer, right?
No... this is definitely not something that can be explained by physics.
But if we're looking for psychological reasons, what caused that sudden change in the senior student?
If we can figure this out, maybe we can get my senior back to normal...
Just as he was thinking this, he saw Zhong Ling finally come to her senses, smile slightly, and open her mouth as if she wanted to say something.
But he was stunned.
Under the influence of "leaving it to fate," he was naturally surrounded by all sorts of voices at this moment.
The dry, cold mountain wind at noon swept through the ravine, emitting a low whimper. The stream crashed against the exposed rocks, splashing up a soft, rustling sound. In the distance, withered grass swayed and rubbed against the rocks, and the soft, crisp sound of loose branches breaking underfoot echoed in my ears. Even the occasional birdsong from the opposite valley seemed to resonate with extraordinary clarity.
But this time, he didn't hear the sound of bells. (End of Chapter)