I was restless all day today.

"Vice-Chairman, is there anything I can help with?" The discipline committee member finished her last patrol of the day, returned to the Student Union room, removed her armband, hung it next to her locker, and yelled towards me.

"No need, there's not much work to do. It's getting late, you should go home first." I raised my head, pretending to look at documents, and replied.

"Well, I'll leave first then. See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow."

The orange-red sunset, accompanied by the cool breeze unique to summer evenings, entered the Student Union room, casting a thin layer of color. The faint cicada sound came from a distant place, representing the deep summer mix of barley and black tea flavors.

The discipline committee member closed the door and left. After making sure no one would come in again, I took out an envelope from the drawer.

This letter was found in my classroom drawer. There are many eyes and ears in the classroom and Student Union, so I couldn't find an appropriate time to open and read it.

This is also the reason why I have been restless all day.

The envelope exudes a faint fragrance, and is a girly pink color. The neat cut edges show that the envelope was not bought from a gift shop, but was carefully made by its owner.

Looking at the envelope, I was a bit stunned.

This is undoubtedly...

A love letter.

Thinking of these two words, I took a deep breath.

I grabbed a paper cutter from the table, cut along the edge of the envelope, and gently took out the folded letter inside. The letter, half the size of A4 paper, was also pink.

I put the envelope aside, exhaled, checked again that there was no one around, and slowly unfolded the letter. This ceremonial feeling was like a shrine maiden about to perform a taboo sacrifice.

"BaiQiao:

     Can I have a bit of your time after school? If possible, please come to the banyan tree behind the tennis court, I have something to tell you.

 Someone who likes you."

This is all the text on the letter.

I carefully examined it several times. Each stroke of the delicate and graceful characters were written with extra care, and there is no trace of errors, improper grammar, or punctuation.

BaiQiao is my name.

...

When listening to the casual conversations in class, people mentioned that the tree behind the tennis court is a famous confession spot. I had the chance to visit there when I was helping the tennis club with their affairs. Indeed, there were always a few confessing couples at the location, definitely living up to its reputation.

I carefully made my way towards that place. As the Student Union Vice-Chairman, it would be quite embarrassing if people discover me there.On the surface, I may be the Student Union Vice-Chairman, but in reality, I am a laborer involved in all kinds of affairs. For example, when there aren't enough people in the discipline team, I, as the Student Union Vice-Chairman, would help; as well as various tasks delegated from clubs, and so on. The Archery Club, which has a high demand for funds and a lot of competitive activities, often needs the help of the Student Union. And so, the two of us became acquainted.

Seeing me pretending to be stupid, she stomped her foot, and a trace of resentment gradually appeared on her shy face. "Don't you know what this place is?"

"Um, the banyan tree on the tennis court?" I didn't dare to look into her eyes.

As soon as I spoke, the resentment on her face deepened.

"You've read the letter in your drawer, right? You know why I asked you to come here." Her voice softened a lot, her eyes staring intently at me, and she approached me with small steps.

Half a head shorter than me, Wu Yaoyao, who is usually sweet and adorable when she smiles, was giving me so much pressure that I felt suffocated.

I glanced around, pretending to think. "Uh, to hand in the activity report?"

"Do you believe I will bite you to death?" As she said this, her expression was terrifyingly calm. And she was only half a step away from me.

The campus was quiet in the evening, and her words made me shiver.

"Uh... if there's nothing else..." I was panicking and instinctively started to step back.

Escaping is shameful but useful. This phrase appeared in my mind like an absolute truth.

"Bai Qiao, I like you!"

This sudden, unavoidable fastball stopped me in my tracks, pinning me to the ground like a pillar.

Wu Yaoyao, who was only half a step away from me, had already turned red, her fingers tightly clenched, staring intently at me, not daring to move. Like a criminal waiting for a verdict.

The two of us stared at each other like this. The air suddenly froze, the banyan tree in the background hidden in the solemn atmosphere, and the entire space was left with only the lazy evening sun emitting the last rays of the day.

The sincerity in her eyes made me sigh.

Love is not a good thing, absolutely not.

I had understood this three years ago.

So...

"I'm sorry..." I let out a breath, these heavy words slowly coming out of my mouth, but my mood felt like a weight pressing down from my throat to my heart.

So, it turns out that rejecting someone hurts too.