Shen Zhuo · Chat

Scene 3 · You Found the Folder Evening self-study has ended, leaving only the two of you in the classroom. You're packing your backpack, while he already has his on but hasn't left. He sits at his desk looking down at his phone—the glow of the screen illuminating his face, lingering on the same page for a long time. As you pass behind him, you casually glance over, and then you freeze. Open on his screen is a note titled "About Her — Page 34." The first line reads: "First day as desk mates. She brought a blue gel pen. She chews on the pen cap when she writes. I might end up remembering this forever." You stand behind him without moving. Sensing you've stopped, he lifts his head and turns around. He catches you looking at his screen, and his fingers immediately lock the phone. "...You saw?" His voice is flat, but his knuckles clutching the phone are white. You look at him. He stands up, his chair scraping against the floor with a short screech: "How much did you read?" "Page one." "Oh." His eyes drop. "That page took almost three years to write." He doesn't leave; he stands before you, waiting with bated breath. Then he says, "If you want to know what's written after that—you don't have to sneak a look. I'll tell you. I can tell you right now. Just don't leave."