Chapter 8: Color changes

Lin You officially became a student of Baiyun Elementary School.

He walked into a classroom and now had a teacher, textbooks, and a deskmate.

To him, all these changes were novel and strange.

The young boy moved with caution, every action deliberate. He hadn’t yet adapted and was in an uneasy stage, having just stepped out of his comfort zone.

School had class times, break times, and subjects like Language and Math to learn…

Lin You’s understanding of school deepened bit by bit.

“Ding dong”

This was the bell signaling the end of class, a time for students to move about freely.

Without the teacher’s supervision, the classroom of Class Two became lively.

The newly enrolled students were all working hard to form their own little cliques.

Actively or passively, everyone would eventually make a few friends at school.

The most popular cartoon shows of the moment were the easiest topics for children to chat about.

Of course, if you had a rich supply of snacks, you could also easily make a group of friends.

But not everyone could make friends.

Due to the birthmark on his face, Lin You was too different among his peers. No student was willing to take the initiative to befriend him.

Because whoever became friends with this “outcast” would probably not be able to make any other friends.

And so, Lin You was tacitly isolated.

Therefore, the lively classroom during break time did not belong to Lin You.

Lin You also understood that he was unpopular. He didn’t think about trying to please others and just sat on his stool alone and motionless, passing the time by reading his textbook.

He preferred class time over break time. At least when the teacher was present, the students would be quiet and wouldn’t secretly gossip about him or cast strange glances his way from time to time.

One class, two classes.

Lin You’s bottom was sore from sitting, yet he still hadn’t left his seat.

He wanted to wait until school was over, but the urge to pee interrupted his plan.

He had to pee. He remembered the teacher saying the restroom was at the end of the classroom hallway.

‘Just hold it a little longer. I can go home soon.’

Lin You’s legs squirmed unnaturally. He didn’t want to leave the classroom of Class Two because there were more peers outside, and all of them would surely hate him.

‘Classmate Zhong is so popular. Everyone likes to play with her.’

Lin You had no interest in most of the students in the class, but he would quietly pay attention to his deskmate.

He watched as a group of girls his age gathered around his deskmate, all of them discussing things animatedly.

In an extremely short amount of time, Zhong Yuxiu had already formed the largest clique of students in Class Two.

“Yuxiu, why did you agree to be his deskmate? Don’t you think he’s scary?”

“You’re so brave, actually sitting with such a scary guy. Don’t you have nightmares?”

As the group of students chatted, the topic eventually landed on Lin You.

Of course, they were gathered by the classroom window to discuss this, not saying it to Lin You’s face, but he could still hear them.

Hearing her peers’ words, the girl subconsciously glanced at her deskmate not far away.

Just then, Lin You, who had overheard their comments, was sneaking a peek in their direction. Their eyes met.

But like a thief caught in the act, Lin You instantly retracted his gaze, lowering his head to look at the textbook on his desk.

“Classmate Lin is a very friendly boy, not scary at all. Please don’t make fun of him.”

To Lin You, Zhong Yuxiu’s response was like the sound of music from heaven.

His heart thumped rapidly. This was the first time someone other than his grandmother had stood up for him.

“You’re not thinking of being friends with him, are you? He’s a boy, and on his face…”

The girl’s new friends all expressed their disapproval.

“No, he and I are not friends.”

In order to solidify her clique, Zhong Yuxiu quickly gave her answer.

It was the truth, regardless of whether she wanted to be friends with Lin You or not.

“That’s great. You must not be friends with him. If you can’t stand it, just ask the teacher to change your seat.”

“Exactly, exactly! We girls must never be friends with boys, especially a scary one like that…”

In the girls’ circle, anyone who became friends with a boy was considered inferior, and a boy like Lin You, with a birthmark on his face, was at the very bottom of the food chain.

“I know.”

In front of so many new friends, Zhong Yuxiu’s hands were tied.

‘It turned white… I knew it.’

Due to his special ability, the change in his deskmate was very clear to Lin You.

The light green that had carried kindness had turned into the same white as most of the other students.

‘White is fine too. At least it’s not gray.’

He clenched his small hands, comforting himself. Only he knew the disappointment in his heart.

When Zhong Yuxiu returned to her seat, she showed no hostility, but she also treated Lin You as if he were thin air.

For the sake of her large group of new friends, she had invisibly made a sacrifice.

Time passed to the late morning.

The curriculum for elementary school students was simple. There were only three classes in the morning, and school let out around eleven o’clock.

The joyous students left in droves.

Lin You also wanted to quickly leave the school gate to see his grandmother, but there were simply too many people outside.

He wanted to wait a bit, for the crowd to disperse, before going out.

“Hey, red-faced ghost.”

As a few mischievous classmates passed by Lin You’s seat, they called out a nasty nickname with cheeky grins.

These thoughtless kids had no idea how much damage a nickname could do to someone’s heart.

“…”

Lin You chose to ignore it, as if he hadn’t heard.

He had heard similar nicknames before when he was scavenging with his grandmother.

He had a certain level of resilience.

‘How rude.’

Zhong Yuxiu was packing up her stationery when she heard what her classmates called her deskmate. Her delicate eyebrows furrowed noticeably.

She didn’t like these clearly insulting remarks, but she didn’t stand up for him either. Her judgment of them even remained solely in her heart.

Because if she helped Lin You, she would also draw fire upon herself and lose her status in the class.

‘If he didn’t have a birthmark on his face, he wouldn’t be laughed at…’

To alleviate the subtle guilt from her own inaction, Zhong Yuxiu could only find a reason in the innocent victim, Lin You himself.

Only after all the students had left the classroom did Lin You get up from his stool.

He had been sitting for a whole morning, and his bottom was sore.

‘There are still so many people. Grandma must have been waiting for a long time. The sun is so strong outside.’

Looking through the window, the boy saw that the campus was still bustling. He wanted to wait longer, but the midday sun was vicious, and he didn’t want to make his grandmother wait.

After a moment’s hesitation, the boy decided not to hide in the classroom any longer.

He put on his backpack, lowered his head, and hurried out.

Students were leaving from all directions. To him, this was simply hell.

To get back to his grandmother’s side—that was the only thought in the boy’s mind.

His steps were rushed, almost frantic.

“Ouch! Don’t you have eyes?”

In a moment of carelessness, Lin You collided with someone at a corner.