âMm-hmm!â the ethics teacher on the podium coughed a few times, âSome students have been whispering below. If you also want to participate in the debate, I can invite you up next time. For now, please stay quiet and listen to what others are saying. When itâs your turn to come up, you wonât be allowed to skip.â
As she spoke, her gaze returned to Tan Rou and Zhuang Liu and she also made a âsilenceâ gesture, meaning they shouldnât talk anymore.
Tan Rou and Zhuang Liu consciously closed their mouths. The female teacher was more tolerant, agreeing to let them film here; if it had been one of those rigid old professors, they probably would have been sent out already.
Not being able to talk didnât bother Zhuang Liu, in fact, he felt that their earlier behavior was somewhat inappropriate. This was a classroom, and apart from the discussion times, they were supposed to remain quiet. They hadnât done that just now, but now they had to follow the classroom rules properly.
He extended a hand and slowly covered Tan Rouâs hand with his. She was startled but didnât make a sound. She aligned her palm with his and they interlocked fingers, holding each other tightly.
Perhaps feeling that this action was too eye-catching, they slowly moved their joined hands under the table. In a place where others might notice, they held hands, conveying their love.
After a while, Tan Rou felt Zhuang Liuâs fingers move, so she loosened her hands slightly.
Zhuang Liu smiled at her, then drew circles on the palm of her hand with his finger. Initially, Tan Rou couldnât make out what he was drawing, just feeling a tickle in her palm.
Zhuang Liu saw she didnât react, so he slowed down. After finishing one, he paused briefly, then repeated the motion, almost in the same spot in her palm.
Tan Rou finally realized what Zhuang Liu was drawing; it was a heart, just that Zhuang Liu drew it in one stroke, so without seeing it, it felt like a circle.
Upon understanding what Zhuang Liu was drawing, Tan Rou drew a heart in the palm of his hand, and Zhuang Liu immediately realized it was a heart, his lips curving into a smile.
Initially, Tan Rou found this behavior very childish, thinking that only elementary and middle school students did such acts of writing secret messages by hand, as they were adults and shouldnât be doing such things. But when she saw Zhuang Liu seriously writing on her palm, her heart melted.
Love often makes people foolish, and being a little silly was no big deal.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Then they began to write words in the palms of their hands and let the other guess the words, and if guessed correctly, they would draw it on the desk.
The movements under the table were invisible to others. From the teacherâs perspective, it seemed these two were just whispering and not visible what they were actually saying. From the photographerâs perspective, their hands were also out of sight, let alone capturing them writing on each otherâs palms.
But by this time, Tan Rou and Zhuang Liu had forgotten about the filming, seeing themselves as not yet adults, writing on each otherâs palms, playing a very juvenile game.
For them, such wonderful moments were far too rare.
Tan Rou had been training since she was four years old, with no time for play. Later, when she returned to the Tan family, the Tan family members werenât kind to her, and by then she was past the age for playing.
Zhuang Liu was similar, although he grew up in the Zhuang family with relatively more freedom. But being intelligent from a young age, the head of the Zhuang family had high hopes for him and arranged many courses, so he had no time for play either.
These two, lacking a childhood, had come together, their IQs reduced considerably, playing such a childish game for so long, which would undoubtedly be laughed at by others if known.
The debate was almost over, and they had to leave the classroom soon, so this was the last round of writing.
Zhuang Liu wrote âI love youâ in the palm of Tan Rouâs hand. Tan Rou had already guessed that he would write these three words, so she replied, âI love you too, always have.â
Not to be outdone, Zhuang Liu immediately followed up by writing âI love you foreverâ in her palm.
Tan Rou wanted to end the game, as if they continued, it probably would be time for class to end. She nodded and responded, âYes, love you.â