Chapter 222 : Deskmate, Will We Meet Again?
Chapter 222: Deskmate, Will We Meet Again?
On the third day of the National Day holiday, Lin Mo woke up early for morning exercise as usual, not slacking off just because he was at home.
Ninety-nine percent of people in this world don’t lack perseverance when doing something — they just can’t see results or progress.
If one could see even a little of either, they would witness humanity’s true potential.
It was the same for Lin Mo. It wasn’t that he was particularly diligent, but every time he exercised in the morning, he could feel his body improving — that gentle warmth around his lower abdomen was the strongest proof.
If he didn’t feel that effect, why would he get up early? Sleeping in would be much more comfortable.
The elderly at the People’s Square were all energetic; one even trained shirtless on the horizontal bar, his muscular body making Lin Mo, a young man, feel a bit intimidated — afraid the old man might accidentally knock him flat with one punch.
In the mornings, whether at parks or squares, anywhere with exercise equipment was always crowded. Once you went there, you wouldn’t even dare to make a sound — it was practically the Asura Field of Morning Exercise.
Lin Mo’s workout routine wasn’t even enough to count as a warm-up for those uncles and aunties.
When Lin Mo returned home drenched in sweat from his run, he stood in the living room and grinned. “Mom, do you see any changes in your son?”
Hearing that, his mother, Zhou Hui, came out of the kitchen carrying porridge and pickles. She gave him a glance and said, “Aside from that annoying mouth of yours, everything else has changed. Since you’re already like this, why not change that mouth too — try thinking before you speak next time?”
Lin Mo: .
“What? You’re still holding a grudge? Didn’t you already hit me last night? Let’s move on!”
That’s right — even though he bought a car to make his mother happy, the beating he deserved still came, just delayed a little.
Last night, he tried to imitate Comrade Old Lin by treading a bit on his mom’s minefield. He didn’t expect it to blow up in his face.
Still, he did learn something — at least he figured out how his dad always managed to anger his mom. He just hadn’t learned the follow-up — how to smooth things over so that she ended up laughing instead of staying mad.
Hearing her son’s words, Zhou Hui rolled her eyes but didn’t press the issue further. After all, this was her eldest son who bought her a car. For the car’s sake, she had to show him some good temper for a few days.
“Alright, go wash up and eat!”
Lin Mo, unwilling to give up, asked again, “Mom, don’t you feel like your son’s gotten taller?”
This morning, he had unlocked [Secondary Growth] after finishing his morning workout.
Now, standing before his mother was Lin · 179.5 · Mo — half a centimeter taller than a month ago.
Since his second year of high school, he hadn’t grown at all. As the saying went, “You might have a late growth spurt at twenty-three,” but for him, that seemed to have stopped working.
Only after he got his shopping page did he rekindle hope.
Zhou Hui looked him up and down, then waved her hand. “Go, go, wash up. You’re not short — what’s the point of fussing over that? If you really want to be taller, I’ll buy you height-increasing insoles tomorrow.”
Half a centimeter — the naked eye couldn’t even tell. It didn’t make any difference.
Lin Mo sighed helplessly and went to wash up, silently swearing that in a year’s time, he’d show her what a true 185-centimeter man looked like.
After just over a month, he’d grown 0.5 cm. Another five or six in a year would be easy.
The holiday passed peacefully. Many working people were recharging their energy during the short break, but it was still lively — the National Day holiday wasn’t just peak travel season, but also peak wedding season.
His mom had to attend one today — a colleague’s son’s wedding — and drove the new car there.
His dad had plans too; he went out before noon to have lunch with Uncle Liu, saying he’d treat him today.
For middle-aged men, happiness was nothing more than having barbecue and beer with a few friends after work.
Life in a small county town moved slowly. The income might not be high, but the expenses were low, so there wasn’t much pressure.
Soon, the house was left with only Lin Mo. He lay on the bed bored, looking out the window at the darkening sky — it looked like rain.
At his aunt’s home, his cousin Su He was arguing with Lin Mo’s aunt, insisting on personally reviewing the boys’ profiles and photos, saying she wouldn’t just meet anyone.
Apparently, the previous two blind dates had not left a good impression.
In Jiangning City, it was raining heavily. Liu Rushuang was having tea with her mother, Mrs. Cheng, while her father didn’t take them out like Old Comrade Yuan did with his family. Instead, he attended a drinking party to secure a business project.
Wang Chu and Class Monitor Wang Jing stayed in because of the rain, so Wang Chu finally got a quiet day off to play games in the dorm.
Over in Sichuan Girl’s hometown, it was sunny and hot, but she didn’t cause any trouble — just stayed home and met up with a few old friends.
She was also active in her fan group. Since her last live stream had done well, she’d uploaded two more old clips, and the traffic was much better. Even advertisers who once offered 500 yuan no longer dared quote that low.
Now she had over two million followers — no longer the small influencer struggling to reach one million. With that status came higher ad rates, and her earnings these days weren’t bad.
Still, she kept guiding her fans toward Lin Mo’s drawing skill for family search purposes. The latest videos had many comments from people asking for help finding lost relatives.
Everything was going well. She knew that if she could transition successfully, she might even become a top-tier influencer with several million — or even ten million — followers. But she needed Lin Mo’s help for that.
At 1 PM, light rain pattered outside. A cool breeze drifted through the window, brushing Lin Mo’s hair.
『Ding!』
“Ding.”
“Ding!”
Suddenly, his phone chimed three times in a row. Lin Mo, staring blankly at the rain, came back to himself. He didn’t pay much attention — probably messages from Wang Chu and the others, or maybe his mom reminding him about the rain, or classmates inviting him to hang out.
But when he unlocked his phone, a name appeared — both unfamiliar and deeply familiar — Jiang Xia.
That name struck a chord. She had been his high school classmate — his deskmate during the last semester of senior year. But after graduation, they had lost all contact.
He had messaged her on holidays at first, but she never replied — as if she had vanished. Eventually, he stopped trying.
After all, it was common to lose touch after graduation. Some classmates weren’t even connected on WeChat, and after changing phones, her name had been buried in his contact list.
Her WeChat avatar hadn’t changed in years — an orange-haired cartoon girl in a white dress walking under a blue sky.
Next to the avatar was a red dot with the number “3” — three messages.
Seeing the name of his long-lost classmate made Lin Mo pause. Then, a faint smile appeared on his lips as he tapped her profile.
The next instant, his eyes widened, his body stiffened — the phone frozen in his hand.
Jiang Xia: 【Obituary】
“Dear classmates,
I am Jiang Xia’s mother. My only daughter, Jiang Xia, passed away at home at 12:12 AM on October 1st due to illness. She was 21 years old.
She has already been buried according to local customs.
During her illness, she didn’t contact anyone — not because she didn’t want to, but because she knew her time was short and didn’t want to trouble anyone.
Still, she often thought of you all and left behind keepsakes for everyone who receives this message.
Those who can, please contact Teacher Qin from Experimental High School to collect them.
I humbly ask all her classmates to fulfill my daughter’s last wish.
Thank you all deeply.
Also, there are videos she recorded long ago — gifts for each of you.
Sincerely,
Her mother, Li Yanhong】
【Video】
【Video】
The moment Lin Mo read it, his mind went blank. It wasn’t physical discomfort — it was disbelief.
In his memory, Jiang Xia was cheerful and bright, her smile revealing two dimples, her hair styled in soft side bangs — a little chubby in a cute way.
They’d spent their last semester as deskmates, always teasing and laughing. How could she be… gone?
He would rather believe she’d just chosen to ignore him after graduation — anything but this.
He immediately tried messaging back, but the only reply was the same obituary forwarded by her mother.
Meanwhile, his high school group chat — silent for years and muted by him — suddenly lit up.
There were still thirty-eight members left out of the original fifty. Many had clearly left long ago.
Now the chat was full of shocked messages confirming the news. Even Teacher Qin spoke up, saying that Jiang Xia’s mother had entrusted her daughter’s belongings to him for classmates to collect, and he’d shared the school’s location.
As he scrolled through the familiar names, Lin Mo realized he could barely recall what some of them looked like.
Taking a deep breath, he tapped the first video.
The screen opened — and in an instant, Lin Mo felt transported back three years, to the last afternoon of senior high school.
The classroom appeared, desks piled high with books, blue curtains fluttering in the wind. In the center stood a tall, slim boy wearing glasses — Song Haoran, their class study monitor. The voice behind the camera — clear and bright — was Jiang Xia’s.
【Song Haoran, what’s your biggest regret in high school?】
Song Haoran pressed his lips together, a little nervous, but smiled.
【My biggest regret is not winning the basketball championship in sophomore year. If only I had made that last three-pointer.】
The screen cut to another boy.
【Li Zhiqiang, what’s your biggest regret in high school?】
【My biggest regret is not confessing to the girl I liked in sophomore year.】
The footage kept switching — nearly every classmate appeared, sharing their regrets.
【I, Zhang Xin, regret that I didn’t play well, study well, or fall in love properly — I messed up everything.】
【My biggest regret is not holding the hand of the one I liked.】
【I have no regrets.】
One after another, over fifty classmates spoke — some honest, some evasive, some content.
At the end, Jiang Xia sat facing the camera and asked her deskmate:
【Lin Mo, what’s your biggest regret in high school?】
He looked up, wearing the blue summer uniform of Experimental High School. His skin was darker then, a pimple on his cheek, a shy smile.
【My biggest regret? Maybe not becoming your deskmate sooner. By the time we got close, it was already graduation.】
As soon as he finished, the camera turned — revealing Jiang Xia’s round-cheeked face, smiling with dimples as they both flashed peace signs.
【So reluctant to part, huh? Then I wish you success and top marks!】
The bell rang. Students stood, packing up, rushing out, laughter filling the air.
Only Jiang Xia stayed by the door, recording each goodbye.
【Song Haoran, bye!】
【Bye!】
【Wang Bin, bye!】
【Bye, Jiang the Beauty!】
【Han Xue, bye!】
【Xia Xia, bye!】
【See you in a few days!】
One by one, they left until the classroom grew empty. Lin Mo was the last to go, aside from her.
【Bye, deskmate!】
【Lin Mo, bye!】
Her tone was so serious it startled him. He laughed awkwardly.
【Don’t make it sound like we’ll never meet again. After the college entrance exam, dinner’s on me!】
Jiang Xia smiled and nodded but said nothing. Lin Mo waved and dashed out — if he was late, the internet café would be full.
Just as he reached the stairs, Jiang Xia ran out, phone in hand, calling after him:
【Deskmate!】
【What?】
【Will we meet again?】
Lin Mo raised his fist and shouted: 【Of course we will!】
【Good luck!】
【You too!】
At the end of the video, Lin Mo disappeared down the corridor. Jiang Xia turned the camera to herself — her eyes red, but her smile bright, dimples deep, voice trembling slightly.
【That’s enough. I think… all my regrets are gone now. I have no regrets left.】
Her eyes shone — with hope, with blessing, with reluctance, with remembrance.
A gust of wind lifted the curtain and her hair. That smiling face froze as the final frame — radiant, spirited, forever captured in that moment.
It was as if she couldn’t bear to leave that classroom. She stayed behind — as the one who saw everyone else off.