On a sweltering September day, with the scent of camphor leaves carried on the breeze, transfer student Lin Xiaoxing arrives in Class 3, Grade 10, at Qingyun High School. Struggling with social anxiety and science, she stumbles straight into the arms of class monitor Lu Ze. He’s the school’s star student and heartthrob, gentle and clean-cut, like a cool breeze on a dry summer day. She’s a sensitive, sweet, timid girl, clumsy but hardworking, like a little star in need of careful cherishing.
Their days as deskmates are full of chaotic study sessions: he leans over the desk to patiently teach her quadratic functions, circling key points in red and occasionally brushing her hand with his fingertips, leaving a moment’s warmth; she secretly slips strawberry candies into his pencil case, hands him cold water after basketball practice, and tells clumsy jokes when he’s feeling down. Walking side by side beneath the camphor trees, secretly holding hands during study hall, keeping each other company in the library, and cheering from the sidelines of the sports field, a feeling belonging to young people in love quietly takes root in their day-to-day life, wrapping itself around their youth like a vine…
