If We Had Never Met

Chapter 8: Why Are You Ignoring Me?

Alas， life rarely unfolds as we wish. Even when we give our all， things don't always fall into place.

Aelia felt like the heavens had played a cruel joke on her. That guy seemed like heaven's chosen favorite—born to bask in glory and adoration.

When the high school entrance exam results were released， Ethan unsurprisingly ranked first in the entire county and was admitted to the city's Experimental High School. She， however， underperformed， scoring 742 points overall and ranking 66th in the county.

“Your daughter Aelia always ranked second in her class at school， right? How come her entrance exam score is lower than my daughter's?”

Mom forced a smile as she explained to neighbors and colleagues，“Aelia wasn't feeling well during the physics and chemistry exams.” The usually warm-hearted aunts and uncles now wore expressions of sneering contempt， as if saying，“What kind of score could she possibly get? Isn't it all down to your child's own abilities?”

No one listened to her explanations. Once that glossy veneer was torn away， flesh and blood exposed， she was left bare before the crowd’s judgment.

Ethan’s 834-point total score shone like a mirror held high—bright and piercing， leaving her nowhere to hide. Last week， Mom dragged her to ** for a prep course. On the registration list， she saw the bold， sweeping characters for“Yi Sen.” She almost wrote her name down， but after a moment's hesitation， she bit her lip， tugged Mom's sleeve， and said，“Let's find another place.”

I want to see you， but I don't know how to face you. Maybe we'll never meet again.

“Do you want to go or not? You decide.” Mom's tone was her usual firm and cold. If failing the high school entrance exam was a cruel joke played by fate， then the city experimental school's policy of lowering admission scores to expand enrollment for non-local students felt like another cruel prank.

“You want her to decide?” Dad sneered from the side.“What does a kid know? I said no， and that's final. Where'd you even get the money for tuition? Besides， school's school—going to Municipal Experimental with those measly scores? She'd just embarrass herself!”

“Shut up! If you'd gambled less， we wouldn't be broke!” Mom pointed an accusing finger at Dad， her voice rising. Then she turned her icy glare on her daughter.“Don't you know what you really want?”

Aelia shook her head， tears welling in her eyes.“I don't know.”

“Forget it. I've decided. You're going to the city experimental school as a non-resident student. I'll pay for it.” Mom declared.

When Mom and Dad finally turned off the lights and fell asleep， she sat alone in her room. Thinking about Mom's decision， a fleeting sense of relief washed over her. Her mind felt like a muddled mess， but one name remained crystal clear—Ethan. She couldn't understand why she'd so rashly burden her parents with such high tuition fees. Was it simply because she couldn't bear to part with him?

At the start of her freshman year， rather than feeling excited about the new school， Aelia's attention was focused on two things—finding Ethan and avoiding Ethan.

At lunchtime， she paced through the noisy cafeteria with her tray， searching for an inconspicuous spot to sit. Her status as a transfer student made her an outsider in the eyes of her classmates. Two days into the semester， she still hadn't found a single“good friend” to eat with.

She had come to a place that didn't belong to her， a place she felt unworthy of by her own standards.

She thought she'd never run into Ethan again， but the moment she paid and looked up， she saw him eating with his head down at a table not far away.

She didn't know when he'd arrived， but he was also eating alone. In the dimly lit cafeteria， strangers' silhouettes overlapped in the shadows， yet his figure alone stood out， familiar and bright.

Ethan casually lifted his gaze， unexpectedly meeting hers. Surprise flashed across his face before giving way to delight. He waved excitedly in her direction.

After a summer apart， seeing him again in this place， in this capacity， stirred indescribable emotions within Elia—overwhelming joy mingled with profound sadness. She hastily averted her gaze， convinced he hadn't been waving specifically at her.

She pressed her lips together and returned to her reserved seat， lowering her head to eat. Suddenly， a tray landed on the opposite side of the table.

“Why didn't you acknowledge me when I waved?” the boy demanded loudly from across the table， his tone righteous.

She stared at him blankly， momentarily speechless.“I'm sorry. I didn't think you were greeting me.”

“You're something else，” he muttered， pouting， yet speaking first.“I never expected you to come. I thought you couldn't make it and felt really sorry for you. Anyway， it's good you're here.”

She smiled again， a bitter edge to her lips.“Can I ask you something?” He shoveled down a couple bites before suddenly furrowing his brow.“How did you score so low on the high school entrance exam?”

“The day after the exam... I wasn't feeling well.” Aelia forced a smile and added，“Do you think I'm making excuses?”

“Of course not.” The boy across from her met her eyes， his tone sincere.“That score clearly wasn't your true level.” He raised an eyebrow， encouraging her with a smile.“Don't lose heart. When you retake the exam， wipe the floor with them. Let them see what our class's second-place student is capable of.”

A strange sensation welled up inside her. You know what， Ethan? Even I started believing that dazzling facade was just a coat I’d mistakenly slipped into. But you didn’t buy it. You still remembered I was the second-best in our grade.

“Hey，” he waved his hand in front of her face.“What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing，” she smiled.“Thanks.”

“Oh， did you bring your phone?”

“...I did.”

Ethan burst out laughing.“Give me your phone.”

He took it and started tapping away at the keys.

“Alright， I saved my number. I just called it back. I'll save yours later.”

Before parting， he reminded her，“Stay in touch， okay?”

That night， Elia lay in bed， pulling out her phone. She pressed the glowing orange screen against her chest and found herself smiling foolishly.

The story hidden within that screen contained only two characters—a single person's name—yet it made her heart pound relentlessly.

All her setbacks， embarrassments， and heartaches seemed to fade away.

She knew only this: even if fate played tricks， she and he had not drifted apart.