The Fringe Tree’s Secret

Just as dawn broke.

The sun had yet to fully ascend from behind the distant mountains, and a pale, yellowish twilight still draped the world.

Chuanbei Middle School was renowned throughout Jiangzhou City for its lush greenery, a reputation undoubtedly aided by its convenient location nestled amidst the mountains and forests.

Locust trees, fringe trees, pomegranates, Aesculus, and year-round osmanthus were all in their peak bloom.

Thus, beneath the dim, yellowish twilight, Chuanbei Middle School was enveloped in a vibrant emerald embrace, a dense verdure interspersed with various blossoms, like colorful stars.

Everything teemed with life.

Yet, among these flourishing blooms, a few had withered prematurely, out of season.

The culprit behind these ‘tragedies’ was currently perched on a sturdy branch of a tall, robust fringe tree.

True to its name, the fringe tree’s abundant blossoms cascaded like tassels across every branch, almost completely obscuring the foliage. The entire tree was thus dyed a pristine white, its green leaves only glimpsed when the wind stirred the flower-laden branches.

Concealed amidst these pure white blossoms was Miss Ghost, equally pristine. She listened to the faint morning chirping of insects and the cheerful birdsong from the mountain forest, humming an unfamiliar tune.

It was still quite early, and few people traversed the campus.

A young man slowly made his way beneath the flowering trees.

He occasionally looked up, scanning his surroundings as if searching for something.

As he walked, he soon approached Dengke Tower.

Ming Zhong felt a pang of disappointment.

He couldn’t fathom why he had woken so early and couldn’t fall back asleep, nor the sentiment that had driven him to stretch a usual five-minute walk into nearly twenty.

Now, this sense of disappointment welled up from deep within him, its origin equally elusive.

“Alas.”

Unbidden emotion, an unprompted sigh.

Old Wang was right; he was acting strangely today.

“La~ lalala~ lalala~”

As he neared the platform leading into Dengke Tower, a soft, pleasant hum drifted on the cool morning breeze.

His gaze followed the sound.

By the platform, the fringe tree, which he had never truly noticed in his three years here, was now a riot of blossoms.

Ming Zhong walked slowly towards it, and the humming grew clearer.

Amidst the pure white branches, he saw a pair of fair, bare feet, crossed and gently swaying.

“Lalala~ la~ lalala~”

They swung in graceful arcs, keeping time with the humming melody.

Those clean, bare feet possessed delicate, petite toes, perfectly rounded ankles, and gently arched insteps.

He found himself momentarily captivated.

Then, the humming ceased, and with it, the small, exquisite bare feet retreated.

The air was filled with fresh floral fragrance and profound tranquility.

“What song were you humming?”

The young man beneath the flowering tree broke the silence.

The bare feet retreated back among the branches.

A faint look of regret crossed the young man’s face.

Then, a short moment passed, or perhaps a long time.

Just as the young man began to feel an inexplicable nervousness.

From amidst the pure white branches came a soft female voice:

“A beautiful one.”

“Yes, it’s beautiful!”

The young man praised her sincerely.

“Hmm?”

A head poked out from among the branches. Fu Ziqing looked down at the young man from her perch.

The young man suddenly felt a wave of embarrassment, realizing his praise might have been misinterpreted.

“It’s very beautiful… er… the song is pleasant to hear.”

It was as if something hot was on his tongue.

Even now, he felt a pair of white, bare feet swaying before his eyes.

He must have been hypnotized!

“I know! No need to repeat it.”

Fu Ziqing smiled and asked:

“Aren’t you afraid of me?”

Ming Zhong gazed at the smiling face nestled within the pure white blossoms, but his reply was entirely unexpected:

“I know you.”

This answer clearly took Miss Ghost by surprise.

Ming Zhong saw Miss Ghost visibly pause for a moment, then she spoke with a hint of pride:

“I’m very famous!”

That statement seemed to be a subtle reminder to Ming Zhong not to assume that knowing her meant he shouldn’t fear her. After all, she wasn’t human. Such a truth could frighten even the closest relatives, and a mere “I know you” wasn’t particularly convincing.

“Fu Ziqing.”

“Hmm?”

“Senior.”

“Eh?”

Fu Ziqing frowned, then pouted, struggling to understand the young man’s thought process.

Yet, Miss Ghost’s somewhat ‘human-like’ actions inexplicably relaxed Ming Zhong, and he chuckled:

“What do you think is the most appropriate way for me to address you?”

Fu Ziqing furrowed her brow repeatedly, convinced this guy had a screw loose.

Last night, she had followed him all the way, only for him to completely ignore her and even dare to say she wasn’t human…

While it was true she wasn’t human, stating it so bluntly made her intensely dislike him.

Now he was saying things like this again? What did he mean?

Fu Ziqing felt offended.

She wasn’t easily appeased!

“Hmph, hmph!”

Fu Ziqing let out a cold laugh and spoke:

“Ming Zhong, right?”

Ming Zhong nodded.

“Just a little brat!”

Suddenly subjected to Miss Ghost’s inexplicable insults, Ming Zhong was momentarily taken aback, somewhat bewildered.

Then, the smile on Ming Zhong’s face grew wider.

Fu Ziqing continued her tirade:

“An impudent, stinky boy!”

Ming Zhong nodded with a smile.

“Stinky egg!”

Ming Zhong still nodded.

“Rascal!”

Ming Zhong finally couldn’t hold back.

“You… you actually don’t know how to insult people, do you?”

Ming Zhong tried his best not to burst out laughing.

Fu Ziqing was momentarily stunned.

After thinking for a long time, it seemed she genuinely couldn’t dredge up any sufficiently venomous insults from her memory at the moment.

Oh no! Oh no!

It’s been so long since anyone talked to her; she’s forgotten how to insult people. At this rate, will she even forget how to speak?

That’s a bit scary!

“Scoundrel! Son of a… a… biscuit!”

Fu Ziqing hurled out the only two insults she had left.

“Hahahaha…”

Ming Zhong finally burst into laughter.

Miss Ghost really holds a grudge, doesn’t she?

But being held a grudge by Miss Ghost, especially when she’s like this, doesn’t seem so bad.

Fu Ziqing was greatly annoyed by Ming Zhong’s laughter.

She retreated back into the branches, no longer wanting to speak.

“Senior, I’ll just call you that then.”

Ming Zhong called out towards the branches.

“Senior?”

Receiving no reply, Ming Zhong called out again.

“Scram!”

This “Scram!” carried quite an imposing force; the branches on the tree rustled and trembled, shedding white fringe blossoms.

It seemed she was genuinely angry.

After standing quietly beneath the tree for a while, Ming Zhong noticed more and more people approaching Dengke Tower.

Indeed, he couldn’t linger much longer.

“Senior, I’m leaving now.”

Before departing, Ming Zhong politely offered.

“Mm.”

Unexpectedly, the reply was quite calm.

Ming Zhong took two steps, then suddenly turned back and said:

“Senior, do you have anywhere to go?”

This time there was no response, but Ming Zhong continued:

“If you don’t have anywhere to go, I’ll often come to keep you company and chat.”

He waited for a moment, but the branches remained as silent as before.

However, as Ming Zhong stepped towards Dengke Tower, a gentle breeze wafted from behind him, carrying a faint, airy whisper:

“Scram.”

And just like that, for no apparent reason, his mood lifted considerably.