The Tenth Year After My Death, He Finally Came Back

Part 2

Ji Chuan was my first love.

I didn't want to go to school, so starting from my second year of high school, he became my tutor.
That year, he was nineteen.

My dad said he was outstanding. He had attended the same high school as me, was the top student in our city, and was now a top student at Peking University. He had skipped three grades and already earned a spot for a master's program while still in his third year.

"How about letting him be your tutor?"

I didn't say anything.

Whether I agreed or not, he was going to be my tutor anyway.
Before Ji Chuan, my dad had hired many tutors for me.

But during classes, I always got distracted, drawing or working on wood carvings, lost in my own world.

In the end, all those tutors left on their own.

When Ji Chuan first arrived, I ignored him too.

I figured he would insult me behind my back as well.

Give me all sorts of nicknames.

They all thought I was some idiot, someone who wouldn't speak up or complain, so they treated me like that.

But Ji Chuan only kept talking endlessly about the lessons, regardless of whether I was listening or not.

In fact, I mostly understood what he was saying.

After class, he would take out a few worksheets.

"These are aligned with today's lesson. If you have time, give them a try, and I'll go over them in tomorrow's class."

I didn't do them because I wasn't interested.

Instead, I scribbled all over his worksheets.

He said, "This frog you drew is quite cute."

That was obviously a tree frog!

How could he call it a frog!

So frustrating.

"Did I say something wrong?"

I ignored him.

He lowered his gaze and started explaining the lesson.
Ji Chuan's eyelashes were long, and when he blinked, they were like butterfly wings.

He was always calm, as if it didn't matter whether I paid attention to him or not.

"Did you understand this problem? If not, you can tell me, and I'll explain it again."

He tapped the desk with his fingertip.

I didn't respond.

"Well, since you understood, let's move on to the next problem."

Whenever I didn't understand, I'd glance at him, and he'd go over it again.

I found it amusing, so I kept looking at him after each explanation.

Even after he explained the same problem five times, Ji Chuan remained unruffled.

So strange. Didn't he ever get angry?

A month later, I spoke to him for the first time.

"What does 'little monster' mean?"

Why did my classmates call me a little monster?

Ji Chuan paused, then asked, "Who said that?"

I didn't tell him.

He asked again, "Did someone call you that?"

I nodded.

Then he drew me a picture.

He asked, "What's this?"

"A snake that ate an elephant."

Ji Chuan smiled faintly and said, "But many people think it's a hat."

How silly.

He said, "People often reject things that are different from themselves. They think you're different, so they're prejudiced. But prejudice is the real little monster—not you."
"But I am different from normal people."

"You're just... unique. People are all different from one another, and that's not a bad thing."

No one had ever told me anything like this before.

He asked, "Do you want to hear the story behind this drawing?"

I nodded.

"Finish this worksheet, and I'll tell you."

Fine.

Ji Chuan brought me a book.

I felt that, like the Little Prince in the story, I was special.

Ji Chuan was even more special.

The Little Prince lived on a planet where he could see the sunset forty-four times in a single day.

"Ji Chuan, I want to see the sunset forty-four times a day too."

"If you get into Peking University, I'll take you to see it."

I hesitated.

I didn't like school or the people outside.

But if Ji Chuan was there, maybe the outside world wasn't so bad after all.