Chapter 1998: What Is Your Name

As Roxanne recounted the story from her memories, the scene from decades past unfolded in their minds. Lucian had been an unqualified exchange student; the program aimed to immerse students in typical high school life, contrasting it with the experience of an art academy, including its routines and practices. However, at sixteen, he cared little for such objectives. He frequently skipped classes, finding the regular high school curriculum too tedious.

One day, Lucian, James, and Jonathan planned to sneak into a trade show. Lucian attended only his first class after lunch before leaving. The school's security was tight, with guards at every gate, forcing him to scale the wall near the library. Unexpectedly, nails littered the wall's top; his hands were pierced, and he fell, spraining his ankle.

Roxanne, a top student, usually spent her free time in the library. That day, engrossed in her reading, she was rushing to class, having missed over an hour. This is how they met. Roxanne had never seen a more handsome young man, let alone one in such distress. Lucian examined his bleeding hands and injured ankle, clearly in pain.

“Hey, are you okay? Do you need help? What hurt your hand? We need to stop the bleeding and prevent a tetanus infection!” Roxanne vividly recalled these words, her first to Lucian.

He nodded, glancing at her briefly. Roxanne told him not to move, returning to the library for a first-aid kit. She cleaned and bandaged his wounds. His ankle, however, was severely sprained. He was astonished when she used a traditional medicine massage technique to reset the tendon in his calf. He remembered her profile and a stray hair dancing in the breeze.

“All right, done! You need a tetanus shot. Don't move your leg for twenty-four hours.” She smiled faintly, gathered the kit, and returned to the library. Lucian expected her return but she hurried back to class. His features, however, were indelibly etched in her memory; he was exceptionally handsome.

He waited for her at the library several times, but she didn't appear. They next met when Lucian, with Jonathan and James, planned to bury a wish bottle. Passing the library, he encountered Roxanne.

“Hey, what's your name?” Lucian asked casually.

Roxanne, however, focused on the empty bottle in his hand. “I know who you are, Mr. Farwell. May I ask what that is?” she inquired, gesturing towards it.

“You know me?” A slight smile played on Lucian's lips. His smile heightened his charm, making Roxanne blush and look away.

She nodded. She'd written his name countless times in her notebook. Learning he was an exchange student from the art academy, she knew friendship was unlikely.

“This is a wish bottle. You write your wish, put it in, bury it, and years later, see if it came true. But I don't know what to write,” he said, bored.

“I see. That's too bad.” Roxanne fought to remain calm, her heart fluttering at his presence.

“Yeah. How about this? Do you have a wish? Write yours, put it in, and I'll help bury it. I'll tell you where it is later, and you can dig it up. What do you think?”