The morning sunlight was still sharp and blinding.By the time Hao reached school, the sky had turned bright—a new day, a fresh start.
But deep down,he wondered if this "new start"was just another kind of cage.
He walked slowly toward the hall.
Kanghui came up, patting his shoulder."Morning!"
"How are you always this full of energy?""Because I'm young."
"Yeah, right. You just look old.""Wow, you're really pushing it."
"Let's go, assembly's starting."
"Where's Weihao?""His mom dropped him off. He's probably already inside."
They walked together.Inside the hall, lines of students stood neatly—boys in front, girls in the back.
"I'll go up front," said Kanghui.Hao nodded and stayed in the back row.
The bell rang.Teachers started leading their classes back to the rooms.Hao followed along quietly.
When he returned to his seat,he froze.
A small carton of milk sat on his desk.
Light blue packaging,a smiling logo printed on it.
He looked around—no one seemed to notice.He sat down slowly,fingers brushing against the carton.
It wasn't cold.It was… slightly warm.
For a moment, Hao felt something stir inside him.
This wasn't just milk.