See a movie

"Are you alright?" Ling Xiao asked, looking down.

"It's alright, just a little exhausted," Liang An replied, as the feeling of weakness receded like a tide as Wen Zhi moved away.

The students from Class 1 of Grade 1 swarmed over and surrounded them, cheers echoing across the field.

While greeting his enthusiastic classmates, Ling Xiao also protected Liang An, shielding him from hands slapping him from all directions. This boiling joy was indeed quite powerful.

After saying goodbye to his excited classmates, he pulled Liang An to a tree by the playground, where he finally couldn't hold on any longer and sat down.

Liang An subconsciously touched the bracelet on his left wrist; the dark gold plot marker jumped to 12%. Wen Zhi was like a powerful magnet; the closer one got, the stronger the magnetic force became, and the faster Liang An's life force drained away.

"Are you alright? Your performance in the finals was so different from usual, I was a little worried." Ling Xiao turned to look at Liang An.

“I…” Liang An hesitated for a moment before saying, “It’s just low blood sugar, which makes me easily weak. It happens occasionally, but I didn’t expect it to almost affect the competition.”

“That’s not what I meant. The result of the competition isn’t actually important. Well… not that it’s unimportant, but you are more important.” Ling Xiao smiled helplessly. “Look, I’m not even expressing myself clearly. What I mean is, if you’re not feeling well, you don’t need to force yourself. It’s just a competition. We enjoyed the process, and there’s no need to pursue a perfect result.”

“I understand.” Liang An looked at Ling Xiao, a gentle smile curving his lips, the joy slowly spreading across his face. He suddenly felt more courageous to speak, “Ling Xiao, are we friends now?”

“Of course…” Ling Xiao was taken aback.

"Can I visit you often in the future?"

"You are welcome anytime."

They smiled at each other. This afternoon brought not only the burning gold medal, but also the friendship that sprouted from the ground, carrying the scent of fresh grass.

During the sports meet, Liang An only participated in the tug-of-war competition. After the competition, he tried to stay away from the crowd and did not want to have any more chances to run into Wen Zhi.

At the request of sports committee member Gao Tong, Ling Xiao participated in the men's relay race again. As the last runner, he sprinted with all his might despite being behind, and won another medal for Class 1 of Grade 1.

As Ling Xiao sprinted towards the finish line, Liang An waited anxiously with his classmates at the finish line, cheering them on. At that moment, he forgot about the bracelet, forgot about Wen Zhi, and was simply an ordinary first-year high school student, purely immersed in the unique excitement and liveliness of youth, enjoying the vibrancy of life.

He and Ling Xiao finally went from strangers to acquaintances.

Even after the closing ceremony, the top students in the experimental class didn't quickly detach themselves from the vibrant outdoor environment and return to the dull classroom.

This lively sports meet acted like a key, unlocking the cracks and completely breaking down the barriers of unfamiliarity within the class. The shouts on the field, the shared bottled water, and the cheers and hugs finally made them, who were previously just nodding acquaintances, truly feel like classmates.

The classroom became vibrant, showcasing a long-lost sense of human presence.

Being in the midst of it all, Liang An deeply realized that all the people, things, and events were real and vibrant. This should and must be a real world, not a projection of some so-called divine consciousness.

-----------------

On the first day back to normal classes after the sports meet, Gao Tong, the sports committee member, excitedly ran from the teacher's office to the classroom, carrying a cardboard box.

"Extra! Extra! The awards for the sports meet have been distributed!"

What is it?

Gao Tong stood on the podium, waving a stack of dark red tickets in his hand, a bright smile on his face.

"Because our class performed exceptionally well at this school sports meet, ranking third in the grade in total points, the school is giving us a special reward—tomorrow, Saturday, the whole class will have the opportunity to watch a movie together."

Gao Tong continued, "The movie tickets were sponsored by the newly opened cinema near the school, one ticket per person. The movie is the newly released and critically acclaimed 'Zootopia'."

A cheer immediately erupted in the classroom.

"Ling Xiao! Liang An! You two absolutely have to come!" Gao Tong shouted from the podium. "The two-person tug-of-war competition has the highest points, which is the key for us to break into the top three in the grade."

Liang An turned to look at Ling Xiao diagonally behind him. Ling Xiao winked at him and replied, "Of course I'll go."

Liang An turned around, secretly relieved. He had been racking his brains for an excuse to stick to Ling Xiao over the weekend, but Gao Tong had just handed him a ready-made way out.

The story progress bar on the bracelet had reached 13%, and dizziness, like that of low blood sugar, was coming on more and more frequently. Her body involuntarily longed to stay by Ling Xiao's side.

It's hard to go from extravagance to frugality. Lingxiao is Liang An's refuge in his struggle against the consciousness of the main god. As long as he gets close, he can gradually settle down.

Liang An didn't know whether this tranquility was an antidote or a poison. It spared him from the torment of pain and gave him temporary relief, but it also made him lose his initial courage to confront things head-on.

He couldn't help but turn his head to look at Ling Xiao again, only to find Ling Xiao smiling at him, his eyes warm and focused. His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly lowered his head, pretending to be busy.

After school in the afternoon, Liang An quickly packed his schoolbag and sat down to wait for Ling Xiao.

"Liang An, are you ready?"

"alright."

Since the sports meet, they have developed the habit of walking home together after school.

Liang An cherished every moment with Ling Xiao and wanted to extend their time together each day as much as possible so that the ticking sound and chest tightness that came on time every night wouldn't seem so unbearable.

On Saturday afternoon, Liang An stood in front of the wardrobe, hesitant. This was the first time he had paid such close attention to his appearance, and he didn't even know what he was struggling with.

He usually wears his school uniform, but today he suddenly realized that his parents have passed away and no one is buying him new clothes anymore.

I felt a little sad, but more than that, I felt embarrassed, afraid of losing face in front of Ling Xiao.

"Tick-tock, tick-tock..."

From last night until now, in the space without Ling Xiao, the background noise in my mind has never stopped.

Looking at his slightly pale reflection in the mirror, Liang An was momentarily bewildered by his own predicament. He wasn't someone who cared much about his appearance.

Why do I feel unusual anxiety when facing Ling Xiao?

Liang An glanced at the time, ignoring the sudden question that had arisen in his mind, chose a black turtleneck sweater to pair with slim-fit jeans, hurriedly grabbed his phone, and went out.

As I jogged down the stairs along the alley, my pace quickened a few degrees, and suddenly I felt a tightness in my chest, as if someone had covered my mouth and nose.

The constant loss of vitality caused Liang An's physical strength to decline rapidly, and running became a luxury. He could only stagger to a stop, bending over and gasping for breath.

After taking a deep breath and calming himself down for a while, he started running again, slowing down his pace and trying his best to fight against the suffocating pain, forcing his body to adapt to the near-death feeling of sluggishness.

I ran breathlessly and spotted that familiar tall figure under the bus stop sign in the distance.

Buzz...

The ticking sound in my mind disappeared instantly, the tightness in my chest gradually faded away, and everything returned to normal.

"Liang An! Over here!" Ling Xiao waved and called out to him. Today he was wearing a white undershirt, with a light gray hooded sweatshirt over it, and matching casual pants that hugged his long legs, making him look clean and handsome.

Liang An walked over, feeling his heart pounding irregularly. "You're here quite early."

"I want to see you as soon as possible," Ling Xiao said with a smile, his tone completely natural.

Liang An was stunned for a moment, then pretended to lower his head to hide the sudden unease that rose within him. The tips of his ears turned slightly red and trembled unconsciously.

The bus pulled into the station, and Ling Xiao, without saying anything more, pulled Liang An's wrist and got on the bus.

When we arrived at the cinema, most of the students were already there. The cinema lobby was bustling with noise, and students from other classes were also mixed in, excitedly discussing the movie that was about to be shown.

“Let’s go, we’re in the middle area.” Ling Xiao naturally reached out and gently placed his hand on Liang An’s back, guiding him through the crowd. The warmth of his hand seeped through the thin sweater onto his skin, warm and solid.

When they found their seats, many classmates were already seated around them. Gao Tong shouted loudly, "Ling Xiao! Liang An! They're here!"

Ling Xiao smiled gently at him and gestured for Liang An to sit down first.

The lights dimmed, and the movie began. The students spontaneously quieted down, with only the occasional sound of chewing remaining.

Liang An found it difficult to concentrate—Ling Xiao was sitting to his right, their arms close together, and he could clearly smell Ling Xiao's faint fragrance mixed with the sweet aroma of popcorn unique to the movie theater.

Just then, he felt his right hand being gently touched; it was Ling Xiao's fingers.

Liang Quan froze, too stiff to move. The hand didn't move away; instead, it slowly rested on the back of his hand.

Liang An could feel her heart pounding in her chest like a drumbeat, deafeningly loud. A blush spread from the tips of her ears all the way down her neck.

Should he pull his hand away? Or should he just let Ling Xiao hold it? What does he mean by that?

Just as he was struggling with his inner conflict, Ling Xiao raised his right hand, took his hand, placed it on his lap, put the popcorn in the slot that was hidden by his right hand, then released his right hand, leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Do you want some popcorn?"

His eyelashes were long, his nose was straight, and his breath brushed against the downy hairs around Liang An's ears.

The blush on Liang An's face faded, and an overwhelming sense of embarrassment instantly overwhelmed him, making him wish he could dig a hole and bury himself. He nodded stiffly, mechanically raised his right hand that Ling Xiao had held, and picked up popcorn, putting it into his mouth one kernel at a time.

He looked up and stared straight ahead, pretending to be focused on the movie, but he couldn't remember anything on the screen.

Time seemed to slow down and become viscous. Liang An tried his best to ignore the faint breathing sounds around him, and Ling Xiao tried several times to speak in a low voice, but was silently rejected each time.

Finally, as the movie was about to end, a commotion suddenly arose in the front row. Several students stood up, blocking part of the view.

"What's wrong?" someone asked in a low voice.

"It seems someone in Class 3 has fainted!" The news spread quickly.

The cinema lights came on, and the movie paused. The teachers quickly organized an evacuation, instructing all students to leave the cinema in an orderly fashion. In the chaos, Ling Xiao took Liang An's hand, stood up, and led him forward with the flow of people.

"Follow me, don't get separated." Ling Xiao's voice was exceptionally clear amidst the noise.

Liang An gazed at their clasped hands, his fingers slightly curled, as if trying to dispel the awkwardness of his memories. He quietly took a breath, followed his heart, hooked his hand around Ling Xiao's fingertips, and followed him out of the cinema.