Two-person tug-of-war

Liang An woke up just as dawn was breaking.

The voice came back.

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

Liang An opened his eyes wearily and stared blankly at the ceiling.

A sliver of white light was just beginning to pierce through the window; it wasn't time to get up yet.

Liang An raised his left hand, and the bright golden progress bar was slowly spreading forward, already occupying 10% of the left groove.

The white light representing the lifeline in the amber-colored groove on the right side of the bracelet had receded to 90%. His vitality was constantly slipping away, and the feeling of weakness kept creeping over him, making it impossible for him to sleep well or wake up.

The moment Ling Xiao appeared, the ticking sound in my mind indeed disappeared, and the plot progress bar also stopped.

But after school, in the space without Lingxiao, everything returned to normal.

Falling asleep became extremely difficult; the persistent ticking sound and the constant tightness in his chest pulled at his nerves, disrupting his body's normal functioning.

Liang An often stayed awake until dawn, enduring the time second by second.

Gradually, what he looked forward to most each day became entering the classroom and seeing Ling Xiao.

The moment I spotted him, the chilling feeling that had been eroding my life suddenly froze, and an overwhelming sense of redemption crashed into my chest, making even my breath tremble with the shock of surviving a catastrophe.

Most of the time, Ling Xiao arrived at school later than him. He would sit quietly in his seat, staring at the classroom door, counting the seconds one by one.

The moment Ling Xiao appeared, Liang An's world seemed to be suddenly brightened, the accumulated dark clouds suddenly collapsed, the sunlight split the chaos and cast a warm light, and everything became vibrant again.

Liang An found it difficult to define his feelings for Ling Xiao. He was so important to him that he dared not approach him easily, only daring to gaze at him from a distance, for fear of disturbing him.

In Liang An's eyes, Ling Xiao is a social butterfly. He is composed, at ease, and has a perfect sense of propriety. He speaks and acts tactfully and can quickly blend into any crowd.

Not long after he transferred to Class 1 of Grade 11, he completely overcame the feeling of unfamiliarity and felt so at ease that it was as if he had always been a member of this class.

However, at the same time, he also exuded an overly considerate sense of distance. His smile was gentle, yet it made people feel that getting even half a step closer would be a transgression.

It was this sense of distance that made Liang An unable to find a way to get closer to him.

As Liang An struggled with his decision, early autumn quietly slipped by, and soon it was time for the annual school sports meet again.

The atmosphere surrounding the sports meet had already begun to build a week in advance.

The corridor was covered with posters, and the loud voice of Gao Tong, the sports committee member, could be heard during every break.

"Sign up! Please! There's a new event this time—two-person tug-of-war! The prizes are amazing, sign up now before they're gone..."

"So be it. I am destined to be just a civil official, and I can't do what you military generals do."

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Gao Tong's screams rang out again; this time, he truly had no will to live.

In an experimental class full of "civil officials," his "military general" skills ultimately had no place to be used.

Just then, Ling Xiao walked into the classroom. Liang An, like a clever little rabbit, immediately perked up his ears, revealing a delighted smile.

Gao Tong stopped Ling Xiao at the classroom door, "Ling Xiao, dear Comrade Ling Xiao, help!"

Ling Xiao smiled and pushed the mischievous Gao Tong an arm's length away, saying, "Men and men shouldn't be so intimate; it's no use for you to come close."

"Waaah, dear Xiao-ge, you absolutely have to participate! You're 1.88 meters tall, with those powerful muscles, you'd be perfect for tug-of-war. Please, sign up!"

"Stop howling. Let me think about it. Please let me go back to my seat first."

"No, I'm definitely going to take you down today."

Liang An's heart skipped a beat as he watched the farce unfolding at the door.

Chance.

He almost instinctively stepped forward: "I also want to participate in the double tug-of-war. Ling Xiao, shall we be a team?"

Ling Xiao glanced at Liang An with surprise, his eyes revealing an unfathomable depth.

The air seemed to freeze for a moment, and Liang An lowered his head in embarrassment, averting his gaze.

Gao Tong stared at Liang An's perfect profile, his mouth agape in shock as he looked at the "unattainable beauty" on the campus's most beautiful list.

This aloof "school heartthrob," who represents us boys in defeating numerous school beauties, actually spoke up! Goodness, the sun must have risen in the west.

"You're my lifeline, Brother Xiao! Look, I've even found you a partner. I've registered both of your names!" Gao Tong quickly realized what was going on and seized the opportunity to write it down.

“Okay.” Ling Xiao smiled, a barely perceptible curve appearing at the corners of his mouth. “However, I’ve never played two-person tug-of-war before, so I might need to practice more.”

“Me too,” Liang An immediately replied, feeling his cheeks burning.

Gao Tong excitedly wrote in his notebook: "Perfect combination, we're sure to get a place, go for it!"

Just then, the bell rang for class. Liang An and Ling Xiao exchanged a glance, then returned to their seats in a daze. They picked up their books and held them in front of their faces, not daring to steal a glance at Ling Xiao, but their lips couldn't help but curl into a smile.

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

The first practice session for the two students was scheduled after school that day.

The setting sun bathed the playground in an orange-red hue, and the lines for the two-person tug-of-war were already drawn. Unlike traditional tug-of-war, which requires a group of people, this event is a two-on-two contest, with a shorter rope and different tactics.

As the sports meet approached, the playground was packed with students practicing, scattered in every corner.

Liang An saw Wen Zhi wearing a basketball uniform, running on the basketball court in the distance, skillfully dribbling and making layups.

He walked beside Ling Xiao, his tall figure like a solid defensive line, keeping him away from danger. The bracelet on his left wrist lay dormant, his mind clear, without any annoying background noise.

At this moment, Liang An felt a long-lost sense of peace and security.

Upon arriving at the practice area, they found a corner, laid out their backpacks side by side, and began warming up.

"The key is synchronization." Ling Xiao studied the rules. "The timing of the two people exerting their force must be exactly the same, otherwise the force will cancel each other out."

Liang An nodded, but his thoughts were elsewhere. He had spent the entire day with Ling Xiao, but the bracelet hadn't changed at all, as if it had been shielded in another dimension.

Watching Wen Zhi from afar, without activating the bracelet, the plot progress bar remained steadily at 10%, and her body returned to normal vitality.

Watching Ling Xiao intently studying the rules, Liang An felt a secret sense of dependence and anticipation.

"Shall we try the basic positions first?" Ling Xiao picked up the rope, looked at Liang An, and asked gently.

Liang An nodded, took the other end of the rope, and accidentally touched Ling Xiao's hand with his fingers.

In an instant, a strange sense of peace washed over him, like a long-stretched string suddenly relaxing. He almost sighed with pleasure.

"Your hands are cold," Ling Xiao said, without moving her hand away.

"Ah, sorry." Liang An tried to pull his hand back, but realized he didn't really want to do that.

"It's alright." Ling Xiao squeezed his hand instead. "Let's begin."

They secured one end of the rope, held onto the other end, and stood one in front of the other.

Liang An is 178 cm tall, which is half a head shorter than Ling Xiao, who is 188 cm tall. He stands at the front of the two-person team with his back against Ling Xiao's chest.

Shoulder to shoulder, arms gripping the rope alternately, skin pressed tightly together, practicing working together.

The whole process went surprisingly smoothly.

Liang An was initially worried that he would become a burden, but Ling Xiao seemed to have the ability to make the two of them naturally synchronize their pace.

As they pulled back, Liang An could feel Ling Xiao's breath spraying on the side of his neck, and could even imagine the way his muscles contracted.

He bent his knees, leaned back, as if sitting in Ling Xiao's arms, his back pressed tightly against his chest, his eyes looking straight ahead, his breaths becoming more and more synchronized.

A wonderful tacit understanding grew between them.

"You guys are cooperating well!" the PE teacher praised as he passed by. "But you need to be careful, Ling Xiao, you're a little taller than Liang An, so you need to lower your center of gravity a bit. Liang An, you can stand a little further forward, that way your line of force will be straighter."

As he adjusted his posture, Ling Xiao's hand naturally rested on Liang An's waist, the warmth of his palm penetrating through the thin school uniform and reaching deep into his blood.

"Will this work?" Ling Xiao's breath brushed past Liang An's ear.

Liang An froze, not because of discomfort, but because of something completely opposite. He could smell the faint scent of grass after rain on Ling Xiao.

Also, after exercise, there's that unique scent of hormones that's only found in teenagers.

"Okay," Liang An heard himself say, his voice a little strained.

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

After practice, the two sat on a bench by the playground to rest. The sun had already sunk behind the teaching building, and the sky was a soft purplish-pink.

Liang An stared blankly at the sky, letting his thoughts drift, enjoying a long-lost sense of ease and freedom.

"Liang An? Are you alright?" Ling Xiao's voice seemed to have a special quality, like warm silk brushing against the ear.

"Hmm, it's nothing." Liang An came back to his senses and smiled.

Ling Xiao looked at Liang An's smiling face and was slightly taken aback.

"Why did you transfer here?" Liang An asked, trying to make the question sound casual.

Ling Xiao took a sip of water, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly: "My parents were transferred for work. I'm actually used to it; I transfer schools frequently."

"Don't you find it troublesome? You always have to adapt to new environments."

"I'm used to it," Ling Xiao said with a smile, then turned to Liang An, "What about you? Have you always gone to school in the same city?"

“Well, everything went smoothly, from kindergarten to high school in Haicheng.” Liang An paused, deciding to take a risk, “Have you…experienced anything strange? Like seeing or hearing things that others can’t see or hear?”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Liang An regretted them. It sounded too bizarre. But Ling Xiao didn't show any disbelief; instead, he began to think seriously.

“Everyone has a different definition of ‘strange’,” Ling Xiao said slowly. “Once, when I was camping in the mountains, I heard a sound, like stones singing. My companions said they didn’t hear it. But later we discovered that there was a special rock structure there, and the wind did indeed produce infrasound waves when it blew through it.”

Infrasound?

“Sounds with frequencies below 20 Hz are usually inaudible to the human ear, but the body can sense them. Some people are particularly sensitive to specific frequencies.” Ling Xiao looked at Liang An. “Why are you asking this?”

Liang An hesitated. Should he tell him about the bracelet and the plot progress bar? And the ticking sound in his mind that only he could hear?

This is insane.

“Just out of curiosity,” Liang An finally said.

Ling Xiao didn't ask any further questions, he just nodded.

The twilight cast soft shadows on his face, making his features less defined, as if he were about to blend into the deepening dusk.

"Shall we continue practicing tomorrow?" Ling Xiao stood up and stretched.

“Okay.” Liang An also stood up.

As they walked toward the school gate, their shoulders occasionally brushed. Each touch brought a moment of tranquility.

Liang An began to crave this contact, not only because it could dispel the ticking sound and the stagnant progress bar, but also because of the feeling it brought—a sense of security that he could not describe.

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

Night fell, and the ticking sound returned.

This time, it seemed to wake up a little later, not immediately after separating from Ling Xiao.

The story progress bar on my wrist, with its golden cursor, slowly advanced towards 11%.

Liang An lay in bed, trying to ignore the background noise in his mind and recall every detail of the day: the temperature of Ling Xiao's hand, the rhythm of his breathing, and the expression on his face when he answered questions.

My phone vibrated. It was a message from Ling Xiao:

"I've thought of a tactic, shall we try it out tomorrow?"

Liang An stared at the screen, a smile unconsciously creeping onto his lips: "Okay. What time?"

"The old time?"

"Um."

The simple conversation made Liang An's heart flutter. He realized that he was looking forward to tomorrow, to seeing Ling Xiao again.