Li Mo

The spring fun sports meet was the last hurrah of the second semester of senior year, allowing for a brief respite from the tension.

The sun was shining brightly, and the playground was bustling with people, filled with the restlessness of youth and the smell of sweat.

A large crowd had gathered at the high jump field. Liang Xinchong, with his outstanding jumping ability, had always been a favorite to win the high jump event.

Li Mo stood quietly at the edge of the field with her camera in hand, the lens following the agile figure wearing a red sports vest.

The run-up, take-off, and Fosbury Flop over the bar were all executed with fluid and beautiful movements, drawing cheers from the crowd.

Li Mo pressed the shutter at the right moment, capturing the instant when he cleared the bar, his face showing a mixture of focus and confidence.

She had just put down her camera when she heard Qin Yue's hushed voice beside her: "They're here! Song Feiran is here too!"

Li Mo turned her head and saw Qin Yue pulling Tang Keqing to squeeze to the front row, her gaze fixed on Song Feiran, who had just entered the arena. Song Feiran remained aloof and expressionless, stretching her ankles before starting her run-up.

His high jump technique was not as powerful and visually appealing as Liang Xinchong's, but he was better at coordination and stability, and successfully cleared several heights.

However, after he finished a test jump and stood up from the foam mat, he did not immediately return to the waiting area, nor did he look at his classmates who were cheering him on. Instead, he turned his head slightly, looked past the noisy crowd, and cast his gaze toward the stands diagonally opposite.

That section of the stands was in a relatively remote location, with the sunlight blocked by the tall stadium, casting a shadow, and there weren't many spectators gathered there.

His gaze lingered there for a long time, his eyes calm yet filled with an indescribable focus, as if he were confirming something or searching for something.

"What is he looking at?" Qin Yue followed his gaze, her face full of doubt. "There's no one there."

Tang Keqing craned her neck to look for a while, then muttered, "Yeah, it's empty, just a few lower-grade students playing around. How strange, are they just spacing out?"

Li Mo's heart stirred slightly. She also looked towards the stands.

At the boundary between sunlight and shadow, the light flickered. She vaguely remembered that on many evenings, when she was running on that track, she seemed to always see a familiar figure sitting alone on the stands, back straight, quietly holding a book, as if the surrounding noise had nothing to do with her.

It's Jiang Yixuan.

She couldn't be sure that Song Feiran was looking at Jiang Yixuan; perhaps it was just a coincidence that the seat happened to be empty.

Qin Yue and Tang Keqing were still discussing the various possibilities behind Song Feiran's strange behavior.

Li Mo withdrew her gaze, ignoring their speculations. She looked down at the photos she had just taken of Liang Xinchong, not taking their earlier guesses to heart.

When she looked up again, Liang Xinchong was already running towards her, beads of sweat on his forehead, his eyes shining with a plea for praise.

"Li Mo, did you get a picture of my cool pole clear just now?"

Li Mo showed him the photos she had just taken.

He glanced at the photo a few times, then patted her head from behind.

It was less of a touch and more of a quick masturbation.

"You messed up my hair." Li Mo looked up and straightened her bangs.

Liang Xinchong chuckled and withdrew his hand, his eyes curving into crescents: "It looks good even when it's messy."

His bangs were damp with sweat, shimmering in the sunlight, exuding youthful energy. Li Mo lowered her head, pretending to check the camera, but her ears secretly turned red.

"Hey, when you jumped just now, several girls from the next class were screaming." She tried to change the subject.

"Really?" Liang Xinchong took a step closer, his breath warm from exercise. "Then why didn't you call out?"

Li Mo was speechless at his question, and looked up at him glaringly: "I... I was taking pictures seriously, okay?"

“I know, I know, our photographer from Li University is the most dedicated.” Liang Xinchong smiled even more smugly, and magically pulled out a bottle of chilled soda from behind him, with fine water droplets still condensed on the bottle. “Here, have a drink.”

Where did it come from?

"The sports commission organized the purchase for the athletes; you can have mine."

The soda was orange-flavored, which was her favorite flavor. When Li Mo took it, her fingertips touched his warm palm, and her heart skipped a beat.

"There's still the finals coming up, don't get too cocky." She unscrewed the bottle cap and muttered under her breath.

"With you filming down here, I'm sure I can break the school record." Liang Xinchong said confidently, then suddenly turned back before turning around, "By the way, after the competition, will you come with me somewhere?"

Where to?

"It's a secret." He winked at her, turned and ran back to the field, his red vest shining brightly in the sunlight.

In the final, the crossbar was raised to a new height.

Liang Xinchong narrowly cleared the bar on his third attempt. Upon landing, he immediately looked in Li Mo's direction and gave her a victory sign.

Amid cheers from the crowd, Li Mo watched through the viewfinder as her classmates tossed him into the air, and couldn't help but laugh as well.

After the awards ceremony, the crowd gradually dispersed.

As expected, Liang Xinchong slipped back to her side, the medal dangling in front of his chest.

"Let's go." He took her camera bag naturally.

Where exactly are we going?

"Just follow me."

He led her across the playground to the wisteria trellis behind the teaching building.

The wisteria was in full bloom at the end of April, with pale purple flower spikes cascading down like waterfalls, shimmering with a hazy glow in the afterglow of the setting sun.

“Close your eyes,” Liang Xinchong said.

Li Mo did as instructed, though she was puzzled.

She heard rustling sounds, followed by the sound of a camera shutter.

When she opened her eyes, she found Liang Xinchong holding her camera, the lens pointed at her.

What are you doing?

“After learning from you for so long, it’s time for me to take a picture of you.” Liang Xinchong peeked half his head out from behind the camera. “Besides, I often see you reading here during training.”

Li Mo was stunned.

She did come here often because it was quiet and she could see the playground. But she never noticed that Liang Xinchong would see her during training.

Liang Xinchong returned the camera to her. In the photo, the girl stood under the wisteria blossoms, her slightly widened eyes filled with surprise, her cheeks tinged with a warm gold by the setting sun, and delicate flower shadows falling through her hair.

“Actually…” Liang Xinchong suddenly became a little flustered, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the edge of the medal, “Every time I’m tired from training, I look up and see you sitting here, and I feel like I can jump one more time.”

Li Mo looked up at him and noticed that the tips of his ears were bright red. This composed and confident young man on the field was now as nervous as a primary school student.

“Liang Xinchong,” she said softly, “lower your head.” He bent down in confusion.

Li Mo tiptoed and quickly adjusted the strap of the gold medal on his chest. This action brought them very close, close enough to hear each other's heartbeats.

"Congratulations on breaking the record," she said softly, her eyes sparkling.

Liang Xinchong paused for a second, then smiled. He reached out and gently ruffled her hair this time: "Thank you."

As dusk deepened, the fragrance of wisteria blossoms drifted gently through the air. The distant clamor of the sports field seemed as far away as a different world.

Many years later, when Li Mo looked back on this day, she still felt that it was the sweetest memory of all.

The atmosphere on the second day of the fun sports meet was even more enthusiastic than on the first. Perhaps it was because graduation was approaching, but everyone cherished this last collective celebration.

Today's events included many fun competitions that required teamwork between men and women, with the most anticipated being the "three-legged race".

"Li Mo, over here!" Liang Xinchong waved at the check-in area early in the morning. He was wearing a white sports T-shirt today, which made him look fresh and sunny.

He held the red ribbon provided by the organizers in his hand, and smiled mischievously, "The time has come to test our teamwork."

Li Mo looked at the bandage in his hand, her face slightly flushed.

There were already many groups practicing around, and the sounds of physical contact and laughter were constant.

"Shall we practice first?" Liang Xinchong squatted down and carefully brought their ankles together, binding them tightly with straps. His fingers occasionally brushed against the skin of her ankles, bringing a subtle sensation.

“On my command,” he stood up and casually put his arm around her shoulder, “one, two, one, the outside foot goes first…”

At first, she stumbled a few steps and almost fell, but Liang Xinchong caught her steadily.

Even though the two of them don't have much chemistry yet and often stumble, Liang Xinchong always smiles, as if he'll be happy no matter what.

As long as she's nearby.

His voice, tinged with laughter, rang in her ears, and his warm breath brushed against her hair.

After practicing a few times, the two gradually found their rhythm.

Their height difference was just right. Li Mo walked a little faster, while Liang Xinchong deliberately slowed down to adjust. By accommodating each other, they unexpectedly coordinated well.

"Ready—Go!"

As the whistle blew, Liang Xinchong shouted in a low voice, "Let's go!"

The two of them shot off like arrows. Shoulder to shoulder, arms supporting each other, legs bound together, steps in perfect unison.

The wind whistled in her ears, and the cheers of her classmates became indistinct. It seemed that Li Mo's whole world consisted only of the steady breathing and strong support of the person beside her.

"One, two, one! One, two, one!" Liang Xinchong's voice carried an unquestionable guiding tone.

Their coordination was flawless, and they quickly overtook several pairs of couples next to them who were stumbling due to their chaotic steps.

During the final sprint, Liang Xinchong whispered, "Trust me, speed up."

Li Mo made a firm decision, completely relaxed her body, and handed her weight over to him. The two of them suddenly increased their speed, like a red whirlwind, and crossed the finish line first.

"We won!" Liang Xinchong cheered, and due to inertia, the two of them fell down together on the mat at the finish line.

He reacted extremely quickly, adjusting his posture in mid-air and cushioning himself underneath, becoming a solid human cushion for Li Mo.

"Mmm..." Li Mo nestled in his arms, her nose filled with the scent of his body mixed with sunshine and sweat. Her cheeks flushed instantly, and she tried to get up in a flustered manner, but because her feet were still tied, her movements were clumsy and cute.

Liang Xinchong chuckled softly, his chest heaving. Instead of letting go, he tightened his arms around her in that position and whispered quickly and clearly in her ear, "See, we're the most in sync."

Good-natured laughter and whistles rang out from around them.

Li Mo buried her face in his shoulder in embarrassment, gently punched him, but couldn't help but smile.

Just then, Li Mo caught a glimpse of a familiar figure walking past the edge of the field out of the corner of her eye.

It's Yuan Hai.

He seemed to have just come down from the basketball court next door; his forehead was sweaty, and he was carrying his jacket in his hand.

His gaze fell on Liang Xinchong and Li Mo, who were still lying on the cushions, laughing together, and he paused slightly.

Yuan Hai's face was expressionless, but his eyes seemed somewhat complicated.

Unlike the other students, he didn't join in the commotion. He just watched quietly for a few seconds, and a very faint, elusive emotion flashed across his eyes, which always held a sharp and scrutinizing quality.

Then, as if he had just been passing by unintentionally, he quickly looked away, turned around expressionlessly, and continued walking towards the teaching building, his figure soon disappearing into the noisy crowd.

Liang Xinchong finally untied Li Mo's bandages, helped her to her feet, and brushed off the plastic particles stuck to her clothes. "Did you hurt yourself when you fell?"

He looked down and asked, his eyes filled with concern. "It's nothing," Li Mo shook her head, then couldn't help but glance in the direction Yuan Hai had left, a hint of doubt flashing through her mind, but she was quickly interrupted by the bottle of mineral water that Liang Xinchong handed her.

"Here you go." He unscrewed the bottle cap before handing it to her, his smile dazzlingly bright.

Li Mo took the water and took a sip: "The homeroom teacher saw it just now when she passed by."

"Then I'm not afraid."

Li Mo looked at him silently.

Liang Xinchong also unscrewed a bottle of mineral water and took a sip: "Old Yuan wouldn't break up a loving couple!"