Shut up

Sunday, 18:47

The bell rang for the end of the last evening self-study session for Class 5, Grade 12 at Linxia No. 1 High School, but Yu Chen had already packed her bag. The top button of her school uniform was still fastened tightly—to cover the ring-shaped marks left by the "poisonous mosquitoes." She didn't go back to the dormitory but walked straight towards the school gate. With nine days left until the provincial team selection, she had originally planned to do restorative stretching in the dormitory tonight, but the WeChat message she received an hour ago completely disrupted her schedule.

[Provincial Team - Coach Qin]

Xiao Yu, I just received a written notice from the sports school: Your "private sparring" at the boxing gym last Friday night caused a negative impact, and you've been disqualified from the 60kg wildcard selection. Come to the team tomorrow to sign the confirmation. —Old Qin

The words "negative impact" hit her like a cold punch, making her vision go black. Her first instinct was to call Xiao Wei, but her finger hovered above the screen, unable to tap it. It was her own business, and she was the one who provoked the situation first; she couldn't drag Xiao Wei into it.

The evening after the downpour was unusually hot and humid. She took off her baseball cap, and the ends of her bright red hair were stuck to her neck with sweat. Her breathing became inexplicably shallow and rapid, like the state of someone running out of energy in the third round of a boxing match, yet she had no opponent.

19:05 School Gate & Camphor Tree Road

Sheng Shuo leaned against the pillar of the bike shed, his 194cm height cutting the streetlight in two. He was carrying a takeaway iced Americano and immediately went to greet Yu Chen when he saw her come out.

"Get in the car, I'll take you home." His voice was low, but it carried an unyielding firmness.

Yu Chen shook her head, wanting to say she would take a taxi, but as soon as she opened her mouth, her chest suddenly felt like it was tightly wrapped in bandages—she couldn't inhale fully, nor could she exhale completely. She subconsciously clutched her collar, her knuckles turning white.

Sheng Shuo noticed something was wrong, threw his coffee into the trash can, and strode over to her: "What's wrong?"

"...It's nothing, just a little stuffy."

She tried to walk further, but her steps faltered. Sheng Shuo caught her elbow just in time, his palms damp with cold sweat. Her temperature was normal, but her pulse was alarmingly fast—he had performed first aid on his teammates during their morning run and knew it was acute hyperventilation syndrome.

"Don't use your mouth, inhale through your nose, and slowly count to four."

As he spoke, he slung her backpack over his left shoulder, placed his right hand on the back of her neck, and gently bent her forward—to reduce the amount of blood returning to her heart and lessen the burden on her heart. Yu Chen did as he was told, but her breath caught in her throat halfway through, as if someone were choking her. Black spots began to appear in her vision, their edges gleaming.

19:12 Corner of the parking lot

Sheng Shuo acted decisively, scooping her up in his arms and rushing to his car. A folding wheelchair was in the back of the SUV; he shoved it aside, laid Yu Chen flat on the seat, and rolled down all the windows. He pulled a disposable breathing training mask from the glove compartment—standard equipment for the school track and field team—never expecting it to come in handy.

"Follow my rhythm, inhale—exhale—"

He knelt by the car door, holding a mask in one hand and applying a cold compress to the back of her neck with the other. Five minutes later, Yu Chen's breathing finally became long, the dark spots faded, but cold sweat soaked through the back of her school uniform. She turned her head and saw Sheng Shuo's brows furrowed into a sharp "川" character.

"Go to the hospital."

"No need, just go...go home."

"Shut up."

Sheng Shuo, unusually assertive, spoke in a low but trembling voice. He fastened her seatbelt, jumped into the driver's seat, and sped out of the school gate. The nearest top-tier hospital was 6.8 kilometers away, with green lights all the way.

20:00 Municipal Hospital, Emergency Internal Medicine Department

After listening to the patient's complaint, the doctor performed blood gas analysis, electrocardiogram, and chest X-ray to rule out pneumothorax and myocarditis. The diagnosis was "acute hyperventilation syndrome + mild hypocapnia," with the trigger being emotional stress.

"Young lady, have you been under a lot of pressure lately?"

Yu Chen didn't speak, but simply tightened the collar of her school uniform. Sheng Shuo stood at the foot of the bed, his gaze falling on her right hand—that hand was unconsciously pinching the web between the thumb and index finger of her left hand, the nails digging into the skin, leaving deep crescent-shaped marks.

The doctor prescribed a placebo of oral electrolytes and instructed her to have her blood gas checked again in half an hour. In the infusion area, Sheng Shuo moved a round stool and sat opposite her, taking off his coat and covering her knees with it.

"The selection trials... are over?" he asked softly.

Yu Chen's shoulders stiffened, as if a fatal flaw had been exposed. After a long silence, she nodded, her voice hoarse and almost inaudible: "I typed it myself, and I carried it myself."

Sheng Shuo remained silent, then unscrewed the electrolyte bottle cap and handed it to her. His fingertips touched the back of her hand; it was icy cold.

"Then let's get our physical health sorted out first." He paused, his gaze fixed straight ahead. "The rest, we'll make up for one by one."

21:10 Re-examination passed, discharged from hospital

The night wind carried the earthy smell of rain, and moths swarmed around the lights at the hospital entrance. Sheng Shuo went to get his car, while Yu Chen stood on the steps, looking up at the night sky—the moon, like a polished bronze plaque, hung coldly overhead. She suddenly remembered Xiao Wei's words, "I'll wait for you to grow up," and then Coach Qin's words, "Disqualified." A dull pain shot through her chest, but she felt much calmer than when she arrived.

The car lights swept over her, and Sheng Shuo opened the car door for her. She got in, fastened her seatbelt, and said in a low but clear voice:

"Take me to the boxing gym."

"Go home and rest first."

"I want to see her."

Sheng Shuo tightened his grip on the steering wheel. After a moment, he exhaled and turned the car around: "Twenty minutes. I'll wait for you at the door when we arrive. I won't rush you."

21:40 Xiaowei Apartment - Entrance

The main light inside wasn't on; only the cold white light from the sensor at the foot of the stairs illuminated the room. Xiao Wei was wearing a black sleeveless vest, her hair still damp, clearly having just showered. Seeing Sheng Shuo's car headlights, she pushed open the door and stepped out, her gaze sweeping past the driver's seat and landing directly on the passenger seat—

Yu Chen unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the car. In the moonlight, the top button of her school uniform collar finally came undone, revealing a dark red "ring-shaped" mark above her collarbone. The band-aid had long been torn off, and the edges were still stained with the redness of her skin.

Xiao Wei's Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice was low and hoarse: "What's wrong?"

Yu Chen didn't speak, but rushed over in three quick steps, pressing his forehead against her shoulder and neck. Xiao Wei subconsciously raised her hand and wrapped her arms around her completely. The moonlight cast their shadows together in a cross shape, like a referee giving a "rest" signal, or like the bell ringing for a new round ahead of time.

Inside the car, Sheng Shuo gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles tightening silently. His gaze fell on the overlapping shadows ahead, but he ultimately did not honk the horn.

A night breeze swept by, the moon was as cold as a polished bronze plaque, while the shadow was scorching hot.