hiking

After the physical examination incident, the school organized a hiking trip.

The principal told everyone that this was their last outing at school, and he hoped that they could relax during the boring preparation life and perform better in the college entrance examination.

The destination of the hike is a small mountain not far from the city.

The mountain road has been repaired and is not difficult to walk on, but it is still a big burden for Jiang Yile, who has a weak physical condition.

More importantly, she had no intention of appreciating the scenery along the way.

Since the day of the physical examination, that heart has felt as if it was weighed by a huge rock, sinking to the bottom of the cold sea, and every beat is accompanied by a stagnant pain.

The team set off in a mighty manner.

The students were like birds out of a cage, gathering in groups of three or five, laughing and playing, temporarily putting aside the pressure of the college entrance examination and enjoying a rare relaxation.

The sunlight shines through the gaps in the leaves, dancing with mottled spots of light on the mountain road, and the air is filled with the fresh scent of grass and soil.

Everything seemed so vibrant, except Jiang Yile.

She walked deliberately slowly and fell behind the team.

Zhou Xiaowei stayed by her side, glancing at her worriedly from time to time, wanting to say something to liven up the atmosphere, but when she saw Jiang Yile's empty eyes staring ahead without any spirit, she swallowed back all the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

Zhou Xiaowei vaguely guessed that it was related to Gu Nanxiao, but Jiang Yile kept silent about what happened specifically, so she didn't dare to ask more.

Gu Nanxiao walked further behind, almost at the end of the team.

He was alone, and his figure seemed particularly abrupt and lonely in the noisy crowd.

He lowered his head slightly, his eyes fixed on his feet, as if the rugged mountain road was the only thing that could attract his attention.

He didn't dare to get closer, and even didn't dare to let his eyes linger too long on the slender and stubborn figure in front of him.

He knew she didn't want to see him or pay attention to him.

He knew the reason better than anyone.

The secret that was suddenly revealed in the hospital corridor was like a bottomless chasm between them.

He didn't even have the qualifications to explain, because any words seemed so pale and hypocritical in the face of such a heavy past.

His proximity only deepened her pain and disgust.

The mountain road wound upwards, Jiang Yile's breathing gradually became rapid, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

She gritted her teeth and persisted silently.

Zhou Xiaowei couldn't help but persuade: "Le Le, do you want to take a rest? You don't look well."

"Need not."

Jiang Yile's voice was dry, with an almost masochistic stubbornness.

She didn't want to stop, as if the fatigue of her body could temporarily numb the severe pain in her heart.

Just then, we passed a rather steep stone staircase.

Jiang Yile slipped and his body shook violently.

"careful!"

Zhou Xiaowei screamed and quickly supported her.

Almost at the same time, there was a sound of hurried footsteps behind him, and a suppressed gasp that was almost about to burst out.

Jiang Yile steadied herself and didn't look back, but she could clearly feel the gaze that was instantly tense, full of worry and fear, nailed to her back like a substance.

She could even imagine what he looked like at this moment——

His face must have turned pale in an instant, his pupils contracted, and his eyes, which had always been silent, were filled with fear and powerlessness.

He was there, a few steps behind her, maintaining an attitude as if he wanted to move forward but didn't dare to go beyond.

His hand may have subconsciously stretched out halfway, then stopped stiffly in mid-air, and finally fell down helplessly.

Zhou Xiaowei also noticed Gu Nanxiao's reaction. She looked at her friend with a cold face, then looked at the young man behind her who seemed to be frozen in place, shrouded in great pain and guilt. She sighed in her heart, but said nothing in the end.

After a brief commotion, the team continued to move forward.

That little accident was like a stone thrown into stagnant water. Although the surface calm was quickly restored, it caused deeper ripples in the hearts of both of them.

Jiang Yile's heart grew even colder.

His subconscious reaction and the worry he couldn't hide were no longer simple concern in her eyes, but solid evidence that confirmed his knowledge and his guilt.

He really knows everything!

Knowing how fragile her body had become, knowing that she couldn't even withstand the risk of a small slip!

All of this stems from the "accident" in his family!

And Gu Nanxiao almost stopped breathing at that moment.

The moment he saw her unstable body, a huge fear was like ice water pouring down on his head, freezing every limb of his body.

The tragic scene of that rainy night many years ago, overlapping with her staggering figure just now, almost drove him crazy.

He wanted so badly to rush over and hold her, to make sure she was safe, but he couldn't.

He lost that qualification.

He could only hide in the dark like a despicable peeping tormentor, watching her back anxiously and enduring the inner purgatory.

Throughout the hike, they kept a distance between them.

He followed silently behind, like a silent, self-exiled guardian, or rather, a redeemer.

She walked stubbornly in front, cutting off all the gazes that tried to be cast in the direction behind her, and building an invisible wall with her cold back.

The sun is shining, the mountain breeze is refreshing, and the laughter of students fills the mountains and forests.

However, in this lush spring, two hearts that once quietly approached each other seem to be abandoned in a completely different winter.

One was stabbed by the truth and bled, closing all his senses; the other was overwhelmed by guilt and despair, sinking into endless darkness.

They walked on the same mountain road and breathed the same air, but they seemed to be in two lonely worlds that would never intersect.

That invisible barrier is longer and more despairing than the winding mountain road before us.