Wind on the track

September, still carrying the lingering warmth of late summer, saw the tree-lined paths of Yishi University adorned with red banners welcoming new students. Luo Yan, dragging a suitcase half her height, stood before the Computer Science Department's registration area, watching the senior students in volunteer uniforms bustling about. Suddenly, she felt a surreal sense of disbelief—she had really arrived here.

The registration process was simpler than I expected. After receiving my dormitory key and military training supplies, I followed the signs to the dormitory building. Along the way, there were many freshmen dragging their luggage. The words of parents' instructions and the greetings between classmates mingled together, like a pot of boiling water, bubbling and bubbling noisily.

Her dormitory was on the third floor, room 312. When she opened the door, there was only one girl standing on the lower bunk near the door, tiptoeing and sticking stickers on the wardrobe. Hearing the noise, she turned around and said, "My name is Zhang Qi, I'm a computer science student."

"Luo Yan, you're also a computer science major." Luo Yan put down her luggage and smiled at her.

Zhang Qi is a local, with a personality as warm and direct as the summer sun. Her two roommates are a different story: one lives far away and didn't arrive on the first day, only arriving the next; the other is quiet and doesn't talk much. Throughout the entire military training, Luo Yan was practically inseparable from Zhang Qi.

Military training is the first lesson of the semester and a two-week ordeal. Every morning at six o'clock, the whistle is like a death knell, dragging people out of bed; standing at attention until legs go numb, marching in step until the steps are all wrong, and on the sun-darkened face, only the area covered by the brim of the hat still has a ring of white.

Luo Yan is afraid of the sun. After a week, her arms were sunburned in layers, and she developed fine heat rash on the back of her neck. She grimaced in pain when applying ointment at night.

"Here, take this." Zhang Qi took out a small bottle of aloe vera gel from her bag. "My mom gave it to me. She said that everyone in the army uses this. It's especially effective for repairing sunburn."

Without a word, she rubbed it on Luo Yan's neck. The cool touch mixed with a faint fragrance slightly relieved the burning sensation. "Tell the instructor tomorrow that we can rest in the shade. Anyway, we've already passed the marching test."

Luo Yan shook her head: "Never mind, I wouldn't dare."

Zhang Qi pursed his lips, then took out a piece of candy from his pocket and stuffed it into her hand: "Here, it's strawberry flavored, sweetness can relieve pain."

The candy wrapper rustled between her fingers, and the sweet aroma of strawberries filled the air. Luo Yan remembered how Pan Yue used to always give her candy back in high school. At different stages of life, there are always these sweet moments of companionship.

On the last day of military training, Zhang Qi dragged Luo Yan to a hot pot restaurant near the school gate and ordered a table full of dishes. "To celebrate surviving military training!" she exclaimed, holding up a Coke cup, foam splashing onto her nose. "From now on, in the Computer Science department, I'll protect you!"

Luo Yan smiled and clinked glasses with her, looking at the bubbling red oil in the hot pot. Suddenly, she felt that college life was really different from high school life—there was a freer atmosphere, friends who could become close without having to maintain a relationship, and more vibrant colors besides books.

The days after school started felt like they were on fast-forward. The major courses were very difficult; advanced mathematics and linear algebra made everyone dizzy. Luo Yan spent every day in the library, bringing out the same diligence she had in high school.

But she was no longer someone who only revolved around books. Zhang Qi dragged her into the school's programming club, where they would go to the activity room every Wednesday evening to discuss algorithms with a group of people who also loved coding, and occasionally participate in online programming competitions.

Zhang Qi is an "activity enthusiast," never missing a basketball game, debate competition, or volunteer activity, and always dragging Luo Yan along. "University isn't just about studying," she declared confidently, "you have to see more of the world."

Luo Yan went with her to basketball games, organized old books at the library, and taught elderly people how to use smartphones in the community. She was still not particularly outgoing, but seeing Zhang Qi shining in the crowd and looking at the various people around her, the shell that had been wrapped around her heart for so long seemed to slowly crack open.

She rarely thought of Qi Sheng. Not that she forgot, but her university life was too fulfilling, like a sponge soaked with water, leaving no room for extra thoughts. Occasionally, when she saw someone from the sports academy on campus, she would subconsciously glance at them a couple more times, but Zhang Qi's loud voice would quickly interrupt her: "Luo Yan, what are you daydreaming about? Hurry up, the milk tea is almost sold out!"

She knew they were at the same school, knew he was pursuing a master's degree in sports, and knew they might actually "bump into each other often," just like the bookstore boy had said. But she wasn't in a hurry, nor was she making a fuss—just like she had thought in high school, she would focus on walking her own path first and leave the rest to time.

In mid-October, the school sports meet arrived as scheduled. The campus was adorned with colorful flags, the rousing athletes' march played on a loop over the loudspeaker, and students in their school uniforms were everywhere, holding up cheering signs.

The Computer Science Department's booth was on the east side of the playground. Luo Yan was dragged there by Zhang Qi to be a "logistics soldier," responsible for handing water and towels to the athletes. Zhang Qi had signed up for the women's 800-meter race and was currently pestering the sports committee member for pre-race guidance, her voice so loud that it could be heard across half the playground.

Luo Yan found a shady corner, neatly arranged the bottled water and towel, and sat down with her knees drawn up to her chest, idly watching the track. The men's 100-meter final had just ended, and a cheer erupted from the stands. She stood on tiptoe to look, but didn't feel anything special.

"The next event is the men's 4x100m relay final. Athletes, please assemble at the check-in area!" the announcement came over the loudspeaker.

Suddenly, the surroundings became lively. Several female students from the sports academy held up signs that read "First Place in the Graduate Group" and excitedly pushed forward. Luo Yan was pushed back two steps and subconsciously looked up at the registration area.

Then, she saw Qi Sheng.

He was wearing a red tracksuit with the words "Graduate Student Group" printed on the front, standing with three other boys, doing warm-up exercises. Leg stretches, waist twists, wrist rotations—every movement was fluid and powerful, a far cry from the student teacher who used to stand on the sidelines of the playground in high school, directing students in passing the ball.

When I met him in high school, he was gentle but a little reserved. He would deliberately slow down his speech when instructing students on movements, afraid that they wouldn't understand. But now, his brows are slightly furrowed, his eyes are focused on the track, his muscles are tense with each movement, and his whole body exudes a power that is ready to be unleashed, like a cheetah preparing to sprint.

The cheers around her seemed to vanish instantly, leaving only the pounding of her own heart in Luo Yan's ears, a resounding "thump-thump" that made her eardrums ache. She instinctively shrank back, watching him from a distance, just as she had done when watching him play ball on the sidelines.

He said something to his teammate, who patted him on the shoulder. He smiled, a smile that overlapped with the image of him giving her lemon candy in his memory, yet carried a completely different sense of strength.

"On your marks—get set—"

The moment the starting gun fired, Qi Sheng shot off like an arrow. He ran the first leg, his starting reaction was astonishingly fast, and his baton exchange was clean and swift; the instant his fingertips touched the baton, he passed it to the second runner with almost no deceleration.

The cheers from the stands grew louder and louder, and the girls from the sports academy shouted his name at the top of their lungs: "Qi Sheng! Go! Qi Sheng! Go!"

Luo Yan's palms were sweaty, her eyes fixed on the red figure on the track. As he ran around the bend, his body leaned at the perfect angle, and the sunlight fell on his sweaty hair, casting a golden halo, like a dynamic and powerful painting.

In the final sprint, the graduate student group had already taken a significant lead. The moment they crossed the finish line, Qi Sheng and his teammates embraced, sweat trickling down their chins and staining their red vests, leaving a small, dark mark.

Luo Yan watched him being surrounded by the crowd, but she had no intention of going up to say hello. She just wanted to watch from afar—to see him shine in his field, to see him grow from that slightly green intern teacher into the dazzling person he is today.

An unknown amount of time passed.

"Luo Yan, what are you daydreaming about?" Zhang Qi's voice pulled her back to reality. She had just finished running 800 meters, covered in sweat, and holding a bronze medal in her hand. "Quick, give me a bottle of water, I'm exhausted!"

Luo Yan quickly handed her a bottle of mineral water, watching as she hung the bronze medal around her neck and proudly swung it around: "Third place! Not bad, right? Oh, by the way, did you watch the relay race for the graduate students? That guy who ran the first leg was so fast! He was like the wind!"

"Yes, I saw it." Luo Yan nodded.

"I heard from the sports committee that he's a graduate student at the sports academy, and he was even recommended for graduate school," Zhang Qi said, her eyes sparkling as she drank her water. "He's fast, handsome, and practically a male god in the sports department!"

Luo Yan's heart skipped a beat. She lowered her head and pretended to tidy the towel in her hand: "Really? I didn't notice."

"Hey, look, he's coming!" Zhang Qi nudged her with his elbow.

Luo Yan froze, trying to dodge, but Zhang Qi held her back. Qi Sheng and his teammates were walking this way, holding bottled water, sweat streaming down their faces.

He seemed to sense something, glancing over and his gaze lingering on Luo Yan's face for a moment, clearly recognizing her. He paused for a second, then nodded to her as a greeting, his eyes calm, with a hint of polite distance.

Luo Yan nodded in response, her heart pounding as if it would burst out of her chest, but she tried her best to keep her face calm.

Once he was out of sight, Zhang Qi approached him with a gossipy look on her face: "Hey, he nodded to you, do you two know each other?"

“Hmm,” Luo Yan replied vaguely, “He interned at our school when he was in high school, as a physical education assistant.”

"What a coincidence!" Zhang Qi's eyes lit up even more. "Was he this handsome when he was a teacher? No, he's even more handsome now."

Luo Yan listened to her rambling with a smile, without saying a word. She looked up at the track; Qi Sheng and his teammates had already walked far away, leaving only a red silhouette that gradually disappeared into the crowd.

She suddenly realized that this was fine too.

On the same campus, we are all busy with our own lives. We occasionally meet, like two parallel lines, but at some moment, because of a chance glance up, we see the light in each other's world.

Zhang Qi was still chattering and laughing when he pulled her towards the cafeteria: "Come on, let's celebrate winning the bronze medal, I'll treat you to a good meal!"

Luo Yan was pulled forward by her, her steps light and quick. The wind blew from the other side of the playground, carrying the dusty smell of the track, and also the new expectations that belong to this autumn.