Chapter 61 Fingers Intertwined "Just think of me as stupid."

After the physical education exam, the three years of running exercises in junior high school will finally come to an end. The physical education exam will require more professional venues and equipment. The inadequate track at No. 1 Middle School will no longer be usable. It can be said that after going through all the hardships, it can finally retire with honor.

The physical education exam was held at the city's gymnasium. The No. 1 Middle School chartered several old-fashioned buses to take the students to the gymnasium for the exam and then bring them back. The city gymnasium truly lived up to its name; it had a large plaza in front and looked quite impressive.

It takes two hours to travel from Shengping to the city and back. The school rented a hotel outside the stadium for students who live far away, worried that various factors might affect their exams. The rooms are small with many beds; one room can accommodate 12 people in a large dormitory. According to Wu Jinzhong, this is the most suitable place the school could find.

"We're short on time and have a heavy workload. Everyone, please bear with us and stay just one night to get some rest. Tomorrow, let's strive to perform at our highest level!" Wu Jinzhong instructed each student in their room, making sure he didn't forget anything. He lived with his students in the dormitory next door, sharing their joys and sorrows.

Twelve people were crammed into a small room, which shows how crowded it was. Several large beds were placed in a row in the room, and apart from the beds, there was nothing else in the room, not even a stool.

Jiang Yueming played rock-paper-scissors with some people to decide who would sleep at the end closest to the wall. That spot wasn't too crowded; it was a good position among the shorter people. Except for Li Leshan, who didn't have to play against him, the other three voluntarily chose not to sleep at that end. He played rock-paper-scissors with seven or eight people, just for fun, not really caring about winning or losing. Who knew he would actually win every single round?

"Holy crap..." Jiang Yueming stared blankly at his hands, his face filled with disbelief.

"Wow..." The remaining seven boys stared at each other in disbelief. This wasn't a simple rock-paper-scissors game; it was the kind where the seven of them took turns playing a dozen or twenty rounds—a tournament of attrition! And not a single one of them had beaten him?

"Are you cheating? Where did you get that protagonist's halo or something?" Zhao Yuxuan wondered.

"Hold on for a moment." Jiang Yueming made a "stop" gesture, as he himself hadn't recovered yet.

Realizing what had just happened, Jiang Yueming turned sharply to Li Leshan, her voice trembling, "Le...Lele, did you see that? Eighteen...I..."

He was so excited he was incoherent, as if he had just won a lottery ticket worth ten thousand yuan. Li Leshan could probably understand him, because they had grown up together, and Li Leshan knew how bad his luck could be—so bad that he could scratch off a lottery ticket and end up with an IOU.

Having played to this point, no one dared to complain anymore; everyone was completely willing. They all slunk off to sleep somewhere else.

“You’ll sleep with me,” Jiang Yueming whispered to Li Leshan. “If someone like Lao Gao or Shao Fei comes looking for you, just ignore them. You can sleep on the inside; it’s not crowded.”

Jiang Yueming readily gave up the bed she had won by playing rock-paper-scissors eighteen times to Li Leshan without hesitation.

Li Leshan shook his head. "You can sleep inside."

Those were the fruits of his own labor, a full eighteen wins, why would he let him have them? Besides, Li Leshan really doesn't care where he sleeps; he's not particular about it and isn't bothered by his bed.

“Let’s hit it with the hammer, I’ll use the scissors,” Jiang Yueming said, taking the initiative.

"Who would tell others what they would choose to play first in rock-paper-scissors?" Li Leshan was a little puzzled; he thought the person in front of him was really a bit silly.

"Let's have a competition. You don't understand, this is a strategy," Jiang Yueming continued. "None of them have ever beaten me, why don't you give it a try?"

Although Li Leshan found it strange, he played along because Jiang Yueming wanted to. Furthermore, he felt the rules were very "Jiang Yueming," meaning they were unreasonable.

At almost the same time, Jiang Yueming played "rock" and Li Leshan played "cloth".

...

"You're cheating." Li Leshan pursed his lips slightly; he had clearly said to use scissors.

Jiang Yueming chuckled twice, "You can sleep inside. You chose to play the dice to make me win, right? I think the same way you do."

"I also want you to win." Jiang Yueming's voice was lower, but exceptionally clear.

The dormitory was anything but quiet at night; it was incredibly noisy. The boys talked about games, comics, movies—a whole variety of topics. They discussed everything from the latest computer games to who was stronger in Dragon Ball, Goku or Vegeta… Not a single one of them seemed to care about tomorrow's physical exam or want to get some rest. Wu Jinzhong had reminded them three times, but it seemed no one had listened. His voice was quickly drowned out by the boys' unrestrained chatter.

"You move over there a little..."

"Damn it! I'm going to get off if I push any harder!"

"Holy crap, it's so crowded..."

"Who's been kicking off my blanket?!"

...

I don't know which side was trying to squeeze through for a long time without getting anywhere, all I could hear was a lot of noise.

Complaints, laughter, and the creaking of the bed rose and fell.

Amidst the background noise, Jiang Yueming felt his heartbeat was unusually clear, pounding against his eardrums so fast it made him a little panicked. He and Li Leshan lay side by side on the narrow bed, their arms inevitably touching, and through the thin fabric of their T-shirts, he could feel the warmth emanating from the other's body.

"Lele, are you...asleep?" Jiang Yueming turned to face Li Leshan's blurry outline, her voice extremely soft, with a slight tremor that she herself didn't even notice, as she whispered.

He had to say something to cover up the sound of his heart pounding.

It was late at night, pitch black. Li Leshan knew he probably couldn't read sign language, so he gently shook his head. A single gesture would be enough for Jiang Yueming to realize he wasn't asleep either.

Jiang Yueming's heart was still pounding. Was he nervous? Nervous about tomorrow's exam? But putting everything else aside, Jiang Yueming was practically guaranteed a spot in the physical education exam; he almost never performed poorly, and a perfect score was a given. The thought of being completely cut off from running exercises after tomorrow made Jiang Yueming feel a slight relief in his constantly aching calves.

So what is the purpose of this heart-pounding, drum-like heartbeat?

Memories flooded back. It reminded him of that sweltering summer night when he was twelve, when he and Li Leshan squeezed onto that narrow wooden bed in his house. Back then, the two teenagers could find comfortable spots on that small bed. But now, two boys, both nearly six feet tall, were crammed into a corner of this shared bed, even turning over was done cautiously, and every unintentional touch felt like a faint electric shock.

The noise in the dormitory gradually subsided, and exhaustion finally overwhelmed the boys' energy, with snores rising and falling. However, in that narrow space against the wall, the tense atmosphere did not dissipate in the slightest.

Jiang Yueming lay stiffly, trying to remain as still as a piece of wood. He dared not move, afraid that even the slightest movement would break the tranquility.

"Lele..." But he couldn't help but call out softly again, his voice even softer than before, carrying a hint of inexplicable confusion.

This time, Li Leshan didn't shake his head. He simply groped silently in the darkness and found Jiang Yueming's hand at his side. His palm was slightly cool, and he gently placed it on Jiang Yueming's tightly clenched fist. Then, with his fingertips, he drew a small circle on the back of Jiang Yueming's tense hand very slowly and with a soothing tone.

Because he couldn't speak, Li Leshan always responded in this way, like gently squeezing his hand or drawing circles on his palm and the back of his hand, as if to convey something. They both understood this implicitly.

Jiang Yueming shuddered violently, his heart, which had been pounding like a drum, skipped a beat before pounding against his chest with even greater frantic speed. It wasn't shock, but a surging, unfamiliar thrill that instantly overwhelmed all his other thoughts. Almost instinctively, he reached back and tightly grasped Li Leshan's slightly cool hand.

There were no words, nor could there be any words.

He could clearly feel the thin calluses on Li Leshan's fingertips and the same slight sweat on his palms. Li Leshan did not pull his hand away, but simply let him hold it tightly.

For a moment, the air seemed to freeze. The snoring and murmurs of the other people in the dormitory, and the occasional sounds of vehicles outside the window, all became distant and indistinct background noise. The whole world seemed to consist only of this corner of the crowded dormitory, only their tightly clasped hands, only the heartbeats that seemed to burst from their chests—Jiang Yueming's, and perhaps, Li Leshan's as well.

confusion.

confused.

I don't understand.

nervous.

Jiang Yueming suddenly realized what he was doing. He had won eighteen rounds of rock-paper-scissors, not drunk eighteen bottles of wine! What on earth was he doing?! A belated and overwhelming sense of shame swept over Jiang Yueming.

He abruptly released his grip on Li Leshan's hand, his hand trembling slightly, and Jiang Yueming stiffly tried to turn his back.

"I'm sorry..." Jiang Yueming's voice was barely audible, "Just think of me as stupid..."

Before Jiang Yueming could turn his back, Li Leshan slowly grasped Jiang Yueming's hand. He dared not move, letting Li Leshan hold his hand, his heart still pounding wildly.

At this moment, he no longer thought about whether he would really have to say goodbye to morning exercises after tomorrow's physical education exam, nor was he bothered by the stuffiness of the crowded dormitory. He glanced at Li Leshan; although he couldn't see anything clearly, he knew that Li Leshan must be awake…

In this darkness, a space filled with the clamor and secret heartbeats of youth, a feeling never spoken, yet understood in every heart, silently spreads.

At this age, holding hands is no longer a sign of childhood innocence.

The high school entrance exam is fast approaching, and the future seems shrouded in mist. But at this moment, no matter what, on this simple shared bed, their clasped hands are the most tangible thing they can hold onto.

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Author's note: I think it's pretty sweet, right? [laughing]

This is the purest love story I've ever written, bar none... It was just holding hands! Look at how pathetic I am [oh oh oh] It's like we're already dating (babies, please wait a little longer, we're almost there [please]).

-

I have to complain about Ah Jin's system. It's so laggy, especially today. First, it made me lose my cover image, and then tonight when I finished editing my draft and set the send time, it was even more laggy... How could it be even laggy than when I'm having writer's block? [Sigh]