Chapter 8

The first semester of college, a busy and exciting one, was quickly swept to its end by the howling north wind. The pressure of final exams was like an invisible thin layer of ice, covering every classroom and library window.

Ling Peng's life is still divided into several clear quadrants, but the outline of each quadrant is deeper and more specific than when he first arrived.

The basketball league entered the playoffs, and the air in the training hall was filled with the scent of gunpowder. In the final seconds of a crucial game, the score was deadlocked. Ling Peng dribbled the ball through the net and was double-teamed. Losing his balance, he instinctively tossed the ball back to an unmarked teammate.

"Swish!" The ball went into the net! A decisive kill!

The entire stadium erupted in excitement. His teammates roared and rushed over, pinning Ling Peng down like a human pyramid. Lying on the cold floor, he listened to the deafening cheers and the heavy breathing of his teammates, his chest filled with pure, explosive joy. The sense of accomplishment that comes from relying on the team, trusting each other, and withstanding the pressure in the final moments is unparalleled.

Shen Siyu was also on the sidelines, jumping and clapping excitedly, her makeup exquisite and her smile perfect. After the game, she was the first to rush over, offering him Evian mineral water (still a rarity back then) and a clean towel, and then gave him a big hug in front of everyone: "Ling Peng! You're so handsome! That pass just now was amazing!"

She was always like this, appearing in the most conspicuous position in his moments of glory, sharing his glory, her praise loud and direct, shining on him like a spotlight. Ling Peng took the water with a smile, enjoying the moment of victory and his girlfriend's admiration.

However, the real tough battles often happen in corners where there is no cheering.

The mechanical drawing course design entered its final stages. Ling Peng's team's design proposal was stuck on a key transmission structure for two days, constantly failing calculations and simulations. The mood within the group was somewhat subdued, with some even suggesting lowering the standards and making do with a makeshift approach.

That night, Ling Peng skipped his date and spent his night alone in the lab, staring at a complex 3D model and a daunting pile of data on the computer screen. His fingers were numb from the cold, and he exhaled, rubbing them together, before continuing to calculate, adjust, fail, and start over again. Outside the window was the dry, cold silence of a northern winter night, accompanied only by the low hum of the computer fan and the scratching of a pen across scratch paper.

This almost obstinate focus was a stark contrast to his agility on the court; it was a silent persistence, like sinking into the deep sea. Finally, as the sky began to turn pale, he found the overlooked tiny interference point! He made a correction and recalculated—the red error message on the screen instantly disappeared, and the green "Pass" indicator lit up!

A surge of excitement suddenly washed over him, dispelling all fatigue. He leaned back in his chair and breathed a long sigh of relief, wanting to bang his fist on the table and yell to tell everyone, but he found no one around. This ecstasy of overcoming a difficult problem, with no one to share it, was filled with extreme loneliness, yet also incredibly real and profound. He picked up his phone, wanting to send a text to Chen Siyu, but looking at the time displayed at the top of the screen—05:47—his thumb hovered over the key for a moment, and ultimately gave up. At this hour, she was still asleep.

In the end, he just used the 300,000-pixel camera of his phone to barely take a blurry photo of "Sess" on the screen. He planned to go to the printer to print it out early tomorrow morning and stick it on the group's drawing bag.

His relationship with Shen Siyu continued to flourish amidst the envy of others, seemingly enjoying a beautiful life. She would come to watch his games, celebrate for him, and even plan a skiing trip together during winter break. However, Ling Peng vaguely felt that their common ground always remained superficial, and she seemed completely uninterested in his side of things.

That day, he excitedly told her about the joy he felt after overcoming a difficult problem. She blinked her mascara-covered eyes and said, "That sounds so difficult! I knew you could do it! By the way, after the exam, can you accompany me to Xidan to buy New Year's uniforms?"

“…Oh, okay.”

Later, he told her about a senior in the lab. "You should have seen Senior Hao from our department, the one who's always in the lab. He works day and night to realize a nearly idealistic design he has in mind. I saw him that day, so exhausted that he looked a bit out of shape."

Shen Siyu frowned slightly, curled her lips and said, "Then why are you so stubborn? It's not like it can be turned into money right away. I don't quite understand."

Ling Peng listened, nodded silently, and then changed the subject. He didn't think his senior brother was stubborn. Instead, he felt that he had a familiar aura, a passion burning for a pure goal. That was a world he understood and respected.

After the final exam, the repressed atmosphere of the campus relaxed. Shen Siyu and her friends made plans to go karaoke at Qiangui and asked Ling Peng to join them. Ling Peng declined, saying, "My dorm buddies have a party." In reality, Wang Hai was just clamoring to go to the lively "Little Sichuan" restaurant behind the school to eat boiled fish to celebrate his release from prison.

"Little Sichuan" was buzzing with activity, the aroma of hot air mixed with chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns wafting across the air. Four older boys huddled around a small, greasy square table. Wang Hai spitted and recounted embarrassing exam experiences, while Chen Xiang busily told the proprietress, "More bean sprouts, less fish!" Li Siwen meticulously scalded each set of bowls and chopsticks with hot water.

Ling Peng listened to their chatter, ate piping hot spicy fish, and listened to the clatter of finger-guessing at the next table. A rough but genuine warmth enveloped him. Here, there was no need for elaborate conversation, no need to maintain any image; one could laugh unbridled and fight over a piece of meat.

Wang Hai raised his full beer and said loudly, "Come on! I wish our 307 a smooth first semester and no failing grades! Keep up the great work next semester!"

The rough glass cups collided with each other, making a crisp sound, and the beer foam overflowed and flowed onto the back of the hand. It was cold, but it made people feel warm in their hearts.

After dinner, Ling Peng walked in the frosty night wrapped in his down jacket. Looking at his roommates who were arm in arm and singing out-of-tune songs, the subtle sense of suspension that occasionally arose in his heart because of being with Shen Siyu gradually became a reality.

He pulled out his phone, the screen lighting up, a dim glow illuminating his face. He flipped to a conversation with Shen Siyu, the last one she'd sent an hour ago: "We're on to the third stall! It's so lively here! It would be a shame if you didn't come!"

He thought for a moment and replied, "I'm going back home after eating with my roommates. Have fun."

He pressed send, put away his phone, and shoved his hands back into his pockets. Thus passed the first semester of college: fulfilling and colorful, but also like the air on this winter night: when he breathed it in, he could clearly feel the coldness of it, a part of it that had never been truly warmed by any noise.

He didn't know that in another familiar middle school in the same city, a girl was holding a hand warmer with a deer pattern, her heart beating with a completely different kind of sincerity.