Shadow and Sunlight

On February 7, 2012, at the team's internal training ground, Rao Xiaofeng won first place with a total lead of 2.89 seconds after three laps.

The cool metal of the handlebars still lingered on her right palm. Raising her left hand, her fingertips caressed her cheek, scorched by the wind—a spot of fine beads of sweat and traces of tears that had flowed down her face. Beneath the protective gear on the inside of her knees, her muscles were still trembling from the inertia of high-speed cornering. Xiaofeng squatted at the edge of the track, her fingertips lightly tracing the oil-stained tire tracks, as if she were reliving the thrilling race she had just experienced. Fourth Uncle stood beside her, his palm gently pressed against her shoulder, a silent gesture of approval.

"Thank you, Fourth Uncle!" Xiaofeng wiped away her tears with her arms, her voice still a little choked.

"You're great, Xiaofeng." Fourth Uncle's voice was steady and powerful. "Are you ready for the competition?"

Xiao Feng stood up suddenly, saluted politely, and answered crisply: "Yes, sir!"

"Beauty..." She had just put down her hand when she heard a familiar voice. She looked in the direction of the voice and saw a man walking towards her, his eyes and eyebrows revealing a familiar look.

"Beauty, it really is you." The man grinned, revealing an expression that said, "I knew it." "I told you you're a good driver."

"Zhen Kang..." Xiaofeng's eyes lit up and he called out the name excitedly.

"You still remember me." Zhen Kang seemed a little surprised and a little proud.

"Of course I remember. You were the one who introduced me to this world." Xiaofeng smiled and turned to his fourth uncle, introducing him. "Fourth uncle, this is Zhen Kang, the owner of the arcade in Ninghai Comprehensive Shopping Center. He was the one who introduced me to racing motorcycles, and I've been completely in love with it ever since."

"Are you in love with motorcycles, or with me?" Zhen Kang raised his eyebrows, his tone full of joking ridicule.

"Don't joke with Xiaofeng like that." Fourth Uncle suddenly frowned and said seriously, "My nephew will have an opinion."

"Your nephew—Jiang Wenqing?" Zhen Kang's eyes suddenly widened, and he looked at Xiaofeng in disbelief, his hand trembling slightly as he pointed at her. "You are..."

Fourth Uncle nodded without comment.

"Beauty, I'm sorry for my disrespect." Zhen Kang quickly bowed and his attitude instantly became respectful.

"If I had known that you would take the underage Xiaofeng to ride a motorcycle, I shouldn't have given you a membership." Fourth Uncle changed the subject, with a hint of teasing in his tone.

"Boss Jiang, look at Xiaofeng's current performance. I can be considered a 'mentor', right? This year's membership..." Zhen Kang begged with a smile, his eyes full of expectation.

As soon as the words fell, the three of them couldn't help laughing, and their hearty laughter echoed for a long time in the empty track.

Life is like the green ivy in the yard. There is no need to chase after the colorful flowers. It only needs to quietly stretch its branches and leaves in the cracks of time, and it will have its own vitality.

Even after winter break, Xiaofeng's heart still lingered at home. In class, her mind wandered, only to be brought back to reality when her phone vibrated.

It was a message from Jiang Wenfeng: "Would you like to go watch the basketball team practice this afternoon?"

Xiaofeng's fingers danced rapidly on the screen: "I'll go."

"At three o'clock, wait at the entrance of the South District Gymnasium."

As soon as the bell rang at 2:45 PM, Xiaofeng rushed to the gymnasium. She stood with her back to the gymnasium door, craning her neck to look around, her eyes filled with anxiety.

Jiang Wenfeng walked out of the gym and saw her back at a glance. Suddenly, a mischievous idea popped up in his mind. He walked quietly behind Xiaofeng and stretched out his hand to scratch her waist.

As soon as the fingertips touched her waist, Xiaofeng screamed and jumped up: "Ah——!"

She turned around and stepped back repeatedly. When she saw the familiar face of Jiang Wenfeng, she realized it was a false alarm. She patted her chest and scolded, "Wenfeng, you scared me to death!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Jiang Wenfeng waved his hands quickly. Seeing the tears in her eyes, his tone became even more urgent. "I just wanted to tease you. Don't cry. I really didn't mean it."

Xiaofeng only then realized that tears had welled up in her eyes. She wiped her face carelessly and smiled through her tears: "It's okay, it's okay. Don't scare me like that next time." After a pause, she asked, "What should I do later?"

Jiang Wenfeng led her into the gym and said with a smile, "Just sit there and watch. When I'm done training, just bring me a towel and an energy drink." At this point, he suddenly stopped, turned around and stared at her, "Do you remember?"

Xiaofeng nearly bumped into him and looked up. The face before her, with similar features to Wenqing's, looked particularly handsome in the light and shadow. She shook her head, clearing away those chaotic thoughts, and nodded seriously, "I'll remember it."

Unexpectedly, Jiang Wenfeng led her directly to the edge of the training area, a vantage point for the best vantage point. The mid-afternoon sun slashed across the gymnasium's glass dome, splitting the field into two halves: on one side, the basketball team's scrimmage was in full swing, while on the other, the cheerleaders practiced throwing and catching to the beat of drums, their pink ribbons tracing rainbow arcs in time with the thump-thump of the basketball hitting the floor. Scattered along the sidelines were players and coaches taking a break, while the other students who had come to observe the training sat in the distant spectator stands.

"Wenfeng, this isn't appropriate, is it?" Xiaofeng felt a little uneasy. "How about I go to the audience seats?"

Jiang Wenfeng smiled faintly: "It's okay, just sit back and relax."

The competition on the court was reaching a fever pitch. The tall boy in the number 12 jersey spun and broke through, only to be double-teamed outside the three-point line. The moment the ball slipped out of his hands, a sigh of regret erupted from the audience. Jiang Wenfeng, back on the court, was practicing free throws with his teammates. He stood behind the free throw line, the orange basketball firmly held between his fingertips. Sweat trickled down his brow, forming tiny specks of light on his eyelashes. With a slight bend of his knees and a flick of his wrist, the ball traced a smooth parabola through the air as it left his hand, swishing through the air and into the net. Amid the rustling sound of the net, the cheers and screams of the audience surged in like a tide.

At the end of training, Jiang Wenfeng walked toward the rest area, head bowed. Xiaofeng picked up his towel and energy drink, stood up, and handed the towel to him first. He took it, wiped his sweat roughly, and handed it back to her. He then took the drink, unscrewed the cap, and gulped down several mouthfuls. His Adam's apple rolled up and down as he swallowed, and the thin layer of sweat on his neck mixed with the youthful vigor, making it impossible to look away.

During dinner, Xiaofeng excitedly recounted to Wenqing the interesting stories from the afternoon training session. Wenqing remained expressionless throughout the entire session, only advising at the end: "You still need to focus more on preparing for the competition and don't slack off in training."

"I know." Xiaofeng responded, but he was secretly worried in his heart.

"I don't want to see you crying again." Wen Qing saw through her thoughts and teased her on purpose.

"I won't!"

"What goal did Fourth Uncle set for you?"

"I finished the race safely." Xiaofeng curled his lips, obviously not very satisfied.

"And you?"

"Top three!" Her eyes lit up and her tone was full of confidence.

Wenqing placed a soft kiss on her forehead: "There's a reward if you win."

"I want my reward now!" Xiaofeng knelt on the sofa and came in front of him.

"How can you insist on it?"

"This is called rewarding first." Xiaofeng grabbed his arm and shook it gently, her voice soft and sweet.

"What do you want?"

"Come with me to the movies on Sunday."

"What movie?"

"Horror movie."

"A horror movie..." Wen Qing drawled out the words.

"Are you scared?" Xiaofeng raised his chin and tried to provoke her.

"There's nothing scary about horror movies." Wen Qing rubbed her face, his eyes full of doting. "The scary thing is watching a horror movie with a coward."

"So, will you go with me or not?"

"Go." Wen Qing nodded with a smile, "Such good opportunities don't come often—when you're scared, just throw yourself into my arms."