Confession

The days of waiting finally came to an end in late June.

On the day of checking the scores, the atmosphere at home was even more tense than on the day of the college entrance examination.

Xu Zhiyi locked himself in the room and stared at the time on the computer screen.

The moment the passage opened, she entered her admission ticket number and password with trembling fingers.

Page jump.

A number comes into view.

A few points higher than she expected.

It’s settled!

She breathed a long sigh of relief, and her heart, which had been hanging in the air, finally settled down.

Beijing University, no doubt about it.

Almost at the same time, the phone vibrated wildly.

The class group exploded with cheers, disappointment, comfort, teasing...all kinds of emotions swirled on the screen.

Zhang Ningxia's phone was the first to come in, crying, "Zhiyi! I passed the first-tier line! I can go to the school I want to go to!"

Then there was a knock on the door from her parents. She opened it and saw their nervous and expectant faces.

After hearing the score, her mother hugged her excitedly, and her father also smiled with relief, saying repeatedly, "Good, good!"

Amidst the chaos, Song Chengrui's message lay quietly in the list.

Song Chengrui: "How is it?"

Xu Zhiyi directly took a screenshot of his score and sent it over.

A few seconds later, he also sent a screenshot.

His scores were as stable as ever, so he was sure to be admitted to Beijing University.

Song Chengrui: "It seems that we can continue to be classmates in Jingbei."

Xu Zhiyi looked at these words, and a smile spread from the bottom of his heart to the bottom of his eyes.

Xu Zhiyi: "Yeah."

Song Chengrui: "Remember what I said, I want to have a good talk with you after the results come out?"

Xu Zhiyi: "I remember."

Song Chengrui: "Are you free tomorrow? I'll come find you."

Xu Zhiyi: "Okay."

The next day was a sunny and nice day.

Xu Zhiyi told her parents that she was going out. Xu Wangping looked at her, seemed to want to say something but stopped, and finally nodded.

They met at the small park they had met before.

The early summer sun shines through the gaps in the leaves of the sycamore trees, casting mottled spots of light.

The cicadas' chirping is even louder than on the day of the exam.

Song Chengrui was already waiting there, wearing a simple white T-shirt and jeans, with an upright posture.

Seeing her, he walked towards her with steady steps.

The two walked slowly along the quiet path in the park, neither of them speaking first.

The atmosphere was subtly tense, unlike the relaxed and natural atmosphere on the previous phone call.

Walking under a huge sycamore tree, Song Chengrui stopped and turned to face her.

"Xu Zhiyi." He called her name, his voice clear and serious.

"Yeah." She raised her head and met his gaze.

His eyes were bright, like pieces of sunlight.

"First of all, I want to apologize for hiding it." He looked at her with a sincere tone, "I actually always knew how you felt, but I kept pretending not to know. It's not because I didn't care, or because I wanted to see you laugh. On the contrary, it's because I cared too much."

Xu Zhiyi listened quietly, his heart beating faster.

"That time we went to the movies together, I was actually too impulsive, wanting a result too much, but in the end, I made you so sad. We both know how stressful the third year of high school is. I was afraid that if I did something that would affect you again, whether you accepted or refused, it would cause unnecessary trouble and pressure for both of us. I was afraid of affecting your state of mind, and I was also afraid of affecting myself. I was even more afraid... that the rare tacit understanding and balance between us would be broken."

He paused, as if trying to organize his words. "So, I chose to separate and let go. I want to wait until we are both relieved of our burdens and can think about this matter purely. Then I will apologize to you. Whether you choose to forgive me or not, I can accept it."

"I understand." Xu Zhiyi said softly, "Actually... I vaguely guessed it later, you idiot."

"Yeah." Song Chengrui smiled, a little self-deprecatingly, "Quite silly, isn't it?"

Xu Zhiyi also smiled and shook his head.

"That letter was the first courageous step I took. I wanted to tell you that I knew, and that I cared. I wanted to give you some confidence, both about volunteering and about... us."

His ears were slightly red, but his eyes were still looking at her firmly, "Xu Zhiyi, now that the college entrance examination is over and the results are out, we are all going to Jingbei. All the uncertainties have become certainties."

He took a deep breath, as if he had exhausted all his strength, and spoke clearly, word by word:

"So now, I can tell you clearly. I like you, too. I've liked you for a long time, perhaps even earlier than you realized. When you liked me, I also liked you."

The wind blew through the treetops, and the leaves rustled, as if accompanying his words.

Xu Zhiyi looked at him, his serious eyes, his slightly red ears, and his lips that were tightly pursed as if he was a little nervous.

All the bitterness, speculation and anxiety of the past disappeared at this moment.

This boy, in his clumsy yet sincere, cautious yet brave way, went through her entire chaotic high school career.

She didn't need to hesitate any longer.

"Song Chengrui." She spoke, her voice trembling slightly but her smile was incredibly bright. "Then let's be together."

Song Chengrui's eyes lit up instantly, he reached out and gently held her hand.

This time, it was no longer a hasty pull, but a gentle and firm handshake.

"Okay." He replied, a smile spreading across his face, more relaxed and brilliant than ever before.

They held hands and continued walking under the sycamore tree.

Xu Zhiyi's hand was wrapped in his warm and dry palm. This was the first time they held hands in the true sense. It was no longer a helpless handshake after being scolded and reprimanded, but a solemn handshake under the bright sunshine after confirming their feelings to each other.

She lowered her head slightly and looked at their folded hands. His fingers were long and slender, gently clasping the back of her hand with a cherishing strength.

"Actually," she said softly, breaking the silence, "I didn't sleep well last night."

Song Chengrui turned his head to look at her, with a smile in his eyes: "Nervous?"

"Yeah." Xu Zhiyi admitted honestly, "I've thought about many possibilities. I even wondered if you would say that it would be better for us to just be friends."

"How is that possible?" He tightened his grip on her hand, his tone firm, "I've been planning this day for far too long."

They walked slowly along the tree-lined path, enjoying the time that belonged only to the two of them.

Walking to the lakeside of the park, the breeze blew and ripples appeared on the water.

"Do you want to go boating?" Song Chengrui suddenly suggested, pointing to the cruise ship dock by the lake.

Xu Zhiyi's eyes lit up: "Okay!"

They rented a pedal boat and slowly pedaled towards the center of the lake.

As we moved away from the shore, the surroundings became quiet, with only the sound of waves lapping against the hull.

Song Chengrui stopped pedaling and let the boat drift gently in the center of the lake.

Xu Zhiyi took out a small box from the small backpack he carried with him and handed it to Song Chengrui.

"Here, a graduation gift."

Song Chengrui's eyes sparkled with surprise.

"Have you prepared any gifts?"

"Open it and take a look."

Under Xu Zhiyi's gaze, Song Chengrui carefully opened the box. Inside was a keychain, which was a proportionally scaled-down yogurt box. It looked very small and had a string of small bells hanging on it.

"Wow, this is so exquisite, I'll take it." After saying that, Song Chengrui couldn't wait to hang up his key.

"Wait." Xu Zhiyi stopped him, "You don't even ask me why I gave you this?"

Song Chengrui looked at the box and smiled. "No matter what you give me, I like it. But, does this have any special meaning?"

"Well, to commemorate your first time with my yogurt."

"Okay, well done!"

Song Chengrui gently held Xu Zhiyi's hand and said distressedly, "From now on, I will be with you well."

Xu Zhiyi smiled and nodded, "Okay!"

They drifted in the center of the lake for a long time, chatting about insignificant little things and sharing the trivial daily life that they had never told each other.

Those missed high school days seem to be slowly filled at this moment.

It was almost noon when they disembarked, and the sun was blazing. They walked into a dessert shop they often visited, and the cool air conditioning instantly dispelled the summer heat.

We ordered two mango smoothies and sat opposite each other.

Xu Zhiyi scooped a large spoonful of smoothie into his mouth, squinting his eyes in satisfaction.

She looked up and found Song Chengrui looking at her intently.

"What's wrong?" She was a little embarrassed.

He reached out and gently wiped away the smoothie crumbs from the corner of her mouth: "It's stained."

The moment his fingertips touched her cheek, they were both startled.

"Xu Zhiyi," he retracted his hand, his tone becoming particularly serious, "I will treat you very well."

A simple sentence can touch people's hearts more than any gorgeous promise.

She nodded. "I know."

After leaving the dessert shop, they spent a long time browsing in a nearby bookstore.

Like many weekends past, we each found a book we liked and shared interesting passages.

But this time, they sat side by side and no longer had to worry about those strange looks.

In the evening, the setting sun dyes the sky orange and pink.

Song Chengrui sent her home. They walked slowly, both wanting to make the day longer.

When he was about to reach the gate of the community, he stopped:

"What are your plans for tomorrow?"

"Not yet." She shook her head, feeling a faint anticipation in her heart.

"Then... let's go to the movies?" he suggested. "This time, we can go together openly."

She recalled their hasty separation in the cinema last time, and now that they could finally face each other calmly, she smiled and nodded: "Okay."

Standing at the entrance of the community, the dusk deepens and the street lights light up one by one.

"Then I'll go back." Xu Zhiyi said softly, but was reluctant to turn around.

Song Chengrui nodded, suddenly took a step forward and gently hugged her.

It was a short and restrained hug, and he quickly let go of her hand, but the warmth lingered on her shoulder for a long time.

"See you tomorrow, Zhiyi." It was the first time he called her like that, his voice gentle.

"See you tomorrow," she responded, her cheeks slightly warm.

Turning around and walking into the community, she couldn't help but look back. He was still standing there, and when he saw her looking back, he smiled and waved.

This time, they will not be separated again.