practise
Liang An slowly opened his eyes, gazing at the gradually dissipating morning mist outside the window.
Although the ticking sound kept lowering his sleep quality, he still managed to squeeze in short breaks whenever possible.
The thought of spending more time with Ling Xiao filled her with anticipation and longing for the new day to begin.
He practically sprang to his feet, quickly dressed, and tidied himself up in just a few minutes.
Just before leaving, she paused in front of the mirror, fiddling with the stray hairs on her forehead, tugging at her collar, and scrutinizing her features repeatedly, searching for the most pleasing look.
He bent down to straighten his shoelaces, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and headed toward the breakfast stall at the alley entrance.
As usual, I bought fried dough sticks and soy milk, ate them at the stall, and then walked briskly into the morning light of the campus.
Upon entering the experimental class, she looked around but didn't see Ling Xiao. Disappointment washed over her, dampening her hopes.
Liang An put his schoolbag in the desk drawer, stared at the classroom door, and listlessly counted the time, even matching the ticking sound in his mind.
Buzz...
The ticking stopped abruptly.
Ling Xiao appeared at the classroom door. Liang An pricked up his ears and counted his footsteps, almost unable to suppress his secret joy.
He crossed his arms and leaned on the table, his gaze fixed on Ling Xiao through the gap between his arms.
He really wanted to greet Ling Xiao, but he was afraid of being too abrupt, so he could only avoid it for the time being.
Finally, the day's classes came to an end.
Liang An was tidying up his schoolbag at his seat, pretending to be very busy, but he kept glancing at Ling Xiao behind him out of the corner of his eye.
His heart was pounding. He longed to walk confidently up to Ling Xiao and casually invite him to the playground to practice tug-of-war, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.
I'm so frustrated...
"Liang An, are you all packed?" Ling Xiao asked naturally as he walked to Liang An's side.
Liang An's eyes lit up, and she looked up with a bright smile. "All packed."
Ling Xiao was dazzled by Liang An's smile, paused for a moment, and then said, "Let's go to the playground to practice tug-of-war."
"OK."
-----------------
After putting his schoolbag down on the playground, Ling Xiao started talking about the tactics he had mentioned the night before.
“I’ve been thinking about it, and our advantage lies in our synchronization.” Ling Xiao drew a diagram on the ground. “If we deliberately loosen our grip at the start of the match to make the opponent lose their balance, and then pull with all our might, it might have a surprising effect.”
"But are the rules allowing this?"
“If it’s not forbidden, it’s allowed.” Ling Xiao blinked, a gesture that made him seem much more lively than usual. “However, it requires perfect coordination; a slight miscalculation will turn into a real mistake.”
"Then let's try practicing first."
They secured the rope, then stood firmly one in front of the other, their hands alternately gripping the rough hemp rope. Their taut arms stretched out smooth muscle lines, and in the rhythm of tightening and loosening, a kind of powerful and harmonious beauty was created.
However, in several attempts to coordinate, they were always unable to accurately grasp the best timing, and their coordination was almost off when pulling back with all their might.
Liang An gradually lost his strength. In the instant he pulled back, his center of gravity shifted, and he stumbled back a few steps, crashing into Ling Xiao's arms.
"I'm sorry, are you alright?"
Ling Xiao gripped the rope tightly with his left hand, supported Liang An's waist with his right, and used his legs to stabilize his core, steadily catching the retreating Liang An.
“It’s alright,” Ling Xiao helped Liang An to his feet. “We still need commands. Our limbs and the way we exert force are fine. We just need to work on the consistency of releasing and pulling back.”
Ling Xiao looked at Liang An's slightly pale face, put down the rope, walked to the corner, opened his schoolbag, and took out the bananas and sports drinks he had prepared in advance.
He handed the bananas and drinks to Liang An, saying, "Rest for a while and eat something to replenish your energy."
Ling Xiao sat down on the ground, spread his school uniform jacket on the side, and gestured for Liang An to sit down.
Liang An was stunned for a moment, staring blankly at Ling Xiao.
Ling Xiao chuckled, "Sit down. You look so delicate. I instinctively felt that you shouldn't sit directly on the ground."
Liang An waved his fist at Ling Xiao, then turned around and sat down unceremoniously on the school uniform jacket that had been laid out.
Liang An ate a banana while glancing sideways at Ling Xiao, who was drinking water. His Adam's apple bobbed with each swallow. The setting sun cast its glow over his sweaty jawline, the smooth curve exuding an indescribable sensuality.
A sudden dryness rose in Liang An's throat. He unconsciously clenched the sports drink in his hand, hurriedly twisted it open, and took two gulps to barely suppress the unspeakable unease.
"Hey, Ling Xiao." Two classmates who looked like sports students ran towards Ling Xiao.
“These are Zhou Ye and Wang Ming. We met in the school’s camping club. They are both athletes on the school’s track and field team,” Ling Xiao said, pulling Liang An up.
"Zhou Ye, Wang Ming, this is my classmate Liang An."
"Hello," Liang An greeted with a smile.
Zhou Ye and Wang Ming looked at Liang An, their eyes lit up, they exchanged a glance, coughed twice as if on cue, and said in unison, "Hi, hello."
"Aren't you two training?" Ling Xiao asked.
"Training ended early today. I happened to see you, so I came over to say hello," Zhou Ye replied.
"That's perfect, we're practicing double tug-of-war and we're just missing an opponent. If you two are free, would you like to practice with us for a while?"
"Sure!"
Ling Xiao winked at Liang An, who smiled, walked to the side, pulled up the rope, and assumed a competition stance.
They tried to use the new tactics devised by Ling Xiao to deal with Zhou Ye and Wang Ming.
The first two attempts failed, but the third attempt was surprisingly successful.
Ling Xiao shouted "Release" at the right time, and Liang An followed almost instinctively.
Zhou Ye and Wang Ming stumbled forward as expected, and they seized the opportunity to pull with all their might, easily winning the battle.
"Beautiful!" Ling Xiao smiled and patted Liang An on the back.
Liang An felt a warm current spreading from the place where he was touched.
"You cheated!" Wang Ming protested jokingly.
“That’s called tactics,” Ling Xiao replied, his smile bright.
After practice, Ling Xiao suggested going to the most popular stir-fry restaurant near the school.
"It's my treat. It's been so long since I've tasted Uncle Wang's cooking," Ling Xiao said.
"Great! We're definitely going to make you pay this time." Zhou Ye and Wang Ming put their arms around each other's shoulders and said with a grin.
Liang An quietly followed Ling Xiao, looking down at the road, a smile playing on her lips, radiating a serene joy.
Without the annoyance of the "tick-tock" sound, I can temporarily forget about the bracelet and the plot. My body is free from pain and weakness, and every moment is worth cherishing.
The stir-fry restaurant was packed, and they finally managed to snag a seat by the window.
After asking everyone about their preferences, Ling Xiao ordered several of the most popular dishes.
It was already dark when we left the stir-fry shop.
Streetlights lit up one by one, casting warm halos in the deepening night.
After saying goodbye to Zhou Ye and Wang Ming, Liang An and Ling Xiao walked side by side to the bus stop.
During our conversation, we discovered that their residences are only two streets apart, and they can get off at the same bus stop.
"What are your plans for tomorrow?" Ling Xiao asked.
"Practicing tug-of-war?" Liang An said, then realized tomorrow was Saturday, "Oh, wait..."
“We can practice in the park,” Ling Xiao suggested. “There are fewer people there on weekend mornings, and the environment is better than at school.”
"good."
The car arrived, and Ling Xiao grabbed Liang An's wrist and squeezed onto the car first.
"Beep, student card."
Even after the rush hour, the train carriages were still packed with people on Friday evening.
Taking advantage of his height and long legs, Ling Xiao quickly led Liang An to the exit of the carriage, braced himself with his arms to hold onto the horizontal bar, blocking the surging crowd and enclosing Liang An in a safe zone that belonged only to him.
Liang An fixed his gaze on Ling Xiao's earlobe. The surrounding area was bustling with noise, and even though they were less than a fist's distance apart, he could clearly feel Ling Xiao's shallow breathing.
This familiar feeling reminded him of the days when he first encountered Lingxiao while climbing the snow-capped mountains.
Although these memories became Liang An's exclusive memories after his rebirth, Ling Xiao once again brought the same warmth to his side.
It even became his salvation...
"We have arrived at Binjiang Jiayuan. Please get off at the back door."
After the car came to a stop, Ling Xiao grabbed Liang An's wrist again and helped him out of the car.
Before saying goodbye, Ling Xiao looked at Liang An and said, "Well then, see you tomorrow. Nine o'clock at the east gate of the park?"
"Nine o'clock," Liang An nodded.
As night fell, the ticking sound slowly returned, but it was fainter than yesterday. The progress bar remained at 11%.
After washing up, Liang An sat at his desk, recalling everything that had happened that day. That warm feeling seemed to linger, like an invisible mark.
Liang An realized his invisible dependence on Ling Xiao, a dependence that had developed too quickly, and he knew he should be wary.
He had walked through so many cycles of death and rebirth alone. No matter how fearful and pleading he felt, no one would come.
Yes, no one will come.
Life belongs to oneself, as does the struggle against the will of the divine.
But at the same time, Ling Xiao was the only one who could free him from the progress bar and the ticking sound. This contradiction made Liang An uneasy, but it also made him more fascinated.
Liang An took out his diary from the drawer and recorded today's progress bar value—11%, along with the time it had been stuck.
He flipped through the records from the past month or so, which clearly showed the changes in the bracelet at each stage.
August 31: A bracelet was found on my left wrist. The dark gold cursor had just appeared, and the progress bar was 0.
September 8: Wen Zhi appeared at the door of the experimental class for the first time. The bracelet was activated, a ticking sound appeared, and the progress bar reached 2%.
September 15: Observing Wen Zhi from a distance, the progress bar suddenly advanced to 8%, and his physical weakness worsened.
October 9: Ling Xiao transfers to Haicheng No.1 Middle School and enters the experimental class. The progress bar stops for the first time, and the ticking sound disappears. At this time, the progress is 10%.
...
Liang An closed his diary and lay down on the bed. The city lights outside the window cast blurry shadows on the ceiling.
Without any external interference, once activated, the story progress bar on the bracelet will naturally advance at a rate of 1% per week.
Even if you try your best to avoid Wen Zhi, you can't escape the ravages of time.
His life was being stolen every moment.
In 700 days, or even less, the countdown to his life will end.
Lingxiao was indeed the only lifeline he could grasp...
Liang An closed his eyes, blocking out the "tick-tock" sound, and silently questioned himself.
If there were no progress bar or ticking sound, would I actively team up with Ling Xiao? Would I look forward to meeting him tomorrow?
There is no answer.
Only the persistent ticking sound echoed in the darkness, like a countdown, or a heartbeat.
Every moment he spent with Ling Xiao—those pure, quiet moments when the ticking stopped. In those moments, he felt real, that the choices were his own, and that his life was his own.
The fear of dependence is real, and the desire to depend on others is also real.
The desire to bravely break through the impasse is real, but so is the weakness of being afraid to avoid things and hoping someone will protect me.
Human nature is inherently complex and changeable.
At sixteen, I was brave enough; I didn't need to be overly hard on myself.
Liang An comforted himself, slowly relaxing his brain and trying to coexist with the ticking sound; his body needed sleep.
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