Li Mo
At the end of December, the Christmas atmosphere quietly permeated the campus, adding a rare touch of warmth to the tense life of senior high school students.
Qin Yue finally mustered up her courage and handed Jiang Yixuan the carefully woven bracelet and a greeting card filled with her thoughts, along with the usual "service fee".
Jiang Yixuan accepted the letter with a calm expression, found Song Feiran from Class 4 with practiced ease, and completed the task of delivering the love letter without any expression.
On Christmas Day, Li Mo and Liang Xinchong stuffed their desk drawers with lots of gifts.
Some were beautifully packaged apples from familiar classmates, while others were anonymous greeting cards and trinkets that hinted at something more.
Li Mo calmly put the gift away.
But when she opened the flat, somewhat clumsy but exceptionally well-packaged rectangular box that Liang Xinchong pushed towards her, she was unusually stunned.
Inside was not an expensive luxury item, but a simple wooden glass picture frame.
Inside the frame, a dozen or so sycamore leaves of various shapes are carefully arranged. The leaves are clean and flat, clearly showing the unique autumnal gradient from golden yellow to brownish-yellow. The veins of the leaves are clearly visible under the glass, as if the entire autumn of Yuehai Middle School is sealed in it.
Each leaf is fixed in its proper place, creating a silent yet magnificent autumn scene.
In one corner of the picture frame, there was a handwritten card with Liang Xinchong's slightly flamboyant but unusually solemn handwriting: "May your future be paved with gold, as brilliant as autumn."
Li Mo's fingers gently brushed across the cool glass surface, as if she could touch those frozen lives.
She looked up at Liang Xinchong, who seemed to be casually twirling a pen beside her, but whose eyes were actually fixed on her out of the corner of his eye.
"When...when did you do all this?" Her voice held a hint of barely perceptible emotion.
Liang Xinchong's ears turned slightly red. He forced himself to remain calm as he looked out the window at the bare branches of the sycamore tree, his tone deliberately light: "In the autumn, I just... picked it up casually, soaked it in hand sanitizer, dried it, and pressed it up."
He omitted how he repeatedly selected the most perfect leaves from the fallen leaves, how he carefully washed and dried them, and how he secretly experimented countless nights to fix them in the most beautiful way.
This seemingly casual gift took him a lot of time to prepare.
Everyone says that handmade items are the cheapest.
In fact, it is even more precious.
Li Mo looked at the picture frame, then at his profile as he pretended to be indifferent, and a corner of her heart felt gently soothed by the golden autumn colors.
She never expected that this seemingly carefree young man would have such a delicate and romantic side.
"Thank you," she said, carefully putting the picture frame away, her voice softer than usual. "It's a lovely gift."
Liang Xinchong's eyes lit up, and he immediately seized the opportunity, moving closer and lowering his voice: "Then... what about my gift?"
His eyes were full of expectation. "It doesn't have to be as complicated as mine. Just send whatever you like. Don't send the same thing as everyone else."
Li Mo paused for a moment, then said frankly, "I'm clumsy and can't do handicrafts."
“It’s alright,” Liang Xinchong immediately replied, “Anything is fine, as long as it’s what you give me.”
Li Mo rummaged through her schoolbag and finally pulled out a fluffy brown bear pendant that had come as a free gift with a previous purchase. It looked ordinary, even a bit childish.
"This is fine," she said, handing it over with a casual tone that implied "don't mind."
Liang Xinchong, however, seemed to have obtained some rare treasure. His eyes lit up instantly, and he snatched it, examining it from all angles.
Then, without saying a word, he hung the bear pendant, which seemed completely out of place with his cool and handsome image, in the most conspicuous position on his expensive black backpack, and even adjusted its position to ensure that the bear's face was facing outwards.
Li Mo: "..."
She looked at the wobbly plush bear that had suddenly appeared on his simple backpack, and a subtle sense of speechlessness welled up inside her.
If I had known he wasn't picky and would just post it directly... I wouldn't have given him the teddy bear. I should have given him a pendant with a huge "ugly" written on it.
Liang Xinchong didn't care about anything else. He patted the little bear on his backpack with satisfaction, and couldn't help but touch the dark blue bracelet on his wrist. He felt that this Christmas was incredibly perfect.
-
Final exams are approaching.
The art studio in the afternoon remained their unspoken secret base.
Sunlight streamed through the tall windows, illuminating every detail of the dust particles floating in the air. The smells of turpentine and old wood mingled with the scent of paper and ink.
Li Mo was working on a force analysis diagram for a physics problem with the tip of her pen. Liang Xinchong leaned close beside her, his brows slightly furrowed, listening intently. The only sounds were the scratching of the pen on the paper and the whistle of a PE class coming from the distant playground outside the window.
Just then, the prelude to the music broadcast over the school radio came in without warning.
As soon as the prelude ended, Li Mo and Liang Xinchong stopped almost simultaneously.
It's Stefanie Sun's "Rainy Day".
Immediately afterwards, the announcer's clear voice, tinged with a hint of amusement, came over the loudspeaker: "The next song is an anonymous request for Liang Xinchong from Class 2 of Grade 11. We wish you all the best in your upcoming final exams."
Liang Xinchong suddenly raised his head, and the astonishment in his eyes was quickly replaced by a huge, irrepressible joy.
He suddenly turned to look at Li Mo, his eyes shining brightly, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up, revealing undisguised pride and curiosity.
“Rainy Day…” he repeated the song title softly, leaning slightly towards Li Mo, his voice carrying a clear smile and a hint of barely perceptible tension, “We’ve listened to this song together, do you remember?”
Li Mo's pen was still on the paper. Her eyelashes were slightly lowered, making it impossible to see her expression. Her voice was soft, yet it reached his ears clearly:
"Remember."
How could I not remember? The dimly lit art studio with the curtains drawn, the pattering rain outside, the melody playing on repeat in my headphones, and the even breathing of the boy beside me.
That was the first and only time she had ever fallen asleep so unguarded next to a man other than her family.
Upon receiving her affirmative answer, Liang Xinchong's smile widened. He pressed on, his tone a mix of joking and serious probing: "So...you ordered it for me?"
Li Mo finally raised her eyes and looked at him.
Her gaze was calm, even carrying a hint of her usual aloofness, as she directly denied it: "No."
She wasn't lying.
She definitely didn't request any songs.
Liang Xinchong seemed not to hear her denial at all, or rather, he selectively ignored it.
He chuckled to himself, a laugh tinged with a mischievous and childlike satisfaction, and said with unwavering certainty:
“I don’t care. Anyway, this song was for me, and we’ve listened to it together,” he said, his gaze fixed intently on her. “I’ll just pretend you requested it for me.”
Final exams are over, and the holiday is inevitable.
Li Mo embarked on her journey to Beichuan, immersing herself in the intense academic atmosphere of the winter camp and the environment of exchanging ideas with top students from across the country throughout the winter break.
She was like a sponge, greedily absorbing everything.
The two moved their contact online.
Liang Xinchong maintains an almost obsessive daily check-in habit, his message box filled with his sharing: a photo of the thin winter sunlight in Yuehai, captioned "The sun is out, but without you, it feels fake."
A video of Little Jasmine (the dog) running around with a ball in her mouth. A math test paper filled with answers: "I finally only got two questions wrong on this test!"
And the daily question that never fails to appear:
Is it cold in Kitagawa?
What did you learn today?
"Have you got a meal yet?"
Li Mo's replies were usually concise, but she always answered every question. "Cold, below zero."
"Introduction to Jurisprudence"
"have eaten."
One evening, a message from Liang Xinchong popped up, tinged with grievance.
Liang Xinchong: Li Mo, you only ever answer my questions, you never ask about my situation.
Li Mo had just finished a group discussion when she saw this, and she could almost picture him with his head hanging low.
She rubbed her temples and replied.
Li Mo: You've practically told me everything about your daily meals, from whether they're salty to bland. What else do I need to ask?
That being said, the next morning, just as dawn was breaking in Beichuan, Li Mo woke up, picked up her phone, and before she could see his daily greeting as usual, she paused for a moment and sent him two words first.
Li Mo: Good morning.
Almost immediately, the phone vibrated.
Liang Xinchong: You woke up so early? Do you have time?
Li Mo: Yes, I'm free.
As soon as she successfully sent her message "I'm free," the video call request screen popped up.
Li Mo hesitated for a moment before pressing the call button.
On the other end of the screen was Liang Xinchong's enlarged face, against a background of colors familiar to his bedroom. His hair was still a bit messy, but his eyes were surprisingly bright, clearly indicating that he had grabbed his phone as soon as he woke up.
He stared at her on the screen, his first words filled with barely suppressed anticipation and a tentative probe:
"Li Mo, do you really like me? You even sent me a 'Good morning' message." He even unconsciously used a reduplicated word.
Li Mo was still wearing thick pajamas, and the chill of Beichuan seemed to linger on her brows.
She looked at his cautious yet hopeful expression on the screen and sighed helplessly.
"Liang Xinchong, is this all you think about every day?" Her tone was flat, revealing no emotion. "I'm busy planning the closing ceremony's chorus performance."
On the screen, the light in his eyes dimmed slightly at a visible speed, and the corners of his mouth turned down.
He didn't speak, but his fingers flew across the keyboard.
Soon, Li Mo's phone vibrated continuously, receiving a row of three different "crying puppy.jpg" emojis.
The grievance was almost palpable.
Li Mo looked at the row of whimpering puppies, remained silent for a few seconds, and then suddenly asked.
Li Mo: Do you know what I called you in my contact list?
Liang Xinchong replied immediately.
Liang Xinchong: What is it?
Li Mo didn't answer directly, but instead tapped the screen a few times with her fingers, and then sent over a screenshot of the chat interface.
Liang Xinchong eagerly clicked on the picture. At the top, the contact's nickname clearly displayed four characters—
【Green Tea Puppy】
Liang Xinchong: "..."
He stared at those four words, first in astonishment, then a mixture of shame at being seen through and a strange, certified sweetness surged into his heart.
Her face instantly turned bright red, even the tips of her ears were stained with the color.
On the other end of the screen, Li Mo watched the "[The other party is typing...]" message repeatedly appear and disappear at the top of the chat interface, ultimately without any messages being sent. She gently curled the corners of her lips, then composed herself and returned to her usual aloof demeanor.
She spoke into the microphone, her voice still flat: "Alright, you green tea puppy, I have to get back to work."
He hung up the phone after saying that.
She stretched, the sun was shining brightly, and she was in a great mood.
Hahaha.
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