Chapter 30
Spring always arrives exceptionally early in Fuzhou. Not long after the winter break, the chilly spring air is quickly dispelled by the warm sunshine and moist breeze.
The camphor trees on campus have sprouted tender green buds, and the azaleas in the flower beds have bloomed in a riot of color.
Amidst this vibrant scene of rebirth, Rongcheng No.1 Middle School welcomed its spring sports meet for the second semester of the second year of high school.
The playground was bustling with activity. The red synthetic track, the green lawn, and the colorful class uniforms and crowds in the stands together created a vibrant picture of youth.
The radio played rousing athletes' marches and cheering messages from reporters of each class, and the air was filled with the unique scent of sunshine, grass, and sweat.
Sang Sui has never been very interested in sports meets, but this year is different.
She had learned from Cheng Xiao that Liang Fengshen had signed up for the men's high jump event.
The high jump competition will be held in the afternoon.
Sang Sui made an excuse and instead of staying in his class's spectator area, he quietly slipped away to the vicinity of the high jump field.
A crowd had already gathered, especially girls, whose eyes were mostly focused on the slender figure who was warming up.
Liang Fengshen changed into the white vest and blue shorts issued by the school, revealing his well-defined arms and calf muscles.
He moved his ankles and wrists slightly, his expression focused and calm, seemingly oblivious to the many gazes directed at him.
Sunlight fell on him, outlining his clean and sharp silhouette in his simple sportswear. He looked like a tall poplar tree, full of the youthful and resilient strength unique to young people.
Sang Sui hid a little behind the crowd, his heart pounding uncontrollably.
She secretly took out her phone, adjusted the angle, and pretended to be taking pictures of the distant scenery, but the camera was always quietly following his figure.
The match has begun.
The initial height of the horizontal bar wasn't very high, and the first few competitors cleared it easily.
When it was Liang Fengshen's turn, he took a running start, jumped, soared through the air, cleared the bar with a Fosbury Flop, and landed on the mat. His series of movements were smooth and graceful, with a sense of effortless ease, which drew a low gasp and applause from the surrounding crowd.
Sang Sui quickly pressed the shutter button and took several pictures. Watching him land steadily on the foam mat, then get up and walk calmly towards the waiting area, her heart was filled with pride and an indescribable flutter of excitement.
He looks good and acts with such ease no matter what he does.
As the bar rose higher and higher, more and more competitors were eliminated. Liang Fengshen seemed to be in great form, clearing the bar successfully with every attempt, maintaining his characteristically beautiful form throughout.
Sang Sui was so engrossed in watching that she almost forgot she had come "secretly." Her eyes followed him closely, and she silently cheered him on in her heart.
Just as the competition reached its climax and the bar was raised to a challenging height, leaving only three players, including Liang Fengshen, on the field, an unexpected figure hurriedly passed through the crowd and went straight to Liang Fengshen in the waiting area.
It was Song Shiyue.
His expression was somewhat grave, completely devoid of his usual gentle composure. He strode up to Liang Fengshen, leaned close to his ear, and whispered something urgently.
The distance was too far, and the noise of people made it impossible for Sang Sui to hear a single word.
All she saw was that the moment Song Shiyue finished speaking, Liang Fengshen's expression suddenly changed. He abruptly raised his head and looked at Song Shiyue, his eyes filled with disbelief and shock, and even a hint of panic.
The next second, without even greeting the referee and completely ignoring the order in which he would be jumping, Liang Fengshen shoved Song Shiyue aside and, like an arrow released from a bow, rushed out of the crowd at an almost out-of-control speed, heading towards the teachers' office building next to the teaching building.
The whole process happened too fast and too abruptly, lasting only a dozen seconds.
The crowd erupted in uproar.
The referee stood frozen in place, holding his notebook, while the girls, who were expecting to see him attempt a new height, were filled with astonishment.
Sang Sui was completely stunned, his arm holding the phone frozen in mid-air.
She watched helplessly as the white figure disappeared into the distance with a resolute air, her heart feeling as if it were being tightly gripped by an invisible hand, both suffocating and aching.
What happened?
What kind of urgent and serious matter could make the usually calm and composed Liang Fengshen lose his composure like this, even to the point of abandoning an important match?
What exactly did Song Shiyue say to him?
Countless questions flooded Sang Sui's mind, leaving her in a state of utter confusion.
The joy of cheering him on was instantly replaced by immense worry and unease.
Sang Sui immediately found Song Shiyue and asked him, "What happened?"
Song Shiyue simply shook his head: "It's nothing."
—Something's wrong.
—But none of them wanted to tell her.
She thought she was getting closer and closer to Liang Fengshen, but in fact, it seemed that she had never really entered his world.
In the following days, an eerie atmosphere began to quietly spread across the campus.
At first, it was just a few scattered, vague rumors, like mold growing in a damp corner, spreading silently.
"Have you heard? During the spring sports meet the day before yesterday, some people from outside the school came to the school and caused trouble."
"It seems to be related to that Mingying?"
"Yes, yes, I heard it was a woman. She was crying and shouting downstairs in the teachers' office building, saying something about a mistress or an illegitimate child?"
"Really? Mingying? Her mother..."
"Shh, keep your voice down, the teacher doesn't allow us to discuss this."
"There were rumors back in the first year of high school that Ying's mother was breaking up other people's families. It's just that the woman finally came to the school and caused a scene the day before yesterday."
Rumors spread like wildfire, whispering among themselves during breaks, in the cafeteria, and in every corner of the corridors. More and more versions emerged, and the details became increasingly unsavory.
The core message is singular: Mingying, who is excessively beautiful and mysterious, has a mother who is a homewrecker, and she is an illegitimate child who cannot be brought into the light of day. The person who came to cause trouble at the school that day was supposedly her father's legal wife, her "stepmother."
When Sang Sui heard these comments, his heart skipped a beat.
She immediately thought of Liang Fengshen's unusual reaction on the day of the sports meet.
Was this what Song Shiyue rushed over to tell him? What exactly is the relationship between Liang Fengshen and Ming Ying? Why was he so panicked and concerned when Ming Ying's family had an accident?
She wanted to ask Song Shiyue, but every time she saw his calm, yet clearly unwilling, face, she swallowed her words. She could also sense that the homeroom teacher and subject teachers were intentionally or unintentionally downplaying the matter and forbidding students from discussing it in public.
A week later, it was as if nothing had happened. Classes continued as usual, exams continued as usual, and laughter and playfulness continued as usual.
The rumors about Mingying gradually lost their luster due to a lack of new topics of conversation and any response from the parties involved, and were replaced by new gossip and academic pressure.
It was as if this had never happened.
Time heals all wounds, and two weeks later, fewer and fewer people at school were talking about it.
Sang Sui gradually forgot about the incident.
Spring has finally truly arrived, and the flowers on campus are blooming even more brilliantly.
The love letter she kept locked deep in the drawer had been handled countless times, and the edges were slightly frayed.
She decided that this Friday after school, she would find a suitable opportunity, muster up her courage, and hand it to Liang Fengshen.
Many years later, when Sang Sui thinks back on what happened today, she will think she was really stupid, really stupid. At this point, she still hasn't realized that Liang Fengshen likes Mingying.
She still foolishly fantasized about how Liang Fengshen would react when he received the love letter.
She thought it was okay to be rejected.
She didn't need him to respond immediately; she just wanted him to know her feelings.
To find an answer to this long unrequited love, or at least a clear turning point.
On Friday afternoon, the school bell rang.
Sang Sui took a deep breath, touched the letter in the inner pocket of her schoolbag that carried her body heat and countless thoughts of her days and nights, and walked towards Class 6 of the second year of high school.
She planned to wait for him near the school gate, where there were relatively fewer people.
However, just as she reached the large banyan tree at the school gate, she saw Mingying.
As Mingying was about to walk out of the school gate, someone called her name from behind, and she turned around to look.
Sang Sui also noticed Liang Fengshen's presence.
Almost at the same moment, both girls saw Liang Fengshen.
The moment Sang Sui saw Liang Fengshen, she felt overjoyed to have met him at this time. She pursed her lips, but couldn't hide the smile on her face.
Sang Sui was about to greet him, but he seemed not to see her at all, and walked straight past her, heading in the direction of Ming Ying.
As we brushed past each other, a gentle evening breeze stirred up.
Liang Fengshen's voice drifted over on the wind.
Sang Sui clearly heard him shout—
"Mingying".
Liang Fengshen walked right past Sang Sui as if he hadn't seen her, heading straight for Ming Ying.
Then they walked out of the school gate together.
Mingying wasn't wearing her school uniform today. Instead, she wore a simple off-white knitted long dress with a light brown trench coat over it. Her long hair was loosely tied up, revealing the beautiful and delicate lines of her neck.
She tilted her head slightly, seemingly listening to Liang Fengshen speak. Her face was expressionless, but her stunning beauty, bathed in the soft light of a spring evening, possessed a striking fragility and a sense of alienation.
Walking beside her was Liang Fengshen, dressed in a clean school uniform, with an upright posture, his head slightly lowered, his expression showing rare focus and an indescribable gentleness.
They walked together without speaking, yet there was an invisible magnetic field that no one else could penetrate, as if all the surrounding noise had been shut out.
The golden glow of the setting sun bathed them in a warm light; the boy was handsome and tall, the girl beautiful, a perfect match as if they had stepped out of a comic book.
All of Sang Sui's courage, at this moment, deflated completely like a balloon punctured by a needle.
She gripped the backpack strap tightly, her nails digging deep into her palm.
So that's how it is.
It turns out that his previous unusual reactions and hidden thoughts were all related to her.
All my secret glances, clumsy encouragements, and cautious attempts to get closer seemed so ridiculous and insignificant in the face of the image of him and Mingying walking side by side.
She stood there blankly, watching their figures recede into the distance, her throat feeling as if something was tightly blocking it, unable to utter a sound.
The carefully prepared love letter was now burning hot in my hand.
Just as she was about to be overwhelmed by immense disappointment and bitterness, an anxious voice sounded behind her:
"Sang Sui, so you're here. Quick, come with me to the hospital!" It was her homeroom teacher, Li Luojing, his face hurried and his forehead covered in sweat. "Your grandma seems to be sick, and her condition is quite serious. She was just taken to the city's People's Hospital! Your parents just called, come with me now!"
grandmother?
Sang Sui's mind went blank; all the tender feelings he had just felt for his children were instantly shattered by this sudden and devastating news.
Worry and fear washed over me like a tidal wave.
She glanced one last time in the direction where Liang Fengshen and Ming Ying had disappeared, gritted her teeth, turned around without hesitation, and ran towards her homeroom teacher.
The spring that Sang Sui had been looking forward to for so long was not actually that wonderful.
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