The whole city knows his reputation; old friends share the good news.
The white curtains in the ward were lifted by the wind, letting in a sliver of sunlight that spread a pale gold across the floor, casting a long, thin shadow of the IV tube on Xu Yanchi's hand. She had just placed a well-worn review book on her lap when her phone screen suddenly vibrated. Next to Xue Su's profile picture with the little sun icon, a conspicuous little red dot popped up, like a tiny spark landing on the screen.
Xu Yanchi lightly tapped the chat window, and the first thing to pop up were two simple celebratory emojis—one a round cartoon character holding a "Great!" sign, and the other spinning around scattering flowers. Immediately after, Xue Su's message jumped in with a burst of excitement: "Chi Bao! I just went to the office to ask the teacher about college applications, and I overheard the homeroom teacher telling other teachers that you scored 703! They also said you're right behind Xiao Fuzhou; you two are the most outstanding high scorers in the city's science stream this year!"
Looking at the text on the screen, Xu Yanchi's lips unconsciously curved upwards. Her fingertips paused on the keyboard before she slowly typed out a reply: "I only found out half an hour ago. I was worried about not performing well, but I didn't expect to be so close to him." As she sent the message, she recalled the last mock exam before the college entrance examination, in which she was twenty points lower than Xiao Fuzhou. Now, she had narrowed the gap to five points, which even surprised her.
Less than half a minute after the message was sent, the phone rang. Xue Su's reply came quickly: "You call this a bad performance? You forgot that during your chemotherapy, you were still memorizing knowledge points every day while on an IV drip. When I visited you, you had a notebook of wrong questions under your pillow. To get this score is well-deserved! By the way, we promised to go to the beach after you were discharged from the hospital. Now that the results are out, does that still stand? Let's go to that place with the white sand beach you mentioned before. My mom said the sunset there is especially beautiful."
Looking at the words "the sunset is especially beautiful," Xu Yanchi seemed to already picture the evening glow on the beach, feeling a warm glow in her heart. Holding her phone, she slowly typed, "Of course it counts. Once the doctor says I can be discharged, we'll set a time. Then we can wade in the water and feel the sea breeze." She had just placed her phone on the bedside table and reached for her water glass when the screen lit up again—Xue Su had added another message, her tone tinged with pride: "By the way, Yanchi, I also scored over 600 points this time! Although I'm not as good as you and Xiao Fuzhou, it's just enough to get into the Chinese Literature department of the teachers' college I want to go to. I'll be a Chinese teacher, and you can study journalism, which you like. We'll be 'half-colleagues.' Um, Chi Bao, which university do you want to go to?"
Xu Yanchi couldn't help but laugh out loud, her fingertips tapping lightly on the screen: "I want to go to USTC."
Just as he sent the message, his phone vibrated again. This time, it was Xiao Fuzhou's WeChat. For some reason, Xu Yanchi clicked on Xiao Fuzhou's Moments. The blazing sunlight was dazzling; he stood under a sycamore tree at Qingfan No. 1 High School, clutching a physics competition book in his hand. Sunlight fell on his shoulders, even his hair seemed to glow warmly, his eyes darting elsewhere. Xu Yanchi's heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason. His finger hovered above the screen, he hesitated for two seconds before clicking.
The message was short, just one sentence: "Have you seen your results? 708. I didn't keep you waiting too long."
Looking at the number "708", Xu Yanchi couldn't help but raise an eyebrow—as expected, it was him again, always managing to get the highest score. She touched the corner of her mouth with her fingertips and couldn't help but smile, her tone lighthearted without her even realizing it as she typed: "Top student, you scored even higher than me, so there's no need for us to flatter each other, right? I thought I could catch up with you by a few points this time."
After sending the message, Xu Yanchi placed her phone on her lap, her gaze falling on the sycamore trees outside the window. During her two months in the hospital, what she missed most were those old sycamore trees at school; every time she discussed problems with Xiao Fuzhou during breaks, she could always hear the rustling of their leaves. Just then, her phone vibrated again. Xiao Fuzhou's reply popped up, clearly teasing: "You did so poorly on the test, even lower than me. Looks like I'll have to find time to help you with your physics weaknesses next time. I still remember the solution steps for those celestial motion questions you always got wrong."
Xu Yanchi stared at the words "studied so poorly" and instantly felt a bit amused and annoyed. Her fingers flew across the screen, her tone tinged with reproach: "How come I never noticed you were so annoying before? Wait until I'm discharged from the hospital, and I'll settle the score with you! We'll have another physics test then, and I'm sure I'll beat you."
This time, Xiao Fuzhou replied quickly, his tone softer than before, and he stopped teasing: "I'm not teasing you anymore. Seriously, how are you feeling? Last time I visited you at the hospital, the doctor said you needed to rest and recuperate."
Seeing "Last time I visited you in the hospital," Xu Yanchi felt a sudden surge of warmth in her heart. She remembered it was the day after she finished chemotherapy; she was still feeling dizzy and disoriented. Xiao Fuzhou came to her ward with a fruit basket and gave her his math notes, saying, "When you feel better, let's continue discussing problems." She slowly typed a reply: "Much better, don't worry about me. It's just that my hair hasn't grown back yet, so I can only wear a hat when I go out. The doctor said I need to stay in the hospital for observation for a while, and I can only be discharged when all my indicators are stable."
Before she could put down her phone, another message came in from Xiao Fuzhou. The few words made Xu Yanchi's heart skip a beat: "Can I come see you?"
Xu Yanchi stared at the screen, her fingertips pausing, her mind suddenly blank. She remembered the last time Xiao Fuzhou came; she was too weak after chemotherapy to even speak properly. Although she was feeling better now, she still didn't want him to see her wearing a hat. But after hesitating for two seconds, she gently typed "Okay"—she actually really wanted to talk to him about her plans after the college entrance exam, about the journalism department she wanted to attend.
Then, Xiao Fuzhou added, "My family has been a little worried about you since I told them about your illness. My mom asked me yesterday to bring you some nourishing soup she made, saying it would be good for your recovery. But they've been too busy at the shop lately to come, so they asked me to come and check on you for them."
Xu Yanchi's eyes suddenly welled up with tears as she read, "My mom asked me to bring you some nourishing soup she made yesterday." She had met Xiao Fuzhou's mother a few times, and every time she went to his house to discuss problems, the aunt would bring her fruit and milk, always saying, "Yanchi is just as diligent as Fuzhou." She sniffed and slowly typed her reply: "Thank you for your concern, Uncle, Aunt, and Grandma. Your kindness is enough; you didn't need to go to all that trouble. I'm really much better now. I can drink two bowls of porridge every day and even read for an hour."
After hanging up the message, Xu Yanchi stared at the "OK" on her phone screen, suddenly feeling a little dazed. She raised her hand to touch her face, her fingertips brushing against something cool, realizing that her palms had been damp with sweat while she was typing. The sunlight outside the window was undeniably warm and dazzling, yet she felt as if she were dreaming—the thought that Xiao Fuzhou was coming to see her made her want to laugh, but she quickly covered her mouth, afraid that a passing nurse would see.
She quietly sat up straight and pulled a black baseball cap from the bedside table drawer. Xue Su had brought it for her last visit, saying it would "make her face look smaller." Xu Yanchi put the cap on her head, gently adjusted the brim in the small mirror in the drawer, and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming it covered her head. But the fluttering feeling in her heart wouldn't subside—she even started wondering what to say to Xiao Fuzhou when he arrived. Should she talk about her grades first, or about the news stories she wanted to cover in the future?
For the next hour, Xu Yanchi was restless. She would occasionally pick up her phone to check for new messages, then put it down again, her gaze fixed on the ward door. Each time she heard footsteps in the corridor, she would instinctively look up, but it was never Xiao Fuzhou. Xu Yanchi kept her head down, gently touching the baseball cap she clutched tightly in her hand. Her emotions were unreadable. A breeze blew by, carrying a fragrance, and the air was filled with a dry, crisp scent unique to this season.
After an unknown amount of time, a familiar set of footsteps suddenly echoed down the corridor—neither too heavy nor too light, with a steady rhythm, exactly like Xiao Fuzhou's usual gait. Xu Yanchi instantly held his breath, his eyes fixed intently on the ward door.
The next second, the ward door was gently pushed open, and Xiao Fuzhou walked in. He was wearing a white T-shirt and carrying two large bags. One bag contained exquisitely packaged tonics, and the other looked like it contained cooked soup. In his other hand, he was also clutching a light pink paper bag, which Xu Yanchi recognized at a glance as the bag from the dessert shop on the street corner—she had mentioned to Xue Su before that the shop's gummies were particularly delicious, and she hadn't expected him to remember it.
Sunlight streamed in through the crack in the door, falling on Xiao Fuzhou's shoulders and casting a long shadow on the floor, dispelling some of the chill in the ward. He saw Xu Yanchi, paused, then gave a faint smile, his eyes warm: "Judging from your condition, you're indeed better than I expected. I thought you'd be like last time, too weak to speak."
Looking at the smile in his eyes, Xu Yanchi suddenly felt a little embarrassed. She raised her hand to touch the brim of her baseball cap and whispered, "I'm much better now. I can chat with you normally. Why did you bring so much stuff? It's too much trouble."
Xiao Fuzhou placed the things on the bedside table, picked up the light pink paper bag and handed it to her: "My mom asked me to bring you some nourishing soup, saying it's good for your health. This is some gummies for you. I heard you tell Xue Su that you liked them last time, so I went out of my way to buy some."
Xu Yanchi took the paper bag, her fingertips touching its warmth, and a sudden warmth filled her heart. She looked up at Xiao Fuzhou, their eyes meeting. Sunlight fell into his eyes, like starlight. She suddenly remembered that evening before the college entrance exam, when they finished discussing the last question under the sycamore tree, and Xiao Fuzhou looked at her like that, saying, "After the college entrance exam, let's go see the sea."
Back then, she smiled and said "Okay," but now, they can actually talk about their plans after the college entrance exam. Xu Yanchi held the gummy candy in her hand, her lips curving upwards involuntarily, and said softly, "Thank you, Xiao Fuzhou. When I'm discharged from the hospital, let's go see the sea together, just like we agreed before. Maybe when I become a reporter, I can even write a 'Seaside Chronicle' and include that sunset in my article."
Xiao Fuzhou looked at the smile in her eyes, nodded, and said in a soft but clear voice, "Okay, we'll go after you're discharged from the hospital. I'll keep an eye out for suitable scenery to use as material."
The sunlight in the ward fell right on them, the medicine dripped slowly from the IV tube, and the sycamore leaves outside the window rustled gently—everything was as tender as a dream from which they would never wake.
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