Chapter 109 Ten Years
Jiang Wan stopped in front of a photograph.
That area showcases the grand scene from the 60th anniversary celebration of Lincheng No.1 Middle School.
Several representative photos from the opening ceremony, celebration gala, alumni group photo, student performance, etc., are displayed here.
In one of the photos, Jiang Wan saw herself dressed in a formal gown.
That was during her second year of high school, when she was a member of the school band and gave a performance at a celebration.
She sat at the piano on the left front of the stage, wearing a white satin dress, her hair was combed into a high bun at the back of her head, and she lowered her head slightly, revealing a slender swan neck.
The photo captures a scene during a performance. She is looking down and playing the piano attentively. Only her profile is visible in the photo. Her back is very straight, and her white dress trails on the ground, spread out behind the piano bench.
When she traveled back in time, it was already the first semester of her senior year of high school. Her memories of her junior year were really distant. Jiang Wan looked at the photo and thought for a long time before she could recall the scene.
That was the grandest performance of her high school career, and also the last time she participated in the school orchestra performance. After that, she entered her senior year of high school and left the orchestra due to her busy studies, and her piano playing gradually fell into disuse.
She was focused on the performance at the time and didn't notice anything else. Now, staring at the photo carefully, she actually saw Zhou Chong in the corner.
Zhou Chong, a second-year high school student, was already very tall and had a straight posture. He was wearing a formal white shirt and black pants and stood to the side of the stage, seemingly holding some kind of script in his hand.
Was Zhou Chong the host at the time?
It doesn't seem like it; a host wouldn't dress that simply.
Stage lighting makes makeup look bad, and the hosts of the gala usually wear sequined evening gowns, so they generally wouldn't choose such a simple and clean white shirt.
Jiang Wan couldn't remember what Zhou Chong was doing during the school anniversary celebration, and she wondered if it was just her imagination.
From the perspective of the photo, Zhou Chong is standing on the side of the stage, seemingly looking in his own direction.
Jiang Wan couldn't help but move closer, staring intently at the small figure in the corner of the photo.
The photo was taken eleven years ago and is somewhat blurry. Even with post-processing, it is difficult to achieve a high level of clarity.
Jiang Wan frowned slightly, staring intently at the small, blurry figure, trying to discern where Zhou Chong's gaze was directed.
She didn't notice until Zhou Chong walked up to her, bent down, and put his head close to hers.
"What are you looking at?"
Jiang Wan suddenly turned around and met Zhou Chong's seemingly calm gaze, but for some reason, she sensed a hidden evasiveness in him.
She raised her hand, pointed to him in the corner of the photo, and asked, "During the school anniversary celebration, I was performing on stage, what were you doing standing here?"
Zhou Chong lowered his eyes following her finger, paused for a few seconds, and then slowly said, "I was speaking on stage as an outstanding student representative."
Jiang Wan suddenly realized why he was dressed so simply and formally.
But then I had a gut feeling that something was wrong.
The orchestra performance was one of the later parts of the celebration, while the speeches by outstanding student representatives were among the first few segments of the opening ceremony.
Although she couldn't recall the specific agenda, logically speaking, it should be roughly like this.
Zhou Chong had already finished speaking, so why didn't he go back to his seat to watch the rest of the performance, but instead stood on the side of the stage?
Jiang Wan then turned her gaze back to the boy in the corner of the photo.
From this angle, could it be... that Zhou Chong is really looking at her?
Things are different now. There are no more barriers or misunderstandings between Jiang Wan and Zhou Chong. Jiang Wan had this question in her mind, so she asked it out.
"Are you standing here, facing the stage, looking at me?"
Zhou Chong raised his eyes, stared at her intently, and after a moment, smiled softly, "Yes, I'm looking at you."
Jiang Wan raised an eyebrow slightly, seemingly surprised that Zhou Chong admitted it so readily. "Why aren't you going back to your seat? What are you doing standing here staring at me? Do you have a crush on me?"
The last sentence was a joke; Jiang Wan blurted it out without thinking.
But to everyone's surprise, a hint of panic flashed in Zhou Chong's eyes.
This is quite intriguing.
Jiang Wan immediately became interested, moved closer to him, stared intently into his eyes, and smiled, "Really?"
Zhou Chong's Adam's apple bobbed. "What, really?"
"Really..." Jiang Wan smiled, narrowing her eyes. "You've had a crush on me for so long?"
Zhou Chong didn't speak, but stared at her for a while. As if defeated, he silently lowered his eyes.
Jiang Wan's suspicions deepened.
"Look at me." She reached out and hooked her hand under Zhou Chong's chin. "What are you afraid to look at? What are you afraid to admit?"
Zhou Chong had no choice but to raise his eyes and meet her gaze again.
“Zhou Chong.” Jiang Wan looked into his eyes and said earnestly, “We missed each other for so long because we didn’t say many things in our hearts in time. Fortunately, God gave us another chance, so we didn’t miss each other.”
"So, I want you to tell me clearly how many thoughts you're hiding in your heart." Jiang Wan pinched his chin. "Look into my eyes and tell me properly, just how much do you like me?"
Zhou Chong stared intently at her, a dark undercurrent churning in his eyes. After a long while, he let out a soft laugh tinged with a sigh.
“I’m not being dishonest. I said it as soon as I woke up this morning: I like you, I like you a lot.”
"It started in the second year of high school?" Jiang Wan raised an eyebrow.
"You could say that." Zhou Chong smiled slightly, neither confirming nor denying. "After we were assigned to the same class in the second year of high school, I started to pay attention to you, and then, I don't know when it started, I could only see you."
Jiang Wan looked surprised for a moment.
Zhou Chong continued, "At first, I just found it interesting. I've never met anyone like you, who keeps clinging to my grades and rankings but doesn't want to talk to me."
"Sometimes he gets so angry that his eyes turn red, but when he sees me, he pretends to be nonchalant. When he loses badly, he will secretly cry. After regrouping, he will chase after me again and try to beat me. He has a stubborn streak like a little animal."
“It’s interesting. The monotonous life I lead day after day has become less boring after you came along.” Zhou Chong chuckled. “Because of you, I’ve started to care about things I didn’t care about before, just so that I can have more interaction with you.”
"When I realized this, I discovered that I had already fallen in love with you."
Jiang Wan stared at him blankly for a long time before finally opening her mouth, "You...you've liked me for so long?"
Zhou Chong nodded, his eyes smiling, his voice deep and gentle.
"For the past ten years, I have never stopped liking you."
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