Handshake
Ever since the incident in the corridor that day, my world seemed to have been re-centered.
The young man named Zhou Yu was like a star that suddenly broke into my peaceful galaxy, bringing light and heat that could not be ignored, attracting all my attention.
In the first week of school, the novelty and clumsy exploration of high school life are still in the air.
I found that I would unconsciously look for every possible opportunity to see Zhou Yu.
During the break, my eyes always fell accurately on the familiar figure in the team of Class 3; at noon, the cafeteria was crowded, and I was holding my plate, but my eyes were like radars, scanning every corner, just to "accidentally meet" him, even if it was just to see him eating with his head down from a distance.
This cautious observation continued for several days until the second real conversation took place.
It was at the library. I went to borrow a supplementary reading material recommended by my teacher, and among the bookshelves in the literature section, I saw Zhou Yu again. He was standing on tiptoe, trying to reach a book from the top shelf. His fingertips barely touched the spine a few times, but always fell just short.
My heart started beating faster again.
I took a deep breath and walked over. "Do you need help?" I tried to sound calm and natural.
Zhou Yu turned around when he heard the voice, and when he saw it was me, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes: "Zhang Chenzhi? What a coincidence. Um... it's that book, "Walden"." I have some height advantage, but it was not easy for me to help him take it down and hand it to him.
"Thank you!" Zhou Yu took the book and smiled. "Are you here to read books too?" "Yes, I'm here to borrow a reference book."
I shook the boring math problem book in my hand, secretly glad that I didn't come empty-handed, so I didn't seem to have such a strong purpose.
"Walden," I said, trying to find a topic. "Do you like books like this?"
"Well, my Chinese teacher recommended it to me," Zhou Yu smiled, his fingers gently stroking the cover of the book. "But I'm also quite curious. I want to see what it's like to live alone in the woods by the lake."
With this topic in mind, the two of them naturally walked side by side to the reading area, sat down, and started chatting in low voices. Their conversation ranged from Walden to their favorite writers, from their Chinese teacher's strictness to the leisurely books they read in junior high school.
I found chatting with Zhou Yu to be incredibly pleasant. He had a sharp mind, always able to pick up on my conversations, occasionally offering interesting and unique perspectives. His eyes sparkled, revealing a genuine curiosity about the world.
He had the habit of tilting his head slightly when he spoke and listening very attentively, which made me feel that every word I said was taken seriously.
That conversation in the library was like a key that gently opened the strange door between the two of them.
From that day on, our "chance encounters" seemed to become more frequent, or rather, because we were paying attention to each other, meeting each other became a natural thing.
We would start to meet in the hallway, not just with a hasty nod and a "Hi," but would stop and chat briefly about how the teacher stayed late that day or that difficult math problem.
Zhou Yu knew that I went to another middle school for junior high school and that I liked painting.
I also learned that he was a little afraid of the running test in physical education class.
Zhou Yu also told me that he has liked writing short essays since he was a child and his dream is to study literature in the future.
I listened carefully and said, "No, it feels very powerful..." and then uttered a bunch of random things.
Adolescent relationships are often accompanied by a strong desire to share.
I even started looking forward to going to school every day because Zhou Yu was there.
I would write down interesting things I saw on the way in the morning, thinking about whether I could tell him about them during recess; I would study extra hard, especially physics, because of that unexpected encounter, and also because I hoped that when he asked questions, I would be able to give clear and beautiful answers.
A week later, on Friday afternoon, the school bell rang with a particularly sweet melody. I was packing my schoolbag when my deskmate and good friend, Qiu Aiming, nudged me with his elbow and gestured out the window with a wink.
I looked up and my heart skipped a beat - Zhou Yu was standing in the corridor outside the classroom, and standing side by side with him was a female classmate from the next class.
Amidst the low laughter of several boys, I almost tiptoed out.
"Zhang Chenzhi, wait a minute." It was the voice of the old class teacher. He was a slightly fat middle-aged man with a sincere and kind look in his eyes.
He briefly explained to me the matter of the blackboard newspaper. As the Chinese class representative, Zhou Yu was asked by the teacher to stay and be responsible for writing the copy.
"Of course!" I agreed quickly, afraid to be late for a second.
Zhou Yu lowered his head and said something to the girl, then walked towards me. The girl turned and left.
Soon, there were only two of us left in the empty Class 3 classroom.
The setting sun streamed through the clean glass windows, slicing the classroom into a mosaic of light and dark. Chalk dust danced softly in the beams of light.
Zhou Yu was responsible for using a ruler to mark the grids and write neat regular script, while I was mixing the paints and using colored chalks to outline camouflage patterns and floral borders.
We were very close, so close that I could clearly smell the faint scent of jasmine on his clean school uniform, and hear the occasional soft, annoyed twang he made when he made a mistake in writing.
Sometimes we discussed the layout in a low voice, and sometimes we laughed out loud at a funny pattern.
In the quiet classroom, the rustling sound of chalk scratching across the blackboard and the sound of each other's gentle breathing are intertwined, creating an indescribable tranquility and beauty.
Occasionally I would stop writing and secretly glance at Zhou Yu who was concentrating on writing. His profile was as soft as a painting in the sunset, his eyelashes drooped, and the corners of his mouth were slightly pursed, looking very serious.
I felt a sense of fullness and happiness filling my chest, and I hoped that time could stay at this moment forever.
When the blackboard newspaper was completed, the sky was already filled with gorgeous sunset glow.
"It's done!" He stepped back and looked at the fruits of our labor with satisfaction. "Zhang Chenzhi, thank you so much! Without you, I would have been working until very late."
"It's okay, it's quite interesting." I looked at the colorful blackboard, but what I was thinking in my heart was that this was a work that he and I had completed together.
The two walked out of the teaching building together. There were not many people on campus.
The evening breeze blows on my face, bringing with it a cool autumn feeling.
"Let me treat you to some milk tea!" Zhou Yu said, "as a thank you!"
There was a milk tea shop right in front of the school that was quite popular among students. We stood side by side, looking at the menu.
I ordered the most ordinary half-sugar lemonade, while Zhou Yu hesitated for a while and ordered a cup of green tea with three-quarters sugar and no ice.
"Remember," I suddenly said, turning to give him a smile, "If you like your milk tea with three parts sugar, go for the ice."
Zhou Yu was stunned for a moment. When he took the milk tea, the tips of his ears turned slightly red and he whispered, "Hmm."
Holding a cup of iced lemon tea, I walked slowly along the sidewalk lined with sycamore trees.
The sound of a straw piercing the plastic seal, the sound of sipping tea, and the occasional sound of a passing car all make the silence less awkward, and instead have a hazy ambiguity.
We talked about the military training that had just passed, complained about the instructor's strictness, shared embarrassing stories of getting tanned, and talked about the wonderful programs at the military training party.
He told me that the female classmate was called Li Wei, and she came to ask his childhood friend and sister Chen Hui what she liked.
The topic naturally extended like vines, from interesting things in junior high school to favorite music and movies, vague imaginations of the future... it seemed as if there was endless talk.
I discovered that Zhou Yu and I had so many unexpected things in common. We both liked an obscure indie band, loved science fiction, and even had the same opinion of the pancakes at the bakery behind the school. Every "Me too!" was like a small leap of joy, bringing our hearts closer.
At an intersection, Zhou Yu pointed to the other side and said, "My home is this way." I felt a strong reluctance to leave. This beautiful afternoon was like a dream, and I was about to wake up.
"Then...see you on Monday?" He looked at me. "See you on Monday." I nodded.
Zhou Yu took a few steps, then suddenly turned around, jogged back, took out a small package from the side pocket of his schoolbag, and stuffed it into my hand.
"This... is for you. Thank you so much today!" After saying that, he turned around and walked away quickly without waiting for my reaction, and his back soon disappeared around the corner.
I lowered my head and opened my palm. It was a small pack of individually wrapped matcha flavored biscuits, the packaging was very exquisite.
He recognized the brand. He had brought it to school secretly. He took a small piece out of his bag and ate it while drinking milk tea just now. He said it was delicious.
I held the bag of biscuits that still carried his body temperature, standing beside the busy traffic in the evening, and it felt like a sweet firework exploded in my heart.
I carefully opened the package and put the small, green cookie into my mouth. The slightly bitter fragrance and rich sweetness of matcha instantly filled the air - this was the most delicious snack I had ever eaten in my life.
From that day on, everything became different.
We quickly became familiar with each other.
It started with occasional conversations in the corridor, and developed into squeezing out short moments to chat during breaks every day; from "chance encounters" in the cafeteria to making appointments to have lunch together, and sharing the fruits we secretly brought with each other; during self-study, we would use the blank pages on the last page of our exercise books to pass notes between seats, and ask classmates we knew well to pass them on, with notes written on them such as "What is the answer to the last big math problem?" or "Today is Friday, shall we go home together after school?", and sometimes even just a funny doodle.
My physics notes were particularly neat and detailed because I often had to "borrow" them from Zhou Yu for reference. Zhou Yu would then share his beautiful English notes with him.
We became tacit "partners" in each other's learning.
Adolescent love is like this. Once it breaks through the ground, it grows at an astonishing speed, pure and passionate.
We are immersed in the joy of discovering each other and being close to each other. A glance can make our hearts skip a beat, and an unintentional touch of fingertips can make our cheeks hot all day long.
Those cautious temptations, tacit understandings, and interactions full of hidden joy constitute the first and sweetest prologue of the first semester of the first year of high school.
We started going home together more often on Fridays. Although we didn't go exactly the same way, I always insisted on sending him to an intersection not far from his house first.
That fifteen-minute journey is the most anticipated time of the week.
We would share interesting things from the week, complain about the difficulty of exams, discuss the books and movies we had read, and sometimes we would just walk side by side quietly, feeling the perfect breeze in the autumn evening and the presence of people around us.
I learned that Zhou Yu had been afraid of the dark since he was a child, that he would get stuck by tiny bones when eating fish, and that he had a tragic experience.
Zhou Yu also knew that I liked to collect all kinds of strange little things, that I would talk more when I was nervous, and that my birthday was in December. I was a little younger than him.
On a Friday night, we went to see a movie together.
It is the art film that Zhou Yu wants to watch.
The lights in the cinema were dim, and the plot was slow and lyrical. Chen Mo's mind was almost not on the screen, and all his senses were focused on the young man beside him.
I could hear his gentle breathing and smell the familiar scent of jasmine.
When a slightly sad scene played in the movie, he felt that Zhou Yu seemed to sniff lightly.
As if possessed by a mysterious force, under the cover of dim light, my hand moved slowly and very slowly towards Zhou Yu's hand on the armrest of the seat next to me.
My heartbeat was so loud that it almost drowned out the movie soundtrack. My fingertips first touched the cool plastic armrest, and then, little by little, touched his slightly cool little finger.
Zhou Yu's fingers seemed to tremble slightly, but he did not dodge.
I held my breath, mustered up the greatest courage I had ever had, and gently placed my palm on the back of his hand.
There were calluses on his hands where he held the pen, his palms were broad and his fingers were long, resting quietly in my slightly larger palms.
At that moment, I had no idea what was happening in the movie, who was around me, or what the world had become.
All my senses are focused on the warm and soft touch in the palm of my right hand.
The sound of blood rushing roars in the eardrums, and sweetness and tension intertwine into a dizzying happiness.
Zhou Yu didn't turn his head, but I saw him raise his other hand and gently cover his right ear. The exposed earlobe looked translucent red in the changing light and shadow on the screen.
We remained in that position, stiff and motionless, until the movie ended and the lights came on.
Their hands quickly separated, and both of them lowered their heads, pretending to pack their things, not daring to look into each other's eyes, but the sweetness and shyness in the air were so thick that they could not be dissolved.
When we saw him off at the intersection that night, the atmosphere at farewell was a little unusual.
"The movie... is quite good." Zhou Yu said in a low voice, his eyes looking at the ground.
"Yeah, it looks good." I repeated mechanically, the explosive touch of the moment we held hands still in my mind.
"Then... I'm going back."
"Okay, tomorrow...can we meet again tomorrow?" I blurted out, "I heard the osmanthus flowers in the park are in bloom and smell so good."
Zhou Yu raised his head, his eyes sparkling, and he smiled: "Okay."
"Tomorrow morning at nine o'clock, south gate of the park?"
"Um!"
I watched Zhou Yu walk into the gate of the community until I could no longer see him. I punched the wall so hard that I could hardly control myself.
I practically ran all the way home. I had so much energy and couldn't suppress the smile on my face.
The autumn sun filtered through the yellowing ginkgo leaves, and the air was filled with the sweet fragrance of osmanthus.
The park was crowded with people. Zhou Yu and I walked slowly along the lake.
The last thin layer of window paper between the two of them seemed to be there and not there.
Although no one explicitly said those two words, the intimacy and tacit understanding that lingered between the two of them explained everything.
We would naturally share delicious hot drinks, I would help him brush off the tiny osmanthus flowers in his hair, and when crossing the road he would subconsciously walk to the side where the car was coming from. Occasionally, our arms would touch each other, and we would no longer bounce away as if we had been electrocuted. Instead, we would maintain that kind of close yet distant contact, allowing a subtle electric current to run between our touching skin.
We sat on a bench by the lake, looking at the lake shimmering in the sun and the ducks swimming by, quietly enjoying the hard-earned weekend leisure.
"First year of high school seems pretty good." Zhou Yu suddenly said, squinting his eyes and looking into the distance.
"Huh?" I turned to look at him. His eyes were cold, as if he was staring at something. "I was very worried when school started. I was worried that I wouldn't fit in, that they would laugh at my experiences, and even more worried that I wouldn't have any friends."
He smiled and said, "Now I feel really good."
I looked at his furry face illuminated by the sunlight, and my heart softened.
I finally plucked up the courage, reached out, and gently placed my hands on his, which were tightly clasped on his knees.
This time, there was no darkness of a movie theater to shelter us, but bright autumn sunshine.
His fingers moved slightly at first, then slowly turned over.
Palms touching, warmth passed on.
We didn't speak anymore, just looked at the same scenery, our fingers tightly intertwined, as if we could feel each other's equally violent heartbeats.
The sweet scent of osmanthus is so rich that it seems to have substance, tightly wrapping the young men's first and sweetest forbidden emotions.
The future is still long and high school life has just begun, but at this moment, what we hold in our hands is each other's whole world.
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