Autumn Outing, Wingman, and Moonlight (Revised Edition)
Chapter Four: Autumn Outing, Wingman, and Moonlight
As the sycamore leaves on campus began to turn yellow, the notice for the annual autumn social practice activity—the autumn outing—was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples of excitement among the second-year high school students. This year's destination was a newly developed "stargazing camping base" on the outskirts of the city, featuring nighttime stargazing and bonfire parties, which was undoubtedly a huge attraction for students who usually buried themselves in books.
"Stargazing camping! Bonfire party! This is awesome!" Jiang Zhao slammed his fist on the table excitedly, almost knocking Su An's pen off his hand. "We don't have to sleep tonight! We can play cards! Play Werewolf! Maybe we can even sneak out for some nighttime adventures!"
Su An steadied his pen, a sense of anticipation welling up inside him. Group activities always dispelled the loneliness he felt when he was home alone. But he still reminded Jiang Zhao, "Don't think about anything ridiculous. If the teacher catches you, no one will write your apology."
"Don't worry, don't worry, I know what I'm doing!" Jiang Zhao winked, then leaned closer, lowered his voice, and said with undisguised excitement, "Hey, that's not the point! The point is, my brother and his classmates from the science class are going to the same place! The same night! Do you know what that means? Perfect timing! Perfect location! Perfect people!"
Su An's heart skipped a beat. He subconsciously avoided Jiang Zhao's mischievous gaze and lowered his head to organize his books. "Whether they go or not is none of my business." Even so, Jiang Qi's expressionless face involuntarily surfaced in his mind, and... what it might look like under the campfire's glow.
"Oh, still pretending?" Jiang Zhao chuckled and nudged him with his shoulder. "Some people's physics grades have been skyrocketing lately. Is it because they suddenly had a breakthrough, or because they've got 'exclusive tutoring'?"
Su An's ears burned, and she grabbed an English book as if to hit him: "Jiang Zhao, stop talking nonsense!"
"Okay, okay, I won't say, I won't say!" Jiang Zhao raised his hands in surrender, but the smile on his face became even more irritating. He had obviously already conceived countless "battle plans" in his mind to create opportunities for his cousin.
On the day of the autumn outing, the weather was perfect, clear and crisp. The bus drove in a long procession towards the outskirts of the city. Upon arriving at the campsite, tents were assigned according to class. Su An, Jiang Zhao, and two other boys were assigned a four-person tent. Everyone laughed and joked as they laid out their sleeping mats and sleeping bags. While fussing over their things, Jiang Zhao kept nagging in Su An's ear, "We'll have free time later, we need to 'bump into' my brother and the others. I've already talked to Lin Jun..."
Su An really wanted to gag him.
The afternoon was free time, and the various outdoor activities at the base became a sea of joy. Jiang Zhao, full of energy, dragged Su An and several classmates around to play wildly. Climbing rope nets, walking on balance beams, shooting arrows... Su An played until her forehead was sweating and her cheeks were flushed; she hadn't relaxed like this in a long time.
During one attempt to climb a rock wall, Su An's arms became weak halfway up and his foot slipped. Although he was safe thanks to the safety rope, it still startled him and made his heart skip a beat.
"Be careful!" Jiang Zhao exclaimed from below.
Su An steadied himself and was about to continue when he caught a glimpse of something in the distance—Jiang Qi and Lin Jun were standing under a large tree. Lin Jun was smiling and nudging Jiang Qi with his elbow, his eyes glancing towards the rock wall, while Jiang Qi's gaze was fixed firmly on him. Seeing him look over, Jiang Qi didn't look away; her eyes seemed to hold a subtle focus, even…concern?
Su An's face grew even hotter, whether from the effort or from that gaze, he didn't know. He steadied himself, took a deep breath, and climbed to the top in one go.
After coming down from the rock wall, Jiang Zhao rushed over and patted him on the back: "Not bad, Su An! You've been hiding your true strength!" Then, he leaned close to his ear, lowered his voice, and couldn't hide his pride: "Did you see that look in my brother's eyes just now? Tsk tsk, he wished he could come up here and be a human cushion, right? Lin Jun told me that my brother's fists were clenched up just now!"
Su An playfully shoved him, then subconsciously looked back at the big tree, which was now deserted. A faint sense of disappointment swept through her, but Jiang Zhao's words, like a feather, gently brushed against her heart.
As evening fell, the barbecue began. Smoke curled upwards, the aroma of meat filled the air, and the atmosphere was lively. Su An, not very good at this, had her eyes watering from the smoke and could only hand out seasonings and spread sauces. Jiang Zhao, on the other hand, was constantly jumping around, grilling for his own class one minute and then sneaking over to Class Six's side, ostensibly for "technical exchange," but actually, with Lin Jun's help, he shoved several perfectly grilled chicken wings into Su An's hands, winking and saying, "My brother 'guided' me in grilling these, have a taste!"
Su An took the chicken wing, thanked them, and had just taken a bite when he heard an even louder commotion coming from Class Six next door. He looked up and immediately spotted Jiang Qi in the crowd. He was sitting quietly by the grill, holding a string of corn and eating it slowly, completely out of place with the bustling scene around him. Lin Jun and several other boys were busy working beside him, creating a stark contrast.
As if by telepathy, Jiang Qi also raised her head, her gaze piercing through the noisy crowd and the wispy smoke, accurately capturing Su An's eyes. Their gazes met in mid-air.
Su An's heart skipped a beat, and the delicious chicken wings in his mouth instantly lost their flavor. He saw Jiang Qi nod at him very slightly, then lower her head and continue eating her skewer of corn, though her ears seemed a little red in the firelight.
"Tactical success!" Jiang Zhao had slipped back out sometime earlier, put his arm around Su An's shoulder, and looked smugly pleased with himself. "See that? Sending messages across the distance! I did a good job as a wingman, didn't I? Lin Jun also deserves credit!"
As night fell, the long-awaited bonfire party finally began. A huge bonfire was lit, its orange flames leaping and illuminating everyone's faces. People sat around the fire, playing games, performing, and singing, laughter and cheers rising and falling.
Su An sat on the outer edge of the classroom circle, hugging her knees, staring blankly at the leaping flames. The chill of the autumn night was dispelled, and she felt warm all over. Jiang Zhao had long since disappeared into somewhere else.
He was lost in thought when he felt someone sit down next to him. He thought it was Jiang Zhao returning, but when he turned his head, he froze.
Sitting next to him was Jiang Qi.
He was still wearing that dark coat, and the firelight cast flickering shadows on his sharply defined profile, making him look less cold and more gentle than usual.
"Jiang... Jiang Qi?" Su An was so surprised he almost bit his tongue. How did he get here? Class Six's area is on the other side! And how did he find this corner so precisely?
Jiang Qi turned his head, the firelight dancing in his deep eyes: "It's too noisy over there." His reason was simple and direct, but his gaze involuntarily fell on Su An's delicate neck skin illuminated by the firelight.
Su An gave an "Oh," unsure what to say, and turned his gaze back to the campfire, his heart pounding like a drum. He could clearly feel the presence of the people around him, their crisp breaths mingling with the faint smell of smoke, lingering around his nose.
The two sat side by side, neither speaking. The surrounding noise seemed to be shut out, creating a quiet and subtle little world that belonged only to them.
Not far away, two "wingmen" lurking in the crowd were secretly observing.
"See? Sit down, sit down!" Jiang Zhao excitedly grabbed Lin Jun's arm. "I told you my location was accurate!"
Lin Jun laughed and slapped his hand away: "Calm down. But Brother Qi's initiative deserves a bonus tonight. It's amazing that you managed to convince those guys in your class to give up the seat next to Su An."
"Hehe, I have a brilliant plan!" Jiang Zhao said smugly.
On stage, a student picked up a guitar and began to sing a soothing folk song. The gentle melody floated in the night sky, accompanied by the crackling sound of burning firewood.
Su An secretly glanced at Jiang Qi out of the corner of her eye. He sat very upright, his gaze fixed on the leaping flames, his expression focused. The firelight tinged his long eyelashes with gold, casting small shadows beneath his eyelids.
Su An suddenly felt that this moment was wonderful.
"Are you cold?" Jiang Qi suddenly asked, her voice sounding particularly low amidst the noisy background.
Su An snapped out of his reverie and shook his head: "It's not cold." The campfire was blazing, and... for some reason, sitting next to Jiang Qi, he felt exceptionally warm.
Jiang Qi didn't say anything more, but took something out of her coat pocket and handed it to Su An. It was an individually wrapped hand warmer.
Su An was stunned, watching his well-defined fingers pinch the small bag, and felt as if the softest part of her heart had been gently touched.
"Take it." When Jiang Qi saw that he didn't take it, she handed it forward again.
Su An reached out, his fingertips inevitably brushing against Jiang Qi's. The slightly cool touch made him shiver slightly. He quickly took the hand warmer and whispered, "Thank you." He held the hand warmer in his palm; the thin packaging seemed to still retain the other person's body heat.
"You..." Su An mustered his courage, trying to find a topic of conversation, "Aren't you bringing Jiang Zhao along?" He regretted asking the question as soon as he did; what kind of question was that!
Jiang Qi smiled almost imperceptibly, her voice very soft: "He's having too much fun to be found." To be precise, he's been deliberately held up by Lin Jun.
"Oh..." Su An lowered her head, looking at the hand warmer in her palm, and couldn't help but secretly smile.
Folk songs played one after another, and the stars in the night sky became more and more numerous, clear and bright. Some girls started pointing at the sky and identifying constellations.
"Look, the Big Dipper!" someone shouted.
Su An looked up and followed the direction everyone was pointing, and sure enough, she saw that familiar "spoon".
"Over there, the brightest star is Deneb, in the constellation Cygnus." Jiang Qi's voice rang out again. He pointed in a direction and subtly moved a little closer to Su An.
Su An looked in the direction he was pointing, trying hard to make out: "Where? I can't quite see it..."
Jiang Qi turned to the side, getting closer, her arm almost touching Su An's, and patiently pointed, "That brightest one, do you see it? And then those few over there, when they're connected, look like a swan spreading its wings..."
He was very close, his warm breath brushing against Su An's earlobe. Su An's blood seemed to rush to the place where the breath touched, burning his ears red, his mind blank, unable to hear what Jiang Qi was saying at all, only able to see his smooth jawline so close to his face, and those eyes that seemed particularly deep under the starry sky.
"I...I saw it." Su An nodded haphazardly, his voice barely audible.
Jiang Qi seemed to sense his unease, and sat up straight again, creating some distance between them. An ambiguous silence filled the air.
"Good progress! They've even started popularizing astronomical knowledge," Lin Jun commented, stroking his chin.
"That's right! My brother is reliable in crucial moments!" Jiang Zhao said with pride.
As the party drew to a close, the host led everyone in singing the last song. It was the classic "The Brightest Star in the Night Sky."
As the melody began, everyone sang along. Su An hummed along softly, but his gaze involuntarily drifted to Jiang Qi beside him. He noticed that Jiang Qi wasn't singing; she was simply listening quietly, her eyes fixed on the starry sky. Her profile, illuminated by the firelight and starlight, appeared somewhat lonely, yet exceptionally moving.
"I'd rather keep all the pain in my heart than forget your eyes..." When this line was sung, Su An's heart skipped a beat. He glanced quickly at Jiang Qi's eyes, which reflected starlight, and then looked away as if he had been burned.
The bonfire party ended in a warm and cozy atmosphere. Everyone reluctantly dispersed and returned to their tents to rest.
Su An and Jiang Qi also stood up.
"Thank you for the hand warmer." Su An thanked her again, still clutching the small bag that had become warm in her hand.
"Mm." Jiang Qi looked at him, her gaze particularly gentle in the moonlight. "Goodnight."
"Good night," Su An replied softly.
Watching Jiang Qi turn and walk towards the sixth class's camp, Su An stood there, motionless for a long time. The cool autumn night breeze caressed his burning cheeks, and the hand warmer in his palm continued to radiate heat.
"Stop looking, everyone's gone!" Jiang Zhao suddenly appeared from somewhere, put his arm around his neck, and said with a grin, "How was it? A great night, right? Lin Jun and I worked together flawlessly!"
Su An suddenly realized why Jiang Qi had been able to find him so accurately, and why Jiang Zhao and Lin Jun had been elusive all night. He felt a mix of amusement, gratitude, and an indescribable sweetness, but ultimately just gave Jiang Zhao a reproachful glare: "You always have so many ideas!"
Back in the tent, his companions gradually drifted off to sleep. Su An, however, was wide awake. He burrowed into his sleeping bag, listening to the faint chirping of insects and the sound of the wind outside the tent, his mind replaying the scenes from the evening—Jiang Qi's gaze from beneath the rock wall, their eye contact during the barbecue, their figures sitting side by side by the campfire, the warmth of their bodies close as they pointed out constellations, those eyes reflecting the starlight, and that deep "Goodnight."
He rolled over, took the dark blue mint box from his coat pocket, opened it, and popped a candy into his mouth. The cool sweetness spread, but it did nothing to quell the unfamiliar, burning flutter in his heart.
Moonlight streamed gently through the tent's gauze curtains.
In another tent, Jiang Zhao was speaking in a low voice, conducting a "post-battle debriefing" with Lin Jun via mobile phone.
"Mission accomplished! Over!"
"Received. Brother Qi looked calm when he came back, but from what I observed, his mood index had risen by at least fifty percentage points. Over."
This autumn night, made exceptionally long and beautiful by the starry sky, the campfire, the moonlight, and the two "dutiful" wingmen. Some seeds, once sown, will quietly take root in the heart, waiting for the day they sprout.
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