Christmas Eve, Ferris Wheel, and Unfinished Confession
As December draws to a close, the Christmas spirit grows ever stronger. Shops along the streets are adorned with colorful lights and bells, and schools are filled with the festive excitement that comes with the holiday season.
"Hey, any plans for Christmas Eve?" Jiang Zhao asked, nudging Su An with his elbow while taking a bite of bread. "Have you received any special invitations?"
Su An was organizing the exam papers when he heard this, and he paused, his cheeks slightly flushed. He was indeed secretly looking forward to it. Since that "holding hands incident," his relationship with Jiang Qi had entered a delicate but stable state. Christmas Eve seemed like the perfect time for something to happen.
But he still said, "What arrangements could there be? I'll just stay home and do my homework."
"Tch, boring!" Jiang Zhao scoffed, then leaned closer and whispered, "I heard that the giant Christmas tree in the city center square will be lit up tonight, and there's a Ferris wheel too! It's perfect for... you know what I mean!"
Su An's heart skipped a beat. He subconsciously glanced at the empty seat next to him—Jiang Qi had been called to the teacher's office.
Lin Jun, sitting in the back row, put down her book and said calmly, "You seem to know a lot."
Jiang Zhao immediately turned around and grabbed onto Lin Jun's table, his eyes sparkling: "Brother Jun! Shall we go tonight? To see the Christmas tree! I'll treat you to the Ferris wheel!"
Lin Jun raised an eyebrow at him: "Just the two of us?"
Jiang Zhao's ears turned slightly red, and he stubbornly retorted, "Is it wrong? It's not like we haven't gone out together before..."
Lin Jun looked at his forced composure, a hint of a smile flashing in her eyes, and reached out to ruffle his hair: "Okay, you're treating."
“No problem!” Jiang Zhao immediately beamed, then turned to Su An, “Look, even Jun Ge and I are going to celebrate the holiday. If you and my brother don’t make plans together, would that be right?”
Su An's cheeks flushed from his words, and she was about to retort when her phone vibrated. It was a WeChat message from Jiang Qi.
A brief location sharing: City Center Square. Below is the text:
"Seven o'clock, under the Christmas tree."
Without asking or discussing, it was almost domineering. But those few simple words instantly lifted Su An's spirits from the depths of despair to the heights of elation.
His fingers trembled slightly as he replied, "Okay."
"He asked you out, didn't he?" Jiang Zhao keenly noticed the change in Su An's expression and excitedly grabbed his shoulders. "I knew it! My brother has finally figured it out!"
Looking at Jiang Zhao's excited expression, Lin Jun in the back row shook his head helplessly, but his eyes held a indulgent smile.
After school, Su An spent twice as long as usual choosing clothes, and finally picked out a beige turtleneck sweater, a light blue down jacket, and a gray scarf that Jiang Qi had casually mentioned before that "the color suits him well."
We arrived at the city center square at 6:40 AM, but it was already packed with people. A huge Christmas tree stood in the center of the square, not yet lit. Not far away, the Ferris wheel slowly turned, each cabin adorned with colorful lights.
Su An searched for that familiar figure in the bustling crowd. Then, he saw him in a relatively quiet corner diagonally opposite the Christmas tree.
Jiang Qi wore a long black down jacket, which made his figure appear even more upright. He stood there quietly, his gaze fixed on the crowd. The bright lights of the square cast dappled light into his deep eyes.
Su An took a deep breath and walked towards him.
When he was just a few steps away, Jiang Qi turned her head as if sensing something. In the instant their eyes met, Su An clearly saw his image reflected in Jiang Qi's usually emotionless eyes, and they instantly lit up.
"I...I'm not late, am I?"
"No." Jiang Qi's gaze lingered on his face for a few seconds. "Are you cold?"
"fine."
Just then, a huge cheer and countdown erupted in the square. All eyes were on the Christmas tree.
"Five, four, three, two, one!"
"Smack—"
The Christmas tree was instantly lit up! Thousands of colorful lights simultaneously burst forth with dazzling light, weaving together a dreamlike world of shimmering light.
"So beautiful..." Su An exclaimed, tilting her head back.
Jiang Qi didn't look at the Christmas tree; his gaze remained fixed on Su An's profile illuminated by the lights.
"Yes, it's beautiful," he murmured in agreement.
Not far away, another couple on a "date" were also watching this scene.
"Wow! It's lit up!" Jiang Zhao pointed excitedly at the Christmas tree, then lowered his voice and tugged at Lin Jun's sleeve, "Brother Jun, look! My brother is staring at Su An again! He's not even looking at the tree!"
Lin Jun looked in the direction he was pointing and indeed saw Jiang Qi's focused profile. He chuckled, "Didn't you come to see the Christmas tree?"
"I'm just keeping watch for my brother on the side!" Jiang Zhao said matter-of-factly, but his eyes were sparkling as he looked at Lin Jun. "But... this tree is really quite beautiful."
Lin Jun looked at his eyes, which were particularly bright in the lamplight, and smiled gently: "Yes, they are very handsome."
After seeing the Christmas tree, the four of them naturally reunited.
"Brother! Su An! What a coincidence!" Jiang Zhao greeted him with exaggerated acting. "You guys are here to see the Christmas tree too?"
Jiang Qi glanced at him indifferently, but didn't expose him. Su An smiled sheepishly.
"Since we've run into each other, let's go ride the Ferris wheel together?" Jiang Zhao continued his role as a "wingman." "My treat!"
Jiang Qi looked at Su An, her eyes questioning. Su An blushed and nodded.
The queue was long, mostly filled with couples. Standing in line, Jiang Zhao kept chattering, "I heard that wishes made when the Ferris wheel reaches its highest point are especially effective!"
Lin Jun helplessly pulled him closer to her: "Queue up quietly."
Jiang Zhao chuckled and naturally moved closer to Lin Jun.
Finally, it was their turn. The staff opened the elevator door.
"The four of us are sitting in one compartment?" Jiang Zhao looked at the cramped space and suddenly realized something.
Lin Jun grabbed him and said, "Let's sit down next."
"Why? There's definitely enough room for four people..."
"Those who act as third wheels should be considerate." Without further ado, Lin Jun pulled Jiang Zhao aside and gestured to Jiang Qi and Su An, "You two go first."
Jiang Qi nodded and entered the sedan chair one after the other with Su An. The door closed behind them, instantly shutting out the noise from the outside world.
The elevator slowly rose, and the city nightscape unfolded like a dazzling scroll beneath their feet. The space wasn't large, and they sat side by side. The tranquility they had maintained outside was magnified infinitely in this enclosed space, just the two of them.
Su An's fingers curled nervously; she dared not look at Jiang Qi, and could only pretend to be focused on looking out the window. Jiang Qi seemed somewhat tense as well.
The Ferris wheel slowly ascended, nearing its highest point. Su An felt his heart was about to leap out of his chest. He secretly glanced at Jiang Qi out of the corner of his eye and noticed that Jiang Qi was also turning to look at him.
Their eyes met in the still air. The dazzling lights outside the carriage became a blurred background; only they could see each other.
Jiang Qi's Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and complex and intense emotions surged in her deep eyes.
"Su An, I..."
At this crucial moment, the elevator car suddenly swayed slightly. At the same time, Su An's cell phone in his pocket vibrated violently at an inopportune time.
This sudden interruption, like a needle, instantly pierced the atmosphere that had built up to its peak.
Jiang Qi's words, which were already on the tip of his tongue, stopped abruptly. The emotions surging in his eyes seemed to have been forcibly suppressed.
Su An was startled by his phone vibrating, a wave of immense disappointment washing over him. He hurriedly pulled out his phone; it was a call from his mother.
"Hello, Mom?... I'm outside, I'll be right back."
After hanging up the phone, the atmosphere in the elevator had changed. The tension and anticipation of the impending confession had been replaced by a subtle awkwardness and lingering regret.
The Ferris wheel began its slow descent. The two remained silent, neither speaking.
The atmosphere in the next carriage, however, was completely different.
"Brother Jun, look! The lights over there are so beautiful!" Jiang Zhao was practically pressed against the glass, excitedly pointing into the distance.
Lin Jun looked at his childlike appearance with gentle eyes and said, "Yes, very pretty."
“I heard that wishes made at the highest point are very effective,” Jiang Zhao suddenly turned around, looking at Lin Jun with bright eyes, “Should we make a wish?”
Lin Jun raised an eyebrow: "What do you want to wish for?"
Jiang Zhao's face flushed slightly under the neon lights. He opened his mouth, but then awkwardly turned his head away: "I won't say it! It won't work if I do!"
Lin Jun looked at his slightly red ear tips, chuckled softly, and didn't ask any further questions.
The Ferris wheel landed, and the four reunited.
"How was it? How was it?" Jiang Zhao asked Su An in a low voice, unable to wait any longer.
Su An shook his head helplessly, his eyes showing some disappointment.
Jiang Qi's expression was calm, but her gaze towards Su An was exceptionally deep.
Jiang Zhao was about to ask more questions when Lin Jun stopped him, saying, "It's getting late, we should go back."
When they parted, Jiang Qi took Su An to a place where she could hail a taxi. The snow began to fall heavier.
"Be careful on the road," Jiang Qi said, looking at him.
"Mm." Su An nodded and said softly, "Thank you... for tonight."
Jiang Qi gave him a deep look: "Next time," his voice was clear and firm, "we'll talk about it next time."
Su An's heart skipped a beat: "Okay."
On the other side, Lin Jun also dropped Jiang Zhao off at his apartment building.
"I'm very happy today," Jiang Zhao said, scratching his head with a flushed face from exercising. "Thank you, Brother Jun, for keeping me company."
Lin Jun looked at him, snowflakes landing on his eyelashes. He suddenly reached out and gently brushed the snow off Jiang Zhao's shoulder: "If you want to go out and play in the future, just call me anytime."
Jiang Zhao was stunned for a moment, feeling a slight heat where Lin Jun had touched him: "Okay, okay!"
Watching Jiang Zhao run into the stairwell, Lin Jun's lips curved into a gentle smile.
This Christmas Eve, although the confession didn't happen, the promise of "we'll talk about it next time" was like a seed quietly planted in the snow. And another relationship was quietly growing amidst the noise and companionship.
The snow fell silently, covering the city's hustle and bustle, but it couldn't conceal the emotions surging in the hearts of the young people. All that was left unfinished was for a better beginning next time.
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