Chapter 18
The June sun had already taken on a scorching heat. Outside the Gaokao exam hall, cordons were drawn, parents waited eagerly, and a silent tension hung in the air. When the bell finally rang, signaling the end of the exam, and the crowds streamed out, a riot of emotions erupted—cries of relief, tears of joyful embrace, and silent relief.
Ling Peng emerged with the crowd, his expression expressionless, his eyes narrowed slightly to adjust to the glaring sunlight. Zhang Hao suddenly lunged at him from behind, throwing his arms around his neck. "Brother Peng! It's free! We have to stay up all night!" The surrounding internet cafes instantly became popular venues for celebration.
The following days were filled with checking answers, estimating scores, and filling out college applications. Ling Peng's scores were impressive enough that he readily chose the University of Science and Technology, a university renowned for its engineering programs and a favorite of his, to major in Mechanical Manufacturing and Automation. Zhang Hao's grades were also satisfactory, earning him admission to the second-tier University of Economics and Trade. Sun Wei also got accepted to the Sport University, achieving his dream. They all concluded their high school careers with flying colors.
The graduation ceremony was simple and hasty, with everyone wearing their school uniforms for one last time, snapping a photo that captured their youth. Ling Peng stood in the back row, listening to the principal's final words. When he said, "From now on, the world is yours, come home often," his gaze swept across the campus earnestly, as if solemnly bidding farewell.
Basketball court, laboratory building, teaching building... His gaze fell on the area across from him, housing the third-grade classes. Those figures, wearing the same uniforms, yet appearing younger, were making final preparations for the upcoming high school entrance exam. He thought of the girl, probably also in her final sprint. A faint thought flashed through his mind: She should do well. Then, the photographer called out, "Look here!" He retracted his gaze and smiled at the camera, a relaxed yet slightly sentimental smile typical of a graduate.
Without any deliberate farewell, high school life ended hastily but realistically amidst a pile of torn test papers, school uniforms covered with messages, and a noisy farewell dinner.
In September, university began. The school was in the same city, not too far from home. It was a completely new environment, and everything felt new and exciting. Ling Peng quickly adapted to university life. He joined the college basketball club and, with his solid foundation, quickly became a key player. The four boys in his dormitory, from all over the country, quickly became close friends, often playing games and chatting late into the night. The coursework was naturally more demanding than in high school, but he relished it.
On the day of the welcome party, the auditorium was packed. The performances continued one after another, and the atmosphere was lively. When a group of students in hip-hop costumes took the stage and the music started, Ling Peng was stunned.
That melody was clearly the same one that the boys had clumsily performed at the New Year's Day party two years ago.
The seniors on the stage danced professionally, coolly, and powerfully, drawing constant screams from the audience.
As Ling Peng watched, another picture inexplicably emerged in front of his eyes: a little girl with a ponytail and a serious face, frowning, clapping her hands and feet, and correcting their movements over and over again.
"Relax your wrists!"
"Find the feeling of dribbling!"
Her voice and the serious yet somewhat cute little teacher's appearance strangely overlapped with the intense music in front of them.
He suddenly felt that with the focus and understanding of the movements she had shown when she taught them, if she continued dancing, her level would probably be no worse than those students on the stage. Well, I wonder how that talented kid did in the exam later.
This thought distracted him for a few seconds, and the corners of his mouth curled up unconsciously, a pure, unadulterated nostalgia for a distant past.
The music ended, and there was thunderous applause. Ling Peng also clapped vigorously.
Then, he collected his thoughts and discussed his next project with his roommate. A new life unfolded before him like a vaster canvas, filled with endless possibilities and challenges. That fragment of memory, about high school, about a certain little girl, twinkled quietly like a tiny star in his dazzling new world. Beautiful, but already a thing of the past.
The pressure of the high school entrance exam was no less than the college entrance exam. Zhao Jinglu buried herself in a mountain of books and a sea of exam questions. When she finally put down her pen in the exam room, she felt a sense of peace. She had tried her best.
The days of waiting for the results were agonizing and long. When she finally saw the number on her report card—507, firmly above the admission score for her school's high school division—she nearly jumped for joy. Her parents rewarded her with a new Nokia phone: a slider with a color screen and a cute charm. It was her first phone of her life, and she couldn't let it go, carefully saving her friends' numbers.
At the graduation ceremony, the atmosphere of the third year of junior high school was more melancholic than that of the third year of high school. Everyone signed their uniforms, promising to get into college together. Zhao Jinglu also got signatures from Zhou Nan, and even Su Xiaowen, Li Yuanyuan, and Wang Yufei in the yearbook—with the passage of time and the impending separation, those sharp contradictions seemed to have been smoothed out. While they could never go back to the way they were, at least a semblance of peace and the basic etiquette of farewell were maintained. They all knew that Zhao Jinglu and Zhou Nan were going straight to the same school, Su Xiaowen went to another key school in the district, and Li Yuanyuan and Wang Yufei were admitted to different schools. The crossroads of youth had quietly arrived.
She hadn't specifically inquired about any news regarding her senior year. It was only on graduation day, watching the revelry of her seniors, that a faint sense of melancholy crossed her heart. He must have gotten into a good university, right? That's great, she thought. This period of unspoken, secret attention ended here, just right. He became a special, blurry silhouette in her youth album.
In September, high school began. Zhao Jinglu, carrying her new schoolbag, returned to the familiar main campus, but her status had changed. She was no longer in the dance specialty class, but had been assigned to a respectable general class based on her high school entrance exam scores. Finally, there were male students in the class, and the sounds of playful banter and laughter during recess were much more lively than before.
She wasn't assigned to the same class as Zhou Nan, but she quickly made new friends, the boys sitting around her, both sides of her, and fell back into her familiar routine. She'd hang out with the other girls at the school's food stall, discussing the handsome new physics teacher, exchanging Ming Xiaoxi's latest novel, and complaining about the sudden increase in homework. Occasionally, she'd pass by the rehearsal room, sometimes glancing inside without realizing it, before continuing on her way to her own class.
Life seemed to have been reset, paving a new, smooth path. All her memories of Ling Peng, along with that period of isolation and distress, were carefully stored away. She would occasionally think of his broad, sunny smile, and her heart would warm, but it was more like reminiscing about an old item, with a sense of nostalgia, but no longer a lingering obsession.
She was working hard, striding forward towards her new life. The sun that once illuminated her path had fulfilled its mission. Now, she needed to shine on her own.
That period of secret attention that no one knew about ended with the regret of passing by each other.
It quietly took root and grew into a silent yearning.
She had carefully collected every moment of chance encounter, and had also folded her thoughts into a paper boat that no one knew about.
Between admiration and loss, she touched for the first time the original sweet and sour feeling of liking someone.
And he, the distant star that seemed to be filled with all the light, finally turned into a clear and ordinary young boy's back in her gradually expanding world.
——What filled this period of time?
——It is the silent awakening of insects, the tiny light, and the clumsy mark, and in the end, it all turns into the power to grow towards the sun.
(End of Part 1)
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