A confession of determination
The hustle and bustle of the art festival gradually faded away, and the campus was once again shrouded in the tense atmosphere of the final exams. But in Lin Weixi's heart, she was brewing a decision that made her more nervous than any other exam.
The idea, like a seed, quietly sprouted under the moonlight that night at the art festival. When she saw Chen Wang notice the tiny figure in the photo, when she heard him say, "I'll accept the award with you," and when she tightened her grip on the camera keychain—the seed had burst forth.
"I'm going to tell him."
This decision shocked even her. But once it took root, it grew like a vine, entwining her every thought.
She began preparing secretly. On the last page of her diary, she wrote and crossed out countless opening remarks. Too direct would scare him, too subtle and she was afraid he wouldn't understand. In the end, she decided to say nothing, just give him a gift—a carefully crafted photo album.
Every page of the album contained a moment she had secretly captured. A leaping figure on the basketball court, a profile of someone bent over their homework in the classroom, a back view of someone searching for a book among the library shelves... Each one was labeled with a date and a simple feeling. The last photo was of the moonlit night of the Art Festival, with the words written on the back: "Thank you for being the brightest light in my youth."
The process of preparing the gift was like a sweet torture. She chose the simplest kraft paper wrapping and tied it with a dark blue ribbon—his favorite color. Every night, she would take out the wrapped gift, examine it for a moment, and then carefully hide it deep in the drawer.
The opportunity came faster than she expected. On the day after the final exams, the class went on an outing. On the bus, Shen Siyu leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Wei Xi, you've been covering your schoolbag all day. What treasure is hidden in it?"
Lin Weixi shook her head, her palms sweating. The gift was in the innermost layer of the schoolbag, and the wrapping paper had become slightly fuzzy from her touch.
The outing took place in a forest park on the outskirts of the city. The early summer sun cast dappled shadows through the leaves, and the students dispersed in groups of three or four to play. Lin Weixi deliberately fell behind the group, watching Chen Wang and a few other boys walk in front. He was wearing a light blue T-shirt today, and his back was particularly clear in the sunlight.
"Wei Xi, let's go over there and take some pictures!" Chen Siyu pulled her to walk in another direction.
Lin Weixi gently broke free: "You guys go first, I...I have something to do."
Her eyes followed the blue figure as he walked alone down the path to the lake. Her heart pounded like a drum; now was the time.
The lake was shimmering with light. Chen Wang leaned on the railing, gazing at the mountains in the distance. When Lin Weixi approached, the sound of her footsteps startled him.
"It's you." He turned around with a faint smile on his face.
The sunlight danced on his eyelashes, and the dimple on his face was faintly visible. Lin Weixi suddenly found it difficult to breathe.
"I have something to give you." She heard her voice tremble.
I took out the gift I had prepared for so long from my schoolbag, and my fingers were trembling as I handed it over.
Chen Wang took it with some surprise: "What is this?"
"Let's go back and watch." Lin Weixi said, turned around and ran away. She was afraid that if she stayed for another second, she would lose control and say more of the words hidden in her heart.
She ran quite far before she dared to look back. Chen Wang was still standing there, looking down at the gift in his hand, his profile looking particularly gentle in the backlight.
On the bus back home, Lin Weixi deliberately chose a seat far away from him. The scenery outside the window quickly receded, but her heart was hanging in the air. Would he understand? How would he react? Would he think she was weird?
Occasionally, she would catch a glimpse of Chen Wang's profile in the rearview mirror. He was leaning against the car window, seemingly looking out, or perhaps lost in thought. The gift wrapped in brown paper lay beside him.
The next day, when she returned to school to receive her report card, Lin Weixi kept her head down. She didn't dare look at Chen Wang, fearing that she would see any heartbreaking emotion in his eyes. When the report card came out, she didn't even notice that she had improved by ten places.
"Wei Xi, congratulations!" Shen Siyu shook her arm, "You did so well in the exam this time!"
She forced a smile, but her eyes unconsciously searched for that figure. Chen Wang was talking to the teacher, with a soft profile. When his eyes swept over here, Lin Weixi hurriedly lowered her head.
The school bell rang and the students left one after another. Lin Weixi packed her schoolbag slowly, hoping to wait until everyone had left before leaving. When she finally mustered up the courage to look up, she found that Chen Wang's seat was empty.
Feeling lost, she picked up her bag and walked out of the classroom. However, as she turned the corner in the corridor, she almost bumped into a warm embrace.
"Are you looking for me?" Chen Wang leaned against the wall, holding the opened photo album in his hand.
Lin Weixi's face instantly burned.
He flipped open the first page of the album and pointed to the photo of the basketball court. "This was the day of the league finals in my sophomore year, right? You actually took a picture of it."
Turning the page, she saw a profile of him sleeping in the library: "I don't even know when this picture was taken."
Finally, he stopped at the page that read "Moonlight at the Art Festival," and gently stroked the words with his fingers. After a long moment, he closed the album and looked up at her.
"Lin Weixi," his voice was very soft, but it exploded like thunder in her heart, "Thank you."
Just like that? Nothing more? Lin Weixi's heart slowly sank. She forced a smile: "You're welcome."
As she turned to leave, Chen Wang grabbed her wrist, and the touch made her tremble all over.
"It's not that I don't understand," he said softly, his ears slightly red, "It's just... I need some time."
These words were like magic, lighting up the whole world. Lin Weixi raised her head and met his gentle gaze. Those eyes that always smiled were now filled with a seriousness she had never seen before.
"Okay," she heard herself answer.
When they walked out of the school gate, the sunset was just right. Lin Weixi looked back and saw Chen Wang still standing in the corridor, waving at her. That scene was very similar to a page in her photo album.
That night, she wrote only one sentence in her diary:
“It turns out that if you are braver, the world will be different.”
The stars outside the window are just like the light in her heart at this moment.
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