Collapse and comfort
The May wind carried the parched heat of early summer, and the air in the classroom was thick and suffocating. The countdown clock on the blackboard had turned a bright red "38," and test papers from various subjects piled up on everyone's desk like a never-ending stream of snowflakes.
Lin Weixi stared at the math practice test that had just been handed out. The "92" circled in red was like a heavy hammer, hitting her eyes black. The class average score was 108, and she didn't even pass. The voice of the teacher analyzing the test papers on the podium became indistinct. She only saw her name on the report card constantly falling, and she had fallen out of the top 100 in the grade.
The bell for recess was like salvation. The students all stood up and started moving around, but Lin Weixi felt like she was nailed to her seat. She clutched the test paper tightly, her nails scratching deep marks on the score.
"Wei Xi, do you want to get some water?" Chen Siyu asked.
She shook her head, her throat tight and unable to speak.
My gaze drifted uncontrollably out the window. In the corridor of Class 4, Chen Wang was chatting and laughing with a few recommended students. He held the admissions brochure of a top university in his hand. The sunlight fell on his relaxed brow, so relaxed, so distant.
The physics class representative began handing out the competition papers from the day before yesterday. When the paper covered with big red crosses landed lightly on the table, Lin Weixi finally broke down. 58 points—she stayed up all night to practice until two in the morning, but in return she got a lower score than last time.
Tears welled up without warning. She hurriedly lowered her head and pretended to pick up her pen, but her tears had already dripped onto the paper, smearing the ink. She bit her lip hard to stop herself from crying out loud, but her shoulders couldn't help shaking.
The school bell rang as a relief. Lin Weixi was the first to rush out of the classroom, almost running to the rooftop of the teaching building. The early summer evening breeze was warm, but she felt cold all over. Lying on the railing, watching the figures running and laughing on the playground below, she finally couldn't help but burst into tears.
Why was it so difficult? Why, despite her best efforts, could she still barely reach the starting point of others? Those formulas and theorems seemed to be deliberately working against her; no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't grasp them. Yet, some people could so easily move towards a bright future...
When footsteps sounded behind her, she hurriedly wiped away her tears, but she couldn't wipe them away.
"Lin Weixi?"
Chen Wang's voice made her freeze. She didn't dare turn around, afraid that he would see her in such a state of disarray.
A school uniform jacket, still warm from her body temperature, was gently draped over her shoulders. Chen Wang didn't ask anything, but silently handed her a packet of tissues. Then, together with her, they leaned against the railing, gazing at the lights of thousands of homes gradually lighting up in the distance.
"In my first physics competition," he suddenly said, "I only won third prize."
Lin Weixi was stunned and forgot to continue wiping her tears.
"At that time, I felt like a complete failure. I hid in the equipment room and cried for an entire afternoon." Chen Wang smiled and looked into the distance. "Later, my coach came to me and said that failure is not the end, but rather a sign that you need to change your approach."
He turned to face her, his eyes serious. "Your liberal arts grades are excellent, and your essays are always exemplary. Why do you have to force yourself to take a path you're not good at?"
This sentence was like a key, opening the tightly closed gate in Lin Weixi's heart. She choked and said the words she had been holding back for too long: "Because... I want to go to the same university with you..."
She regretted her words immediately and hurriedly lowered her head. The rooftop was so quiet that only the sound of the wind could be heard.
After a long while, Chen Wang said softly: "But Lin Weixi, you should go to the place that suits you best. Instead of forcing yourself to reach an unsuitable goal."
He pointed in different directions in the distance and said, "Look, there are so many universities in this city, each with its own unique brilliance. You deserve to shine where you belong, instead of living in my shadow."
These words were like warm spring water, slowly melting the ice in her heart. The setting sun finally sank below the horizon, and the sky was covered with purple and red sunset glow.
"Let's go," Chen Wang took the coat that had slipped off her shoulders, "I'll treat you to milk tea. I heard that sweets can improve your mood."
In the milk tea shop, Chen Wang ordered two cups of signature pearl milk tea and specifically asked the waiter to add an extra portion of sugar to her cup. Sitting by the window, stirring the brown liquid with a straw, Lin Weixi's mood miraculously calmed down.
"Actually," Chen Wang said suddenly, "I envy you."
She looked up in surprise.
"The photos you take are so heartwarming, and the words you write can move so many people. These are talents that many people can't even ask for." He took a sip of milk tea, revealing those familiar dimples, "And I can only solve math problems."
On the way back to school, the street lights were already on, and our shadows stretched and shortened, like dancing musical notes.
"Thank you." Lin Weixi said softly before they parted in the teaching building.
Chen Wang shook his head: "Come on, you can do it."
That night, Lin Weixi drew a rainbow in her diary and wrote below:
"Today I finally understand that true love isn't about forcing yourself to be like the other person, but about bravely being the best version of yourself. He's right, we all have our own light. Maybe we don't shine in the same place, but at least we've illuminated each other's night sky."
She closed her diary and took out a brand new composition book. Her pen moved smoothly across the paper, and those long-repressed emotions finally found an outlet.
The moonlight outside the window is just right, just like her heart which is gradually becoming brighter.
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