The last art festival
The June evening breeze, carrying the scent of gardenias, blew the curtains at the auditorium window. The lights on the stage slowly lit up, illuminating Lin Weixi's slightly trembling fingers. Standing in the shadows backstage, she could hear the noisy voices coming from the audience - this was the last art festival of her high school years.
"Weixi, are you ready?" Shen Siyu helped her adjust the hem of her skirt, her voice filled with excitement. "Your work will be the finale of the exhibition."
Lin Weixi nodded, but her eyes drifted involuntarily towards the audience. In the third row, near the aisle, Chen Wang was talking to Zhou Xu in a low voice. He was wearing a simple white shirt, with his sleeves casually rolled up to his elbows, revealing his tanned forearms.
A month ago, when the notice for the art festival call for entries was posted, Lin Weixi hesitated for a long time. It was Chen Wang's casual remark when handing in his homework, "The photos you took should be entered into a competition," that made her finally fill out the registration form.
At this moment, her photograph, meticulously framed, hangs on a wall at the side of the auditorium. It's a night scene of a basketball court, deserted, the moonlight casting a silver rim on the rim. In the corner, a shadowy figure shoots a basketball—a mark she secretly left behind, a secret known only to herself.
"Next, please enjoy the photography exhibition of Lin Weixi from Class 2 (3) of Senior High School." The host's voice brought her back to her senses.
The lights dimmed, and a spotlight shone on her work. A faint murmur rose from the audience, and she could hear someone whispering in admiration. The dean nodded slightly, and the seniors from the photography club raised their cameras and began snapping away.
But her gaze remained fixed on the figure in the third row. Chen Wang sat up straight, staring intently at the photo, a slight smile forming at the corner of her mouth. This discovery made her heartbeat accelerate.
The presentation ended with a wave of applause. When Lin Weixi bowed to express her gratitude, she saw Chen Wang clapping vigorously. Zhou Xu whispered something in his ear, and they both laughed.
After the party, the crowd rushed to the door. Lin Weixi deliberately stayed backstage to pack up the equipment, stalling for time. When she finally walked out of the auditorium with her camera and tripod, the moonlight had already filled the playground.
“It was a great shot.”
Chen Wang's voice came from under the ginkgo tree. He was leaning against the trunk, holding two cans of soda in his hand, and handed her one.
"Thank you." Lin Weixi took the soda, and the cool touch came from her fingertips.
They walked side by side on the playground, their shadows stretched long by the moonlight. On the early summer night, the air was filled with the faint fragrance of flowers. Lin Weixi secretly looked at Chen Wang beside her. He was drinking soda with his head tilted back, his Adam's apple rolling up and down as he swallowed.
"Actually, I noticed a detail." Chen Wang said suddenly.
Lin Weixi's heart skipped a beat.
"There's a very small figure in the lower right corner of that photo." He turned his head, his eyes bright in the moonlight. "Did you leave that there on purpose?"
Lin Weixi's face instantly burned. She didn't expect him to notice this detail, let alone ask it directly.
"Yeah," she admitted softly, her fingers unconsciously tightening around the soda can.
Chen Wang smiled and did not continue to ask. This tacit silence moved Lin Weixi more than any words.
When he reached the fork in the road near the teaching building, Chen Wang stopped and said, "My sister has surgery next Wednesday, so I might need a few days off."
"Is it serious?" Lin Weixi asked with concern.
"It's a routine surgery, but I need someone to accompany me." He shook his head and gave a soothing smile. "I might have to wait a while before I can receive the art festival certificate."
These words made Lin Weixi freeze in place. How could he know that she could win the award?
On Wednesday afternoon, the list of winners was posted. Lin Weixi's "Moonlight Stadium" won first prize in the photography category. Chen Siyu excitedly pulled her to receive the award, but she hesitated.
"Let's wait until Chen Wang comes back." She said softly.
This decision made Shen Siyu's eyes widen: "Wei Xi, are you okay? This is the award you have been looking forward to for a long time!"
But she insisted on waiting. Every day after school, she would check the bulletin board to make sure the list of winners was still there. As her classmates collected their certificates, only hers remained in the Academic Affairs Office.
A week later, Chen Wang finally returned. During break, he stopped her in the hallway and said, "After school this afternoon, I'll go with you to receive your award."
When the teacher from the Academic Affairs Office handed her the certificate, he smiled and said, "I've waited so long, I thought you didn't want it anymore."
Lin Weixi carefully rolled up the certificate and tied it with a ribbon. As they walked out of the Academic Affairs Office, the setting sun cast their shadows on the corridor.
"Why are you waiting for me?" Chen Wang suddenly asked.
Lin Weixi lowered her head, her voice as soft as a whisper: "Because...you said you would come with me."
This answer left both of them silent. When they reached the school gate, Chen Wang pulled out a small box from his schoolbag: "This is for you, to celebrate your award."
Inside the box is an exquisite camera-shaped keychain, with the lens part being a small piece of amber.
"Thank you." Lin Weixi gripped the keychain tightly, feeling the amber slightly warm in her palm.
That night, she posted a program for the art festival in her diary and wrote next to it:
"He said he noticed the small figure in the photo. It turned out that he had discovered the secret I had carefully hidden a long time ago. But this discovery did not embarrass me. Instead, I felt a sweet sense of being cherished."
Closing the diary, the moon outside the window was full. Lin Weixi thought of the moonlight tonight, which was so similar to the moonlight in the photo at the art festival.
This summer, thanks to an art festival, has become exceptionally bright, and certain thoughts, like shadows under the moonlight, have gradually become clearer.
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