Chapter 11. Goodbye then, the next one will be even better. ...
Jiang Muzhou withdrew his hand that was about to help, tapped the steering wheel twice, and let out a barely audible sigh: "It's a pity, we don't have that problem yet."
Su Cheng didn't quite understand the meaning of the word "temporarily." Did it mean that they had entered a "cooling-off period after the breakup"?
The car slowly drove out of the underground parking garage. Although the air conditioning inside the car was on full blast, the summer sun still made it feel a bit stuffy.
The silence in the car while waiting at the red light made her a little uncomfortable. She hesitated for a moment, then continued the conversation by asking, "Is it because of the long-distance relationship?"
"No." His long, slender fingers tightened their grip on the steering wheel.
He saw Su Cheng looking down at her phone in the rearview mirror, and his voice unconsciously lowered a few decibels: "It seems like she doesn't have any feelings for me."
Wow.
Su Cheng's ears twitched slightly, and her fingers, which were typing, suddenly stopped. She looked up and stared at Jiang Muzhou's profile with some surprise, as if she had just heard a shocking piece of gossip.
She was speechless for a moment, unsure of what to say. She remembered her college roommate's catchphrase after every breakup, and mimicked that lighthearted tone, saying, "Goodbye is goodbye, the next one will be better."
Jiang Muzhou simply shook his head slightly after hearing this, a helpless smile playing on his lips, and said nothing.
Su Cheng pursed her lips. She really wasn't good at comforting people. If words weren't enough, she'd just donate the money to those in need.
Linhai No. 1 Middle School is not far from where they live; it only takes ten minutes by car.
Su Cheng saw Xu Zhisui pacing back and forth at the school gate from afar. She thanked Jiang Muzhou and jumped out of the car like a cat.
Hearing the noise, Xu Zhisui looked towards Su Cheng. Through the crack in the car door that was not yet fully closed, a handsome profile flashed by.
Xu Zhisui's pupils lit up as she sensed an unusual, ambiguous atmosphere in the air.
Her intuition told her that the man in the driver's seat was Jiang Muzhou.
She pulled Su Cheng into a tight hug, her gossip radar activated, "Come on, tell me the truth! What's going on between you two?"
"Huh?" Su Cheng was taken aback by her question, blinking blankly. "Who two?"
During the summer vacation, the school has no regular teaching schedule. To facilitate exercise for nearby residents, the school has specially opened its basketball courts, gymnasiums, and other sports facilities to the public. As long as you register your personal information at the gate, you can enjoy the sports facilities on campus.
Xu Zhisui linked arms with Su Cheng and walked side by side on campus.
"Don't play dumb, I saw it all just now. Isn't that handsome guy in the Land Rover Jiang Muzhou?" She nudged Su Cheng lightly with her shoulder. "You're such a man of action, you've already won over the academic genius so quickly. It seems like you two should go together to find those youthful memories."
"Stop, stop!" Su Cheng quickly waved her hand. "I just found out that she has a white moonlight in her heart that she loves but can't have."
Xu Zhisui's face showed the exact same shocked expression as Su Cheng's five minutes ago, "My God! Handsome, rich, academically excellent, and love-struck? He's simply the best of the best."
She leaned closer to Su Cheng, chuckling mischievously as she urged, "Didn't you ask him? There are plenty of fish in the sea, why not give the grass near your nest a try?"
Su Cheng rolled her eyes at her.
I glanced at the time. There was still some time before my appointment with Shen Siqi at 12:30. I really didn't know why he chose to propose under the midday sun.
The two decided to take a walk in the shady teaching building first.
There's a curse on their graduating class: no sooner has she graduated than the school starts a massive construction project.
The year Su Cheng graduated from junior high school, her alma mater underwent a complete renovation. Not only were all the facilities brand new, but even the classrooms were equipped with air conditioning, something she had always dreamed of. After graduating from high school, Linhai No. 1 Middle School was also renovated. A new "Hall of Honor" was built in the lobby of the teaching building, showcasing a list of outstanding students from the past ten years, ostensibly to "learn from the virtuous" and inspire students to strive harder.
They walked slowly through the three exhibition areas and stopped in front of the list of outstanding graduates from their own graduating class.
The thirty names on the list were divided into three tiers, with the bottom 11-30 only having a small ID photo, the university they were admitted to, and a brief statement.
Su Cheng's name was listed last, and the photo used was the one from when she registered on the China Higher Education Student Information System (CHESICC). She had shoulder-length short hair, thick glasses, and a face that looked haggard from being overwhelmed by a sea of practice questions.
What do you mean by "the way she came from"? This is her dark history.
Those ranked 4th to 10th received more prominent positions, their photos were enlarged by twice the size, and their testimonials were given more space.
The top three at the very top enjoy true honor, with large photos of their lives alongside a dense list of awards they've received, along with study tips carefully selected by top students.
The central C position belongs to Jiang Muzhou, the only person to gain admission to Tsinghua and Peking Universities back then.
The boy in the photo is wearing a neat white shirt, with an upright posture and high spirits.
His eyes were bright, as if reflecting the sun, moon and stars.
Su Cheng's fingertips unconsciously touched the cabinet door. Her face was reflected in the glass, superimposed on his photo, just like how she always followed him at a perfect distance back then.
He always had a smooth and successful career.
Amidst the envious glances of others, he seemed born to stand on the podium, destined never to fail.
But those who are expected to achieve great things must also live a very tiring life.
"Jiang Muzhou" is not just his name, but also a synonym for perfection. His life is like a finely tuned machine, with every gear running perfectly on its predetermined track. Under the glory of being the center of attention, there is no room for even the slightest misstep.
Perhaps it was this weight that ultimately led him to choose to make documentaries. Those unadorned mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas, those real and vibrant lives, represented the freedom that his soul truly yearned for. Within the viewfinder, he could finally temporarily remove his mask of perfection and be an ordinary person who was allowed to have flaws.
"Do you think Jiang Muzhou's white moonlight might be her?" Xu Zhisui leaned closer, her fingertip lightly tapping the Dragon and Tiger Ranking, right next to Jiang Muzhou's second place.
Su Cheng remembered her; she was Jiang Muzhou's deskmate in the innovation class. When the corridor was packed with people, she didn't even look up, but simply covered her ears and focused on doing her exercises.
Su Cheng wanted to recall more details of his time with his deskmate, but found that many memories had become blurred over the years.
Seeing that it was almost 12:30, she casually suggested, "Shall we go for a walk on the basketball court?"
"Tsk tsk, still saying you have no feelings for Jiang Muzhou." Xu Zhisui revealed a meaningful smile and gently nudged Su Cheng's shoulder. "I've heard of the No. 1 High School's rebounding king. Now you suddenly want to go to the basketball court, are you looking for a substitute?"
"Yes, yes, yes." To ensure that Shen Siqi's plan would proceed smoothly, she had no choice but to nod repeatedly, which was actually a triple affirmation to express her denial.
On the basketball court, the neatly arranged jerseys stood out brightly in the sunlight, and the boys' running figures cast crisscrossing shadows on the rubberized surface.
Xu Zhisui raised her hand to shield her eyes from the glaring sunlight, her fingertips casting a shadow on her brow bone. She squinted slightly and said half-jokingly, "Let me see if anyone can compare to Jiang University's genius."
A tall, slender figure calmly leaped from beyond the three-point line, the basketball arcing precisely in a parabola before swishing through the net.
Xu Zhisui was applauding and cheering for the wonderful goal when she saw a very familiar figure leading the players on the field toward her.
Seeing the opportunity, Su Cheng took out a white veil she had prepared from her bag, skillfully tucked it into Xu Zhisui's hair, and quickly stepped aside to start recording with her phone.
Before Xu Zhisui could react, Shen Siqi had already knelt down in front of her on one knee, with six boys wearing the same style of jersey standing neatly behind him.
Chen Siqi's jersey was mostly soaked with sweat, and his chest rose and fell with his rapid breathing.
To Xu Zhisui's astonishment, the orange basketball transformed in his palm, magically blooming into a bouquet of vibrant red roses.
As Chen Siqi made his move, the players behind him turned their backs in unison. Where the player numbers should have been printed on the back of their jerseys, six Chinese characters were printed: Xu, Zhi, Sui, Jia, Gei, Wo!
"Zhizhi, you said that boys who play basketball look especially cool when they shoot, while volleyball players always look disheveled. So I secretly practiced basketball for a long time, and now I can make nine out of ten three-pointers."
Chen Siqi carefully pulled a ring out from among the rose petals.
"Actually, what I want to say is that it's not just basketball. Everything you love will become the most important thing in my life. What you love is what I pursue, and what you expect is what I strive to achieve. So, Zhizhi, are you willing to give me this opportunity to spend the rest of my life fulfilling all your wishes?"
He slowly raised his arm, the silver-white diamond ring trembling slightly on his fingertip. "Xu Zhisui, will you marry me?"
Xu Zhisui's eyes instantly welled up with tears, her long eyelashes trembling slightly. She thought she was already prepared for this moment, but when he knelt on one knee and poured out his heart, her tears still streamed down her face uncontrollably.
She nodded, extended her left hand, and felt the warmth of the ring against her fingertip, as it slid inch by inch toward the base of her ring finger.
Chen Siqi stood up excitedly, the bright red "Good" on the front of his jersey standing out prominently in the sunlight.
It turns out he had already been wearing her answer on his body all along.
“Silly boy, I don’t hate volleyball.” Xu Zhisui threw herself into his arms, her voice choked with sobs, “It’s just that every time I see you fall and get bruised all over while trying to save the ball, it breaks my heart.”
She looked up, her eyes sparkling, "Just be yourself, and you'll be my favorite Shen Siqi."
Xu Zhisui and Shen Siqi walked arm in arm toward the volleyball court, a place that holds many of their youthful memories.
Seeing the lovers finally united, Su Cheng's eyes welled up with tears. The crowd dispersed tacitly, not wanting to disturb their time together.
Su Cheng lowered her head to wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes, and was about to leave when a tall boy in a basketball uniform jogged towards her.
"Su Cheng? Long time no see!" The boy greeted her with a bright and friendly smile. "I'm Zhou Yu, my deskmate with A Qi in our senior year of high school, remember?"
Su Cheng nodded politely, but her mind was completely blank.
“I saw a shaved ice shop near the school gate when I came here. Do you want to go try it together?” After saying that, Zhou Yu lowered his head shyly and added in a low voice, “You’re even prettier than you were in high school.”
"Thank you." Su Cheng smiled, pursing her lips. To be honest, her features hadn't changed much since high school; it's just that back then, she was so focused on studying that she didn't have time to dress up. After entering university, she had more free time, so she started paying attention to skincare, practicing her posture, taking off her glasses, and growing her hair long. These small changes, combined, definitely made her more eye-catching than she had in high school.
However, the hangover left her sore all over, and all she wanted to do was go home and lie down. She had no interest in shaved ice, and even less interest in Zhou Yu.
She pondered an excuse to decline, turning her face slightly to avoid Zhou Yu's burning gaze, but caught a familiar figure out of the corner of her eye.
Next to the basketball hoop, the man who had been standing behind the camera packed up his tripod and was walking towards them.
Her gaze remained fixed on him, watching him approach step by step until he stopped in front of them.
Jiang Muzhou's gaze went straight past Zhou Yu and landed on Su Cheng.
A slight smile played on his lips, a gentle glint in his eyes. "Didn't we say we'd have dinner together tonight?"
A note from the author:
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