The last days of the second semester of senior year flew by like the wind. The passionate and unruly vines, the classrooms filled with the sound of reading, and the playground echoing with the chirping of cicadas were all imbued with the grandeur of this final stage.
The results of the third joint exam were out. This time, the questions were half as difficult as the previous two times and closer to the difficulty level of the original college entrance exam. Su Qinian and Lin Jinran tied for first place.
During the second - last class on Wednesday afternoon, the golden sunlight flooded the classroom. The piles of test papers and books on the desks fluttered slightly with the creaking sound of the ceiling fan.
Class teacher Zhou Ping stood beside the podium, lavishly praising Su Qinian and Lin Jinran, his eyes almost disappearing into slits with a big smile. Looking at the two of them, he could almost envision them standing side by side on the throne of the provincial top scorer, receiving the admission notices from Tsinghua or Peking University, and then embarking on a more magnificent journey.
"… I know there are many excellent students in our class. Almost half of you can get into Tsinghua or Peking University, and the rest are not far behind. But I hope you can stay true to your original aspirations and forge ahead bravely. In these last days, strive hard and leave no regrets!"
Just as he finished speaking, the bell rang. Zhou Ping glanced at the eager students, shook his head helplessly, and waved his hand. "Next is the tug - of - war between our class and Class 2 next door. The sports committee member will lead you down. I'll come down later to watch the game."
As soon as the class teacher left, the students in the class cheered and rushed to the corridor to line up for the game.
Lin Jinran yawned lazily. She had been so engrossed in doing questions last night that she accidentally stayed up until after three o'clock.
Tug - of - war?
Sorry, she wasn't interested. All she wanted to do now was find a place to catch up on sleep.
The last class every afternoon was the recognized self - study period, and it was also one of the times when Lin Jinran used to recharge her energy.
Su Qinian stood up and saw that the person beside him remained motionless, even squinting and on the verge of falling asleep. He shook his head amusedly and patted her. "Jinran, aren't you leaving yet? If you don't go, the sports committee member will come and urge you."
"I'm so annoyed. I just want to sleep." Lin Jinran muttered, lazily getting up and lining up in the corridor with Su Qinian.
Everyone was present. The sports committee member led them downstairs to the playground, where the students from Class 2 had arrived early and were gathered around the special tug - of - war rope.
Other teams around had already started their games.
When the referee saw that both teams were present, he asked each class to pick up the rope and take their positions. The students in Class 1 just wanted to have some fun and didn't expect to win any prizes.
They didn't make any prior arrangements and just grabbed the rope and stood randomly.
Lin Jinran stood in front of Su Qinian.
She held the rope loosely. The summer wind blew, waking her up a bit. Her ponytail swayed as she craned her neck forward, occasionally tickling Su Qinian's face behind her like a little kitten.
The faint fragrance wafted into his nose. Su Qinian was both amused and helpless. He took a small step back to avoid the hair that was tugging at his heart.
When all the students from both classes were present, the referee grabbed the middle of the rope, glanced left and right, and with a whistle, the rope dropped, and both classes began to exert force.
Class 1 took the lead first. Lin Jinran stood firmly on her feet, tightly grasping the rope with both hands and pulling backward. Her face turned bright red.
The rope inched towards their side.
It was very slow, but victory was in sight.
Lin Jinran stared intently at the colored mark in the middle of the rope. Just as the mark was about to cross the boundary, Class 2 suddenly exerted a great deal of force. The rope was pulled a big step towards their side, and all their previous efforts were in vain.
Lin Jinran was caught off guard and released most of her strength. She stumbled on her feet and swayed forward with the rope.
Su Qinian quickly grabbed Lin Jinran. Lin Jinran hadn't even reacted yet. Being pulled like this, she staggered backward and directly bumped into Su Qinian's chest. The unique fragrance of his body wash filled the air around them, and an ambiguous atmosphere spread over her fair and slender neck.
A tingling sensation spread throughout her body instantly.
Lin Jinran's pupils suddenly widened, and her breathing quickened involuntarily. Her hand that was holding the rope tightened and then loosened, loosened and then tightened.
The impact was a bit strong. Su Qinian gasped and looked down at his dear deskmate. For some reason, she seemed to be frozen by some magic and didn't move at all, rigidly clutching the rope.
"Jinran, why don't you hold the rope tightly? What if you fall later?"
The low and slightly smiling voice fell hotly in Lin Jinran's ear, jolting her back to her senses. She grabbed the rope in a flurry, her eyes flickering, and answered him without much confidence.
"I, I've got it."
The fragrance quickly drifted away from her. Su Qinian felt a bit nostalgic, a bit reluctant, and mostly regretful.
He thought it would be nice if it could last a bit longer.
After a brief pause in the tug - of - war, the students in Class 1 tightened their grip on the rope and pulled backward again.
But they had neither strength nor a strategy. In less than a minute, the students in Class 1 lost this preliminary round.
The referee announced that Class 2 had won. The students in Class 2 cheered and jumped excitedly.
The students in Class 1 weren't discouraged either. The sports committee members of the two classes shook hands amicably.
The class teacher came a bit late and saw this friendly scene where friendship came first and competition second. He comforted the students and then went back to his office.
After the tug - of - war, the students from the two classes went their separate ways to have dinner. Su Qinian and Lin Jinran walked together. Su Qinian felt the slightly bulging pocket in his clothes and curved his lips.
In the pocket was the safety amulet he had retrieved from the temple during the last holiday.
Lin Jinran was walking ahead quickly. Su Qinian hurriedly caught up and patted her on the shoulder. "Jinran, I want to give you something."
"What is it?" Lin Jinran asked curiously, scanning him but not finding anything special.
Su Qinian took out the light - green safety amulet from his pocket and handed it to her, blushing a bit. "This is a safety amulet I made during the winter vacation. Then I left it in the local temple to be blessed day and night. It's been consecrated."
On the left - most corner of the light - green safety amulet were embroidered three letters - LJR, the initials of her name.
Without giving her a chance to refuse, Su Qinian took Lin Jinran's hand and placed the amulet in her palm. His eyes were firm and gentle as he said, "As the name suggests, a safety amulet is for safety. You can put it in your bag or hang it on your zipper as an ornament."
"I'm giving this to you with no other intentions. I just want you to be safe and healthy. That's already the greatest happiness in life. Now I can finally give it to you."
The boy said seriously, his bright eyes filled with devotion.
Love blossoms with the wind. When the wind stops, the longing lingers. The one I love is separated from me by mountains and seas. The mountains and seas seem insurmountable. But there are boats to cross the sea and paths to climb the mountains. The mountains and seas can be overcome, but the heart is the hardest to soothe.