"Come on, come on. Hurry up and sit down. You two are the only ones missing," Xie Wanyu said with a bright smile, waving her hand. Jiang Xiubin got up to pour them two cups of tea.
Lin Jinran held the warm teacup in her hand, took a small sip, and then looked at her long - time no - see friends.
Tao Wan was much darker than before, but her eyes were shining brightly, full of vigor. Wearing the simplest T - shirt and shorts, her overall aura was completely different, with a kind of neutral and tough beauty.
Lu Youchuan was still the same as before. He always had a big smile on his face. Free from the shackles of school uniforms, his dressing style became even more casual, showing a calmness that came with the passage of time.
"Why do our bride and groom still have time to hang out with us today? You're getting married officially tomorrow," Lu Youchuan said as he plopped down on the seat, finished the tea in his cup, and then poured himself another one. "You two are the first ones in our group to get married."
Xie Wanyu shook her head helplessly. "We're almost thirty. Our families have been pressuring us a lot."
"Jinran, I can't believe that in my lifetime, I can see the CP I've been shipping sitting right in front of me. I'm the happiest woman in the world!" Tao Wan winked at Lin Jinran sincerely.
Lin Jinran laughed and threw a pillow at her. "You're also a high - school classmate of the CP you're shipping. Why don't you mention that?"
"After our last chat, I quickly caught up on the details. Hehe. I have to say, Brother Su and Sister Lin are a perfect match. I'd feel sorry for you if you two didn't get together," Lu Youchuan chimed in, in a great mood.
Su Qinian was chatting with Jiang Xiubin beside them, while Xie Wanyu chatted with this group for a while and then with that group.
The soft light hanging from the ceiling in the room, and the delicate fragrance of tea was spreading in the air. A few friends were gathered together, chatting about everything.
Lin Jinran kept smiling, and a thin layer of mist appeared in her eyes. This was a scene she didn't dare to hope for in the past ten years. It was too beautiful and too happy.
As time ticked by, the lively gathering finally came to an end. Everyone knew that Xie Wanyu and Jiang Xiubin needed to get up early to prepare for the wedding the next day, so they all got up to say goodbye.
Su Qinian knew the wedding hotel, so he took Lin Jinran to check in.
The afterglow of the setting sun scattered like broken gold. Lin Jinran got the room card and stared out of the window. It seemed as if she had returned to that year.
In the midsummer, the cicadas were singing. The lazy evening glow shone through the window panes onto the boring exam questions. The gears of their fate were quietly turning.
"I haven't been back to No. 1 Middle School for a long time," Lin Jinran sighed.
Su Qinian raised his eyebrows. "How about we go to No. 1 Middle School now? The students are just starting their evening self - study at this time."
Lin Jinran readily agreed. Half an hour later, they arrived at No. 1 Middle School.
They reported the name of a school teacher and smoothly entered the campus.
As the sky was getting darker, there were few people on the campus. Following their old memories, Lin Jinran and Su Qinian came to the teaching building where they used to study.
"This building is for the sophomore students now," Su Qinian whispered, explaining the changes in the school over the years.
Lin Jinran listened silently.
Because of her fear, she never deliberately inquired about anything related to Wannan City. Before participating in the dating variety show, Wannan City was a taboo place for her.
She squinted her eyes and looked at the rooftop at the top. Suddenly, she said, "Su Qinian, let's go up and see if the chalk words we wrote back then are still there."
"They are. They must be," Su Qinian said confidently, grabbing Lin Jinran's hand and walking towards the nearest stairs.
"Isn't it a bit inappropriate for us to hold hands like this? What if we're caught by the grade director here?" Lin Jinran glanced sideways at the hand that was holding hers and gave a sly smile.
They were wearing masks and simple, neat casual clothes. Their figures and auras were just like they were back in the days. At first glance under the dim light, they really looked like students.
Su Qinian didn't believe it. "It can't be that coincidental."
As soon as he finished speaking, a teacher patrolling the evening self - study at the stair entrance suddenly saw Su Qinian and Lin Jinran holding hands. Pointing at them, he ran over and said, "What are you two doing? Which class are you from? You're not even wearing school uniforms!"
Lin Jinran was shocked. "My crow's mouth. What should we do?"
"We'd better run. Enter from another entrance, go up the stairs, and then shake him off. It'll be a bit troublesome if we're caught," Su Qinian came up with a solution. Looking down at the slightly scared look on the girl's face, he laughed silently. "As public figures, it's really not suitable to be caught."
"Hurry up, hurry up. He's getting closer," Lin Jinran said nervously, hiding behind Su Qinian as she saw the patrolling teacher getting closer and closer.
With the boy's hearty laugh, he grabbed Lin Jinran's arm and trotted towards another entrance.
The warmth from his palm was continuously transmitted. Lin Jinran's cheeks turned slightly red. The long hair blown by the wind fell behind her ears. When she looked up, she saw Su Qinian's firm side profile.
The two stepped into another stairwell in big strides. Using a deception tactic, they finally managed to shake off the patrolling teacher. By then, they had already reached the rooftop, out of breath.
The moon was shining brightly, and a few stars appeared.
A huge wall stood in front of them. Lin Jinran carefully turned on the flashlight on her phone and shone it on the wall covered with chalk graffiti.
"Wen Wan likes Qin Huai. No one knows." Although the strokes were a bit incomplete after years of wind and rain, the words still stubbornly occupied the most prominent place on this rooftop wall.
Lin Jinran sighed. Her gaze shifted slightly downward. There was a new line of words right below "Wen Wan likes Qin Huai. No one knows." It said, "Wen Wan no longer likes Qin Huai. Everyone knows."
An inexplicable sense of sadness welled up. After ten years, the girl's secret feelings had finally come out in the open. Everyone knew. But it was completely different from the excitement when the words were first written.
One was the palpitations of a secret teenage love, and the other was the disillusionment after years of hardship.
Lin Jinran stared silently at the words for a long time without saying a word.
She and Su Qinian were lucky. It wasn't a one - sided crush but a two - way love, and it was also Su Qinian's unwavering perseverance and courage.
Su Qinian followed the girl's gaze and saw the new and old chalk words, representing two different states of mind.
He stood face - to - face with Lin Jinran, put his hands on her shoulders, and gently pressed his forehead against hers. Their breaths mingled with the familiar cedar scent on him. "Ranran, I will never give up on you. You know that."
Lin Jinran reached out her hand to caress his face. Standing on tiptoe, she kissed the corner of Su Qinian's mouth. "I know. I've always known."
Her boy was so easy to coax.
Su Qinian pulled Lin Jinran's hand and led her to a corner of the wall. "Lin Jinran must be admitted to Tsinghua or Peking University" and "Su Qinian must be admitted to Tsinghua or Peking University" had faded and were getting blurry.
"This corner is quite damp. The sun rarely shines here. They've faded so quickly," Lin Jinran said regretfully, shaking her head. "The confession words next to it are still clearly there."
"Shall we write another one? How about 'Su Qinian likes Lin Jinran'?" Su Qinian asked excitedly.