In that instant, a question suddenly popped into his head.
And when he sees himself getting closer and closer to her, isn't he also very happy?
He collapsed onto the bed, too tired to fall asleep even with his eyelids drooping.
His brain was already very tired, but the things on his mind kept him from sleeping.
He seemed to have discovered why he didn't want to sleep: he was too afraid of the night falling. When people are surrounded by quiet, they always tend to overthink, and things that have been lingering in their minds for too long will be brought up again, even if each time it torments them until their chest feels tight and their skin feels raw.
Every night, he would fall asleep listening to the song "Summer Belongs to the Youth" that they sang together. The melody was light and gentle, but he couldn't stop crying when he heard it.
Because that melody holds the promise of a passionate summer, and within that summer, there is a story about a person.
Unfortunately, summer is gone forever, and so are people.
--------------------
Author's Note:
Happy birthday, Ning! (I'm so sorry for torturing me on my birthday)
So I made a little birthday treat as a bonus, which will be posted at 5:20 PM sharp. You can find it on my QQ space and Weibo.
Chapter 98 Raging Tide
Zhengde No.1 Middle School's spring sports meet is always held at the end of spring, right after the midterm exams. Students on the forum post a lot of messages, affectionately calling it: "a slap followed by a sweet date."
The first and second-year high school students had already filled the playground, while the poor third-year students who had just gotten up in the dormitory were all peering out the windows.
High school seniors on the forum affectionately refer to this as: "Watching youth slip away."
Because senior students are ineligible to participate. Many students protested this, but the principal only gave a uniform response: instead of wasting time competing with freshmen and sophomores for first place, you should sleep more and then do more practice problems.
There's been no movement from the senior year of high school.
Su Jinning and her classmates were students in Class A. They got up 20 minutes earlier than the regular senior classes. They had just finished their morning self-study and were bored, so they started watching the game.
Chen Hang stared longingly at the juniors who were warming up, and sighed, "Why is it that all the good things never come to the seniors? These freshmen and sophomores always get the best of everything."
Su Jinning pursed her lips: "The previous graduating class thought the same thing."
"..." Chen Hang.
Song Wenmiao clicked his tongue twice: "This year's first-year high school students are really bad, they're all as small as monkeys." He then pointed to a boy who looked to be only about 1.5 meters tall running at the back: "Do their parents not feed them?"
Su Jinning turned to look at Song Wenmiao and couldn't help but laugh: "Don't talk about him like that. When you first came here, you only came up to my chin. Hahahaha."
Song Wenmiao was particularly indignant after his shortcomings were exposed: "You're the one who's talking about me! You were only 1.7 meters tall back then!"
You're not even 1.7 meters tall!
"My essence is concentrated!"
"Stop!!!" Chen Hang's fire-extinguishing words always came just in time: "A hero doesn't dwell on the past."
Su Jinning, Song Wenmiao: "You were 1.6 meters tall back then!"
Chen Hang: "..."
The three of them stared at each other, then couldn't help but laugh. Su Jinning laughed so hard tears streamed down her face: "Seriously, back then, one of you reached my shoulder and the other my chin. If I took you out, people who didn't know better would think I was raising two sons!"
"Was I really that short back then?" Chen Hang, who is 1.8 meters tall, scratched his head for a long time, still unable to believe it.
"I still remember that after one summer vacation, Lao Song grew ten centimeters. When school started, I almost didn't recognize him." Su Jinning said, and then gave a thumbs up in disbelief.
Song Wenmiao puffed out his chest proudly.
Su Jinning looked Song Wenmiao up and down, then clicked her tongue: "And then it hasn't grown much since that summer vacation."
Song Wenmiao's face fell, while Chen Hang was laughing hysterically.
For high school seniors, perhaps going out for a walk in the breeze during breaks and chatting with their buddies can be a way to relax.
As the shouts echoed across the playground, the three of them were instantly transported back to the late spring of that year.
It feels like it just happened a short while ago, and in the blink of an eye, I've gone from being a participant to an outsider.
Chen Hang suddenly sighed, "If I had known earlier that I wouldn't have the chance to participate in the senior year of high school, I should have signed up for two more projects last year and gone on a crazy adventure."
Su Jinning didn't say anything, but just smiled and put her arm around Chen Hang's shoulder. The three of them looked at the cheerful atmosphere on the playground, secretly reminiscing about that time that would never return.
"If you fall, can't you just get down? Why do you have to be so stubborn?"
"Stop talking nonsense! Do you think I can win if I don't get up and run?"
"Oh, so you feel better after falling like that?"
Su Jinning was drawn by the sound and turned to look at the two high school students who were passing by her. One boy seemed to have fallen while running, and the other boy was helping him walk back to the classroom. Soon after, a large group of his classmates gathered around and carefully inquired about the injured boy, creating a harmonious atmosphere.
People are always prone to being reminded of past events; when something they've experienced suddenly happens before their eyes, they can't help but sigh.
In a daze, Su Jinning seemed to have returned to that late spring. He saw that top student who was fighting desperately for the honor of the class, and the determined expression on his face still made him want to laugh.
He also remembered that night when the stars filled the sky, and the two of them, back to back, completed a piece called "Summer Belongs to Youth" that they had never rehearsed but whose coordination was exceptionally perfect.
The two men stood on the award stage, holding their trophies, attracting the attention of thousands. The crowd below shouted "Huai Jin Wo Yu" (meaning "cherishing virtue and holding a feather") in unison, creating the most enthusiastic opening of that summer.
At the end of the three-mile road, amidst the scattered stars, he climbed over the low wall and fulfilled a young boy's small wish.
He listened to that song 999 times, over and over again, on every sleepless night when he missed him.
It's been a year. Do you ever think about these things from time to time?
In fact, everyone's youth is the same. Time keeps flowing, and our stories have been remade by many people. But another year of willow catkins have drifted by, and I have become an observer.