Ten years to forever

Chapter 1

Ouyang Xiao said, "Song Jing, I'm telling you this seriously, don't you want to catch up with me? I'm waiting for you to come after me."

The person with an extremely high sense of self-esteem left those words behind and turned away, heading straight for the other end of the stairs without even glancing at the person he had spoken to.

Song Jing stood frozen in the shadows.

He only blurted out, "Ouyang Xiao, I think what they're saying about you liking me is true."

Ouyang Xiao swayed, turned around with a cold face, forced a disdainful sneer at the corner of her mouth, and squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth: "I really hate you!"

Song Jing's face slowly turned as pale as paper.

***

She would always remember that little boy, his head slightly tilted, a dazzling, pure white smile spreading across his face. Her heart softened instantly, filled with tenderness and affection. Song Jing had never told anyone that that little boy embodied all her childhood dreams. She only wanted, yes, all she wanted was for Song Jing's name to be next to Ouyang Xiao's, no matter when or where.

Sixth grade in elementary school, 1998.

1997 and 1999 were both special years. People who were usually reserved beamed with joy, and so 1998, in between, also began to be filled with jubilation, with favorable weather, peace, and prosperity. No one cared whether it was 1997 or 1999; people's happiness in 1998 was a joyful anticipation and an excitement at knowing that happiness was about to arrive.

September 1st, the first day of registration for new students, was sunny turning cloudy and then turning to showers. Song Jing and Li Yueling, soaked to the bone, ran towards the toilet nearly a hundred meters from their dormitory, screaming and running, their faces beaming with unrestrained joy. The young girls were carefree. Unaware that in the nearby teaching building, a short boy watched them with envious longing, his fingers gripping and releasing the black umbrella handle, finally pulling it along and running into the rain.

"Jing, Jing! That person is so strange, he has an umbrella but doesn't use it!" Li Yueling was standing downstairs in the teaching building, trying to shake the water droplets off her hair, when she saw this scene.

Song Jing, tugging at her soaked clothes, was annoyed—it was certainly refreshing to get caught in the rain in summer, but what about her clothes? Frowning and lost in her own worries, she only glanced up briefly when she heard Li Yueling's words: "He probably has too many clothes!" Song Jing had only brought one set of clothes with her. The school in the countryside had nowhere to shower, and while she could take her clothes to the well in the village down the mountain, the problem was she didn't even have soap! It was infuriating!

"Oh." Li Yueling turned her head, the rain still pouring down. "A-Jing, let's hurry back to the dormitory!"

"Yes, catching a cold is really serious."

"That's true." His tone became serious.

The second day of September was cloudy turning to showers, with a wind force of level three, making it exceptionally cool and pleasant, which also lifted people's spirits. The teacher walked into the classroom with a smile, gave a brief self-introduction, and opened his books to begin the lesson, but then stopped, looked up, and stared sharply at the students who were sitting neatly and upright.

"I know you're not little kids anymore, and the boys and girls are starting to understand things..." She deliberately dragged out her words, glancing at the students' faces before continuing, "But the school has clear rules: boys and girls can't get too close, and inappropriate relationships are absolutely forbidden!" She smiled slightly, her expression calm, her tone stern, "I know that every year some people will disobey and do things that contradict teachers and parents, but I don't want that to happen in my class... If you find out, call your parents immediately. Whether it's expulsion, transfer, or something else, you'll have to decide for yourself!"

The audience below the podium was completely silent; no one dared to speak.

The teacher seemed very satisfied with the result, a smug look appearing in her smile.

"Is everything alright?!"

"No!" Neatly arranged.

"That's good. The most important task for students is to study... Now let's turn to page five. Today's lesson is on classical poetry. Let's have one student recite a poem they know first..."

The relaxed atmosphere brought by the rain vanished completely; you could hear a pin drop in the classroom. Finally, the first class ended, and as soon as the teacher left, Li Yueling grabbed Song Jing by the back of her collar: "Jing, Jing, I have something to ask you!"

Today is September 2nd. It started raining not long after class began. The wind blew and the rain fell, the fresh scent of leaves wafted in the air, and the raindrops pattered on the leaves and eaves, making a tinkling sound like a piano. Then the wind picked up, and the leaves and grass danced and rustled.

Song Jing turned around, but her mind was still on the book.

Sixth grade is a time that's neither too young nor too old, yet it's already a crucial turning point in life. Scoring above a certain mark on the exams will get you into a top middle school in the city, guaranteeing a good university and a bright future. So, sixth grade is the time to study hard, Song Jing thought, when she heard Li Yueling say, "Have you noticed him?"

Huh? Pulling himself out of his reverie, Song Jing looked around blankly. Who?

Seeing Song Jing looking around, Li Yueling couldn't help but chuckle: "That boy next to you! He keeps looking at you, during class, and even when you go somewhere else after class, he keeps staring at you! And... when the teacher asks a question, if you raise your hand, he raises his too, and as soon as you put your hand down, he puts his down immediately, as if he's following your movements! Hey! Jing, does he know you?"

"Huh?" Song Jing turned her head. Just then, the boy also turned his head. His eyes were bright, his smile clear, and he was indescribably handsome. A round face, big eyes, and bright red lips—he was as cute as a doll. Seeing Song Jing turn to look at him, the boy gave her a sly smile, a smile that held a hint of slyness and unexpected charm. Song Jing blinked, slowly turned back, and shook her head at Li Yueling's eager face: "I don't know him."

Li Yueling rolled her eyes at the sky: "Does he know you?" What kind of answer is that, Ah Jing! But you can't blame her. She's only a ten-year-old girl. She doesn't realize that she's doing many attention-grabbing things without any self-awareness.

Song Jing curled her lip: "Shouldn't you ask him if he knows me?"

"Never mind." Li Yueling slumped on the table, looking rather nervous. "Um, I'm telling you, Jing, does he have feelings for you?"

"What do you mean?" Song Jing asked innocently.

Don't blame her for saying something so jarring; in sixth grade, Song Jing is only ten years old. Her classmates, like Li Yueling, are all a year or two older than her, the oldest being seventeen this year. Compared to them, Song Jing is not only younger, but also, aside from studying, practically immature.

"That's exactly what I mean!" Li Yueling smiled mysteriously and whispered in his ear.

Song Jing shook his head: "I don't understand what you mean!"

Li Yueling protested, "Uh, Song Jing, are you playing games with me?!"

"Playing fancy moves? I can't do that, what is it then?"

"Why are you so infuriating!" Li Yueling said angrily, then gave her a helpless shove. "Alright, good student, go study!"

"Oh." Has she become stupid?

Life has many episodes, but the main theme remains unchanged. Song Jing always believed this. Focusing on studying and studying again was her entire life. She never thought of changing it, but the trajectory quietly shifted, heading in an unknown direction. She was stunned, but ultimately faced her destiny.

One week later.

That noon, there were only a few scattered people in the classroom. Song Jing was sitting behind her desk, writing in her notebook, "Last night there was a heavy rain, and the sycamore tree wept all night in front of the window." Suddenly, a shadow fell over her, and a green shirt appeared in front of her.

"Song Jing!" The person called her name affectionately, with a voice as clear as birdsong. She had a face as delicate as a flower, and a bright smile that radiated from the depths of her heart without any pretense, as radiant as the sun.

Song Jing looked up in surprise: "Who are you?"

"I am Zhen Liang, Zhen Liang from Class 1, Grade 6."

Song Jing's class is Class 2 of Grade 6, next to Class 4, but separated from

……