“What do you usually like to eat?” Han Chao asked.

“I like the egg noodles from the shop next to the stationery store,” Qianye replied.

“Really? What a coincidence, I like it too.” They chose a table, and in that moment, she finally had a meal with him, not a distant future but right there, in front of her. Each bite of noodles, she chewed slowly, as if it were tied to love. At the table, Qianye asked him which university he wanted to apply to. Han Chao said he wanted to go to G University in Beijing. Qianye nodded and secretly made a resolve to also apply there.

After that, Han Chao started talking to her, and the two of them slowly walked to the martyr’s cemetery behind the school. As they chatted, they became more familiar with each other. Although they had seen each other often, they had rarely actually talked. But life was life, and in TV dramas, couples usually start with a conversation about music, then move to movies, and their hearts slowly draw closer. But Qianye and Han Chao—well, they talked about the quirks of various teachers and then discussed food. “I heard our geography teacher likes to play the stock market, is that true?” Han Chao said seriously.
“He even reads feng shui,” Qianye replied, with a mischievous expression.
“One time, during class, his phone rang. The boys below started chanting, ‘The stock’s falling! The stock’s falling!’ It seemed like there might really be something to it.”
Han Chao was amused by her words. However, the most significant part of their conversation that day was about Si Ru. She looked at Han Chao’s bright smile, like a young white birch tree. At that moment, bringing up Si Ru didn’t seem like such a big deal. She gathered her courage and asked, “Do you miss Si Ru?”

“Not really. Sometimes I wonder if I’m too rational. I had a good time with her, but now she’s in Paris. I don’t feel that sad. Life and studying seem no different from before…”

“That’s the way boys think, huh? The things that feel like the world is falling apart for girls are nothing for boys. It’s so unfair.”

“That’s one way to look at it. But I always felt that the person I’ll end up with isn’t her.” Han Chao’s words were concise and direct. It was the mindset of a science student, efficient and logical. Yet he had conquered Qianye. As the sun set behind the mountains, the last rays of light faded from the sky. “It’s getting late, let’s head back,” Han Chao said, nodding and walking beside her. On their way there, she always followed him slightly behind, watching his back without hesitation. But this time, he deliberately slowed down, waiting for her, walking side by side. Whenever a car passed by, he instinctively pulled her closer to the side. His fingertips brushed against her arm, sending shivers through her.

Qianye’s heart trembled slightly, like a hammer striking her soft heart, making a dull “thump-thump” sound.

As they walked back to the library, they ran into a few boys who gave Qianye a quick glance, then teased Han Chao. Their expressions showed that they had figured it out. Han Chao didn’t say a word. Qianye turned her face away, catching a glimpse of his ear turning slightly red under the fluorescent light. She was moved by this, thinking to herself that it would be nice if they could just keep walking like this. It seemed like no one truly belonged to anyone else, but he was at the closest distance to her.

After that, Qianye worked even harder in her studies. As long as she was good enough, she could attend the same university as Han Chao. She would wait for him in another city. Until the day they fell in love, even if that day never came, it would be good to let her immerse herself in this time a little longer. She couldn’t stand any sudden separations.

On Friday, the PE teacher of their class took a leave of absence, and the PE teacher from Class 4 substituted. The teacher combined the two classes for the lesson. When the bell rang for the end of class, Qianye excitedly went to the playground, always watching the staircase, waiting for him to come in her direction. He jogged over, and she watched his every move as he slowly approached the group. It wasn’t until she realized Han Chao had been looking at her the whole time that her heart tightened. She quickly shifted her gaze away.

After the warm-up exercises, the PE teacher took out the attendance sheet. Even though the teacher had mentioned the girls would run the 800-meter race and the boys the 1000-meter race during the previous PE class, everyone still groaned.

“Class 3, you’re first. Run by your student ID numbers.”

Originally, Qianye’s student ID was toward the back, so she wouldn’t have been tested in this session. However, because some of the girls were absent, she was asked to take their place. Qianye had always been quiet and rarely exercised. PE had always been her most dreaded subject, but thankfully, it wasn’t part of the college entrance exam.

As soon as the teacher signaled to start, everyone rushed forward. When she reached the third of the way, Qianye was out of breath. Due to the lack of oxygen, her head felt dizzy, and her legs felt like they couldn’t carry her anymore. But this wasn’t the first time—it had been like this since elementary school, where every PE test ended with her in the last place. She had gotten used to it.

At some point, Han Chao appeared beside her, running alongside her. His white school uniform was bright and glaring. He stayed with her, and she dared not stop. In just a few minutes, she could vaguely hear the sound of his heavy breathing. The boys from the class started teasing them, a mix of shyness and sweetness in the air.

It turned out that his presence made even the torment feel like happiness.

Qianye ran harder than ever, giving it her all. When she crossed the finish line, her legs gave way, and she almost collapsed. Han Chao reached out and grabbed her arm to steady her. Qianye didn’t want him to see her gasping for air, but he held on to her tightly. Her small hand pressed against his palm, and for the first time, she felt his skin.

Han Chao twisted open a bottle of mineral water for her. Her gaze lingered on the bones of his hand as they rose and fell, the hardness unique to a boy of his age. The autumn afternoon was both warm and cold—warm like the first snow, yet cold like an endless night. It felt like a quiet, unspoken love, the ebb and flow of tides, the changing of the seas and the sands.