Midsummer, Matsukawa City.
The continuous high temperature has turned the city into a real furnace. The sun is like a wave of fire sweeping across the city streets, and the people on the streets seem to be placed in a firebox to bake. People hiding in the house are not much better, and the wind from the fans is hot.
In the old venue of the Youth Palace, the award ceremony of the "Chaoyang Cup" Primary and Secondary School Student Essay Competition was being held. Representatives of primary and secondary school students from all over the city were entering the venue one after another. Because the city attached great importance to this conference, each school not only sent award-winning students to come, but also sent several student representatives to the conference site. As a result, the not-so-large venue was filled with students from various schools.
There were airtight walls all around and old-fashioned fans were humming overhead but were completely ineffective. The venue was like a huge steamer.
Su Peile sat in the front row among the award-winning students, fanning herself with a plastic fan printed with Hello Kitty Cat. She could clearly feel the sweat dripping down her forehead. If it got any hotter, her chubby face would become a real chubby one. From time to time, students were looking for seats next to her. The wind brought temporary coolness. Su Peile let out a rare breath of comfort, turned her head to look at the student who had just sat down next to her, and found that he was also staring at her intently.
Is there something strange about me? Su Peile couldn't help but open his eyes wide.
The next second, the boy couldn't help laughing, looking at her with a hint of amusement. She had a very cute chubby face, big, dark eyes, which seemed to be covered with a layer of light moisture because of the heat. Under the lights of the venue, they looked like twinkling stars in the dark night.
The way she opened her eyes wide was so adorable that he couldn't help but recall a scene not long ago, and he thought that it was her.
Su Peile didn't know him, but she was amazed by this boy. Against the backdrop of his fair skin, his facial features were very delicate, his eyebrows and eyes were handsome, and it should be said that he was more immature than other boys of the same age. There was a hint of stubborn heroism between his eyebrows. But what made her unable to look away was his smile.
It was the first time she saw a boy smile so beautifully, as warm as the spring sunshine.
What an infectious smile! Su Peile even forgot to fan himself in his hand.
"In fact, if you calm down, you will feel cooler. Fanning yourself all the time will make you tired and sweat." His voice was also very pleasant, like the jumping notes on a musical score.
Su Peile looked at his school uniform, a white shirt with purple edges and ordinary light blue jeans, which looked clean and sunny. She recognized that it was the school uniform of Fengyang Middle School. Fengyang Middle School was the best middle school in Songchuan City, and she couldn't help but feel envious. I heard that Fengyang Middle School had the most students who won awards in this essay competition.
Compared with the sweat smell of his classmates, this boy gave people a very refreshing feeling. His smooth skin glowed as bright and translucent as porcelain under the light. The only sign that he was hot was the faint beads of sweat on the tip of his nose.
Seeing Su Peile staring at him in a daze, the boy slowly raised the corners of his mouth towards her. It was a casual smile, but it exuded a dazzling light.
Su Peile's heartbeat quickened, and her face became even hotter. She didn't know what to say to the boy, but he took out a small pack of tissues from his trouser pocket, took out one and handed it to her: "Wipe the sweat off first."
The hand in front of her made her secretly admire that boys could also have such beautiful hands. The knuckles were long, plump and white, and the thumb nail pressing on the tissue was shiny and cleaner than ivory. This made her feel that her own hands were really pale in comparison.
"Thank you." She took the tissue. The faint fragrance made her feel good. She smiled at him shyly, but she felt a little emotional in her heart. How nice it would be if there were such a handsome boy in her school. Going to school would be such an exciting thing.
I don’t know his name. Su Peile has never taken the initiative to talk to a boy. Wouldn’t it be a bit too rash to suddenly ask him directly?
She was hesitating about how to start speaking when the host on the stage announced that the award ceremony had begun and asked everyone to remain quiet.
Su Peile thought, let's wait until the meeting is over before asking. She secretly turned her head to look at the boy again, and he had turned his head and looked at the stage very seriously.
Next came speeches by the leaders and teacher representatives, while the students in the audience were still suffering in the stuffy heat.
"Now, please invite the students who won the second prize to come to the stage to receive their awards." The host began to read out the names of the winning students.
Su Peile stood up after hearing her name, and the boy next to her also walked out in front of her. It turned out that he also won the second prize, but she was distracted just now and didn't hear his name. Damn it, what is his name?
A moment later, the five students who won the award stood on the podium. Su Peile received the certificate of honor from the leader who presented the award, and the boy also received the certificate next to her, and bowed to the leader politely, causing the leader to praise him for being sensible. She took the opportunity to look at the certificate in his hand, wanting to see what name was written on it.
But before she could see clearly, a sharp shout suddenly sounded from behind the audience, and the door of the emergency exit was violently pushed open. A staff member shouted in panic: "Oh no, the first floor is on fire, quickly organize everyone to evacuate!"
Su Peile looked in the direction of the sound, and like everyone else in the venue, he was stunned for several seconds. Fire? This was too incredible a word for .
"Oh, teacher, there is a flame!" The frightened cry of a female student in the corner broke the brief silence like a sharp knife.
Soon, the students at the back smelled a pungent smell of smoke.
Although the leaders calmly directed the students to evacuate at the first moment, many students still panicked when they saw the thick smoke coming out from the gaps in the building.
The heat was unbearable, and the temperatures both indoors and outdoors were extremely high. The old building of the Youth Palace, which was listed as a cultural relic protection site, had been in disrepair for a long time, and the fire was difficult to control for a while.
"Run!" A student on the stage couldn't wait for the teacher's instructions, threw away the certificate in her hand and screamed. Her shout immediately caused panic among other students.
Su Peile's mind went blank. She heard the teachers shouting weakly, but was unable to control the chaos at the scene. She mechanically wanted to run down the podium with everyone.
Thick smoke continued to come out of the gaps, and there were even dazzling sparks. The frightened students rushed to the stairs, fearing that they would be trapped here to death if they were a step late.
Someone bumped into her, Su Peile slipped, lost her balance, and fell down the stairs.
The excruciating pain in her left foot made her unable to move for a moment, and the students who ran over from behind stepped on her in a panic, and some people were tripped by her, but they got up and continued to run. Su Peile burst into tears and tried to stand up, but her left foot could not land safely.
Her crying did work, and the students around her saw her and avoided her.
Someone pulled her arm up. Through her tearful eyes, Su Peile saw the face of the handsome boy. He asked anxiously, "Are you hurt?"
The smell of smoke was getting stronger and stronger. Su Peile was extremely frightened and cried, "I think I sprained my foot. What should I do?"
"Don't be afraid, I'm here and I won't abandon you." The boy said firmly, grabbing her arm and putting it on his shoulders.
Many of the students in the venue had already run out, but many were still surrounded by thick smoke. The flames coming in from outside the door caused screams in the venue. The teacher who stayed behind to direct the situation was unable to calm their emotions at all.
"What should we do? Will we be burned to death here?" Su Peile's brain was filled with fear of death at this moment. The red flames leaping upwards seemed like the wrath of Satan.
At this time, the remaining students were taken by the teacher to the safety ladder on the other side where the fire was relatively smaller and evacuated.
Seeing that Su Peile was struggling, the boy squatted down and carried her on his back. The 13-year-old boy was not tall, and it was obviously difficult for him to carry a girl of the same age.
"Don't worry about me, just run away." Even in such a critical moment, Su Peile still retained a bit of rationality, fearing that he would be implicated.
"Let's go out together. Don't be afraid. I'm here." He said firmly, gritting his teeth and running to the door of the emergency escape with her on his back.
"Thank you!" Su Peile felt deeply moved. He moved his lips, but could not say anything more except thank you. Crystal tears flashed in his eyes.
In the blink of an eye, the smoke became thicker and more choking. Su Peile could even hear the crackling sound of burning wood above her head. She lay on the boy's back in fear, trembling.
The classmates crowded down the stairs. The boy was swayed from side to side by the classmates because he was carrying her on his back, and they gradually fell behind.
The smoke was getting thicker and thicker, making it almost impossible to see the road ahead. Su Peile, who was lying on top of the boy, felt it was getting harder and harder to breathe. The smoke she inhaled entered her lungs, almost suffocating her.
"I, I feel so uncomfortable!" It was just a short sentence, but she said it with great difficulty.
"Hold on a little longer, we'll be on the first floor soon. Listen, that's the sound of the fire truck, the firefighters are here to rescue us." The boy said to her as he walked. The thick smoke he inhaled into his nose made him cough violently, as if countless tiny needles were pricking his trachea.
Su Peile vaguely heard the sirens of the fire truck outside, but her eyelids became heavier and heavier, and finally slowly closed. Everything in front of her became dark, and she could no longer hear the sounds around her.
They had already reached the first floor, and the door was a few meters ahead. The boy said excitedly, "We're going out soon." However, he got no response from the girl on his back.
Suddenly, there was a sound of collapse from somewhere. He was so flustered that his foot was tripped by something and he fell to the ground with Su Peile on his back. At this time, the flames rushed towards them. He didn't have time to think about it and fell on the unconscious Su Peile...