In the late summer when Shen Qianxue was 13 years old, cicadas chirped in the tall trees, and birds stayed for a moment on the intertwined wires above their heads before flying away. Shen Qianxue went to the river with a bucket to wash clothes. When she looked up, she only saw the fading silhouettes of the birds. The light shone through the gaps in the leaves and cast mottled shadows on her body, which looked like floating streams.
This small town near the mountains rarely has the noise of cars. So when the black car slowly drove past Shen Qianxue, she couldn't help but stop and look.
The black car was parked in front of a well. Next to the well was a house. There was only an old man left to look after the house. The owner of the house had not lived there for a long time.
The car not only attracted Shen Qianxue, but also the children in the village came over from all directions, wanting to see what was going on.
A middle-aged man and woman in black suits walked out of the car. Their attire was different from that of the country folk. Shen Qianxue stood there and watched, unable to look away.
The door of the back seat of the car was opened by someone inside, and a boy about the same age as Shen Qianxue walked out of the car. He was also wearing black clothes, but his expression was somewhat impatient and disgusted.
"Ziming, go get the luggage out of the trunk. We're going to stay here tonight and go to the mountain to worship our ancestors later." The woman in the black dress said to the boy. The boy impatiently walked to the back of the car and dragged out the suitcase: "Mom, can we not stay here? It's so dirty and disgusting here."
The man in black urged: "My parents used to live here, what are you complaining about? Hurry up!"
Xia Ziming curled his lips and stepped into the dilapidated old house at the urging of his parents.
After they entered, the children in the village immediately came forward and surrounded the car, looking inside curiously.
Xia Ziming seemed to be prepared. He leaned his head out of the simple window on the second floor and yelled at the children below: "What are you doing? Get away from me! Get out of here! Don't dirty my car!"
Shen Qianxue raised her head and looked at the person in the window. Xia Ziming had a handsome face and was the most handsome boy she had ever seen. Shen Qianxue thought of making friends with him, so she smiled at him with kindness and friendliness.
Xia Ziming, who was lying on the window, was stunned for a moment, then closed the window with a snap.
Xia Ziming settled down in the village. Shen Qianxue saw the Xia family of three getting along with each other several times. Father and Mother Xia showed concern for Xia Ziming and comforted him gently. Shen Qianxue's eyes became more and more attached to this family. She thought, a real family should be like the Xia family of three, right?
Shen Qianxue couldn't ask questions, and no one would answer them. All she could do was to peek into the lives of the three members of the Xia family.
Xia Ziming went to the mountains with his parents to worship their ancestors. After the worship, Xia's father decided to stay for a while at the invitation of his relatives. This upset Xia Ziming. He hated this small town that didn't match his status, hated these unworldly people, and hated those children of the same age who came to play with him. Because of Xia Ziming's unfriendliness, many children in the village said bad things about him behind his back.
Shen Qianxue was also frightened by his unfriendly behavior on the first day. She no longer showed him any kindness, but just watched him from a distance, watching him kicking stones out of boredom and listening to music on his phone out of boredom.
Xia Ziming had a lot of things that the country kids had never seen before, so Shen Qianxue didn't find it strange that conflicts would break out. On the day when Xia Ziming had a conflict with the village kids, Shen Qianxue was washing clothes by the river as usual. She saw with her own eyes that those arrogant kids surrounded Xia Ziming.
"Hello, your name is Xia Ziming, right? Lend us your phone."
"Why should I lend you my phone? If you want to play with it, ask your parents to buy it for you. If you can't afford it, don't embarrass yourself here."
"You! Don't think you're great just because your family is rich. We don't want to play with you!"
"Then go wherever it's cool." Xia Ziming sneered disdainfully and turned to leave. But the boys behind him couldn't stand his condescending attitude, so they pushed him into the river while he turned around.
"Run!" The boy who pushed Xia Ziming into the river ran away quickly, while Xia Ziming, who could not swim, was up and down in the water, shouting for help.
With a splash, someone jumped into the water.
Shen Qianxue quickly swam to Xia Ziming's side, grabbed his flailing hands, and pulled him ashore as he struggled in the water. Things happened quickly, and Xia Ziming was rescued before he could drink a few sips of water. He sat on the rocky shore and coughed, coughing up all the water he had choked on. Shen Qianxue didn't wait for him to recover before jumping back into the river and diving to the bottom of the water.
Xia Ziming didn't react at first. When he regained his breath, he realized that his savior had been underwater for a long time. He panicked: "Hey, hey, don't scare me, come up quickly, hey!"
Xia Ziming approached the river and stuck his head out to look. Shen Qianxue suddenly emerged from the water and bumped into Xia Ziming's chin. Xia Ziming stumbled back a few steps and sat down on the river bank. While Xia Ziming was rubbing his chin, Shen Qianxue handed him the phone she had fished out.
"Back to you."
Shen Qianxue's innocent smile touched the always arrogant Xia Ziming. He lowered his head, blushed a little, and took the phone and murmured: "Stupid, the phone has been soaked in water, what's the point of fishing it out?"
Although Xia Ziming said this, he shyly took off his Buddhist beads bracelet and placed it in Shen Qianxue's palm: "This is for you."
Shen Qianxue was stunned, and Xia Ziming turned around and ran away in panic.
The next day, Xia Ziming's parents accidentally saw the Buddhist beads on Shen Qianxue's wrist. They grabbed Shen Qianxue and accused her of being a thief without knowing the truth! Shen Qianxue was stunned for a moment, and when she came to her senses, she had been brought to her home by the crowd.
When Zhang Meiwen heard that her daughter had stolen something, she walked out of the low house and without saying a word, she picked up the cooking spatula in her hand and smashed it at Shen Qianxue.
Gradually, more and more people gathered around to watch the fun. Shen Qianxue held back her tears and stood there to let Zhang Meiwen beat her. Zhang Meiwen often made trouble for the neighbors, and the relationship between the neighbors was quite bad. When something like this happened, the neighbors didn't even try to persuade her, but just stood aside and watched the joke.
Xia Ziming followed the crowd and found that the person being beaten was Shen Qianxue. He pushed through the crowd and rushed in, but failed to protect Shen Qianxue from being beaten. His father grabbed his arm, and he said anxiously, "She is not a thief. I gave her the things. I gave them to her!"
Xia's mother was full of dirty words, saying something seductive even at such a young age, so Xia Ziming finally told the whole truth: "I fell into the river, and she saved me!"
Xia's father and mother were in the wrong, but they were not the kind of people who could lower themselves to apologize, so they had to take their son away, leaving behind Shen Qianxue who was beaten and Zhang Meiwen who was out of breath.
Shen Qianxue watched Xia Ziming leave in the crowd. Xia Ziming turned around and glanced at her from outside the crowd. That glance was imprinted in Shen Qianxue's heart.
After that day, Shen Qianxue became Xia Ziming's only friend in the small town.
Xia Ziming would bring his tablet computer to watch movies and play games with her and tell her about things in the big city; Shen Qianxue would teach him to swim, take him hiking, take him to see cattle and sheep, and do some things that could not be done in the big city.
To Xia Ziming at that time, the township was a scary term. There was nothing here, even going to the toilet was particularly troublesome. But in this disgusting township there was Shen Qianxue, a girl who seemed to be able to inject color into all the gray light and shadow here.
Because of Shen Qianxue, he no longer hated this small place without internet, shopping malls, or even a decent toilet. Where Shen Qianxue was, the air was fresh, the sun was bright, and everything was clean and beautiful.
But all good things must come to an end.
"I'm going home in a few days, and I probably won't come here again." Xia Ziming lay on the high grain pile and smiled at Shen Qianxue. His expression was a little gloomy, but also a little impatient. He wanted to leave this place without any high technology as soon as possible, but he didn't want to part with Shen Qianxue.
Shen Qianxue didn't know what to say for a moment and just remained silent.
She knew that he would leave eventually, he didn't belong in this little place.
"If we can meet again in the future, you can be my girlfriend." Seeing that Shen Qianxue didn't say a word, Xia Ziming continued to talk to himself. Shen Qianxue suddenly raised her head and saw that he was smiling brightly.
Shen Qianxue seemed to be bewitched by him, and nodded solemnly with a little joy.
It was like someone had given her a warning of separation, but Shen Qianxue did not wait until she and Xia Ziming parted ways. She received a message from her father. It was a hot afternoon. She was caught by her mother from the river. Her mother gave her a woven bag and told her to pack her clothes. She was confused and didn't know until she heard the neighbors chatting that she was going to the city to find her father.
Business people in the town came to tell Zhang Meiwen that Shen's father had made a fortune in the big city, found a wife, and his son was now four or five years old.
"No wonder there has never been a man in that house. It turns out there is someone outside."
"These days, you have to keep a close eye on your man."
"Alas, poor Shen Qianxue."
"Zhang Meiwen has a bad temper, so it's normal for her man not to come back."
"Alas, it's pitiful for a woman to have to deal with this. It's better to say less."
People outside the house kept talking. Zhang Meiwen stood at the door with a grim face. After Shen Qianxue packed her clothes, she pulled her daughter out of the house.
This time she left too hastily. Shen Qianxue didn't have time to say goodbye to Xia Ziming properly before she was swept into the huge waves of reality.
Zhang Meiwen took her around the city, and it was already dusk when they found Shen Shaohai's company.
It was such a coincidence that when the two got off the bus, they happened to meet Shen Shaohai walking out of the office building.
A small car stopped at the entrance of the office building. A young woman was sitting in the car. The window was lowered and the little boy in the car shouted "Dad" to Shen Shaohai.
Zhang Meiwen's world collapsed at that moment. She didn't know how she came to the man, nor what filled her blank mind. It was as if at that moment, all the self-deceiving words were washed away by the huge waves of reality.
Shen Qianxue watched everything happen in a daze, quarreling, swearing, and finally she and Zhang Meiwen were taken away by the security guards. All this showed Zhang Meiwen's frustration, while the woman didn't even show her face, she was an absolute winner.
Shen Shaohai came to the security room to pick up the people, and Shen Qianxue shouted, "Dad." The next second, Zhang Meiwen slapped her in the face.
"You don't have a father anymore."
Shen Qianxue covered her face, not understanding the weight of the slap, nor did she understand what Zhang Meiwen said. She seemed to understand, but she didn't quite understand. The adult world was only separated from her by a thin veil. On the other side of the veil, she saw the divorce agreement placed in front of Zhang Meiwen.
Shen Shaohai frowned, but there was not much heartache in his eyes: "Why are you crazy? Zhang Meiwen, it's because of you that I can't live with you anymore." Shen Shaohai even felt a little sorry, "Why did you come here? Since you are here, let's get a divorce."
"Okay." Zhang Meiwen's reaction was unexpectedly calm.
Shen Qianxue had only seen the word "divorce" on the bulky and outdated TV at home, but she had never thought that she would hear these two words from her parents. She remained silent, looking at her parents, and the blank in her mind was filled with a brief fear.
What would become of her if they divorced?
Why are they getting divorced?
"My daughter and I want urban hukou and a house, and my daughter wants to stay in the city to study. If you can do this, I will sign."
Shen Shaohai was silent for a moment and nodded in agreement.
Later, Shen Qianxue and Zhang Meiwen moved into a 70-square-meter commercial apartment and got a city hukou. But from that day on, Shen Qianxue became a child from a single-parent family.
Five years later.
"Shen Qianxue, let's go to the fifth canteen to eat together later?" Che Xiaoman came out of the car and called Shen Qianxue who was walking by with a textbook in her arms. This was the second semester of her freshman year, and Shen Qianxue, like always, went to get her textbooks first, then went back to the dormitory to pack her luggage. Unexpectedly, Che Xiaoman, who always arrived on time, would also come to school early.
Che Xiaoman is a friend Shen Qianxue met in high school. The reason for their acquaintance is very simple. They became deskmates when they were one row higher than each other, and they have never been separated since then.
"I have to go back to the dormitory to put my textbooks away. Before twelve o'clock, let's call each other?" Shen Qianxue smiled at Che Xiaoman. Not sure if she saw it wrong, she accidentally saw the man driving the car looking at Che Xiaoman impatiently.
"Then I'll go with you." Che Xiaoman wore a blue miniskirt with ruffles and an elegant white chiffon top, exuding the aura of a little princess. Che Xiaoman only glanced at Shen Qianxue, and immediately frowned and asked, "Qianxue, isn't this skirt your mother's? Why are you still wearing your mother's skirt?"
Shen Qianxue sighed inwardly, even feeling embarrassed seemed unnecessary, after all, the other party had seen how she looked when she received the poverty scholarship.
Che Xiaoman looked at Shen Qianxue, her bright eyes blinking as she looked at Shen Qianxue's plain dress and straight black hair. She seemed to be heartbroken and said, "I have a lot of clothes that I rarely wear. You can take them and wear them!"
"It's just clothes. As long as they can be worn, that's fine." Shen Qianxue's smile seemed a little awkward. She didn't understand it before and took clothes that Che Xiaoman didn't want several times. It was not until she was discovered by Zhang Meiwen and was beaten that she realized that people have to have dignity.
In order to ease the embarrassment, Shen Qianxue brushed the hair beside her cheek, tucked it behind her ear, and prepared to change the subject.
But Che Xiaoman didn't intend to stop caring about you: "Does your mother still beat you often?"
Hearing this, Shen Qianxue paused, stopped, turned to look at Che Xiaoman, and did not intend to answer.
Che Xiaoman raised her eyebrows, not feeling embarrassed at all, and continued, "If you have anything that makes you unhappy, you must tell me. We are good friends forever."
Shen Qianxue responded vaguely and didn't say anything else. She walked down the bridge and entered the girls' dormitory with its door open.
Shen Qianxue studied screenwriting, and she and Che Xiaoman, who studied administrative management, were in different departments, so they did not live in the same dormitory building.
The time they agreed to meet was twelve o'clock. Before twelve o'clock, Che Xiaoman stood downstairs of Shen Qianxue's dormitory and called her: "Shen Qianxue, why don't you come out!"
"Shen Qianxue, come out quickly! What are you dawdling for!" Che Xiaoman pouted. She didn't like waiting for people, and when Shen Qianxue didn't respond to her within three minutes, she couldn't hold back her temper.
"I'm coming." Shen Qianxue quickly packed up her textbooks and sundries, ran downstairs in a hurry, and was still a little out of breath when she stopped in front of Che Xiaoman.
Che Xiaoman stepped forward, took her arm, and pulled her out: "Let's go to the third canteen for dinner. I heard there is a chicken chop set meal today."
Shen Qianxue was dragged by her and could hardly keep up with her pace. When they turned the corner, they met their classmates A Zhao and Zheng Sheng.
As soon as they met, an embarrassed look appeared on Shen Qianxue's face. She tightened her hands as if she wanted to hold Che Xiaoman, fearing that she would come forward and embarrass herself.
Zheng Sheng was featured on the school’s official Weibo account because of the love letter he wrote to Shen Qianxue.
The incident was caused by the talkative boy A Zhao. He thought Zheng Sheng was going to pursue someone publicly, so he kept saying that Zheng Sheng practiced regular script in the dormitory every day just to send love letters to the girl he liked, which aroused everyone's interest. It happened that on the day Zheng Sheng sent the love letter to Shen Qianxue, Che Xiaoman came to play with Shen Qianxue.
Before the person concerned could react, Che Xiaoman snatched the love letter and read it out loud on the podium. The elegant handwritten love letter in the style of the Republic of China was posted on the school's official Weibo account.
Shen Qianxue was very embarrassed at the time. She returned the love letter and rejected the other party.
The students who had been making a fuss quieted down, finding this scene a little unbelievable.
Zheng Sheng's confession technique is countless times better than that of ordinary boys. How could Shen Qianxue, an ordinary girl with no makeup on, refuse such deep affection?
But Shen Qianxue refused and told the other party that she already had someone in her heart.
Che Xiaoman later asked her if she was lying. Shen Qianxue just smiled and said nothing, which made Che Xiaoman feel annoyed . She repeatedly told Shen Qianxue: "Men in this world approach women for a purpose."
Now that she has met two "boys with a purpose", Che Xiaoman is full of fighting spirit. She protects Shen Qianxue behind her, as if she is making the decision for Shen Qianxue.
Ah Zhao wasn't afraid of her words. He pulled Zheng Sheng, whose face was as red as a tomato, around and said, "Shen Qianxue, why don't we go eat together?"
Shen Qianxue wanted to refuse politely. She smiled awkwardly and brushed her long hair that fluttered in the wind. When she was about to speak, she saw Che Xiaoman blocking the two of them again.
As usual, before Shen Qianxue could even open her mouth, Che Xiaoman rejected the boy's invitation to Shen Qianxue.
Shen Qianxue's smile became more and more awkward, but this was not the first time such a scene had happened. Sometimes she felt that Che Xiaoman was a little self-willed, but she already had Xia Ziming in her heart, and having Che Xiaoman to help block it was also a convenience for her.
It's just that sometimes, some embarrassment is unavoidable.
"Xiaoman and I have other things to do. Let's eat together again when we have a chance." Shen Qianxue also politely refused. Zheng Sheng wanted to say something else, but Che Xiaoman had already pulled Shen Qianxue away.
"Don't look anymore, just go away." After they left, A Zhao bumped into Zheng Sheng's shoulder.
Zheng Sheng turned around, lowered his head and let out a long sigh.
"This Che Xiaoman is a lightning rod. Your lightning can't fall on Shen Qianxue. Let's go and watch." A Zhao sighed helplessly and dragged Zheng Sheng into the sixth cafeteria.
Shen Qianxue met Song Yiming for the first time outside the venue of the Top Ten Singers Competition two months later.
Activities within the school are extremely attractive to freshmen. Che Xiaoman has always liked to admire handsome guys. She heard that there were many handsome guys participating in this year's Top Ten Singers Competition. She was so excited that she didn't even have dinner and dragged Shen Qianxue to the competition venue.
Because there were too many people, Che Xiaoman went in first to find a seat, while Shen Qianxue took her meal card to the canteen to buy drinks and potato chips.
When Shen Qianxue ran to the main stage with her things, her foot slipped and she fell forward. As she fell, the green tea in her hand was thrown out by inertia.
With a thud, she heard the dull sound of the beverage bottle falling into the liquid.
When Shen Qianxue looked up, she saw a boy wearing a mask standing one meter away from her. The boy's overly long bangs slipped out from under the brim of his cap, obliquely covering his forehead. Under his black hair were his eyes reflecting the main stage lights. He seemed frightened and stared at Shen Qianxue blankly.
At that moment, Shen Qianxue's breathing stagnated. She forgot what she was going to do and just stared blankly at those eyes as deep as the stars.
Those were perhaps the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen, bright and clear, as if they could blend the universe and all things into that flowing depth.
Too beautiful!
"Are you okay?" The owner of those beautiful eyes stretched out his hand and made a gesture to help her up.
Shen Qianxue suddenly realized her embarrassing situation and quickly got up without touching the well-intentioned hand.
"I'm fine."
Shen Qianxue stood up and dusted herself off.
The light shone on the boy, and Shen Qianxue could see clearly that the boy's jeans and black hooded jacket were all painted with paint. And all this was thanks to her bottle of green tea.
Shen Qianxue looked at the green tea floating in the paint bucket and cried out in her heart, "Oh no!"
The green tea must have fallen into the paint bucket in his hand when she fell just now.
Because Shen Qianxue kept staring at the green tea in the paint bucket, the boy thought she had a special liking for that bottle of green tea, so he scooped up the bottle of green tea with his gloved hands.
The paint dripped down the bottle, and the boy frowned and said, "Is this not drinkable?"
Shen Qianxue was flustered: "I'm sorry, your clothes..."
The boy smiled and said, "I was frightened by your green tea."
Shen Qianxue knew that this meant that the other party didn't care. Looking at his disheveled appearance, she couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh out loud.
The boy raised the painted green tea and said with a smile: "As compensation, let me take this away!"
When Shen Qianxue came to her senses, the boy had already walked away with the paint bucket.
Shen Qianxue stood there and watched the boy leave. Only after he disappeared did she remember that she still had to look for Che Xiaoman.
When Shen Qianxue found Che Xiaoman, Che Xiaoman was looking at the list of performers. When she saw Shen Qianxue coming, she hurriedly vacated the seat next to her.
The makeshift stage was still being tested for sound, and all sorts of noisy sounds mixed together, causing pain to the ears.
Shen Qianxue leaned over and looked at the program list with Che Xiaoman. Shen Qianxue's eyes moved down the list. There was nothing special about the list. But——
"Xia Ziming?"
Shen Qianxue hadn't seen this name for five years. After looking at it several times, she left Che Xiaoman and went straight to the singer's backstage.
"Qianxue, where are you going?"
Shen Qianxue did not answer her. At this time, the curtain had already been opened. Che Xiaoman pouted in disappointment and decided to watch the performance by herself.
Shen Qianxue pushed through the crowd nervously and excitedly.
She didn't know if the Xia Ziming on the list was the Xia Ziming she knew, but even if he wasn't, she wanted to confirm it.
The singer's backstage was separated from the stage by a corridor. Shen Qianxue ran against the wind, forgetting everything else.
Because she was so carried away, she made the same mistake again, her feet slipped and she fell forward. But this time, because she was running so fast, she felt that she was out of the gravity for a brief moment.
Shen Qianxue was like a meteor streaking across the surface of the earth, but the posture in which she landed on the surface of the earth was a little indecent.
She closed her eyes and waited for herself to make contact with the ground.
This time, however, she did not land.
Something grabbed her wrist.
A warm and powerful force came from her wrist. The strong force pulled her in the opposite direction, and the wind blew her long hair, brushing her cheeks, making her unable to see clearly what was in front of her.
The owner of the hand took a step back, turned around and put his arm around her waist. It was like dancing a beautiful waltz, but the boy performed all these movements while carrying a bucket of paint.
It’s that “colorful” boy!
Shen Qianxue was locked tightly in his arms. When the music on the main stage stopped and no one was talking, she seemed to hear her heartbeat.
She looked into the boy's clear eyes, and the light from his eyes reflected into her heart. She didn't know whether time had stopped flowing or the two of them had forgotten about time.
In this noisy and chaotic night, it seemed as if all the tranquility was gathered on them, as if there was a beam of light separating them from the darkness around them.
The two just stared at each other in silence, and it was unknown whether a few seconds or longer had passed.
It was probably only a few seconds, but it felt like centuries.
"You're quite good at falling." The boy's low and gentle voice broke the shackles of time. The light enveloping them seemed to fade, and time began to flow.
After he helped Shen Qianxue steady herself, he joked, "You almost made me become 'colorful' times two."
Shen Qianxue was speechless for a moment, the heat on her cheeks was enough to burn away her ability to organize her language.
How could she fall down twice in front of the same boy? How shameful!
As if he noticed the embarrassment on Shen Qianxue's face, the boy spoke again: "Do you have something urgent?"
Xia Ziming!
Yes, she is going to find Xia Ziming!
Shen Qianxue shuddered and then came to her senses.
Because she remembered her purpose, she hurriedly thanked the boy and continued to rush to her destination. When she ran to the backstage, she seemed to see a green tea bottle covered with paint. The ordinary green tea bottle was painted into a cute little animal.
Was it drawn by that boy? This question appeared in Shen Qianxue's mind for a second, and then was replaced by Xia Ziming.
The boy looked at her back as she disappeared under the light, and was about to move forward when he stepped on a card. It was a hard card with a white photo and an address on it.
He picked up the card, and when he looked up again, Shen Qianxue had disappeared.
When Shen Qianxue ran into the singer's backstage, Xia Ziming was chatting with a few girls. Those girls seemed to be contestants, and the blush and eye shadow on their faces were exaggerated.
Shen Qianxue looked at Xia Ziming in the crowd. He stood out so much in the crowd, but he was still the same as when she first met him. He didn't like to get too close to others.
But unlike when he was a child, he did not show his dislike for the people around him directly on his face.
It's really him!
At that moment, a flame ignited in Shen Qianxue's heart. All the emotions flooded into her eyes like a spring, and she covered her mouth in disbelief.
Although she was obviously happy in her heart, she felt like crying.
The time that had accumulated for five years seemed to be recalled at that moment.
"Who are you? If you are not a contestant, please do not come in casually." The staff's voice brought Shen Qianxue back to her senses. At the same time, it also drew the attention of Xia Ziming and others.
Shen Qianxue smiled awkwardly, and when she looked at Xia Ziming again, he was also looking at her.
After a brief eye contact, Xia Ziming's gaze returned to the girls around him.
He didn't seem to recognize her.
Shen Qianxue stood there, feeling as if a basin of cold water had been poured over her, shivering from head to toe.
Yes, Xia Ziming has been so popular since he was a child, so how could he remember the insignificant girl? What he said before was just childish talk.
But she still holds on to ridiculous expectations and fantasies.
Shen Qianxue smiled bitterly and left the singer's backstage somewhat dejectedly.
She didn't see that after she turned around, Xia Ziming's eyes fell on her back again. He noticed her hand, she was wearing a Buddhist bracelet on her wrist.
Back in the audience, Shen Qianxue listened absentmindedly to the singers' moving voices, but her soul and thoughts had drifted away to who knows where.
Che Xiaoman was concentrating on the handsome men and beautiful women on the stage, and didn't pay attention to Shen Qianxue's unusual silence. She would occasionally bump into Shen Qianxue's arm and ask her if the boys on the stage were handsome. However, Shen Qianxue was a little absent-minded, and her perfunctory answer made Che Xiaoman lose interest in talking to her again.
"The next song, Li Bai, will be sung by Xia Ziming from Class 1 (3) of the Department of Financial Management."
As soon as the host finished speaking, there were screams from the audience.
Shen Qianxue, who was originally in a daze, suddenly raised her head and looked towards the stage with wide eyes after hearing the name, as if there was the light she had always longed for.
The lights gathered on the stage, and a circular beam of light followed Xia Ziming all the way. He was the only place on the stage that was illuminated by the lights. His jet-black hair was curled and sprayed with some red hair dye, making him more dazzling than before.
On the stage, Xia Ziming looked even more unique in his black jacket and black leather pants. He was the only contestant dressed in a metal style, and the only boy who caused screams before he even appeared on stage.
Shen Qianxue watched him holding the microphone and making interactive gestures. He sang an inspiring song, but Shen Qianxue only felt confused.
That night, the boy who picked up Shen Qianxue's ID card had been waiting for the girl he met by chance. However, Shen Qianxue was absent-minded and had no idea that her ID card had been lost.
The Top Ten Singers Contest lasted from the beginning to the end, and from the end to the awards ceremony, until half past ten. The boy outside the venue stood in the dim light, flipping the ID card with Shen Qianxue's name on it back and forth between his fingers. Finally, he took a deep breath, picked up the paint bucket on the ground and left.
After the award ceremony, a spotlight fell from the sky and landed on Shen Qianxue.
The glaring light forced her to raise her hands to cover her eyes. She closed her eyes reflexively, and only opened them slowly after she got used to the light.
A young man in a black leather jacket stood on the podium. He looked at the spot where the lights were shining and sang a song.
It was a love song, sad and moving, as if it told all the thoughts of youth.
Shen Qianxue remembered this day in early April. The lights were dazzling, and Xia Ziming on the stage was like a flower in the dark night, blooming amid the noise.
He said: "Shen Qianxue, do you remember what I said? If we can meet again in the future, you will be my girlfriend."
Xia Ziming held the microphone and walked towards Shen Qianxue while confessing his love. Another beam of light moved with him, and when the two beams of light came together, Xia Ziming took Shen Qianxue into his arms.
"You are an idiot, aren't you? Now that you've found me, why are you running away?" Xia Ziming's words rang softly in her ears, just as if it was many years ago, at dusk when a sparrow stood on a branch, they sat shoulder to shoulder on the high roof, watching the sunset.
The sudden happiness seemed to wash away all the misfortunes of the past. An indescribable emotion surged and turned into tears, falling silently. A slightly cool breath brushed across her face, and when Shen Qianxue stared wide-eyed in shock, her lips as thin as petals had already fallen lightly. In the distance, it seemed that fireworks were blooming, and the place where they bloomed was a turning point in life.
Outside the lights, Che Xiaoman clenched her fists tightly, bit her lower lip tightly, and watched the dazzling Xia Ziming kiss Shen Qianxue's lips.
No one knew what she was thinking at the moment, jealousy or doubt? She was trapped in the darkness, but she had to watch Shen Qianxue, who originally had nothing, gather all the lights.
It was also on this night that Che Xiaoman's friendship with Shen Qianxue underwent a subtle change.
Shen Qianxue thought that her happiest time was the year she was dating Xia Ziming.
Like other couples, they walked hand in hand on campus, occasionally went to the library together, and occasionally went to the movies outside the school. When they couldn't see each other, they would contact each other by phone. During class, they would also send WeChat messages under the teacher's nose. Sometimes they were caught playing with their phones by the teacher, who teased them in a friendly manner, and Shen Qianxue's cheeks blushed.
The first time they celebrated Valentine's Day, they had to wait in the waiting room for an hour because they had not made a reservation in advance. When it was their turn, Shen Qianxue was almost asleep.
The first time Shen Qianxue ate steak, Xia Ziming ordered it for her.
"Two medium-rare steaks and two lattes." Xia Ziming seemed a bit dictatorial when ordering food. If he thought something was good, he wouldn't ask others whether they liked it or not.
At that time, Shen Qianxue probably also liked his domineering and arrogant nature.
After the steak and coffee were served, Shen Qianxue didn't dare to eat because she saw the bloody beef, and the black coffee that tasted like Chinese medicine made it hard for her to swallow. Xia Ziming didn't notice her embarrassment from beginning to end, and even chatted with her and made an appointment to come again next time.
Maybe Shen Qianxue hid it too well, she forced herself to swallow it, and when she looked up she replied, "It's delicious."
So much so that Shen Qianxue suffered from vomiting and diarrhea that night, and was taken to the school doctor by her roommate in the middle of the night, but Xia Ziming knew nothing about it.
It was not until the next day that Xia Ziming learned that his girlfriend was sick. He thought Shen Qianxue had a cold, so when he went to the school clinic to find her, he bought her a bunch of tonics that did not match her symptoms. Even the school doctor said to him, "I just want to ask you, if you eat something bad and have diarrhea, do you need to take donkey-hide gelatin, deer antler, or American ginseng tonics?"
Xia Ziming then realized that he didn't have a cold, but had eaten something wrong. But in front of the school doctor, he still retorted: "Diarrhea will make the body weak, shouldn't I take some supplements?"
The school doctor looked at him, smiled without saying anything, but his face showed "Young man, you should learn more common sense."
Xia Ziming helped Shen Qianxue, who had just finished the IV drip, back to the dormitory. On the way, he couldn't help but ask, "Why didn't you tell me that you've never eaten a medium-rare steak?"
"You recommended this to me, how could I not eat it?"
"I heard from your roommate that you drank coffee and couldn't sleep all night?"
"Hmm..." Shen Qianxue responded weakly.
So far, she and Xia Ziming are still in a relationship of one strong and one weak. Xia Ziming is sometimes very gentle, but most of the time he is very strong, and he always keeps his word and never asks others whether they like him or not.
But no matter what Xia Ziming's personality is, Shen Qianxue likes him.
Maybe this is the blindness of people in love? Blindly believing that everything about the other person is good, blindly believing that you can accompany the other person through all the paths of life.
"Let's go eat Chinese food next time. It seems that you can't accept Western food." Xia Ziming supported the weak Shen Qianxue, whose lips were a little pale. Xia Ziming glanced at her and picked her up in front of everyone. As he walked, he told her to go back and eat some tonics, saying that she didn't have much weight.
Many people turned back to look at them on the road, and the blush on Shen Qianxue's face unconsciously revealed her happiness. She was a little embarrassed, and after being stared at a few more times, she secretly buried her head in Xia Ziming's chest.
As time went by, the young couple became more and more inseparable. On Shen Qianxue's birthday, Xia Ziming took her for a walk on the beach.
"Shen Qianxue, I love you, let the sea convey my love to you!"
Xia Ziming was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and shorts, stepping on the waves and shouting loudly at the sea. The sea breeze made his short hair dance wildly, and his eyes like zircon diamonds reflected Shen Qianxue's appearance.
Shen Qianxue stood on the beach not far away. She suddenly turned to face the sea, changed her shy look, and shouted loudly: "Xia Ziming, I love you too. Let the sea convey my love to you!"
"When you two are showing your affection, can you please consider the feelings of a light bulb like me?" Che Xiaoman was quite dissatisfied, with a half-smile on her face.
Xia Ziming spoke quickly, "Didn't you want to come here? You should have known that you would see a scene like this."
Che Xiaoman's face flashed with indignation, and she immediately added: "I was just kidding. I was also celebrating Qianxue's birthday..."
There is a villa not far from the beach. The people in the villa walked to the French window when they heard the three words "Shen Qianxue".
The curtains of the floor-to-ceiling window covered the window tightly. The person inside the window was wearing a thin long-sleeved shirt, sunglasses and a mask, as if he wanted to cover all his skin with something.
If Shen Qianxue saw this person's outfit, she would definitely remember him clearly. Outside the venue of the Top Ten Singers Competition at the beginning of the school year, this person wearing a mask was made "colorful" by her, and he also helped her out.
But Shen Qianxue was completely unaware and just stared at her lover with a silly smile.
The masked boy gently pushed aside the curtain with his gloved hands and saw three people splashing water and playing on the beach.
The boy just kept looking at them, watching Xia Ziming take out an exquisite box from his pocket and open it in front of Shen Qianxue.
There should be a necklace in the box. Shen Qianxue cooperated by lifting up her long hair, and Xia Ziming carefully put the necklace on her.
Shen Qianxue lowered her head slightly and looked at the sparkling crystal pendant on the necklace.
"Happy birthday." Xia Ziming kissed Shen Qianxue on the forehead.
When the two were about to say something else, Che Xiaoman strode over and unceremoniously stretched out her hand to ask for a gift: "My birthday is coming up in a few days, where is my gift?"
Xia Ziming and Shen Qianxue were both a little embarrassed, and at this time, Che Xiaoman took off the tiger's eye bracelet on Xia Ziming's wrist somewhat rudely.
She showed a mischievous smile and put on the "exploited" bracelet on her hand: "Why not give this to me as my birthday present."
Shen Qianxue knew about Che Xiaoman's willfulness, so she didn't say anything.
Seeing that Shen Qianxue was not jealous or angry, Xia Ziming nodded and agreed.
Che Xiaoman smiled proudly and returned to the beach, fiddling with her curlers.
Xia Ziming looked at Shen Qianxue as she bent down to look for shells on the beach.
Her long silky hair cascaded down naturally, and her floral top fluttered in the sea breeze. Perhaps because she was too thin or because the clothes were too big, Xia Ziming could vaguely see her slightly bulging chest under her drooping collar.
Xia Ziming took a deep breath and quickly shifted his gaze.
The boy by the window put down his hand and closed the curtains again. He looked at the ID card on the table, thought for a moment, and picked it up.
But when he came to the shallow beach holding an umbrella, wearing a mask, sunglasses and a hat, Shen Qianxue and the other two people had disappeared.
In the shallow bay, the sea breeze caresses the coast and seagulls circle alone.