The soft sunlight bathed her, casting the shadow of Bei Yao's long lashes upon her eyelids.
Bei Yao shook her head: "I don't want this."
Pei Chuan said: "It's a seventeenth birthday gift."
She replied: "Not every acquaintance needs to give gifts. Pei Chuan, who are you to me?"
Her almond-shaped eyes sparkled with stubborn brilliance - how could she forget what happened that night? What girl would forget her first kiss after just one night's sleep?
Bei Yao wouldn't agree to his terms, but she wanted him to face her feelings squarely.
Not adolescent curiosity, not casual words, not momentary impulse.
So if you insist I accept this gift, Pei Chuan, who are you to me?
Pei Chuan glanced at her silently: "Yaoyao, don't be unreasonable."
The little figure in her heart that had been tilting its head in expectation burst into tears, but Bei Yao didn't cry. She glared at him, held back her tears, and returned the Olympic tickets to him. If he couldn't understand her feelings, she didn't want his gift either.
The air plant that Pei Chuan had originally given her was still being neglected.
With the holiday, the school was very quiet, and the summer cicadas could still be heard chirping on campus.
The summer at No. 6 High School carried a strong scholarly atmosphere, with evergreen camphor trees emitting the faint fragrance of wood all year round.
She had walked several steps away before turning back, tears still held back.
He stood holding those tickets, watching her run back to stand before him.
"Pei Chuan." His reflection shone in her clear eyes as she gritted her teeth and mustered the courage to ask, "Do you like me?"
He lowered his gaze to look at her.
The cicadas chirped incessantly, the July warmth dry and comforting - Yaoyao, I love you.
Unlike her innocent, budding affection. Love wasn't the same as liking - it was cautious probing, thinking it would hurt, wanting to treasure it properly. Liking might change with time and experience, but love wouldn't.
Yet similarly, liking wouldn't become shackles, while love would.
Seeing he wouldn't answer, Bei Yao pressed her lips together and walked away without looking back this time.
The summer vacation of their second year of high school wasn't long. Compared to previous drawn-out and boring holidays, this one could be called quite rushed. Even Zhao Zhilan said: "The college entrance exam is getting closer, isn't it? Yaoyao, what would you like for lunch? Mom will buy you something good to nourish your brain."
Bei Yao said: "Anything is fine, thank you, Mom."
She drew open the curtains. Down below, Chen Yingqi was running under the scorching July sun, his clothes soaked with sweat.
He had been running for an hour already.
Around the entire residential complex, lap after lap. Other teenagers in the complex waved: "Chen Hu, aren't you hot? Come have an ice pop."
That year's split ice pops would break into two with a snap of both hands.
Chen Yingqi's gaze fixed on the split ice pops, almost glued to them. He swallowed hard, took two steps toward the boys, then suddenly gritted his teeth and turned back to continue running.
From afar, his muffled voice could still be heard: "I told you not to call me Chen Hu, call me Chen Yingqi."
Zhao Zhilan came over and frowned: "What's wrong with this child? Running like this in the heat, isn't he afraid of heatstroke? Xiao Jun, come here, bring some water to that big brother."
Bei Jun, delighted with the sense of importance from being entrusted with a task, quickly ran to bring water to Chen Yingqi.
Soon, Chen Yingqi came running back after completing another lap. He was as exhausted as an old ox nearing its end, plopping down on the ground to catch his breath.
Bei Yao also came downstairs, bringing water to him together with her younger brother.Chen Yingqi hesitated for a moment, then remembered that water was drinkable. He took it and drank two restrained sips.
The ground in summer was scorching hot, making people jump up as soon as they sat down. But Chen Yingqi was clearly exhausted—sweat made it hard for him to even open his eyes, and he looked as if he had just been caught in a rainstorm.
Bei Yao asked, "Are you trying to lose weight?"
Chen Yingqi grinned, revealing his white teeth. "Yeah, I've been sticking to it for a month now. I've lost two pounds. If I keep this up for a year, I'll lose twenty-four pounds. In three or four years, I'll be tall and handsome again."
Bei Yao laughed.
Chen Yingqi said, "Don't laugh! Don’t you believe me?"
Bei Yao replied, "I believe you, but you might get heatstroke like this."
"Hey! I won’t. I’m tough—I’ve always been fine. I’ve just gotten a bit tanned."
Besides, running during the hottest part of the day made him sweat more. Otherwise, with his body type that seemed to gain weight even from drinking water, it would be hard to succeed in losing weight.
After Bei Yao returned home, Zhao Zhilan also sighed when mentioning Chen Yingqi: "That kid seems careless, but who knew he’d be so persistent?"
He really was persistent—who else would be so happy after struggling for a whole month to lose just two pounds?
Later, Chen Yingqi’s jogging in the neighborhood became a unique sight. Neighbors passing by would often ask, "Is Chen Hu out running again?"
Chen Yingqi would reply loudly and energetically, "Yes, Auntie Zhang!"
Zhao Zhilan often felt that raising children was like the blink of an eye—it seemed slow, but in another blink, they were all grown up. Whether they were mischievous or lively as kids, they all developed their own appearances and personalities as adults.
Including her own Yao Yao and Zhao Xiu’s Minmin, who would both turn seventeen this month.
In August, Zhao Zhilan still went to work as usual.
On the afternoon of the 1st, she returned home, her steps light and unsteady.
She sat on the sofa in a daze for a long time.
Bei Licai asked, "What’s wrong with you?"
Zhao Zhilan said, "Husband, pinch me quickly. I need to know if I’m dreaming."
Bei Licai didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "What exactly happened?"
Zhao Zhilan pulled four Olympic Games tickets from her pocket. "I was on my way back and originally planned to go to the supermarket to buy groceries. Then I saw a free lottery draw at the entrance. I thought, since it’s free, winning a towel or a bar of soap would be nice. But after I drew a seven of clubs, the person said I’d won four Olympic Games tickets."
She really did pull out four tickets.
Bei Licai was also shocked. Olympic tickets were priceless and hard to come by. How could they be so easily won?
"Are you sure you didn’t run into a scammer? How much did he charge you?"
Zhao Zhilan was still bewildered. "He didn’t take any money."
That made her even more afraid she was dreaming. What should she do?
Bei Licai said, "Let me see."
The couple checked online and asked around, and it turned out the tickets were genuine.
Zhao Zhilan said, "It can’t be this coincidental, can it? And to win four tickets all at once. It’s like they’re checking our household registry!" When Bei Yao finished studying and came out of her room, she saw the four tickets in her mother’s hands.
But no matter how much they thought about it, they couldn’t find anything suspicious.
Zhao Zhilan declared, "No, I’m going to sell them!"
Bei Yao: "..."
This scene felt all too familiar. That strange summer camp! She gritted her teeth, wanting to give that scoundrel a beating. Did he think their whole family was particularly foolish?
But no one could stop Zhao Zhilan. She immediately set out to sell the Olympic tickets.
Bei Yao didn’t dare expose Pei Chuan, so she could only anxiously watch how things unfolded.
In the end, no one bought them.The reason was simple: everyone thought it was a scam. Even scalpers wouldn’t dare pull such a stunt—who would sell four Olympic tickets all at once at such a low price?
Zhao Zhilan couldn’t sell them, and with Fang Minjun’s birthday approaching, Zhao Xiu’s family took her on a trip instead.
This time, even Zhao Zhilan herself felt like a fraud.
Yet the value of those four tickets had already surpassed the family’s entire savings. Not going felt like a waste.
Gritting her teeth, Zhao Zhilan decided: since Yao Yao’s birthday was coming up, taking her to the Olympics would be perfect!
No matter how much Bei Yao resisted, in the end, the whole family was forcibly dragged onto the train to Beijing by Mother Zhao. Can’t let it go to waste, can’t let it go to waste!
Bei Jun, thrilled at the idea of attending some big event, squirmed excitedly in Zhao Zhilan’s arms, unable to stay still for even a moment.
The train chugged along for a full day and night before the family finally set foot in the capital.
That year, the capital was bustling. Because of the Olympics, golden-haired, blue-eyed foreigners were a common sight on the streets.
Bei Yao had been sulking the entire journey, but as a seventeen-year-old girl, she couldn’t help but gaze with wide, curious eyes at the novel world around her.
On the day of the Olympics, their tickets indeed granted them entry to the venue.
On the field, athletes poured their sweat into the games. The pride and perseverance of the nation raised the flag high, and the national anthem played again and again.
The people cheered for their country, and by the end, Bei Yao had witnessed a brand-new, awe-inspiring world.
Even the usually rambunctious little Bei Jun nestled quietly and tensely in his mother’s arms.
His clear eyes widened as he watched people of different races striving for their countries, the spirit of competition flowing endlessly.
“Dad, when I grow up, I want to be an athlete too—the fastest runner!”
Bei Licai laughed heartily.
The world was truly vast. Dreams were like seeds, slowly taking root and spreading.
That night, Bei Yao couldn’t sleep. She pushed open the hotel window and gazed at the moon over the capital. Her family doted on their daughter, so even in such an expensive city, they had booked a separate room for Bei Yao, while little Bei Jun squeezed into the same room with his parents.
The city’s “Bird’s Nest” was magnificent, and the streetlights shone brilliantly.
It was lively, prosperous—a completely different way of life.
Bei Yao looked up at the bright moon in the sky. This was not the moon of her hometown.
She put on her jacket and went downstairs. The night breeze was cool as she stood on the bridge, resting her chin on her arms, watching the moonlight fragmented by ripples in the water.
Someone was playing the erhu on the street, its melody drifting far and wide.
She took out her phone and made a call. The other end picked up quickly.
Listening to the erhu music, she said, “Pei Chuan, I’m in the capital.”
“Hmm, is it fun?”
She replied, “The capital has neon lights more beautiful than any in City C, a magnificent Bird’s Nest, the liveliest night markets, shimmering water and moonlight. And so many people living fast-paced lives.”
He fell silent, inevitably feeling a little sad.
“But, Pei Chuan,” she said, “as beautiful as they are, why is it that standing here on this bridge, all I can think of is you?”
She thought of his cool gaze, his eyes as dark as the night.
Her voice trembled slightly, “Even if you don’t like me, I still miss you—like I miss home.” Like missing the gentle moon of her hometown, the soft streetlights, the natural breeze, and the lingering summer rains.
Pei Chuan’s phone suddenly clattered to the ground.
He stood at the end of the dazzling neon lights, the bustling night markets, and the shimmering moonlight she had described, watching her petite, slender back. Softly, he called out, “Yao Yao.”
Bei Yao turned around.
Her long eyelashes fluttered like the wings of two butterflies as she looked at the boy standing at the far end of the bridge.The next moment, as the city's meteor shower of neon lights cascaded down, she ran from the bridge toward him, darting into his embrace like a young swallow returning to its nest.
He reached out, holding her tightly, his hands trembling slightly.
Months of anger and grievances poured out in an instant. Clutching his shirt, she burst into loud sobs: "You just wanted to abandon me, like you did back in freshman year. You always try to throw me away."
His chin rested on the crown of her head, his voice equally unsteady: "Never, I wouldn’t. How could I bear to?"
"Then why did you set such harsh conditions?"
He held her close. "Yes, they were harsh."
Between sniffles, she insisted, "I won’t agree, not even now."
"Alright, no need to agree."
Resting her head against his chest, she recalled the question she had asked that day—the one he hadn’t answered then. Tears welling in her eyes, Bei Yao bit down on a button of his shirt, as if taking a bite out of him to vent her frustration. "And you still claim you don’t like me."
His heart seemed to shatter under her playful, petulant bite, surrendering to her whims.
Beneath her ear, his heartbeat thrummed intensely. The young man’s voice, low and hoarse, resonated beside her.
"I do. I like you very much."
Heaven knew just how much—there could be no greater fondness.
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