At first, everyone thought the teacher must be quietly watching over them from behind.
But it wasn’t until Teacher Xu honestly admitted she couldn’t complete the teaching tasks and they had to return to school for classes that they truly realized Lin Wanxing had indeed not looked back.
Though they could guess, ever since she moved her boxes that day to make her stance clear, she had never reopened her old WeChat account.
Sometimes they could understand her.
If you decide to move forward, then forget everything and don’t look back.
But other times, they just couldn’t comprehend.
They had spent so much time together—they clearly weren’t what she thought they were. Why couldn’t she trust them a little more?
The night before the second mock exam.
Training time was from 5:30 p.m. after class until 8:30 p.m.
After it ended, Wang Fa called for dismissal on the field.
According to the students’ own arrangements, they would go upstairs to shower, then study in the tutoring classroom. Those who lived far away left first, while those who lived nearby stayed until about 11:30 p.m. before heading home.
Outside the window, the intermittent sound of kicking a ball echoed.
But for some reason, as Fu Xinshu stared at the textbooks spread open on the desk, he couldn’t absorb a single word.
Thump… Thump…
Outside, Wen Chengye was alone on the field practicing set pieces.
Qin Ao stretched his neck, the ceiling light glaring brightly overhead. "Can’t he keep it down? Listening to him makes me want to go kick a few balls too!"
"Good grades mean you can do whatever you want!" Lin Lu said.
"Or maybe it’s because he’s going abroad, so he can do whatever he wants!" Yu Ming added.
Hearing this, Fu Xinshu pushed back his chair and stood up.
"Where are you going?" Qin Ao asked, puzzled.
Fu Xinshu replied, "To tell him to keep it down."
On the field, the air carried the fresh scent of grass and soil.
The streetlights only illuminated the area around the track, leaving most of the field in darkness.
As Fu Xinshu stepped onto the track, a soccer ball came flying toward him.
He leaped up, controlled the ball with his chest, and steadied it perfectly.
Wen Chengye stood in the dark center of the field, breathing heavily, hands on his knees, just staring at him.
"What are you doing here?" Wen Chengye asked.
Fu Xinshu took a couple of steps, then kicked the ball hard.
The ball cut through the hazy night, then plummeted into the deeper darkness.
Wen Chengye made no move to retrieve it.
As if drained of all energy, he collapsed onto the grass, limbs splayed, and gazed up at the night sky.
The sky seemed both distant and oppressively close, enveloping them completely.
Fu Xinshu took a deep breath, walked around Wen Chengye, picked up the ball he had kicked away, and then walked back.
As he passed by Wen Chengye, he still said to him, "Even if you don’t need to review, you should go back and rest early. There’s an exam tomorrow."
After saying this, he turned to leave, but his leg was suddenly grabbed, almost causing him to stumble.
"What are you doing?"
Wen Chengye kept his eyes on the night sky. "Aren’t you tired?"
"…"
Fu Xinshu fell silent for a moment, unsure what he meant.
"Studying and training every day must be exhausting, but if you’re pursuing what you want, it doesn’t feel like exhaustion," he finally replied after a pause.
Sure enough, Wen Chengye let out a cold laugh and released him.
"Do you know why I don’t need to review?" Wen Chengye’s voice came from the grass.
Fu Xinshu stopped. "Are you going to share some last-minute exam secrets with me?"
"Because someone’s always giving me the answers. I can just copy them whenever I want," Wen Chengye said.
It felt like a thunderclap had struck, sparks flying everywhere. Fu Xinshu looked down at him, utterly stunned.Wen Chengye still lay flat on his back on the grass, his face showing no trace of guilt.
As dusk fell, all the previous confusion found its answers.
Why had Wen Chengye’s grades improved so dramatically? Why had Lin Wanxing been able to persuade him to rejoin the football team?
Had Lin Wanxing known all along that Wen Chengye had cheated, and kept covering for him?
“Did the teacher know about this?”
“You’re asking a question you already know the answer to. Surprised, aren’t you? That the teacher would actually shield me,” Wen Chengye said.
“Why?”
Fu Xinshu couldn’t describe the emotions swirling inside him—confusion, anger. He couldn’t understand why Lin Wanxing would do such a thing!
“I don’t know,” Wen Chengye’s voice was eerily calm. “At first, I thought she was using it to threaten me into joining the football team. But later, this ‘protection’ started to feel suffocating.”
Wen Chengye stretched out completely on the ground, and as he spoke, he gradually relaxed. “Before she left, we ran into each other in front of the administration building. I was holding my freshly stamped high school transcript, ready to apply to universities abroad. She saw it. She was disappointed—she didn’t say it, but I could tell she was.”
“Why didn’t you say anything before?” This was a story Fu Xinshu had never heard. His heart raced, his mind felt like it was about to explode. He crouched down abruptly, grabbing Wen Chengye by the collar.
“I didn’t dare,” Wen Chengye replied calmly.
His eyes were pitch black, like staring into an abyss. Fu Xinshu released his grip.
“Why are you telling me this? Do you want me to tell the others, or report you to the school?”
“You know why,” Wen Chengye said.
Chapter 125: Cycle
Day after day.
Unlike the sparse attendance of previous days, the audience for the animated film gradually grew on Sunday morning.
The hundred-seat theater was about sixty percent full.
Many viewers noticed that starting from the 16th minute, the film repeated the opening scene.
The protagonist was slumped over her desk, having just woken from a nap. Outside the classroom, the sunlight was warm.
The class representative was trying to pull the physics exam paper out from under her arm. Most of it was blank—the protagonist had only answered up to the second question.
The audience realized this might be an infinite loop story.
The protagonist had to give her all to turn the tide.
Hongjing City, No. 17 Wutong Road. The day of the National Youth League finals.
The match was scheduled for 2 p.m. that Sunday at Yongchuan Evergrande’s main stadium.
By a little past eight in the morning, the students had already packed all their equipment and luggage.
Unlike their previous trip to Yongchuan for the competition, this final would see the school arranging a chartered bus. They would be accompanied by 20 recruited “cheer squad” members.
On the spring rooftop, vegetables and fruits grew lush and green.
The students finished watering the plants, paying special attention to fertilizing the newly planted broccoli, then washed the ground clean.
The windows were spotless, the breeze gentle—it was the most beautiful morning of spring.
With the cleaning done and the agreed-upon time arrived, everyone shouldered their bags.
Just then, the rooftop door opened.
Everyone looked toward the entrance with hope, but moments later, disappointment washed over their faces once more.
Over the past few days, Lin Wanxing had watched that animated film many times.
Working at the cinema, every time she pushed open a different heavy wooden door, it felt like stepping into another time loop.
In the dimly lit screening rooms, the story played out again and again.Sometimes it was the scene of a girl discovering her doubles partner's secret, other times it was a boy and girl embracing tightly. Occasionally, the famous line could be heard, or the sound of the audience sniffling.
The cycle kept repeating, the shuttlecock landing inside the court, the rain never ceasing.
Hongjing No. 8 Middle School gate.
In the real world, tree shadows danced gently, and the sunlight outside the window was just right.
A coach was parked by the roadside, filled with teachers and students from Hongjing No. 8 Middle School heading to Yongchuan for competition and spectating.
Inside the bus, there was a cheerful field trip atmosphere.
Teacher Xu finished taking attendance.
The driver asked, "Is everyone here?"
The bus suddenly fell silent.
"Two students who get carsick are taking the high-speed rail separately. Everyone is accounted for," Teacher Xu replied.
Hall 9, Hanling Cinema.
Unlike all the previous screening halls, this one hadn't been showing any films for some time.
It was pitch black inside, with only the green glow of the emergency exit signs on the walls.
Lin Wanxing took the checklist from behind the door, inspected the equipment according to her duties, and filled out the form.
The carpet felt soft underfoot. After walking a couple of steps, she simply sat down on one of the steps.
The sound effects in every previous screening hall had been deafening, making one's organs vibrate.
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