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Ye Feng's words were abruptly cut off as a rough shout echoed from a distance: "Who’s there?!"
Lin Xu trembled in fear, like a startled deer, instinctively hiding behind Ye Feng. Quick to react, Ye Feng grabbed her soft wrist and urged, "Run! Don’t get caught!"
The two of them dashed through the swirling snowflakes, the cold wind slicing past their ears with a howling sound. Lin Xu felt the warmth radiating from his grip, hotter than any furnace in the world. Her heart raced violently, pounding like a drum, and she couldn't tell if it was from the exertion of running or from Ye Feng's touch.
They finally burst out of the school, panting heavily as if they had just completed an 800-meter test. Ye Feng released her hand, his handsome face tinged with a hint of apology as he scratched his head and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I didn’t finish what I was saying earlier..."
Lin Xu quickly waved her hands, shaking her head like a rattle drum. "It’s fine, it’s fine! I have to go home now. See you tomorrow!" She turned and ran off as if fleeing for her life, afraid that Ye Feng would see her flushed cheeks, resembling a cooked shrimp.
"Why is she running so fast?" Ye Feng murmured to himself as he watched her retreating figure.
Thus began the winter vacation, like a dream.
Lying in bed under a thick quilt, Lin Xu still felt somewhat cold. She tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Closing her eyes, her mind replayed snippets of New Year's Eve like scenes from a movie. Her heart swelled with sweetness, buzzing like it was filled with honey.
"What was Ye Feng trying to say? Was he also thinking about himself...?" she muttered to herself, her voice tinged with anticipation and shyness.
"No, no!" She shook her head vigorously as if trying to shake something off. "Lin Xu, you’re aiming for Tsinghua! How can you think such things?!" She forced this dangerous thought out of her mind and tried not to think of him.
Yet she couldn't help but fantasize about their encounter at the Lantern Festival fireworks display. Like all lovestruck girls, she was filled with beautiful hopes for the future. She had even rehearsed countless times in her mind what she would say if she saw Ye Feng, what outfit she would wear, and how she would style her hair.
She took out the new red dress her mother had bought from the wardrobe and held it up in front of the mirror. "Is this too formal?" she wondered aloud. "But red is so festive; maybe it will leave a deep impression on him?"
Then she pulled out the scarf Ye Feng had given her and gently wrapped it around her neck while grinning at her reflection in the mirror. "Will this combination look strange? Will he think I'm trying too hard?"
She was caught up in this internal struggle, excited and hopeful, like a little swallow waiting for spring.
However, on Lantern Festival day, when she arrived at the square all dressed up and full of anticipation, she was disheartened to find that despite the crowd of people celebrating around her, there was no sign of Ye Feng.
"Why didn’t he come?" Lin Xu thought sadly. "Did he forget our promise?"
Standing in the center of the square and watching the joyful crowd around her, she felt like an outsider. The colorful fireworks exploded in the night sky but did nothing to illuminate the disappointment in her heart.
"Forget it; I’ll just go home," she murmured to herself before turning away from the noisy square.
On the first day back at school, Lin Xu arrived early at class, eagerly anticipating seeing Ye Feng again—like a child waiting for school to end. But as soon as she entered the dormitory, she heard news that sent chills down her spine like a bolt from the blue.
"Did you guys hear? Ye Feng is with Xia Mo!" He Miao gossiped excitedly, her voice loud like a broadcast. "It happened on Lantern Festival when Xia Mo confessed!"
Lin Xu's hand trembled as her backpack fell to the floor with a dull thud that echoed her heavy heart.
"Are you okay? Xu Xu?" Ji Jiumei asked with concern in her eyes.
Lin Xu forced out a smile that looked more painful than crying. "I’m... I’m fine; just slipped."
She mechanically packed her bag, squatting down to pick up the scattered books one by one. Her mind buzzed like a thousand bees flying around.
"So Ye Feng didn't go to the square because he was with Xia Mo..." she murmured to herself, her voice filled with bitterness and disbelief.
In an instant, all her fantasies shattered into pieces, bursting like beautiful soap bubbles. The New Year's Eve fireworks, the New Year gifts, those ambiguous glances—all turned into a joke, a self-directed farce.
"Xia Mo is really too forward!" He Miao continued to chatter excitedly, like a gossip reporter. "I heard she wore a stunning dress just to find Ye Feng and even brought him homemade chocolates..."
"Enough!" Lin Xu suddenly shouted, her voice sharp like a knife cutting through glass.
The dormitory fell silent in an instant; one could hear a pin drop.
"I'm... I'm sorry," Lin Xu lowered her head like a child caught doing something wrong. "I have a bit of a headache."
She fled the dormitory as if escaping, running all the way to the rooftop. The cold wind howled like a beast, but she felt no chill; instead, her heart felt as if it were being violently torn apart, making it hard for her to breathe.
"Five years..." she smiled bitterly, tears streaming down uncontrollably. "I've liked you for five whole years... from Chuyi to Sophomore, five whole years..."
Tears fell freely like pearls from a broken string. She crouched down, burying her face in her knees, letting the tears soak her school uniform like an injured little beast.
"Lin Xu?" Ji Jiumei's voice came from behind her, laced with concern and care.
Lin Xu hurriedly wiped away her tears, like a child caught in wrongdoing: "You... what are you doing here?"
"Of course I had to come," Ji Jiumei sat down beside her like a caring older sister. "You like Ye Feng, right?"
Lin Xu was taken aback for a moment before bitterly smiling: "Is it that obvious? Has everyone noticed?"
"Silly," Ji Jiumei gently hugged her, comforting her like an injured kitten. "Just look at his eyes; they can't hide anything. That kind of gaze is only reserved for someone you truly like."
Lin Xu could no longer hold back and cried out in her friend's arms, as if trying to cry out all her grievances: "Why... why does it have to be Xia Mo... What do I lack compared to her..."
"Because she dares to speak up," Ji Jiumei sighed, hitting the nail on the head. "While you only dare to hide your feelings in your heart like a coward."
Those words struck Lin Xu's heart like a knife, causing deep pain. Indeed, if she didn't even have the courage to confess, what right did she have to envy Xia Mo?
"You are just too timid!" Ji Jiumei said exasperatedly. "If you like someone, you should bravely express it; what's the use of hiding it?"
At noon, Lin Xu forced herself to go to the cafeteria for lunch, feeling numb and lifeless. But as she turned a corner, she stumbled upon the last scene she wanted to see—Ye Feng and Xia Mo sitting together, laughing and chatting like a couple in love.
Xia Mo wore a light pink sweater, her chestnut hair casually draped over her shoulders, radiant and charming like a blooming rose. Ye Feng gently served her food with an affectionate gaze that seemed to melt her away.
"They actually look quite good together; don't you think?" Ji Jiumei pulled Lin Xu away as if fleeing from a plague.
"Wait," Lin Xu suddenly asked with a hint of reluctance in her voice. "How did Xia Mo... confess? What did she say?"
Ji Jiumei hesitated for a moment before speaking the truth. "On Lantern Festival, she wore a red dress and brought homemade chocolates to find Ye Feng. It’s said that she said, 'I've liked you for a long time. Can you give me a chance?' Ye Feng agreed right away."
"A red dress... homemade chocolates..." Lin Xu murmured, her gaze vacant.
After hearing this, Lin Xu felt a strange calm wash over her, as serene as the sea after a storm. She wandered aimlessly around the campus, drifting like a ghost, reminiscing about the past five years, each memory flashing by like scenes from a movie.
At Chuyi's sports meet, he spoke to her for the first time, asking if she wanted to join the tug-of-war team. The sunlight bathed him in a golden glow.
In Second Year Language Arts class, she was praised for an excellent essay, and he turned around to give her a thumbs-up, his smile radiant like that of a child.
During Chusan's math tutoring session, she helped him with problems, and the way he listened intently made her heart race like a startled deer.
At Senior One's basketball game, he scored the winning shot and waved at her with a smile; in that moment, he was her hero.
On Sophomore New Year's Eve, he accompanied her to set off fireworks. She thought it was the most special beginning but didn’t realize it was already an ending—everything felt like a dream.
"Enough," Lin Xu wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes as if making a firm resolution. "It's time to let go, Lin Xu. You need to wake up."
As the sun set, she stood by the playground, gazing at the evening glow in the sky like a beautiful oil painting.
In the distance, Ye Feng walked past the basketball court holding Xia Mo's hand, both of them laughing and chatting like a perfect couple.
Lin Xu turned away and walked resolutely in the opposite direction, as if bidding farewell to her past.
In this vast sea of people, there will always be encounters and missed connections—like two intersecting lines with only one point of intersection.
And so her unrequited love ended on this cold first day of school, like a movie without an ending.
Suddenly, her phone vibrated—a glimmer of light in the darkness. It was a message from an unknown number: [I heard you’re preparing for the college entrance exam. Would you like to study together at the library? My name is Lu Ming.]
"Lu Ming?" Lin Xu whispered the name softly, a faint smile appearing on her lips. "Perhaps this is a new beginning."
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