The music of square dance resounded through the sky and earth, interrupting Fu Shitian's memories. Aunties in uniform dragged speakers and gathered in the open space in front one after another, stretching their muscles and preparing to dance. Fu Shitian stood up in the noise, took a last look at the two girls blowing bubbles head to head, turned his back to them, crossed the embankment, and walked further and further away.
Tomorrow is too deliberate, let’s do it the day after tomorrow. I’ll tell my uncle and aunt that I have something urgent to do and go back to school. Fu Shitian thought while looking at his own shadow.
On October 2, Fu Shitian cleaned the whole house carefully. At night, she found an excuse and told her uncle that she had to go back to school early. When her aunt was not paying attention, her uncle wanted to secretly give her pocket money, but she refused to take it because she had enough money.
On the morning of October 3, she prepared breakfast, left a note for Fu Jiantao and the others, and tiptoed out, carrying the two sets of clothes she had brought back with her.
Birds chirped in the early morning, and the sun was just warm enough. Fu Shitian bought two steamed buns from the breakfast stand next to the bus stop and put them in his schoolbag. The bus arrived, and Fu Shitian put in his coin to get on.
Ningcheng Railway Station is just a small station, and there are not many trains to and from Shanghai. When Fu Shitian went to the ticket window to change her ticket, she realized that she had missed the earliest train. The nearest train she could buy a ticket for was at 4:11 in the evening.
The wait was a bit long, but Fu Shitian didn't hesitate, nor did she go back to Fu Jiantao's house. After eating two steamed buns, she waited in the waiting room until the ticket was checked.
At sunset, Fu Shitian returned to Shenda. The bus was stuck in traffic all the way, and she felt carsick, hot, and nauseous. But there was no one in the dormitory, and she was the only one enjoying the air conditioning that everyone shared the electricity bill for, and she was afraid that other roommates would be unhappy.
She turned on the ceiling fan for a while, went to the bathroom to take a shower, and when she came out to wash clothes, she felt a hint of coolness brought by the breeze from the balcony, and decided to go for a walk on the playground to get some fresh air.
There were fewer people on the playground than usual, with only a dozen or so joggers scattered around. Fu Shitian let his mind wander, put on his headphones, walked slowly around the track, facing the wind.
After walking half a circle, she turned her head inadvertently and saw a figure standing on the stone steps near the flag-raising platform, making a phone call, which made her heart skip a beat.
The light from the street lamps outside the high walls of the stands was too weak, making the people's faces blurry, but Fu Shitian had imagined Shi Yi so many times in her mind that she was sure that the person was Shi Yi.
Her mind told her to look away as if she hadn't noticed anything, but her mind was completely unresponsive. Didn't Shi Yi go home again? But logically speaking, as a local, it should be the most convenient place for her to go home.
She unconsciously quickened her pace and walked to the back half of the runway, directly opposite the flag-raising platform. A football field was too far away, and she could only vaguely see Shi Yi still standing there. She walked faster and returned to the flag-raising platform she had just passed. She slowed down her pace, tilted her head slightly, and looked forward, so that she could naturally take Shi Yi's figure into her sight.
Shi Yi sat down, facing the playground, still on the phone. Noticing that Shi Yi seemed to be tilting his head, Fu Shitian quickly retracted his gaze, lowered his head, and quickly passed by.
She didn't know what she was doing, but she couldn't help doing it.
The second and third laps were the same. She saw that Shi Yi had finished his phone call and walked to the bottom step of the stone steps. He leaned on the railing with one hand, looking at the playground, wondering what he was thinking.
On the fourth lap, Fu Shitian walked to that position and turned his head to look again out of habit. But this time, the stone steps were empty and Shi Yi was no longer there.
Fu Shitian's heart suddenly felt empty. She stopped unconsciously, turned sideways, and looked around, feeling lost.
She didn't know that Shi Yi was sitting in the football field not far behind her, and could see everything she did when she stopped to look for him.
Fu Shitian had really been peeking at her just now, Shi Yi was sure that it was not an illusion. She was a little confused, was Fu Shitian paying too much attention to her? But as she watched Fu Shitian move slowly, revealing a sense of loss, her heartstrings seemed to be plucked by something, and suddenly, she felt even worse.
She recalled the last time they talked, when Fu Shitian timidly apologized and she responded with a not-so-good attitude. At that time, Fu Shitian ran away in a hurry, and Shi Yi could see that she was extremely embarrassed.
But so what. Shi Yi thought at the time, I didn't say anything unpleasant, does it mean that all apologies must be met with a smile from the other party? She was also very unhappy at the time. Was she unhappy because she heard people talking about her behind her back, or because one of the participants in the discussion was Fu Shitian - the person she almost mistook for "her"? Shi Yi still can't explain it clearly.
As time went by, Shi Yi felt guilty. In fact, it was not a big deal, and Fu Shitian even came to apologize.
Since then, Fu Shitian seemed to have been deliberately keeping a distance from her. Anyway, she was not "her", Shi Yi didn't care at first, but now, looking at Fu Shitian's thin and lonely figure, she couldn't convince herself not to care.
She stood up, looked at Fu Shitian's position in the distance, and rubbed her brows. She walked to the outermost edge of the football field, the brightest light on the track, and pretended to play with her phone. Calculating the time, when Fu Shitian was about to pass by, she put away her phone, looked up inadvertently, and bumped into Fu Shitian walking towards her.
A perfect chance encounter.
Fu Shitian opened her eyes slightly, at a loss. She saw Shi Yi, and Shi Yi definitely saw her. So what was going on now? Should she...should she say hello to Shi Yi
While she was hesitating, Shi Yi looked at her and said with his thin lips: "What a coincidence, you are here for a walk too."
It was like the sound of nature. Fu Shitian's heart beat like a wild horse, "Yes... yes, what a coincidence." She stopped and stood at the edge of the runway.
The night wind blew through their clothes and ruffled their long hair. They were silent, feeling a little awkward.
Shi Yi tucked her hair around her ears and asked, "I'm about to go back, what about you?"
Fu Shitian's rationality began to fail again. No matter how determined she had been in her heart, it seemed that as long as Shi Yi gave her a look, she would surrender unconditionally.
"I'm going back too." She heard her voice sound a little dry.
"Dormitory?" Shi Yi asked.
"Um."
"Then let's go together?" Shi Yi invited.
"Okay." Fu Shitian tried hard to suppress the tension in his throat.
The two of them walked side by side out of the stadium, a shoulder's length apart. "Didn't you go home for National Day?" Fu Shitian pinched the seam of his trousers and chatted casually.
Shi Yi replied calmly: "I've been back for two days. How about you?"
Fu Shitian said: "Me too."
"Take the train?"
"right."
"Why don't you play for a few more days?" Shi Yi asked casually.
Fu Shitian was silent for two seconds, then confessed in a slightly soft voice: "My family had a quarrel, and the atmosphere was not very good."
Shi Yi paused and looked at her sideways. The streetlights made her face look very gentle, and Fu Shitian's heart began to beat in a disorderly rhythm again. He thought she was going to say something to comfort him, but Shi Yi asked, "Do you want to go back for a walk?"
"Ah?" Fu Shitian was confused.
"Get some fresh air, and you'll feel better." Shi Yi said seriously.
Is this such a clumsy way of comforting me? Fu Shitian was stunned for a moment, then suddenly pursed his lips and a smile spread across his cheeks.
This time it was Shi Yi's turn to be confused. But she quietly watched Fu Shitian smile, and did not ask her what she was laughing at. Fu Shitian looked very beautiful when she smiled, her eyes were bright and curved, and her whole body was soft and clean.
She thought of that man again.
Fu Shitian shook her head and had no intention of returning to the playground. "So you are in a bad mood too, so you came out to get some fresh air?" She tentatively extended her feelers.
Shi Yi continued to walk forward and responded with a light "hmm", with no intention of continuing the topic.
Fu Shitian didn't dare to ask further. Seeing that the atmosphere was about to become awkward like last time, Fu Shitian tried to find a topic: "Did you learn volleyball in high school?"
"I have learned it, what's wrong?"
"I saw you play really well in gym class."
Shi Yisheng became interested and teased Fu Shitian: "Did you see that? I thought you didn't even dare to look at me during PE class."
As she wished, she heard Fu Shitian stuttering in panic: "I... I didn't, I just... just..."
Shi Yi couldn't help but let out a very light laugh. Why would someone be so easily shy
Fu Shitian felt weak all over, and looked at Shi Yi in disbelief. She... is she kidding me
Shi Yi's smile disappeared in a flash, and he got to the point: "I know. I'm sorry about what happened that day. I was in a bad mood and took it out on you." His voice was still as clear and cold as usual.
But Fu Shitian's heart was warmed up by this, and it seemed as if there were fireworks in his mind, blooming one after another.
What happened that day is self-evident.
"No, no." Fu Shitian denied repeatedly: "It was my fault in the first place."
Shi Yi confronted her for a second, and as if he didn't want to dwell on who was more wrong in this matter, he changed the subject again. "Your dribbling was terrible."
This is an affirmative sentence. Fu Shitian opened her mouth slightly, and a guess flashed through her mind: Did Shi Yi actually notice me during the physical education class
"I... I haven't learned it, so I'm not very good at it."
"It's not difficult. I'll teach you in the next class." Shi Yi said casually.
Fu Shitian was completely overwhelmed by the waves of joy.
This time the journey was longer than last time, but Fu Shitian felt that they arrived very quickly and were still not satisfied.
Even when she returned to the dormitory and lay on the bed with her limbs pressed against the bed board, Fu Shitian still felt like she was walking on clouds, full of distortion.
To her, Shi Yi's apology was not a tacit reconciliation between the two of them, but rather a unilateral pardon from Shi Yi. She would no longer be self-indulgent and indulge in unrealistic fantasies based on the little tenderness from Shi Yi.
But at least, she no longer has to endure the torment of "the person she likes may hate her."
That night, Fu Shitian thought she would be so happy that she couldn't sleep, but she ended up sleeping soundly while hugging her rabbit doll, after a long time.