The weekend shaved ice they had agreed on never happened in the end.
Lin Weixia lay on the bed scrolling through her phone and saw Liu Sijia send a string of praying-hands and kneeling emojis. She couldn’t help laughing, and typed in the reply box and hit send:
【It’s fine.】
The weekend routine was as usual — helping out at her aunt’s fruit shop. Lin Weixia spent what remained of her time doing homework. On Sunday evening, Lin Weixia washed her hair, opened the window, and lay on the bed drying her hair with a towel while continuing with Little Women from where she had left off. A faintly tart green lemon fragrance drifted in.
Water droplets trickled from her half-dried damp hair onto the cotton nightgown, soaking a small patch of her back. Lin Weixia had just read to the part where Jo says to the male lead, Laurie:
“Look at me — plain and awkward and odd.”
“But I love you, Jo.”
Lin Weixia was about to read the heroine’s response when her phone beside her buzzed with a vibration. She tapped to open it — a message from Fang Mo:
【Weixia, have you been on the school intranet forum? It’s already exploded.】
Lin Weixia replied: 【Oh? What happened.】
Fang Mo: 【Ban Sheng and Liu Sijia!! Honestly, do you not go online on weekends?】
Then Fang Mo sent a Weibo link. Lin Weixia didn’t have a Weibo account, so she logged in as a guest. A user with the ID “Multicolored Black” had posted a photo with the caption: Today.
It was a photo of a blue swimming pool. Beyond it was a floor-to-ceiling window overlooking an apple-green courtyard. A white garden hose was still spraying water.
In the photo, you could make out a section of a boy’s broad, fluid shoulder line — pale skin, the vertebrae at the back of his neck clearly defined, exuding a languid air. The boy was underwater, his back pressed against the edge of the pool, resting.
A shaft of daylight fell perfectly across him, carrying a hazy, provocative quality.
Lin Weixia didn’t recognize most of the commenter IDs. She scrolled down with her thumb:
A: 【That’s Ban Sheng’s house — mine is in that area.】
B: 【Oh wow, Sijia, you went to Ban Sheng’s place!?】
C: 【Impressive — Liu Sijia. I remember Ban Sheng never lets anyone use his pool.】
D: 【Get together already — no one suits each other better than you two.】
…
The phone vibrated again. Fang Mo sent a row of excitement emoji and added:
【Looking at this, Ban Sheng is so handsome. I thought I’d never see him swim again after that thing before—】
At a certain moment, a person experiences something like innate intuition. Lin Weixia’s eyelid gave a sudden heavy twitch, and she asked: 【What thing from before?】
After sending the message, the reply box showed the other person typing. Lin Weixia’s throat tightened. She stared hard at the screen. In the end, Fang Mo sent a head-scratching emoji:
【Never mind — I misremembered. orz】
The next day — Monday. The excitement had died down somewhat compared to the week before.
Lin Weixia had barely sat down when Liu Sijia came over, arms behind her back, and sat across from her. Her eyes were brighter than usual.
“Sorry — you know, this weekend I—” Liu Sijia’s lips curved upward involuntarily. She paused, keeping her voice as measured as she could, then said: “But I have a gift for you — here, open it.”
Lin Weixia took it. She opened the box — inside was a school bag. A black Japanese-style soft-leather backpack, finely crafted, that could either be carried by hand or worn on both shoulders, the style simultaneously retro and charming.
On the front of the bag was a classic logo — most of the well-off A-students at school wore the same brand. It wasn’t cheap. This particular style was very popular at Shengao.
“This is too valuable — I can’t accept it,” Lin Weixia pushed it back.
Liu Sijia tilted her head, her ponytail falling to one side. She was doing her chin-tightening exercises, and she extended one finger to push it back:
“No — this is my apology for standing you up this weekend. Besides, I bought one for myself too. I just wanted us to have matching ones — how embarrassing if you won’t take it and I’m the only one with it.”
High school students proclaimed their friendships openly and unabashedly. Girls who were close would wear the same clothes, carry the same bags, use the same pencil cases. It was a tradition among girls.
Using the same things meant two people were good friends.
Lin Weixia’s eyelashes fluttered. Her tone was sincere: “Thank you — I’ll take good care of it.”
“Right — Weixia, I went to Ban Sheng’s house this weekend. We’re much closer now,” Liu Sijia’s eyes curved upward at the corners, overflowing with a little excitement.
Lin Weixia had her exercise book open and was checking answers, not even raising her head: “It seems Cupid has shot an arrow through both of you.”
“So even you are laughing at me now—”
As if anticipating Liu Sijia’s next move, Lin Weixia slid off her stool and darted backward — still holding her red pen — but Liu Sijia had already reached out and gotten her in the ribs.
Lin Weixia was extremely ticklish. Uncontrollably, she broke into peals of laughter. Facing Liu Sijia’s relentless advance, she turned to run — and collided straight into someone. The person stepped back, and to keep her from falling, reached out and caught Lin Weixia’s arm.
The first thing she registered was a faint tobacco scent drifting from the person — mixed with dark woody undertones. Her head bumped into a broad chest, and beneath the rigid school uniform fabric, a young man’s bones were still growing, brash and slightly unyielding.
In her line of sight was the neatly pressed school uniform. To the left of where she could see, a name badge hung — the character engraved on it was “Ban.” Lin Weixia gave a startled jolt, her heart skipping a beat, and immediately stepped back.
Ban Sheng looked at her, releasing his grip at the same moment.
As the distance opened between them, Lin Weixia saw that the front of Ban Sheng’s school uniform now had a red mark on it — the product of the red pen in her hand.
“Sorry,” Lin Weixia said.
Just then Liu Sijia caught up and, upon seeing Ban Sheng, beamed a radiant smile: “Morning.”
“Weixia didn’t mean it,” she said, her whole body stepping in front of Lin Weixia, blocking Ban Sheng’s view.
Lin Weixia stepped aside. She didn’t know what Liu Sijia said to him, but the two of them went out together and stood in the corridor. Students trickled in one by one carrying their breakfasts. Morning reading was still some time away. Lin Weixia put a white earbud in her left ear and started doing homework.