A Young Woman's Heart

In fact, Yue Tingfeng was a handsome guy, and many girls in the class had a crush on him. However, because he was too good at fooling around and never serious, people thought he was a playboy who changed girlfriends as easily as drinking water. That's why no girl dared to confess to him.

—Who knows this guy has never even had a girlfriend?

His situation is completely different from Zhou Yong's.

……

(two)

As night fell over the Yintang River, dazzling fireworks soared into the sky, bursting forth with vibrant colors.

Le Tingfeng and Jiang Ying sat on the undisturbed river embankment. The more noisy the commotion from above, the more peaceful they felt.

“If you can really get into a university in Taiwan, I’ll tell my parents to let me go back to study here.” Jiang Ying finally took a small sip of her cocktail. Her face was flushed, and she swayed as she gently leaned on Le Tingfeng’s shoulder.

"Really?"

"What's wrong! You don't believe me?!"

"I believe you, of course I believe you, so it's a deal?"

"Hmm! It would be best if it were near my house, but it's okay if it's not. I'll just go to high school there..."

"Really?"

"You're here again!"

Le Tingfeng awkwardly touched his nose: "I must work even harder in the last month!"

"Yeah! Keep it up!"

"Leave it to me!" Beside Le Tingfeng, two empty cocktail bottles lay empty, a few drops of liquid still swirling gently. "By the way, uh..."

"Are you drunk?"

"I didn't... I drink every day..." Yue Tingfeng said, then hiccuped. "Ah... no, really no."

"Pfft, it's okay, do you want to lean on me?" Jiang Ying sat up straight and gently patted her soft thighs.

"It's okay!" Le Tingfeng opened another bottle with the bottle opener. "Don't worry, I can hold my liquor very well."

"Why do you always try to be strong?"

He gripped the bottle and gulped down a large mouthful: "Ha... What's your home like? In the city? Or in the countryside?"

"I have houses in both the countryside and the city."

"Wow, that's great! What's the countryside like?"

"Hmm... It's by the sea, so we can go to the beach to play."

"If I get into a university in Taiwan, I'll go to the beach in your hometown!"

"Okay."

Le Tingfeng awkwardly peeled open a peanut: "Speaking of which, how do you feel about staying on the mainland?"

"Yes, that's fine."

"Really?"

"Want to hear the truth?"

"Ah."

"Well, there are a lot of things to say, and even though they're all ordinary people, they always like to ask me political questions, which is really annoying."

"Just as I thought, they're all asking about our stance and such, right?"

"Hmm, that's about it. I don't want to think about those complicated problems; they're so annoying."

Le Tingfeng nodded vigorously, looked up at the dazzling fireworks in the sky, and for a moment even forgot to say something.

He made a gurgling sound in his throat, his eyes slightly red: "People always focus on unnecessary things, and they'll attack you if you do something different from them. I was like that when I was a kid..."

"Huh?"

"You know, my two mothers."

"I understand."

"Most people are just a speck of dust in history. Caring too much about things makes them less beautiful. It's better to be like fireworks, blooming briefly and displaying direct and pure beauty..."

"Beautiful... and then?" Jiang Ying looked at Le Tingfeng, only to find that the latter was asleep against the wall, having a sweet dream, and even had a silly smile on his face.

……

(three)

"Listen to the wind, listen to the wind, wake up, the fireworks display is about to end."

"Hmm? Ah...? Uh..." Le Tingfeng opened his eyes groggily and saw the last wave of fireworks shooting densely into the sky as if they were free.

When his blurred vision cleared again, he saw the last round of fireworks falling slowly and sadly, like a luminous rain falling from the sky.

Then, only thick smoke remained in the sky, and with a gust of wind, even the smoke gradually dissipated.

"How did it end so soon?"

"Who told you to fall asleep?"

You should call me that.

"You're sleeping so soundly." Jiang Ying chuckled and stretched out a slender hand to him. "You're here. Let's go home."

“Okay…” Le Tingfeng grabbed her little hand, struggled to stand up, then bent down to pack up the trash on the ground and stuff it back into his schoolbag. He then grabbed her wrist and stepped onto the steps leading back.

The crowd was slowly dispersing, and cars trying to cross the road were blocked by the throng, forced to honk their horns helplessly.

"Shall we share a taxi? Don't get lost, there are so many people..."

"Mmm." Jiang Ying grabbed Le Tingfeng's hand, and the two intertwined their fingers as they squeezed into the crowd.

"That's it?"

"Damn, I haven't seen enough!"

"It's finally over..."

The voices of different people intertwined and were crammed into his mind all at once.

"What a chaotic world this is," Yue Tingfeng couldn't help but sigh.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it seems like we can't get a taxi? There are so many people."

"We arrived late; everyone is getting ready to head back."

"Listen to the wind! — Listen to the — wind —"

He vaguely sensed that someone was calling his name, but when he looked around, he couldn't find a familiar figure.

"what's wrong?"

"Strange, it feels like someone is calling my name."

"Maybe I misheard?"

"Hmm... that's true. With so many people, even if they know I'm coming to see the fireworks display, they probably won't be able to find me... Let's squeeze out of here, walk a few blocks, and then take a taxi. There are just too many people!"

"Ouch!" Jiang Ying seemed to have been bumped hard. Le Tingfeng quickly pulled her over, and their bodies pressed tightly together. The crowd around them seemed to become the background, and for a moment, only the two of them remained in the world.

"Cough!" Le Tingfeng was the first to come to his senses. "I can't see the road, Yingying. I'll carry you on my back. Can you...can you show me the way?"

Jiang Ying didn't say anything, but her face flushed red as she slowly leaned against his back...

……

Chapter 284: Aspiration!

(One)

June 6, 2002, Thursday, Grain in Ear (芒种).

The college entrance examination is getting closer and closer, and we're almost at the 30-day mark.

The cicadas have already started chirping in twos and threes in the summer, but it's not too noisy yet.

The studies must continue, but the closer that day gets, the less at ease one becomes.

Although it is just a college entrance examination, it feels like Judgment Day is approaching for the students.

The number of tests we did every day increased, and we spent almost every class doing various tests. The teacher only took some time to explain the ones with the most mistakes and the key points.

The laughter gradually subsided, and the classroom became somewhat oppressive after class.

Even the usually boisterous boys will voluntarily go to the corridor if they want to speak loudly.

From the classroom, you can see the clear sky outside the window and the clouds that look like they're glowing white.

A cicada perched on the windowsill, sending its piercing noise directly into people's ears, but Liu Xiaowei seemed completely oblivious, still struggling with a math problem, sweating profusely, trying hard to understand how to solve it.

Most of the classrooms in Yukong do not have air conditioning; only ceiling fans are blowing overhead.

"Sigh—when will we get air conditioning?" Wang Jiale gulped down a mouthful of water and vigorously fanned himself with a plastic fan printed with advertisements.

Her few strands of hair, stuck together, swayed gently in the breeze.

"I heard they'll install it next year."

"Next year? Hmm—by then, it'll be too late."

"There aren't many high school classrooms in Hangzhou that have air conditioning, are there?" Hua Yinyin said, resting her chin on her hand. "The teachers' offices do have air conditioning, but those window-type air conditioners simply can't cool such a large classroom."

"Why don't we just take the air conditioner from the band room and use it in our classroom?"

"Hey—then we won't be able to use it when we go to the band room at noon."

Mo Xueyao rolled her eyes: "Then you'll just have to put up with it."

"I understand!" Liu Xiaowei suddenly shouted, interrupting the three's chatter. He gripped his pen and scribbled rapidly on the draft paper. When he arrived at the final answer, he slammed the nearly empty pen on the table, as if breaking free from some constraint, and abruptly raised his head, a few drops of sweat splashing from his hair. "That's it! I see!"

"...Liu Xiaowei, what's wrong with you? Why are you so agitated?"