For Example, This Moment
Xinjiang was the provincial capital, and the semifinals were being held in the city.
Compared to students from other cities who had to book hotels and arrange accommodations a day in advance, the Xinjiang training camp students had it much easier. They simply rode a coach bus to the exam site that morning, swaying leisurely on the way.
The semifinals were much more intense—and more brutal—than the preliminaries. There was barely any chatter on the bus; everyone held a small booklet, hoping to cram in a final review before the exam.
Lu Xingjia wanted to wish Qin Mudong good luck, but when he turned his head, he saw that Qin Mudong was resting with his eyes closed.
The morning sun cast a soft shadow over him, and Qin Mudong’s aura had a gentle quality to it, as if time had come to a stop. Even Lu Xingjia’s breath unconsciously quieted.
Forget it, I’ll tell him later. There’s definitely time.
With that thought, Lu Xingjia smiled softly and looked away.
Just sitting next to Qin Mudong—even without talking—was enough to make all the nervousness melt away, simply knowing he was there.
For some reason, though it was Sunday and usually crowded with traffic, the roads were completely clear that day. Nothing but green lights all the way, and they arrived at the exam site an hour earlier than planned.
Long-term parking wasn’t allowed near the venue, so the teachers handed out exam admission slips in advance and gave final reminders to each student.
This year’s semifinals were held at a top physics competition high school. The school gate was grand and impressive, with banners and signs prepared just for the event. In front of the gate, there were boards displaying exam rules and seating arrangements.
It was just after 8 a.m., but already a large crowd had gathered. A cordon was set up, and volunteers were on site to maintain order.
The moment they got off the bus, they were met by a sea of people. As they walked forward, they became just another moving dot in the crowd.
There were so many people that any available space—railings, walls, anything to lean or sit on—was completely occupied.
Lu Xingjia squeezed through the crowd, located the exam room assignments, and found both his and Qin Mudong’s examination room locations.
Though it was already September and technically fall, the sun was still scorching. It was just past 8 a.m., and the heat was already rising in waves, baking the ground.
As soon as Lu Xingjia emerged from the crowd, Qiu Ruifeng grabbed his arm.
“Come on, let’s find somewhere cooler. It’s too hot here!”
Lu Xingjia was startled and turned around, about to call out to Qin Mudong, but as soon as he moved, the crowd behind him surged forward, completely occupying the spot where he had been.
And just like that—he lost sight of Qin Mudong.
Qiu Ruifeng dragged Lu Xingjia and Ji Angran through the crowd, weaving in and out. Lu Xingjia barely had a chance to say a word before he was swept into the sea of people.
After circling around who knows how many times and pushing through waves of people, the three of them finally found a small patch of shade.
Calling it “shade” was generous—it was only slightly better than standing directly under the sun.
The tree providing cover was barely as tall as a person, with most of its leaves already fallen.
Qiu Ruifeng casually laid out a sheet of scrap paper on the ground and plopped down, waving for Lu Xingjia and Ji Angran to sit.
He eagerly flipped open his textbook. “Come on, come on, I’ll quiz you on the key points!”
“Wait a second!” After being dragged around, Lu Xingjia finally managed to speak. He panted, “Qin Mudong’s not here yet!”
Qiu Ruifeng froze, then smacked his own forehead hard.
“No wonder it felt like someone was missing! How could I forget the study god?!”
Although Qiu Ruifeng wasn’t close with Qin Mudong, he knew that Lu Xingjia and he were tight. Realizing he had left someone behind, Qiu Ruifeng cursed himself a thousand times inside, hurriedly stood up, and didn’t even bother brushing off the dirt on his pants as he prepared to go find him.
But there were just too many people around—so densely packed, like tiny black sesame seeds.
Standing, sitting, waving their hands around…
People pressed against each other, completely blocking the view. Finding one person in this crowd was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Ji Angran also joined the search. Lu Xingjia stood on tiptoe, scanning left and right, but still couldn’t spot that tall figure.
To make things worse, the signal jammer at the exam site had already been activated—there wasn’t even cell service in the area.
Not that it mattered—Lu Xingjia hadn’t brought his phone since training camp started, choosing to focus solely on studying.
Qiu Ruifeng let out a long sigh and smacked his freshly shaved head. “Should we go back to where we got off and try to find him?”
But looking over at the bus drop-off point, it was already completely packed—no space at all.
Lu Xingjia glanced at his watch and slowly put down his tiptoes:
“…Forget it.”
He lowered his eyes.
“It’s almost time to enter the exam hall. Let’s just review the questions a bit more.”
It was already 8:20.
The exam officially started at 9:00, and they would probably start letting students in about ten minutes later. With the crowd and chaos, the chance of finding Qin Mudong was slim.
But he couldn’t help wondering if Qin Mudong would be anxious when he suddenly couldn’t see him.
He probably would.
He hadn’t even gotten the chance to wish him good luck.
Qiu Ruifeng still felt very guilty.
“I’m really sorry, Jia Jia…”
“It’s okay,” Lu Xingjia took a deep breath, forcing a smile as he comforted him,
“Let’s just look over the questions. If we can score even two more points, it’ll be worth it.”
Qiu Ruifeng sighed and didn’t say anything more.
The three of them took turns reviewing key points, but Lu Xingjia couldn’t help glancing around several times, hoping to catch sight of the figure he was longing to see.
Unfortunately, things didn’t go as hoped. There was still no sign of Qin Mudong.
Shortly after 8:30, the tightly shut school gate slowly opened. The crowd surged forward, inching toward the entrance. The three of them followed the flow and slowly queued up to go in.
Even as they walked, Lu Xingjia didn’t stop looking around, hoping for a miracle.
A few times, he thought he saw that tall, slender figure, but with a blink, it was gone again—vanished into the sea of people like it was never there.
Eventually, they reached the teaching building. Students were directed to different exam rooms. Squeezed among the crowd, Lu Xingjia suddenly spotted Xu Feilong grinning brightly.
He had his backpack slung loosely, walking with a carefree swagger, laughing and bantering with his friends, looking completely relaxed.
Even from far away, their voices were loud and clear:
“Just watch me this time—I’ll definitely make it into the provincial top group.”
“Let’s both get in! Who’s scared of who?”
“Alright, we’ll be relying on you guys from now on. We’ll walk out of this school like kings!”
…
Lu Xingjia stopped in his tracks. A sudden wave of emotion surged up from deep inside, burning, crackling.
Only a few dozen students from each province could qualify for the national competition. For most people, this regional round was the final goal, the most important exam they would take.
Lu Xingjia was the same. He knew his level. He knew some kinds of talent couldn’t be compensated for, no matter how hard you tried.
He also knew this might be his last exam—the last time he and Qin Mudong would fight for the same goal. That’s why he treasured it all the more.
This time, he didn’t want any regrets.
“Jia Jia, come on!”
Qiu Ruifeng had already reached the staircase and only just noticed that Lu Xingjia was still standing there.
He quickly waved at him, signaling him to catch up.
“You guys go ahead! I have something to do!”
Leaving those words behind, Lu Xingjia turned and ran against the flow of people.
He had checked the exam room distribution earlier—Qin Mudong’s room was in a different building.
He wanted to see him.
He wanted to see him.
Once that thought emerged, it grew instantly from a tiny seed into a towering tree.
He wanted to see him.
He wanted to say “good luck” in person.
He wanted to tell him that he would do his best.
Panting, Lu Xingjia ran up the stairs to look for Qin Mudong’s exam room.
First floor. Second floor. Third floor. Fourth floor.
Lu Xingjia, hands on his knees, looked into the classroom. Row after row of neatly seated students—but no sign of Qin Mudong.
Had he not arrived yet?
Lu Xingjia was stunned.
He paced at the classroom door, eyes scanning everywhere.
He spotted Qin Mudong’s backpack on the teacher’s podium, but the person was still nowhere to be seen.
Went to the bathroom?
Getting water?
Or something else?
Lu Xingjia’s mind was racing with possibilities. He looked downstairs, then back at the classroom door. He even searched the nearby bathrooms and water rooms—but still, no sign of him.
“Hey, student,” an invigilator wearing a blue vest came over.
“What are you doing standing at the classroom door? The exam’s about to start. Get inside quickly!”
“Sorry, sir! I’m not in this exam room! I’ll go back now!”
Lu Xingjia quickly came to his senses, bowed apologetically, and jogged down the stairs. Before leaving, he glanced one last time into the room—Qin Mudong’s seat was still empty.
Was this fate? Were they just not meant to meet?
Lu Xingjia let out a dejected sigh, descending the long staircase and stepping onto the first floor.
He quickly arrived back at his own exam building. Unwilling to give up, he looked back again—still nothing.
But just as he turned to head upstairs—
He suddenly saw that familiar figure on the stairs.
The person was standing just five or six steps above him, those dark eyes quietly watching him.
After a long pause, Qin Mudong finally spoke hoarsely,
“Where did you go?”
Lu Xingjia, seeing the direction he had come from, immediately understood what had happened—and couldn’t help laughing in spite of himself.
“I went to look for you,” he explained. “We got separated earlier, so I went to your exam room to find you.”
A flash of surprise passed through Qin Mudong’s eyes.
“I also…”
“I know.”
Lu Xingjia looked up and met his gaze.
So it turned out that both of them had done the exact same thing.
In an instant, all the anxious waiting, unease, and frustration in front of the other’s exam room melted into strands of sweetness.
Lu Xingjia couldn’t help but lift the corners of his lips, and the smile grew wider and wider. He then repeated earnestly, “I know.”
Under the last rays of autumn sunlight, two hearts beat in sync.
It was just that simple—they understood each other.
They both wanted to see each other before the exam.
They both wanted to say “good luck.”
They both cherished this final chance to fight side by side toward the same goal.
Lu Xingjia beamed brightly and looked seriously into Qin Mudong’s obsidian-like eyes: “Good luck on the exam.”
Qin Mudong was silent for a moment before the corners of his lips lifted as well. “Good luck.”
He smiled!
At that moment, Lu Xingjia felt as though he could clearly hear the sound of flowers blooming.
His mind burst into dazzling fireworks.
His heart had never raced like this before, and for the first time, he so badly wanted to confess his feelings.
But this love—he couldn’t be the one to confess it first.
It wasn’t because he didn’t like him. It was because he liked him too much. So much that he couldn’t bear to let him suffer even a little.
Lu Xingjia had never intended to bend Qin Mudong’s orientation.
He knew how much Qin Mudong cared for him. He also knew that if he confessed, Qin Mudong would have no other choice but to go along—just to keep him.
Even if Qin Mudong didn’t feel anything more than friendship, he would still hold his hand, kiss him, even share intimacy—just to not lose him.
But that wasn’t what Lu Xingjia wanted.
Not to mention how difficult this road was in the broader context—if he used Qin Mudong’s dependence to seduce him deliberately, he’d be no better than those scumbags who used people for their own gain.
Wanting to save someone and liking someone were two different things. Lu Xingjia wanted to save Qin Mudong—without any strings attached.
In fact, from the day he decided to save him, Lu Xingjia had already given up the chance to confess his feelings.
Except… in moments like this, when his heart raced, he still couldn’t help but wonder—could it be that Qin Mudong maybe, just maybe, liked him a little too?
Not as a friend. But as something more.
Like now.
Lu Xingjia thought—if Qin Mudong were to say “I like you,” even if it meant flying straight into the fire, he would do it. He would never let go of his hand again.
“Hey, you two! Get to your exam rooms!”
Another invigilator had noticed them and was angrily waving them off.
“Okay, okay! We’re going now!”
Lu Xingjia stuck out his tongue and laughed, then quickly ran up the stairs, dashing to his classroom.
After watching Lu Xingjia’s silhouette disappear, Qin Mudong finally turned and headed to his own exam room.
Author’s Note:
They’re almost together now (probably about four or five chapters left)! Lots of readers seem impatient.