"Why do you dislike Meng Qiaoyu so much?"
Lin Sitian suddenly leaned closer to Zhou Sheng as they waited in line to board the rafts. Her question was deliberate, laced with a hint of teasing.
Zhou Sheng frowned slightly, thinking for a moment before answering, "I don't."
He said it with utter seriousness and a perfectly calm expression, making Lin Sitian start to doubt if she'd truly misinterpreted his earlier behavior.
"Really?" she pressed.
This question prompted Zhou Sheng to reflect. Had he really shown dislike?
"I thought maybe you and Meng Qiaoyu had some disagreement downstairs this morning," Lin Sitian offered as an excuse, mostly for herself. She absolutely wasn't thinking Zhou Sheng might be jealous over her – at least, she couldn't let him think that.
Zhou Sheng shook his head again. "At that time, I was just surprised. You invited me, but Meng Qiaoyu was also coming."
He paused, his train of thought mirroring hers from earlier, and quickly added, "I mean, if you're giving out rewards, why include Meng Qiaoyu too?"
Lin Sitian, not overthinking his clarification, explained: "Because it was an overnight trip, Granny wouldn't let me go unless I named someone she knew. I told her Yang Xuelin was coming first, but Granny thought having another girl wasn't safe enough. So I called Meng Qiaoyu – their class happened to be planning a trip for the break too, and they all decided on this place. Group tickets were cheaper, and we could all look out for each other."
Zhou Sheng lowered his eyes impassively. The misunderstanding was cleared, yet a sliver of dissatisfaction remained within him. Hearing about Lin Sitian's family's trust in Meng Qiaoyu only made that heavy, stifling feeling in his chest sink deeper.
He was used to being first. He rarely experienced what it felt like to be the runner-up.
"Let's go," Lin Sitian called, realizing they'd reached the front of the line.
Zhou Sheng boarded the raft first and reached out to help Lin Sitian down. The staff on the shore gave a few quick instructions, and then the raft was pushed out into the current.
The boarding area lay in the shadow of the valley wall, the sun blocked out. The lively water nearby churned up a damp, misty spray. Lin Sitian hugged her arms, rubbing them almost as soon as they left the bank. "It's so cold!"
The Start of Summer was still a few days away. Even with the warmer temperatures today, the lingering coolness of late spring hung in the air. Dressed lightly and now on the water, feeling cold was inevitable.
Zhou Sheng reassured her, "It's almost noon. Once we get out of this shaded area and the sun gets stronger, you won't feel cold." He suddenly remembered something else and asked, "Can you swim?"
Lin Sitian tilted her head, looking at him with a teasing, half-smile. "Can you? I remember you couldn't in first year."
"We weren't in the same class in first year."
"Sometimes our swimming classes overlapped; two classes together. I saw you," Lin Sitian said, her tone relaxed as she gripped the raft's handles. The current was gentle at the start, the small boat bobbing gently. "—clinging to the edge of the pool, kicking your legs like a fool."
Zhou Sheng's face grew progressively redder as she spoke. "Why did you notice?"
"People were chatting, saying 'Even the top student Zhou Sheng has things he can't do!' So I got curious and looked. Anyone would be curious," she reasoned.
That was the first time the name 'Zhou Sheng' had registered with her. Before that, he'd always been first in the grade rankings, won various competitions, been the best debater in the school tournament, won district gold for essays… Well, she learned about all that later. The point was, she remembered the name Zhou Sheng from that day, seeing him unable to swim, clinging to the pool edge, spluttering but diligently kicking his legs – ridiculous, amusing, and utterly memorable.
Having his past awkwardness brought up, Zhou Sheng felt both amused and chagrined. He touched his warming ear. "I can swim now… I spent a whole summer learning."
"A whole summer? That's really fast. Geniuses really do learn things differently," Lin Sitian remarked with admiration.
"I'm not a genius," Zhou Sheng looked away. "There are many things I can't do."
"—But if I can't do something, I just focus on learning it. Many things aren't as difficult as they seem. What's hard is the determination and persistence to see it through." He finished his thought, then awkwardly raised a hand to cover his mouth, pretending to cough. "Did that sound like a textbook answer?"
Lin Sitian curved her lips into a smile, revealing shallow dimples. "No." She admitted to herself that this was the Zhou Sheng she liked – the one who acknowledged his own shortcomings. That was what attracted her most: his humility and sincerity. It was rare in boys their age. Maybe it was because he'd always been immersed in books that he stood out.
[Many things aren't as difficult as they seem. What's hard is the determination and persistence to see it through.]
Thinking of his words, Lin Sitian fell into thoughtful silence.
The current beneath the raft was gradually picking up speed. Seeing her staring distractedly at the water, Zhou Sheng thought she was scared. "Don't worry. Even if you can't swim, it's okay. If you fall in, I'll get you out immediately."
Lin Sitian laughed. "You're so good to a girl you have 'no interest' in. I really wonder, Zhou Sheng, if you ever truly like someone someday, just how far you'd go?"
Zhou Sheng was taken aback. Years of solving problems sharpened his sensitivity to key points. He quickly replayed the morning's events in his mind and suddenly understood the likely reason for Lin Sitian's earlier anger.
"I—" he began, but the raft hit a section of rapids with a sudden drop, cutting off whatever he'd been about to say—
"Hold on tight, Lin Sitian!"
The raft plunged down the churning rapid. Water surged into the small boat as they dropped. Lin Sitian hadn't fully braced herself before the raft spun wildly in the turbulent water, slammed against a rocky outcrop like a bumper car, and bounced off, leaving her dizzy and disoriented.
"Whoo-hoo—!"
What followed was a continuous stretch of turbulent rapids, twisting and turning relentlessly. Before they could recover from one pounding wave, they were sucked into the next whirlpool. Several times, the raft tilted precariously, threatening to flip, only to miraculously right itself. Lin Sitian was tossed about, her head shaking along with the raft's movements, her excited shrieks echoing through the valley.
"Zhou Sheng! Zhou Sheng! We're gonna tip! We're gonna tip! Up ahead—!" Lin Sitian pointed excitedly towards the small waterfall cliff looming before them, bouncing in her seat, eager for the plunge.
"I know! Lin Sitian, hold on tight, don't let go! Lin Sitian! Lin Sitian—!!"
Zhou Sheng was already terrified just watching her whooping and flailing with only one hand on the raft as they approached the waterfall. To make it worse, she seemed utterly unrepentant, completely lost in the thrill of the roaring white water. He almost lunged across to grab her. In the next instant, the entire raft went airborne. His body reflexively tightened its grip on the handholds. The raft slammed down onto the water like a crash landing, sending a colossal spray skyward on impact.
"WOW!" Lin Sitian laughed, her eyes crinkling into crescents. "Successful landing!" she yelled triumphantly.
"You…" Zhou Sheng managed only one syllable before the raft bumped the rock wall. A cascade of waterfall water, tumbling from above, drenched him from head to toe.
Both were momentarily stunned by the unexpected deluge. Lin Sitian stared at Zhou Sheng's drowned rat appearance and burst into giggles, slapping the side of the raft in unrestrained laughter.
Water dripped steadily. Zhou Sheng was soaked through – the one who followed the rules, yet the one suffering the consequences. How unfair! Meanwhile, Lin Sitian, whether blessed with good luck or not, had only gotten a few strands of hair wet throughout the bumpy ride, now clinging damply to her temples.
Her unguarded, genuine laughter showed no trace of restraint in front of him. Zhou Sheng watched her quietly. His own usually placid mood seemed infected by her joy. He lifted his head, gazing at the spray constantly kicked up into the sky under the bright sun, and finally began to laugh too.
The warm midday sun poured down from the sky into the deep pools below, filtering through the leaves clinging to the cliff edges, transforming into scattered fragments of dappled gold that fell upon Lin Sitian's face. It illuminated her skin with a soft, hazy glow. Droplets fell from her damp hair. The girl laughed with a pure sweetness, then suddenly squinted and raised a wrist to shield her eyes from the swirling sunlight. The light, diffused by the spray beneath the waterfall, scattered into a spectrum of colors, faintly forming what seemed like a rainbow.
Zhou Sheng felt his heartbeat sync with the rhythm of the rapids and the cadence of her laughter. He spoke up suddenly, "Lin Sitian."
"Huh?"
"Wang Yue and the others have caught up."
"Where?" Lin Sitian hurriedly twisted around to look. "No— Wah!"
Before she could turn back, a wave of water splashed directly into her face.
"Zhou Sheng! That's cheating!" Lin Sitian's eyes widened. This stretch of the stream was relatively calm. Without a second thought, she let go of the raft's handles, leaned over, scooped up a handful of water, and flung it at Zhou Sheng's face. Zhou Sheng wasn't about to take it lying down either. He plunged one hand into the stream and sent a wave back at her. Soon, they were gleefully splashing each other. Unfortunately, the girl's hands were slender and small, lacking the necessary force. Her double-handed splashes were no match for Zhou Sheng's single powerful sweep. She was quickly drenched from head to toe, as soaked and bedraggled as Zhou Sheng, her eyelashes beaded with water droplets, her eyes struggling to stay open.
"Ahh, Zhou Sheng! Stop splashing me!" Lin Sitian yelled, her eyes squeezed shut, pouting furiously.
Usually, such pleas during a water fight fall on deaf ears. But this was Zhou Sheng. He actually stopped.
Lin Sitian opened her eyes, looking at him through what seemed like tear-filled vision. "You really splashed me."
Zhou Sheng looked puzzled. "Should I have pretended?"
"..." Talking to a straight guy could be infuriating.
Lin Sitian gritted her teeth, indignant. "You're using your strength as a guy, that's unfair! From now on, you're not allowed to splash anymore!"
"Oh."
And so, Zhou Sheng became the sole victim of Lin Sitian's watery assault. Handful after handful of water was flung at his face. He could only close his eyes and endure her onslaught. After a few particularly hard splashes, Zhou Sheng had to raise a hand to shield his face.
Absolute victory without a worthy opponent quickly lost its thrill. Lin Sitian finally vented her frustration, stopping to catch her breath, leaning over the raft's edge to look at him. "Why are you so… docile?" Completely not fighting back.
Zhou Sheng wiped the water from his face and opened his eyes. "Someone has to let you win."
—Huh?
Was he implying, 'You usually don't win anyway'?
Wow, she thought, no wonder he's the debate champion. His comebacks don't even need harsh words.