We ordinary people also need to fall in love.

"Each person can only have one prayer plaque. Think it through before you write it, and once you're done, you can hang it up on the Wenyuan tree in the back."

Lin Xinle and Mao Zhouzhou each carried a stack of red wooden plaques and distributed them one by one along the line.

Li Mubai took it and flipped it over. Both sides were blank, and the hanging rope was already threaded on, with a small wooden bead attached.

He touched the black marker in the pocket of his Zhongshan suit. Luckily, he remembered to slip one in before leaving home that morning, otherwise he would have to borrow one from somewhere else.

He held the pen, spread the wooden sign in his palm, and looked down at the smooth red wooden surface.

Praying for blessings, making wishes...

What wishes did he want to write down? He hoped Xie Shu wouldn't leave, he hoped he could do well on the exam, and he hoped they could go a long, long way together.

There's so much I want to write, I don't even know which sentence to start.

"Have you finished writing?"

Xie Shu's voice suddenly rang out from behind.

Li Mubai turned around, and she and Chen Qiuhe walked over side by side. Chen Qiuhe was also holding a prayer plaque with words written on it.

"Not yet, have you finished writing?" he asked.

"You and Shubao are really on the same wavelength," Chen Qiuhe remarked.

"Huh?" Li Mubai didn't understand where Chen Qiuhe got that question.

"We were writing prayer plaques just now, and Shu Bao thought for a long time but still didn't know what to write," Chen Qiuhe said, glancing at Xie Shu. "I said, why don't we go see what you're writing and find some inspiration? Shu Bao said, 'You probably haven't written anything yet either.'"

Li Mubai looked at Xie Shu, who was standing next to Chen Qiuhe. She nodded slightly, her expression indifferent. In the crowd, she looked just like the quiet top student in the grade, no different from usual.

"So, Xie Shu, you haven't written it yet either?"

"Um."

It seems they've made countless wishes—on birthdays, New Year's Day, and before every major exam.

Now that the time has come to truly say goodbye, I don't know how to begin.

"Since you don't know what to write, I'll pray for you," Chen Qiuhe suddenly said.

"Help us?" Li Mubai looked at her, puzzled.

Chen Qiuhe didn't explain. She took out a pen from her pocket, bent down and added another line of words on the back of her wooden sign, then turned it over to show them.

"I got into Renmin University's law school! I hope Li Mubai and Xie Shu will be together forever!"

When Li Mubai saw the words, he didn't know what to say.

Xie Shu looked down at the wooden sign for a while, then softly said thank you.

"How is it?" Chen Qiuhe asked with a smile.

"That's good." Li Mubai nodded.

Why isn't there much of a reaction? Chen Qiuhe wondered.

"Why don't you two go and help hang it up?" she said immediately.

Li Mubai and Xie Shu exchanged a glance.

"it is good."

He took the blessing plaque from Chen Qiuhe and turned with Xie Shu toward the Wenyuan Tree.

Chen Qiuhe stood there, watching their backs disappear into the crowd, smiled, and then turned and walked briskly towards the parents' group.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, dappling the ground with scattered patches of light. Many prayer plaques and red ribbons hung from the branches of the Wenyuan tree, swaying gently in the breeze.

Li Mubai found a lower branch, stood on tiptoe, and tied Chen Qiuhe's wooden sign to it.

"Li Mubai," Xie Shu said, standing next to him, still clutching his own prayer plaque, "why don't we hang our plaques up too?"

"Can it fail even if nothing is written?"

"Sign your name on it and hang it up. When we come back later, we'll find it and add the content," Xie Shu said.

Li Mubai thought about it and felt that this idea was not bad.

He took out a marker and wrote his name on the front of the wooden sign. After finishing, he stopped and looked at Xie Shu's handwriting next to him.

Her handwriting was much neater than his; the two signs hung side by side on the same branch, and when the wind blew, they gently bumped together, making a soft, rustling sound.

"Li Mubai." Xie Shu turned to face him.

Time seemed to stand still here; the surrounding sounds became distant, but the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves felt very close.

She wore a braid today, standing in the dappled sunlight, like a painting perfectly illuminated by the light.

"I'm an adult now." She took a step closer.

"Class 1 of Senior Three, please get ready and assemble in the square. We will begin taking a group photo immediately."

The host's voice came from the other side of the square, passing through the lush leaves and reaching the ears of every student.

"We're about to take a group photo," Li Mubai said.

"Hmm." Xie Shu lowered his gaze.

"Let's take a group photo too," Li Mubai continued.

"Okay." Xie Shu raised his voice, "I just happened to bring my camera."

It wasn't just a coincidence; I brought it specifically so I could take a photo with him.

"Li Mubai, don't keep a straight face. Smile naturally. Shubao, move closer to him."

Deng Yi, Li Mubai and Xie Shu's professional photographer, was back online, directing their movements.

"Okay, look at the camera, three—two—one."

With a click, the camera flashed for a fleeting moment.

"Don't move yet."

Deng Yi took several more photos.

"Alright, Shubao, take a look."

Xie Shu took the camera, looked down and examined it for a while: "We need to take another set."

"Shoot another set?" Deng Yi was taken aback.

Li Mubai looked at Xie Shu, puzzled.

"Okay, wait for me." She handed the camera back to Li Mubai, didn't explain where she was going, and turned to leave quickly.

"Uh... then call me if you need anything later?" Deng Yi looked at Li Mubai, her tone a little uncertain.

"Okay, thank you." Li Mubai nodded.

He retreated to the wall, looked down and flipped through the photos in his camera. The two of them looked like people who had traveled from the last century.

He put down his camera, his gaze inadvertently sweeping across the other side of the square before suddenly stopping.

In one of the standees, Chen Qiuhe stands with her parents, while her cousin Chen Peishan stands opposite them, holding a mobile phone, seemingly taking a picture.

He suddenly remembered that Chen Qiuhe had said before that if her mother's condition was good, she would be able to be discharged from the hospital and go home soon.

So, is this a sign of being healthy?

And looking at her father, apart from being a bit dejected, he still had a smile on his face.

Have they made up?

Chen Qiuhe is the truly remarkable person.

He silently withdrew his gaze and stood by the wall, looking at the Sixth Middle School across the road.

A cloud drifted in, blocking out the sunlight, and the temperature cooled down a bit.

He stared blankly at the school, lost in thought.

"Click." The sound of a camera shutter suddenly rang out from the side.

He turned his head, and Lan Shiyu was holding a Polaroid camera, a photo slowly emerging from the machine.

She caught it, swung it twice in the air, and then handed it to him.

"Here you go, melancholy young man."

"...What is this?" He took it and glanced at it; the photographic paper was still completely white.

"The film will be ready in a little while. I'm leaving now, goodbye." After she finished speaking, she turned around, waved, and left.

Li Mubai put the photo into his coat pocket and looked back in the direction of the school.

"Li Mubai." Xie Shu's voice came from behind.

He turned his head and froze slightly.

She changed out of her traditional Chinese school uniform and into a blue and white Ming Dynasty-style Hanfu, and styled her hair up again.

This is none other than Xie Shu's outfit from the opening ceremony of the sports meet!

"Li Mubai." Xie Shu walked up, her face flushed from running. "Qiuhe told me that during the sports meet in our second year of high school, you stood in the distance wanting to take a picture with me, but you didn't dare to come up."

Li Mubai's eyes still held a hint of surprise, and Xie Shu lowered his eyes slightly in his gaze.

"So," she handed him a paper bag containing another set of Hanfu, exactly the same as the one he wore back then, "I don't want your youth to be filled with regrets."

Li Mubai stared at her blankly, unable to utter a sound.

However, this youthful dream was destined to end in regret.

He reached out and took the paper bag, and before she could react, he stepped forward and gently hugged her...