In the sunlit campus of Lingyun Academy,
Her laughter rang out like wind chimes, and his eyes were filled with affectionate indulgence. The two of them embraced, their laughter and the sunlight dancing around them.
Lingyun's students, already familiar with their status as the school's most famous couple, couldn't help but turn back repeatedly to look at the tender scene.
Her cheeks flushed bright red.
He gazed at her and suddenly gave her a quick, light kiss on the lips. She froze, her face turning even redder. Shyly, she looked at him and noticed that his face had also turned pink. He smiled, took her hand, and they strode down the tree-lined path of the campus together.
The leaves on the trees lining the path rustled joyfully.
Her heartbeat raced even faster than the leaves.
He pulled her along, running.
Running past the sports field.
Running past Mirror Lake.
Running past the Humanities and Academic Exchange Center.
He stopped and smiled. "Look, cherry blossoms."
This is the cherry blossom avenue on campus, blooming in its full glory. The cherry blossoms, like rosy clouds, blend with the tender green trees to create a drifting sea of flowers. The sunlight pierces through the clouds, highlighting the translucent white blossoms with a delicate hue and rich texture. As the wind gently blows, pink and almost pearly white petals slowly fall from the treetops, fluttering gracefully in the air.
Such beautiful cherry blossoms...
The fluttering petals fall like dreamy snowflakes...
Emily spreads her arms, closes her eyes, and smiles.
She twirls gently.
In the snowfall of cherry blossoms, her spinning smile is like an angel's.
As the petals fall, like a rain of blossoms and snow, Emily joyfully embraces the most beautiful flower snow of April beneath the cherry trees.
"Ah! Young is in the tree!"
Several surprised exclamations rang out along the cherry blossom avenue.
Emily opened her eyes and instantly smiled even brighter than the cherry blossoms. It turned out that Young had climbed up the cherry tree, sitting at the top and gently shaking the branches to let the petals fall softly.
He smiled at her, his eyes full of tenderness.
Petals of cherry blossoms fell like snow, dressing Emily below as the most beautiful cherry blossom princess.
And Young—
Was reprimanded for climbing the tree without permission.
"It's okay as long as you're happy," he said, smiling, after being scolded at the security office, as he embraced her, who was waiting outside with a hint of apology.
...
...
The unusually cold sunlight at the end of May cast a chilling air. Emily, dressed in a light green, sheer camisole dress, shivered slightly. Her body trembled, and she stifled a cough that escaped from the corner of her lips. Her face was as pale as paper, with only her cheekbones showing a sickly flush.
She gazed deeply at Ryan.
Her hands clenched into fists, she took a deep breath, letting it sink deeply into her heart. If she could retrieve the diamond from the fountain, would he be very, very happy? A quiet smile blossomed on Emily's lips, and her breathing became light. Then, let him be happy...
"Someone has jumped into the fountain pool!"
Suddenly, a passerby shouted in the square! People nearby looked up in surprise, following the sound—
In the one-meter-deep fountain pool, a girl in a green dress struggled through the water. The cascading jets of water splashed down from above, soaking her dress and clinging to her body. She trembled as if on the verge of collapsing.
Under the sunlight.
In the fountain.
The girl was pummeled by the icy water.
Her pale green figure resembled a small plant about to be washed away by a storm. She bent down, appearing to search for something at the bottom of the pool, moving slowly and carefully. Each time she bent lower, it seemed as if the water's surface was about to swallow her.
The water...
So cold...
Emily's vision was obscured by the glaring sunlight and the blinding whiteness of the water. Everything was water and cold. She could only rely on her fingers to search the pool's bottom.
"Little diamond, where are you? Please come out." Her breaths were hot and intermittent, and the forceful jets of water drenched her from head to toe. She couldn't open her eyes, and the water beneath her surged violently.
"Little diamond, where are you..."
Emily submerged into the pool's depths.
The water gently lifted her dress, and her short, wet hair floated with the waves. Her fingers continued to search through the frigid water...
"Little diamond, where are you..."
As Emily jumped into the fountain, a splash erupted.
The water droplets had dampened the back of Ryan's hand.
His hand hung casually by his side, and after an indeterminate amount of time, his fingers twitched slightly, struggling to relax. Yet, his fingers twitched again, and slowly tightened into a fist. He exhaled, attempting to mock, but his fingers had already stiffened into a clenched fist.
After a long time, as the water droplets dried on Ryan's hand...
In the fountain pool, Emily finally stood up straight. She waved, the water droplets cascading transparently from the air, and through the misty curtain of water, her joyous smile seemed to pierce straight through to his heart. She waved at him from afar and shouted something, but the sound of the water was too loud to make out her words.
Ryan took a few steps forward.
He hadn't yet figured out what he was going to do, but he had already moved to the edge of the fountain pool and reached out his hand to the drenched Emily.
The sound of the rushing water was deafening.
Emily stood in the water, drenched and disheveled, looking like a fish that had just leapt out of the water, droplets dripping down her entire body.
Ryan's hand was suspended in the air.
She stared at his hand, dazed, and then looked up at him. A weak smile quietly bloomed on her lips. Then, she extended her own hand—
Their hands came closer...
Fingers touched...
Her fingers were icy...
His fingers were warm...
At that moment, Emily suddenly toppled backward into the water, causing a massive splash to surge out of the fountain pool!