Graduation ceremony

The graduation ceremony had finally arrived.

The auditorium buzzed with voices, lively and predictable, yet everyone willingly immersed themselves in this final ritual. The sadness of parting hung in the air, mingling with hopes for the future. Those tangled emotions brewed into one last cup of youth.

The university president delivered the same old congratulatory speech onstage, while most of the graduates below barely listened. Wang Xiaoliang sat among them, his gaze roaming the stage, but he could not find that familiar figure.

The presentation of diplomas and degree certificates was long and solemn. Dressed in graduation gowns, the students lined up and went onstage one after another: tassels moved, smiles offered, bows taken, then back down again. Every step was followed meticulously, as though placing a solemn seal on these four years of youth.

Just as Wang Xiaoliang began to feel drowsy, the auditorium lights suddenly dimmed.

A spotlight fell on the passage beside the stage.

Music slowly rose, and a graceful figure in a graduation gown walked out, microphone in hand.

It was Wei Zijin.

She was still the host today.

A few songs thanking their teachers and remembering their classmates-the graduation ceremony did not actually have much on its program.

When the opening notes of the final song sounded, the entire auditorium fell silent.

It was Zhang Zhenyue's "Goodbye."

"I'm afraid I won't get the chance to say goodbye to you, because perhaps I'll never see you again..."

Wei Zijin sang only the first line, a barely perceptible tremor in her voice.

The next moment, singing rose from one corner, then quickly spread, swelling into an enormous wave of sound.

"Tomorrow I'll leave this familiar place and you behind, we'll have to part, and my tears start falling..."

The entire auditorium sang along.

Thousands of graduates sang the same song with all their strength. Their voices carried reluctance, uncertainty, well wishes, and farewells to the past. Beneath their graduation caps, some faces smiled and others wept, but the same light shone in everyone's eyes.

Wang Xiaoliang sang along too. As he sang, his throat tightened and his eyes grew hot.

His four years at university truly came to a close with this song.

The singing ended, and the lights came up.

The official graduation ceremony was over. What followed was a celebration belonging to the graduates themselves.

"Photo time! Photo time!"

"Come on, let's get a picture of our whole dorm!"

"Professor, take a picture with us!"

The entire auditorium instantly became a sea of joy. People gathered in small groups, pulling one another over and capturing these final moments on campus with phones and cameras. You with him, him with him, her with him-countless combinations formed the liveliest scene before the curtain fell on their youth.

Wang Xiaoliang threaded through the chaotic crowd like a fly without a head.

His goal was clear: find Wei Zijin and take a photo with her.

Just one.

It might be their first, and it was very likely to be their last.

But Wei Zijin was too popular. People surrounded her in ring after ring, and he could not squeeze through at all. Anxious and disappointed, he hovered at the edge of the crowd, unable to move forward or bring himself to leave.

Just as he was about to give up, a clear voice pierced the clamor.

"Wang Xiaoliang!"

He snapped his head up and looked toward the voice.

Wei Zijin stood at the edge of the stage, a few steps above the floor. From her higher vantage point, she had spotted him at once, standing lost in the crowd.

She waved to him, a radiant smile on her face.

In that instant, the surrounding clamor seemed to vanish, and all the bobbing heads became a blurred backdrop. In Wang Xiaoliang's world, only the figure standing above him and waving remained, with the bright stage lights behind her.

It felt as though an invisible hand squeezed his heart, and then it began to race.

He started toward her.

The crowd seemed to part for him on its own. He passed smiling faces, some familiar and some strange, walking steadily, almost reverently, one step at a time. Each step seemed to land on his own heartbeat.

At last, he reached her and tilted his head up to look at her.

"Come on up." Wei Zijin smiled and held out her hand.

He took her slightly cool hand and, with a little pull, stepped onto the stage to stand beside her.

"I thought you wouldn't be able to find me." There was a hint of laughter in her voice.

"How could I not?" Wang Xiaoliang felt that his voice sounded a little dry.

"Xiaoying, take a picture of us." Wei Zijin turned to Chen Xiaoying.

"It's the latest Apple iPhone. I'll make sure you both look gorgeous." Chen Xiaoying was excited. "Move a little closer. There's a whole galaxy between you two."

Wang Xiaoliang instinctively edged closer to Wei Zijin. He could smell the faint scent of shampoo in her hair, fresh and pleasant. His arm almost touched hers.

He was so nervous that his body stiffened.

"Give us a smile, Wang Xiaoliang. Aren't you happy to be graduating?" Wei Zijin tilted her head toward him and spoke softly.

He turned and met her smiling eyes. They were astonishingly bright.

He had a feeling that something subtle had changed in her attitude toward him today.

Despite himself, his mouth spread into what might have been a slightly foolish grin.

Click.

Chen Xiaoying pressed the shutter, capturing that instant.

The bustle of the graduation ceremony gradually faded, and night gently settled over the city.

Wang Xiaoliang arrived at East Lake Park half an hour early.

This was where he and Wei Zijin had first opened their hearts to each other, and it held special meaning for him. The evening breeze swept across the lake, bringing waves of cool air and easing some of the restless heat inside him.

He was leaning against the railing, looking out over the lake, when the crisp tapping of high heels sounded behind him.

He turned.

One look was all it took to leave him stunned.

Wei Zijin wore a well-tailored ivory dress and a pair of delicate, light-colored heels, with just the right amount of makeup. She carried an elegant little handbag, and her long, lightly curled hair swayed gently as she walked.

Today, she had completely shed the youthful awkwardness of a university student. She looked like a beautiful professional woman who had stepped out of a fashion magazine, confident and elegant.

"Have you been waiting long?" she asked with a smile as she came up beside him.

"No, I just got here too." Wang Xiaoliang felt his heartbeat slipping out of his control again.

They walked side by side for a while before heading toward Hongbin Tower.

Hongbin Tower was bustling. The main dining hall was packed with students and families celebrating graduation, and finding a seat was nearly impossible.

Once they reached the third floor, it was indeed much quieter. A server led them to a private room called the Listening to the Waves Pavilion and pushed open the door.

"Please come in."

Wang Xiaoliang and Wei Zijin walked inside, only to discover that someone was already there.

It was neither Zhou Qiang nor Li Lanxiang.

It was Liu Xinyu.

He sat squarely in the seat of honor, a plate of washed fruit in front of him and several bottles of drinks beside it. Steam rose from the teapot on the table; clearly, he had asked the server to brew it in advance.

Anyone who did not know better would have thought he was hosting the dinner.

When he saw Wang Xiaoliang and Wei Zijin walk in together, Liu Xinyu froze for a moment, then immediately stood, his face full of welcoming smiles.

"You're here! Xiaoliang! Sit down, sit down!" He pointed to the seat beside him, then looked at Wei Zijin. "And who is this lovely lady?"

They had clearly met before.

How could he possibly not recognize Wei Zijin?

Wang Xiaoliang did not know whether to laugh or cry. He had indeed mentioned to Zhou Qiang that he wanted to bring a friend, and Zhou Qiang had readily replied, "Bring them along!" But he had never expected Liu Xinyu, another guest, to arrive first and take over as host.

"Hello." Before Wang Xiaoliang could introduce her, Wei Zijin graciously extended her hand. "Liu Xinyu, I'm Wei Zijin. Let's formally introduce ourselves."

"Hello, hello! Wei Zijin, I'm Liu Xinyu. I'm very pleased, very pleased to formally meet you on our last day at university!"

He sounded sincere and earnest.

"Come on, sit down. Don't stand on ceremony. Make yourselves at home."

Just then, the private room's door opened again.

Zhou Qiang walked in smiling, holding Li Lanxiang's hand.

"Oh, everyone's here already? We're not late, are we?"

Wang Xiaoliang was about to introduce Liu Xinyu to the two of them.

But he noticed that Liu Xinyu stood rooted to the spot, staring straight at Zhou Qiang, who had just entered.

He looked ten times more astonished than he had upon seeing Wei Zijin.

He clearly knew Zhou Qiang.