The late autumn wind, wrapped in the sweet-scented osmanthus fragrance outside the gymnasium, poured in from the air vents. Xu Zhixia was staring at the mole on the back of Lin Yan's neck in a daze. He was still wearing the old navy blue school uniform, with rosin from an unknown tree on his collar. When he swung the racket, his sleeves were lifted, revealing a faint blue mark on his wrist bone - like the wound Xu Zhixia had secretly seen last winter when he was saving a stray cat in the snow.
"Side spin is not a wrist shake." Lin Yan's racket tapped Xu Zhixia's fingers holding the racket, and his fingertips rubbed the thin calluses on his palm. "Keep your wrist steady, like this -" Lin Yan covered the back of Xu Zhixia's hand, with the unique rough touch of table tennis rubber particles. Xu Zhixia's fingertips suddenly became hot, and he almost couldn't hold the racket. The white ball bounced a crooked arc on the table and rolled to Chen Ye's feet.
"The 17th ball." Chen Ye squatted down to pick up the ball, and the zipper of his school uniform swung and hit the edge of the table, making a crisp sound. He held the ball with his fingertips and handed it over, and his fingertips were still warm from the hand warmer: "The math teacher is looking for you. There are three exclamation marks on your homework book." His chest vibrated slightly when he spoke, as if he was holding a restless little beast - later Xu Zhixia learned that it was a heartbeat that was always half a beat faster than that of ordinary people due to congenital heart disease.
When Xu Zhixia took the ball, she took the strawberry candy from Chen Ye's palm. The candy wrapper made a rustling sound at his fingertips. It was Chen Ye's favorite pink packaging with a crooked strawberry pattern printed on it. "You're hiding snacks again." Xu Zhixia stuffed the candy into the pocket of his school uniform, and his fingertips rubbed against the thin sweat on Chen Ye's palm - he always sweats when he is nervous, such as now, the tip of his ear is turning red at a speed visible to the naked eye.
When the bell rang for evening self-study, Chen Ye put Xu Zhixia's racket bag on the table. The zipper of the blue canvas bag was not closed tightly, revealing half of the frayed handle. It was an old racket that Xu Zhixia had used for three years. A tiny "L" was embroidered on the edge of the racket cover - the initials of Lin Yan's surname. Chen Ye's eyelashes cast a shadow under his eyes, and his fingertips unconsciously rubbed the edge of his worn notebook, where a pencil drawing was revealed: Xu Zhixia, with sweaty hair, squatted by the table to pick up the ball, and his trousers were stained with dust, like a small animal pecking at rice with his head down.
"Tomorrow is the weekend, are you still practicing?" Chen Ye suddenly spoke, his voice lower than usual. Xu Zhixia was staring at the math problem in a daze, and the tip of the pen drew a crooked arc on the draft paper: "Senior Lin Yan said he wanted to teach me to twist and pull with my backhand." Xu Zhixia didn't see Chen Ye's knuckles turning white when he held the pen, but only heard him suddenly chuckle: "Then I'll bring you buns with beef filling, you said they were delicious last time."
The moon had risen when school was over, and Chen Ye accompanied Xu Zhixia home. The wind in late autumn was a bit chilly. He suddenly started to cough. He covered his chest when he bent over, revealing the white inner layer of his school uniform between his fingers. Xu Zhixia caught a glimpse of a faded pattern, which looked like a little man swinging a racket. "Did you catch a cold?" Xu Zhixia pulled off the scarf from her neck and threw it to him. The wool scarf was warm from Xu Zhixia's body temperature. When Chen Ye took it, his fingertips trembled. The scarf slid down halfway, revealing his reddened ear tips.
"Zhixia." He suddenly stopped at the entrance of the alley. The street lights stretched his shadow long and fell at Xu Zhixia's feet. When Xu Zhixia turned around, she saw that he was holding a strawberry candy in his hand. The pink candy wrapper swayed gently in the night wind: "Actually..."
He didn't finish his words before he was hit by a wild cat that suddenly ran by. Chen Ye staggered back half a step. Xu Zhixia reached out to help him, but touched his bony collarbone under his school uniform - much thinner than last year. "Go home early." Xu Zhixia took back her hand and put it into her school uniform pocket. Her fingertips touched the corners of the strawberry candy. "Remember to bring buns tomorrow. I want to add vinegar."
Xu Zhixia didn't see Chen Ye swallowing back the words on his lips when Xu Zhixia turned around. The street lights at the entrance of the alley flickered. He looked down at the candy in his hand. The edges of the candy wrapper were wrinkled, just like the ripples in his heart that he dared not reveal every time he watched Xu Zhixia play.
The lights in the gym were still on, and Lin Yan was wiping the table. Xu Zhixia's racket fell on the table, and the "L" on the edge of the racket cover glowed faintly under the light. And in Chen Ye's notebook, a new page read: "Xu Zhixia gave me a scarf today. The wool is a bit prickly, but it is hotter than a hand warmer. It turns out that the temperature of Xu Zhixia's fingertips is as sweet as strawberry candy."
The night wind lifted the sycamore leaves at the entrance of the alley and fell at Chen Ye's feet. He bent down to pick up a leaf and put it into the notebook with the picture of Xu Zhixia. In the distance came the sound of a ping-pong ball hitting the table, one by one, just like the heartbeat he hid in his chest and dared not let Xu Zhixia hear.
The wind of this night will eventually stop before dawn. Just like some words, they will eventually be buried in the soil of late autumn, waiting for the next spring to grow a full of regrets. And Xu Zhixia didn't know at this moment that the tenderness hidden in the strawberry candy wrapper that was ignored by Xu Zhixia would eventually become the most painful cinnabar mole in Xu Zhixia's youth.