After the game ended, Liu Jianjun and Su Jun were both voted MVP. Gripping his trophy, Liu Jianjun waved at the whole crowd, his face glowing with happiness. Next it was time for both teams to take group pictures. Camera flashes lit up the stadium.
Most of the spectators had already begun to leave, with only the most diehard fans waiting behind to get Su Jun's autograph, Du Yu among them. Since Fang Mu wanted to get back early, he waved goodbye to Du Yu and left.
It was cold outside, especially after leaving the hot, jam-packed arena, and Fang Mu couldn't help but shiver. He noticed Tai Wei standing nearby, hands clasped behind his back.
Seeing Fang Mu, Tai Wei waved him over. "Got a cigarette?" he immediately asked.
Fang Mu nodded.
"Give me two, one for me and one for him," said Tai Wei, pointing at the plainclothes cop standing beside him.
Fang Mu took out two cigarettes and handed them over. He lit one for himself.
For a while the three of them smoked in silence, each taking deep drags. At last Tai Wei said, "Damn, I was going nuts out here. We just got out of the stadium, but had no cigarettes, and there was no way I could leave and go buy a pack." He pointed at the flood of people leaving the arena.
Fang Mu thought for a second, and then passed him his half-full pack. "Take this."
Tai Wei accepted it without a word of thanks. "Where are you off to?"
"Back to the dorm."
"By yourself?"
"By myself."
Tai Wei thought for a moment and then said, "Don't go back yet; wait here with me. When all this is finished I'll take you back."
Fang Mu was about to refuse when Tai Wei waved his hand conclusively, as if to say it had already been decided.
After everyone had left, Fang Mu went with Tai Wei as he circled the campus, mostly paying attention to several women's dormitories and various areas where couples were known to meet up. Fang Mu felt extremely awkward patrolling these latter areas, like he was no different than a Peeping Tom. By the time Tai Wei yawned and said he would take Fang Mu back to his dorm, nearly an hour had passed.
As the two of them walked past the gymnasium, chatting casually, Fang Mu happened to glance in its direction. He immediately stopped walking.
"Look!"
Tai Wei looked to where he was pointing. Dim light could be seen through the gymnasium's blue glass windows. "It looks like it's coming from the basketball court," Tai Wei said, glancing at his watch. "The place should have been cleared out a long time ago. What are people still doing inside?"
They exchanged a look and then hurried toward the gymnasium doors.
While toweling off her wet hair, Deng Linyue stared absently at the "9" nailed to the door of her locker.
During the game just now, Liu Jianjun had told her to wait for him alone in the gymnasium afterwards.
What was he planning? Deng Linyue felt a little nervous.
To be honest, Deng Linyue felt all right about Liu Jianjun, but she didn't like him in that way. Although a lot of people mistakenly thought she was his girlfriend, he had yet to express his feelings.
Perhaps tonight, she thought, he will say those three words to me.
Outside the locker room, she could hear the teacher supervisor organizing the changing room keys.
"Three, four, five…seven, eight, ten, eleven… Wait, where's nine? Who's using number nine?"
"Deng Linyue," Deng Linyue called. As soon as she spoke, someone knocked on the door to the locker room.
"Linyue, you're not ready yet?"
"I'm going to stay a little longer," she yelled toward the door. "You all go on without me."
"Such a dillydally! Tomorrow you'll have to bring the key to the student union yourself," the teacher decided.
Deng Linyue heard the teacher and all of her fellow cheerleaders walk away.
She continued on about her tasks. When she was all ready, she left the locker room and locked it behind her.
As she did, her cell phone beeped. It was a text from Liu Jianjun.
"I'm waiting for you at the basketball court, " it read.
Taking a deep breath, Deng Linyue pulled on her backpack and left the locker room.
The basketball court was completely empty, which made the huge space feel incredibly vast.
Deng Linyue glanced at the stands all around her. There was no sign of Liu Jianjun. "Where is he?" she muttered to herself, strolling aimlessly to center court.
Peng… peng… peng!
A rhythmic, banging sound suddenly echoed within the gymnasium, startling Deng Linyue. Looking around again, she saw that a basketball had been launched from up in the stands and was now bouncing on the court.
When the ball bounced over to her she stopped it with her foot and picked it up. It was a brand-new Spalding. Deng Linyue + Liu Jianjun was written in gold on each of its eight sections. It was beautiful.
Deng Linyue smiled to herself. This boy really was quite thoughtful.
Just then, Chyi Chin's The Moon Represents My Heart began to play over the loudspeakers. (Translators’ note: Chyi Chin, a famous Chinese pop music star.)
In the enormous arena, the sound of his magnetic voice filled the air:
"You ask how deep my love's for you… How much do I love you? …My feelings are true, my love is deep, the moon represents my heart…"
Deng Linyue looked up at the broadcast booth above the stands. A light was on inside, and she could see someone standing there and waving at her.
It was Liu Jianjun.
Before long the song ended and after a few seconds of silence, she heard Liu Jianjun's voice reverberating throughout the arena.
"Linyue, today has been a very special day for me," he said. "Not just because I got to compete with my idol on the same court, but more importantly, because today I will tell the girl I love how I feel about her…" His sweet-sounding voice was amplified by the loudspeakers, giving it an unexpectedly soul-stirring charm.
Looking up at the vague figure in the broadcast booth, Deng Linyue felt as if her whole body was filling with happiness.
Love. This was love.
What girl wasn't a little vain? It nearly made her blush. What girl wouldn't want her boyfriend to be tall and handsome? What girl could resist a romantic offensive like this?
"Linyue, I — "
A sudden, sharp bang split the air.
Suddenly all the lights in the arena went out and Liu Jianjun's heartfelt words abruptly stopped.
Plunged at once into darkness, Deng Linyue was momentarily stunned. At a loss, she waited for several seconds and then shakily called out, "Liu Jianjun…?"
The broadcast booth was pitch black as well. There was no response.
She cried out several times. In the vast, open gymnasium, her voice echoed back and forth, the sound frighteningly clear.
"Don't scare me!" she yelled, on the verge of tears. "I don't like it!"
Suddenly a spotlight switched on. The pale beam shined all the way from the top of the stands to the court, enveloping Deng Linyue.
Blinded by the light, she cupped a hand over her eyes and looked to where it was coming from.
Uncertain, she thought she saw someone walking down the stands.
Then the sound of steady footsteps reached her ears and she knew she hadn't been wrong.
"Liu Jianjun, is that you?"
The figure didn't respond, just kept walking towards her, neither fast nor slow. With the spotlight beam shining behind him, Deng Linyue couldn't make out his face, but she could tell it was a man.
As he drew closer, Deng Linyue was finally able to determine that it wasn't Liu Jianjun; this man was nearly half a head shorter than him.