fictionpage Chapter 145 Ponytail
Chapter 145 Ponytail
The sun was warm during PE class, making the plastic sports field scorching hot.
Song Huan sat on the steps of the stands, twirling a mineral water bottle absentmindedly with her fingertips, lost in thought.
Zhao Qihang was on his left, and Chen Xu was on his right.
Since their narrow defeat in the basketball finals, the three of them have lost their former enthusiasm for rushing to the court as soon as get out of class is over. During PE class, they just sit lazily and watch the younger students compete, as if they have prematurely entered retirement mode.
Three figures stood side by side, quietly gazing at the center of the court.
The basketball slammed against the rim with a loud thud, then bounced off and rolled away.
Someone rushed to retrieve the ball, but misjudged the force of the pass, and it slammed heavily into a teammate's palm, flew out of their hand, and went straight out of bounds.
Seeing this, Zhao Qihang shook his head with a regretful look: "If it were me playing this ball, I would start from here."
He suddenly stood up, raised his hand to demonstrate a crossover dribble, "A swift crossover to the free-throw line, a pull-up jumper, and a clean two-pointer—three or four opponents couldn't stop him!"
Chen Xu silently moved half an inch to the side, deliberately creating distance, too lazy to respond.
Zhao Qihang sat back down on the steps and leaned in to nag again: "Look at that short guy, his center of gravity is too high when he dribbles, he can just reach out and steal the ball. Let me tell you, the most important thing in basketball is..."
"Holy crap!"
Zhao Qihang suddenly exclaimed in surprise and sprang up from the steps.
Startled, Song Huan's hand trembled, and the mineral water bottle spilled warm water, which dripped onto the back of her hand, giving it a slightly cool feel.
Chen Xu also looked up upon hearing the sound, following everyone's gaze toward the entrance to the playground.
Two figures slowly walked over.
Zhou Shan walked ahead, carrying two bottles of drinking water in her arms, her glasses reflecting the bright sunlight.
Following behind was Xiao Yunqing, dressed in a clean white school uniform, neat sweatpants, and snow-white sneakers.
Her hair has changed.
No longer her usual short hair that reached her ears, she has tied it up in a high ponytail again.
Her jet-black hair fell down her back, the ends gently resting on her shoulders, bathed in sunlight, giving it a warm, satin-like sheen.
A few wisps of hair were lifted by the wind, brushing past her ears, making her look youthful and charming.
Song Huan was stunned for a moment.
The mineral water bottle slipped from his fingers and rolled down the steps, ending up sideways in the grass, unnoticed.
He suddenly remembered the unspoken promise.
If she wins the basketball tournament, she will grow her hair back into a ponytail.
But they lost the final, and the trophy was won by someone else, leaving them with a sense of regret.
No one brought it up again after that, and they tacitly kept it to themselves.
He sat beside her every day, watching her short hair slowly grow longer, from ear length to chin length, and then quietly falling to her shoulders.
He thought she had forgotten, or perhaps she remembered, but she no longer wanted to grow her hair for this promise.
Unexpectedly, she still tied her hair into a ponytail.
As Xiao Yunqing walked, she keenly caught a burning gaze and subconsciously turned her head to look at the steps of the stands.
Song Huan sat frozen in place, her palms empty. The water bottle that had rolled away lay askew in the grass. He stared at her intently, his lips slightly parted, his eyes filled with astonishment and excitement.
In an instant, a blush spread across Xiao Yunqing's cheeks, from her neck all the way down to her ear tips and earlobes.
She hurriedly looked away, quickened her pace unconsciously, and flicked her ponytail behind her to hide her shyness.
Zhou Shan jogged up to catch up, teasingly chuckling, "Yun Qing, why are you in such a hurry? You finally got your hair tied up in a new ponytail, don't you want Song Huan to take a second look?"
Xiao Yunqing's face immediately turned red. "What nonsense are you talking about? Who showed him...?"
"That's right! Look how red your face is!"
"Oh, you're just talking nonsense."
"Hahaha!"
The two walked side by side into the corridor of the teaching building.
The steps of the stands were quiet for a few seconds.
Zhao Qihang was the first to react, lunging forward and grabbing Song Huan's shoulders with both hands, shaking her violently:
"Song Huan! Did Xiao Yunqing tie your hair into a ponytail especially for you? Did he? Did he?!"
Song Huan's head was spinning from being shaken, and she mumbled incoherently, "Probably...maybe...perhaps..."
Zhao Qihang stopped what he was doing, and let out a drawn-out "Eh" in disdain, but his eyes couldn't hide the envy in them.
Chen Xu, standing to the side, quietly smiled without saying a word.
Song Huan got up and picked up the mineral water bottle from the grass, pressing her palm against the bottle that had been warmed by the sun.
He looked up at the entrance of the teaching building, but the two figures were no longer there.
……
Two weeks before the final exams, Xiao Yunqing once again immersed herself in studying for the exams by doing practice questions.
The desk was piled high with books on both sides, physics books on the left and math books on the right, with sheets of draft paper one after another, a thick stack of them used up.
While others chatted and laughed during breaks, she remained engrossed in her homework, unmoved.
While the rest of the class took a nap at their desks during lunch break, she continued to work on her calculations, refusing to relax even for a moment.
Song Huan sat beside her, sometimes leaning over to explain the difficult points to her, and sometimes stumped by her questions, so he would first lower his head to figure it out thoroughly, and then patiently explain it to her.
She understood and simply nodded slightly.
Before she could sort out her thoughts, she furrowed her delicate brows and repeatedly pondered over the draft paper with the tip of her pen.
He patiently explained it again until her brows relaxed and a look of enlightenment appeared in her eyes.
Entering the second year of high school, the academic workload becomes increasingly intense, and the relaxed and carefree atmosphere of the first year is gone.
After the final exams, even the second and third year high school students couldn't have a break immediately. They still had to stay at school for a week of make-up classes, and the boring courses almost made Song Huan feel exhausted.
Before we knew it, the day for posting the final report cards arrived, and the corridor was packed with students watching.
Xiao Yunqing didn't care at all, and sat alone in her seat, focusing on doing practice problems.
Song Huan squeezed back from the corridor, holding a small report card in her hand, and gently placed it on her desk after sitting down.
"Third in the whole class."
Xiao Yunqing paused, pen in hand, and looked down at the note.
It reads: Xiao Yunqing, total score 596, third in the class.
In the corner, there was a line of crooked, small characters, in Song Huan's handwriting.
"A ponytail looks better."
She remained expressionless, picked up the note, folded it in half, put it in her school uniform pocket, and continued writing her practice questions.
The pen scratched across the paper, and after writing two lines, he paused slightly, a faint smile creeping onto his lips, before casually continuing his calculations.
The girls who had been chattering earlier in front of the notice board were now silent.
They used to secretly mock Xiao Yunqing for her mediocre grades, saying she wasn't good enough for the dazzling Song Huan.
But now, Xiao Yunqing has secured third place in the class with a total score of 596, far surpassing each of them.
The group stared at the report card in silence for a moment, then turned and left dejectedly.
Xiao Yunqing neither heard nor cared about these idle gossips.
A ponytail is a promise hidden in my heart, a promise made only for one person.
Results are the confidence that comes from giving your all, all for yourself.
The gossip and rumors of others no longer concern her.