If I don't have money to go to college, I can only go to slay the dragon.

Su Xiaoqiang hugged her knees and sat on the shadowed steps under the eaves of the teaching building. The remaining sunlight was outside the toes of her white sneakers. The physical education teacher on the edge of the track bit the whistle hanging around his neck and blew it hard, and the gentle wind blew. It was as fast as hearing the starting horn. As it passed by the playground, it lifted the hem of the girl's skirt and the boy's T-shirt. The sun shone on the fresh and youthful flesh.

They chased the wind and followed the whistle and ran in the sun, circling the track in circles and circles, like annual rings one after another, which made people feel dizzy. Girls wearing white sports T-shirts on the edge of the playground cheered from time to time, and from time to time they booed playfully. They clustered together like flowers that were so bright and kitschy that they were so beautiful that others were frightened.

Someone sat down next to Su Xiaoqiang. It was a girl wearing the same white T-shirt and sports shorts as hers, with a high ponytail behind her. She held a bottle of mineral water in her hand and put it to her lips to sip. Sweat beads and cold water rolled down the delicate white neck inside and outside together. The sweat beads rolled down to the chest of the clothes, and the cold water fell deeper into the place and moistened everything.

Su Xiaoqiang looked at the new group of people on the runway in the distance. He didn't pay attention to the girl next to him. He didn't get close to her or reject her. It was like they had known each other for a long time, but they couldn't be considered friends. They could only be said to be acquaintances.

"He's going to play." the girl said.

In the sight of her and Su Xiaoqiang, a familiar boy was standing in the center of the runway, moving his legs and feet. The sun shone on his sweaty forehead, and his face was angular because of the shadows. The girls beside the track were cheering again, and the cheers got louder and louder each time, making the noise disturbing.

"It's your turn." The girl said.

She seemed to have said something natural. Su Xiaoqiang looked at her blankly and then stood up. He naturally walked into the sunshine and stood in front of the starting line under the stern eyes of the physical education teacher. She suddenly remembered that it was time for her to take the field. This was the physical education test for the freshman year of Shilan Middle School. Everyone had to participate in the 1,000-meter timed long-distance run.

Standing in front of the starting line, she turned to look at the boy on the left who was warming up, wondering why she was running with him. Shouldn't the physical examinations for boys and girls be separated? On the other side of her, the familiar but unfamiliar girl was also standing in front of the starting line, moving her legs and feet gently, as if she wanted to complete the exam together as a running companion.

Without letting her think about it, the whistle blew, and along with the sound of wind and the bright sunshine that cleared the clouds, the people on the track rushed out. The boy ran very fast. He had always been so fast. In Su Xiaoqiang's impression He has always been number one in sports. Every time he competes, he leaves his opponents far behind and eliminates them so fiercely that they can't even touch his back.

For some reason, Su Xiaoqiang felt a sense of worry and panic. She didn't want to repeat the fate of those poor people who knelt on the track and cried bitterly. She didn't want to be thrown away by the boy, so she rushed as hard as she could after the whistle blew. I went out, but my legs and feet were so weak that I couldn't use any strength. I could only watch the boy in front of me keep moving farther and farther away.

The sun was scorching the track, and it was also scorching the girl's back and heart. She gritted her teeth and tried to run a little faster, just a little bit, but she couldn't use the strength. No matter how hard she tried, her legs and feet seemed to feel comfortable. He was being pulled like a chain. Every time he raised his arms, he couldn't feel the strength of his hands and feet. His breathing seemed to be covered with a wet tissue. He tried his best but felt unwilling to do so.

In the distance, he was almost completely immersed in the sunlight, and the golden patches were like the light in heaven. Little by little, he was about to disappear into the light, forever disappearing from his sight.

"So exchange?" the girl behind her asked softly.

Su Xiaoqiang was exhausted and stood up slowly. Panting heavily, he looked back blankly at the girl standing behind him. Her white T-shirt was illuminated by the sun like gold, and her glowing cheeks had bright pupils. The eyes are also like burning fire. Looking at it is like looking at a mirror reflecting the light of fire. Nothing else can be reflected in it except the raging flames.

She stood in the light, and the light began to speak.

"Exchange?" It's like the whole world is asking myself, without emotion and with complicated emotions.

"Exchange for what?" Su Xiaoqiang asked.

"Look." The girl said.

Su Xiaoqiang turned to look at the place she pointed at. At the end of the runway, the only vague white shadow visible in the sunlight was Suanli standing there quietly, as if waiting for her.

"Don't keep him waiting too long," said the girl behind her.

Su Xiaoqiang turned around and looked at the strange and familiar girl on the runway, unable to say anything. The fire and sunshine in the other person's silent eyes gradually grew stronger as the silence extended, until they obscured the runway, the playground and the entire world. At this time, Su Xiaoqiang wanted to say something, but found that his voice was completely swallowed up by the light. The dazzling sun was like the loudest high-pitched sound in the world, drowning everything, including the entire dream.

—

"Freedom. One day. Caesar and the others"

"Lion-Hearted. Chuzi Frigga."

"Entrance counseling. Is she awake yet?"

"Let her sleep more."

"Rumble--"

The sun shone on the eyes of Su Xiaoqiang, who was lying on the train seat. The dazzling sunlight and noise gradually woke her up from her sleep, like a drowning person whose mouth and nose slowly surfaced. The water slowly slid down from the tip of her nose and rolled down the sides of her cheeks. The fresh air poured into both sides of her nose and the freshness of reality gradually brought her back to reality.

With a "swipe" sound, the dazzling sunlight in the carriage disappeared and was replaced by the shadow pattern of the dense curtains. Someone stood up, jumped over the seat behind him and reached out to pull up the blackout cloth of the porthole of the adjacent compartment, blocking the eye-catching light. The dazzling light makes it difficult to tell reality or a dream.

"Yeah." The coolness shone on her face like a splash of cold water. Su Xiaoqiang made a low nasal sound, and the vibration of her vocal cords truly brought her back to reality.

Her mind gradually woke up as if it had been frozen. After adapting to the weakening light, she opened her eyes drowsily and saw the boy leaning out from the next seat to help her close the curtains.

Lin Nian looked at the girl who looked at him with squinted eyes as if she was tipsy. He retracted his hand to close the curtains, nodded and said softly, "Are you awake? Did the sound of our conversation disturb you?"

"No. It's just that the sun is too strong. Where am I?" Su Xiaoqiang leaned on the soft seat with her head resting on a red velvet pillow and couldn't get up for a while. The girl's whole body was soft and was also covered by the previous The sun was warming the floor, and he was curled up on the seat like a cat, his legs folded together and contracted, and his feet wearing white socks were squirming gently, as if he was gradually feeling the existence of his ten toes.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Lin Nian sat on his seat and looked at Su Xiaoqiang, who was sleeping alone on the other side, frowning slightly, "Did you forget that we were on the CC1000 Express?"

"Yeah." Su Xiaoqiang seemed to be a little lazy. Half of her body was out of dreamland and half was still in the warmth. She buried the side of her face in the pillow and looked at Lin Nian with only half of her face squinted. She looked a bit like an impatient house cat that had just woken up from sleep. Her hair hung down on her cheeks and a little bit stuck to the corner of her mouth, and she didn't have the strength to care.

Lin Nian glanced at her for a few times and then sat back in his own cubicle. Then his voice and the voices of other familiar people sounded from the other side of the cubicle.

"She woke up when she was fine. I remember she had some hypoglycemia. Lu Mingfei, have you drank your hot chocolate?"

"Oh no, I've drank it now."

"Su Xiaoqiang seems to be feeling a little uncomfortable. I'll give you my milk in exchange for it. Hey, hey"

"Classmate Lin Nian! I'll switch with you."

"How can you exchange your coffee with mine? And I've already drank milk."

“I don’t mind”

"I had hot chocolate. I drank a little, but she shouldn't mind if they are girls. Do you want me to go check on her?"

"No, sister, you can continue to tutor Lu Mingfei, I'll be there."

"Rumble--"

The train passed the railway track and made another noise. Su Xiaoqiang finally woke up completely this time, as if he was dug out of the beach by those vague words that kept drilling into his ears. The more he listened, the deeper he dug. , until she had the strength to raise her hand and lift open the curtain of the porthole next to her head.

A dazzling ray of sunlight shot into the side of her face from outside. She couldn't help but close her eyes again. It wasn't until she slowly accepted the strong light that she could clearly see the sea of ​​flowers passing slowly outside the window. The wild Anna Bella flowers bloom in patches on the open ground, and the pale pink flowers are wrapped with another piece of yellow. The orange-red windmill slowly rotates on the tower on the distant hill, and the fan blades roll up one after another. A piece of petal, like an underwater undercurrent, sweeps under the sunny blue sky, and it becomes more and more beautiful.

"We have arrived in Illinois. The CC1000 Express will take us directly to the platform near the college. Then we can take the college bus or drive all the way to the Hilltop College." The boy next to Su Xiaoqiang sat down while talking.

Only then did the girl come back to her senses and subconsciously twitched her legs to make room for the boy to sit. The body that was originally lying on her side also slightly shrank up and leaned against the wall by the porthole. Her little feet in white socks were on the seat, feeling at a loss. It seemed that taking off her shoes in front of the boy was like taking the initiative to remove a layer of "sense of distance", which would make her cheeks feel feverish and uncomfortable for no reason.

"That's it, don't make too big a move. I heard from your aunt that you have always had low blood sugar. You tend to lose your temper when you get up in the morning. Drink something to adjust your blood sugar." Lin Nian brought the hot chocolate on the table. The girl sitting next to her was leaning on the seat.

Su Xiaoqiang took the hot chocolate and took a sip, feeling the temperature on the wall of the cup. It was not so hot, so she took another sip. The sweetness and subtle bitterness of the chocolate made her mind clearer.

She looked at Lin Nian, who was sitting next to her. Her sock-clad toes were just touching each other's trouser legs, neither moving forward nor moving back. If she pulled back at this time, would it look like she disliked the other person? But her feet were tasteless. Ah, not to mention that it smells good, but it is also clean even if it is washed frequently.

His mind was a little unclear, probably due to low blood sugar. Lin Nian looked at Su Xiaoqiang who was staring at his feet in a daze and said, "Are you still awake? Do you know where we are now?"

"On the train" Su Xiaoqiang noticed that Lin Nian was also staring at his white socks, and subconsciously shrank his feet before replying.

"What's the train number?"

"CC 1,000 express trains?" Su Xiaoqiang rubbed his temples, which had been heated while sleeping. He felt as if his whole hair had been buried in warm sand, and there was a warmth all over his body.

"Where exactly is the location?"

"From the Chicago train station all the way to Cassel College in Illinois." Su Xiaoqiang said.

Then she slowly realized something, and turned to look at the sea of ​​flowers passing by outside the curtains on one side, "Annabella Sea of ​​Flowers. We have arrived in Illinois."

"Welcome back." Lin young man leaned lightly on the sofa, "You seemed a little strange when you got off the plane and waited for the train. It must be because you haven't been able to get back from the jet lag? You can remind me to tell you next time you fly. Prepare a few melatonin tablets so you can sleep better."

"Ah, melatonin shouldn't be of any use to me. I used to take it frequently when I couldn't sleep at night, and I became somewhat resistant to it. The doctor said that I would only be able to take triazolam or methaphone, which would be better." Su Xiaoqiang held the hot pot in one hand. Chocolate Cup rubbed his eyes, "Well, why don't I remember how I got on the train?"

"You fell asleep on the chair at the train station. I carried you on the train. At first I thought you were sick, but my sister looked at you and found that you were just too sleepy. This was the first time I saw you. Someone slept through the entire entrance counseling." He looked at Su Xiaoqiang as if he were seeing her for the first time, "Most students will suffer from insomnia due to excessive stress and stress. For example, Lu Mingfei couldn't sleep while waiting for the train. When she had a nightmare, she jumped up and almost gave Velova a chill. But with you, it was the other way around and she slept until now."

"Did you carry me on the train? Oh my god." Su Xiaoqiang couldn't help but press her forehead and feel distressed. She couldn't imagine that she was 18 years old and was actually carried on the train by a boy. That scene was certain. Not charming at all, but full of joy.

"It's not heavy. I've carried everyone no matter how heavy it is." Lin Nianhui got it wrong.

"That's not what I meant." Su Xiaoqiang breathed out, feeling that her mouth was filled with the sweet taste of chocolate.

Only now did she remember to take out her phone and check the time after waking up. It was two o'clock in the afternoon. I looked at the missed calls and text messages again. There were two or three calls from my parents, and a few text messages from my high school best friends. They were probably all asking her about what happened at the movie theater that night.

"You slept for about ten hours along the way, right? If you sleep for an extra hour or two, you should sleep directly until you report to the college. Professor Guderian and I are still worrying about how to provide you with newcomer guidance then." Lin Nian looked at it. Su Xiaoqiang, who quickly replied to the text message to report that she was safe, said, "Are you awake now?"

"I'm awake, I've never been so energetic." Su Xiaoqiang put down her phone and raised her arms to make an energetic gesture. She looked very energetic.

Probably because of the hot chocolate or the beautiful view of the sun outside the window, her spirits became high, and she felt better once she realized the road she was on and the people accompanying her.

Lin Nian pointed to the slightly higher part of his cheekbones. Su Xiaoqiang was stunned for a moment and didn't understand what he meant.

"Anyway, I'm not asking you to kiss me here." Lin Nian pointed to the same place again.

Su Xiaoqiang realized that the other person was saying that there was something on her face. She looked down at the hot chocolate and thought that she could never drink it so far away from her mouth. She reached out and scratched it, but she felt a slightly wet touch, which made her stunned and a little surprised.

"I took the time to take a look at your sleeping situation before, and found that your expression was not very comfortable. You kept frowning. You cried for a while while you were asleep, and then you calmed down. Did you dream about something?" Lin Nian asked, looking at Su Xiaoqiang's face, which was illuminated by the sun and still had some obvious tears.

".A dream." Su Xiaoqiang grabbed the hot chocolate and was stunned for a moment, lowered his head, and the previous dream suddenly appeared in his mind.

ps: Well, some people woke up from not sleeping, and their routines were messed up. Please adjust your spirits.