Day after day.
Unlike the previous days when few people showed interest, on Sunday morning, more and more people came to watch that animated film.
The hundred-seat hall reached sixty percent capacity.
Many viewers discovered that starting from the 16th minute, the first scene appeared again.
The protagonist was lying on her desk, just waking up from a nap, with sunlight streaming perfectly through the classroom window.
The class representative was trying to pull out a physics test paper from under her arm. The test paper was mostly blank, with the main character having only completed the second problem.
The audience realized this might be a story of an infinite loop.
The protagonist must make every effort to turn around her defeat.
At 17 Wutong Road in Hongjing City, on the day of the Youth Super League finals.
The match will be held at two o’clock on Sunday afternoon in Yongchuan Hengda Main Stadium.
By eight in the morning, the students had already prepared all their equipment and luggage.
Unlike their previous trip to Yongchuan for the competition, this time the school had arranged buses for the finals and recruited 20 “cheerleaders” to depart together.
On the spring rooftop, vegetables and fruits grew lush and green.
The students finished watering the plants, paying special attention to fertilizing the newly planted broccoli, and finally washing the ground clean.
With clear windows and a gentle breeze, it was the most beautiful spring morning.
Cleaning was complete and the appointed time arrived, everyone shouldered their bags.
Just then, the rooftop door opened.
Everyone looked toward the entrance with hope, but moments later, disappointment surged in their eyes once again.
These days, Lin Wanxing has watched that animated film many times.
While working at the cinema, each time she pushed open different heavy wooden doors, it was like entering various time loops.
In the dim theater space, stories continuously replayed,
Sometimes the scene where the girl discovers her double partner’s secret, sometimes showing the boy and girl embracing tightly. Occasionally, she could also hear that famous line or the sound of audience members sniffling.
The loop kept starting over, the shuttlecock landing in-bounds and the rain never stopped.
At Hongjing Eighth Middle School’s gate.
In the real world, tree shadows danced, and sunlight was perfect outside the windows.
The bus was parked by the roadside, filled with teachers and students from Hongjing Eighth heading to Yongchuan for the competition and to watch.
Inside the bus was a joyful spring outing atmosphere.
Teacher Xiao Xu finished counting everyone.
The driver asked, “Is anyone else coming?”
The bus suddenly fell quiet.
“Two students prone to motion sickness are taking the high-speed rail themselves. Everyone’s here,” Teacher Xiao Xu replied.
Theater 9 at Hanling Cinema.
Unlike all the other theaters, this one hadn’t been showing any films for some time.
It was pitch-black inside, with only the emergency exit signs emitting a green glow.
Lin Wanxing removed the form from behind the door and filled in the equipment status as per her responsibilities.
The carpet felt soft underfoot, and after a couple of steps, she simply sat down on a step.
Every other theater had deafening sound effects that vibrated one’s chest.
Theater 9’s sudden silence created a peaceful space by contrast.
She lit up her phone—the time was 9:45 AM.
If the finals had started at 9:00 AM, then the first half should be ending now.
All these days, though she had left Hongjing, it felt like she was still living on the same timeline as them.
Training time, study time, rest time…
At specific times each day, she would involuntarily think about the students and Wang Fa.
The organizing committee had sent out notices about subsequent match times long ago, so she knew clearly that if they had advanced, today would be the finals.
Sometimes Lin Wanxing would ask herself why she left so decisively, without any room for compromise.
But upon hearing about Shu Yong’s suicide case again, her instinctive reaction was to flee—not to see, hear, or think about it. She decided to follow her instincts and leave Hongjing.
Facing trauma head-on is for the brave, but don’t people also have the right to choose to give up?
Yet whenever she pondered this question, what still floated in her mind was Wen Chengye’s confused expression at the end.
She told the students to become their ideal selves.
But what about her?
Had she done so herself?
Only after countless times of self-questioning did Lin Wanxing understand just how cowardly and small she was.
Looking at the towering mountains, she realized life’s true difficulties were never the wolves and tigers in the mountains. Rather, it was knowing the mountain’s height yet losing the courage to yearn for its peak.
She gazed toward the pitch-black screen ahead and hugged her knees.
G1123, Hongjing to Yongchuan.
In the double seats of the second-class high-speed rail car, Fu Xinshu and Wen Chengye sat side by side.
Fu Xinshu wasn’t sure why he had suggested accompanying Wen Chengye on the high-speed rail.
Perhaps he subconsciously felt it was a good opportunity to speak privately.
But now actually sitting together, he remained silent the whole way.
After that late-night conversation on the court, Fu Xinshu had acted as if nothing happened.
From childhood, he had always been skilled at enduring and pretending.
Most of the time, as time passed, problems would gradually disappear, and people just needed to look forward.
But on some nights, panic would suddenly emerge.
You suddenly open your eyes and can’t fall back asleep.
Guangming Cinema in Hanling City. Leaving Theater 9, Lin Wanxing began her first round of inspections before the end of the first showing.
On the big screen in Theater 7, the test paper pulled out by the class representative had been completed up to problem 28.
This meant this was likely the girl’s final time loop.
This was probably Lin Wanxing’s favorite segment of the entire film.
The background of the scene was the light green of willows swaying in the wind. Gentle music played, with sunshine, ocean waves, and a boy and girl confessing their feelings to each other, giving a warm and peaceful feeling.
After watching her favorite confession scene, Lin Wanxing walked out of Theater 7.
As she gently closed the door, she was stopped by a small girl.
The girl had twin ponytails and looked like a middle school student. She carried a huge black wooden case on her back, probably a cello.
Lin Wanxing recalled the mall layout—there was a music shop next to their cinema where many students came for weekend lessons.
“Sister, may I ask, are you a staff member?” the little girl asked, looking at the name tag on her chest.
“I am. Is there anything I can help you with?” Lin Wanxing crouched down.
The little girl took out a ticket for the 10:05 showing of the animated film in Theater 4. “Sister, I want to watch this movie, but I brought my instrument, and it’s hard to place it in the seat. Could you watch it for me? I’ll pick it up after the movie.”
“Of course.”
She led the little girl to the front desk, first confirming the item was in good condition, then helping her store it.
“This movie ends at 11:55. It shouldn’t interfere with your class, right?” Lin Wanxing asked as she filled out the storage tag.
There was no response beside her.
She turned her head to see the little girl smiling awkwardly.
“Sister…”
“Yes?”
“My class has already started.”
Acting on instinct, Lin Wanxing’s mind flashed with many thoughts. What should she do? Should she notify the student’s parents, or let the little girl skip class to watch the movie?
But she quickly relaxed, realizing none of this was her concern.
After making the final mark on the storage tag, Lin Wanxing tore off the receipt but held it in her hand, not giving it to the little girl.
The little girl looked at her expectantly.
“You should still tell your family, so they don’t worry.”
“But I just don’t want to learn the instrument today!” The girl’s eyes reddened. “Mom told me I could stop after passing level 10, so what’s the point of me learning music?”
“So you decided to come watch a movie?”
“Yes, today I want to watch a movie!” the little girl said firmly.
She had single eyelids, and twin ponytails, and wore a proper white shirt and school uniform pants. She seemed about the same age as the protagonist in the movie, and equally stubborn.
Lin Wanxing took a deep breath. For some reason, she felt completely defeated. She lowered her head, slowly released her hand, and pushed the storage receipt forward.
“Phones need to be silenced in the theater,” Lin Wanxing reminded her.
The girl held up her phone, showing the black screen, telling her, “I turned it off.”
The high-speed train crossed a bridge, the lake waters receding rapidly.
Fu Xinshu could still feel the panic from those nights when he woke up startled.
He looked at Wen Chengye and said, “I told them that the time I was beaten up was because I lost a customer’s phone.”
In Theater 6, the film began its first loop again.
Lin Wanxing stood by the steps, watching the little girl take her seat.
She seemed to wave at her, or maybe not.
On the screen very close to her, the girl in the film showed an exceptionally determined expression. In the image, that passionate line was heard again.
For some reason, Lin Wanxing also took out her phone.
She climbed up the corridor, pushed open the wooden door, walked out of the theater, and lit up her screen.