Liu Chen had long forgotten about the airplane incident. Now, holding her ticket, she and her aunt Wang Dong entered the National Aquatics Center, commonly known as the Water Cube.
This was Liu Chen's first time attending a live event. She clutched her ticket tightly until, guided by a volunteer, she was seated. Only then did she carefully put the ticket into her backpack.
As the competition began, the spectators in the vast Water Cube fell silent.
Looking at the high diving platform, Liu Chen's heart raced. Then, she watched as the athletes stood on the springboard, hands clasped above their heads. They bent their knees, swinging their hands down to increase the amplitude of the springboard's bounce. With a light push of their toes, they leaped upwards. In that moment, they were like beautiful mermaids, diving from a cliff into the embrace of the sea.
After the competition, Xiao Cai drove Liu Chen back to the siheyuan.
The siheyuan was quiet late at night. Perhaps it was because autumn was approaching, the cicadas' incessant chirping filled the air, unceasingly singing their song of life.
Liu Chen walked from the eaves towards her room, but her gaze involuntarily drifted to the room opposite. It was dark. The person who had slept there last night seemed not to have returned today. She mused that perhaps, as her dry grandmother had said, he had only returned yesterday for a brief visit.
After washing up and lying in bed, Liu Chen's eyes were drawn to the watch on her bedside table.
The watch's hands moved quietly, completing circle after circle.
"Liu Chen, Liu Chen, what are you thinking? Yes, he's handsome, but you can't have improper thoughts about your dry brother! Besides, you're still a high school junior. What normal man would like an underage girl? That's not liking; that's perversion!"
After murmuring to herself for a while, Liu Chen selected a few photos she had taken that day and uploaded them to her QQ space album. Cough, cough, her aunt had said that the family was in disarray lately, and Zhang Lili had to take care of Luo Meihong every day, unable to leave her side. Hu Qian definitely wouldn't be able to come to Beijing either. Hmph, if you can't come, I'm here! Knowing Hu Qian's personality, wouldn't she be furious if she saw these photos?
After uploading the photos, Liu Chen felt tired. She had been to so many places today. If there were WeChat step counts, she felt she could dominate the leaderboard.
Liu Chen fell asleep, but the QQ group for Class 3, Grade 12, became lively. Mi Zhuzhu, at home, had discovered the new photos uploaded by her friend Liu Chen in her QQ album while browsing spaces on her computer. Since her computer didn't use mobile data, she saved the pictures to her desktop and then uploaded them to the QQ group.
Classmates who had just watched the Water Cube competition broadcast live recognized it, but they were somewhat unfamiliar with the beautiful girl in the photos.
'Zhuzhu? Who is this beauty? Your friend?'
'Zhuzhu, your friend is in Beijing too?' This was from the class monitor.
'She looks a bit familiar?' This was from a girl in the class.
After everyone in the class group had chimed in, Mi Zhuzhu slowly typed in the group.
'Oh my, it's Liu Chen, you don't recognize her?'
'Holy cow!'
'No way!'
'Mi Zhuzhu, now that you mention it, she really does look a bit like Liu Chen!'
'@Hu Qian, is this your sister?'
Hu Qian, who had been silently lurking and reading the group messages, couldn't hold back any longer upon seeing this message. She furiously threw her phone off the bed.
"Bang!"
The phone hit the wall and then fell. However, Hu Qian's luck was not good. Even though Nokia phones were known for their durability, this one smashed into two pieces upon impact.
Hu Xingfa, who had been engrossed in texting his secretary, was startled by the sound of the phone hitting the wall. Angrily, he stormed out of his bedroom and kicked Hu Qian's bedroom door, shouting, "Hu Qian! What are you doing late at night! If you have nothing to do, go to your grandmother's house and help your mom with the caretaking!"
Hu Qian, startled by the banging on the door, cowered in the corner of her bed, tears welling up in her eyes. She dared not mention that her phone was broken. However, Hu Xingfa didn't have time to lecture her further. After a few shouts, he returned to his bedroom. Hu Qian was left alone on the bed, silently hugging her knees and crying until past midnight.
In the early hours of Beijing morning, there was still a slight chill. Liu Chen wore a hooded sweatshirt over a short-sleeved shirt, calf-length jeans, and white sneakers.
After finishing her morning routine, Xiao Cai was waiting outside. Her aunt and Wang Dong were in the back seat. They were probably thinking of watching the flag-raising ceremony. Although both had dark circles under their eyes, they seemed energetic.
"I'll drive you to the Imperial City Wall ruins and drop you off. Then, we can walk. It's very close, about a fifteen-minute walk."
After parking the car, Xiao Cai, dressed in a suit, led the way. Liu Chen and the other two followed. As they walked, Liu Chen noticed that small groups of people were starting to appear behind them. Perhaps this shortcut was known to the locals.
Liu Chen, her mind wandering as if she hadn't woken up yet, arrived at their destination.
"Wow..."
In front of the silent Tiananmen Square stood a vast, dark expanse of people, stretching as far as the eye could see. They stood in the cool morning air, quietly waiting for that crimson spectacle.
Initially, Liu Chen's suggestion to watch the flag-raising ceremony was merely a thought of wanting to see something unique to Beijing now that she was here. But at this moment, under the deep blue sky, on the opposite side of the road tens of meters away from the flag-raising ceremony, she felt her heart suddenly quiet down.
Since her rebirth, she had been desperately trying to hold onto something, wanting to seize every money-making opportunity, wanting to put in her utmost effort in every subject. Besides accompanying her aunt to buy a house and watching movies with Zhuzhu, she was either attending cram schools or doing practice problems. She was like a wound-up clock, unable to stop. But now, her heart had suddenly become calm.
The sky gradually brightened. The perfectly synchronized honor guard emerged. From afar, the person in the middle of the three leading figures held the national flag in his right hand, resting on his shoulder, his left hand still swinging with the rhythm of their steps.
The honor guard marched in perfect unison to the base of the flag-raising platform. Three figures descended from the platform and then turned to face the flag. Two individuals on either side of the platform turned to face Tiananmen. One person began to arrange the national flag and tie the rope.
Once the honor guard was in position, the sky was already bright. As the national anthem began, the red national flag instantly unfurled and fluttered. The five-pointed stars rose majestically against the blue sky. At this moment, Liu Chen felt her calmed heart begin to beat. Everyone present looked up at the fluttering five-starred red flag and began to sing the national anthem, unable to hold back. In this moment, Liu Chen felt immensely proud to be born in Zhonghua.