The "50th Anniversary Summer Festival" had ended, and after a day's break, we were back to our usual school life.
Early in the morning, as I arrived at school, the weather was gloomy, with heavy rain looming. Students getting off the buses looked listless, trudging into campus like zombies.
"Hey! Good morning!" a voice called from behind me.
I turned around and saw Sen Leian, panting heavily from running.
"Ah… morning," I yawned and greeted him.
"How's your foot?"
"Much better." I lifted my leg wrapped in bandages and waved it in front of him.
We climbed stair after stair to reach the second-year floor, finally arriving at our classroom level.
At the corner of the stairs, we spotted a male classmate crouching down, clutching his cast-wrapped leg. Sen Leian stepped forward and patted his shoulder.
"Are you okay?" Sen Leian asked.
The boy simply waved his hand to signal he was fine.
"Are you sure? Do you need help?" I asked quickly.
The boy continued waving dismissively.
"Here, let me help you up," Sen Leian offered, reaching for his hand.
Suddenly, a student upstairs shouted, "What are you still doing down there? I've been waiting forever!"
Sen Leian and I looked up—and immediately screamed.
"Jiang Jianshen!!!"
"AHHH! Jiang Jianshen!! A ghost!!!"
The crouching boy clutched Sen Leian's hand tightly. Sen Leian looked down, horror-stricken.
"AHH! Jiang Jianshen!" I pointed at the boy and shouted.
The stairwell echoed with our screams, the loudest noise of the otherwise quiet morning, making it seem like the entire building might collapse from the vibrations.
At that moment, two girls walked up the stairs, backpacks slung over their shoulders.
"Morning, Jianshen, Jianhua," they said casually.
Both the boy crouching at the corner and the boy upstairs responded together, "Morning!"
Sen Leian and I stood there, mouths agape, eyes wide, watching the girls casually walk past, before glancing back at the two identical boys.
"Waaah! I'm so glad you're okay!" Qian Xiaoxun ran over and hugged the boy crouching on the ground.
After some explanation from Qian Xiaoxun and Jiang Jianshen, Sen Leian and I finally understood what was going on.
The night before the Summer Festival, Jiang Jianshen had gone across the street to buy dinner. Exhausted from prepping for the event, he wasn't paying attention when he crossed the road and almost got hit by a car. The sudden screech of brakes scared him so much he stumbled backward into a roadside ditch, badly spraining his ankle.
He couldn't get up—his leg refused to cooperate—and the pain was intense. Meanwhile, a second car rear-ended the one that had stopped for him.
Fortunately, no one was hurt, except for Jiang Jianshen wailing in pain by the roadside until the ambulance arrived.
Sen Leian pointed at Jiang Jianshen—the one in the cast—and then at the other boy upstairs.
"Then who's that?!"
"That's my brother, Jiang Jianhua," Jiang Jianshen replied.
"Brother?! You two look exactly the same!" I gasped.
"Yeah, we're identical twins," Jianhua said.
"I totally forgot Jianshen had a twin. Jianhua's usually so invisible," Qian Xiaoxun laughed.
"How do you even tell each other apart?" Sen Leian asked curiously.
"One of us has a sharper fang tooth, and the other has a shorter one," came a voice from the stairwell—Captain Chen Haoan of the Patrol Squad.
"Good eye, Captain," Jiang Jianshen laughed.
Even though we understood now, something still felt off…
"Why was your obituary posted in our classroom?!" Sen Leian demanded.
"Hehe, gotcha, huh?" Jiang Jianhua grinned.
The night before the event, after Jiang Jianshen was hospitalized and given a three-week cast for his torn ligaments, he was devastated to learn he couldn't participate in the long-anticipated escape room event, "Ogre's Kitchen."
Feeling rebellious, he and his brother Jiang Jianhua cooked up a mischievous plan to prank Class 2-5.
Meanwhile, wild rumors exploded in the group chat—someone claimed Jiang Jianshen had died in a car accident.
Jiang Jianshen, reading the messages, slowly broke into an evil grin.
The mischievous twins decided to roll with it.
Later, Jiang Jianhua, while retrieving props from the school, overheard Limin, Chuanling, and Sen Leian excitedly talking about coffins while running up the stairs.
Inspired, he printed a fake obituary for Jiang Jianshen.
The next morning, disguised with a bloody demon mask, Jiang Jianhua sneaked into Class 2-5, blending in effortlessly thanks to everyone's heavy makeup for the ogre-themed escape room.
No one noticed an outsider among them.
Jiang Jianhua secretly placed a fake hand on the coffin, slightly cracked it open, and pinned the obituary on the bulletin board when no one was watching.
In the busy chaos, no one noticed until Limin accidentally opened the storeroom door and found the coffin ajar.
The "drag marks" Sen Leian saw, trailing from the coffin to the back door, were actually caused by Jiang Jianhua dragging a heavy trash bag out for Wu Kaixi, who had asked for help with cleanup.
The spilled fake blood added to the illusion.
Ding ding ding!
The class bell rang.
Chen Haoan came up to me and said we needed to meet after class.
Back in the classroom, the homeroom teacher picked up a sheet of paper.
"Do you know what this is?" she asked.
"Teacher, is that your medical bill?" a student joked.
The teacher rolled her eyes.
"This is the voucher tally for the Summer Festival!"
"Which rank are we?!" Wu Kaixi shouted.
Everyone buzzed with excitement. Our only goal was to qualify for the beach camp!
"You guys got fake blood everywhere, tore the curtains, and scared students into the infirmary. What do you say about that?"
The class fell silent.
"The principal said if you…" the teacher started to say—
"I'll pay! I'll pay!" Sen Leian raised his hand.
"Boss! Boss! Boss!" the class cheered.
"Don't you want to hear the rankings?" the teacher smiled wickedly.
The room fell quiet.
"You earned… 3,800 vouchers!"
"Which place?! Which place?!"
"Second…" the teacher dragged it out.
The entire class fell into despair.
Second meant no beach camp.
"You were only three votes behind."
"Worse! We're third!" a student cried.
"No, you were three votes ahead," she corrected, "You guys got first place!"
"WAAAAHHH!!!"
The classroom exploded with joy!
"To the beach! To the beach!"
"But," the teacher added, "the red stains must be painted over, and your beach camp commission will be docked to cover the curtain damages."
Lightning struck our hearts.
The teacher walked out, smirking.
Limin didn't show up today.
The teacher said she called in sick.
It felt strangely lonely without her.
I propped my textbook up and secretly gazed out the window.
The gloomy sky looked like a damp piece of rice paper, and faint thunder rumbled from far away.
"Was she really just sick?" Sen Leian asked, sitting down in Limin's usual seat beside me.
"That's what the teacher said," I nodded, though worry gnawed at my heart.
Normally, Limin would come even if she had a cough.
She used to joke, "You guys would be lonely without me."
"Maybe it's because of the fall during the event…" Sen Leian said.
"I texted her after, but she didn't answer." I sighed.
During lunch break, Chen Haoan sneaked over.
"Hey, the patrol squad's calling an emergency meeting."
"Now what?" I asked.
"The twins, Jiang Jianshen and Jianhua, confessed."
Apparently, the administration was furious.
They accused our class of "creating social panic" during the escape room, nearly causing a school-wide ghost scare.
I spat out my rice laughing.
"I thought their prank was hilarious."
"You think it's funny?" Chen Haoan smirked. "Their fake obituary post went viral online. People are gossiping that the 'coffin' at our event was related to the 'accident' at the school gates."
"No way! That's not our fault!"
"The school's already summoned some students for questioning," he whispered, "and those spreading rumors, plus the twins, are writing confession reports."
I shut my mouth instantly.
"Those two are infamous pranksters," Chen Haoan said.
"I never even knew there were two of them," I admitted.
"Jianhua's usually the quiet one hiding behind Jianshen," he explained.
"Why do you know so much about them?"
"Because they kept begging the disciplinary head to let them join the patrol squad," he laughed.
Just then, Qian Xiaoxun and Lin Weiwei came over, and I left with them for class.
As we walked, Lin Weiwei suddenly asked:
"Chuanling, why didn't Limin come today?"
"I don't know," I said. "She didn't answer my calls."
"That day during the escape room, she gave you a death stare," Lin Weiwei said.
"Yeah!" Qian Xiaoxun agreed. "Scarier than an ogre!"
"Are you sure it wasn't just a misunderstanding?" Lin Weiwei asked.
"I have no idea," I said honestly.
"Maybe it's because you're getting closer to Chen Haoan?" Qian Xiaoxun teased.
"I barely know him! I even introduced him to Limin—they exchanged numbers!"
"Then why is she jealous?" Lin Weiwei frowned.
"Maybe she doesn't like me getting close to anyone else," I said thoughtfully.
The afternoon class meeting arrived.
Our teacher came in with a stack of papers, looking exhausted.
"I told you, no weird performance art. You should just go shoot a horror movie."
"Can we, teacher?!" Wu Kaixi joked.
"Shut it," the teacher said, handing him a reflection form.
"As punishment, your class must submit ten reflection reports and clean the entire campus."
The class groaned.
"But," she continued, adjusting her glasses,
"Your escape room event received first place in the student vote and was praised by the judges. So—you can go to the beach camp."
"WAAAAHHH!!!"
Another explosion of cheers.
"Time to hit the beach!"
"I'm bringing a bikini!"
"You even have the body for it?" someone teased.
"We're really going?!" I asked excitedly.
"Yes—but your prize money will cover the curtain damages.
And the coffin rental."
"But didn't we rent it?!" Sen Leian protested.
"You cut a hole in the lining, saying it was an 'escape hatch,'" she replied dryly.
We all exchanged guilty looks.
That part… was true.
Friday.
Departure day.
The school bus waited at the gate as students, buzzing with excitement, hauled their luggage.
"I brought snorkeling gear!" Qian Xiaoxun announced.
"I brought mahjong tiles!" Wu Kaixi revealed, opening his suitcase dramatically.
"Isn't playing mahjong by the ocean the height of romance?"
"That's gambler's romance," Sen Leian deadpanned.
As I loaded my backpack onto the bus, someone called out, "Wait!"
It was Limin.
She wore her usual uniform but looked thinner, dark circles under her eyes.
"You came!" I rushed over and hugged her tightly.
"Yeah… my cold's better," she smiled faintly.
"I wouldn't miss the beach trip."
"You're really just sick?" Sen Leian asked quietly.
"Of course," Limin said.
"What, you thought the coffin scared me into a coma?"
"No, it's just that…"
"You guys," Jiang Jianshen limped over on crutches, "escape room's over. Stop roleplaying."
"Why are you even here? You're not in our class!" Sen Leian pointed at him.
"And me!" Jiang Jianhua popped out behind him.
The teacher clapped for silence.
Apparently, as punishment for the twins' antics, they were assigned to our class trip as assistants, handling all the errands.
"Slaves! Nice!" Wu Kaixi laughed.
Everyone burst out laughing.
"Get on the bus!" the teacher urged. "Or you'll only get to watch the sunset from the parking lot!"
We boarded amidst laughter, light rain starting to fall.
Sunbeams pierced through the clouds, casting golden rays across the wet ground.
"I hope nothing weird happens this time," I silently wished.
"It won't," Sen Leian said lazily beside me.
"Even if it does, we're used to it by now."
I removed my eye mask, and the dazzling sunlight pierced through the window, momentarily making me squint.
Outside, the sea was already in sight. The golden coastline stretched along the horizon, and even from the bus, we could smell the faint scent of the ocean carried by the breeze.
"We're almost there! I see the sea!" someone shouted excitedly from the front of the bus.
The entire bus erupted in cheers. Some students stuck their heads out of the windows, while others began hurriedly waking up their sleeping friends.
I stretched lazily, still a bit drowsy from the deep sleep. As I turned my head, I saw Lin Weiwei and Qian Xiaoxun already energetically discussing the swimsuit styles they had packed.
"Look at that beach!" Mori Lein exclaimed, pointing out the window. "I call dibs on the first swim!"
"Dream on! I'm going first!" Wu Kaixi bickered from a few rows back.
I chuckled quietly and grabbed my backpack, preparing to get off the bus.
As the bus slowed down and turned into the entrance of the seaside camp, a huge wooden sign came into view: "Welcome to Silver Bay Seaside Life Camp!"
The driver parked the bus, and the teachers quickly organized us into groups.
"Alright! Everyone grab your luggage! Line up according to your groups!" the homeroom teacher shouted, clapping his hands.
Dragging our luggage, we followed the teachers into the campgrounds. The salty breeze brushed against our faces, making everyone's spirits soar even higher.
Silver Bay was beautiful beyond words. The endless blue sea connected seamlessly with the sky. In the distance, seagulls cried out as they circled in the sky. The warm sand sparkled under the sun.
After checking into our dormitories, we had a short meeting where the teachers explained the rules: No going into the deep water alone, no sneaking out at night, no pranking others… The usual stuff.
Of course, with the personalities in our class, the more rules there were, the more likely they were to be broken.
That afternoon, after we finished setting up our bedding, we all rushed down to the beach.
Some started playing volleyball, some began building sandcastles, and a group of boys instantly dashed into the waves, splashing each other until they were completely soaked.
I took off my sandals and stepped onto the soft, warm sand. It felt like stepping into a huge, sunlit dream.
Standing beside me, Li Min stretched lazily under the sun.
"It's so nice here…" she murmured.
I looked at her sideways. Though she smiled, her smile seemed a little forced.
I hesitated, then asked, "Li Min, are you really okay?"
Li Min paused for a moment, then turned to me with a bright, carefree smile. "I'm fine. Really."
Before I could say anything else, a water balloon came flying out of nowhere and hit Li Min squarely on the shoulder!
"Hey!" she shouted, startled, and turned around to see Wu Kaixi laughing hysterically, holding a second water balloon.
"That's it, you're dead!" Li Min screamed as she grabbed a balloon from the sand and chased after him.
Watching her lively figure sprinting along the beach, I smiled and sighed in relief. Maybe… she really was okay.
The sun gradually dipped lower, staining the sky a soft, rosy orange.
As we played until sunset, a wonderful thought floated into my mind:
This summer… might just become an unforgettable memory.