novelraw Chapter 291: "...Don’t Be Like This, I’m a Little Flustered.
Chapter 291: "...Don’t Be Like This, I’m a Little Flustered.
As the college entrance exams drew closer, the end of their three years of high school was just around the corner. Beyond the mounting academic pressure, a heavy reluctance to part weighed on the students’ hearts.
They couldn’t bear to leave the school they had attended for three years, their teachers, their classmates. They’d even grown attached to the very stools they’d sat on for three years, to say nothing of the people they saw day in and day out.
After finally breaking into the grade’s top fifty on the last mock exam, Huang Feng and Qian Jia were having dinner when Huang Feng’s eyes suddenly reddened. "I’m going to miss you guys so much," she said. "I used to look forward to graduating, to growing up. But now that it’s almost here, I’m just realizing how reluctant I am to leave."
"We’ll never get to see the sunset during evening self-study again. The days of running across the field in our school uniforms will only live on in our memories." Sitting on the steps of the athletic field between her two friends, Huang Feng held one of each of their hands. Her voice was thick with tears. "But no matter what, we have to be best friends for life, you hear me?"
Xu Su’s voice was firm. "Okay. Friends for life. We’ll never drift apart!"
"Then it’s a deal. No one backs out!" Qian Jia, shedding her usual composure, started sobbing loudly. "Ten years from now, we have to come back here and visit Old Wu. I guess by then he’ll be a *real* Old Wu, huh?"
Xu Su felt a pang in her heart. In her past life, she had drifted along aimlessly without any close friends. Around this time, her grandmother had been hospitalized, so she’d had no heart for the college entrance exams, let alone any sentimental feelings about leaving school.
But now, the sadness was real. Fate had given her a second chance at high school, a second chance to experience growing up and graduating. Only now did she understand just how precious these three years were.
Just as Xu Su was about to say something, she felt a sudden chill run down her spine. A powerful sixth sense compelled her to turn around.
Teacher Wu and his prize pupil, Xi Zirong, were standing right behind them. From the looks of it, they must have heard everything Qian Jia just said...
Xu Su gave a dry laugh and wiped away the tears that had just started to well up. "Hello, Teacher Wu."
’It was so rare for me to get all sentimental, and of course I get interrupted...’
Hearing her, Qian Jia and Huang Feng whipped around. They froze, then shouted in unison, "Hello, Teacher Wu!"
Their voices were so loud they were practically deafening in the wide-open field...
The corner of Teacher Wu’s mouth twitched. "I’m doing just fine. And I’m not a *real* Old Wu yet, you know. I’m not hard of hearing."
"..." Qian Jia’s face flushed red. "I’m sorry, Teacher! I didn’t mean you’re old, I just... I’m just so sad to be leaving."
Xu Su looked up, her gaze meeting Xi Zirong’s. The words she was about to say died in her throat.
"You’re all about to take the college entrance exams. After you graduate, I won’t be your teacher anymore. You can just treat me like a friend." Of course Teacher Wu wasn’t really angry. He waved his hand, his smile as warm as a spring breeze. "And since you’re all planning to come back and see me, why don’t you include me in that ten-year pact?"
Qian Jia and Huang Feng nodded eagerly, and Xu Su smiled and agreed as well.
"Can I join, too?" Xi Zirong suddenly spoke up. "We can all come back and visit Teacher Wu together in ten years."
Qian Jia had no objections, of course. "Of course you can!" she said. "Actually, God Xi, since you’re the class president, you should make a QQ group for our class. Class One has had one for ages, but our Rocket Class still doesn’t. We could use it to organize reunions in the future."
The bonds forged over three years of high school shouldn’t be so easily broken.
"My mistake for not thinking of it sooner," Xi Zirong said, nodding seriously. "I’ll create the group today."
Qian Jia had gotten a cell phone after the New Year and had quickly mastered QQ. She and Huang Feng would occasionally post inspirational quotes on their Qzone profiles and were always nagging Xu Su to like and comment...
They were constantly on each other’s pages.
Not long after the first session of evening self-study ended, Qian Jia pulled Xu Su into the class group chat.
Chang City No.1 High School - Rocket Class.
’The nickname "Little Susu" was fine for online games where nobody knew her, but in the class group chat, Xu Su felt a strange sense of shame.’
She changed it to her real name.
The moment Xu Su joined, the lively chat fell completely silent, as if on cue. The silence lasted for several minutes.
After a long moment, Rao Lu broke the silence: [@Xu Su, why are your friend requests turned off? Please, I want to be your QQ friend! That way, when I’m in college, I can brag to everyone about my high school goddess!]
’Goddess...’
Xu Su was momentarily speechless. She looked over to where Rao Lu was sitting and saw her with her hands pressed together, making a pleading gesture in her direction.
"Rao Lu isn’t exaggerating, Susu. You’d better believe it. A lot of the girls really like you, too." Qian Jia leaned in and whispered mysteriously, "In the girls’ dorm, we barely even talk about cute guys anymore. It’s mostly just you."
"...Please don’t. You’re making me nervous." With a trembling hand, Xu Su set a security question for friend requests.
What is our class’s name?
Answer: Chang City No.1 High School - Rocket Class.
Then she posted in the group: [@Rao Lu, I sent you a request. Just accept it.]
After sending the message and closing the group chat window, she saw that Rao Lu had already accepted her request. There were sixteen new friend requests waiting for her.
Xu Su accepted them all in one go. Anyone who could answer the question had to be a classmate, and she couldn’t play favorites.
Then she saw a familiar name. Xi Zirong’s QQ nickname was just his full name. Xu Su’s finger froze for a second before she deleted his friend request.
’If he has something to say, he can say it in the group chat. We shouldn’t get privately entangled again.’
***
In early June, the cicadas had just begun their song. After the exam venues were assigned, the school announced a three-day break, starting just before the college entrance exams.
Whether the students used those three days to relax and mentally prepare, or to cram in one last desperate round of revision, was up to them.
The day students all went home. As for the boarders from the surrounding counties, some chose to return home, while for others, their parents had come to check into hotels near the exam venues ahead of time. Everyone made their own arrangements.
Xu Su packed her books, stuffing her backpack to the brim. She also held a tall stack of review materials in her arms.
Looking at the desk that had been her companion for three years, now emptier than she had ever seen it, Xu Su blinked, forcing her tears back.
"Getting all sentimental?" Zhou Mochen asked, taking the stack of books from her hands and reaching for her backpack as well.
Xu Su sidestepped him. "It’s just a short walk. I can carry it."
Zhou Mochen didn’t press the issue, just looked into her eyes. "Don’t cry, Susu. It makes my heart race when you cry. If you’re really going to miss it here, you can always come back and visit."
Students were bustling all around them, carrying books as they left the classroom. Hearing Zhou Mochen’s words, many couldn’t help but glance over.
’Xu Su’s face grew warm under their gazes. She was probably the only person in the entire school whose boyfriend was picking her up on the last day...’
"Let’s go."
Xu Su walked out of the academic building and placed her backpack on the back seat of the vehicle. Just as she was about to get on, she turned to look back at the building one last time.
The weather was hot and stuffy. Bathed in sunlight, the academic building looked exactly the same as it had when she first arrived for registration three years ago. The only difference was that she had grown from a sixteen-year-old freshman into a nineteen-year-old graduate.