Chapter 31

In mid-April, it was time for the college entrance examination physical checkup. Yang Jingxing had indeed grown taller, surpassing 1.84 meters, and weighed 78 kilograms, all muscle. The doctor even asked if he was applying to a physical education school.

Before they knew it, it was May. During the three-day May Day holiday, the teachers encouraged the students to have some fun. Xiao Shuxia came to Puhai to see her son, hoping that Yang Jingxing could add another feather to his cap and achieve a score in the college entrance examination that would make her proud.

After the May Day holiday, the school arranged another mock exam, and then there were no more. In the final month, the teachers made the schedule a bit easier to prevent the students from being too tense. Li Yingzhen no longer required Yang Jingxing to practice the piano at the music school, allowing him to focus entirely on preparing for the college entrance examination. However, Yang Jingxing still went to the music room after evening self-study every day to indulge himself, a privilege he had always enjoyed, as he held the key to the music room.

On May 8th, it was time to fill out the college application forms, with a ten-day period. Yang Jingxing, of course, didn't need to worry about it and just watched others busy themselves. On the evening of the 14th, Tao Meng showed Yang Jingxing her application form. Fudan University, International Economics and Trade major, with no other options.

Yang Jingxing sighed, "I really envy the boys who can get into this major."

Tao Meng, unhappy, asked, "What do you envy?"

Yang Jingxing said, "Well, I should be content. Can I ask you a favor?"

Tao Meng, wary, said, "What?"

"Can you not sit next to a boy in college?"

Tao Meng rolled her eyes, "There are no fixed seats in college."

Yang Jingxing was delighted, "Let's cherish this last time as desk partners, then."

May 18th was Yang Jingxing's birthday. Besides his parents, only Liu Miao and Xia Xue remembered. Both girls sent text messages, not as stingy as last year, wishing him a happy birthday and a successful college entrance examination.

The next morning, Tao Meng mentioned to Yang Jingxing, "I forgot to wish you a happy birthday yesterday."

Yang Jingxing was pleasantly surprised, "How did you know?"

Tao Meng said, "I saw it on the health checkup form."

Yang Jingxing scolded, "You should have remembered better!"

Tao Meng was still upset, "You could have said something yourself!"

Yang Jingxing chuckled, "How could I?"

Tao Meng glanced at Yang Jingxing, "Not embarrassed? I saw you laughing so happily when you got the messages!"

Yang Jingxing said, "Remember May 18th next year, it's my birthday."

Tao Meng, unskilled at twirling a pen, said, "Next year, who knows where we'll be."

After the Dragon Boat Festival, it was June. The temperature was 30 degrees, and even though it was an elite school, the classrooms had no air conditioning. The weather forecast didn't predict rain, so the heat would last until the college entrance examination was over.

With the big day approaching, the third-year students no longer had classes, but the atmosphere wasn't lax. Most students still read books, memorized vocabulary, and did practice problems. Of course, some had already prepared graduation albums and were looking for people to write messages for them.

Parents' love for their children was boundless. On the day the college entrance examination began, the school was once again filled with cars. Xiao Shuxia also came, taking a taxi from the city to the school, even skipping her Kunqu opera performance.

On the 7th, they took the Chinese and Math exams, on the 8th, the comprehensive and English exams, and on the 9th, the Physics exam in the morning. The Physics exam ended at 11:00 AM, and by 11:30 AM, the entire teaching building was in an uproar. After years of exam preparation, they were finally free from the grind, and the students were laughing and joking. No one was unhappy.

Yang Jingxing hid to the side, making a phone call to his father and then checking in with Lu Lin and others. A group of friends from Jiuchun had already gathered, planning to go swimming in the river and boasting to Yang Jingxing.

As if to reward the hardworking students, the cafeteria served especially good food. After lunch, the students started taking group photos on the playground and in the garden.

Even Shao Lei and Yang Jingxing didn't avoid the tradition. They posed for a wrist-wrestling photo, looking at each other angrily, leaving a happy memory.

After taking a photo with Yang Jingxing, Jiang Qing said, "Actually, I have a good impression of you."

Yang Jingxing, being a gentleman, said, "Thank you."

Ren Chuyu asked Li Ya to take a photo of her and Yang Jingxing, and said to Yang Jingxing, who was standing stiffly, "Be closer!"

Yang Jingxing, not knowing his limits, simply moved closer and put his arm around Ren Chuyu's shoulder like a brother. When it was Yang Jingxing's turn to take a photo, Ren Chuyu got her revenge by holding his arm. Comparing the two photos, Ren Chuyu's smile in the one where she was held looked unnatural, but she didn't bother to retake it.

Li Ya was also willing to take a photo with Yang Jingxing and suddenly asked, "Have you prepared a graduation gift for Ren Chuyu?"

Yang Jingxing, who hadn't prepared anything for anyone, said, "I forgot about it."

Li Ya looked at Yang Jingxing with disdain and disgust, "Heartless!"

Tao Meng also stood next to Yang Jingxing, with Tan Dong as the photographer. Yang Jingxing said, "Smile nicely, I have a lot of relatives and friends."

Tao Meng glanced at Yang Jingxing and really smiled brightly.

At 4:00 PM, they gathered in the classroom, and Teacher Jiang had something to say, also distributing the class graduation photo. The students realized that their teacher was quite emotional, and his speech, which lasted over ten minutes, made many of them shed tears.

Teacher Jiang not only talked about classmate relationships, teacher-student relationships, brotherhood, and sisterhood, but also didn't forget about love: "... There might be someone you occasionally glance at during class. Sometimes, when they suddenly enter your field of vision, it might make your heart race. Or, their name might appear many times in your diary... Students, keep this beautiful and pure memory."

After Teacher Jiang left, the classroom was much quieter than at noon. Perhaps everyone had someone in their hearts.

The graduation party was the next evening, and the students still had time to bond, mostly by writing in graduation albums. However, it seemed that Yang Jingxing hadn't prepared one.

Ren Chuyu's graduation album was beautiful. She asked Yang Jingxing to write a message but didn't let him read what others had written. Ren Chuyu also prepared a graduation gift for Yang Jingxing, a small Ferrari model that could be hung on a keychain or phone, quite detailed. This was the first graduation gift Yang Jingxing received.

Feeling indebted, Yang Jingxing said, "Wait a bit, I'm still thinking."

Ren Chuyu was happy, "Sure, you can take all night."

Tao Meng saw Yang Jingxing take out a ruler and a pencil, carefully drawing a page of sheet music in Ren Chuyu's album, writing about twenty bars of a song, and making several revisions.

When Ren Chuyu saw Yang Jingxing's message, she couldn't say anything for a while.

Yang Jingxing boasted, "It shouldn't sound bad, you can play it yourself if you have the chance."

Ren Chuyu asked, "Did you write it yourself?"

"Of course!"

Ren Chuyu smiled, "You must be from the music school... You didn't write the same thing for everyone, right?"

Yang Jingxing said, "Just for you, special treatment."

"Really?" Ren Chuyu's voice suddenly became gentle, "Does it have a name?"

Yang Jingxing said, "You can name it."

Ren Chuyu nodded, "Okay... You don't have one?"

Yang Jingxing found a notebook and opened a blank page, "Sign here for me."

Ren Chuyu took the notebook directly.

Tao Meng's album had already made its way around the class. After getting it back from someone, she pushed it to Yang Jingxing as if completing a task, not saying a word, leaving it to him to write or not.

Yang Jingxing took it seriously, writing neatly. Tao Meng suddenly challenged, "Is there nothing in high school worth you cherishing?"

Yang Jingxing said, "A lot!"

Tao Meng, angry, "Then why are you being so individualistic? We've been in the same class for three years. Even if you don't care, show some respect to others, okay?"

Yang Jingxing flipped through Tao Meng's album. Tao Meng didn't stop him; she had nothing to hide.

Yang Jingxing asked, "Who's on the first page?"

Tao Meng was taken aback, "Cao Linglan!"

Yang Jingxing nodded, "Who's on the second page?"

"Jiang Qing!"

Yang Jingxing laughed and continued, "Who's on the third page?"

Tao Meng, flustered, "They passed it around, I haven't seen it yet."

Yang Jingxing said, "Guess how often you'll look at this album in the future and how many people you'll remember."

Tao Meng was furious and reached to grab the album back.

Yang Jingxing changed his expression to beg, "I'm not done yet, show some respect."

Tao Meng, angry, "I don't respect you, I don't want you to write!"

Yang Jingxing coaxed, "Don't be silly, let's cherish this last time as desk partners."

Tao Meng finally gave in but still looked upset.

A few minutes later, Yang Jingxing finished and said, "It feels good, I'll buy one later."

Tao Meng, still angry, "No one will write for you!"

Yang Jingxing, petty, "Okay, give it back to me!"

Because he was mocked by Yang Jingxing, Tao Meng had to check what he wrote. Yang Jingxing's handwriting wasn't great: "Beautiful desk partner, I once misunderstood you as a cold and uninteresting class president, sorry, I was wrong. You have many beautiful qualities that girls should have, but the space is limited, so I won't list them. Thank you for tutoring me and for your beautiful smile that accompanied me through the last days of high school. I hope you will be happy every day. PS, I wrote this out of respect, stroke by stroke."

Isn't this a bit sappy! Tao Meng glanced at Yang Jingxing and found that he wasn't smirking. Helpless, Tao Meng found a small clip, like Ren Chuyu, to prevent later people from seeing what was written before.

Ren Chuyu returned Yang Jingxing's notebook without waiting for a comment. Yang Jingxing opened it and found the content wasn't much: "Big handsome, I like you not because you're handsome, but just because I do. Remember our first conversation, in PE class, when you told me to be careful, like a big brother. I think I'll remember it for a long time. Three years of high school, looking back, it's just a moment, but there are so many moments worth remembering and cherishing. Thank you for the special treatment, I'll be going abroad next year or the year after, and I'll take them with me. KISS YOU."

She also drew a big heart in red fluorescent ink, one sappier than the other! Yang Jingxing turned his head and made eye contact with Ren Chuyu, who smiled with difficulty.

After dinner, Tao Meng saw Yang Jingxing really bring a graduation album into the classroom and start with her on the first page.

Tao Meng really disliked Yang Jingxing, "Aren't you letting your special treatment write first?"

Yang Jingxing said, "Cherish, cherish!"

Tao Meng said, "Find someone else first... I'm serious."

So Yang Jingxing went around asking people for signatures, saying, "Just a signature, everything is understood without words."

But the students were generous and wrote a few lines each. Tan Dong, that guy, drew a page of insults.

Tao Meng chatted with others and saw Yang Jingxing finish his respectful task and return. She stood up to stop him, "I want to talk to you."

Yang Jingxing was happy, "Sure."

Tao Meng said, "It's too noisy here, let's go outside."

Yang Jingxing hesitated, "I haven't had enough time with my desk partner yet."

Tao Meng, annoyed, "Are you coming or not?"

"Let's go, let's go."

Yang Jingxing, as if preparing to be scolded by the class president, silently followed Tao Meng out of the classroom, down the stairs, to the playground, and found a place with no one within twenty meters.

They faced each other, half a meter apart, looking at each other for a few seconds. Tao Meng spoke first, "Can you be serious?"

Yang Jingxing nodded seriously, "I'm serious."

Tao Meng warned, "No making me laugh."

Yang Jingxing said, "I'll last ten minutes."

Tao Meng bargained, "Fifteen minutes... no laughing!"

Yang Jingxing put on a deadpan face.

Tao Meng, anxious, "Do you even want to listen to me!?"

Yang Jingxing quickly changed to a serious expression, "Starting the timer."

But Tao Meng didn't cherish the time, taking a while to gather her thoughts before speaking, "Can you evaluate me? Seriously, objectively."

Yang Jingxing said, "Good academic performance, strong work ability, cares about classmates, a good class president and student. Objectively, also beautiful."

Tao Meng, unsatisfied, "I want to hear the flaws."

Yang Jingxing said, "Then there's no objectivity."

"Then subjectively."

Yang Jingxing thought for a moment and said, "Not lively and youthful enough, maybe."

Tao Meng asked, "Who do you think is lively and youthful?"

Yang Jingxing didn't fall for it, "Not comparing to others, just relative to yourself."

Tao Meng, subjective, "Pretending to be cute is being lively and youthful?"

Yang Jingxing said, "Not that, for example, if you ask me to objectively evaluate your strengths and weaknesses."

Tao Meng, angry, "What's wrong with that?"

Yang Jingxing emphasized, "Subjectively, subjectively."

Tao Meng looked elsewhere, then asked, "Anything else?"

"Nothing for now."

Tao Meng nodded and said seriously, "Maybe I'm not like them sometimes, but I don't think it contradicts being youthful. I take my work seriously, but I've never been bureaucratic, and I can't do my job with a smile. I also like watching movies, reading comics, and eating snacks, but I think enjoying youth should also come with responsibility!"

Yang Jingxing nodded, "You're right."

Tao Meng continued, "Not everyone can be like you, joking around with everyone and still studying well, multitasking. I've seen you practice the piano, not very youthful... I'm not saying this to contradict you, I just want you to understand that I'm not that different."

Yang Jingxing opened his mouth, but didn't say anything.

Tao Meng said, "Say what you want to say."

Yang Jingxing shook his head, "Time's not up yet."

Tao Meng smiled but quickly became serious, staring at Yang Jingxing, "Then I'll talk about you... Maybe I don't understand you at all, and if I'm wrong, don't laugh at me. I think you, you're just hard to understand. Looking back, I was quite relaxed throughout the third year, and I should thank you, but I can't say it because I don't know what you're thinking. Do you know, sometimes I feel like you're teasing... messing with me! I really don't know what to do! Of course, I know you're not bad."

Yang Jingxing self-reflected, "Maybe I went too far sometimes, sorry."

Tao Meng, anxious, "I'm not asking for an apology. I just want to know why you treat me like this."

Yang Jingxing said seriously, "I like seeing you smile."

Tao Meng asked, "Then why don't you tease Jiang Qing, or even Ren Chuyu as much?" She was quite self-centered.

Yang Jingxing said, "Because we're desk partners."

Tao Meng didn't believe it, "That's not a reason, you have plenty of time if you want to!"

Yang Jingxing took a deep breath and asked, "Really want to know?"

Tao Meng, impatient, "Just say it!"

Yang Jingxing said, "Because I know you'll laugh it off and won't like me."

Is this self-confidence, flattery, or self-awareness? Tao Meng was stunned, only able to coldly hum and unable to speak for a while.

After a long silence, Tao Meng spoke, her voice low, "Do you know why I won't like you?"

Yang Jingxing smiled, "From your eyes."

Tao Meng looked at Yang Jingxing as kindly as possible, "Because my parents divorced... when I was in elementary school."

After another silence, Yang Jingxing said, "But I don't think you lack maternal or paternal love."

The atmosphere of the conversation changed quickly. Tao Meng, who had been aggressive, now felt melancholic, "My aunt, my dad's current wife, is also very good to me. My mom comes to see me a few times a year."

Yang Jingxing said, "So you're still very happy."

Tao Meng smiled bitterly for the first time in front of Yang Jingxing, "Maybe."

Yang Jingxing suggested, "Let's extend the time, an hour, how about that?"

Tao Meng nodded, "Let's sit over there."

Yang Jingxing asked, "Aren't you afraid of mosquitoes?"

Tao Meng said, "There are mosquito repellent plants."

They sat down by the flower bed, and Yang Jingxing said, "Closer, to be like desk partners."

Tao Meng didn't care, "Whatever."

Yang Jingxing brought up a painful topic, "When your parents divorced, were you sad?"

Tao Meng recalled, "I just cried, I was in fourth grade, I didn't understand much, just cried... My mom was the most heartbroken."

Yang Jingxing just looked at Tao Meng, not commenting.

Tao Meng continued, "When I was little, I learned piano with my mom, seeing who progressed faster. My mom would play 'Love Story,' often... the one I asked you to play last time."

"Later, I didn't want to learn anymore, but my dad insisted, and I was so annoyed!" Tao Meng glanced at Yang Jingxing, "If not for that, I might not be worse than you."

Yang Jingxing objected, "You don't have to be better than me in everything."

Tao Meng shook her head, "My academic performance was average when I was little."

Yang Jingxing, meddling, "Does your mom have a partner now?"

Tao Meng nodded, "A Chinese expatriate, I've met him."

Yang Jingxing said, "That's good, they still love you, and you can love them too."

Tao Meng said, "But they... are like enemies. I miss my mom, but I'm afraid to see her. The family photos from my childhood, only I still have them, but I don't dare to look at them."

Under the streetlights, Yang Jingxing could see Tao Meng's eyes welling up.