In April, No. 136 Middle School held its final mock joint examination, and Pei Chuan's name still topped the Honor Roll.
Ji Wei ran down to look at the Honor Roll and said with great admiration, "Brother Chuan is really amazing."
As soon as he said this, a few students around the Honor Roll gave strange looks. Jin Ziyang slapped one of them and said, "What's the matter? Not convinced? What the hell are you looking at?"
The person who was hit, seeing Jin Ziyang and the others' fierce expressions, dared not speak his anger and slunk away.
Jin Ziyang spat at the person's retreating back and said, "That bastard, how dare he look down on people? If we don't teach him a lesson, does he think we're dead?"
Zheng Hang laughed.
Then the boys fell somewhat silent. Such a smart Pei Chuan had suffered such a tragedy in his childhood. Jin Ziyang lowered his head and said, "I really want to drag those scumbags out of their coffins and whip their corpses."
Zheng Hang patted his shoulder and said, "It's all in the past. Brother Chuan is working very hard now."
Moreover, after the entire Class 9 learned about the incident, no one mocked Pei Chuan. Those who gave strange looks were very few, and Jin Ziyang vowed to beat up every one he saw.
As they grew older, they understood that the victim was the most innocent, and those sufferings were never something he should have endured.
One day, Zheng Hang opened the forum and his eyes lit up. "Ji Wei, Jin Ziyang, come take a look."
The boys huddled their heads together. The malicious posts had actually been pushed down.
Many, many students from the three schools were each posting trivial threads.
Such as, "My cat is missing, please help me find it."
"Is there any expert who can help me soar in the last thirty days?"
"Let me share some gossip about the grove in our school..."Very tacitly, everyone started posting threads to push down those photos exposing Pei Chuan's severed legs from back then."
Jin Ziyang's upturned lips couldn't be suppressed. "Seems like everyone has some conscience."
The noise gradually faded.
Pei Chuan opened the forum. He didn't recognize any of these people posting trivial threads. Yet they were all trying their best to help him.
He lowered his eyes and began the next round of review.
With twenty-eight days left until the college entrance exam, Pei Chuan received a box at his doorstep.
Inside was a dead rabbit, its limbs severed.
Pei Chuan's eyes darkened. Beside the rabbit were a cloth doll and a letter. He picked up the cloth doll, which had the character "Yao" pasted on it.
Pei Chuan's fingers turned pale as he opened the letter.
"Satan, your classmates have surprised me. Since you want to live a good life, we won't force you. Compared to you, that little girl is much more likable."
Pei Chuan folded the letter, closed his eyes gently, and when he opened them again, his gaze was calm.
He carried the dead rabbit, the envelope, and the cloth doll into his room, opened the door, and began writing an email.
"Don't touch her. I'll give you what you want in July after the college entrance exam. If anything happens to her, you'll get nothing."
The email received a quick reply: a clown laughing heartily, holding a doll in its left hand and a whip in its right, teasing a monkey in a zoo.
Pei Chuan stared coldly at the screen.
Someone on the other end said, "K, is it really good to provoke him like this?"K shrugged indifferently: "He knows so many things and created so many criminal software—did he really think he could walk away unscathed? No matter how clever he is, he's just a legless little beast. If he wants his doll intact, he'll have to obey obediently. I actually quite like that girl—so beautiful, yet she'd take a fancy to this little beast. Look how he treasures her... Hahahaha! Does he even realize whether that little beauty would even sleep with him?"
~
On the summer night of June 1st, rain began to fall.
Pei Chuan returned to the old residential area. The sky was pitch black, with only dim streetlights visible. The place remained exactly as it was during his childhood—while countless new high-rises had sprung up around it, the old neighborhood had stayed unchanged all these years.
His gaze drifted toward Bei Yao's bedroom. The light in her room was on, and the curtains swayed back and forth in the summer breeze.
He sent her a text message: "Yao Yao, I'm downstairs at your place."
Bei Yao's phone lit up while she was doing homework. Startled by the message, she glanced out the window and indeed saw a tall, slender figure standing in the darkness.
She slipped out to the living room to change her shoes. Zhao Zhilan and Bei Licai, having work the next day, had already gone to bed early. Moving quietly, Bei Yao tiptoed downstairs.
Wearing sandals, she opened her umbrella. The summer night rain wasn't cold at first—splashing on her feet, it carried a hint of warmth before a slight chill set in.
She pattered toward the boy.
"Pei Chuan, what brings you here?"
He stood under the streetlight, closing his umbrella, quietly studying her appearance.
The warm yellow light made her face glow with warmth.
Unable to resist, he reached out to gently touch her cheek and whispered, "Yao Yao, the exams are just a few days away. Are you nervous?"
She shook her head and asked with a smile, "Are you nervous?"
He replied, "Yes."
"Don't be scared. You're so amazing—you could get into a top university even if you skipped one subject."
The corners of his lips curved slightly. "Mm."
Her cheek was soft and warm from being indoors. He withdrew his hand after the brief touch—his pale fingers were too cold.
Bei Yao frowned, took his hand in hers, and cradled it with her small hands. "Why are you so cold?"
She breathed a soft, warm breath onto his hand. "Even if you're nervous, you shouldn't run around in the middle of the night like this."
He looked down at her, suddenly feeling a pang of jealousy toward whoever would have her in the future.
Pei Chuan said, "I'm not cold. I have a gift for you."
He took a pendant from his shirt pocket. Bei Yao laughed delightedly upon seeing it. "A yellow talisman?"
It was a simple, down-to-earth little yellow talisman pendant.
Pei Chuan said, "Mm, for blessings during the college entrance exams. We each have one."
He bent his head to put it on her. Curious, she reached up to touch it. "Hey, there's something inside—round."
It felt like a pearl.
Pei Chuan said, "It's a blessed stone. You can't take it out, or it won't work anymore."
Her almond-shaped eyes curved with amusement. "Pei Chuan, you're so superstitious."
His lips curved slightly again. "Mm, at least wait until... you receive your university acceptance letter before taking it out."
She agreed.
Seeing her compliance, Pei Chuan said softly, "Go home now."
She touched the little yellow talisman around her neck, feeling quite displeased. "Pei Chuan! It's raining and cold outside. I came out in the middle of the night, and you're sending me back with just this?"
He froze for a moment. "My fault. Are you cold?"
She blinked. "Yes, yes. Hug." She stretched out her arms.
He stiffened for a second, then leaned down and gently embraced her.She hugged Pei Chuan’s narrow waist, her cheeks slightly flushed. The boy’s embrace was warm, and the streetlights cast a warm glow. Above them, a neighbor’s awning stretched out.
She loved listening to his heartbeat. Whenever she was in his arms, Pei Chuan’s heart beat faster than usual.
Tilting her head up to look at him, she hummed, “I want another kiss.”
Her slender finger tapped her soft cheek.
Each tap left a tiny dimple, her delicate appearance utterly endearing.
His dark eyes watched her.
Pei Chuan’s rough fingertip brushed her cheek, then he lowered his head, but his kiss landed on her lips.
He gently licked her cupid’s bow.
Bei Yao’s face instantly flushed crimson. She buried her face in his chest, refusing to let him kiss her again.
He chuckled softly, “What’s wrong?”
She didn’t answer.
Pei Chuan tenderly kissed the top of her head. He knew he shouldn’t be so forward with her, but tonight, he loved her more than ever.
Even without her saying, he knew—she had just drunk strawberry-flavored milk. The faint, sweet fragrance of milk still lingered on her lips, subtle and delicate.
Pei Chuan knew the Bei family wasn’t well-off, but Zhao Zhilan and Bei Licai truly cherished Bei Yao as their treasure. Even Bei Jun might not get to drink milk every day.
He felt grateful that the one he held dear in his heart was always loved and cherished by others.
~
On the morning of June 7th, the official day of the college entrance exam, Zhao Zhilan had taken time off work early to accompany Bei Yao.
Although Bei Licai didn’t say it out loud, he was also very nervous. He said, “Don’t go and add to the chaos. You’ll just make Yaoyao more anxious. Let her treat it like any other day so she feels more at ease.”
Zhao Zhilan replied, “But I’m so worried! My heart’s been racing since I woke up. I won’t feel reassured if I don’t go check.” Despite her words, Zhao Zhilan was eventually persuaded by Bei Licai, as she feared passing her anxiety on to her daughter.
Such is the heart of a parent—Zhao Zhilan had gotten up at five in the morning to prepare breakfast.
She had even specially made Bei Yao a fried dough stick and two eggs.
As Bei Yao ate, Zhao Zhilan reminded her, “Don’t forget your exam admission ticket, okay? And be careful when filling in the answer sheet. I saw on the news yesterday that many students who could have done well ended up making mistakes on their answer sheets.”
Bei Yao couldn’t help but giggle.
Zhao Zhilan said, “What’s so funny? Is your mom wrong?”
For Yaoyao’s exam, she had spent the past few days searching for countless news articles. Before this, she hadn’t even known how to write the words “answer sheet.”
Bei Yao said, “You’re right, Mom, but…” She picked up the fried dough stick with her chopsticks. “Our exams aren’t out of 100 points anymore—they’re out of 150.”
Zhao Zhilan: “…” She was dumbfounded.
Zhao Zhilan fretted, “Then what should we do?”
Bei Yao stood up and hugged her. “Mom, a hug from you is worth 50 points!”
Zhao Zhilan’s anxiety melted away, her heart sweetened by her daughter’s words.
Bei Yao waved goodbye and left for the exam.
June 7th was a clear, sunny day. Bei Yao’s exam venue was close to home, which was why she had chosen to stay there. All along the route from the neighborhood to the exam site, police officers maintained traffic order, making way for the exam-taking students.
Outside every school gate stood mothers like Zhao Zhilan, worried about their children’s exams and there specifically to accompany them.
At a glance, the crowd was dense and bustling, every face etched with the same tension. Good parents everywhere, it seemed, shared the same heart.
Bei Yao glanced back. Though her mother hadn’t come, she knew Zhao Zhilan and Bei Licai’s hearts were with her.Pei Chuan’s parents didn’t come either.
Were their hearts here? Did they know that the boy who endured thirst in summer had already grown up?
Bei Yao stepped into the examination hall.
After the crisp bell rang, the standard Mandarin announcement from the broadcast signaled the start of the exam.
She picked up the pen on the desk and wrote with great focus.
Three years of hard work in high school would culminate in a result today.
Pei Chuan, University B, the future.
Time passed so quickly, year after year. Once today and tomorrow were over, once this summer ended and autumn arrived, perhaps they would already be standing on a university campus.
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