Every day after the third mock exam felt like it was on fast-forward, passing by at an unbelievable speed.
Those who weren’t taking the standard college entrance exam route had already received their results, each with their own destinations.
Class Six was an average-level class, and most students were still dutifully preparing for the gaokao. Someone like Yang Linyu, who had passed the independent recruitment exams, was the envy of everyone.
Not many knew that Sheng Xia had made it onto the preliminary admission list for Heqing University.
So when everyone saw Sheng Xia—who scored just twenty points above the first-tier cutoff—constantly hovering around Zhang Shu, a surefire candidate for a top-tier 985 university, fretting over his Chinese scores, they couldn’t help but sigh: "This is the dedication of love!"
The cicadas’ screeching buzzed in their ears, and the countdown on the board had dwindled to single digits.
The teachers abandoned their usual motivational speeches and instead urged everyone to return to a normal routine—no more late nights, no more stress, no more tackling difficult problems. They encouraged students to go out, take walks, and relax.
The weekly test questions became simpler and simpler. Zhang Shu had stopped doing them altogether, opting instead to repeatedly review past problems while solving a few new ones daily to keep his skills sharp.
The school also held a parents’ meeting, aligning with families to avoid adding pressure and to foster a relaxed atmosphere both at home and at school.
Everything revolved around one word: stability.
On the evening of the 6th, the senior year students only had one class. Wang Wei stood at the front, reiterating the usual reminders: exam admission tickets, ID cards, stationery, no ice or spicy food, no late nights, and to call the police if any issues arose.
As soon as the dismissal bell rang, Sheng Xia packed her things to leave. Suddenly, the lights in the entire building went out, plunging everyone into momentary chaos.
Then, enthusiastic cheers erupted from the neighboring classroom building.
The noise grew louder as underclassmen from the first and second years surged toward the senior-year building.
"Good luck on the gaokao! Victory for Affiliated High!"
"Good luck on the gaokao! Victory for Affiliated High!"
The cheering had begun.
First came the unified chants, then everyone started shouting whatever they wanted.
Words of encouragement rose and fell like waves.
The seniors upstairs began responding.
"Victory for Affiliated High!"
"Unsheathe the sword! Glory to Affiliated High!"
"Senior girls are so beautiful!"
"Junior boys are so handsome!"
Since Class Six was on the first floor, every shout came through loud and clear.
Amid the noise, a few spirited cries of "Zhang Shu, you can do it!" reached Sheng Xia’s ears.
"Zhang Shu, you’re the best!"
"Zhang Shu, I like you!"
Under the cover of darkness, the clamor, and the likelihood of never seeing each other again, someone was confessing.
Xin Xiaohe leaned over and whispered in Sheng Xia’s ear, "So popular, huh?"
Indeed.
This popular figure maneuvered through the dark to Sheng Xia’s side and, unseen, grabbed her hand, holding it tightly.
Xin Xiaohe rolled her eyes and stepped away.
"So popular, huh," Sheng Xia repeated, rising slightly on her toes to murmur in Zhang Shu’s ear.
Hearing this, Zhang Shu chuckled. Cupping the back of her head as she tilted it up, he asked, "Aren’t you going to cheer for me?"
Sheng Xia had grown somewhat accustomed to his physical closeness lately and obliged without hesitation. "Zhang Shu, you can do it!"
The moment the words left her lips, he pinched her chin and lifted it, his face swiftly closing in—
Just as she thought their lips would meet, her back stiffened with tension, and she nearly pushed him away on instinct. But at the last second, he tilted his head, and the soft sensation landed on her cheek instead.
Light, fleeting.
Then he straightened up quickly, his hand rubbing awkwardly over his mouth as he glanced at the boisterous crowd outside.
In the dim light, she couldn’t make out his expression.
That brief, barely-there touch left Sheng Xia wondering if it had been her imagination.If Xin Xiaohe hadn't been exaggeratingly clutching her stomach and making retching sounds beside them.
The cheering from the building stopped, and the junior students turned on their phone flashlights, swaying them while singing the school song.
Sheng Xia saw her classmates around her pressing their palms together against their chins, closing their eyes to make wishes.
Noticing she was still dazed, Zhang Shu shook her hand and asked, "Aren't you going to make a wish?"
Unaware of this tradition, Sheng Xia quickly pulled her hand from his, pressed her palms together, and made a sincere wish.
When she opened her eyes, Zhang Shu asked, "What did you wish for?"
Because of their little moment in the dark earlier, Sheng Xia avoided direct eye contact but didn't hide her answer. "I hope to get into Heqing University smoothly. What about you?"
"I hope... will saying it out loud make it not come true?" The flickering phone lights cast shifting shadows on Zhang Shu's face as he grinned brightly. "Then I wish to have an entire summer."
To have an entire summer. Sheng Xia repeated the words silently in her heart.
He peeked!
When the lights came back on, Sheng Xia saw the mischievous glint in Zhang Shu's eyes.
"You peeked!" she accused.
Zhang Shu didn't deny it, shrugging nonchalantly. "The college entrance exam is tomorrow."
Sheng Xia was furious—but how could she stay angry when the exam was tomorrow?
She had said they could only look after the exam, but that was just talk.
Aside from worrying about emotional turbulence affecting him, she also felt embarrassed.
Now that he had actually peeked, anger was the last thing on her mind—only sheer embarrassment remained.
Flustered, Sheng Xia hurriedly packed her bag, deciding retreat was the best strategy. "I need to go home. Good luck tomorrow!"
"Good luck."
"And the day after too."
Zhang Shu smiled helplessly. "Yeah, extra luck for the day after."
The night before the college entrance exam.
It sounded like such a special moment, and Sheng Xia was indeed experiencing it in a unique way.
No studying, no practice problems—just eating fruit while watching TV with Wang Lianhua.
She kept switching between different social media platforms on her phone.
Then she realized everyone else was in the same boat.
The class group chat had devolved into a pointless meme war, starting with enthusiastic "Charge!" messages before gradually shifting to "I'm tired, just end me," and the topics grew increasingly bizarre.
A male classmate posted a screenshot, and Sheng Xia instinctively clicked on it.
After a quick glance, she nearly choked on her mango.
It was a screenshot of an online medical consultation.
Patient: Hello, doctor. My college entrance exam is tomorrow, and I heard that ** might help with performance. Is there any scientific basis for this?
Doctor: Hello, student. ** can help you relax, and the pleasure may aid sleep, but it won’t significantly affect your exam results. In fact, an unsatisfactory first-time experience might cause anxiety, so I don’t recommend trying it.
What the—?
Was everyone dropping all pretenses now that graduation was near?
The screenshot was quickly deleted.
But by then, everyone online had already seen it.
A string of speechless ellipses followed in the chat.
A few of the usual jokesters replied with "LOL" stickers.
Someone else chimed in: "As if you even have a partner."
The original poster: "Hiding under a pot lid here—I don’t, but someone does!"
Zhang Shu: "..."
Original poster: "Shu-ge, why’d you suddenly pop up?"
Another reply: "Because Shu-ge has a partner."
This exchange was also swiftly deleted.
Another row of speechless ellipses followed.
Translation: Seen.
Everyone who needed to see it had seen it.
Sheng Xia had only been casually browsing—she never spoke in the group chat.
But somehow, she felt like she’d been called out. What was going on?A few seconds later, the number in parentheses next to the group name decreased by two.
The group fell silent.
Then, Xin Xiaohe's dorm group chat exploded. Since going out for late-night snacks together, Sheng Xia had been added to their dorm group—the one without Zhou Xuanxuan.
Damai: "Hahahaha, I'm dying. Zhang Shu kicked Tao and the others out."
Xin Xiaohe: "Well done. These guys are so annoying every single day."
Damai: "Youthful worries.jpg"
Lanlan: "More like middle-aged worries. So cringy."
Xin Xiaohe: "But honestly, is what the expert said true or not?"
Lanlan: "I heard guys are pretty terrible the first time, hahahaha. So anxious."
Damai: "If the expert said it, it must be true, right? That last line nearly killed me—shouldn’t guys all finish in seconds the first time?"
With the college entrance exams just around the corner, the tone of this group was getting a bit too colorful.
Sheng Xia remembered she had promised to share some last-minute exam predictions with everyone but hadn’t done so yet. She decided to send them now.
It wasn’t really about predicting questions—just a way to get into the right mindset before the exam. She had compiled some classical Chinese passages she thought might appear in the memorization section.
Xin Xiaohe: "Thumbs up.jpg"
Lanlan: "Xiaxia, why are you changing the subject?"
Damai: "Are you blushing and flustered?"
Sheng Xia: "Good luck on the exams!"
The group quieted down again.
Sheng Xia checked the time—it was about time to rest.
She forwarded the classical Chinese passages she had just sent to Zhang Shu, then went to wash up.
Wang Lianhua made her double-check her exam admission ticket, ID card, and all her stationery before finally letting her go to bed.
Half-lying on the bed, Sheng Xia picked up her phone, intending to remind Zhang Shu to check his exam materials. But the moment she opened their chat, she froze.
Song Jiang: "?"
Song Jiang: "What are you implying?"
Song Jiang: "I’ve never tried, so I wouldn’t know."
Song Jiang: "Probably wouldn’t be that fast."
Panicking, Sheng Xia quickly scrolled up and saw the messages she had forwarded to him.
Among the classical Chinese passages, the very first one was Damai’s line: "If the expert said it, it must be true, right? That last line nearly killed me—shouldn’t guys all finish in seconds the first time?"
It really did look like she was asking him that question!
This was mortifying!
When she had selected the messages to forward, she must have accidentally included the one closest to hers!
God, help me!
Sheng Xia took a deep breath and chose to ignore it.
She replied: "Remember to double-check your exam admission ticket, ID card, and stationery. Make sure the lead in your answer sheet pencil isn’t broken."
Zhang Shu must have been staring at his phone because the chat immediately showed "typing…"
But it took a while for the message to come through.
Song Jiang: "Don’t worry, I’ll remember to check. I’m not anxious."
Aaaaaaah!
You lunatic!
...
The day of the college entrance exams finally arrived, but Sheng Xia didn’t feel much emotional turbulence.
Perhaps the endless stream of practice tests had worn away all her nerves.
Especially since, as an off-campus student, she went to the exam site alone—without the ceremonial send-off where students boarded buses together from school, cheered on by their teachers.
So when she arrived at the exam site, it was just business as usual—she went straight to the exam hall she had checked earlier.
Zhang Shu wasn’t in the same exam zone as her. Probably because she was a transfer student, she wasn’t in the same zone as most of her Class Six classmates.
There wasn’t a single familiar face in her entire exam hall.
Only then did Sheng Xia truly feel the weight of the college entrance exams.
When she got the test paper, she glanced at the classical Chinese memorization section first. Surprisingly, one of the passages she had predicted—an extracurricular one—actually appeared.
But only one.Sheng Xia wrote with unusual ease. Finishing her essay, she realized with a start that there were still twenty minutes left—an unprecedented speed for her in any previous exam.
Could the quality be compromised?
Taking deep breaths, Sheng Xia played mindfulness meditation in her mind, forbidding herself from borrowing trouble. She then checked her multiple-choice answers over and over.
In the afternoon, halfway through the math exam, the bright, glaring sky suddenly gave way to rain.
Dark clouds loomed low, and a downpour cascaded.
The relentless patter of rain against leaves created a chaotic rhythm, unsettling the mind.
But Sheng Xia was accustomed to meditation—many guided sessions used rain sounds as background. To her, it was soothing, far better than the shrill cries of cicadas.
The moment the exam ended, the rain stopped too, as if deliberately taunting the examinees.
The next day followed the same pattern. Midway through the science section, torrential rain poured down, only to obediently cease just before the end.
"Exam concluded. Examinees, stop writing..."
As the announcement echoed, Sheng Xia remained seated, waiting for her papers to be collected. Suddenly, she felt like a spinning top that had lost its whip—wobbling, then coming to a halt.
Was her high school journey really over?
It felt surreal.
"Nothing can hinder your longing for freedom..."
Perhaps inspired by something online, the exam zone played music over the speakers. To the rhythm of the folk song, students streamed out of the exam hall—some running, some shouting, but most, like Sheng Xia, walking quietly, their eyes betraying little emotion.
Outside, parents waited with mounting anxiety.
Sheng Xia spotted her parents among the crowd.
Sheng Mingfeng and Wang Lianhua stood apart, neither confrontational nor tense—just sharing the same searching gaze.
Wang Lianhua held a bouquet of flowers, her eyes already brimming with tears at the sight of Sheng Xia.
Sheng Xia gazed at her mother, then broke into a jog toward her.
The college entrance exam was finally over.
Senior year was finally over.
High school was finally over.
Those three years—especially the grueling final one—had been not just her ordeal, but her parents' trial as well.
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