Zhаng Lu Rаng соmparеd thе аnswеrs, mаrking the questions shе gоt wrong.
Hе silently саlсulаtеd thе scorе in his mind before speaking slоwlу.
“Prоbablу аrоund 110 рoints.”
Su Zаi Zаi blinkеd in surрrisе. “Thаt high?”
Zhang Lu Rang sighed. “Соme sit оver here.”
Su Zаi Zai stoоd up and wаlkеd оvеr tо sit bеsidе him.
Oncе shе was sеаtеd, Zhang Lu Rаng plасed the tеst рaрer in front of hеr.
His cleаr, lоw vоicе flowed gentlу intо hеr eаrs.
“Аll multiрlе-сhоicе quеstions сorrеct, onе mistakе in thе fill-in-thе-blanks, аnd thе first thrее major questiоns all correct.”
“…”
“I’vе looked аt this question in аdvanсе; it’s not еasy.”
“Really…”
Zhang Lu Rang turned to look at her. “Have you done this set of test papers before?”
“No.”
A long silence followed.
Su Zai Zai stared at the test paper and whispered, “The teacher said the Z City first mock exam is very important. She said this score basically determines the college entrance exam result.”
Zhang Lu Rang didn’t interrupt her, quietly listening until she finished.
“I want to do well…”
“But when I get anxious, the answers I calculate are all wrong.”
“When I practice on my own without pressure, my accuracy is higher.”
“If it’s like this during the college entrance exam…”
“I’m afraid it will affect my English and liberal arts scores.”
Seeing that he remained silent, Su Zai Zai quickly changed her tone.
“But it’s much better now. It’s just math—I’m not afraid of it.”
Zhang Lu Rang lowered his head, looking at her hands, which were twisted together on her lap.
He couldn’t help but reach out and hold them.
“Su Zai Zai, I’m going back on the 15th,” Zhang Lu Rang said seriously. “Before that, you’ll do one set of problems every day, and I’ll explain all the solution methods to you.”
Su Zai Zai stared at him in a daze.
“Whatever you don’t understand, I’ll know, and I’ll teach you.”
“So, don’t be afraid.”
Her eyes suddenly felt a little sore.
Zhang Lu Rang’s expression began to turn awkward.
But he still mustered the courage to say, “Didn’t you say you liked me?”
Su Zai Zai’s eyes reddened as she nodded like a little pecking chicken.
“Then you have to listen to me,” he said.
—“Don’t be afraid.”
The Spring Festival of 2015 arrived unusually late.
By the time the second semester of senior year began, it was already almost March.
Only three months remained until the college entrance exam.
On a Saturday afternoon in late March.
The school organized the senior students to go to the city center hospital for their college entrance exam physical check-up. After the check-up, they could each take the bus home.
Since Z High School had a considerable number of students, the education bureau arranged for only two schools to have their check-ups on that day.
Su Zai Zai deliberately chose the shorter lines and finished almost all her check-ups in about an hour and a half.
She had arranged to meet Jiang Jia at the hospital entrance, and they would take the bus home together.
The two boarded Bus No. 71 and found empty seats in the back.
The bus moved forward, the scenery along the way passing by in a blur.
Su Zai Zai placed her hand near the small gap in the window, feeling the cold air outside.
The bus announcement sounded in her ears.
“Passengers, City Square has arrived. Passengers getting off, please exit from the rear door in order. Passengers boarding, please move inward and avoid standing near the door.”
Su Zai Zai instinctively turned her head to remind Jiang Jia.
“Your stop is next.”
Jiang Jia’s expression was somewhat dazed as she whispered, “Guan Han and I broke up.”
“…Huh?”
“Sigh, relationships are so troublesome.”
Su Zai Zai looked concerned. “Are you okay…”
“I’m fine. It’s just that suddenly…”“The person who pursues you may not treat you better than the person you pursue.”
“Actually, I was quite against you chasing Zhang Lu Rang before.”
“I was afraid that if you acted like this, Zhang Lu Rang would look down on you.”
Su Zai Zai licked her lips and said cautiously, “You’ll meet someone better.”
Jiang Jia laughed, raising her eyebrows. “Of course.”
The announcement for the next stop sounded again.
Jiang Jia stood up and said earnestly:
“Zai Zai, you have to be good with Zhang Lu Rang.”
“If you two break up, then I’ll really stop believing in love.”
After returning home.
Zai Zai checked the time—it was past six.
Zhang Lu Rang should have finished class.
Remembering Jiang Jia’s words.
Su Zai Zai held back but still couldn’t resist the urge to call him.
After just one ring, he picked up.
“Lùràng, are you done with class?”
“Mm.”
“I finished my physical exam today, and they drew blood. It hurt a little.”
Zhang Lu Rang chuckled and asked, “Did you cry?”
“No, what’s the point of crying if you’re not here?” Su Zai Zai said matter-of-factly.
He didn’t answer.
But Su Zai Zai could hear his breathing as he laughed silently.
Suddenly, she felt as if she was infected by his laughter and began to smile too.
Then she started sharing what she saw today.
“Let me tell you, I saw your deskmate from freshman year today.”
“…”
“He went to the surgical department for the physical exam with a girl. I was in line behind them and heard him say he weighed sixty-five kilograms, but when he stepped on the scale, it was seventy, hahaha…”
“…Zhou Xuyin?”
“Yeah.”
Mentioning this, Su Zai Zai couldn’t help but praise him.
“You’re still better. You’re good at everything. Good-looking, good grades, and you keep in good shape too.”
The corner of Zhang Lu Rang’s mouth curved upward.
Su Zai Zai walked to the bed and sat down, hugging one knee.
“I’m a little curious what you’d look like if you gained weight.”
There was a moment of silence on the other end.
Zhang Lu Rang suddenly changed the subject, reminding her in a serious tone.
“Su Zai Zai, study.”
Half an hour later, Zhang Lu Rang returned home.
Going up to the second floor, he paused as he passed Zhang Lu Li’s room.
Zhang Lu Rang walked in and looked at the scale placed by the door.
He hesitated for a moment but finally stepped onto it.
After seeing the number, Zhang Lu Rang let out a sigh of relief.
…No weight gain.
Chapter 41
She beat me to it.
—Zhang Lu Rang
One week before the college entrance exam.
High school seniors could choose to stay at school or go home to study, as the school no longer required them to remain on campus.
Since the exam venues would be set up in a few days, Su Zai Zai decided to take most of her books home.
Su Zai Zai asked Father Su to pick her up.
She piled up some unused test papers and workbooks nearby, planning to throw them away.
While organizing her notebooks, she suddenly noticed a plain white draft notebook.
Su Zai Zai paused her fingers, opened it, and flipped through the pages.
Turning to one page, she saw the familiar handwriting.
Neat, elegant, and exceptionally beautiful.
She smiled, tore out that page, and tucked it into the review materials she had been using recently.
…
“Then explain this problem to me.”
“I don’t know how.”
…
“I know everything you don’t. I’ll teach you all of it.”
…
Su Zai Zai laughed out loud.
She still couldn’t resist sending him a message.
—Lùràng.
—What did you feel when I first came to your class to explain a problem to you?
Su Zai Zai glanced at the time, not expecting him to reply immediately.She put her phone into her backpack and continued packing.
After discarding the books she didn’t need, Su Zai Zai called Father Su to help carry the books downstairs.
Half an hour later, Su Zai Zai finally got into the car.
She leaned her head against the window, watching the scenery flash by outside.
The car jolted and swayed, making her dizzy.
Suddenly, she remembered the message she had just sent to Zhang Lu Rang.
Curious, Su Zai Zai turned around, rummaged through her backpack for her phone, and opened it to take a look.
Zhang Lu Rang had already replied.
On the phone screen was a rather baffling sentence:
—The classroom air conditioner wasn’t on.
Huh?
Su Zai Zai blinked, scratched her head, and tried to recall the scene at the time.
Had she said something?
It seemed like…
—“Uh, it’s so hot, come in and cool off with the air conditioner.”
Su Zai Zai: “…”
After the Chinese language section of the college entrance exam ended.
Su Zai Zai walked to the location her homeroom teacher had specified in advance.
To prevent students from losing their exam admission tickets, Su Zai Zai’s homeroom teacher had instructed them to hand over their tickets to her after the exam, and she would return them one by one before the next exam.
Su Zai Zai handed her ticket over and then went to the cafeteria with a classmate to eat.
After finishing her meal and returning to the dormitory.
Su Zai Zai took her phone out of the cabinet, leaned against the ladder, and stood there to digest her food.
The dormitory wasn’t quiet—several girls were chatting, but they were all talking about other things.
No one mentioned whether today’s questions were difficult, and no one talked about how they performed.
While listening to their conversation, Su Zai Zai looked for Zhang Lu Rang on WeChat.
Su Zai Zai: Hey, Lùràng.
Zhang Lu Rang: What’s up?
Su Zai Zai: Before entering the exam hall, we had to take off our shoes for scanning. I wore the wrong socks—so embarrassing.
Su Zai Zai: Do you have to take yours off?
Zhang Lu Rang: No.
Su Zai Zai: Good thing you don’t.
Su Zai Zai: I can’t stand the thought of others seeing your feet.
Su Zai Zai: Only I can see them!
Zhang Lu Rang: “…”
After Su Zai Zai’s outburst.
Just as she was about to take a nap to recharge, she suddenly remembered something.
Su Zai Zai: Oh, right, there was a guy in our exam hall.
Su Zai Zai: He placed his water bottle on the desk while drinking and didn’t close it properly.
Su Zai Zai: Right before handing in his paper, the water spilled and soaked his exam sheet.
Su Zai Zai: Be careful, okay? After drinking, remember to put your water bottle on the floor.
Zhang Lu Rang: Okay.
After finishing the math exam and returning to the dormitory.
Su Zai Zai had just sat down on her bed, barely a few seconds in.
She immediately stood up, walked to the cabinet, and took out her phone.
Her first message was again: Hey.
This time, Zhang Lu Rang felt a bit nervous.
Did she not do well in math…?
Su Zai Zai: Lùràng, there was a guy in our class whose ID card went missing this afternoon.
Su Zai Zai: Our homeroom teacher was so worried she cried.
Su Zai Zai: But later, the invigilator found it in that guy’s exam hall.
Zhang Lu Rang didn’t know what to say for a moment.
Su Zai Zai: Lùràng, you should be careful too.
Su Zai Zai: Remember to keep your ID card and exam admission ticket safe.
Her random, rambling messages were making Zhang Lu Rang feel uneasy.
Zhang Lu Rang thought for a moment and decided to call her.
Su Zai Zai answered cheerfully: “Lùràng.”
Zhang Lu Rang scratched his head, puzzled: “What’s wrong with you?” —-
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