The second semester of Senior Three was the time closest to the National College Entrance Examination. All extracurricular activities had ceased, and the curriculum was completely finished. An overwhelming deluge of test papers was distributed, discussed, and then distributed again in an endless cycle, torturing the nerves of every student.
Looking at the test papers stacked one by one on the desk, Gu Yu was physically and mentally exhausted. He stretched out both arms, slumped onto the desk, and began to complain, “What kind of worldly suffering is this? I really want to die.”
“The English teacher told me to go to her office at noon to get another batch. Gu Yu, hurry up and finish the previous one. If you don’t know how to do it, Teacher Luo can teach you.”
“Teacher Luo, how about you just give me a quick death?” Gu Yu turned his head and looked at the girl who was still working on problems.
“Heh.” Luo Ming finished the test paper in her hand, put down her pen, and patted her thigh. “If you’re tired, why don’t you lie down for a while?”
Gu Yu glanced at the surrounding classmates. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll actually lie down?”
Luo Ming smiled faintly and leaned her head a bit closer, lowering her voice until only Gu Yu could hear. “I don’t mind. If you’re willing, you can even force a kiss on me now if you want. After all, you’ve already kissed me anyway.”
“Th—th—th—that time was an impulse of mine. I’m sorry.”
“Why are you saying sorry? I don’t blame you. Besides, didn’t I force a kiss on you too?”
“It’s not quite the same… forget it. I’ll just lie down for a bit. Call me when class starts.”
“Alright, alright. Remember to do the English paper. These are all real past exam questions.”
“I know, I know. Teacher Luo sure is strict.”
After saying that, Gu Yu closed his eyes and buried his head in the crook of his arm, giving his overworked brain a moment of rest.
The cold left behind by the passing winter hadn’t fully dissipated in early spring, and the temperature in the classroom was still a bit low. Gu Yu had underestimated this lingering chill; he was wearing too little. The school uniform and hoodie he had on couldn’t quite block the cold, and his legs were shivering in intervals.
“Gu Yu, if you keep shaking your legs, I won’t be able to write.”
“Sorry, I’m a little cold.” Gu Yu stretched his legs and stopped shaking.
Then, a warm water bottle was placed on Gu Yu’s lap, and Luo Ming’s voice followed. “Here, I just got some hot water. Warm yourself up.”
“Mm, thanks.”
“If it’s still cold, do you want to borrow a jacket? I brought an extra one.”
“That’s not necessary; it’s just a bit chilly.”
After speaking, Gu Yu closed his eyes again. The glass bottle between his legs was filled with freshly boiled water, and its temperature radiated through the thin walls of the container. Gradually, it even became a bit hot.
He reached out and picked up the water bottle. A wave of heat began to transfer to his hands, warming his fingers that had been somewhat stiff from the cold.
This warmth would not last much longer. After the National College Entrance Examination, once the dust settled, everything would part and leave. Gu Yu actually quite liked these three years at Jinhe High School. He had a few such good friends and a girl he liked so much.
On the day they first met, Luo Ming’s face, which was beautiful to the point of being unrealistic, had easily attracted Gu Yu. At that time, he felt she was a girl who was far out of reach, never imagining he would get so close to her later on.
As they became better acquainted, Luo Ming’s image in his eyes grew even more radiant. This girl seemed to possess all the virtues a young woman could have: she was beautiful, excellent, gentle, independent, and strong… He even began to doubt the phrase “no one is perfect” because of her.
He allowed his feelings for Luo Ming to grow boundlessly, enjoying the beauty of their time together. But the price was the excruciating pain of separation that would follow. He didn’t dare think about it, but he had to face it.
Suddenly, a stack of white paper landed on his head. Gu Yu picked it up and took a look; it was the newly distributed Chinese test paper.
“Oh dear, now you won’t have time to sleep, Gu Yu.”
Gu Yu looked up and sat straight. Looking at the desk full of test papers and textbooks, he felt powerless. “Even if I don’t sleep, I won’t be able to finish these, right? This one has to be turned in.”
“So, do you want me to finish it and let you copy?”
“Forget it, forget it. The Chinese class representative is Boss He, right? I’ll just have her help me hide it from the teacher later.”
“In that case, why don’t you just talk to the Class Advisor? Tell him there are too many test papers to finish. He probably won’t blame you.” Luo Ming wrote her name on the newly distributed paper and then began reading the questions.
“I don’t dare. I’m a coward.”
“You’re a coward? Then what will you do? You might encounter even scarier things in the future.”
“No way. Reality isn’t a horror movie.” Gu Yu scratched his head, not quite believing her.
“Maybe.”
Luo Ming glanced at Gu Yu, the meaning behind her words ambiguous.
The bell rang a few minutes later. Gu Yu returned the water bottle, tidied up the messy papers on his desk, and forced himself to brace for another hour of torture.
In Wang Zhenming’s Chinese class, the routine was to discuss the test papers. The old man in his 60s had a booming voice. His thin, withered fingers gripped the chalk as he finished writing the answers to the multiple-choice questions and began explaining them loudly.
Learning was boring and tedious most of the time, especially during this mentally and physically exhausting Senior Three year. One’s attention, which had been forced onto the blackboard and the teacher for half the day, could be diverted in an instant.
His gaze began to wander. Gu Yu aimlessly looked at everything familiar in the classroom: the podium, the desks, the classmates, and the teacher… These were all things he would soon say goodbye to. He suddenly realized he was becoming a bit sentimental and was already beginning to feel reluctant to leave.
His gaze finally rested on his desk-mate’s profile. This face that had stunned him for three years had never lost its luster. Unfortunately… she would soon become a fleeting memory in his mind, something to be cherished.
Luo Ming had been focusing intently on the blackboard and the teacher. When she was serious, she possessed a captivating charm. Gu Yu suddenly saw her hand slowly rise, moving toward his face, and she pinched the soft flesh there.
The girl’s gaze remained on the teacher, but her words were directed at him. “Listen to the lesson properly. If you want to look, I’ll let you look all you want after class. If you want to reach out and touch, you can do that too.”
The embarrassment of being caught peeking made Gu Yu feel a bit awkward. He gave a dazed “mm” and turned back to continue listening to the lesson.
On the podium, the Class Advisor was still lecturing excitedly, but it was stiflingly quiet below. A heavy, suffocating dullness spread silently… accumulating…
The mountains of books and seas of test papers brought unavoidable pressure, especially in an Elite Class where top students gathered. The sudden ringing of the bell for the end of class couldn’t restore the students’ exhausted spirits.
Gu Yu put away the discussed test paper, pulled out the new one, wrote his name, and started working on it.
“Gu Yu,” Luo Ming suddenly called out to him.
“What is it?”
The girl turned around and gave him a faint smile. “Here, you can touch.”
“Huh? Touch what?”
“My face. Didn’t you agree during class?”
“I didn’t mean it that way…”
“Is that so?” Luo Ming leaned in a bit closer, her gem-like eyes meeting Gu Yu’s. “Then review well. Strive so that we can meet again in university.”
“You wouldn’t fail and end up in Linyang, would you?”
Luo Ming didn’t answer. She turned her head back, her pale pink lips parting slightly. Her voice was so soft that only she could hear it.
“Maybe. Gu Yu, I won’t leave you.”