Chapter 43 & 44 Combined part 1
The entire corridor was overrun with students going completely wild. Bai Sinian, phone in hand, recorded quite a few videos before cheerfully returning to his own classroom.
“The boss is here!”
A student shouted, and the students of Class 2 swarmed back into the room like a hive of bees.
The homeroom teacher exploded the moment he stepped in. “Have you all lost your minds?! Look at the garbage all over the ground downstairs! Aren’t you just making trouble for the cleaning aunties?”
“We’ll sweep it up!”
“Yeah, we’ll sweep it.”
Voices chimed in from the seats below.
The teacher was so angry he was momentarily speechless. “Forget it! You have the College Entrance Exam tomorrow! Hurry up and go back to reviewing! I’ll go sweep!”
“Teacher, we tore up all our books, how can we review?”
“Let’s go sweep!”
The teacher was speechless again.
The students of Class 2 had always been hot-blooded; they did what they said. One by one, they grabbed brooms and charged downstairs.
Bai Sinian didn’t manage to grab a broom, so he ran down with them, ready to pick up trash by hand. The homeroom teacher followed them downstairs to help clean up.
It was the first time in three years that the teacher and students had cleaned together.
Students from other classes ran down with brooms as well. Clad in their school uniforms, some bent over to pick up debris, while others swept the ground. But within minutes, they started crumpling paper into balls and throwing them at each other.
Bai Sinian held a trash bag in one hand and his phone in the other, recording the scene while giggling foolishly.
Suddenly, a paper ball smashed onto his head. He spun around to look—it was actually Fan Hongyi who had thrown it. Fan Hongyi was looking at him, grinning triumphantly.
“Fan Hongyi! You dare hit me!” Bai Sinian chuckled, put away his phone, tossed the trash bag aside, picked up a wad of paper from the ground, crumpled it into a massive “ball,” and chased fiercely after Fan Hongyi.
“Take this!”
As a result of his carelessness, Bai Sinian accidentally smashed the paper ball onto the head of Cui Yeyi, who had suddenly dashed out from a corner. Cui Yeyi’s eyes lit up; without a word, he picked up a paper ball and prepared to hurl it back at Bai Sinian.
Instantly, the three of them were in a chaotic melee, weaving through the crowd of playful students. A small patch of ground had been turned into the atmosphere of a snowball fight by them.
“All Senior 3 students, return to your classrooms immediately!”
“All Senior 3 students, return to your classrooms immediately!”
The principal’s stern voice came over the broadcast. It sounded like he was absolutely furious. Many students walked upstairs, still unsatisfied. Cui Yeyi took the opportunity to land one last hit on Bai Sinian.
Seeing Bai Sinian glare at him, he flashed a cheeky, toothy grin.
Bai Sinian raised his phone—click—and snapped a photo.
“What the hell! Recording my ugly photos again! Delete it!” Cui Yeyi ran over, trying to put Bai Sinian in a headlock. Bai Sinian spun smoothly, dodging the attack.
“At least you know you’re ugly. Smile less.”
“Delete it for me!”
“No way!”
The two chased each other back to the fourth floor. Over the past year, Cui Yeyi had settled down to focus on his studies and stopped thinking about puppy love. Consequently, Bai Sinian hadn’t had to devise ways to stop him. Their relationship seemed more open and harmonious than before.
Back in the classroom, the homeroom teachers of each class gave their final exam exhortations, gently reminding them of the exam precautions, while downstairs, the cleaning aunties swept the ground with a swish swish sound.
This day remained as Bai Sinian’s final memory of high school.
Passion and youth, warmth and hope.
Starting tomorrow, it would be a new journey, a new challenge.
The afterglow of the setting sun gradually disappeared into the horizon as night fell. Bai Sinian arrived home, hugging a huge pile of books.
“Mom!”
Bai Sinian’s mother came at the sound. “Son! You’re on break?!”
Bai Sinian tossed the books into the entryway, panting. “Mom, the Gaokao is tomorrow. After the exams, I’ll be free!”
“Don’t be nervous, just take the exam properly. Mom prepared fish soup, silver ear soup, and your favorite beef for you.” His mother pulled him towards the living room. “Go take a shower first, we can eat soon.”
Bai Sinian’s father came in from the balcony, teasing, “I’m riding on your coattails; finally, I can have a good meal today.”
“Dad, you eat more then.” Bai Sinian laughed and went back to his room, grabbed a set of pajamas, and headed to the bathroom.
His father went to help tidy up his books and test papers. Squatting in the entryway, organizing and checking them one by one, he suddenly discovered a stack of papers with the name “Bian Rui” written on them.
Bai Sinian’s father frowned, his face full of confusion.
Ten minutes later, Bai Sinian came out of the bathroom, steam rising from his body. He was drying his dripping hair, tilting his head to shake the water out of his ears.
“Sinian, why did you take so many of Bian Rui’s book pages? Did you tear up his books?” His father immediately walked over holding that stack of “autographed papers.”
Alarm bells rang in Bai Sinian’s head; he momentarily didn’t know how to explain.
He panicked slightly but feigned a pause. “Ah, this… I must have taken the wrong ones…”
His father pressed, “He’s not even in your class, how could you take the wrong ones?”
Dad, are you Sherlock Holmes or something?!
Bai Sinian’s movements slowed down. “Um, I went to borrow study materials from him, probably grabbed the wrong stack by accident.”
“Oh…” His father felt the reason made sense, but he still couldn’t fully understand. “Who would be so bored as to tear out the first page of all his books? He wouldn’t do that himself, would he?”
“Y-yeah!” Bai Sinian immediately agreed. “So boring! I’ll tell Bian Rui later to watch out for petty people around him!”
“Yes, you must remind him. Students are under a lot of pressure these days; it’s easy for them to do twisted things. He must be careful.” His father sighed.
Bai Sinian quickly snatched the stack of autographed papers from his hand. “Exactly. I’ll return them to Bian Rui later and remind him.”
“Baby! Dinner is ready! Come eat!” his mother shouted from the kitchen.
“Coming!”
Bai Sinian helped serve the dishes and rice, eating a warm dinner with his family.
With the Gaokao tomorrow, his parents were even more nervous than he was. One moment they urged him to sleep early, the next they asked if he had finished reviewing. While Bai Sinian read in his room, they would occasionally come in to deliver milk or ask if his admission ticket and ID card were ready.
Early the next morning, when Bai Sinian woke up, he found that both his parents had taken leave to accompany him.
At this moment, his pressure skyrocketed.
However, he quickly adjusted his mindset. After all, counting his past life, this was his second Gaokao. It wasn’t too difficult; he just needed to perform normally.
The two days of the Gaokao were sweltering. Every time he came out of an exam, the outside of the school was crowded with waiting parents.
He didn’t have time to ask Bian Rui and the others how they did. After coming out of each exam, he had to rest and adjust, preparing for the next one.
When the bell rang for the end of the final subject, Bai Sinian felt an unprecedented sense of relief and release.
He knew he had completed this important life test. He walked out of the exam hall with a smile on his face, his heart full of expectation and longing for the future.
“Mom! I’m done!” He rushed out of the school gate and spotted his mother, who had been waiting for a long time, in the crowd at a glance.
His mother immediately took the stationery bag from his hand and wiped the sweat from his forehead, in a very cheerful mood. “How did it go? Come on, taking you out for a big meal tonight! Dad had something at the company and went back to work overtime.”
“Mom, you go wait in the car first. I need to talk to a few classmates.” Bai Sinian stretched his neck, looking left and right, hoping to wait for the others.
“Alright, the car is parked across the street. Hurry over!”
“Mm-hm, got it, Mom.”
Bai Sinian spotted Bian Rui at a glance. He waved at him. “Bian Rui! Over here, over here!”
Bian Rui glanced at him and squeezed his way over. “You came out this fast?”
“Hehe, the moment the teacher said we could leave, I sprinted down!” Bai Sinian said proudly. “Looks like I’m the fastest among us.”
“What’s there to compare about that?” The corner of Bian Rui’s mouth hooked up slightly.
Bai Sinian’s eyes were still scanning around as he asked, “Did your mom not come to pick you up?”
“No.”
Bai Sinian immediately retracted his gaze and looked at Bian Rui. On such an important day, his mother actually didn’t come?
An inexplicable ache surged in his heart. Bai Sinian’s gaze turned firm. “My mom is taking me out to a restaurant later. You come with me!”
“No need.”
Bian Rui finished speaking and intended to go home. Bai Sinian spotted Fan Hongyi in the crowd and waved at him. Seeing Bian Rui about to leave, in a moment of urgency, he grabbed Bian Rui’s wrist. “Don’t go! Wait a sec!”
Bian Rui looked down at where he was grabbed and stopped his steps.
“Fan Hongyi!” Bai Sinian shouted excitedly at him.
Hearing the voice, Fan Hongyi looked over, smiled and waved, then made a ‘call me’ gesture before heading towards his own parents.
It seemed his meaning was to keep in touch by phone; meeting up with parents was more important right now.
Bai Sinian nodded in understanding.
Next, Cui Yeyi came out of the school gate. Before he could even glance this way, his dad had his arm around him, leading him in another direction. Bai Sinian felt a little disappointed. was he the only one who missed everyone right after the exam?
“Shen Bei!!” Bai Sinian saw Shen Bei. His fair face stood out distinctly among the crowd of students.
“Sinian-ge.” Shen Bei trotted over to them.
“Did you do okay?” Bai Sinian asked him with concern.
Shen Bei’s eyes fell onto Bai Sinian’s hand gripping Bian Rui’s wrist. “You guys…”
“Ah, Bian Rui, don’t leave yet.” Bai Sinian let go of his hand.
Bian Rui rubbed his wrist and didn’t speak.
“I feel like I’m done for,” Shen Bei sighed.
“Ah, it’s okay. At least you can get into Zhoucheng, right? We plan to go to school in Zhoucheng.” Bai Sinian comforted him.
This comfort was worse than no comfort at all. Shen Bei’s eyes looked even more dejected. “My brother said if I don’t get in, he’ll send me to study abroad in France.”
“Ah…”
Bai Sinian felt a bit depressed. Bian Rui finally spoke up. “The answers will be online tomorrow. We can estimate our scores first, then talk about the future.”
“That’s right! Let’s come out and estimate scores together tomorrow!” Bai Sinian’s hope ignited again.
Current him didn’t dare hope that everyone would still form a band together in the future. As long as there was a chance for them all to be in Zhoucheng, where he could see them anytime, he would be satisfied.
“Okay! See you tomorrow then!”
So the three of them agreed to find a coffee shop tomorrow to estimate scores. After all, they would have to do this step when filling out their college applications anyway.
Bai Sinian felt very anxious and nervous. The moment that decided their fate was coming soon. Could they still be together in the future?
If they could reform “Dazzling Star” in university, that would be amazing. Replicating the glory of those years was something he dreamed of!
“Still not going? What are you spacing out for?”
It wasn’t until Shen Bei had said goodbye to them and entered his family’s nanny van, disappearing from their sight, that Bai Sinian snapped out of it. Bian Rui’s words woke him up.
“Almost forgot about my mom! She’s still waiting in the car!”
Recommended Reads
