The results of the first joint entrance examination for senior year of high school were out. Lin Jinran made it onto the list, ranking third in the province.
The false rank that the head teacher, Zhou Ping, had made up that morning had now become a reality.
Lin Jinran sat there blankly in her seat. She slightly raised her head and looked at Zhou Ping, who was standing beside the podium. He was smiling and encouraging her to keep it up next time.
As for Su Qinian, he was, as always, the number one, the top scorer among thousands of students in the joint examination. The young man beside her had a calm look in his eyes. Hearing the news, only a faint smile appeared on his lips, and then there was nothing more.
It seemed to be well within his expectation.
When the head teacher announced Lin Jinran's rank, the young man beside her had his almond - shaped eyes curved with a smile, twinkling with tiny stars, offering all the tenderness in his life.
"Congratulations, Ranran. You're also the second in the grade and in the class."
Lin Jinran unconsciously grabbed and then let go of the hand hanging by her waist. A day had passed, and Lin Cheng seemed to have vanished into thin air. There was no news about him at all.
But why did he suddenly disappear? Had he already returned to the imperial capital? There was also no movement from Lin Tingnian. It was strange, really strange.
She was a bit distracted. Biting her lips, she nodded absent - mindedly.
Maybe Su Qinian noticed her distraction. As if afraid of scaring her, he softened his voice. "Are you still thinking about the transfer thing? I'm also keeping an eye on his movements."
After a long while, Lin Jinran's thoughts gradually came back. Su Qinian's words were like breaking through layers of clouds and finally reaching her.
Lin Jinran turned her head and saw the smiling boy. Then she heard him continue, "It's really strange. Your father really hasn't made any moves. These past two days, he's been busy with business entertainment. But don't worry. The people he's entertaining have nothing to do with the Education Department. It should be related to business."
Su Qinian thought for a moment and gave her a comforting smile. "Lin Jinran, just relax."
Could she really relax?
Lin Jinran didn't know. She forced a smile.
That night, Lin Cheng returned to the hotel reeking of alcohol. Suddenly, his phone vibrated. He opened it and saw that it was a call from Yang Jinzhi. He casually clicked to answer.
"Acheng, are you still worrying about Jinran's matter?" The gentle female voice came from the other end of the phone.
Lin Cheng grunted and said nothing.
Yang Jinzhi said, "Jinran is already grown - up. You don't need to interfere. She knows what she's doing. Besides, she has only a hundred days left until the college entrance examination. Let's talk about everything after her exam."
"You've been too good to Lin Jinran on weekdays. That's why she's developed such a character. An ungrateful thing! Who deposits hundreds of thousands into her bank card every month? That's quite a large sum in a year." Just thinking about this made Lin Cheng angry. The little bit of alcohol in him dissipated. He pointed at the phone and cursed.
Yang Jinzhi on the other end sighed and tried to soothe Lin Cheng. "Don't be angry anymore. Jinran has no other choice. Her biological mother is lying in a cold ward, and she's all alone in Wannanshi. Sending her more money can be a kind of comfort to her."
Suddenly, the topic changed.
"I just don't know when Lin Jinran's mother will get better. Over the years, it's not a small sum. What if her mother still can't wake up in the future? If it weren't for me, Jinran's mother wouldn't have become a vegetable. You don't need to pay for her every month..."
Yang Jinzhi choked with sobs. Her voice trembled uncontrollably, as if she was drowning in endless self - blame.
"It's not your fault. At most, I'll support her mother for ten years. After that, she can fend for herself." Lin Cheng frowned impatiently.
"It's really strange. I contacted the leaders of No. 1 Middle School yesterday. They didn't even want to discuss it. They just didn't want to let Lin Jinran go. Has the Xiang family still had influence after all these years?"
"Acheng, could you please stop interfering with Jinran for now? She's about to take the college entrance examination. Let her focus on it. We'll talk about everything after the exam. The college entrance examination is very important."
Yes, the college entrance examination was very important. It was a watershed.
The best way to destroy an eagle was to break its wings, crush its wild dreams, and make it unable to soar in the sky anymore.
In a place where Lin Cheng couldn't see on the other end of the phone, Yang Jinzhi slowly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. A cold smile appeared on her face, and her eyes were full of scheming.
The plan that she had laid for half a year was finally coming to fruition.
Just thinking about this moment made Yang Jinzhi unable to contain her excitement. She was going to go to Wannanshi in person to see Lin Jinran's heart - broken look.
That look would be really interesting.
Just because Lin Jinran was the daughter of the first wife, she was ultimately an unstable factor.
...
Wannanshi Rehabilitation Center Hospital.
Lin Jinran walked upstairs familiarly and came to her mother's room.
Her mother was lying quietly on the hospital bed, looking peaceful and motionless. She was like a sleeping baby, trapped in her own dream, unable to see the light of day.
The nurse gently closed the door and left.
Lin Jinran took a deep breath. The familiar smell of disinfectant lingered in her nose. She didn't know when this smell had started to make her feel a bit at ease.
Maybe it was because she had smelled it for too long and got used to the monotony.
Lin Jinran took a few steps forward and sat down casually. She propped her hands on the hospital bed and greedily looked at her mother's sleeping face.
"Do you know? I ranked third in the province in the first joint entrance examination for senior year. Since it was the first joint entrance examination for senior year, almost all senior - year students participated. How about it? Are you happy? This also means that I have a 90% chance of getting into Tsinghua or Peking University in the college entrance examination, your former alma mater."
"If you woke up and knew this good news, you'd be so happy. Oops, I can't say the word 'die'. It's inauspicious."
Lin Jinran was like a soldier who had taken off all her armor, showing all her softness. She babbled on and on to her mother, occasionally making exaggerated gestures and dancing with excitement.
She kept all her unhappiness and sadness to herself.
Xiang Yanhua still lay quietly on the hospital bed, motionless.
Half an hour later, Lin Jinran looked at her phone and stood up. She bent down with a smile and looked at Xiang Yanhua.
"Dear Ms. Xiang, you have to wake up soon. Otherwise, you won't be able to see your precious daughter get into Tsinghua or Peking University. It'll be such a glorious thing. You mustn't miss it."
Afraid of being seen through, Lin Jinran immediately turned around and pushed the door open to leave. She leaned against the wall, hugging herself to get a little warmth.
There were still a hundred days left. Only a hundred days left until it was all over.
After Lin Jinran left, Duan Dongwei walked out of the darkness. His face was calm. He knocked on the ward door, and the nurse opened it and asked.
He smiled slightly. "I just remembered that Ms. Xiang still had one examination left this morning. I'm here to do it now. Could you please wait outside for a while?"