Su Qinian leaned over and looked down, instantly seized by panic. It was as if something had struck his heart hard. He quickly supported Lin Jinran and patted her on the back, asking in a low voice, "Ranran... What on earth is wrong with you?"
First, she had low blood sugar, and now she was vomiting.
Lin Jinran leaned against the wall, forcing a weak smile and saying indifferently, "It might be the weather. I'm not really in the mood to eat."
"It's all my fault. I shouldn't have forced you to finish it all," Su Qinian said, filled with guilt. At the same time, a deep sense of doubt welled up in his heart.
The small bowl of congee he brought was just the right amount for a girl. How could Lin Jinran not even finish a bowl of congee?
Was it really because of the hot weather?
Su Qinian cleaned up the mess and then took Lin Jinran back to school. Their friends surrounded them and asked what was wrong with Lin Jinran.
Lin Jinran forced a smile and kept saying she was fine.
But there was a discordant voice in her ear.
"No, Lin Jinran, you're not fine. You're lying to yourself again. Look at your current state. Are you just struggling to uphold this illusory belief of yours for almost a year, even though your mother has already passed away?"
Lin Jinran blinked and looked around. Her friends were all looking at her with concern. Then another voice rang in her ear.
"Ranran, Mom is so lonely down there. When can you come and accompany me? I don't want you to take the college entrance examination. I don't want you to live alone in this world. You'll only suffer like this."
Lin Jinran trembled all over, and her lips quivered involuntarily. The voices of her real friends came back to her ears, as if everything just now had been a hallucination.
"Hey, Lin Jinran, look how thin you've become. You need to eat well."
"Oh right, your friend Song Langqing came to look for you this morning. He said he'll wait for you downstairs at noon from now on and go home for lunch with you. His mother will come to deliver food to you in the afternoon."
"Ranran, since your aunt will take care of your lunch and dinner, I can rest easier," Su Qinian said with a gentle smile, his eyes shining like stars.
Lin Jinran was silent for a moment, then smiled and nodded.
Two days passed in the blink of an eye. The greenery outside the window grew denser, and the sun shone more brightly. In the last class before the college entrance examination, the head teacher, Zhou Ping, stood beside the podium, looking at the class he had taught since sophomore year, deeply touched.
"Today is our last class. I still remember when I first took over our class in sophomore year, Lu Youchuan caused quite a stir. Everyone was there except him. We searched for a long time and finally found him sleeping behind the classroom door. No one even noticed."
The whole class burst into laughter.
Lu Youchuan said sheepishly, "Hey, that was two years ago. You still remember that, Teacher Zhou?"
"Of course I remember. Not only that, I also remember when Tao Wan didn't do well in her first exam and came to my office to ask questions. She even stubbornly refused to let me go off work."
"And Su Qinian still ranked first in the grade after the class reshuffle, but later he was overtaken by his deskmate..."
The head teacher said sadly. The students in the class, who had been laughing heartily at first, gradually lowered their heads and shed silent tears. The whole classroom was filled with the atmosphere of separation.
"Dear students, your three - year high school life is about to come to an end, and the college entrance examination is just a checkpoint on your life's journey. Be brave and persevere, and may the wind carry you far. May all your wishes come true, and may you write your glory in the college entrance examination with your sweat."
"Good luck in the college entrance examination! We will surely succeed!"
...
On the first day of the college entrance examination, the sun was shining brightly, and the greenery was lush. Traffic police were stationed on various roads in the city to escort the students taking the exam. The students, dressed in casual clothes, walked with high spirits towards the examination rooms under the vast blue sky without any hindrance.
The bell for the first exam rang. The young students picked up their pens and gradually got into the rhythm, forgetting the noise around them. The cicadas were singing, and the sun shone down, covering them with glory.
On the second day of the college entrance examination, the sky was cloudless, and the vines were growing wildly. The teachers repeatedly reminded the students of the exam instructions in the class group. The sunlight, like broken gold, paved a glorious path that wound all the way to the end. The students who had already experienced two exams were very familiar with the process. They put away their personal belongings and then entered the examination rooms, heading for the battlefield on the second - last day.
On the third day of the college entrance examination, it was all over. The whistle blew, and the students rushed out of the school, only to be greeted by the beautiful sunset. Everything had come to an end, and they were just waiting for the results. There were people giving flowers, taking pictures, hugging, and crying. Parents and children were cheering together.
When Lin Jinran walked out of No. 2 Middle School, most of the people outside had already left, and the sunset that had been burning on the horizon was about to disappear into the darkness.
She tightened her grip on her stationery bag and walked out.
"Sis, sis, we're here. Where are you going?"
Lin Jinran suddenly turned her head towards the source of the voice. A few meters away, Aunt Ying was holding a bouquet of fresh flowers, and Song Langqing was smiling at her.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she walked towards them calmly.
"Sis, Mom always comes to pick you up after your exams. How can you still forget that Mom waits for you here?" Song Langqing said with a smile.
Aunt Ying gave him a light knock on the head and told him not to talk nonsense. She offered the bouquet of flowers and said with a smile, "Jinran, happy end of the college entrance examination. Congratulations, you're free now."
On the way back, the messages on WeChat kept ringing. When she opened it, she found it was their small group chat.
[Lu Youchuan]: "Should we get together before we leave? Otherwise, we might not have another chance."
[Xie Wanyu]: "I agree. I'm leaving Wannan City in a few days. Let's get together soon."
[Jiang Xiubin]: "I can't make it tonight. I'm accompanying my parents just after the exam."
Lu Youchuan patted Su Qinian.
[Lu Youchuan]: "Hurry up and say something. Let's set a time. We won't have another chance if we miss this one."
[Su Qinian]: "The day after tomorrow? Is that okay for everyone? Wait for my notification for the specific time and place."
Since when did one person have to decide the time and place for a get - together?
Lin Jinran took a look and replied.
[Lin Jinran]: "I'll just go there after you've decided. I'm not leaving Wannan City for the time being either."
For three whole days, there wasn't a single word of blessing from Lin Cheng.
Lin Tingnian and Yang Jinzhi seemed to have vanished into thin air. There was no news from them either.
Aunt Ying was in a good mood today and strongly demanded that her husband not work overtime. He should come back right after work to have dinner with Lin Jinran.
There was a sumptuous meal on the table, but Lin Jinran, as usual, only took a few bites and couldn't eat anymore. She sat there, smiling as she watched Aunt Ying and the others eat.
Aunt Ying felt both heartache and sadness. She didn't know what was wrong with Lin Jinran. It seemed that since her mother passed away, the girl had become silent and overly quiet.
During the three days of the college entrance examination, she was extremely calm. Aunt Ying couldn't tell how Lin Jinran had performed in the exam and didn't dare to ask.