Grade 11

Zheng Ruoqian's suggestion was a bit troublesome, and it took Xu Changjia two or three days to figure it out. By the time it was handed to Zhang Yuning, it was already Friday, and it was the weekend when they were supposed to go home.

This weekend is the last rest day of the semester. Next week will be the final exams for the second semester of the first year of high school. The teachers are seizing every opportunity to give a few extra words of advice. They are asking for two minutes of break time for this teacher and a few minutes of class time for that teacher, all to encourage students to cherish their time, study hard, and get good grades on the final exams.

She was supposed to have Ou Liyao hand over the letter to Zhang, the top student, during morning self-study, but her former homeroom teacher, Teacher Wang, was there, and she didn't dare to hand it over, fearing that he might mistake it for a love letter written to someone in their science class.

This delay actually dragged on until it was time to go home.

The bell had just rung when she was already standing outside the experimental class 369. She waited for the physics teacher to come out of the classroom, gave a stiff greeting, and then sneaked into their class. She then pulled up a chair and sat down next to Ou Liyao.

Then he took out the letter and handed it to her, gesturing for her to do something with his eyes.

Ou Liyao gave her a puzzled look: Is this Zheng Ruoqian's method?

Xu Changjia's earnest nod made her somewhat skeptical. Oh well, it's a matter between two grown men, how could they be harder to understand than the thoughts of young girls like them? Since Zheng Ruoqian thought it would work, then let's give it a try.

She placed the letter on the exam paper Zhang Yuning was working on. Just as he was about to toss it away, he heard Ou Liyao's voice above him, "This is a letter Zheng Ruoqian asked us to pass on..."

Before she could finish speaking, Ou Liyao felt her mind suddenly short-circuit, and she didn't know what else to say.

Zhang Yuning first looked up at the two of them. They weren't lying to him. He picked up the letter and opened it directly, then asked in confusion, "Was this written by Xu Changjia?"

Although it was a question, it sounded very certain, and I read the letter in one go.

The two sat opposite him, waiting for him to continue, but all they got in return was, "Okay, I understand."

Ou Liyao's eyes widened. Gone? That's it?

She watched as he rolled up the exam paper and packed it, along with the comic book he had been looking at for a long time but hadn't finished, into his schoolbag and really left, leaving her and Xu Changjia looking at each other in bewilderment.

"Jiajia, do you think they've made up?"

Ou Liyao leaned over her desk and shook her head. "I don't know. I just sent a message to Zheng Ruoqian saying that Zhang Yuning has already read the letter."

"So what do we do now?"

She got up, put the chair back down, tossed her small schoolbag aside, and turned back with a smile: "Of course, I'm going to prepare well for the final exams."

In the summer of 2116, a restless breeze carried with it a longing for growth, and Xu Changjia officially became a second-year high school student.

Even before the holiday arrived, Zheng Ruoqian and Yunhe called to greet him one after the other.

The former called to tell her that he and Zhang Yuning were no longer involved, and that she shouldn't worry. They also chatted briefly about how he had started competing on stage with other trainees, and that he was one step closer to being seen by the world.

The latter came to ask her if she had thought about what they should do together, after all, he was the benefactor who helped her save her friendship with her friend.

Hsu Chang-chia hugged his pillow and looked at the person on the other end of the video call with a half-smile, as if he had expected him to make demands.

To Yunhe, that smile didn't seem like that of a teenager at all. It was as if he could see through her body the strategic thinking of an adult. He immediately stammered, "Xu Changjia, you, you promised me, you can't go back on your word."

She bent down and took out a gift box from under her table, waving it in front of the camera. "This is a thank-you gift for you. I asked my mother, and she said that she sends you some gifts that are not available abroad every few months. This is something I prepared especially for you. Thank you, Brother Yunhe, for helping me last time. When I grow up, I will definitely visit you in H country."

He originally thought that this little girl would at most mention something like she would call him when she got home as a return gift, but he didn't expect her to actually prepare a gift for him and even use the word "visit". So she really treated him as her brother.

"Okay, okay, I'll definitely take you to have a great time in H country. I'll take you to see the place closest to Hong Kong Island. The beach there is absolutely gorgeous."

"Let me tell you, Sister Xu, you'll definitely like it."

......

During this rare free time, Xu Changjia decided not to do his homework and let his brain rest. He listened to him talk about the customs and culture of H country for an entire afternoon. He really longed for the blue sky, white clouds, gentle breeze and sea.

In her past life, she had few friends, didn't like socializing, and disliked going out. She spent her days at home listening to the sounds of doors opening and closing, and receiving messages from her parents saying they were going on business trips to various places, some of which she had never even heard of.

But she still held onto a sliver of hope. She wished that just once, even just once, her parents would take her with them wherever they went. But not even once. They never brought her those gifts from all over the world, nor the warmth and hugs she received when she came home.

Living life again, this life seems to have changed, become somewhat different. When did that change begin?

Perhaps it was because she told her mother that she liked the string of magnolia flowers her mother strung on the bed curtain, or perhaps it was because she shared her good exam results with her father time and time again, which earned her their attention. Those past moments, which were only a little over a year ago, were comparable to more than twenty years in her previous life. How could she have left behind so many unforgettable and beautiful memories?

If it weren't for the memory book reminding her that she only had 8 years left to live, perhaps she would have really lived a simple and ordinary life with her family of three, without competing or fighting, content with the status quo.

Now, she wants more. She wants everyone who loves her and everyone she loves to be able to embark on their own brilliant careers. She also wants the "8" that is bound to her to be turned sideways and magnified infinitely, so that she may live a long and peaceful life.

For the first time, she asked Yunhe about his life and the history of the Yun family. She began to wonder what kind of person he would be in the future, and what kind of significant role he would play in his life that would give her a few more years of life.

Yunhe did not answer her, and Memory itself remained silent.

She could only spend the sweltering summer in day after day of contemplation, until the golden, cool September arrived.

At the start of the new semester for the second year of high school, at the school-wide pep rally, in addition to encouraging the new graduating class, the principal also announced some good news: Junzhou No.1 High School will be celebrating its 100th anniversary soon, and there will be television crews coming to interview them. He urged them to give it their all and perform well.

The freshmen were new to the school and not yet familiar with it, while the seniors were preparing for the college entrance examination. Xu Changjia and his classmates had a heavy responsibility, and each class was required to put on two performances.

Nearly 70% of her class participated in the school anniversary celebration program, including four dance performances. When she told Ou Liyao about this, she was asked, "Jiajia, didn't you participate in any of the performances?"

Xu Changjia turned a page of the book "The Record of Learning" in his hand, shook his head, and said, "I can neither sing nor dance, so I'd rather sit in the audience and applaud at such cultural performances."

Ou Liyao sat on the bench opposite her bed. "Jiajia, have you never performed on stage before?"

"No, I don't like that kind of noise."

But I hope you can also shine brightly and be seen by others.

Ou Liyao muttered to herself, and became even more determined to take her to try things that had never appeared in her life before.

Having made up her mind, she wrote a note to Zhang Yuning during her afternoon English class, asking him if the two classes could perform a program together.

He didn't even need to think to know that she wanted to bring Xu Changjia over and get her involved in something, so he asked her if she had decided what she wanted to perform.

The two of them passed notes back and forth for an entire class period, and then they tentatively decided on the program to be performed, including the content, form, script, background music, and so on.

Before evening self-study, I directly told the class monitor and art committee member Zhuo Hui the name of the program and the number of participants.

The class monitor was grinning from ear to ear. Unlike the liberal arts experimental class next door, no one in their class wanted to participate in the school anniversary performance. The homeroom teacher simply handed out the forms to them. Zhuo Hui asked each classmate, and they didn't even want to participate in the chorus. They just wanted to focus on their studies.

The form Zhang Yuning handed over was like a miracle to him; coupled with his solo dance performance, it was more than enough to get by.

He accepted the performance with profuse thanks, and kindly reminded us: "It's fine for the two classes to perform together, but the program should be attributed to our Class 369. After all, their class has already put on eight programs, so one more won't make a difference."

Zhang Yuning knew his little scheme, but she didn't expose him. She just nodded and then took out a comic book to read as usual, ignoring him.

He had only turned two pages when he came across the letter that Xu Changjia had written on his behalf. Thinking about that incident still made him feel a little embarrassed. It had been more than two months since they had last been in contact, and he wondered how Xu was doing in H country.

Although Zheng Ruoqian had taken the initiative to write to him seeking reconciliation, he had never bowed his head to anyone else and didn't know what to say to him. Perhaps this school anniversary celebration would be a good opportunity; could he take this chance...?