In front of the podium, Vice Principal Zhang spread out yesterday's test papers and reported the results, and then entered the normal daily routine.

Under the podium, Lin Chaoxi lowered his head, opened Lu Zhihao's test paper, and his fingers trembled slightly.

What caught my eye was a huge red 49 behind the score column, and the entire test paper was covered with red x's.

Looking closely, Lu Zhihao scored 9 points on the knowledge point summary questions, and the remaining 40 points were from the four multiple-choice questions, while he scored zero points on the fill-in-the-blank questions.

This result would be a huge blow to any child, let alone Lu Zhihao who has always been good at mathematics.

William Chang: "Lin Chaoxi, 79."

Exclamations broke out again in the classroom.

Lin Chaoxi lowered his head, glanced at Lu Zhihao's test paper on the table, and sat there without moving.

Zhang Shuping said, "Come up and take your test papers."

Hanamaki poked her in the back.

She stood up slowly and walked to the front of the classroom with heavy steps.

Standing still and looking up, the middle-aged man's face is very close, his eyes are calm, cold, and have a deep meaning that is difficult to fathom.

Lin Chaoxi really wants to ask, why do you want to undermine your child’s self-confidence?

Examinations, elimination, more and more people leave. Is this the only way to select the elites you need?

But what about the other children besides the elites? What should they do?

These words are stuck in my chest and I don't know where to start.

"Do you have anything to say, Mr. Lin Chaoxi?" asked William Chang.

In the distance, the lake was shrouded in mist. Lin Chaoxi stood at the front of the classroom. She wanted to do something, but she felt so insignificant. What could she do in the face of such powerful authority?

In the end, she took the four test papers, returned to her seat, and said nothing.

——

Lin Chaoxi had no intention of listening to the three classes in the morning. She felt very sorry for Lu Zhihao. She always thought that she was a warrior among these children, holding a sword and fighting dragons, but in fact, she was still that timid little girl.

Lu Zhihao never spoke to them again.

After class, the children went to the reading room to grab seats as usual, and Lu Zhihao numbly packed up his things and left the classroom.

Teaching area, tree-lined road.

Lu Zhihao was walking in front with his schoolbag on his back. He walked quickly, but fortunately, he was heading towards the reading room.

Lin Chaoxi, Pei Zhi and Hua Juan followed behind and breathed a sigh of relief.

"What's wrong with Lao Lu?" Huajuan asked.

Lin Chaoxi remained silent, and Pei Zhi pressed down the brim of his hat without saying anything.

"You guys are silent, which makes me anxious. I can't go to school anymore." Huajuan yelled.

"There's no need to go!" A boy's mocking voice came from the back.

Zhang Liang's followers chased each other and ran very fast. In the blink of an eye, they rushed behind Lu Zhihao and pushed him hard.

Lu Zhihao staggered heavily.

"49 points." Wang Feng approached Lu Zhihao and smiled, "Failed."

"Fat piglet~" Lu Ming reached out and pinched Lu Zhihao's cheek.

"Reading in the middle of the night still fails."

They ran away right after they shouted, and their movements were so fast that by the time Lin Chaoxi reacted, he was already unable to catch up with them.

The wind blew, but it couldn't blow away the malice in the air; even the breeze from the water carried a fishy smell.

Many children were looking at Lu Zhihao, smiling or with sympathy.

At this time, Zhang Liang put his hands in his pockets and walked slowly past her.

Lin Zhaoxi turned his head, and the boy raised his lips and whistled provocatively.

She turned around suddenly and grabbed Zhang Liang's collar: "What do you want to do?"

"What's wrong with me?" Zhang Liang tilted his head back, his pointed little chin about to poke her nose.

"Why did you hire someone to bully Lu Zhihao? How did he offend you?"

"I don't have any, do you have any evidence?"

"Aren't Lu Ming and Wang Feng your good friends?"

"They are them and I am me. Besides, is telling the truth considered bullying?"

Lin Zhaoxi clenched his fists.

"Besides, I was just with Chen Chengcheng, how could I let them bully Lu Zhihao?" Zhang Liang said, and shouted, "Chen Chengcheng, come here."

Chen Chengcheng was walking at the end. When he heard Zhang Liang calling him, he walked slowly towards them.

"You testify for me that I did not ask anyone to bully Lu Zhihao."

"No... Zhang Liang." Chen Chengcheng stammered, his soft hair covering his face. He looked cautious and timid, like a small ball of wet seaweed.

Lin Chaoxi was filled with anger, which was completely ignited by Chen Chengcheng's cowardly look.

"Zhang Liang, are you really not afraid of me beating you up?"

"Yeah, you only dare to hit your classmates, why don't you dare to hit the teacher?"

Zhang Liang turned his head and glanced at the top of the teaching building. It seemed that there were stern eyes there, watching their every move.

So what?

Lin Zhaoxi punched Zhang Liang without hesitation.

Suddenly, my hand was grabbed.

Lin Chaoxi struggled a few times and found that the hand holding her was motionless. She turned around and saw it was Pei Zhi.

Lu Zhihao came back at some point, with tears streaming down his chubby face. He stretched out his chubby fingers and grabbed her wrist.

"Don't... don't fight." Lu Zhihao said cautiously, his lips trembling, "You will be fired."

——

Green reeds sway in the wind beside the lake. Today the weather is gloomy, and the humid and hot water vapor makes it difficult to breathe.

The four of them stood in a row, side by side, on the water's edge.

Pei Zhi opened the biscuits, Huajuan handed over a bag of bread, Lin Chaoxi gave Lu Zhihao some crispy noodles, and each of them held a box of milk in their hands.

"I was too impulsive just now." Lin Zhaoxi said.

"It's... it's me... I didn't do well in the exam. I'm sorry to have made you worry."

Lu Zhihao forced himself to grin and refused to mention what Vice President Zhang had said to him in the office.

Huajuan: "Wow, Laolu, what are you talking about? Do you believe me, I will push you down and then dance with you?"

Lin Zhaoxi: "Calm down and don't try to elope with Lao Lu."

Hua Juan held his head with both hands, lying on the concrete floor, looking up at the sky: "To be honest, Brother Xi, I really want to leave. Lao Lu might be able to learn a little if he works harder, but I really can't seem to learn anything. I'm not born to be good at math."

"There's no such thing as... being born unsuitable."

Pei Zhi: "If you quit, I will leave too."

Pei Zhi did not persist until the end of this summer camp, and Lin Chaoxi finally found out the reason.

He whispered, "Zhang Liang will definitely be very happy that we are leaving."

"You can't leave."

The little boys all looked at her.

Lu Zhihao: "Even if we leave, you can't leave."

Hanamaki: “Besides, I was just talking.”

Pei Zhi: "Don't worry."

Lin Chaoxi then realized that they stayed here just to accompany her, because she said that she wanted to fight for a free life through this exam.

But the more she thought about it, the more she didn't know what to do.

The waves brought up grayish-white foam and continuously rushed towards the embankment.

She remembered what she had told them - no matter how ugly or difficult the opportunity was, they should seize it.

Even if you don't understand why you should do something, or if it is destined to be fruitless, don't give up, because if you always live with the mentality that there is another way, then one day when you grow up, you will regret it.

With annoying classmates and teachers who can't adapt, why do you still insist on staying here?

——

Oasis Base, Reading Room.

There was still a dense rustling sound all around, and everyone was still doing homework, writing, and flipping through books quietly.

Lin Chaoxi's fingers moved back and forth on the textbook. The once familiar terms suddenly became unfamiliar, and she couldn't concentrate.

Lu Zhihao was sitting next to her, doing his homework very seriously.

It was almost five o'clock, and Lu Zhihao didn't ask her or Pei Zhi any questions. He was immersed in his own world of struggle and refused any outside help.

It was almost five o'clock in the afternoon, and in half an hour the third day of the exam would begin.

Lin Chaoxi's subordinates pressed down the knowledge points that she had sorted out yesterday. From yesterday to today, Lu Zhihao had never even glanced at the answers she wrote.

Lin Chaoxi pursed her lips and pushed the exercise book over.

"Class monitor..." she whispered, "It's a free question, it would be a shame not to take it."

Lu Zhihao stopped writing and did not look up.

"Just this once...don't talk to me and let me review this alone, okay?"

——

Snow-white test papers were passed down one by one.

When he received the test paper, it was turned upside down. For a moment, Lin Chaoxi didn't dare to open it.

But what is going to happen is not determined by personal will.

Lin Chaoxi picked up the pen and opened the test paper.

While answering the questions, Lu Zhihao's body was shaking slightly.

He curled up tightly, and every muscle was extremely stiff, like a little knight who was powerless in the face of a huge monster, but still wanted to swing the sword desperately.

Lin Zhaoxi looked down at the test paper in front of her, her pen stopped moving, and she couldn't tell what she felt. That was Lu Zhihao, and it seemed like she was once.

A full hour passed like this.

The moment the bell rang, Lu Zhihao finally cried.

He threw away his pen, stuffed everything into his backpack, pushed away the chair, put on his backpack, and rushed out regardless of everything.

The quiet reading room was broken by a loud bang.

Behind him was the merciless laughter of Zhang Liang and others.

Lin Chaoxi didn't know where he got the courage from, he threw away the pen and rushed out.

——

The corridor was filled with crackling sounds of pursuit, but everything was extremely quiet, like a rainstorm falling in a huge and empty universe.

Lu Zhihao knew she was chasing him, but he didn't look back, nor did he tell her to get out. He just kept climbing up, one level after another.

The little boy's explosive power was too strong, and Lin Chaoxi finally couldn't keep up, and watched his figure disappear.

On the top floor are many closed reading rooms with wooden doors tightly closed.

Lin Chaoxi walked to the door at the end, glanced at the men's restroom sign on the door, and the next moment, he pushed the door open without hesitation.

——

The white space was filled with the smell of disinfectant, and there were quiet and suppressed sobs.

Lin Chaoxi walked to the bathroom facing the sink, propped up his hands, and sat on the sink.

In front of her was a tightly closed toilet stall door.

Lin Zhaoxi: "Squad leader, open the door."

silence.

"If you don't open the door, I'm going to beat up Zhang Liang."

There was a sound of something heavy falling from inside the door, like a schoolbag. Lin Chaoxi jumped down from the sink and was about to walk out. His feet knocked on the tiles a few times and the door opened.

Lu Zhihao sat on the toilet, shaking all over because of his suppressed crying.

He covered his face with his hands, tears and snot streaming down his chubby cheeks, showing the genuine sadness of a child.

Lin Chaoxi calmed herself down, walked over and squatted in front of Lu Zhihao.

She put her hands into her school uniform sleeves, then raised her sleeves high and handed them to Lu Zhihao.

"You...what are you doing?"

"Wipe your tears."

"It will get dirty." Lu Zhihao quickly pushed her hand away, "Please...please...go away."

"No, if I leave, you'll leave."

“I…I…I…”

Lu Zhihao sobbed violently, picked up his schoolbag from the ground, buried his head in it, and no longer looked at her.

Lin Chaoxi didn't go to Lu Zhihao, but returned to the sink, put his hands up, and sat back.

From a distance, she said, "I have an Ultraman that I really want. It's always been in the window. It's super, super expensive."

Lu Zhihao didn't raise his head, like a chubby little ostrich.

Lin Chaoxi shook his legs, ignored him and continued talking.

"Do you know Ultraman Cosmos? He has a very nice transformation stick, which costs 199. Every day, Mother Lin from our welfare home would give me 1.2 yuan to buy milk. I would secretly save the money, and if I didn't drink milk for 166 days, I could afford it. But suddenly one day..."

"Ultraman was...bought by someone? And then...mom found out that you...you were secretly hiding money..." Lu Zhihao said while crying.

"How do you know?"

"Read...read...in the extracurricular reading, there is this article, buy...buy a doll."

Lin Chaoxi almost died of laughter. It was over. She was really going to become a liar who specialized in endorsing and deceiving her classmates.

"So what is the final result of extracurricular reading?"

"Admit your mistake, Mommy... Mommy took you to the store and bought you something else. When you grew up, you finally saw that Ultraman again, and then you realized that you didn't really want it that much... wanted it."

"I still want it very much!" Lin Chaoxi interrupted Lu Zhihao, "Even if my mother beat me up, I know I still want that Ultraman very much, so I must buy it!"

Lu Zhihao slowly raised his head and looked at her with tears in his eyes, as if to say, how can you be so willful.

Lin Zhaoxi: "I can't save money this way, so I'll try another way. As long as I don't steal or rob, I can always make money!"

"But...but the book says that when you grow up you will find out..."

"Growing up is what will happen after I grow up. I only know what I want now." Lin Chaoxi paused and said, "Who knows if the person who wrote this story will see Ultraman in other people's homes when he grows up, and then say sourly, 'Actually~ I don't want that~'"

Still silent, Lin Chaoxi turned around and saw Pei Zhi and Hua Juan had arrived without him noticing.

Lu Zhihao finally summoned up the courage and said, "Teacher Zhang... Zhang said... Mathematical Olympiad is only suitable for very, very few children." Lu Zhihao sobbed, "I... I can learn it now, but I will definitely not be able to keep up when I get to junior high school or high school... I... I..."

"So do you still want to learn?" Lin Chaoxi interrupted him.

"I don't know why..."

"I don't know why you still want to learn?" Lin Chaoxi paused, "Who cares why? Just do it!"

She jumped off the sink and turned to look at Huajuan: "What about you? You said you thought the Mathematical Olympiad was boring and uninteresting. Do you really think so, or is it simply because you didn't do well on the test and it's not friendly to you, so you don't like it anymore?"

"Of course it was Osu who started it!" Hanamaki suddenly became serious, "Now, I still want that Ultraman, although I don't know why."

There aren’t so many “whys” that can be clearly understood.

We often don't know why we want Ultraman, but when we say we don't want it, we will definitely give countless reasons, as if the more reasons we have, the more we can convince ourselves.

I really, really don't want it anymore.

Lin Zhaoxi nodded and looked at Pei Zhi.

In the end, she just patted him on the shoulder. This little boy didn't need to be asked for his opinion.