Chapter 48

By the time Gu Fang returned to the school he had been away from for a long time, Lu Si's transfer had already been completed. Those unaware of their relationship simply assumed it was due to Lu Qi's illness. Those who knew about their relationship suspected something else, but knew better than to expose it in front of Gu Fang.

He went back and forth between the classroom and the studio step by step.

Normally, after the school exam, there is no need to practice painting anymore and one can just focus on preparing for the college entrance exam, but Gu Fang occasionally needs to paint to concentrate his thoughts.

Without realizing it, he was sitting in the classroom looking at the formulas on the paper, and his thoughts suddenly drifted far away.

Most of it was meaningless, incoherent fragments. Perhaps because he'd been doing too many exercises, he occasionally tilted his head and thought his deskmate was the same person. But in reality, Tao Yi noticed his gaze and asked in a confused tone, "What's wrong?"

Occasionally, he'd walk out of the bathroom, stumble upstairs, and look up to see Class 2. He'd turn around and call out to the person he wanted to see, but despite the room being packed, there wasn't even a single face he'd hoped to see. The Class 2 student council member poked his head out the window, bewildered, and asked, "Who are you looking for, God of Study?"

Gu Fang pushed open the door of the studio alone. The setting sun, a golden hue, melted into the wind, and the curtains rose and fell with the breeze. The small studio, though clearly cramped, seemed so spacious at that moment.

Gu Fang slowly tasted the indescribable emotion pent up in his chest.

That was the feeling of helplessness he'd felt ever since he heard about Lu Qi's accident. He wished his beloved could live the rest of her life without worries, but it was only a wish.

Realizing this, his bright, vibrant skin shrank overnight, becoming a mere paper figure with only a superficial appearance. Or perhaps he had always been a paper figure, only being watered down by his supposed family background to make his appearance appear bright and shiny.

There were also some grievances. The little grievance he felt about not being understood wasn't a big deal, but what about Lu Si? Simply because of the disparity in family background and life circumstances, he was forced to become someone else's choice.

Mr. Gu's test seemed to treat them both fairly and equally. In reality, Gu Fang understood that Lu Si had no choice from the beginning to the end. Whether now or in the future.

He felt it was unfair, but he could do nothing about it.

Time passes like water.

Gu Fang came to the classroom early after dinner. There were only a few people sitting inside, concentrating on writing.

The blackboard reflected the setting sun, a golden glow so brilliant it was hard to look directly at. It said there were six days left until the college entrance exam. This day, June 1st, was Gu Fang's eighteenth birthday.

In the corner, Xie Ziyao and Mo Ji were holding up their phones and talking to someone. Seeing Gu Fang approaching, they waved, "Study God, study God! We're chatting with Lu Qi, wishing her a happy Children's Day. Haha, can you say something too?"

Gu Fang hesitated for a moment, took the phone, and gently put it to his ear.

"...Lu Qi?"

"Gu Fang, happy birthday to you." It was Lu Qi's voice, and it sounded the same as usual.

"Thank you, and I wish you a happy Children's Day," Gu Fang said with a slight smile in his eyes, "but how did you know?"

Lu Qi said, "I learned this from my brother before. It's a very memorable date."

She paused after she finished speaking, not understanding what Mr. Gu meant by the test, so she said, "My brother is at school and won't come to the hospital until tonight. I'll ask him to call you then?"

"...No need." Gu Fang blinked, hiding the panic in his eyes, and smiled faintly, "How are your eyes now?"

Lu Qi complained in a distressed tone, "I'm tired of having to undergo surgery all the time. I feel like I don't even need to count the days. I just fall asleep without realizing it."

"I used to have surgery all the time," Gu Fang comforted him, "This is what being sick is like. In order to live a good life every day in the future, I can only endure it for now."

Lu Qi suddenly paused, leaned close to the phone and whispered: "...I guess it's because of me, you and my brother...so, can I say sorry...I'm sorry..."

Gu Fang restrained the smile in his eyes, lowered his eyes, and said in a serious tone: "Don't say sorry to anyone anymore. You are not wrong. You are very good. The fault from the beginning to the end is others."

From the other end came Lu Qi's slightly slower breathing. After a long time, she said "hmm" with a heavy nasal tone.

That night, Lu Si came to the hospital and helped Lu Qi lower the raised bed. Lu Qi felt for his brother's hand beside the pillow and whispered, "I called Gu Fang today and wished him a happy birthday."

Lu Si was wearing the blue school uniform of the affiliated high school. He leaned his arms on the head of the bed, his eyelids drooped, and glanced indifferently at his sister's open face.

"Brother?" Lu Qi wasn't sure whether he had left or not.

"Yeah, I'm here." He responded and fell silent again. After a moment, he ruffled Lu Qi's hair and covered her wide-open eyes with his palms. "Go to sleep."

Lu Si turned off the lights for her and gently closed the door. He walked to the corridor and sat down on the bench at the door. As if in a slow-motion movie, he took out his cell phone from his school uniform pocket.

The cell phone was brought by Xie Ziyao and the others, and it is still very new.

Lu Si circled the edge of the phone with his fingertips and rubbed it. The screen automatically unlocked by face scanning, and a faint blue light lit up, reflecting on Lu Si's chin.

That was the screen he lingered on for a long time. A contact, a number, someone had saved it for him the moment he turned on his new phone.

Lu Si actually felt a secret satisfaction from this. Thanks to modern technology, the distance between him and the person he loved was only a string of numbers, not a thousand mountains and rivers, nor a distance more abstract and difficult to cross than mountains and rivers.

It's just a string of numbers.

The corners of his lips curled up slightly, he stared at the string of numbers for a long time, and silently turned off the screen.

With only three days left before the Gaokao (National College Entrance Examination), the school announced a holiday break, allowing students to return home to review. In the final class, the homeroom teacher, Teacher Wu, gave a heartfelt instruction: "Fill in the blanks for the answers you know, and don't leave any blanks for the answers you don't know. Use all the relevant formulas. Every point counts, students."

Finally, Teacher Wu waved his hand and said, "After you finish the exams, forget about the exams. I'll treat everyone to skewers!"

"Great!" The students in Class 7 cheered together, and then whispered to each other. Before the exam even started, they were already discussing the graduation party that night.

"After eating skewers the other day, our class planned to go karaoke," Tao Yi kept excitedly whispering in Gu Fang's ear as they headed to the Cultural and Sports Building to pack up their supplies. "Are you going, Xueshen? It seems the KTV that Class 2 also arranged to go to is in the private room next to ours."

Gu Fang paused and said, "Go ahead."

Tao Yi said, "I haven't heard you sing yet. You'll have to sing a song for us when the time comes."

Gu Fang quickly showed an expression as if he was afraid of him: "No, I can't sing."

Tao Yi urged: "What are you afraid of? We're just having fun. Even Xie Ziyao, with his hoarse voice, dares to sing. What are we afraid of? I'll accompany you and sing a soulful duet."

Gu Fang laughed: "That's fine."

Coming to his small studio to pack up his things, Gu Fang looked at the tables and chairs of the past and couldn't help but sigh. The people who would paint in this studio next year would be the next batch of younger students.

The studio remains permanent, but the students come and go.

Could it be that another young couple came here to have a secret date under the pretext of practicing painting?

Gu Fang put the picture albums he had practiced in the past into a storage box, and occasionally flipped through a few pages. He could clearly feel that his level was improving with each album.

When he turned to one of the books, Gu Fang paused slightly.

The first page was a small cluster of mint in a pot. As the pages went by, the mint grew stronger and stronger. When he reached the last page, Gu Fang paused for a long time, took a few deep breaths, and then dared to turn the page.

The last page showed the profile of a young man standing by the window. His narrow, long eyes were slightly furrowed, and he looked handsome, yet a trace of distress etched in his eyes as he looked at the test paper in his hands.

When Gu Fang suddenly realized it, a piece of paper slipped to the ground.

Huh? He didn't remember picking up anything?

Gu Fang picked up the note, and the familiar cursive script flowed into his mind.

There were only three words, with a very simple and crude star drawn at the end.

-See you in the capital.

Gu Fang's thick, fan-like eyelashes trembled, and the hand holding the note gradually tightened.

——Lu Si committed a foul, but it was not a complete foul.

Is this contact? No way, does a note without a reply count as contact?

He could feel a surge of warmth and joy filling his body, like a shrunken paper figurine being filled, instantly swelling and expanding, becoming bright and vibrant again. Like a character in a game being revived to full health.

Mr. Gu's test was too biased, so Lu Si took advantage of the loopholes in his rules and tricked Mr. Gu in return.

Gu Fang held the note and smiled happily and foolishly, his eyebrows curved, his eyes sparkling, and his pupils as bright as stars.

When he walked out of the studio, even Tao Yi was surprised: "Where have you been? Why are you so happy all of a sudden?"

Gu Fang smiled and said, "Guess."

Tao Yi sighed, "Could it be possible that he received a love letter upon graduation?"

Gu Fang let out a long "hmm": "Almost done."

Tao Yi was surprised: "Who? Who? Who? Who sent you a love letter that would make you so happy?"

No matter how much he asked, Gu Fang only had one answer, "Guess", which made Tao Yi anxious and curious.

Three years of preparation, two days of college entrance examination.

I closed my eyes and opened them again, and the exam room announcement sounded and went off, and it was over in the blink of an eye.

After the exam on the 8th, Class 7 will have a graduation party on the evening of the 8th.

While eating skewers, everyone toasted Teacher Wu. Teacher Wu was so happy that he drank too much. When the party was over, he didn't forget to catch Gu Fang and mutter, "Little Gu, you still have to practice for that physical test. Don't slack off. You still have to take long-distance running tests in college."

Gu Fang's face suddenly turned bitter: "We still need a physical test? We still need to run 800 meters?"

Teacher Wu was amused: "What else do you think?"

After saying that, he didn't forget to add a knife: "You are an Alpha now, why are you running eight hundred? One thousand!"

Gu Fang's face completely fell.

Several students drank too much and hugged Teacher Wu and burst into tears, among them Tao Yi. Tao Yi looked gentle and polite on the surface, but when he drank too much, he was a completely different person, which impressed all the students in Class 7.

After eating the skewers, we went to KTV.

Class 2 was in the private room next door. While they were singing, the class representative of Class 2 ran over to Class 7 to grab the students.

Poor Gu Fang was in Class 7, dawdling around and singing a song with the drunk Tao Yi. Then he was dragged to Class 2, where he shamelessly sang another song, "Friendship Forever", with the class monitor.

“How can I forget my old friends? How can I not miss them in my heart? How can I forget my old friends? Friendship lasts forever…” The squad leader held up the microphone and sang with tears in his eyes, “For thousands of years, I will never forget. The friendship between friends is long-lasting—”

Only emotion, no skills.

The last word "long" was so loud that it reached the ceiling.

The squad leader sang so engrossedly that Gu Fang had no choice but to sacrifice his life to accompany him, even until his voice broke to the ceiling.

After a burst of howling, Gu Fang returned to the private room of Class 7. His throat was hoarse from howling, and he had to drink several glasses of orange juice to suppress it.

Xie Ziyao, who had no idea how much he had drunk, also rushed over and started to act crazy, even using random poetry: "Wow, brothers! If love lasts forever, it won't be day and night! Parting is short, and our band will reunite one day! Let's have a drink! Cheers to the band! Cheers to rock! Cheers to Lu Si!"

Xiao Yuanshan came to visit Class 7 from Class 2 and quickly hugged him to avoid scaring others. He had no choice but to toast him with a glass of Lu Si. Chen Yi murmured, "I always feel like this toast is like Brother Lu is no longer alive..."

"If Father Lu passes away," Xie Ziyao raised his glass passionately, "I won't live alone!"

"Alright, alright," Xiao Yuanshan hurriedly pulled him down, "Everyone knows that you two have a deep and lasting love for each other."

Mo Ji finally managed to coax Xie Ziyao to sleep. Xiao Yuanshan came over and offered Gu Fang a glass of orange juice. He asked, "What are your plans after you become a god of learning?"

Gu Fang touched his hair and asked, "Grow your hair long first?"

Xiao Yuanshan smiled and said, "Be an artist?"

"Yeah," Gu Fang also laughed, "Just pretending to be cool, isn't that what all artists do?"

"Then cheers to the future great artists!" Xiao Yuanshan raised his glass.

"Thank you for your good wishes." Gu Fang clinked glasses with him, and drank the orange juice with the flavor of wine.

After the party, the drunk Tao Yi and Xie Ziyao were sent to their respective cars. Gu Fang took out his cell phone and was about to take a taxi when he found that Jiang Li had sent him a message an hour ago.

-I'm going back to my country tomorrow. Can you come and see me off for the last time?

-[Airport Location]

Gu Fang stood in the hot June night wind for a long time without saying a word. The students from Class 2 also began to disperse. They walked out of the KTV and passed by him, greeting him one after another and saying farewell words about meeting again in the future.

-good.

He replied with that word, and stood on the steps, watching his former classmates slowly disperse. He suddenly realized that his youth before the age of eighteen had finally come to an end that night.

But this friendship, like the moonlight tonight, will last forever.

The next day, Gu Fang got up early and went to the airport to see Jiang Li off.

He tightly held the note Lu Si left for him, no longer indecisive, and had the courage to make choices despite all the adversities in life.

Jiang Li stared at the boy, who was now more than half a head taller than him. A look of realization and distant nostalgia appeared in his eyes. "Fang Fang, you know what? Apart from your eyes, you look a lot like your other father."

When he is not sick, he is calm and composed, and occasionally even reveals a faint smile.

"Are you really not going with me?" Jiang Li asked one last time, "Your father's grave is also over there, in the city where I live."

It's hard to believe someone in their twenties would draft a will. Gu Fang's late father was just such a person. His will included detailed plans for his burial site and epitaph, and even his estate.

At that time, he didn't know about Gu Fang's existence, so he donated half to the foundation and left the other half to Jiang Li.

As Gu Jianbo said, Jiang Li had received all the love from this man, even after his death.

Gu Fang simply replied, "I'm an AA couple, and I'll never change in my lifetime."

Jiang Li frowned and paused for a long time. For once, he didn't say anything else. He looked out the window at a plane taking off and inexplicably mentioned something else: "Recently, I've been busy auctioning off those private, non-customized paintings."

Gu Fang nodded: "I know about this."

Jiang Li's profile was calm. "Perhaps I always find it difficult to let go of the past, and it's still the same now. My psychiatrist said that those bad things should be thrown away calmly. Those paintings are too sad, right?"

Gu Fang paused and said, "I have to keep a few of them. They are also memories."

Jiang Li turned his head, tilted his eyes and smiled, "Then I have to choose carefully."

The announcement for boarding sounded, and Jiang Li opened his arms, his eyes revealing a subtle plea, "Can you give me a goodbye hug?"

Gu Fang slowly hugged him tightly. He was tall and could already hold Jiang Li in his arms. Perhaps it was also because he was very thin.

"I'll come visit you during the winter break," he said softly, "and meet my other father."

Jiang Li opened his eyes wide in surprise, and Gu Fang let go of him at this time.

After a while, Jiang Li came back to his senses and nodded quickly: "I'll wait for you, you can come and play anytime."

Gu Fang lowered his eyes and smiled, then waved slightly at him: "Goodbye."

Jiang Li suddenly lowered his head, his voice choking a little: "I'm sorry, Fangfang, I will treat your illness well... And I'm sorry, because of me, you have suffered so much since you were born..."

"You didn't mean it, I understand," Gu Fang said gently, "Don't take it to heart."

Under his repeated urging, Jiang Li finally went to the boarding gate, looking back every few steps.

Watching the plane take off with a roar and fly into the sky of a foreign country, at that moment Gu Fang suddenly understood Mr. Gu's mood.

Life always teaches them a lesson: you gain far more than you lose.

And growth means cherishing what you have gained and forgiving what you have lost.

When he understood this truth, he finally entered his life after the age of eighteen.

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