Chapter 75 Hundred-Day Rally [VIP]

Chapter Summary: This isn't a subtle show; it's an open and blatant display.

"I only want to date you."

"I only want to be with you."

"fall in love."

Throughout the entire morning reading session, Fu Xianyin's mind was filled with Gu Linzhao's words.

She opened the book and closed it again, closed it and opened it again, but she still couldn't get that sentence out of her head.

Fu Xianyin sighed softly.

She finally understood why everyone said that early romantic relationships affect studies.

Having barely endured the morning reading session, Fu Xianyin slumped listlessly onto the table. Gu Linzhao leaned closer, about to ask her what was wrong, when a finger pressed against her brow bone.

Fu Xianyin's nails grow forward, with slender and elongated nail beds. Even though she doesn't like to grow her nails and always trims them close to the nail bed, there's still a slight protrusion.

Cheng Zhaozhao once said enviously that Fu Xianyin's hands must be the kind that look great in manicures. Even short, natural-looking nails would look beautiful.

At this moment, the thin nail pressed against Gu Linzhao's brow bone, gently poking his skin.

Gu Linzhao raised his hand to stop her wrist, but didn't move her hand away. He rested his elbow on the desk, his fingers loosely encircling Fu Xianyin's wrist.

He ran his fingertips along Fu Xianyin's wrist bone and asked, "Why are you poking me?"

Fu Xianyin propped her head up with her other hand and said lazily, "Dating affects your studies."

Upon hearing this, the surrounding air suddenly fell silent for a second.

Xu Xinyu, who was sitting in the front row, turned her head to look back, then quickly turned back.

Yin Zexuan, who had originally come to ask Fu Xianyin a question, clenched his exercise book tightly and took a step back, somewhat at a loss.

Lin Anxu stood there dumbfounded, his eyes wide open, staring in disbelief at the two people sitting together.

Fu Xianyin: ...

damn it.

She looked around to make sure no teachers were nearby, sighed, frowned, and said, "Am I speaking that loudly?"

How could this happen during a normal break between classes at a normal volume?

Lin Anxu thought to himself: It has nothing to do with volume, it has to do with information.

The eerie atmosphere only lasted a few seconds before it passed, but the lingering elements in the air still made Fu Xianyin feel somewhat uncomfortable.

She quickly withdrew her hand from Gu Linzhao's grasp, and, feeling guilty, moved the two cups that were originally close together further apart.

It wouldn't have mattered if they hadn't moved them; the fact that they moved them actually drew more attention to the pair of couple's cups.

This isn't a subtle display; it's an open and blatant show of off.

When she sensed that everyone's attention was focused on the two cups, Fu Xianyin paused for a moment while holding the cups.

She looked around, then decided to throw caution to the wind, with an expression that said, "Yes, that's right, so what if we're in a relationship?" and placed the two cups together.

Lin Anxu was utterly dumbfounded.

He looked at Gu Linzhao, then at Fu Xianyin, and said, "No, when did this happen? How come you two suddenly... just now?"

Cheng Zhaozhao rolled her eyes at him and said, "Suddenly my ass."

Lin Anxu was even more shocked: "No, you know?"

Cheng Zhaozhao said matter-of-factly, "Nianke knows too?"

Lin Anxu: "Are you guys isolating me?"

Fu Xianyin, seemingly enjoying the spectacle, looked at Gu Linzhao and asked, "That's right, you're isolating him?"

Gu Linzhao sighed and said, "I already told you about this during the winter break."

Lin Anxu recalled the messages in the group chat during the winter break:

Cheng Zhaozhao: [But it's not good to postpone my birthday by a day, especially since it's my 18th birthday. It's not like everyone is short on time.]

Fu Xianyin: [It's okay, it doesn't matter which day it is.]

Chen Nianke: [I already spent New Year's Eve with Gu Linzhao at Renmin University, this is just a formality for us.]

Cheng Zhaozhao: [That's true.]

Cheng Zhaozhao: [Evil grin.jpg]

Cheng Zhaozhao: [And even more importantly, we did all that on New Year's Eve.]

Chen Nianke: [That's right.]

Lin Anxu: [That's right.]

Gu Linzhao said, "You just said it back then, I thought you knew."

Lin Anxu was exasperated: "How should I know? I was just following the formation."

Who would have thought that the even more important thing is that they got together?!

Fu Xianyin found Lin Anxu's appearance amusing, she said

"Okay, okay, I'll definitely tell you right away next time and make it very clear."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Gu Linzhao turned his head to glance at her and asked, "Will there be a next time?"

Fu Xianyin stuck out her tongue and said, "What if?"

Gu Linzhao chuckled and tapped the table with his finger, saying, "Alright, then don't just tell him, remember to tell me as soon as possible, so I can know clearly too."

Fu Xianyin laughed so hard her entire shoulder was shaking.

She bit her lip, poked at the thermos with her fingertip, and said, "Of course, I will definitely tell you."

With the start of the second semester for senior high school students, a space has been reserved on the bulletin board next to the podium for the countdown to the college entrance examination.

The bright red numbers shrank little by little, and with each change, Fu Xianyin felt that she was one step closer to the cliff.

It might be a bottomless abyss, where a fall would shatter you to pieces; or it might be a vast expanse of clouds, where a single step could lead to a meteoric rise in one's career.

A tense atmosphere gradually built up, enveloping the entire senior high school building.

The ever-increasing workload was almost suffocating Fu Xianyin. She put sheets of paper on the table, went through pen refills one after another, and tackled one difficult problem after another.

Fortunately, I still have someone I like by my side.

When the pressure became too intense, Fu Xianyin would squeeze Gu Linzhao's hand to ease the tension.

It seems that being in a relationship doesn't necessarily affect your studies.

The 100-day countdown rally came very quickly.

Fu Xianyin looked at the notice board and saw that 101 had turned into a bright red, bold 100, and she couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

According to the usual practice of Beichuan No.1 Middle School, teachers generally do not enforce morning reading rules too strictly on days with major events.

Perhaps it was the bright red 100 on the bulletin board that spurred everyone on, because even without the teacher's supervision, the learning atmosphere in the classroom was very strong.

Fu Xianyin recited several classical Chinese texts that she was not very familiar with, and after correcting them herself, she took out her chemistry notes.

For the past week or so, every night during the last self-study period, Gu Linzhao would take her to the classroom across the hall to give her extra help.

Perhaps it was because they both had good grades that the teacher turned a blind eye, or perhaps it was because Gu Linzhao had already spoken to Sister Gao in advance, since he was always thorough in his work.

For more than a week, no teacher stopped their seemingly outrageous behavior.

Last week, the incident involving the couple's thermos cups caused quite a stir in the class, and then someone spread the word outside the class, making it known to many people in the grade and even the entire school.

When two high-achieving, admired individuals fall in love, it's something that everyone can't help but pay attention to.

Within this context, Fu Xianyin actually didn't quite believe that the teacher was unaware of this matter.

After all, they had never put their matching thermos cups back after taking them out; they were just sitting side by side on the table, clearly visible.

However, the expected criticism and warning did not come. Gao Ying, as the homeroom teacher, did not even say a word to her to pay attention.

Fu Xianyin was a little nervous at first, but after realizing that Gao Ying wasn't paying attention to them, she gradually became bolder.

For example, occasionally holding hands during self-study class, or having an intimate hug in a corner where no one is watching after evening self-study. Fu Xianyin has also secretly done this a few times.

Fu Xianyin found the feeling of dating openly and secretly behind everyone's back very exciting.

It can be considered a different kind of relaxation she found amidst her intense studies.

Gao Ying entered through the back door before he had even read a few pages of his chemistry notes.

When Gu Linzhao gently nudged her elbow, Fu Xianyin quickly put away her chemistry notes, opened her Chinese textbook, and pretended to read the classical Chinese texts.

She kept her head down, but her eyes kept glancing in Gao Ying's direction until she saw her walk towards the podium, at which point she breathed a sigh of relief.

Gu Linzhao scoffed and said, "Pathetic."

Fu Xianyin closed her Chinese textbook and said with a smile, "That's right, that's all your girlfriend is good for."

After officially confirming their relationship, Fu Xianyin's level of coquetry and shamelessness reached a new level.

For example, she can now say "girlfriend" very naturally.

It's hard to imagine that before, she was even too embarrassed to say the words "couple's water cup".

On the podium, Gao Ying put down what she was holding and said, "The sports committee member will lead the team and remember to take all the chairs away."

Fu Xianyin put away a chemistry notebook and a chemistry workbook, picked up the pencil and eraser on the table, and stuffed them into her pocket.

Gu Linzhao took out the speech manuscript from the folder, tidied it up, and put it in another folder.

Fu Xianyin pursed her lips and said, "How meticulous."

Gu Linzhao snorted and handed her the folder, saying, "Here, I'll get you a chair."

Fu Xianyin placed the folder on top of the two chemistry reference books, then carried the books out of the classroom.

The main purpose of the 100-day countdown rally is to encourage and motivate students to study hard and make a final push for the college entrance examination in the next 100 days.

Therefore, the school was decorated in bright red everywhere. Red ribbons were tied to the trees, banners were hung in front of the podium, and even two "scholar's gates" were placed at the entrance of the playground.

Whenever this happened, Fu Xianyin would see the meticulously decorated playground and finally have a real sense of the large sums of money Fu Dongyuan donated to the school every year.

All students entering the playground will pass through the tall "Scholar's Gate" before stepping onto the brick-red running track.

Fu Xianyin has never been very interested in these kinds of motivational activities. In addition, since she didn't have to go on stage to speak as a student representative, she was able to relax and asked Lin Anxu to put her in the last seat so she could quietly review her notes.

Class formations are usually arranged according to height. Fu Xianyin was originally in a position towards the back, so she could just move a few places to the back.

After the flag-raising ceremony, everyone was finally able to sit down. Fu Xianyin pulled out a chair, found a comfortable position, and sat down to read her notes.

On the podium, school leaders were taking turns delivering impassioned speeches.

Fu Xianyin couldn't listen to anything and just focused on doing her homework with her head down.

After an unknown amount of time, the two sheets of draft paper she had brought with her were already filled with writing. Just as Fu Xianyin was hesitating whether to simply use a pencil to sketch in her notebook, a very familiar voice suddenly came from the speakers.

"Hello teachers and classmates, I am Gu Linzhao from Class 35 of Beichuan No.1 Middle School."

The sound quality of the microphones and speakers at No. 1 Middle School is mediocre. I don't know if the money donated by Fu Dongyuan wasn't enough to replace the equipment, or if the leaders thought that as long as it made a sound, it was fine and didn't need to be replaced. They've been using this old equipment ever since, and the sound is a bit hissing and grating.

But even through such terrible equipment, Fu Xianyin still felt that the person on the podium had a really nice voice.

The last row was extremely far from the podium, and Fu Xianyin could only see silhouettes; she couldn't make out any faces or features.

There was actually a large screen behind the podium, and it was used once during the sports meet. But now the camera was focused on all the kind-looking school leaders, and as it swept across the faces, there wasn't a single face that Fu Xianyin wanted to see.

She pursed her lips and leaned forward, trying to get a clearer view of the person.

Most speeches are actually the same old thing, just different versions of the same content.

She even helped revise Gu Linzhao's speech; it was the kind of template-like, standard student representative motivational speech.

Fortunately, the big screen would occasionally catch a glimpse of Gu Linzhao.

The handsome face was magnified by the screen projection. The young man was dashing, with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes. His short, tousled hair was slightly swaying in the wind. He was the kind of person whose picture would be posted in questions like "Those who had a relationship with you during your student days".

Fu Xianyin could clearly hear the gasps and whispers from the audience:

"Wow, so handsome..."

"So handsome, he's really handsome."

"Why is Nuwa so meticulous when she sculpts others, but when it came to me, was she preparing to sleep? She sculpted me so hastily."

"Friend, your face is just the least noteworthy advantage you have. Have you forgotten about the 707 grade you got on the final exam?"

"Damn it, 707... I'm so pissed off, even with one less exam, he still scored higher than me."

"Brother, you're being conservative. There are fewer people taking the test, and they might even score higher than you in two subjects."

...

As Fu Xianyin listened to the whispers that were creeping into her ears, she suddenly felt a sense of pride, as if she were sharing in the glory.

Look, such a handsome person, such an outstanding person, such an amazing person.

Whose is it?

It's hers!

She watched Gu Linzhao on the stage with a smug look on her face. She saw him turn a page of his speech, and after a while, he turned another page.

His speech was only two pages long, and Fu Xianyin had read it in advance.

However, after turning two pages, Gu Linzhao showed no sign of ending the conversation. Instead, he raised his hand to adjust the microphone, clearly indicating that he intended to continue.

Fu Xianyin was somewhat puzzled.

Although she hadn't listened carefully to those two pages, they were probably all from the original two-page speech, complete with a beginning and an end.

Gu Linzhao's posture suggests he's about to say something more.

As she was wondering, she saw Gu Linzhao reach out and grasp the microphone, then pause.

The audience fell silent for a moment, mirroring his gesture.

The next second, Fu Xianyin heard Gu Linzhao say:

"I'm sure you've all heard those things before."

Fu Xianyin's entire body tensed up for a moment.

What does this mean? Where did this come from? I didn't see it during the rehearsal. What's going on here?

This kind of unconventional behavior is suitable for her, but Gu Linzhao doesn't seem like the kind of person who would do such a thing.

The audience erupted in chaos in an instant.

The person on the big screen was changed from a school leader to Gu Linzhao.

Fu Xianyin saw Gu Linzhao lower his eyes and curl his lips into a smile.

She heard him say, "I don't know if what I just said will be inspiring for everyone. Some people may be encouraged, but others may not feel anything about these things like 'we must fight hard, we must work hard, and we must make a comeback in the last hundred days.' Everyone understands the principles, but to truly convince people, we need some real examples to prove them."

He said, "No one is born with everything, at least I am not, and most people are not either. All achievements require a hundred times the effort to achieve, everyone knows this, but very few people can truly do it."

Gu Linzhao suddenly smiled helplessly, as if revealing his own shortcomings.

"I can't do it either, but I've seen people do it."

His gaze swept across the long queue, through the crowd of hundreds of people, and suddenly met Fu Xianyin's eyes.

Fu Xianyin felt her whole body stiffen for a moment.

But Gu Linzhao did not stop there.

He looked at Fu Xianyin, and at all the teachers and students on the playground, and said:

"She is smarter than me, her grades are better than mine, and her learning efficiency is very high. She is the most efficient learner I have ever met, without exception."

"Not only that, she is also the most hardworking and diligent person I have ever met. She can learn anything very well, whether she is good at it or not; she will never give up on herself, no matter how clear or broad the road ahead may be."

"Actually, we are all the same. No one can have everything without effort, and no one will get nothing after putting in all their efforts. Effort is easily overlooked, but results are always visible to everyone. What I want to say is that our future may be long or uncertain, but at least at this moment, we have a path under our feet and light in our hearts."

So let's move forward a little further and try a little harder.

When he finished speaking, his gaze fell on Fu Xianyin.

He looked straight at her, without any attempt to conceal himself.

Fu Xianyin suddenly couldn't hold back anymore.

She bit her lip, lowered her head, and saw tears falling onto the manuscript paper, blurring into several circles.

That extra speech, that extra praise and comfort, those sincere and straightforward eyes of the young man—all of them were telling her:

You're awesome.

It will definitely be even better in the future.