There are young people like Chen Mo who are almost 20 years old and still have a childish face.

Most of them are the "old three generations" and the "new three generations" between the ages of 25 and 35.

Most of them were wearing washed-out work clothes or plain casual clothes, holding their admission tickets tightly in their hands.

There are also factory workers, store clerks, educated youth in the commune, and school teachers...

In order to seize this only chance to change their destiny, they were busy at their posts during the day and studied hard under oil lamps at night, making unimaginable efforts.

There were even a few gray-haired "old candidates" in their late 40s.

Lu Qingyang and Shen Mo were accompanied by Fang Zhongwen and Ding Panyun.

Fang Zhongwen patted his son's shoulder vigorously, and Ding Panyun couldn't help but remind Shen Mo again: "Be careful!" Lu Qingyang looked calm, Shen Mo took a deep breath and nodded.

The two followed the crowd towards the entrance of the examination room.

"Exam takers please line up! Show your admission tickets! Unrelated persons please step back!" The staff held a tin loudspeaker and shouted at the top of their lungs to maintain order.

There was a long queue at the entrance.

The invigilator looked serious, carefully checking the admission tickets and requiring all backpacks and other belongings to be placed in the designated area in front of the classroom.

Lu Qingyang and Shen Mo passed the inspection smoothly and walked towards their respective classrooms.

It has been a long time since I took the college entrance examination. Seeing the situation, Qin Xiangyang felt a little nervous.

The classroom is shabby, and the wooden desks and chairs are covered with scratches.

All the windows were open, but the air that poured in was sticky and hot.

It was a hot July and there wasn't even a fan in the classroom.

The air was mingled with the smell of sweat.

The test papers have been distributed.

The dark blue writing on the rough mimeographed paper was smeared in places.

Qin Xiangyang took a deep breath, trying hard to suppress the throbbing in his heart and the dizziness caused by the stuffy heat.

He first wrote his name and admission ticket number neatly on the test paper and draft paper.

In the examination room, almost every candidate was nervous.

There is one corner that seems out of place.

Lu Qingyang sat by the window.

When the test paper was handed out, he did not bury his head in writing like many people did. Instead, he picked up the test paper calmly and read it from beginning to end slowly.

After finishing browsing, he gently unscrewed the brand new "Hero" brand pen, and the tip of the pen fell on the paper, sliding smoothly.

He writes very quickly, but his handwriting is strong and powerful.

When answering political essay questions, he had clear ideas and was well-organized, and he could quote policy clauses and theoretical viewpoints at will.

There is no need to scratch your head and ponder, no hesitation and repeated revisions, the answer is given as soon as you put pen to paper.

While other candidates were still racking their brains over a difficult problem and frequently looking at their watches, Lu Qingyang had already completed the main part of the test paper.

He put down his pen and did not check it immediately. Instead, he leaned back slightly and gently moved his wrist.

After a moment, he retracted his gaze, picked up the test paper again, and began to check it from the beginning.

He also seemed calm and unhurried when checking, his eyes scanning over his answers.

There was no anxiety, no repeated revisions, everything seemed orderly and well-planned.

When the bell for the end of the exam rang shrilly and the invigilator shouted "Stop writing! Stand up!"

Many candidates put down their pens as if exhausted, their faces filled with fatigue and relief, or with the regret of not finishing the answers.

Lu Qingyang calmly closed the pen cap, put the pen and test paper in order, and stood up calmly.

The following subject exams were like trekking through a stuffy steamer.

Chinese, English... one subject after another.

After each exam, Lu Qingyang would go to the agreed place to find Chen Mo.

He never eagerly asked "How did you do on the exam?", but always took the pencil case from her hand naturally, handed her a cool glass of boiled water or mung bean soup with salt, and said, "Cool down!"

Chen Mo's condition is like a roller coaster.

After taking the political and Chinese exams, she would smile with a sense of relief and say to Lu Qingyang:

"Qingyang, there are several big questions that we discussed in detail during our review! I feel like I'm answering them smoothly, so I think they should be pretty easy."

However, on the last day, when the bell for the math test rang, Shen Mo walked out of the examination room with a noticeably different expression.

Her brows were furrowed, her lips were pursed until they turned pale, and the strands of hair on her forehead were wet with sweat and stuck to her skin.

She didn't even look for Lu Qingyang as usual, but lowered her head and moved with the crowd with heavy steps.

Lu Qingyang fell in love with her at first sight.

He walked over quickly, took her things as usual, handed her the kettle, and said in a softer voice than usual: "Xiao Mo?"

Shen Mo raised her head and saw that it was him, her eyes instantly turned red.

She took the kettle, but didn't drink. Instead, she gripped it tightly, her knuckles turning slightly white. "Qingyang, math... is too difficult."

She took a deep breath and tried to calm down, but the frustration in her voice could not be concealed:

"The multiple-choice questions and fill-in-the-blank questions at the beginning were fine, but the big questions at the end... the last two questions on solid geometry and comprehensive functions, I... I have no idea what to do. I can't add the auxiliary lines correctly, and the function graph keeps going around and around... Time is tight, and I'm so anxious that my hands are shaking. The more anxious I get, the more confused I get..."

As she spoke, her voice became lower and her head hung even lower.

Mathematics has always been the biggest shadow in her heart, and it is also the subject that she spends the most effort on and is the least confident in when reviewing.

This test seemed to confirm her worst fears.

"If you think it's difficult, everyone thinks it's difficult. Admissions are based on relative ranking, not absolute scores. You have to make sure you do everything right and minimize mistakes. That's how you'll beat most people. Believe in every bit of effort you put in. We won't let you down."

"Hmm..." She responded softly, and finally picked up the kettle to drink a few sips of water. The cool liquid slid down her throat, and seemed to take away some of the heat in her heart.

She took the initiative to reach out and gently held Lu Qingyang's warm and dry hand, drawing on the reassuring strength.

Lu Qingyang wrapped her hand in his palm and held it tightly:

"The exams are over, don't think about it. The most important thing right now is to relax and get a good rest. Let's go home. Aunt Liu will definitely be making soup for us. Shitou and Xiaoyuer haven't seen their parents properly for two days. They must miss us."