They're like lost souls standing in front of convenience store number 444.

Lin Que shrugged.

We are all waiting for a ferryman.

We hope a deity will descend from the heavens, tell us the answers to the exam questions, and show us a bright future.

"but……"

Lin Que paused for a long time, his gaze sharpening.

"There aren't that many Tristans in this world. What's in Zhao Li's gun isn't bullets, it's reality."

He turned around and wrote a line heavily on the blackboard.

There is no ferryman; you must ferry yourself.

"Admit that you will fail, admit that you are tired right now, admit that you are just an ordinary person."

This isn't admitting defeat; it's letting go of the guilt.

Lin Que threw away the chalk and dusted off his hands.

"Only by acknowledging the 'ghost' in your heart can you get rid of it."

As for final exams? They're just a tiny, insignificant hurdle in the journey of life.

There's a door if you step over it, and there's a door if you can't...

"At worst, I'll crawl over. It might look awkward, but it won't kill me."

After he finished speaking, the classroom remained deathly silent.

A full five seconds passed.

In the corner, Rodgers was the first to applaud.

Next was Zhang Ya, then Wu Di.

Finally, applause flooded the entire classroom like a tidal wave.

Those gazes that were originally filled with scrutiny, disdain, or even hostility now became complicated.

They suddenly realized that this boy, who seemed detached from the group, actually lived a more insightful life than anyone else.

Lin Que smiled and was about to step down from the podium.

"Well said."

A slightly hoarse voice came from the back of the classroom.

Shen Qingqiu stood up.

Her eyes were a little red, whether from being touched by these words or from recalling some past events, it was hard to tell.

She walked step by step onto the podium, her eyes fixed on Lin Que.

Instead of making him leave immediately, he was made to stand aside.

"Lin Que is right. Teachers can't take exams for you, nor can they live your lives for you."

Shen Qingqiu braced himself on the podium with both hands, took a deep breath, as if he had made a huge decision.

"Since we're talking about the ghosts in our hearts, I'll share one with you... mine."

The whole class perked up their ears.

In their minds, Shen Qingqiu was the invincible "Extinction Master".

It is an iron warrior without any weaknesses.

"I was in this school during my senior year of high school."

Shen Qingqiu looked at the audience below, her gaze somewhat unfocused, as if she had pierced through time.

"Back then, I was severely unbalanced in my studies, and I was terrible at math."

I scored 59 points on the mock exam.

A low gasp of disbelief rose from the audience.

Even the head of the Chinese language group has a time when he fails?

"At that moment, I felt like the sky had fallen."

Shen Qingqiu gave a bitter smile.

"I feel like I've let my parents down, let my teachers down, and I even feel like there's no point in living."

That night, I did something incredibly stupid.

She paused, a blush of embarrassment rising on her face.

"I crumpled the test paper into a ball, stuffed it into my mouth, and ate it whole."

"ah?!"

The whole class was stunned, and even Lin Que raised an eyebrow in surprise.

That's a really hardcore move.

"I regretted it as soon as I finished eating it, because the smell of ink was disgusting, and my stomach hurt all night."

As Shen Qingqiu spoke, tears streamed down her face, but a smile remained on her lips.

"The next day I still had to face the teacher and correct my mistakes."

That 59 points didn't become 95 points just because I ate it.

"At that time, I felt that it was a huge problem, an insurmountable obstacle."

But looking back now, it's just a joke, a story I can tell you now to make you laugh.

Shen Qingqiu took off her glasses and wiped the corner of her eye.

What I want to tell you is that no matter how you do on this final exam...

Even if you actually get 59 points, don't do what I did and eat your test paper.

Because the taste... was really bad.

"Ha ha ha ha--"

The classroom erupted in unprecedented laughter.

Even the most serious students were laughing so hard they were doubled over.

Some girls would laugh for a while, and then tears would start streaming down their faces.

That heavy, dark cloud that hung over us for an entire semester,

It was as if a wound had been torn open amidst the laughter and tears.

Shen Qingqiu smiled too, her eyes softening as she looked at the children.

"Alright, you've laughed enough, so calm down."

She put her glasses back on, regaining some of her sternness, but the sense of distance was gone.

"This weekend, I should rest and review my studies."

Remember what Lin Que said: there's no hurdle you can't overcome.

The bell rang at that moment.

"get out of class dismissed!"

But in this class, no one rushed out of the classroom as usual.

Everyone sat in their seats for a while, seemingly digesting this special class meeting.

When Lin Que returned to his seat, Luo Ji turned around and awkwardly pushed up his glasses:

"Lin Que, what you just said makes a lot of sense."

I was narrow-minded when I previously said that "The Ferryman" was opportunistic.

"It's alright, there's no first place in literature."

Lin Que waved his hand magnanimously.

"Brother Que!"

Wu Di grabbed Lin Que's arm, her eyes brimming with tears.

"I've made up my mind! If I fail this final exam, I'll eat the test paper! Respect to Teacher Shen!"

"Get lost! Eat it yourself, don't blame me if you get diarrhea."

Zhang Ya, sitting in the front row, packed her schoolbag.

As he passed Lin Que, he paused for a moment.

She didn't turn around, but whispered:

"Thanks."

After saying that, she quickly walked out of the classroom.

Lin Que looked out the window.

The gloomy sky seemed to have cracked open.

A faint but determined ray of the setting sun shone through.

The words "Save yourself" on the blackboard shone with a golden light.

He touched his phone in his pocket.

It contains two worlds, two identities.

But at this moment, he felt that

Going back to being a hermit doesn't seem so bad.

...