Make a wish
Xu Changjia's attention was diverted by the memory book. She had been thinking about Zheng Ruoqian's piano piece, but now all she could think about was the word "three months." So what exactly had triggered the memory book today that gave her an extra three months of life?
The school anniversary celebration was still going on, but she had no heart to watch anymore. She just wanted to find a quiet place to talk to her memory book. A hand pulled her away from her right back and led her to a crowded convenience store.
"Jiajia, come and have some noodles. Zhang Yuning just made them. I haven't eaten anything all day because of our little theater performance of 'Tales of the Republic of China'."
Ou Liyao kept chattering away, but she didn't hear a word she said. Perhaps she could give it a try, "Yaoyao, do you like being on stage?"
"Huh? A stage? What's so fun about that? It's exhausting. If there weren't people watching, who would want to perform that stuff?"
Indeed, that was very much Ou Liyao's answer. She suppressed her doubts and ate the instant noodles with her, leaving not a drop of soup. As they walked out of the convenience store, the school anniversary fireworks were just rising into the sky, bursting forth in a brilliance more dazzling than the stars.
A bright, star-like smile appeared on her face, and she cheered happily, "Jiajia, make a wish!"
Xu Changjia turned to look at the incredibly devout look on the person beside him, closed his eyes, and enjoyed the feeling of fireworks exploding in his ears: Then I wish you a bright future and a promising career, and I wish myself a peaceful old age and all the best.
As the bright stars continued to rise in the night sky, Xu Changjia glimpsed her lost time through the gaps between her fingers. This casual glance pushed her forward a step, sending her into her senior year of high school.
As for her, she still couldn't figure out the life-giving mechanism of the memory book. After struggling with this for several months, the time for the high school entrance exam results came out in the blink of an eye.
Their homeroom teacher didn't say much, just handed out the report cards and casually remarked, "Everyone in our class passed the high school graduation exam. Now you should focus on the college entrance exam. You are now senior students, so you should set a good example for the younger students and get good results. It will be an honor for you and for the school."
Her face was expressionless as she looked through the report card line by line. Seeing that she had nine A's brought her some comfort. So she could be this good. She wondered how Yao Yao did on her exams. At least she passed, right? But then she started to think about the relationship between the high school graduation exam, the college entrance exam, and her life. If she did all that, would she be able to live a little longer?
Memory remained silent and offered no answer, but simply placed four words in her mind—a bright future.
So what she really wanted to do was push these people into the entertainment industry, which seemed to have nothing to do with her studying hard. That's why all three of them participated in the performance at the school anniversary celebration, which is why she received a three-month lifespan boost, right, the memory book?
The memory book remained silent, but this prolonged silence seemed to be an implicit agreement with what she had said.
Xu Changjia suddenly felt as if he had figured out a way, and was a little excited, but then he thought, how can he help them all develop in the direction of becoming stars?
She couldn't think of a solution yet, but her thoughts had already wandered far and wide when a piece of chalk hit her on the head. "Xu Changjia, tell me, what is the relationship between humans and nature?"
She stood up without saying a word, and only managed to stammer out, "Humans and nature can coexist harmoniously," after the teacher repeated the question.
The political science teacher then pressed on, "What kind of harmonious coexistence do you mean?"
The student in front of her moved closer to her desk and whispered a reminder: "Take advantage of it, take advantage of it."
But Xu Changjia didn't hear him and kept his head down without saying a word.
The politics teacher, surnamed Chen, was the homeroom teacher of their 365 liberal arts experimental class. He didn't usually discipline them much, but things changed after they entered their senior year. He became very strict in every class, and the most important thing was that they had to listen carefully in class. Today, she ran into his trap. "Sit down and listen carefully. Before class tomorrow, come to me and recite 'The Relationship Between Man and Nature'."
She sat down with her head drooping, no longer daring to think about the relationship between a glittering career and her life. At this stage, the relationship between man and nature was more important, so she quickly focused her attention and listened attentively.
The bell rang to signal the end of evening self-study, but few people left the classroom. They all wanted to make the most of every minute to do a couple more practice tests. She opened her book and started to memorize the material in a low voice. Before she could finish two sentences, she heard Ou Liyao's silvery laughter coming from next door, "Jiajia, come on, Senior Li is here."
Before the laughter had even subsided, Ou Liyao was standing in front of her, helping her pack her schoolbag. She rattled off a string of words, from straight A's in her high school entrance exams to her late-night snack, and then to how Wen Xuanyi, as an outstanding graduate, had been invited back this year to write a letter encouraging students to study, which was played on a loop on the school radio. Xu Changjia listened silently the whole time, occasionally chiming in, but her mind couldn't help but wander: Wen Xuanyi, how could someone so talented end up in the entertainment industry?
As they walked along Zhiguo Road, more and more students carrying their schoolbags headed to the cafeteria. Ou Liyao tightened her grip on Xu Changjia's hand, afraid of losing him at school. As they walked, she said, "Senior Liberal Arts and Zhang Yuning are waiting for us on the second floor. I specially asked them to order your favorite grilled fish for you."
"good."
The two had barely sat down when they were stumped by the senior's question, "Eating comes at a price. Tell me, which university do you want to apply to?"
"I treated you guys to dinner before so you could think it over, but you kept making excuses. Now you're in your senior year of high school, and you still haven't made up your minds?"
The senior student served them their favorite dishes with one hand, and pointed to Zhang Yuning beside him with the other, eagerly awaiting their answer. "He said he'd come to Nan'an University to be with me. What, don't you two want to see the sights outside?"
Ou Liyao glanced furtively at Xu Changjia beside her. The two stared at each other, neither of them expecting that today's event was actually a trap. They were nagged by their teachers in class, nagged by their parents at home, and now they were being nagged by their senior, Wenxue, even for having a late dinner. She secretly caught a glimpse of his amused expression and immediately put on a smiling face, saying somewhat obsequiously, "Senior Wenxue, Nan'an University is one of the top universities in the country. Are you really that confident that we can get in?"
The words were met with a powerful dunk: "Stop joking, I'll have Zhang Yuning keep an eye on you and make sure you study hard."
When speaking to Xu Changjia, his tone became much gentler. “There are many liberal arts students in Nanan who can choose from majors. For example, I study law and may become a famous lawyer in the future. Most of my classmates chose teaching or various language-related majors. You can take your time to think about what major you like, but don’t set your goals too low. We all believe that you can get into Nanan.”
A lawyer? How is that related to the entertainment industry?
She was still unwilling to give up, even if it meant risking her own life, she still had to ask, "Senior Wenxue, have you ever thought about working in a TV station or something? I heard that you're not only good at street dance, but you also sing very well."
"That's a good suggestion, I'll give it serious consideration."
Besides delivering the necessary letters to the school, Wen Xuanyi also brought some admission brochures and requirements from various prestigious universities for the three of them to review. After all, they were his younger siblings whom he had personally mentored, so he felt it was important to put in extra effort. Although Zhang Yuning had already decided that his goal was South Bank, he still wanted him to look at a couple more schools, just in case he regretted it someday. It wouldn't hurt to have more options.
In contrast, Xu Changjia didn't have many choices, because liberal arts students could only choose from a few majors, such as teacher training, law, journalism, philosophy, etc. After spending so much time together, he still couldn't figure out what the girl was thinking. He could only collect as many options as possible to help her choose.
There wasn't much time left in the evening, so he briefly explained the majors and admission scores for the South Bank area, as well as several universities in the same area, such as Nanxia University and Nanzhang Language University. He also talked to them about some directions they should strive for in their senior year of high school, and of course, the most important thing was to persevere. After rambling on for so long, it was almost time to turn off the lights.
The four of them parted ways at the entrance of the cafeteria. Wen Xuanyi was still a little worried, so he called Xu Changjia over and gave her a few more instructions. There were many uncertainties in the humanities. He had already asked their homeroom teacher. As long as she stayed in the top 15 of the grade in her senior year, it wouldn't be a problem for her to go to Nan'an University. It was just that she could reconsider her major.
Xu Changjia nodded repeatedly and then asked another question, "Senior Wenxue, don't you really want to try working at a TV station? You could even be a host."
Wen Xuanyi was completely confused. Why was this little girl so insistent on him going to the TV station? In order not to spoil her fun, he agreed that he would think about it carefully.
To his surprise, a few days later, before he even returned to school, he received a call from his counselor, who said that the TV station was preparing a special segment for a legal program and needed a large number of interns to help out. The allocation was two slots per class, and he was asked if he wanted to go.
After a moment's thought, he nodded in agreement and immediately bought a ticket to fly back to the south bank to see the TV station.
Every time she met with her senior, Wenxue, his barrage of questions would leave Xu Changjia pondering for a long time, and this time was no exception. She and Ou Liyao walked back in silence. Thinking about it carefully, she seemed to have really changed a lot in the past two years. She was living like a normal person, and by following this group of outstanding people, she was also on the rise. She quite liked this change, but she didn't know how long it could last...
Thinking about how she only had a few years left to live, her mood shifted from sunny to cloudy. A warm little hand enveloped her, and the smile that met her eyes warmed her heart. "Jiajia, I've made up my mind. I will definitely go to that city in Nan'an with you! If I don't get into Nan'an University, I'll look at other schools in that city, like Nanxia or Nanzhang. As long as I can be in the same city as you, will we lack opportunities to meet?"
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