Chapter 47 On the bullet train back to Zhangcheng, Wang...
On the bullet train back to Zhangcheng, Wang Kan wanted to switch seats with Ouyang Qian, and Fang Minzhou shyly pushed Wang Kan away. Ouyang Qian wanted to say "no," but kindly and generously agreed, without deliberately teasing the two of them.
Fang Minzhou felt very embarrassed towards Ouyang Qian. She hadn't slept all night and had been waiting for her to come back. This morning, when they were checking out, Wang Kan casually offered to help her with her luggage, acting as if she were announcing it to the world. If Ouyang Qian hadn't intervened, Fang Minzhou would have wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
Unable to resist glaring at Wang Kan, who still looked completely innocent, Fang Minzhou took out her earphones and put one of them on her ear without saying a word.
As she withdrew her hand, Wang Kan couldn't resist pinching Fang Minzhou's earlobe.
"Hey." Fang Minzhou blushed. Why was this person touching her like that?
Wang Kan glanced at her, "How about I let you pinch it back?"
"I don't want to."
As a result, Wang Kan directly pulled her hand to touch his ear. Fang Minzhou was startled and couldn't pull her hand back. Not daring to make too much noise, she confusedly touched Wang Kan's ear. His ears turned red, but he was quite thick-skinned. He held her hand tightly and leaned closer, chuckling in a low voice, "Are you trying to call me shameless? Sigh, I was just too concerned about saving face before."
Fang Minzhou: "..."
She felt she might need some time to adjust to their new way of getting along.
During the several-hour train journey, Fang Minzhou fell asleep for the latter half. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself leaning on Wang Kan's shoulder. He woke up with a start, and Wang Kan pointed to the corner of his mouth, "Drool."
Fang Minzhou quickly wiped her hands, leaving them clean. She playfully slapped Wang Kan, not hard, but he winced in pain and said aggrievedly, "I was afraid of waking you up, so I didn't move at all. My arm is numb now, and you still hit me."
Fang Minzhou: "..."
"...Is it really numb?" She gently squeezed Wang Kan's shoulder.
Wang Kan tensed up instantly and gave a serious, forceful "hmm." Fang Minzhou then rubbed her a few more times.
Wang Kan wasn't fair-skinned, but he looked like a scalded shrimp, his face, neck, and arms all flushed red. Fang Minzhou lowered her eyes, not calling him out on it. After all, he had indeed let her use his pillow the whole way, and she was now acting out of a sense of fairness in return.
"Hey, what you're doing..." Wang Kan said in a low voice, "doesn't that count as touching me inappropriately?"
“...Shut up.” Fang Minzhou used force without any politeness, and Wang Kan groaned in pain.
Feeling a burning gaze, Fang Minzhou lifted her eyelids to see Wang Kan leaning back in his chair, smiling at her with his eyes crinkled into crescent moons. Fang Minzhou's heart pounded, but she calmly asked, "Are you done?"
Wang Kan remained noncommittal, not wanting Fang Minzhou to suffer, yet also wanting her to massage her a little longer.
Having had his fill of the benefits, he asked Fang Minzhou twice to confirm when the announcement came that they had arrived at Zhangcheng Station: "Are your parents coming to pick you up?"
"Um."
Fang Minzhou's eyes warned him not to do anything reckless. Wang Kan pouted and made a swearing gesture in a not-so-serious manner, "Then... when can we meet again? We haven't seen a movie together yet."
Fang Minzhou thought to herself that Wang Kan was still thinking about this matter. "...I'll tell you about it later."
"Will you tell your parents that you're coming with me?" Wang Kan asked curiously.
No, she would say she was going out with Yuan Yue or Ouyang Qian, just like before, even though it would be a disservice to her parents' trust... She was worried that Wang Kan would mind, but he smiled rather smugly. Fang Minzhou found it strange and asked him what he was laughing at, but he wouldn't say. "No, I'm just happy to think about going to the movies with you."
Fang Minzhou lied to her parents for him.
Wang Kan felt that this made her seem very important.
In June, Zhangcheng enters the plum rain season. Fang Minzhou felt guilty for spending her holiday running around outside every day, which would arouse her parents' suspicion. Fortunately, her parents had to work, so whenever she met Wang Kan, she would rush home before her parents got off work, pretending that she hadn't gone anywhere.
Wang Kan was a little unhappy about this. It was hot and stuffy during the day, and the atmosphere was much better at night, whether it was watching a movie, eating, or anything else. But there was nothing she could do about it.
That day, Wang Kan was taking Fang Minzhou home. From a distance, Fang Minzhou spotted her mother, who had just returned home from get off work. She quickly led Wang Kan into a nearby supermarket to hide, and they picked out some fruit along the way.
So that when she gets back and her mother asks her where she went, she'll have an excuse.
Wang Kan was both amused and exasperated. Why was he acting like a thief? He tossed an apple around and asked Fang Minzhou, "Hey, when are you going to introduce me to your parents?"
Fang Minzhou stared at Wang Kan in disbelief.
Does he know what he's saying?
Wang Kan coughed awkwardly, waiting for Fang Minzhou's reply. Fang Minzhou took the apple from his hand and put it away. "Aren't you afraid of my dad anymore?"
Wang Kan: "...What did I ever fear? Uncle is a very nice person."
Fang Minzhou smiled but didn't say anything.
“Hey, I’m serious. We’ve all graduated now, haven’t we?” Wang Kan said. “Anyway, my parents know.”
Fang Minzhou was startled again: "...You told them?"
"Not really. A few days ago, after I came back from my trip, she saw the photos on my phone, and I told her. She had suspected it before, but I really didn't at the time."
"...Which photo?" Wang Kan asked casually, but Fang Minzhou felt a chill run down her spine. "The one Ouyang took for us?"
"No, it's in the car."
Fang Minzhou asked in confusion, "In the car?"
Wang Kan paused, realizing he had let something slip.
"What photos were in the car?" Fang Minzhou realized what was happening and asked seriously.
Wang Kan awkwardly scratched his head and mumbled something, but Fang Minzhou didn't hear a word he said. She held out her hand and said, "Give me your phone."
Now that the truth had been revealed... Wang Kan pulled up the photos on his phone. Fang Min's face turned dark when she saw them on Monday. They were photos Wang Kan had taken while she was asleep on the return train. There were several of them, and he was making faces next to her.
"Actually, it's alright..." Wang Kan tried to justify her behavior, noting that she was sleeping peacefully, neither snoring nor with her mouth open. "Do you want to be Sleeping Beauty or Snow White?"
That's not the point! Fang Minzhou was annoyed. The point was... how could he let his mother see these kinds of photos? He really couldn't explain it to Wang Kan.
"Are you angry? Don't be angry," Wang Kan said. "My mom likes you a lot."
Fang Minzhou: "..."
"Really? You forgot? She liked you a lot when the second year of high school started, and she even brought us meals."
"...It's for you, not for us."
"Anyway, we ate together, so it's about the same price."
Can this be considered a single event?
"I'm going back now." Fang Minzhou opened her umbrella under the eaves of the supermarket and told Wang Kan that she could take a taxi directly home and that she didn't need to be dropped off at the entrance of her residential area.
"Are you really angry?" Wang Kan asked anxiously. "Then should I delete the photos?"
“I’m not angry…” Fang Minzhou said, taking out snacks from the bag and handing them to Wang Kan. His pants pockets were big enough to fit them all.
"Was this bought especially for me?"
"……Um."
Wang Kan was delighted and breathed a sigh of relief. He had been wondering why Fang Minzhou had bought so many of his favorite snacks.
Clearly, he had forgotten the question he had asked Fang Minzhou earlier. Fang Minzhou herself couldn't help but think that hiding like this wasn't a good solution, but how could she be honest with her parents? Strictly speaking, they had only just graduated, and her father had previously caught Wang Kan taking her home, which she had vehemently denied at the time. But she couldn't keep it a secret forever…
Or should we wait a while before talking about it?
When she got home, she put the fruit on the coffee table in the living room. Her mother couldn't help but say to her, "Next time you want some fruit, just call me. I'll buy it on my way home from get off work. You went out of your way to get your shoes wet."
Fang Minzhou responded hesitantly, feeling that it was difficult to tell the whole story at least for the time being.
She was helping her mother prepare dinner when her mother suddenly mentioned that she had run into a retired former boss from her workplace that day. "She remembered you and asked me if you were a senior in high school. I said yes, I had just finished the exams and didn't know how they went. She told me not to worry and not to worry."
Fang Minzhou remembers what her mother's former boss looked like: a grandmother who was not tall but had a very dignified air, but had a kind smile. When she was little, she would go to her mother's workplace to find her, and that grandmother would always praise her a few times.
"Time flies. Sometimes when I wake up, I realize I forgot to wake Minmin up for school, and then I remember that you've finished your exams and are about to go to university."
Fang Minzhou couldn't help but hug her mother.
As the results were about to be released, Fang Minzhou was inevitably a little nervous, but she felt that she had performed quite well. However, she was also afraid that her intuition was wrong. Unfortunately, she developed a fever the day before the college entrance examination results were released.
Like Wang Kan, she hadn't had a fever for many years. Perhaps it was because of the continuous heavy rain and low temperatures for several days, or perhaps she turned on the air conditioner for comfort. However, the timing was too delicate, and there were some ominous signs. But Fang Minzhou kept it to herself and her parents only told her to take the medicine and rest early.
However, by nine o'clock that evening, Fang Minzhou had already gotten into bed. The curtains were drawn, the door was closed, and the lights were off, making the dark room quiet. She felt heavy and tired, but not very sleepy.
At 9:30, my phone screen lit up right on time; it was a call from Wang Kan.
He returned to Nancheng a few days ago, and the two of them agreed to talk on the phone for a while every night at 9:30.
"Hello," Wang Kan said with a smile.
Fang Minzhou thought she might be delirious from the fever, because she actually found his voice very pleasant and replied with a smile, "Hey!"
I was a little shy when I first called, but I'm much better now. I just share what I did that day. Wang Kan talks a lot, and Fang Minzhou responds occasionally with a laugh or a word.
As they were talking, Wang Kan on the other end of the phone suddenly paused, then asked, "...What's wrong?"
"Hmm?" Fang Minzhou asked softly.
"I don't actually have anything planned for today. Am I being too boring?"
"No."
"Well..." Wang Kan asked, "Are you sleepy? Or are you feeling unwell? Or... are you worried about the results tomorrow?"
Fang Minzhou turned over in bed.
Are people just this awkward? Or is it only people in love who are this awkward? She didn't want to tell Wang Kan that she was sick, afraid he would worry, but she also hoped that he would notice something was wrong with her from subtle clues. "...I have a slight fever."
Wang Kan immediately tensed up: "...What's the temperature? Did you take any medication?"
"It's around 38 degrees Celsius, which is alright, I took some medicine."
“…Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Wang Kan said regretfully. “Then I wouldn’t have called you.”
"Nothing's wrong."
"Did we catch a cold while we were out playing?"
"No, that was a long time ago."
"That's possible," Wang Kan muttered. "If you feel unwell or anything, you should tell me."
Fang Minzhou wanted to laugh inwardly, but found Wang Kan a bit long-winded, so she just nodded in response.
"Then go to sleep early, you'll be fine when you wake up."
"Um."
"If you still have a fever, you need to go to the hospital."
"knew."
"Don't worry about tomorrow's results, just go to sleep," Wang Kan said again. "A fever means good fortune, you're sure to do exceptionally well on this test."
"...When did you become so good at saying auspicious things?" Fang Minzhou finally couldn't help but laugh out loud, his muffled voice sounding a little brighter.
Hearing her laugh, Wang Kan felt a little relieved, but still emphasized earnestly, "I'm serious."
"Okay, I understand. I'm not worried."
"Should I hang up?"
"Um."
Goodnight, Minmin.
"……good evening."
Hanging up the phone, Fang Minzhou, who was running a fever, felt the phone was also getting hot. She lay flat on the bed, quietly calming her racing heart in the darkness. For the first time, she realized that her mood really could affect her physical sensations.
She fell asleep peacefully, and when she woke up again, the curtains in the room were still drawn, but the daylight had dispelled the darkness, and she saw her parents by her bedside.
Fang Minzhou instantly snapped out of her daze, her heart leaping into her throat. She was covered in sweat; her fever had subsided, and she desperately wanted to take a shower.
"Awake?" her mother called gently.
“…Hmm.” Fang Minzhou rubbed his eyes and saw his parents’ faces clearly: their eyes were red, as if they had been crying, but there was a hint of excitement in them, as if they were crying tears of joy.
"The school and the admissions office teachers just called." The mother hugged her, her voice a mix of laughter and tears. "You did exceptionally well on the exam this time."
Exceptional performance, provincial ranking, school ranking...
Fang Minzhou slowly processed this information. She suddenly wondered if she was still dreaming or not. Her best result in high school was eleventh in her grade, which was still not in the top ten, but she was satisfied because she could get into Jiangda University if nothing unexpected happened.
The curtains were drawn back by her father, who began to spout grand pronouncements, growing increasingly agitated. The morning sunlight streamed into the room, and Fang Minzhou hugged her mother, smiling silently as tears streamed down her face.
A miracle happened.
I remember it was when I was in my senior year of high school and hadn't changed seats yet. It was a humid and sweltering summer. After lunch, I would return to the classroom, where there were only a few people. It was very quiet, and the airflow from the ceiling fan above my head would rustle the corners of my books.
Wang Kan idly flipped through the college application form that had been handed out that morning and asked her, "What major do you want to apply for?"
She said she hadn't decided yet, "maybe something like finance or accounting."
"Why?"
She remained silent.
Why? Because it's popular. Because her mother used to be an accountant. Wang Kan propped her book up and pressed her face against the table to look at her. "So you can do that too?"
"What do you mean?" Fang Minzhou countered. "And you, what major are you planning to apply for?"
"Actually, I haven't decided yet," Wang Kan said with a smile. "Architecture, or mechanical engineering? Either way is fine. Anyway, what I'm thinking is that if I'm really unlucky and don't get into Jiangda University, I'll apply to Jiangcheng University of Science and Technology. I checked, and everyone is in the same university town."
His family is in the building materials business, and his parents want him to take over the business. He doesn't want to, but he thinks being an architect is cool, even though he's heard it's extremely hard work. Relatives in the construction industry have also advised him to think carefully, saying that if he really likes it, he can give it a try.
Fang Minzhou found Wang Kan's words unlucky, so he casually covered Wang Kan's face with a reference book. Wang Kan took the book off and revealed a smiling face.
"Finance and Economics is our school's flagship program..." The admissions officer introduced to the parents, who nodded repeatedly. Fang Minzhou made eye contact with the officer, who smiled slightly, friendly and appreciative, "It still depends on Fang's interests, but we warmly welcome Fang's arrival."
The university in the north of the city, a better university, a university further away.
She knew the college entrance exam was a watershed moment, but when she actually stood at this crossroads, the surprise she felt after waking up faded away like a wisp of smoke, leaving her to face the real world. Fang Minzhou found herself more confused than she had imagined.
A miracle happened, but it seemed out of place.
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