Chapter Thirty-Two
Since that conversation, Zhou Mo has dug out her high school textbooks and started tutoring Yu Xi. To put it simply, she was giving him a systematic review of the current learning system.
Yu Xi cooperated well, as if she had already accepted the result that she would have to go to high school.
But Zhou Mo was troubled. She was lying on the dining table when Yu Xi came out of the kitchen to serve rice. Seeing her so distressed, Yu Xi flicked the water droplets from her hands onto her face. The water was icy cold. Zhou Mo didn't move, but she looked up.
Yu Xi: "No way, it's just that I didn't make braised pork ribs with preserved plum, and I'm already so distressed."
"The pork ribs aren't fresh this year. I'll go to the market early tomorrow morning to check again."
Yu Xi was making Mao Xue Wang (a spicy Sichuan dish) today. Before he could pour the hot oil on top, he placed the large bowl a little further away from Zhou Mo. At that moment, Zhou Mo came closer. Yu Xi tapped Zhou Mo's forehead and pushed her back, saying irritably, "I'm going to pour the oil on now. If you come any closer, I'll burn you into a big cat."
"Yu Xi, do you think you'll be a senior or a junior when school starts?" Zhou Mo had her own agenda. She wanted Yu Xi to be a senior so that in just one year, Yu Xi could take the college entrance exam and come to be with her. Yes, Zhou Mo still hadn't given up on the idea of getting Yu Xi into Z University.
The statement that you can do whatever you like is a complete lie.
Zhou Mo had finally found a family, how could she bear the pain of being separated from them? Just thinking about being alone made her want to get angry.
Soon, Zhou Mo came up with a good idea: "This afternoon, let's do a diagnostic test to see which subject you are weak in, and then we'll cram for it. When school is about to start, we'll do another diagnostic test. That way, we'll know whether you'll be in the senior year or the junior year."
Yu Xi didn't say a word, but took the spicy blood curd to the kitchen and poured hot oil on it. There was nothing wrong with this action, as pouring hot oil should be done in the kitchen. But Zhou Mo felt Yu Xi's silent protest.
Now is not a good time to break the balance. Yu Xi has already compromised. His attitude can be adjusted later. For now, we just need to proceed step by step.
Zhou Mo took a deep breath to calm herself down. When the hot oil-drenched spicy blood curd was served again, the two of them resumed their playful bickering.
Days passed by, and Zhou Mo's college entrance exam scores came out. They were only two points different from her estimated score, so getting into Z University's journalism program was no problem.
When the homeroom teacher heard the news, she was happy but also a little surprised, as she didn't expect Zhou Mo to choose this major. Even if her score was right, there was still a slight possibility that she would not be admitted to a good university. So she told Zhou Mo that she should choose a few safe majors and universities.
Zhou Mo had already decided what to choose: the law department at M University.
It wasn't that Zhou Mo still had the idea of becoming a lawyer, but rather that this was M University's flagship program. She said that if she was going to choose, she would choose the best within her own scope, and she wouldn't settle for less.
Yu Xi showed absolutely no interest in Zhou Mo's college application choices and didn't even ask her a question. Zhou Mo didn't seem to mind, and the two maintained their lukewarm relationship, occasionally punctuated by playful squabbles.
But the seeds of the conflict had been sown long ago. Even though both of them were trying their best to avoid it, once the fuse was lit and the explosives were close, running away would have meant a complete explosion.
That day, after Yu Xi finished the surprise test Zhou Mo gave him, he saw Zhou Mo take out another blank sheet of paper from the drawer. He thought it was another test paper and said, "Let's not take the test anymore."
"Application form for admission".
Yu Xi's expression froze for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. "I'll fill it out in a bit." He reached out to take the application form, but Zhou Mo moved his hand away.
"how?"
"Fill it out now. I'm going to visit my homeroom teacher's house later, so I can just give it to her directly."
Yu Xi's calm expression vanished, and he no longer took the form from Zhou Mo's hand. "Why bother?"
"Yu Xi".
"I've been playing with you for so long, aren't you tired of it yet? Do you really want to be a parent who picks up and drops off the kids?" Yu Xi smiled, but unlike usual, this smile carried a hint of sarcasm.
Zhou Mo could sense that Yu Xi had activated her protective mode, and all the thorns on her body stood up at that moment.
"You promised me."
"Do people really keep their word? Zhou Mo, you don't even believe what you say yourself, yet you use such a ridiculous reason to bind me?"
Yu Xi propped his head up with one hand, his elbow resting on the test paper he had just finished. No one cared about it now. "Just play around, don't take it too seriously."
"What do you mean?" Zhou Mo stared intently at Yu Xi. "What do you mean by 'just playing around'?"
"I said 'okay,' not 'forget it.'"
"What's the difference?!" Zhou Mo stood up abruptly. She was experiencing "exam syndrome" again, spinning around aimlessly in place, muttering a long string of illogical and nonsensical words.
"If we agree, this tutoring game ends here; if we disagree, it ends here. Do you think there's a difference? Zhou Mo, do you want it to end here, or do you want it to end here? You tell me."
Yu Xi continued to go along with Zhou Mo, but today her compliance was tinged with aggression. Even though she knew what Zhou Mo would choose, she still made her say it. Once Zhou Mo said it, then Zhou Mo would become the one showing weakness.
Zhou Mo can feign weakness, but she cannot be forced into it.
Therefore, she hesitated to speak.
"I'm doing this for your own good. What's wrong with going to school? I really am doing this for your own good."
"For my own good?!" Yu Xi sneered. "That's the most disgusting thing I've ever heard since I can remember." For his own good? Before his father locked up a bunch of documents with him to burn together, he also said it was for his own good. When his maternal grandfather brought him back to this courtyard to prevent him from reading, writing, and learning, he also said it was for his own good. Now, Zhou Mo, out of selfishness, wants him to go to school and take the college entrance exam, and may have even planned out his future, yet she still says it's for his own good.
"Get out of the exam, and the sky's the limit."
"Fly?! Where do you think you're flying to?!" Yu Xi suddenly stood up, the wooden chair scraping against the wooden floor, making a screeching sound. Zhou Mo had never seen Yu Xi so emotionally volatile before. She couldn't help but tremble a little, but not because she was afraid.
Yu Xi shifted her gaze from Zhou Mo to the flower buds outside the window. "You can fly, but that doesn't mean everyone has wings. Zhou Mo, I can't leave Ming'an City. This is the price I pay for the preferential treatment I've enjoyed all these years."
Zhou Mo had already guessed it.
From the use of the special care ward to Zhang Xing's attitude towards Yu Xi, everything seemed out of place, and they made no attempt to hide it, so it was only natural that she would guess.
However, she wanted Yu Xi to say it herself.
Only by speaking out could she have the right to help him.
“I’ll help you fly.” Zhou Mo stepped forward and took Yu Xi’s hand. “I can help you fly. Give me a year, and I can help you.”
Yu Xi looked down at Zhou Mo. He didn't doubt whether Zhou Mo would help him; she would. But Zhou Mo overlooked one thing.
That is...
Yu Xi brushed Zhou Mo's hand away.
"I don't want to."
Yu Xi didn't want to.
Why?
Zhou Mo thought that Yu Xi turned and left without hesitation because she hadn't asked the question.
"Why?"
Second time, third time, fourth time.
Zhou Mo was absolutely certain that she had asked the question, but Yu Xi still turned and left without any emotion.
She shouldn't have asked why. She should have said yes. If she had said yes, things wouldn't have escalated to this point, and she wouldn't have lost Yu Xi.
Her puppy ran away.
It's gone.
Her family said first, "Never mind."
Zhou Mo goes to the No. 3 treatment room every day, the alley where the fight takes place every day, and the park where she strolls every day.
Qi Xiao has almost memorized Zhou Mo's schedule.
"Momo, Momo!"
Zhou Mo was brought back to her senses by Qi Xiao's call. She raised her wrist to check the time, "Yu Xi won't be showing up."
Zhou Mo got up to leave, but Qi Xiao grabbed her wrist. "Zhou Mo! Look at yourself now! Do you have to let a man ruin your life like this?"
“It wasn’t because of a man. Even if it wasn’t Yu Xi, it would have been someone else. It’s just that Yu Xi wasn’t so obedient.” Zhou Mo’s vision was unfocused. She grabbed Qi Xiao’s wrist with her other hand. “If I hadn’t chosen Yu Xi back then, would things have turned out differently?”
Before Qi Xiao could answer, Zhou Mo shook her head and retorted, "Then who could it be? There's no one here." Large tears fell down her cheeks. "I have no one by my side, I have no home, I have no family. I just wanted a home, a family. Was I wrong? Qi Xiao, was I wrong?!"
Qi Xiao always had a thousand words to say, but she couldn't pinpoint what Zhou Mo had done wrong.
"You're not wrong, Yu Xi is wrong! How could he treat you like this?"
Was Yu Xi wrong? No, Yu Xi wasn't wrong. What did he do wrong? He expressed his thoughts, took control of his own body, and ran away from a place and people he didn't like. What was wrong with that?
Zhou Mo kept these thoughts to herself. She knew that Qi Xiao meant well, and she couldn't say anything to refute Qi Xiao, since Qi Xiao wasn't wrong either.
No one is at fault.
This is life, a life that gets harder and harder.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you."
Zhou Mo lowered her head, letting her tears fall silently. Qi Xiao immediately became anxious upon hearing this and hugged Zhou Mo, saying, "What kind of temper tantrum is this? Mo Mo, you've just been holding it in for too long. It's been too long since you've had a proper cry. Sometimes you don't have to be so strong."
"I'm right here beside you, I'm your friend."
Feeling Qi Xiao's warm body temperature, Zhou Mo reached out and hugged Qi Xiao. "Thank you, Xiao Xiao, it's so good to have you."
"I just realized how good it is to have me."
Do you want to know which university I applied to?
Zhou Mo and Qi Xiao sat back down on the bench. Qi Xiao's leg had almost fully recovered, but it still hurt after walking for a long time, so she still used a wheelchair when going out. When Zhou Mo filled out her college application, she asked Qi Xiao about it, but Qi Xiao was very secretive and didn't say where she wanted to apply.
Qi Xiao's score was slightly lower than Zhou Mo's, but she was still among the top students.
"where?"
“Z University.” Qi Xiao looked at Zhou Mo happily. “We can be alumni now.”
"I heard that Zhengyang City has a lot of fun things to do and delicious food. They prefer sweeter flavors, which is perfect since we both like them. From now on, I'll take Zhou Mo to see all the beautiful scenery in the world every weekend." Qi Xiao even stood up and made a pose of looking down on everyone, which amused Zhou Mo and made her smile.
But soon, Zhou Mo realized something was wrong.
Qi Xiao, how could he possibly apply to Z University?
Qi Kai will not agree.
I'm afraid even that old man wouldn't agree.
Moreover, Sun Zhe and his group are still in Zhengyang City.
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