Chapter 46: The Eve of the College Entrance Examination
Time slipped away like quicksand through my fingers. The bright red countdown in the upper right corner of the blackboard finally shrank from three digits to single digits. The Gaokao, that invisible mountain that had loomed over my head for three years, was now so close I could almost hear it.
Shenghua High School's Senior Year (A) class held its final class meeting. Teacher Li stood at the podium, her gaze sweeping across every young and familiar face in the audience. The traces of three years—exhaustion, anxiety, and composure—were clearly etched on their faces. Her voice was barely audible, but more of a relief and blessing: "Classmates, tomorrow begins your holiday, and the day after tomorrow is the day you'll be heading off to the battlefield! We've covered everything we should have learned and practiced over the past three years! Now, let go of all your burdens and believe in yourselves! You are all the best! I await the news of your triumphant return!"
There were no lengthy instructions, no sentimental tears, only the most sincere trust and the most powerful encouragement. The classroom was silent for a moment, then erupted into thunderous applause, filled with infinite longing for the future.
The class meeting ended, signaling the official countdown to the end of their high school career. Chu Yan and Gu Ye, carrying their not-too-heavy backpacks, walked side by side out of the teaching building. The sun was setting, the early summer evening setting, painting the sky a brilliant orange-red, gently enveloping the entire campus. The air was filled with the fragrance of grass and trees and a sense of quietude before the dust settled.
The two walked slowly along the familiar tree-lined path, their shadows stretched out. Gu Ye, hands tucked into his school uniform pockets, walked hesitantly, his eyes occasionally glancing at Chu Yan, who stood beside him with a normal expression, as if he was about to say something but hesitated.
Chu Yan noticed his slight movement and turned his head. The golden light of the setting sun fell on his smiling eyebrows, making him look particularly gentle. "What's wrong? Gu Daxue, you are worried about the exam? Just say whatever you want to say."
Gu Ye choked at the title of "university bully," and his ears felt slightly hot. He took a deep breath, as if making up his mind, and asked, "...Chu Yan, have you decided where to apply?" After asking, he stared at Chu Yan's profile nervously.
Chu Yan didn't stop walking when he heard this, but he tilted his head slightly, as if thinking seriously. The setting sun stretched the shadow of his eyelashes, casting it on his tall nose. After a few seconds, his lips curled up in a slightly playful arc. "I haven't decided yet. But maybe I'll go to University A to study paleontology?"
"Huh?" Gu Ye was completely stunned, his steps halting. He'd considered countless possibilities—business school, finance, computer science… but this was the only answer he'd never considered. Paleontology? It was completely foreign to Chu Yan's usual business acumen and project management skills.
"Surprised?" Chu Yan looked at Gu Ye's dazed expression and couldn't help laughing. His voice was clear in the afterglow of the setting sun. "You thought I would study finance? Business management?"
"Shouldn't I?" Gu Ye asked subconsciously, his tone full of confusion, "You obviously..." He remembered the amazing skills Chu Yan showed when he helped him with his homework at night.
Chu Yan shrugged, his attitude relaxed. "You don't have to learn those things in college. Four years of undergraduate study is probably the most free time in life, and the time best spent exploring your interests." He looked up at the blazing sunset glow in the sky, his tone filled with detached clarity. "I'm quite curious about the past world, those secrets buried in the long river of time. As for the future?" He turned his head and gave Gu Ye a frank yet slightly cunning smile. "I don't think I need to worry about that."
Gu Ye was speechless, watching the pure, almost willful light of freedom in his eyes. Yes, Chu Yan had the Chu family, "Cloud Intelligent Control," and his own abilities behind him. He had the willfulness to choose a path purely out of interest, a path that others might consider "impractical."
"What about you?" Chu Yan asked naturally, his eyes falling on Gu Ye, with understanding, "Finance?" He said with almost certainty.
Gu Ye's heart skipped a beat, as if his thoughts had been read. He pursed his lips, avoiding Chu Yan's all-too-penetrating gaze, and uttered a low "hmm." His voice lacked much excitement, but instead carried a subtle heaviness.
"Why?" Chu Yan asked.
"I need it." Gu Ye said succinctly, his fingers curling unconsciously. He raised his head again, his eyes looking at the city lights gradually lighting up in the distance, with a determination to burn his boats, "I need it." He needed this fastest springboard. After looking back at Gu's, even though he was fully preparing for the college entrance examination, he clearly felt the strict hierarchy and almost cruel "wolf culture" within that behemoth. The current general manager, Gu Xu, the one he called his brother, graduated with a degree in finance and joined Gu's. With his professional ability, he fought his way up step by step from the branch. Gu Ye knew that if he wanted to gain the right to speak as quickly as possible, if he wanted to stand beside Chu Yan with dignity and not be looked down upon by anyone one day, finance was the sharpest weapon he could choose at the moment. He didn't like those cold numbers and complicated models, but he had no choice.
Chu Yan stared at him silently for a few seconds, the setting sun dancing in his deep eyes. He didn't say, "You don't have to do this," nor did he encourage people to "follow their heart." He simply nodded gently, as if he had already anticipated Gu Ye's choice and understood the heaviness and determination behind it.
"Got it." Chu Yan's voice remained calm, with a barely perceptible sigh, and then a relaxed smile appeared on his face. "Let's go home. Sleep in tomorrow, and then go see the exam room."
The day before the college entrance examination.
It was a long-awaited lazy nap, unhurried by any alarm clock. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains, casting a warm glow across the room. Chu Yan and Gu Ye woke up naturally at almost the same time, their biological clocks forgiving them after their extreme relaxation.
After a quick brunch, the two prepared to head to the school to check out the exam venue. As soon as Gu Ye reached the bottom of the stairs, he was caught by a heavy motorcycle parked on the side of the road. Its lines were smooth and rugged, and its body was a matte deep space gray, emitting a cool and powerful light in the sunlight.
Before he could react, Chu Yan had already pulled out a key like a magic trick and twirled it around his fingertips, making a crisp metallic clang. He turned to Gu Ye with a slightly ostentatious and mischievous smile: "How about going for a bike ride? I'll take you for a spin."
Gu Ye: “!!!”
His eyelids twitched violently, and he stared at Chu Yan in disbelief, then looked at the menacing motorcycle, and finally fixed his gaze on Chu Yan's handsome face, which was full of eagerness to try. "Chu Yan! What the hell are you doing?!" Gu Ye's voice was even higher. "Can you ride this thing? Do you have a motorcycle license?" His mind instantly flashed with the terrifying scene of Chu Yan being thrown out or the two of them crashing into the green belt.
Chu Yan, however, seemed to have received no panic signal from him. She just blinked her beautiful eyes innocently, her long eyelashes fluttering like a small fan: "Youth, classmate Gu. The night before last, I was watching a video and someone said that youth without racing under the sunset is incomplete. Is this called experiencing life?" He found a justification with a bit of the impulsive willfulness that is unique to teenagers.
"What a stupid experience!" Gu Ye was almost laughing out of anger. He pointed at the huge bike and said, "No! It's too dangerous!" He subconsciously rejected it, but looking at Chu Yan's determined expression of "I want to ride it", he knew that it would be difficult to change this guy's decision.
Gu Ye took a deep breath and made a compromise. He snatched the keys from Chu Yan's hand and skillfully straddled the motorcycle, his long legs firmly planted on the ground. He glared at Chu Yan, who was still standing there, and raised his chin towards the back seat. "Want to experience it? Fine! Sit in the back! Give me the keys, I'll ride!" His tone was unquestionable, with a hint of "I've got your back" arrogance.
Chu Yan watched Gu Ye's instantly dashing "motorcycle rider" mode, his smile growing even wider. He obediently walked to the back seat, took the other helmet Gu Ye handed him, and put it on. Gu Ye carefully checked the buckle of his own helmet, then reached out to help Chu Yan adjust the chin strap, securing it securely. His movements were filled with a seriousness and a subtle nervousness that he himself wasn't aware of.
"Hold on tight." Gu Ye started the engine, and the low roar instantly shattered the tranquility of the neighborhood. He turned his head and warned Chu Yan behind him. His voice was a little muffled through the helmet, but it carried an unquestionable sense of security.
Chu Yan chuckled softly, then readily extended his arms and wrapped them around Gu Ye's lean yet powerful waist. Through the thin T-shirt, he could clearly feel the heat and strength radiating from the boy's taut waist and abdominal muscles.
"Hold on tight!" Gu Ye growled and stepped on the accelerator.
The dark grey heavy motorcycle rushed out like an awakened steel beast! A strong push on their backs instantly hit them, and the warm early summer wind immediately became wild, whistling past the two men, blowing up their clothes and filling the gaps in their helmets.
Gu Ye's driving skills were unexpectedly adept. He steered the heavy motorcycle, nimbly weaving through the city traffic at breakneck speed, yet remarkably steady. Tall buildings receded on either side of his view, blurring into blurry lines of light and shadow. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the tree-lined avenue, casting dancing spots of light on them. The roar of the engine and the whistling of the wind intertwined into a rhapsody of youth and freedom.
Chu Yan hugged Gu Ye's waist, feeling the vibration of the motorcycle beneath them and the vigorous vitality coming from the young man. Looking at the back of Gu Ye's focused and confident head in front of him, the corners of his mouth curled up high under his helmet. This sense of speed, this reckless rush forward, this wantonness of leaving all the hustle and bustle behind, was indeed very youthful.
Gu Ye was initially concerned that Chu Yan wouldn't be able to adapt, but as he felt the steady strength of the arms around his waist and Chu Yan's seemingly relaxed weight against his back, his tense nerves gradually relaxed. A strange, blood-pumping pleasure and sense of control washed over him. He lowered his body slightly and picked up speed again. The wind picked up, rustling his school uniform jacket, but it couldn't dispel the unbridled youthful spirit in his chest.
The setting sun, a molten gold, stretched their shadows and the speeding motorcycles far and wide, casting their shadows across the broad streets. The early summer air seemed to still linger with the lingering sound of engines and the unbridled laughter of young men, speeding along at lightning speed, towards the examination hall that would determine their fate, and towards a future filled with endless possibilities.
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