Mid-January.
With a breath of hot air, Wen Mo gripped the black pen and made the last stroke on the exam paper. He put down the pen and paper, stretched, looked up at the bare tree trunks outside the window, then tidied up the exam paper, got up, and handed it in.
The worst kind of person to encounter in exams is someone whose abilities you can't even gauge, but you're still terrified of someone who hands in their paper early. When you see someone else finish their paper so quickly, that inexplicable pressure feels like a form of group control weighing on all the test-takers.
The proctor seemed used to this scene. After a quick glance at the names on the exam paper, the proctor's usually indifferent expression suddenly changed. When he looked up at the student who had handed in his paper early, the student had already left and disappeared into the corridor.
After walking out of the classroom for quite a while, Wen Mo finally dared to turn around and steal a glance at the still full examination room, letting out a long sigh of relief.
He originally had no intention of submitting his paper early, but someone disrupted his plans.
"Wenmo".
Xia Lian had been waiting for a long time in the stairwell not far away.
"Didn't I tell you to check it before handing it in? Why are you out so early again?" Wen Mo walked over helplessly. To keep this girl company, he had no choice but to risk his life to accompany the beauty.
The intense gazes from behind when I handed in my paper were truly unbearable; they probably put a lot of pressure on the other students.
Xia Lian, however, had no such thoughts. She only knew that if she handed in her paper early, she could see Wen Mo a second earlier, so she was basically the first to hand in her paper in every exam.
"Hug me." Xia Lian stretched out her hands and shook them up and down.
"There are security cameras here, you idiot."
Wen Mo yawned. That was the last exam. After the exam, he could go back to class to listen to the teacher's speech, and then pack his things to go home and prepare for the New Year.
How do you think you'll do on the test?
He pushed Xia Lian around the school like a train, and finally they arrived at a familiar pavilion where a cold wind was blowing.
In the dead of winter, even your voice seems to steam.
Xia Lian leaned against him, rubbing her hands together blankly, as if trying to generate heat to warm her small hands.
Seeing this, Wen Mo grabbed her hand and put it into his cotton-padded coat pocket. Her small, icy hand was enveloped by this sudden warmth and gradually melted, revealing her soft palm.
The two were already close, and when they glanced around, everyone was still taking exams and there wasn't a soul in sight. Right now, they were the only two people in the area.
Seeing that no one was around, Wen Mo coughed twice, pretended to be nonchalant, stretched out his hands, looked away, and then whistled.
Xia Lian blinked, looking at him with his arms wide open, tilted her head, and looked on with a confused expression.
"...Didn't you just say you wanted a hug? Don't make me feel so awkward, okay?" Wen Mo pulled her into his arms unhappily. The fluffy cotton coat was soft and warm against his skin.
The warmth made her squint her eyes comfortably.
"So warm..."
Xia Lian mumbled something in a daze, grabbed his sleeve, buried her face in his chest, and swayed her head from side to side like a spoiled kitten.
"You haven't answered my question yet. How do you think you'll do on the test?"
"Well enough?"
"What do you mean 'can still be'? I even helped you hand in your paper early! If the teacher finds out, he'll definitely scold me." Wen Mo pinched her cheeks with dissatisfaction, pulling and stretching them like clay.
Xia Lian was pinched so hard she couldn't speak, and with a lisp, she squinted and apologized, "I'm sorry..."
After rubbing himself until he was happy, Wenmo released his hands, covering her face with his warm palms, cupping her cheeks, and he had a faint urge to take a bite.
"Actually, I can write them all."
"You said it yourself, come back and get first place at the end of the semester and let me see."
...
After finishing all their school business, the two walked home and began packing their luggage.
"Pack your clothes first, but you don't need to bring too much. You're only going back for a week anyway," Wen Mo instructed, starting to pack his own clothes.
After casually picking out two festive red hoodies, he closed his suitcase and began turning off all the power outlets and covering items he didn't use often with a cloth to avoid falling behind.
After finishing packing, Wenmo put on his coat, ready to take it to the car as soon as his parents arrived.
Meanwhile, Xia Lian, who was still tidying up her clothes in the room, also came to the living room with her suitcase and sat on the sofa next to Wen Mo.
Are you nervous?
For some reason, Wen Mo clutched his chest and suddenly felt that the heartbeat inside was much faster than usual. He had never experienced this symptom before when he went back home for the New Year.
"Nervous?" Xia Lian tilted her head, then shook it.
"Yeah, you probably don't realize how much attention you'll be getting when you go back." Wen Mo smiled wryly, rubbing his forehead as he leaned back on the sofa and began to ponder whether it was a mistake.
People in the countryside always love to gossip, especially when something happens to someone's family; their intelligence network will know about it within a day.
Moreover, if it's a big event, like a wedding, or how the wife and husband are doing, these are all common topics of conversation.
"Never mind, let's just take it one step at a time."
After thinking for a long time, Wen Mo still couldn't come up with a solution, but at least he could guarantee that he would never let Lian Bao be bullied.
What is in one’s own family’s business is ultimately their own business, and it’s no one else’s place to interfere or make irresponsible remarks.
Besides, they might not even be notified when he gets married. It would be good enough if he could inform one or two ordinary, good neighbors.
Just as Wen Mo began to relax, a car horn sounded from the open space outside the door, and at the same time, his phone rang. He glanced at the contact name, got up, picked up their luggage, and strode outside.
"Let's go, Lianbao. I'll take you home for the New Year."
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