Chapter 111: Ever-Bright Lamp
There are many people taking the college entrance examination, so there is a green channel for candidates in the large examination hall, and the road outside the school gate is also closed for protection.
The scale of the mathematics league is totally insignificant. It is a battle between gods behind closed doors, and there is no news from outside. If something really happens unexpectedly, you can only be at a loss.
Zhang Jianyuan has been leading the team for so many years, and he is afraid that his students will fail at the critical moment.
If you make a mistake in a hurry and forget to bring your admission ticket or ID card, you can still save yourself by giving your parents a few more reminders.
With Xu Jiqing's family situation, no one could guarantee that something unexpected would happen and stop his favorite student on his way.
This year, No. 1 Middle School specially approved hotel funds.
All students in the Mathematical Competition S class stayed near Jiangnan University for two days in advance. Their mobile phones were confiscated and their internet access was strictly cut off.
When he got tired of looking through notes and doing exercises, Zhang Jianyuan would at most accompany him to the park for a walk, and then he would watch the news broadcast. He would force him to turn off the lights and go to bed at 10 o'clock in the evening. Coach Hu would patrol each room and nip any potential threats in the bud.
Su Xia didn't know any of this.
But she knew that Xu Jiqing was fighting a do-or-die battle this time and could only win and not lose. The pressure was far greater than that of her previous cello competitions which were just icing on the cake.
The day of the art festival and competition was on a Monday.
Two days in advance, Su Xia sent a text message to Xu Jiqing to cheer him up, but no one responded.
She wasn't angry. After finishing rehearsals with He Miao on the weekend, she quietly went to a temple on the outskirts of the city, burned incense, prayed, and paid homage to the legendary Manjusri Bodhisattva.
Su Xiaojuan doesn't like to burn incense and pray to Buddha on weekdays, and Su Xia doesn't quite understand how to chant, but she instinctively feels that it won't work if she is too greedy.
She has been very lucky recently. All her efforts have paid off and she doesn't need to ask the Buddha for blessings anymore.
Amidst the abundant incense, the gilded statue of Bodhisattva looks at the world with lowered eyes, compassionate and majestic.
In front of the gods and Buddhas, Su Xia did not dare to mention his previous life and reincarnation.
She handed the cello she was carrying to the young master beside her for safekeeping, paid for a long-burning lamp, and knelt down on the mat earnestly, clasped her hands together, closed her eyes, and prayed devoutly:
In her entire life, she has never seen a young man who is more hardworking and responsible than Xu Jiqing.
Please help him, Buddha, and bless him to have a smooth competition and secure entry into the provincial team.
May he have a smooth journey, go to Beijing in the winter to participate in the finals, have a good new year, and live a peaceful and happy life from now on.
When Su Xia arrived, it was almost closing time, the sun was setting, and there was no one waiting to kowtow behind him.
She muttered to herself for a long time, and could not help but add:
I hope all the glory will not burden his hands and can make Xu Jiqing get better. She will definitely come back to fulfill her wish and keep this lamp lit for several more years.
Don't let him feel any more pain.
Please, thank you.
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In the afternoon of the festival.
A professional stage was set up in the basketball court in the center of the gymnasium. The high-lit lights changed colors, and the booming speakers made the floor tremble slightly. The first and second year high school students sat on the floor according to their classes, and the whole place was filled with a boiling youthful atmosphere.
Su Xia's show starts in five minutes.
There is also a dance club medley in front.
The girls chose very dynamic music with a strong sense of rhythm. Su Xia stood behind the big screen waiting for the performance. She was very happy to see the beautiful girls dancing, but the sound waves made her heart hurt a little.
He Miao was so nervous that her palms were sweating. After a while, she tugged at her skirt and leaned over to Su Xia's ear and asked, "Do I look weird?"
She was wearing the dress that Su Xia had picked out last time. It was a strapless dress, and she and her best friend were wearing one blue and one red.
It was the first time I put makeup on my face, and I felt a little uncomfortable even when talking, for fear that my lipstick would rub against my teeth and I would be laughed at.
Su Xia immediately shook her head and squeezed her hand tightly. "Your shoulders and neck are so beautiful today, like a swan."
"You have such a heavy filter on me..."
"Really? Anyone who disagrees is absolutely blind."
After being praised by her for a year, He Miao finally got used to people saying she was pretty and smiled shyly.
Su Xia also smiled.
His shoulders bumped into the other person's, and then separated immediately.
Her friends are just excellent.
The first step to stand out is to step out, stand bravely in the front row, and let the world see you.
Amidst thunderous applause and whistles, the dance club's performance came to an end, the stage lights went out, and the piano rollers were pushed onto the stage.
The host came over and called out to them, "Su Xia and He Miao, are you ready? We're going to go up and do the script."
The two looked at each other, took a deep breath, and nodded.
Su Xia has been a hot topic in school over the past six months. First, she became famous several times because of her looks, and then she gained a lot of fans because of her performance in the cello competition.
Because of this, as soon as the name "Su Xia" came out in the announcement, there was a small commotion at the scene.
When Su Xia came out with the piano, the on-site cameraman followed up with a close-up. The girl in the red dress, with black hair and fair skin, looked even more dazzling and charming under the light. The host signaled for silence several times, and the screams finally stopped.
The concerto she performed with He Miao today was the most acclaimed excerpt from "Butterfly Lovers" previously performed by the provincial troupe.
The piano starts first, and the bow follows.
Soon after the gentle melody began, the discussions below the stage had quietly changed direction.
The number of beautiful senior schoolmates turned from one to two, and the simple "wow" sounds continued. A gust of spring breeze blew into the air that was just full of youthful restlessness, and people were almost stunned by the sound.
There are several small screens under the stage of the art festival, which are used by photographers to randomly cut into the audience's reactions. This is a happy old tradition of No. 1 Middle School and has left behind many widely circulated emoticons.
Before going on stage, she pretended to look around the scene several times without realizing it, but she couldn't see Xu Jiqing.
When the song was about to end, Su Xia, relying on her familiarity, was distracted for two seconds and took a peek at the small screen.
The video just happened to cut to Su Xiaojuan, who was sitting in the front row of the parents' seat. Just like when she was in elementary school, she was wearing a custom T-shirt with the word "superxx" printed on it. She was shaking the inflatable stick in her hand and appeared on the screen several times.
The middle-aged man sitting next to her had an elegant face. Under his linen suit jacket, he wore a white T-shirt and had an identical "superxx" painted on it with a marker.
It was probably the Mr. Liang that Su Xiaojuan mentioned last time.
He didn't even know her, so why was he joining in the fun...
As the last syllable fell, Su Xia raised the bow, stood up, held hands with He Miao, and bowed in three directions to the audience amid warm applause and cheers.
Just as she bowed for the last time and stood up, she finally saw Xu Jiqing, whom she had been waiting for the whole game, at the highest point of the stadium stands.
Snow-white school uniform and a cool and handsome face.
The essence of the art festival is to spice up study life and have fun. The younger students in the room are all free and undisciplined, and they don't sit properly.
Only Xu Jiqing was sitting upright in an empty corner, looking as serious as if he was listening to a New Year's concert of a great band.
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