Summer in the south is much hotter than in the north. The sun is glaring and scorching, as if it wants to bore a hole through you. The air is stuffy and humid, and walking on the main street is like walking in a sauna, making it hard to breathe.
H City is right next to the sea, but in this season, the wind blowing in is hot and makes people irritable.
Groups of people gathered in front of the Third Municipal Middle School, a bustling scene filled with noise. Across the street, the tents set up by various tutoring institutions were ablaze with vibrant red, yellow, blue, and green colors.
Zhen Lei held a transparent pencil case containing a complete set of stationery: pens, pencils, and erasers. As he handed it to Zhen Tian, he murmured, "Dad has tried all the stationery; they're all new. Don't worry about the exam. Dad will be waiting for you at the door. You'll see Dad as soon as you come out. If you get thirsty inside, drink some water. Don't be afraid to go to the bathroom. Don't be nervous..."
"That's enough." Lu Ti glared at her husband speechlessly: "This is the last exam, so stop nagging."
After saying that, he patted Zhen Tian's head and said, "Your dad, mom, brother, and uncles are all waiting for you outside. Relax."
"Okay." Zhen Tian held her pencil case, nodded obediently, and her round eyes were filled with innocent eyes.
"Let's go, young man, let's take our little princess across the street to her exam."
The one speaking was the boy who was sitting in the same car. His high school uniform hung loosely on him, and his medium-length hair, which didn't meet the school's standards, was styled in a nice way. The boy got out of the car with a grin, opened the door, and led Zhen Tian out.
"It's almost time." A man in a neat suit walked over, followed by three cars and a number of people. The man adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and glanced at his wrist: "It's time to take your sister inside."
"Third Uncle," Zhen Tian called out obediently.
"Good girl." The man patted her head.
"What's the rush? There are still fifteen minutes left. Going in early will only make you suffer. It's so hot and humid today. I don't even know if they'll turn on the air conditioning in the exam room." Lu Yinuo poked her head out from behind Lu Kai.
"Uncle." Zhen Tian glanced behind him: "Fourth Uncle, Eldest Brother, Second Brother, Third Brother, Fourth Brother, Little Brother. There's no air conditioning, but there's an electric fan."
"No air conditioning?" Fourth Uncle Lu Xian glanced at the time, weighing whether it was reasonable to install air conditioning now.
"Uncles, brothers, I'm going in now, or I'll be late." Zhen Tian was afraid of how serious these people were about everything. She took the pencil case from the younger brother and the hat from the older brother and put it on her head.
"Alright, alright, go ahead. Your brothers will take you out for a big meal tonight." Second brother Zhen Yan patted her shoulder.
Amidst laughter and chatter, a large group of people escorted Zhen Tian to the grand iron gate of No. 3 Middle School.
Zhen Tian smiled at everyone, her gaze falling on the tall figures of her brothers, seemingly searching for something.
His gaze settled on the tall, slender figure at the back of the crowd before settling on the boy in black clothes and trousers, and he smiled: "Zhizhi!"
The boy lifted the brim of his hat, revealing his narrow eyes, and walked towards her unhurriedly.
"Zhizhi, I want to drink chocolate milk. You have to buy it and wait for me to come out, okay?" Zhen Tian grabbed the boy's hands and shook them back and forth.
The boy paused for a moment, then pulled his other hand, which wasn't being held by the girl, from his pants pocket and reached into his backpack behind him. He rummaged around for a bit and pulled out a bottle of Weikezi. Water droplets still clung to the carton, clearly indicating that the milk had just been taken from the freezer.
The boy, who hadn't spoken for a long time, had a slightly hoarse voice: "It's cold, don't drink too much."
"I know, I knew Zhizhi was the best." Zhen Tian snuggled into the boy's arms and said, "I'm going to take my exam now. You take your medicine quickly, I'll come out to check."
"I'm leaving." Zhen Tian waved goodbye behind her, skipping along, and disappeared in a moment.
"Tsk." Zhen Tian's younger brother, Lu Lin, clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction: "Even my sister didn't say I was the best. You're just good at flattering people."
"childish."
Aside from the boy, all the other men simply called him Lu Lin. He dared not speak out in anger. After all, he was the youngest besides Zhen Tian. He angrily kicked the air on the ground and snorted coldly.
Back in the car, Zhen Tian's third brother, Lu Yiran, handed the medicine to the boy: "Take it, or your little sister will make a fuss again when we get out."
"Hmm." The boy swallowed a handful of pills, leaned back in the car seat, tilted his head back slightly, and closed his eyes to rest.
"How is Xiaoyuzhi? Is he feeling better?" Zhen Tian's mother came over and touched Ji Yuzhi's head.
"It's alright, Aunt Lu." Ji Yuzhi opened his eyes and responded softly when he saw the person who came in.
"You told me you should stay home and rest. But you insisted on letting Tian Tian come with her to the exam."
"It's okay. I wanted to come." Ji Yu subconsciously made excuses for Zhen Tian.
"Alright, sis," Lu Kai interrupted his aunt, who was about to continue her nagging, "Let him rest."
"Okay, I won't say anything more. You guys keep an eye on him." Lu Ti shook her head helplessly.
Lu Kai glanced at Ji Yuzhi and nodded.
Two hours passed quickly. Lu Kai checked the time and saw that Zhen Tian had less than ten minutes left before finishing her exam. He was about to wake Ji Yuzhi when he saw the boy slowly open his eyes.
"woke up."
"Um."
Lu Kai was silent for a moment: "I heard you're a translator?"
"Yes."
Have you encountered any difficulties?
"No."
"That's good."
The two men, neither of whom were very talkative, exchanged a few awkward words before stopping.
That's how it is in seaside cities; the sun before the exam was so strong it hurt your skin, but in the blink of an eye, a light drizzle started to fall. Within two minutes, the drizzle turned into a downpour, accompanied by deafening thunder. The sky darkened instantly.
Ji Yuzhi frowned.
"This rain really does start whenever it wants," Lu Kai remarked.
The crowd at the school gate dispersed to avoid the rain. Just then, the bell rang to signal the end of the exam, and Ji Yuzhi stepped out of the car without hesitation.
“Hey, you…”
Ji Yuzhi pulled a spare umbrella from the trunk, opened it, and walked towards the school gate. In the few seconds it took to grab the umbrella, Ji Yuzhi's thin shirt was soaked through.
It's unclear what he said to the security guard, but Ji Yuzhi, holding an umbrella, walked inside. He headed straight for Zhen Tian's exam room.
"Oh my god, look at him, he's showing off again." Lu Lin, sitting in the passenger seat, angrily slammed his fist on the seat.
"She got out of the car to pick up Tian Tian the moment she was sick, and you didn't react as quickly as her, nor did you evoke any sympathy. What are you doing? Just wait patiently." Lu Kai faced the computer the whole time, not even glancing at Lu Lin, who was gritting his teeth in anger in front of him.
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