28 College Entrance Examination
Wang Ruopeng took advantage of the break from evening study to sneak to the entrance of the key science class. When he saw Yang Xiao coming out, he would occasionally let out some excited noises, which made Yang Xiao laugh uncontrollably. Why did he think Maomao was a shy and introverted girl in the first place?
It turns out that she is just a slow-warm person. Once she gets along well with someone, she won't care about her image or face at all.
At this moment, Wang Ruopeng was among the crowd walking through the grove back to the dormitory, and he kept nudging Yang Xiao with his elbows. "Hey, look! That's Yue Ting and Lin Menghui, right? They're so tight, holding hands. You said I'm a beautiful girl at the tender age of eighteen, so why isn't anyone holding hands with me? Not to mention holding hands, there's no confession! Is my youth going to be wasted on chemistry? Ah, I don't want it."
Yang Xiao laughed so hard that her stomach hurt. "Cat, why are you so funny? Hahaha. It's okay. Look, no one holds my hand, and no one confesses their love to me. It seems that we can only work hard to build a career in the college entrance examination."
After listening to her, Wang Ruopeng came close to her with a malicious look on his face, "The college entrance examination is this Saturday. After the exam on Sunday, Zhou Qi should be able to come to pick you up, right? Then you can give it a try, get your name on the list of successful candidates, and marry Miss Zhou, hahahaha." After teasing Yang Xiao, he pulled her to the street light to see if her face turned red.
Even before the fight, Wang Ruopeng had already begun thinking that this confession would leave no regrets. Even if Zhou Qi didn't accept, he would have plenty of time to spend with Xiaoxiao during the summer vacation. At least it would be better than her hiding away and licking her wounds.
"Alright, alright, Cat. Please let me go. I don't want to think about anything right now. Let's talk about it after the college entrance exam." Yang Xiao avoided Wang Ruopeng's naked gaze. After being with her for so long, she often said things without restraint. Her face was immune to the blushing, but her ears were not immune. Not only did they turn red, but they also spread to her neck.
"That's right. Anyway, we all have to do our best for the college entrance exam, Xiaoxiao!" Wang Ruopeng pulled Yang Xiao and made an encouraging gesture. "However, seeing how you've separated your relationship from your studies, I still suggest you give it a try after the college entrance exam. I used to think my dear Xiaoxiao was going to suffer, having to study while still having unrequited love, and thinking about such an exciting forbidden love."
"But Yang Xiao," Wang Ruopeng suddenly called out her full name, making Yang Xiao inexplicably serious and nervous. "I don't want you to pull me aside many years later and say, 'Oh, Maomao, if I had known I should have rushed out to confess my love to Zhou Qi the moment I handed in my English test.' After all, the excitement after the college entrance examination can sometimes turn into courage."
Yang Xiao nodded, as if thinking for a while, "I'll think about it again, thank you Maomao. Good luck in the college entrance examination!" After saying that, she also made an encouraging gesture to Wang Ruopeng.
…
On the day after the college entrance exam, Fang Qiu refused to listen, insisting on following Zhou Qi to the school gate to pick up Yang Xiao early, even using the excuse of "reminiscing about the fleeting years, reminiscing about lost youth." Zhou Qi was speechless after hearing this, but he didn't abandon him. The two of them joined the large group of people waiting to pick up Yang Xiao at the school gate.
As soon as they reached the gate of No. 1 City Middle School, Fang Qiu began to inhale and exhale sharply, repeatedly saying how nervous he was for Yang Xiao. Zhou Qi remained silent, wondering what on earth his senior brother was so nervous about. He then recalled how he had also been nervous on the other end of the phone when Yang Xiao checked her results before the high school entrance exam. Never mind, let's take a deep breath too.
Before he could even vent his anger, Fang Qiu came over again. "Hey, do you think I should try on a cheongsam too, so that little Yang Xiao can have a good start?" He then winked at Zhou Qi, telling him to look at the entire cheongsam-clad waiting group before them. Zhou Qi was completely speechless, too lazy to respond, and stood aside, choosing a bouquet for Yang Xiao on his phone.
Yes, that's right. Incidentally, even the flowers were bought by the large group of candidates waiting for the exam. Zhou Qi then remembered that he was so nervous he forgot to buy them. Okay, big brother, please stop teasing the second brother. He couldn't really tell who was more nervous, him or Fang Qiu.
Just moments after Zhou Qi handed the flowers to him, a crowd began to surge. He spotted students emerging from the school gate. "Exams are over! Exams are over! I see my kids are all coming out! My little one has worked so hard!" A nearby aunt, wearing a cheongsam, kept pushing forward, holding a bouquet of vibrant sunflowers, and began to wipe away tears.
Zhou Qi felt immense empathy at that moment. He had watched Yang Xiao grow from a skinny, withered little girl with yellow hair into a young woman with black hair and bright eyes. He had seen her grit her teeth and shed tears for her studies, and he had also seen her smile brightly when she did well on exams.
Along the way, at least as far as this examination system was concerned, she was finally approaching the end of the road, the place where flowers were blooming.
In the crowd, he barely needed to identify Yang Xiao, who was standing in the distance, tiptoeing and waving at him. He naturally raised his hand in response, waved, then lowered it childishly, but Yang Xiao had already seen him.
Then, she ran towards him, drowning in the orange-red sunset, her high ponytail swaying behind her and a brilliant smile on her face.
At this moment, although his ears were filled with the noise and conversation of the crowd, Zhou Qi could still hear his own heartbeat very clearly, thump, thump.
"Yang Xiao!" Yang Xiao turned around and saw Chen Zhi. With his hands behind his back, Chen Zhi walked quickly towards her. "Yang Xiao... I, I've liked you for a long time." He then conjured a bouquet of white roses from behind and handed it to Yang Xiao. His hands, hidden behind the bouquet, trembled, causing the paper wrapped around the roses to shake imperceptibly.
"Wow." Fang Qiu stood beside Zhou Qi and followed Zhou Qi's gaze towards the young girl and boy over there. He glanced at Zhou Qi and continued, "You're not having a double celebration today, are you? Yang Xiao passed the imperial examination, and you've even got a new brother-in-law."
"Don't talk nonsense, she is just that old." Zhou Qi looked unhappy. The distance between them was neither too close nor too far, so he could just see the little boy holding a rose and confessing his love to Yang Xiao, but he couldn't hear what they were saying.
Wang Ruopeng suddenly appeared at the critical moment. Seeing Yang Xiao was at a loss in the face of the current situation, he immediately spoke to her rescue, "Thank you. Our Xiaoxiao has rhinitis and can't smell roses or lilies. So we won't accept your flowers."
Yang Xiao felt as if she had seen a savior. Then, on second thought, she felt that she should sincerely respond to Chen Zhi's confession: "Yes, yes. Thank you for your love, Chen Zhi. It is my honor to be your academic rival in the Strong Foundation Class. But I already have someone I like, so I'm sorry that I can't accept your confession. Flowers are beautiful, but they should be reserved for someone who can appreciate such beauty."
After saying that, he gave Chen Zhi a polite nod and ran towards Zhou Qi. Wang Ruopeng said after rescuing him, "Keep going, don't have any regrets."
Zhou Qi watched from afar as Yang Xiao didn't accept the rose, and he felt a little relieved. Seeing her running towards him again, he couldn't help but lift his feet and walked towards her step by step.
"Yang Xiao, congratulations! You've completed another stage in your life." Zhou Qi said, and handed over the bouquet in his hand. Yang Xiao was so happy that she almost jumped up. She took the flowers from Zhou Qi without hesitation, and couldn't help but look down. There were sunflowers, and well... the rest, she didn't recognize any of them.
But she was still very happy, and the smile on her lips never faded.
"Zhou Qi, I..." Yang Xiao was about to say what she had rehearsed countless times when Fang Qiu came over. "Congratulations, sister Yang Xiao. Our little Yang Xiao is going to be a college student." After saying that, he saw Yang Xiao nodded at him and blinked. Okay, okay, okay, Fang Qiu waved his hand, "I'll meet you in the car."
Without anyone to disturb her, Yang Xiao looked at Zhou Qi, the man she had been thinking about day and night. Now she could finally tell him the words she had just practiced over and over again while hiding behind the pillar.
How much she wanted to tell him how good he was, how much she admired him, and how much she wanted him to respond to her expectations.
"Zhou Qi, I..." Yang Xiao took a deep breath. She had just lowered her head and dared not look Zhou Qi in the eye, but she finally mustered up the courage and looked up at him.
Those were a pair of eyes that she had always thought were beautiful, shaped like peach blossoms, with pupils as deep as the night. Sometimes they looked at her without saying anything, with a gentle undertone in their eyes.
Zhou Qi's eyes reflected Yang Xiao, who was full of anticipation and shyness. He almost guessed what she was going to do next without thinking.
But he didn't interrupt. He couldn't tell whether he wanted to hear such an answer or he couldn't bear to see her frustrated by him again.
"Maybe this is a bit disrespectful. You're my brother in name only, but I can't help but have other thoughts about you. I've begun to care about your moods more than just family. I want to know if you're happy or unhappy every day. When you're happy, why? When you're unhappy, can I be there to cheer you up? I keep asking myself whether my love for you is just a fluke, or if I just like and admire you for who you are."
"Now I know the answer. I really like you, Zhou Qi. I like you simply because you are Zhou Qi." Yang Xiao's voice trembled with nervousness. The secret she had hidden for so long, a secret she couldn't find any comfort or solace, finally had its chance to see the light of day.
Zhou Qi's heart softened. Was he really that good, as she described him? The thought flashed through his mind before being swallowed by an even more turbulent wave. He could once again hear his own clear and powerful heartbeat, pounding wildly within his chest, as if it were about to transform into a trapped beast, ready to break free from its confines, smashing through the layers of shackles that bound it, just to run towards the light before him.
And her words, "It's just because you're Zhou Qi," were like a gentle arrow that struck the softest spot in his heart, nearly bringing him to tears. In that instant, he actually wanted to lean over and gently kiss her trembling lips, telling her that his world had already been painted brightly because of her.
But he can't.
Her love is pure and passionate.
Her life has just begun.
He was walking barefoot on the edge of a pitch-black cliff, with no end in sight. Encountering a light was the happiest and most unique experience in his fading life.
So he said: "Yang Xiao, it is my greatest luck to be thought of this way by you."
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