Chapter 24
As the date of the unified examination draws closer, He Xi becomes more and more nervous.
From the beginning, Bai Shu told her, "He Xi, this is not an easy road to walk."
The teacher said earnestly, "You have good academic performance, there is no need to focus on this."
Zhang Chaomei and Chen Linlin also didn't understand her decision. "You're a sports scumbag, and you want to imitate other athletes and use your sports expertise to get into college?"
"You're crazy to challenge someone's expertise, which has been cultivated through years of hard work, just on a whim?!"
When her stepfather, Chen Wutao, heard she wanted to be a physical education teacher, he scoffed, "Not to mention you might not pass the exam, even if you did... it would be a problem."
"I have a friend whose child is majoring in physical education, but he still can't find a job after graduation. He's neither high nor low."
"Dad suggests you study IT... It'll be easier to find a job, and it'll also help relieve some of the pressure on your mom and me. You've seen your sister... She's not as ambitious as you are, and I can't rely on her in the future."
He Xi didn't say anything, but she went to the gym more and more often.
She believes in hard work and in herself.
After one summer vacation in my second year of high school, my weight had reached 45kg.
Because of regular training, the skin has been dyed honey-colored by the sun, and the flesh on the body has become tighter. Even with a little effort, the muscles on the arms and calves can be stretched into smooth and beautiful lines.
In order to spend more time on study and training, she cut off her flowing long hair, but her short hair is just as chic.
Her wardrobe was no longer filled with long sleeves and trousers that covered her from hand to ankle. Short sleeves and shorts were obviously more effective in dissipating heat during daily training. She smiled more and more, and her energy was growing.
I met an aunt living alone downstairs who was buying water. She used to walk away in great hesitation, but now she has so much confidence and courage that she doesn't even realize it.
"Let me do it." He carried 6.8L of water on his shoulders and climbed to the sixth floor easily.
The aunt gave her a grateful smile, and she wiped the sweat off her face without caring. She felt lucky and happy that she could finally help someone in need.
By the end of the first half of my senior year, I'd been doing 100-meter runs, standing triple jumps, standing shot puts, basketball dribbling, and spot shots every day, every month, every week. I'd been doing cross-training and taking regular assessments. No matter how hard or tiring the studying was, no matter how much I sweated during training or how many setbacks I faced, I never gave up.
This was the first time she set a goal for herself and then spared no effort to complete it. No matter what others said or suggested, she never stopped moving forward.
She cares more about the process than the result of the test that determines life or death.
She needed this process so much, a process of breaking away from her past self, finding the person she wanted to be, and working hard towards it.
He Xi felt that if she could persevere, no matter what the result was, she would have to give herself a big thumbs up first.
_
"How is it?" After the last mock exam, He Xi looked at Bai Shu breathlessly, waiting for him to give the results expectantly.
Bai Shu looked at the notebook in his hand without saying a word. His thin lips were pressed into a tight line, and a few drops of sweat were visible on his forehead.
He Xi's voice became a little louder: "...Bai Shu?"
Bai Shu finally came to his senses. "It's a little better than before, 200 points. But it's still a bit difficult. Last year, the minimum admission score for Beihai Province was 210 for sports..."
He didn't say anything else, his face paler than He Xi's.
"But it's only 10 points."
"The cutoff scores change every year!" He forced a smile, his solemn expression relaxing a bit. "The venue is limited, so the mock exams are bound to differ from the actual scores."
"And there's also the saying of overachieving. Keep a positive attitude and prepare well!" Bai Shu clenched his fist to cheer He Xi on. "Believe in yourself. You've worked so hard, so there's definitely no problem."
The light in He Xi's eyes dimmed visibly.
Bai Shu's voice gradually faded as he spoke, losing the relaxed tone in his words and leaving only utter panic. After the panic, he felt even more annoyed. He was about to open his mouth to comfort He Xi.
“It’s a pity.”
He Xi walked to Bai Shu, took the notebook from his hand, sighed, sat on the ground, held it up and read it quickly.
The changes in the numbers above intuitively record her efforts over the past six months, which may even be ignored or not noticed by her in the final assessment results.
She needs to take a good look at it now and feel it carefully. Even if the final result is not satisfactory, she should not blame herself anymore.
because--
"But I tried my best." He Xi's eyes reddened as he looked at the numbers in the record book. "Bai Shu, you saw it too. I tried my best."
"I really tried my best..." Bai Shu squatted down, He Xi leaned in her arms, rested her head on his knees, and a tear fell.
He Xi wiped his face and said something incoherently.
It took Bai Shu a long time to recall what he said before he could recognize it. The sentence was, "I won't regret it."
Bai Shu couldn't help but smile, feeling distressed and relieved. He ruffled her short hair, said nothing, and stayed by her side silently.
When the results of the physical education exam came out in mid-to-late March, Bai Shu immediately called to ask He Xi how he did.
"Not very good." He Xi let out a sigh, "Not even 200 points."
This result was not surprising to anyone, including He Xi. Bai Shu was trying to come up with words of comfort on the other end of the phone when He Xi interrupted him, "Let's meet, Bai Shu."
"Can we meet?"
Bai Shu was overjoyed and replied with a "yes".
-
There were a lot of people in the clay pot rice noodle shop on Sunday, and Bai Shu and He Xi squeezed into the corner.
Soon, two bowls of steaming hot clay pot rice noodles were brought to the two of them.
"Be careful, it's hot." Chopsticks and spoons were placed on the edge of the bowl, and the bubbling rice noodles were emitting an enticing aroma.
The shop was filled with laughter. He Xi met Bai Shu's eyes, picked up a spoon and scooped a spoonful of soup, picked up a piece of rice noodles with chopsticks, blew on it gently, and put it into his mouth.
Bai Shu didn't say anything. He Xi picked up the chopsticks and spoon, lowered his head and continued eating.
He scooped up piece after piece with his chopsticks, stuffing his cheeks into small pouches. Bai Shu scooped up a chopstick from the casserole, where rice noodles, green vegetables, and bean shreds lined up hand in hand, dripping with the rich, fragrant broth, tempting him to open his mouth and take a big bite.
Bai Shu lost his appetite and put down his chopsticks. He kept talking on his tongue and finally said, "What are you going to do next?"
"Just study hard." He Xi seemed to be waiting for Bai Shu to say this. "Even if I don't do well in the physical education exam, my academic scores are okay, so it can be considered a fallback."
Bai Shu's arm was suddenly grabbed by He Xi.
The seriousness in He Xi's eyes met the indifference in Bai Shu's, and he seemed to understand, "Bai Shu, do you know what my biggest feeling after taking the physical education exam this time is?"
Shiraishi waited, raising an eyebrow.
"That means you should always leave yourself a way out." He Xi squeezed Bai Shu's palm tightly. "My way out is education. Even if I can't get into physical education, I can still take other majors. In the end, I can even get into the same school as you."
"I know you're great at sports, but you can't let your academic performance fall behind, okay?"
He Xi looked at Bai Shu earnestly, "We agreed before that we would get into Beihai University together. You, you are not allowed to regret it."
"That's it?" Bai Shu breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought you were going to say some life philosophy that I couldn't grasp, but it turns out it's just this."
"Don't worry, He Xi. The academic scores for the sports enrollment exam only account for 30%. You only need to take four subjects: Chinese, math, English, and politics. The questions are individually designed, and the difficulty is even lower than the college entrance exam."
He Xi: "But I checked online, and the final admission is based on the comprehensive ranking. The weight of the cultural aspect seems to account for only 30%, but it is the key to widening the gap and ensuring admission."
"Yes, I know." Bai Shu nodded seriously, not denying it. "But you're not the only one who's made progress in the past six months, right, He Xi? My progress is obvious to everyone."
He Xi choked. She remembered that Bai Shu's grades had moved from the bottom of the class to the middle, with his English showing the most improvement. He had already passed the passing mark and was steadily moving towards scores of 80 or 90.
She couldn't deny all his efforts just because of her own insecurity.
Bai Shu's fingers twitched, and He Xi relaxed as if struck by lightning. "Okay, okay, okay, I get it." He Xi lowered his head, then raised it again, saying worriedly, "Although the minimum score for your physical education and cultural literacy is 180, you can't really get 100..."
"Okay, okay, I promise you, I will score as high as I can out of 600, okay?" Bai Shu continued.
"No!" He Xi pursed his lips, his eyes widened stubbornly, his eyes moving but not forgiving.
Bai Shu frowned in thought, propped up his elbows, tapped his eyelids with his fingertips, closed his eyes, and suddenly slammed the table, "Got it!"
He didn't care about the attention that was drawn to him by his movements in the shop. He said to He Xi in a low voice, "Can you study the other subjects well too? Study hard."
He knew He Xi was doing this for his own good.
But... Bai Shu sighed in his heart. He really didn't like studying.
Despite thinking this, Bai Shu wore a smile of enlightenment and a sincere attitude. He Xi was satisfied for the time being, "Okay, you said it, I didn't force you to do it."
"Of course, of course not." Bai Shu acted panicked and waved his hands repeatedly. He could think so, but he couldn't say it.
Besides, the feeling of being pushed... isn't bad.
"I will keep a close eye on you." He Xi knew that he had spoken a little harshly just now, but he didn't want to bow his head to apologize, let alone say something like "This is all for your own good." After thinking it over, he made up for it with this sentence.
"You are sure of it. I promised you that I would do it well, right?"
Bai Shu shook his head, picked up a handful of food from the casserole with chopsticks, and put it into his mouth without blowing on it much. It was just the right timing because it was not so hot in his mouth.
He puffed up his cheeks and chewed hard, making a short gasp in his throat. He took the glass bottle of drink next to him and drank half of it before stopping.
He Xi looked up, not wanting to be taken advantage of by him if he spoke at this time, so he lowered his head and smiled, scooping up the soup in the casserole spoonful by spoonful and drinking it.
-
The liquid in the medicine bottle dripped down like raindrops, until only the last bit was left.
She hasn't woken up yet.
The nurse in the clinic helped to remove the needle and said, "The medicine has been injected. You should wake up after a good sleep." Wei Mo nodded, rubbed his sleepy eyes, opened his eyes hard, picked up the girl and walked towards the door.
It's too late.
Wei Mo couldn't help but frown. He wasn't familiar with this area, so he turned around and asked the people behind him, "Uncle or sister, do you know of any places to stay nearby?"
"I……"
The doctor in a white coat glanced up and down at the two of them. "What's your relationship?"
"You look so young...you are not yet adults, right?" The nurse's eyes fell on them and she smiled.
Wei Mo looked at their increasingly strange expressions and suddenly understood that they must have misunderstood something.
After a brief explanation, the doctor suddenly understood and nodded, "Then it will be inconvenient for you to take care of this girl."
The nurse volunteered, "We still have a bed in the innermost part, so let this girl rest here for the night."
Then she showed him the way, "Follow the convenience store, turn left into the alley. Go straight and there's a hotel at the end. It's a bit shabby, but it's still okay to stay in."
Wei Mo breathed a sigh of relief. The nurse took the girl from him and helped her lay her flat on the bed.
The nurse took off the girl's shoes and looked at them, raising her eyebrows in surprise. "Your feet are quite big."
Wei Mo didn't notice and moved his arms to put on his off-shoulder coat. "Uncle and sister, thank you for troubling you tonight." He yawned and went to find a place to rest due to his sleepiness.
The next morning, when Wei Mo was on her way to the clinic carrying soy milk and fried dough sticks, she realized that she had overlooked a crucial detail the night before - she didn't go home all night, and her family must be worried, right?
How could he forget such an important thing?! He slapped his head in frustration, his pace quickening.
As soon as he arrived at the clinic, the doctor came up to him and gossiped, "What girl, you got cheated too, right?"
The doctor pointed to the wigs and skirts scattered beside the bed and said, "That's a young man. If the nurse hadn't asked me to look at his neck just now, I wouldn't have known."
"Ah?" Wei Mo frowned, thinking, you're just lying to me. He lifted the long curtain and saw a face that was all too familiar.
At this moment, the person on the bed opened his eyes, met his, and weakly called out his name, "...Wei, Mo?"
Wei Mo's pupils shrank and he closed his eyes, "...Lin Shenshen." He dropped the breakfast in his hand in panic, turned around, and fled in embarrassment.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
