Chapter 83 No [VIP]
Chapter Summary: Don't waste your entire life on me; don't give up your promising future because of me.
Life went on as usual, seemingly no different from before, yet Gu Linzhao felt that everything was different.
He couldn't quite put his finger on what was different.
Even though Fu Xianyin would still act coquettishly towards him, still smile at him, and still occasionally act like a hooligan, secretly kissing him where no one could see.
Gu Linzhao would sometimes wonder if he was under too much pressure. It was just a water cup. Now that it was April, those in the class who were afraid of the heat, like Lin Anxu, were already wearing short sleeves.
Fu Xianyin is someone who enjoys ice cream all year round, so it's perfectly normal for her to switch from her thick, heavy thermos to a light and convenient water bottle as the weather gets warmer.
But he just felt that something was wrong.
The first mock exam was over a month ago, and as the leaves outside the window grew greener, the second mock exam was quietly approaching.
The second mock exam will be held in mid-to-late April. It will still be a city-wide unified exam, and the results will be released the following Monday.
This time, compared to the first mock exam, Fu Xianyin's results were far from ideal.
She dropped from 717 in the mock exam to 683.
A score of 683 is still a high score for others, but for Fu Xianyin, who ranked first in the city in the mock exam, it was far from enough.
After Gao Ying announced the results on the podium, Gu Linzhao kept observing Fu Xianyin's emotions.
Surprisingly, she accepted the significant decline in her grades with remarkable composure, seemingly without any emotional fluctuation.
No, it's not about accepting it calmly.
Gu Linzhao couldn't help but correct his own statement.
Fu Xianyin's calm demeanor wasn't due to her ability to accept her decline; rather, it seemed more like her indifference was the reason for her lack of emotional fluctuation.
It was at this moment that Gu Linzhao finally realized why he felt something was wrong.
Because Fu Xianyin appeared too calm.
She always feels a little nervous before exams, like before the mock exam and before the monthly exams last semester.
Not only before exams, but also during normal times, she would feel frustrated because she couldn't solve a problem, or angry because the knowledge points were too difficult, and even feel frustrated because of her poor study habits.
But now, Gu Linzhao felt that he hadn't seen Fu Xianyin's emotions fluctuate in a long time.
It's as if she's lost her vitality.
After evening self-study, Fu Xianyin was about to casually pack a few books into her schoolbag when her wrist was suddenly grabbed.
She turned her head and saw Gu Linzhao looking at her earnestly. He said, "I'd like to talk to you, okay?"
His tone was not harsh; it was a very gentle request.
Fu Xianyin's expression froze for a moment, but she quickly nodded and said, "Okay."
After packing her schoolbag, she naturally handed it to Gu Linzhao, saying, "Here, you can hold this for me."
Gu Linzhao obediently took it for her.
She only had a few books in her schoolbag, but when Gu Linzhao picked it up, it seemed heavier than the books.
Fu Xianyin followed him to the playground empty-handed. As soon as they disappeared into the darkness, Fu Xianyin reached out and slipped her hand through Gu Linzhao's palm, then firmly interlocked her index fingers with his.
Gu Linzhao looked at the hand that was gripping him tightly and said helplessly, "Loosen your grip for a moment, I'm going to put my bag away."
Fu Xianyin acted shamelessly: "I won't let go."
Gu Linzhao pinched her cheek and coaxed her gently, "Be good."
Fu Xianyin said, "You think you can make me obey just by talking?"
She touched her lips and said, "Kiss."
Gu Linzhao indulgently said, "Kiss, kiss, kiss after you put down your schoolbag."
Fu Xianyin then released her hand.
As she watched Gu Linzhao walk towards the corner of the playground, the smile on her face vanished completely.
She pinched her cheek, then hooked the corner of her mouth with her hand and lifted it up.
There were no mirrors on the playground, so she couldn't see what she looked like, but she knew she must look awful.
Gu Linzhao returned after putting down his schoolbag.
The first thing he did upon returning was to give Fu Xianyin a light peck on the lips.
Fu Xianyin was finally satisfied. She took Gu Linzhao's hand and asked, "What do you want to talk to me about?"
The warm touch on his lips hadn't completely faded yet. Gu Linzhao paused for a moment, then spoke:
I wanted to ask you, how have you been lately?
Fu Xianyin was stunned for a moment.
Her dry eyes welled up with tears, and Fu Xianyin blinked, holding back the tears that were about to spill.
She said, "It seems so, a little not so good."
She described her predicament, but her tone was nonchalant: "I feel a bit out of sorts lately, probably because the college entrance exam is coming up soon and I'm too nervous. But being in a good state comes and goes, sometimes I'm in a better state, sometimes I'm in a worse state, and after a while, I might be in a better state again."
"I didn't do very well on the second mock exam, but it's all over now, there's nothing I can do. I'll wait and see on the third mock exam, maybe I'll do better then."
There was silence all around.
Fu Xianyin pinched the broken finger bone in her hand and asked, "Why aren't you saying anything?"
Gu Linzhao said, "Then why didn't you tell me?"
He wondered if he was being too sensitive, and he also wondered if the problem lay with him.
Now that Fu Xianyin has confessed to him, everything has proven that it wasn't just him being overly sensitive; it was indeed the truth.
But Gu Linzhao couldn't be happy.
He preferred to think that he was being overly sensitive rather than to hear that Fu Xianyin was indeed in trouble.
He spoke softly, "Didn't you tell me when you were under a lot of pressure before?"
Fu Xianyin smiled and said, "Because it's nothing serious. Look, even though I'm in such a bad state right now, I still got 683 in the second mock exam, which is a very high score. Although I may not be able to get into a good major, I'll most likely get into Tsinghua University."
She shrugged and said, "I've come to terms with it now. You can't force things. Sometimes, forcing it might backfire. Anyway, my grades have been stable at these levels, so getting into university shouldn't be a problem. As for other fancy titles like 'top scorer,' I'm not going to think about them anymore."
She even joked, "Even if I'm not in good shape during the college entrance exam and don't get into Tsinghua or Tsinghua University, I can just repeat a year. With a year of experience, I'm sure I won't be in the same shape next year."
Gu Linzhao said, "If you want to repeat the reading, I'll go with you."
His fingers were suddenly gripped tightly, so tightly that Gu Linzhao even felt a little pain.
He turned his head and saw Fu Xianyin looking at him earnestly, saying slowly and deliberately, "No."
"No repeating is allowed."
"Even if I don't get into Tsinghua University, even if I have to repeat a year, you are not allowed to accompany me to repeat a year."
"No being love-struck, no!"
You can't all revolve around me.
Don't waste your whole life on me.
Don't give up your promising future because of me.
You need to make plans for yourself, for your own sake, and only for your own.
This is not the future for Gu Linzhao and Fu Xianyin.
It is Gu Linzhao's own future.
Seeing that the girl's eyes were red, Gu Linzhao quickly agreed, "Okay, okay, I won't repeat it."
Fu Xianyin said, "You promise me, you swear."
Gu Linzhao was about to speak when Fu Xianyin interrupted him.
She was unusually stubborn: "Raise your hand and swear."
Gu Linzhao followed her lead, raised his hand, and said, "I swear, I will never repeat a year in the future."
Fu Xianyin said, "Even if I don't get into Tsinghua University, you are not allowed to repeat the year."
"Speak up," she urged.
Gu Linzhao said, "Even if Fu Xianyin doesn't get into Tsinghua University, I won't repeat the year."
Fu Xianyin said, "Absolutely not."
Gu Linzhao followed up, "Absolutely not."
Fu Xianyin was only satisfied when the vows were made to this extent.
She smiled and said, "Let's go, I'm sleepy, let's go back to sleep."
The schoolbag was placed in the corner of the playground. Gu Linzhao put on his own schoolbag and was about to help Fu Xianyin carry it when he saw her reach out and hook the schoolbag in her hand.
Gu Linzhao said, "Don't you need me to get it for you?"
Fu Xianyin shook her head and said, "I can take it myself."
Gu Linzhao asked, "Isn't it heavy?"
Fu Xianyin said, "It's just a few books, how deep can they sink?"
As he spoke, Gu Linzhao stretched out his long arm, hooked the strap on her backpack, lifted it up, and then said, "It's not light either."
Fu Xianyin quickly covered her schoolbag, and said with a grin, "That must be the power of knowledge."
Gu Linzhao chuckled and slowly put the schoolbag back.
Fu Xianyin only withdrew her hand after the backpack was securely against her back.
Even though she knew Gu Linzhao wouldn't suddenly put it down, Fu Xianyin still subconsciously held onto one corner of the backpack the moment it was lifted.
I was afraid that I would hear a clattering sound from my schoolbag that didn't belong to books.
The fabric was held down by a hand, revealing a cylindrical shape beneath it.
It was that pink bear thermos that never appeared again.
Fu Xianyin didn't actually put it back in her dorm room, nor did she throw it away.
She carried it with her every day, always keeping it close to her body.
I filled my dorm room with water, carried it in my backpack all day, and then emptied the water from the cup when I returned to the dorm at night.
Repeat the same action the next day.
Day after day.
Gu Linzhao escorted her to the girls' dormitory building, watched her go upstairs, and then turned back to the boys' dormitory.
Fu Xianyin returned to her dormitory, locked the door, and was about to pour out the water in her thermos when, for some reason, she took a sip after unscrewing the lid.
The cup keeps water quite warm; the water I filled it with this morning is still warm.
Fu Xianyin drank the water sip by sip until there was not a drop left in the cup before screwing the lid back on.
She opened her phone and reported to Qin Yi on her learning progress that day and her study plan for the future.
She concealed part of the truth from Gu Linzhao.
Besides her poor condition, another reason for her declining scores in the second mock exam was that she wasn't fully focused on studying for the college entrance exam.
Qin Yi enrolled her in three AP courses, and the exam dates are getting closer.
Fu Xianyin's focus of study has become increasingly skewed. During evening self-study sessions, she mostly works on AP math and physics problems, and after returning to her dormitory, she no longer studies school subjects but instead studies AP statistics.
Even late at night, Qin Yi's reply was still very quick.
Qin Yi: [Okay, received. I've registered you for one AP exam per day, on June 8th, 9th, and 10th, in Beijing.]
Fu Xianyin replied:
Okay, thank you, teacher.
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