Chapter 8: Fell into the Pond
Chapter 8: Fell into the Pond
"Ooh—"
On the long downhill slope, the boy on the bicycle waved his hands triumphantly as the bicycle, which was about to break under its own weight, rushed down the high embankment against the wind.
Since starting junior high school, Fang Yuenian's favorite time to go home is Friday.
Pedaling her bicycle, she sped through the old town, raced along the wide embankment, and then slid down the long downhill road—no matter how much Wang Jing insisted that she mustn't ride downhill without applying the brakes, as the downhill section led to a sharp bend and directly into an neglected pond—Fang Yuenian still roared down every time. Those few dozen seconds of exhilarating weightlessness against the wind could eliminate all fatigue and make one forget everything around them.
He often did this, and Cheng Bing was used to it. However, Fang Yuenian was a bit out of control today, and of course, his bicycle, which had been through a lot, was even more so. The wheels were spinning rapidly, and several parts of the front and frame were teetering on the verge of falling apart.
Cheng Bing was riding behind, gripping the brakes, when he suddenly noticed several rather large stones lying across the middle of the road.
"Fang Yuenian!" he shouted to Fang Yuenian, "There are stones down there..."
Before he could finish speaking, the dashing student Fang drew a graceful parabola in the air, and then, along with his bike, crashed into the pond with a thud.
"Fang Yuenian!"
Cheng Bing was stunned. She rushed down the slope, jumped off the car, and saw that Fang Yuenian had sunk completely. Apart from a long string of bubbling bubbles, nothing else in the water was rising to the surface for a while.
“Fang Yuenian! Stop playing around and come up here!” he shouted.
The ripples from the earlier impact gradually subsided, but still no one or their backpack floated to the surface. Cheng Bing didn't think Fang Yuenian was likely drowning, but the pond had been neglected for a long time, and all sorts of trash were thrown into it. It might entangle someone or cut their feet. Unable to bear it any longer, he quickly took off his shoes and school uniform jacket and jumped into the water.
But the water was filthy. He dived down and barely managed to open his eyes, but he couldn't see anything around him. When he could no longer hold his breath, he surfaced, his voice trembling slightly:
"Fang Yuenian! Stop fooling around and come out here! Fang Yuenian!"
Looking around, although it was after school, the two of them had stayed a while to prepare the bulletin board, and now there wasn't a single classmate on the way who could help them.
He rubbed his eyes hard, took a deep breath, and was about to dive down again when, "Hey!" Fang Yuenian popped up with a splash of water, "You scared me to death, didn't you? Hahaha!"
After a three-second pause, Cheng Bing yelled at the grinning Fang Yuenian, "Are you crazy?!"
After cursing, he turned and swam towards the shore with a livid face.
Fang Yuenian was an unyielding stubborn person who couldn't be driven away or crushed. She pushed herself a couple of times and swam over to Cheng Bing, chasing after her and saying, "What's wrong? Got tricked? You're too easy to fool, haha!"
Cheng Bing ignored him, went ashore, and felt his heart still pounding. His mind was blank. There was a patch of weeds on the shore, so he simply sat down.
Fang Yuenian also climbed up and sat down next to Cheng Bing, casually tossing her hair to reveal a distinctly youthful and delicate face.
Turning around, I saw Cheng Bing wringing out her soaked shirt, two strands of hair covering her eyes, her slender, fair profile glowing with a warm, slightly yellow light in the setting sun.
Both of them had something on their minds.
Today, the school held a mobilization meeting for the high school entrance examination. For the first time ever, the ninth graders temporarily put down their textbooks and held a large-scale rally on the playground. There were slogans and banners, and even the bulletin boards in the classrooms had blank spaces left for everyone to post their high school entrance examination aspirations.
Although no names were written, Cheng Bing's neat handwriting made an anonymity unnecessary amidst the surrounding messy stickers. Fang Yuenian, however, deliberately acted strangely, switching to her left hand and writing "Homebody" in a crooked handwriting before sticking it on. Every classmate who saw it laughed, trying to guess whose it was, but no one could figure it out.
Only Cheng Bing recognized him at a glance.
I've been angry ever since that time.
Fang Yuenian was also very upset.
After the mobilization meeting today, he went to the toilet, but was called to the office by his homeroom teacher halfway there.
He was a little confused; if he remembered correctly, he hadn't caused any trouble in a long time. Sure enough, instead of picking on him, the homeroom teacher, contrary to his usual behavior, moved a chair for him to sit on. Fang Yuenian was flattered and dared not move. The homeroom teacher said with a smile, "Don't be nervous, don't be nervous. I have something I'd like to ask you."
Fang Yuenian was stunned: "What is it?"
"It's this one. The school is determining the number of students who can take the entrance exam for the top high school these days..."
Fang Yuenian panicked upon hearing this, "Teacher, you don't want me to take the exam, do you?"
"You?" The homeroom teacher almost blurted out, opening and closing her mouth several times before finally holding back, waving her hand kindly, "Don't worry, it's no trouble for you."
The term "direct admission exam" is just a figure of speech; it's actually a guaranteed admission exam. The two best key high schools in the city, No. 1 High School and No. 2 High School, allocate a few places to middle schools in the surrounding towns every year. If you pass the exam, you're directly admitted without having to take the high school entrance exam, and you can even get into a top class.
This is a very important opportunity.
Only about ten students from their school can get into the top high school each year. Getting into the honors class based solely on the entrance exam is practically impossible, and the few spots available for the annual entrance exam have been wasted in previous years, with no one successfully gaining admission. There's no way around it; the junior high school resources in this small town are simply too outdated.
Fang Yuenian wasn't stupid; she immediately thought of Cheng Bing.
Cheng Bing is recognized by the teachers as a promising student for the top high school. He always ranks first in the exams and leaves the second place by a lot of points. The school hasn't had a student of this caliber for a long time, so he's sure to get a spot.
Sure enough, the homeroom teacher's next sentence began with Cheng Bing: "Cheng Bing is definitely going. There are four spots in total, and he's probably pretty confident. The exam is the Saturday after next. I talked to him a couple of days ago, but I always felt that something was off about him. He didn't seem to care much about the direct admission class."
"Really? Really?" Fang Yuenian became nervous. "No way, didn't he not regress?"
The homeroom teacher said, "His grades haven't dropped, but I feel like he's been preoccupied since the beginning of this semester. Sometimes he just stares blankly at his book during class. You two are close, do you know what's wrong with him? Is something going on at home? Or has he made some new friends?"
Fang Yuenian remained silent for a long time before understanding.
The teacher is being so tactful, but isn't he just worried that Cheng Bing is dating too early? The teacher is suspicious every day. If he talks to a girl more than once, he suspects that they are dating. If he changes his hairstyle, he suspects that they are dating. If he daydreams in class, he suspects that they are dating. He wishes that they don't know anything and only know how to eat, sleep and study.
He said in a serious tone, getting straight to the point: "Teacher, he didn't have a puppy love relationship."
The homeroom teacher was drinking tea when he heard this and "poof" sprayed tea leaves all over the table.
"Ouch, ouch!" Fang Yuenian rushed forward and wiped with her sleeve.
The homeroom teacher quickly stopped him: "It's okay, it's okay, I'll take care of it, I'll take care of it."
Fang Yuenian obediently stood to the side.
The homeroom teacher felt sorry for them, thinking to himself, "Why are these students so quick to talk?" He waved his hand, "Let's go, let's go, class is about to start."
Fang Yuenian obediently slipped out.
Even so, he felt uneasy, as if he'd swallowed a heavy weight. Was Cheng Bing acting strangely? How come I didn't notice? I don't even understand what it means to stare blankly at a book. How did the homeroom teacher know he was daydreaming, or had gotten so engrossed in his reading that he was completely absorbed? Was he not taking the entrance exam for the accelerated class seriously? Impossible!
"Hey!" Fang Yuenian nudged Cheng Bing with her elbow and offered a smile. "Don't be angry, it was just a joke. Okay, okay, I admit I was wrong. I have a question for you. Are you taking the entrance exam for the No. 1 Middle School's direct admission class next Saturday?"
Cheng Bing twisted the hem of her clothes, not even looking up, and said, "Mm."
"Then you need to prepare quickly and do your best on the exam. If you pass, you won't have to take the high school entrance exam and you can go directly into the top class."
Cheng Bing didn't reply, focusing intently on wringing out the clothes.
Fang Yuenian was taken aback, thinking, why does he really seem so nonchalant? He became concerned: "You can't take such an important matter lightly. Time is very tight. Or are you anxious before the exam? Even if you get first place every day, you still get anxious? No need, no need, you will definitely pass."
Cheng Bing pursed her lips for a moment, then looked at him and asked, "And what about you?"
"What about me?" Fang Yuenian asked, confused.
Cheng Bing remained silent, her eyes fixed intently on him.
Fang Yuenian: "..."
He leaned back slightly, frowning. "You don't mean to make me take the entrance exam for No. 1 High School too, do you?"
These words were like "You don't want a pig to fly on a wall, do you?" Hearing this, Cheng Bing's face flushed with nameless anger. She turned her face away and remained silent.
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