Inside and outside the examination room
On June 7th, the sky was clear and the sun already carried the intensity of summer. Conspicuous police tape was strung up at the entrance of the examination center, and a silent tension filled the air. Parents, teachers, police maintaining order, and countless students, filled with both dreams and anxiety, crowded the school gate.
Su An stood under the shade of a tree, checking the transparent file bag one last time: his admission ticket, ID card, several black pens… His fingers turned slightly white from the pressure. He could hear his heart pounding in his chest, and even the words of advice from parents and the encouraging voices of classmates around him seemed to have become indistinct.
Suddenly, a warm hand gently covered his hand that was tightly gripping the file folder. Su An looked up and saw that Jiang Qi had come to his side at some point.
"Don't be nervous." Jiang Qi's voice wasn't loud, but it was like a clear spring, instantly extinguishing most of Su An's anxiety. He was wearing a simple white T-shirt today, and his expression was as calm as ever, as if this was just one of countless mock exams.
Su An took a deep breath and nodded.
"Have you checked everything?" Jiang Qi asked, her gaze sweeping over the file bag in his hand.
"Um."
"Water." Jiang Qi handed him a bottle of mineral water with the cap loosened. "Put it on the corner of the table after you go inside."
There were no unnecessary instructions, no pressure to "do well on the exam," only these small but genuine acts of care. Su An took the water; the cool touch spread from his palm, strangely soothing his nerves.
Not far away, Jiang Zhao was clutching his exam admission ticket, pacing back and forth like an ant on a hot plate, muttering to himself, "May the Bodhisattva protect me, may Buddha protect me, please don't let me fall asleep in the exam room..."
Lin Jun grabbed him and stuffed a chocolate bar into his hand: "Give yourself some energy. Just keep a calm mind."
Jiang Zhao looked miserable: "Brother Jun, what if I don't get into D University?"
Lin Jun patted his shoulder, her tone confident: "Based on your mock exam level, you'll be fine if you perform normally. Don't scare yourself."
The entrance bell rang loudly. The crowd began to stir, and the candidates surged towards the examination center gate like a tidal wave.
Jiang Qi gently grasped Su An's wrist, the force light but with undeniable determination: "Go."
Su An glanced back at him, finding the last bit of courage in those deep, calm eyes, before turning and merging into the crowd.
The first exam was Chinese. When the papers were handed out, Su An, as usual, first glanced at the essay topics. When he saw the one about "ideals and paths," a slight thought struck him. He involuntarily recalled Jiang Qi's profile as she analyzed university majors for him in front of the map, and that night about "walking one's own path." Inspiration flowed like a spring. He took a deep breath, calmed himself, and began to answer the questions.
Time slipped away quietly amidst the scratching of pens on paper. With half an hour left before the exam ended, Su An had finished all the questions and was doing his final check. Just then, he noticed a familiar figure standing up diagonally in front of him, calmly handing in the exam paper to the podium, and then gracefully walking out of the classroom.
It was Jiang Qi. He handed in his paper early.
Su An was stunned for a moment, then understood. A warm feeling quietly washed over her. Jiang Qi wasn't showing off, nor was he indifferent; he was simply telling her in this way: I've finished my exams, and I'm waiting for you outside.
This silent companionship is more powerful than any words. Su An steadied herself and focused even more intently on checking her answers.
The bell finally rang, signaling the end of the exam. Su An followed the crowd out of the exam hall. Under the blazing sun, he squinted and almost immediately spotted Jiang Qi standing under the huge sycamore tree at the school gate.
He walked over quickly, and Jiang Qi naturally took the file bag from his hand, handed him another bottle of ice water, and also a wet wipe.
"Are you tired?" Jiang Qi asked, gently pushing him through the crowd.
"It's alright." Su An wiped his sweat, drank some water, and felt his tense nerves finally relax. Jiang Qi didn't ask him how the exam went, not a single word.
At that moment, Jiang Zhao burst out of the examination room like a cannonball. Upon seeing them, he immediately ran over, his face beaming with barely suppressed excitement: "I think I performed exceptionally well in Chinese! My essay went exceptionally smoothly!"
Lin Jun followed behind him, a smile in her eyes, and handed him a bottle of energy drink: "Don't get too excited yet, there are still two days left."
The next two days seemed to repeat themselves. Every morning, Jiang Qi would appear on time downstairs at Su An's house and walk with him to the exam center. Before each exam, he would hand Su An the water or chocolate he needed. After confirming that everything was correct, he would hand in his paper early and then wait quietly in his usual spot, like a steadfast lighthouse.
During the math exam, Su An encountered a tricky derivative problem. He was stuck for five minutes, cold sweat beading on his forehead. Just as he was starting to panic, the image of Jiang Qi explaining the problem to him inexplicably flashed into his mind—her hands pointing to the complex formula, her distinct knuckles, and her calm tone as she said, "The approach is correct, but the calculation here is wrong." He took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, changed his approach, and actually solved it. When he handed in his paper, he felt his back was soaked with sweat, but his heart was filled with the exhilaration of overcoming a difficulty.
When the bell rang to signal the end of the final English exam, the entire testing center erupted as if a depth charge had been dropped, instantly bursting into deafening cheers, screams, and sobs of relief. All the sweat, tears, and pressure of three years of high school were completely released in that moment.
Su An walked out of the examination hall, still somewhat dazed as he looked at the bustling crowd outside. It wasn't until Jiang Qi walked up to him, took all his belongings, and gently hugged him that he felt a sense of relief.
The hug was brief, yet it was full of power.
"It's over," Jiang Qi whispered in his ear.
Su An hugged him back, burying her face in his shoulder for a moment, the familiar, clean scent of him mingling with the smell of summer sunshine. Yes, it's over.
Jiang Zhao practically jumped out, and upon seeing Lin Jun, he leaped onto his back, shouting, "We're free! Brother Jun! We're free!"
Lin Jun stumbled from the impact, but still managed to catch him steadily, letting him shout excitedly in her ear with an indulgent smile on her lips.
That evening, the setting sun painted the sky a magnificent orange-red. Four teenagers walked side by side down a familiar street, their shadows stretched long. They didn't discuss exam questions or predict their scores; they simply savored this hard-won moment of complete relaxation.
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