Midterm exams, outside the exam hall, and warm bento boxes
In mid-April, the midterm exams arrived as scheduled. Three consecutive days of exams cast a tense atmosphere over the entire campus. The countdown timers in the classrooms, the teachers' repeated reminders, and the dark circles under the students' eyes from staying up late to study all spoke volumes about the importance of these exams.
The night before the exam, Su An received a message from Jiang Qi: "Get some rest early, don't stay up late."
Then he sent another picture summarizing the key points, which he wrote by hand, with neat and clear handwriting.
"Thank you, you too," Su An replied, feeling a warmth in her heart.
The first exam, Chinese, was scheduled for 8:00 AM. Su An arrived at the exam hall half an hour early, only to find Jiang Qi already waiting there.
"Have you had breakfast?" Jiang Qi handed over a paper bag containing sandwiches and warm soy milk.
"I've already eaten..." Su An said softly, but still took it.
"Eat some more." Jiang Qi's tone left no room for refusal.
A number of students had gathered outside the examination hall, and many noticed them, casting curious glances. Jiang Qi, however, didn't seem to care at all, and naturally helped Su An straighten his collar: "Don't be nervous, you've studied very well."
At this moment, Jiang Zhao and Lin Jun also arrived. Jiang Zhao looked like he hadn't woken up yet, and he was practically hanging on Lin Jun.
"Brother Jun, I'm doomed! I didn't memorize a single line of the classical Chinese text..."
Lin Jun helplessly helped him up: "There's no use being nervous now, just relax."
Before the exam bell rang, Jiang Qi gently squeezed Su An's hand: "Good luck."
His warm and strong hand made Su An feel much more at ease.
For three consecutive days of exams, Jiang Qi would wait for Su An outside the exam hall each day, bringing him different breakfasts. Sometimes it was rice balls, sometimes steamed buns, and each time it was accompanied by different flavors of soy milk.
Before the final math exam, Su An was visibly nervous. Math had always been his weak point, and although he had made great progress with Jiang Qi's help recently, he was still unsure of himself.
"Take this with you." Jiang Qi handed him a black ballpoint pen. "I've gotten perfect scores many times with this pen."
Su An took the pen and noticed a small "柒" (seven) engraved on the penholder.
"This is... your lucky pen?"
“Now it’s yours.” Jiang Qi looked at him. “Believe in yourself, you’ll be fine.”
During the exam, Su An encountered a difficult problem and was starting to panic when he reached for the pen in his pocket. Remembering Jiang Qi's trusting gaze, he took a deep breath and calmed himself down to solve the problem.
The bell rang, signaling the end of the final exam, and cheers of liberation erupted throughout the entire teaching building. Su An walked out of the exam room and immediately saw Jiang Qi waiting outside.
"How did the exam go?" Jiang Qi took his pencil case.
"It should be...not bad." Su An rarely showed a confident smile. "I solved the last big problem using the method you taught me."
Jiang Qi's lips curled into a clear smile: "I told you you'd be fine."
At this moment, Jiang Zhao rushed out of the examination room and excitedly pounced on Lin Jun: "Brother Jun! I have a good chance of passing math! You guessed several questions correctly!"
Lin Jun was knocked back a step by his bump, but still managed to catch him steadily: "Don't be too happy yet, the results haven't come out yet."
"I don't care! We should celebrate after the exams!" Jiang Zhao turned to Jiang Qi and Su An. "Let's go out to eat! It's on me!"
The four of them went to a small restaurant near the school. While waiting for their food, Jiang Qi took a thermos from her bag and handed it to Su An: "A reward."
Su An opened it and saw that it was mango pudding from his favorite dessert shop.
"When did you buy it?" Su An asked in surprise. The store was far from the school.
"I handed in my last exam early," Jiang Qi said casually.
Jiang Zhao immediately protested, "Brother! What about mine?"
Jiang Qi glanced at him: "Buy it yourself."
"You value women over your brother!" Jiang Zhao wailed, as Lin Jun stuffed a piece of fried chicken into his mouth: "Eat yours."
After finishing their meal, the four of them slowly walked back to school along the street lined with sycamore trees. The setting sun cast long shadows of them, with Jiang Qi and Su An's shadows very close together, occasionally overlapping.
"Finally finished the exams..." Jiang Zhao stretched. "Now I can relax for a while!"
"Don't forget about finals," Lin Jun reminded him.
"Brother Jun, can you please stop being such a spoilsport!"
Back in the classroom, while packing her bag, Su An found a small paper bag in her desk drawer. Opening it, she found a beautifully packaged box of chocolates with a note underneath:
"Thank you for your hard work. See you at the library tomorrow? —Seven"
Su An carefully put the note into his pencil case, feeling a sweet warmth in his heart. He turned to look at Jiang Qi, who was packing her schoolbag. Jiang Qi looked up as if she had sensed something, and the two smiled at each other.
As school let out, a light rain began to fall. Jiang Qi opened his umbrella and naturally pulled Su An into his arms. This time, Su An wasn't shy; instead, she leaned closer to him.
"What time are we going to the library tomorrow?" Su An asked in a low voice.
"I'll pick you up at nine o'clock."
"good."
Jiang Zhao, who was walking behind, looked at their backs as they shared an umbrella and suddenly said, "Brother Jun, shall we share an umbrella too?"
Lin Jun raised an eyebrow: "Didn't you bring an umbrella?"
"My umbrella is broken!" Jiang Zhao lied without batting an eye.
Lin Jun looked at the intact folding umbrella in his hand, sighed helplessly, and still pulled him under her umbrella.
The fine, dense raindrops tapped softly on the umbrella. This spring, with each other's company, even the pressure of exams became bearable. And the sentiments hidden in lunchboxes, notes, and under umbrellas quietly whispered the most tender confessions.
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