Chapter 11
Time flies, and the senior year of high school is here. A tense and oppressive atmosphere hangs over the entire grade.
The numbers on the countdown clock are decreasing day by day. The endless test papers and mock exams are suffocating.
Xu Nianlei studied desperately, for this was her only possible way to change her fate, and also her mother Wang Xiuqin's only heavy expectation for her. She dared not slack off in the slightest, and was always sleep-deprived, with dark circles under her eyes.
Lu Baiyan remains a strong contender for first place in his grade; his goal is clear: a top-tier university. Zhao Mei has become even stricter with him, frequently communicating with his subject teachers to ensure her son has no weaknesses.
The two remained deskmates, but their interactions were limited to passing exam papers and checking answers. Like two parallel lines, they silently moved forward on the track of the college entrance examination, each heading in their own known but completely different directions.
On the eve of filling out college applications, late at night, Lu Baiyan sat at his desk, a map of universities across the country and a compilation of admission scores from previous years spread out in front of him.
With his grades, he's practically guaranteed admission to Tsinghua or Peking University. Zhao Mei has already shortlisted several of the best programs for him.
But his pen lingered for a long time on a key university located far from Beijing in the south. That university was good, but not top-tier. He had checked and found that in the city where that university was located, there were several decent second-tier universities that Xu Nianlei might be able to get into.
He took out a piece of scrap paper and began to calculate. He calculated the majors he could choose if he got his score at that southern university; he calculated the distance between that university and the schools Xu Nianlei might attend; he calculated whether the scholarships he received at university could support part of her living expenses…
This was perhaps the most reckless and irrational calculation he had ever made in his seventeen years of conventional life. He tried to use his future as a bargaining chip to get closer to the girl he wanted to protect, but who had pushed him away time and time again.
The last day of my high school life arrived amidst a complex mix of relief, sadness, and uncertainty about the future.
After taking graduation photos, everyone signed each other's school uniforms and exchanged yearbooks. The air was filled with the scent of farewell.
Lu Baiyan took a pen and walked up to Xu Nianlei, who was standing alone in the corner.
"Sign your name," he said softly, handing her the pen.
Xu Nianlei looked at him, hesitated for a moment, took the pen, and carefully wrote her name on the clean cuff of his school uniform. The handwriting was small and neat.
Lu Baiyan looked at those three words, then raised his head and gazed deeply at her: "Xu Nianlei, the day after tomorrow afternoon, under the old locust tree, I have something to say to you. I'll be waiting for you."
His tone wasn't one of inquiry, but rather carried an unwavering firmness that brooked no refusal.
Xu Nianlei's heart stopped abruptly. She understood what he was going to say. The words she had longed for for three years, yet feared for three years.
Under Lu Baiyan's deep gaze, she nodded slightly, as if possessed.
On the appointed day, Xu Nianlei was restless at home. Wang Xiuqin had gone out to buy groceries. Looking at her faded dress in the mirror, Xu Nianlei felt, for the first time, an impulse to be brave.
Perhaps... perhaps fate will be different? Perhaps she can grasp this one and only glimmer of light?
She took a deep breath, stepped out of her house, and headed towards the school, towards the old locust tree, towards the direction that might change her destiny.
Her steps, initially hesitant, gradually became firm. She even began to silently practice in her mind how she should respond when he spoke. Should she accept, or push him away again? Her heart was filled with struggle, but that faint hope, like a candle flickering in the wind, stubbornly burned brightly.
However, fate seemed to have no mercy on her. Just as she was about to reach that familiar alley, through which she would see the school and the old locust tree, a figure like that of a nightmare staggered out of the alley entrance and blocked her way.
It was Xu Jianguo. His eyes were bloodshot, he reeked of alcohol, and he was more manic than ever before.
"You brat... I've finally caught you..." he grinned maliciously, approaching step by step.
An ominous premonition gripped Xu Nianlei instantly. She turned to run, but Xu Jianguo grabbed her hair and dragged her roughly into the depths of the alley...
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