Chapter 50
The June wind, carrying scorching heat and the incessant chirping of cicadas, swept through the entire county. The college entrance examination, a battle that had been prepared for twelve years and suppressed for far too long, finally began in the sweltering heat of midsummer.
The examination site was located at the county's No. 1 High School. Police tape was put up at the school gate, which was crowded with nervous-looking students and even more anxious parents. The air was thick with the smells of mentholatum, sweat, and an invisible, intense pressure.
Xu Nianlei stood in the crowd, holding a transparent file bag containing her admission ticket, ID card, and necessary stationery. She wore a clean school uniform, her hair neatly tied back, revealing a smooth forehead and an overly calm pair of eyes. Wang Xiuqin, unusually absent from the day, stayed by her side, constantly nagging, "Don't be nervous," "Check your stationery," and "Pay attention to the questions," while her fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of her clothes, betraying her inner turmoil.
Xu Nianlei didn't respond, but her gaze pierced through the throng of people, looking at the familiar teaching building inside the school gate, which now seemed particularly solemn. Her heart was beating fast, but strangely, it wasn't entirely from nervousness, but more from a kind of excitement mixed with determination and anticipation, as if she were about to go to battle.
She touched her pocket; it was empty. She had placed the pebble in the innermost part of her bag, next to the blue notebook. She didn't need anything external; the promise itself was her most powerful tranquilizer.
The entrance bell rang sharply, like a bugle call to charge.
"I'm going in," Xu Nianlei said to Wang Xiuqin calmly.
Wang Xiuqin opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end she just nodded heavily, her eyes a little red.
Xu Nianlei turned around and joined the flow of people entering the school gate. She didn't look back.
She found her exam room and took her seat. The classroom fan whirred, but it couldn't dispel the stuffiness and tension. The proctor read out the exam rules expressionlessly, his voice seeming to come from afar. Xu Nianlei took a deep breath, trying to focus her attention on the desk in front of her, waiting for the moment the exam papers would be distributed.
When the Chinese exam paper finally reached her hands, the world seemed to fall silent instantly. All the surrounding noise faded away, leaving only the feel of the paper and the scent of ink. She quickly glanced at the essay topic, and her heart settled slightly—it was the type she had prepared for.
The pen tip touched the answer sheet with a soft rustling sound. Immersed in the world of words, she poured out her accumulated knowledge and emotions in an orderly fashion. Time flew by in her focused concentration.
The bell rang, signaling the end of the first exam, and Xu Nianlei followed the flow of people out of the exam hall. The sunlight was dazzling, and she squinted, feeling as if she had just finished the first tough battle. Wang Xiuqin immediately came up to her, eager to ask something, but seeing the calm yet slightly weary look on her daughter's face, she swallowed her words and simply handed her a bottle of water.
"Are you alright?" That was all she could ask in the end.
"Mmm." Xu Nianlei took the water, took a sip, and the cool liquid slid down her throat, bringing a sense of clarity.
She didn't ask for answers, nor did she participate in the heated discussions around her. She needed to maintain this focused, undisturbed state.
The following exams—mathematics, science, English… each one was a test of mental fortitude and perseverance. In the exam hall, some broke down in tears because the questions were too difficult, while others pounded their fists in frustration because they ran out of time. Xu Nianlei kept her head down, like a silent statue, only moving her pen when necessary to imprint her thoughts and twelve years of learning onto the answer sheet as completely as possible.
She also encounters tricky problems, and her mind goes blank for a moment due to nervousness. But whenever this happens, she forces herself to stop, take a deep breath, recall the stone thrown into the lake, and the promise made. Then, she throws herself back into the battle.
When the bell rang to signal the end of the final English exam, Xu Nianlei put down her pen, feeling a near-complete sense of disorientation. Was it over? Was it really... over?
She walked out of the examination hall with the numb crowd. The scorching sun enveloped her, but she felt no warmth at all, only a huge, overwhelming exhaustion and relief.
Outside the school gate, a sea of people had already gathered. Cries, laughter, cheers, and parents' calls mingled together, creating a chaotic yet vibrant scene. Wang Xiuqin squeezed through the crowd and, seeing her emerge, rushed over and hugged her tightly, her voice choked with emotion: "The exams are over! Finally over! No matter what, it's all over, it's all over!"
Xu Nianlei let her mother hold her, her body stiff, her mind still blank. Twelve years of hard study, countless nights burning the midnight oil, all the pressure and struggle, all came to an abrupt end at this moment.
She looked up, her gaze searching aimlessly through the crowd. She didn't know what she wanted to see; perhaps, just a familiar figure?
Just when she was about to give up, she saw him under a sycamore tree on the outskirts of the crowd.
Lu Baiyan stood there, not as anxious as the other parents, but quietly looking in her direction. Across the noisy crowd, their eyes met again.
His face showed no obvious expression, but his calm eyes clearly reflected a sense of...understanding, and a barely perceptible feeling of relief.
He didn't come over or say anything; he simply nodded slightly to her, just as he had done countless times before.
That look, that movement, seemed to say, "You've worked hard. It's over."
The last thread of tension that Xu Nianlei had been holding on to finally loosened completely at this moment. A huge wave of bitterness rushed to her nose, and her vision blurred rapidly. She hurriedly lowered her head, buried her face in her mother's shoulder, and tears silently streamed down her face.
These tears contained relief, weariness, and uncertainty about the future, but more than anything, they contained an indescribable sense of immense gratitude and a calm that felt like the dust had settled.
Wang Xiuqin felt her daughter's tears and assumed she was releasing stress, so she hugged her tighter and murmured, "Cry, it'll be okay if you cry it out..."
No one knows for whom these tears are shed.
Lu Baiyan stood under the tree, watching the frail figure trembling slightly in her mother's arms. The anxiety that had been hanging over him finally subsided. He watched her cry, watched her release her emotions, feeling little emotion, only a weariness and relief that the long period of protection had temporarily come to an end.
Leilei, your battle is over. Whatever the outcome, you are the victor.
He took one last deep look in that direction, then turned and silently blended into the dispersing crowd.
The summer sun remained scorching, baking the earth. A battle that determined the fate of countless people had come to an end, and a new chapter was about to unfold with the announcement of the results.
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