Chapter 63
The white magnolias bloomed in the early warming spring sunshine.
In the last semester of their senior year, the students of Shenhai High School had basically chosen the schools they would attend and completed their applications one after another. Some of them would also take the college entrance examination. The overall atmosphere in the graduating class was not tense, but rather more relaxed than before.
On the other hand, Lu Mingxiao's situation was quite the opposite.
The countdown to the college entrance exam was decreasing day by day on the blackboard. The exam papers were handed out like snowflakes, and before one was even finished, the next one was handed out.
Under such high-pressure atmosphere, even Liang Jing, who liked to talk, was like a wilted eggplant. After class, he would lie on his desk and take a nap without moving. Zhuo Ran took out a small mirror, touched the dark circles under his eyes, sighed, and turned his head to see Lu Mingxiao still doing his homework.
"Brother Xiao, please stop competing." She sighed softly, "You have no rivals left. Don't you feel the loneliness at the top?"
Lu Mingxiao twirled his pen with a flourish, raised an eyebrow and smiled: "You make me sound like a lone wolf. I've only just caught up with my Jiang Xiaoyu, and I still have a long way to go."
"Here you go again. Ever since the academic genius left, you've become increasingly brazen." Zhuoran slumped down: "I can't compare... I can't compare at all..."
The educational resources here are limited and backward. Starting from last semester, Lu Mingxiao would send some new question types to the teachers of each subject. In the last round of joint examinations, the senior students of No. 7 Middle School ranked first among the five schools. In addition, Lu Mingxiao's scores were consistently above 700. Now, when the teachers of each subject see Lu Mingxiao, it's like seeing a walking certificate of honor. One day after class, the old chemistry teacher even called him to his office and stuffed a basket of local eggs into his hand.
He told Jiang Huaiyu about it in the game and laughed uncontrollably.
"You wouldn't believe it, that old man was being all awkward. He said he'd reward me for doing well on the test, and I thought he was going to give me a certificate, but instead he pulled out a basket of farm eggs and said he'd give me a brain tonic."
Jiang Huaiyu, controlling her character, picked up the equipment from the ground and chuckled softly, "The old man is quite cute."
“Yes…” Lu Mingxiao’s character threw the golden armor in front of Jiang Huaiyu: “I heard from He Yan that Old Man Jiang sent people to pick you up and take you back to the old house these past two days. What does he want to do?”
Jiang Huaiyu's game character paused for a moment, then bent down to pick up the golden sniper rifle from the ground: "I don't know, I didn't go back."
"Don't know? My little fish baby is so smart, it must have guessed it..." Lu Mingxiao's character ran ahead, releasing a skill to scout ahead: "That old man is not satisfied with me, but he remembers how good you are and wants to repair your relationship, right? Dream on, does he think he's shopping at the vegetable market? Picking and choosing here and there."
Jiang Huaiyu laughed out loud and gave her coordinates: "I saw someone, be careful."
"Received." Lu Mingxiao hid behind the building. "Ahem... He Yan also said that a girl confessed to you?"
He asked sourly, "Hey Jiang Xiaoyu, didn't you make it clear that you have a boyfriend?"
“He Yan’s mouth…” Jiang Huaiyu said helplessly, “The few people I’m close to know I have a girlfriend, but not everyone knows. I can’t exactly stick your picture on my forehead, can I, Brother Xiao?”
Lu Mingxiao gave a sour snort, and before he knew it, he was shot in the head by an enemy character hiding in the ruins in the distance, and the character fell to the ground.
The opponent fired a shot, and Jiang Huaiyu's skill immediately located his coordinates. She retaliated cleanly and eliminated the opponent. Looking down, she saw that Lu Mingxiao's character had turned into a small cross stuck in the ground.
Lu Mingxiao: "Hmph, little widow."
Jiang Huaiyu laughed out loud: "So jealous? Did you open the package I sent you?"
Since it had already been phased out anyway, Lu Mingxiao got up and carefully opened the package he had just received today. It was a beautifully packaged little box, which looked quite expensive.
"Wow, is this an engagement ring?" Lu Mingxiao joked, but he knew it wasn't a ring. The box was larger than a ring box. When he opened the box, there was a bracelet inside.
The bracelet features a simple and bold design, with black beads complementing the silver metal. The beads contain strands of gold, like flowing gold dust, and the small silver pendant is engraved with the cursive initials of Jiang Huaiyu's name.
"Wearing a ring is too ostentatious." Jiang Huaiyu's character was also eliminated, so she simply withdrew from the spectating and took a picture of the matching bracelet on her wrist and sent it over: "This is a couple's bracelet, and it was even blessed at a temple."
"Boyfriend, good luck on your college entrance exam."
Lu Mingxiao instantly transformed into a sweet and sour person. He put on the bracelet, without reminding Jiang Huaiyu, who wasn't taking the college entrance exam, that metal bracelets weren't allowed in the exam room, but he would wear it every day before the exam.
...
Before they knew it, summer had arrived in Shenhai. The weather was unbearably hot. Some of the senior high school students had received their diplomas and were no longer attending classes. He Yan and the others didn't have to take the college entrance exam and were about to go abroad to study at university. As a result, they all felt like free adults and spent their days having fun.
Jiang Huaiyu occasionally hangs out with them. He doesn't like going to bars or other random clubs, and He Yan even teases him for remaining chaste for his girlfriend.
"Did you tell Lu Mingxiao about this?" Jiang Huaiyu, dressed in a black and white racing suit, leaned against the professional race car behind her, her eyes sweeping coldly over He Yan: "He's about to take the college entrance exam, don't bother him with everything."
"Huh? You're wronging me!" He Yan tilted his head back and took a sip of water. "He saw my post on WeChat Moments last time, the one at the bar. He commented asking why he hadn't seen me, and I just casually replied."
Jiang Huaiyu coldly retorted: "Post less on WeChat Moments too."
"Alright, the whole world has to make way for our Xiao-ge's college entrance exam!" He Yan chuckled foolishly, still unaware that something was amiss: "You really care about your half-brother... Hey! Zhou, why did you kick me?"
Zhou Lingye sneered: "I get angry just looking at your stupid face. Those guys over there are telling you to run another lap, so hurry up and go!"
After He Yan left, grumbling, Zhou Lingye looked at Jiang Huaiyu and said, "You were running those two laps in a really rushed way. If you're not in good shape, don't play anymore. What if something happens?"
Jiang Huaiyu nodded: "I'm not playing anymore, I'll go back in a bit."
"You want to accompany your brother during the college entrance exam, right?" Zhou Lingye raised an eyebrow. "Tsk, Young Master Jiang, you really know how to play the game. Are you serious?"
Jiang Huaiyu: ...
Last time He Yan celebrated her birthday, the guy surnamed Zhou was abroad and hadn't seen Lu Mingxiao. It seemed like he was standing on the wrong side of the stage?
Jiang Huaiyu's mood improved, and she tossed the helmet to him, saying, "Don't ask questions you shouldn't."
He looked at He Yan from afar, but spoke to Zhou Lingye with a half-smile, reminding him: "Mind your own business."
...
On the night before the college entrance examination, Song Jingliang and Jiang Lan arrived in Ancheng to accompany Lu Mingxiao to take the exam. Although Lu Mingxiao knew that Song Jingliang would not let Jiang Huaiyu come along, he was still somewhat disappointed.
I played games with Jiang Huaiyu for a while in the evening. It was a bit noisy on Jiang Huaiyu's end, so Lu Mingxiao, lying on his pillow with his phone in hand, teased him, "Young Master Jiang, where are you having fun again?"
"Let's go shopping at the mall." Jiang Huaiyu sat down and used her game character to hug Lu Mingxiao's avatar. "I'm going offline soon. Get some rest tonight and just play normally tomorrow."
"If I could see you, I could score ten more points on the test." Lu Mingxiao chuckled lazily, resting his head on his arm. "Have you found a place to stay after you went abroad?"
"Okay." Jiang Huaiyu glanced at the time in the upper corner of her phone: "Don't think about me anymore, you should log off and rest."
"Okay." Lu Mingxiao leaned closer to the phone's receiver, as if to get closer to Jiang Huaiyu: "Boyfriend, I miss you so much."
Jiang Huaiyu paused for a moment, then said softly, "Brother Xiao, you'll definitely get ten more points on the test."
He logged off. People were coming and going around him, most of them dragging their luggage. Jiang Huaiyu was the exception, traveling light, with his ID and phone charger in his bag.
There's also a plane ticket to Ancheng.
...
That morning, Song Jingliang drove Lu Mingxiao to the examination venue, and Li Qing checked the things she needed to bring over and over again.
Lu Chuan looked helplessly at his wife: "You're more anxious than the test taker himself. Stop turning around, honey, let's go. Brother Song and the others are already waiting at the alley entrance."
"Oh my, my heart is pounding..." Li Qing, who rarely put on makeup, pressed her chest and prepared to go out with Lu Chuan: "A year ago, I thought Lu Mingxiao's college entrance exam was nothing to be nervous about. His grades were terrible, what was there to be nervous about? I never thought that just a year later, our family might produce a provincial top scorer..."
The examinee followed behind Li Qing, one hand in his pocket, his steps somewhat lazy: "Mom, don't make promises you can't keep, it'll be embarrassing."
"What discouraging talk!" Li Qing slapped him, then remembered how precious this brat was today, comparable to a giant panda, and quickly rubbed his skin: "Maybe, Mom said maybe, not entirely!"
At the alley entrance, Jiang Lan and Song Jingliang were already waiting there. The two fathers and two mothers exchanged glances and burst out laughing, not for any other reason than that all four of them were dressed too formally.
Both mothers wore long skirts, and Lu Chuan even wore a white shirt, which was quite unusual for him.
Lu Mingxiao, who was casually dressed in a short-sleeved shirt, said: "...Enough already, you're all dressed like you're going on a blind date. Who's the main character here?"
Before entering the examination room, he took off the bracelet, rubbed the cool beads between his fingertips, and handed it to Lu Chuan.
"Dad, please keep this safe for me."
Lu Chuan chuckled and agreed, without looking closely, and carefully put it in his pocket.
Song Jingliang was a little jealous: "What kind of bracelet is so important? It looks kind of familiar to me?"
Jiang Lan thought to herself, "How could it not look familiar? Your little cabbage has one on her wrist too."
That's why I didn't dare entrust it to you for safekeeping.
After Lu Mingxiao got off the bus, he was stopped by the convex lens in charge of the test site. The lens asked him a lot of questions and encouraged him. Several students at the same test site cheered each other on.
Liang Jing grumbled and reached out to hug Lu Mingxiao's arm: "Brother Xiao, let me bask in your academic genius aura a little longer..."
Director Tu immediately widened his eyes: "Let go! Don't fool around at a time like this! This is the final stretch, don't let any small problems arise! After the exam, you can hug and cuddle however you want!"
“Huh…” Liang Jing rubbed his arms and stood up straight: “Look at what you’re saying, our relationship is completely innocent…”
"Alright, go in." Director Tu took a deep breath: "Do your best on the exam, and I wish you all the best of luck in achieving your goals!"
Lu Mingxiao smiled and waved to the convex lens before heading to the security checkpoint to queue.
Amidst the bustling crowd, he held the transparent file folder, his mood surprisingly calm.
He knew his own limitations, and was simply moving step by step toward the predetermined outcome, waiting for the dust to settle.
He longs to reunite with Jiang Huaiyu in a bright future.
Unwittingly, he met a pair of bright, smiling eyes.
The boy wore a mask and a baseball cap, revealing only his slightly upturned eyes. He wasn't standing in the security check line, but in the crowd of people seeing off the test takers. He seemed certain that Lu Mingxiao would see him in the crowd, and his eyes crinkled with smugness.
A gentle breeze dispelled some of the stuffiness, and Lu Mingxiao laughed along with it.
His bonus points have been awarded.
Author's Note:
Sitting in the car, Song Jingliang said: I think I saw a familiar shadow, but I must be seeing things.
I didn't take the day off today because I thought I could finish writing. It's a little late, sorry. [Please][Please][Please]
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