Chapter 23 Volunteer Application
My parents packed up their stall and went home before midnight tonight. I washed up and went to bed early, preparing to go to the cemetery to pay tribute to Yanyi's father tomorrow morning.
Bai He walked back to the room with the heat from the bath, wiping her wet long hair. She accidentally glanced at Yan Yi who was reading a book at the desk and found that he was holding the thick "Guide to Filling in College Entrance Examination Application".
This book is distributed to students by the school before the exam, with each student receiving a copy, to help high school seniors fill out their applications as a reference. It contains detailed information on the admission scores of major universities across the country and the scores for various majors each year.
Bai He walked over curiously and saw that Yan Yi was not only reading, but also taking notes. He recorded the majors, scores and cities of some colleges in the notebook. There were a lot of dense notes, and he even compared the advantages one by one.
He takes life, studies and everything seriously.
However, he is the top scorer in science in this province!
Can't you fill in the school form with your eyes closed?
"One, aren't you applying to Peking University or Tsinghua University?"
Hearing her voice, Yan Yi turned around, put down the book, took out a hair dryer from the drawer, asked Bai He to sit on his ergonomic chair, and he stood up to help her blow dry her hair.
The movements are naturally skillful. He has done this kind of thing at least eight hundred times.
Bai He lowered his head and flipped through his volunteer reference book. Many pages were folded up and he took notes, marking them with red and blue markers, very carefully.
His movements were as gentle as ever, blowing on her hair strand by strand. Occasionally, his fingers touched her cool earlobe, rubbing it and causing a slight palpitation.
Of course, this throbbing only existed in his emotional world, and Bai He was completely unaware of it.
"I'm asking you a question," she said. "There's no need to look at these schools. With your score, you're guaranteed to get into Peking University or Tsinghua University."
Yan Yi said, "I won't go to Peking University or Tsinghua University."
"Ah, why?"
"I want to apply to medical school."
"Right." Bai He thought about it, "There must be medical schools in Peking University and Tsinghua University as well."
"I want to go to the most professional medical university to study plastic surgery." Yan Yi's goal is very clear and definite.
Bai He felt his rough fingertips rubbing the burn scar on her neck, causing waves of tingling and numbness, and she couldn't help but tremble.
"Ayi, you don't really need to study plastic surgery for this. I'll probably save enough money for surgery before you even finish." Bai He said half-jokingly, "Choose the major you like."
"That's what I like," Yan Yi said frankly. "This major has good job prospects, and you'll earn a lot of money after you graduate. I thought about studying dentistry instead of this. However, I couldn't stand working on other people's mouths all year round, so I decided not to."
"So you want to make money!" Bai He laughed. "That's no problem. So many people are doing medical beauty and plastic surgery now. Not only girls, but boys are also starting to focus on their looks. The employment prospects are definitely bright."
"Um."
"Have you chosen a school yet?"
Yan Yi put down the hair dryer, sat on the armrest beside her, and opened the application form to the page of "Kitasato Medical University".
"BIT is one of the best medical universities in China, especially its plastic surgery program, which has been designated a national key discipline. The university is also a joint institution established by the National Health Commission and the Ministry of Education, with thirteen doctoral programs, including one in plastic surgery."
Bai He saw that Yan Yi already knew everything in such detail, and it was obvious that he had already set his sights on this medical school.
"Although it's a pity that I didn't apply to Peking University or Tsinghua University with such a good score, you have your own ideals, so just do what you think is right."
Yan Yi calmly turned another page, stopping at "Kitasato University," and asked her, "What about you? Have you decided which school to apply to?"
"Not yet." Bai He leaned on the neck brace on the net and sighed.
"If I could score another ten or twenty points, I'd have more options. Now it seems like I'm stuck between a high and a low. I want to get into the best schools, but I'm afraid I'll fail."
"Compared to the three mock exams, your current score is already an amazing performance."
"That's right." Bai He said to himself, "People should learn to be content. My level of fluctuating between the first-tier line and the undergraduate line is several tens of points higher. It's amazing!"
"Yes." Yan Yi gently touched her head, "Come and see this school."
He handed Bai He his notes on Kitasato University. "Beisato, like Nanxiang, is a coastal city, but it's at a higher latitude. It only takes half a day to get there by train, so you can go home anytime. Kitasato University has the best liberal arts program, with strong programs in history, literature, education, art, and finance and accounting. You have a lot of options."
Bai He certainly knew Kitasato University, which is also a very famous liberal arts college. Because it is built by the sea, the environment is beautiful and pleasant, and the dormitory buildings are sea view rooms. It even became a hot search and became the white moonlight university in the minds of many students.
In the past, Bai He never dared to think that he could be admitted to this school, but looking at the score lines in previous years, Bai He's score is definitely enough to pass.
Seeing her diligently reading Kitasato University's information, Yan Yi whispered in her ear, "Kitasato University and Kitasato Medical University are just across the street from each other. Kitasato Medical University used to be Kitasato University's medical school, but later became independent. The schools are even connected; I hear even campus cards are accepted."
"Ah, is that so?" Bai He's mood finally lifted. "If I apply to Kitasato University, wouldn't that mean I'm in the same university as Yinian?"
"You want to continue studying at the university with me?"
"Yes! Of course I do!" Bai He said, "It's so nice to still be together. We can go home together and won't be alone on the high-speed train."
"That…"
Yan Yi cautiously probed, "Is Kitasato University on your reference list, sister?"
Bai He raised his eyebrows.
It's really rare.
She hadn't heard him call her "sister" for eight or ten years. This kid was very concerned about his reputation and always called her "Bai He" as if being someone's brother was a very shameful thing.
However, this call of "sister" was so sweet that Bai He's heart was melted.
It seems that if I don’t agree, I won’t be his good sister.
"Uh... OK, put it on the list for consideration." Bai He said as he opened his phone and wrote the words "Kitasato University" in the phone's memo.
But the translation was quick-eyed and saw that the first university she had listed as a reference in her memo was—
University of Hong Kong.
…
At six o'clock the next morning, Bai He got up on her own without Yan Yi urging her to get up. After washing up, she sat by the dressing mirror and put on some light makeup.
Today we are going to pay tribute to Yan Yi's father, who is also her savior. Bai He must treat it seriously and not be lazy at all.
During the fire that year, Bai He was trapped in the sea of fire, crying heart-wrenchingly.
But the fire was too intense, and no one dared to rush in to save her. Seeing the blazing flames about to consume everything, Bai He even felt the pain of being burned by the flames. Even more terrifying than the pain was the feeling of despair...
No one, no one came to save her. She heard her mother's screams outside the fire, but they couldn't get in. No one could save her.
Until she saw the orange-yellow figure in the sea of fire, a firefighter rushed in regardless of danger and picked up her dying body.
But the exit was blocked by the fire and collapsed beams, so he could only carry her to the second floor and throw her out of the second-floor window.
A life-saving air cushion had been set up downstairs, and Bai He rolled onto it without getting hurt. However, just as the firefighter was about to climb up to the window, a collapsed beam crushed him...
That orange-yellow figure never walked out of the raging sea of fire.
After that day, there was one more child without a father in the world.
Bai He was treating burns on her neck in the hospital's burn department. It was in the hospital that she met Yan Yi for the first time.
The little boy stood alone in front of the morgue door, not crying, his eyes filled with a dead silence like the deep space...
At first, the relatives decided to cremate his body because it was the most convenient and lowest-cost way to deal with it, but Yan Yi stood in front of the cart like a madman, like a mad stray dog, biting everyone he saw and refusing to let anyone touch his father's body even if he died.
He refused to be cremated because he had perished in the flames… He must have felt so much pain before dying! The flames had taken his life, and Yan Yi absolutely did not want his already damaged body to be consumed by the flames.
As the son of a fire hero, Yan Yi's opinion cannot be ignored.
So the body remains in the morgue until a hero memorial ceremony is held, and then it is moved to the cemetery for burial.
He practically lived in the hospital, guarding the corridor of the morgue every day. Many people came to visit him and his father, including many important provincial and municipal leaders, as well as numerous news media, snapping photos of him...
Bai He was also in the hospital, lying at the corner of the corridor, looking at him from afar.
The reporters wanted to take pictures of the boy crying bitterly, but Yan Yi didn't cry.
Whether at the memorial ceremony or the commendation meeting, he always had an expressionless look on his face, as if his soul had been drained away.
Carefully guarding his own heart, he also guarded his father's body.
Until the last night before the burial, when it was late at night and everyone was asleep, Bai He couldn't sleep, so he simply left the ward and went to the corridor of the morgue to say goodbye to his savior.
She will never forget the orange-yellow figure rushing into the sea of fire.
At that moment when she was on the verge of death, Uncle Yan was like Spider-Man, like Sun Wukong, like Astro Boy, like all the cartoon heroes Xiao Baihe could think of... he came down from the sky and saved her life.
She came to the morgue silently. The incandescent light dimly illuminated the corridor. She was afraid of ghosts, but at this moment her heart was full of courage because a hero lay in that cold room.
From a distance, she saw Yan Yi.
The young man sat in the corner of the corridor, holding his head and crying.
That was the first time Bai He saw him cry.
At first, she didn't dare to go over. Uncle Yan died saving her. She was a little afraid of Yan Yi and didn't dare to face him.
But he was sobbing, and he looked so small and thin. He was wearing a dirty white T-shirt with Ultraman printed on it. His skin was pale and bloodless, like a helpless kitten.
The love in Bai He's heart overcame her fear. She sat down beside him, stretched out her trembling hands, and embraced him like an older sister.
"Don't cry." She comforted him, "Don't cry anymore."
I thought he would refuse because he refused many people, including adults who wanted to reach out and touch his head, or hug him and comfort him, but he pushed them away and refused any contact from them.
But he did not refuse Bai He. He just hugged his knees helplessly, sobbing heavily, and howling helplessly and silently.
It was as if he was a child abandoned by the whole world, and sadness surged like a tide.
From then on, there was no father anymore.
Bai He also cried. She could feel his helplessness and sadness because she also had a father, and this was the most resonant emotion.
Bai He hugged him and cried with him, crying and whispering in his ear: "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry."
Yan Yi grabbed her arm and bit it hard.
It hurt a lot, but Bai He still held him tightly and didn't let go.
The tooth mark on my arm was so deep that it didn't fade away for several days.
After Uncle Yan was buried, Bai He didn't see Yan Yi for a while. Later, one day she woke up and saw Yan Yi appear in the empty ward, staring at her face.
It seemed like he had never changed his clothes. The Ultraman on his chest was not only dirty, but also had the glue peeling off. His face was also dirty like a little cat.
As soon as he saw Bai He wake up, he turned around and ran away.
Bai He wanted to call him, but he ran away like a wild cat.
Tang Xin entered the room and bumped into him. She looked at his retreating figure in surprise: "That kid... is that Yan Yi?"
"It's him."
"What is he doing here?"
Bai He saw a tube of burn ointment next to the bedside table.
She was in the hospital and under the care of a doctor, so she didn't need this kind of tube-shaped plaster for minor burns. This thing must have been brought by Yan Yi.
After being discharged from the hospital, Bai He heard that a relative had adopted Yan Yi. Tang Xin and Bai Xincheng even took her to visit the relative, bought Yan Yi a lot of nutritional supplements and toys, and gave him 30,000 yuan.
At that time, 30,000 yuan was the maximum the family could afford.
The relatives accepted the gifts and money, but their attitude was very cold, and there was even a hint of blame in their words.
The parents were chatting with relatives upstairs, saying that if their child had any problems in the future, he could come to them and they would do their best to help.
Bai He met Yan Yi downstairs. Yan Yi was squatting under a tree watching ants moving. His clothes were still dirty, and his little face was also dirty.
She walked over to him and watched the ants moving with him. Yan Yi was unmoved and still didn't say a word.
The two of them watched in silence for a while, and Yan Yi suddenly picked up a small branch and poked the ant hole hard.
Bai He quickly grabbed his hand and said, "No, this is their home."
"Why? Why do ants have homes but I don't?"
The young man seemed a little angry. He pushed Bai He to the ground and then stomped on the ant nest with his feet until the small mound in the sand was completely destroyed.
Bai He was frightened by him and sat on the ground, not daring to move.
After Yan Yi vented his anger, he turned around and looked at Bai He. She was wearing a clean little dress, had an exquisite scorpion tail braid, and had a fair and rosy face. It seemed that her life was completely different from his.
The girl looked terrified. Seeing him coming towards her with a wooden fork, she thought he was going to do something to her.
Yan Yi didn't touch her, threw away the wooden fork and left.
When passing by her, Bai He grabbed his hand and said firmly: "Who said you don't have a home? You do!"
"Where?"
"I...I'll give my parents to you, and you come to my house!"
There was a coldness in Yan Yi's eyes, even a hint of sarcasm.
He knew she was speaking childishly.
Even his relatives thought he was a burden and a nuisance. When leaders came to visit him and gave him compensation, they pretended to love him.
As soon as the person left and the door closed, Yan Yi was driven into a small dark room.
This world is full of lies.
Yan Yi pushed the little girl away and even scratched her face with a wooden fork, just like that time... he bit her hard, as if he wanted to bite her to death.
He vented the devil in his heart on this girl who was weaker than him.
Because of her, he was homeless.
But after doing it, I regretted it so much...and therefore hated myself even more.
Bai Xincheng and Tang Xin happened to see this scene when they came downstairs. They quickly picked up the little girl, comforted her and protected her.
The uncle had just accepted the 30,000 yuan when he turned around and saw Yan Yi bullying the little girl. He was so angry that he grabbed a cane and rushed over to beat him hard.
"You've grown so powerful and you still bully others!"
"I'm going to beat you to death!"
He was really ruthless. He whipped his arms and legs with a cane, leaving bruises with each whip.
Yan Yi gritted his teeth, hugged his elbows to protect himself, neither crying nor shouting, but glared at his uncle with the eyes of a vicious dog.
This angered the uncle, and he whipped him even harder, almost drawing blood.
Bai He screamed, "Don't hit him! Don't hit him!"
Bai Xincheng quickly stepped forward to stop him: "Talk nicely, don't hit the child!"
"This brat is very rebellious and won't obey discipline. He has to be beaten."
"You can't do anything about it!"
After persuading their uncle to stop, they took Bai He away with great concern.
Two years later, the uncle showed up with Yan Yi and dumped the child at their house. He said confidently, "We lost money in business, sold our house, and have nowhere else to live. We have to move back to our hometown. We have two children of our own, and we can't take care of Yan Yi. His father died saving your daughter, so you should be responsible for this child."
Yan Yiben thought that since he had bullied Bai He in that way, her parents would not want him.
Unexpectedly, the couple agreed without hesitation.
The two even looked relieved. Ever since that day's visit, they had been worried about Yan Yi, but they had no right to interfere.
After the relatives left, Bai Xincheng gave Yan Yi a hot bath and joked that it had been a long time since he had taken a bath. The mud on his body was so thick that it could fill a truck if he rubbed it off.
After taking a shower, Tang Xin had already packed his suitcase. There were only a few clothes in it, and they were all old and dirty. Tang Xin threw them all away: "It's too late now. Auntie will take you to buy new clothes and shoes tomorrow. We won't wear these dirty clothes anymore."
She even gave Bai He's room to Yan Yi, letting Bai He sleep with her parents. Later, Bai He felt a little shy to sleep with her father, so she ran out in the middle of the night and slept on the sofa.
After sleeping like this for more than half a month, Yan Yi felt embarrassed and said he would sleep on the sofa and asked Bai He to go back to her room.
So the couple decided to divide the room into two with wooden boards, renovate it, and buy a new bed, wardrobe and desk.
From then on, Yan Yi became a member of the family.
Bai He also became his older sister, protecting him and loving him. Even though he had bullied her in the past, she did not bear a grudge at all. She said it was normal for a little kid to lose his temper, but he should never mess with ant nests in the future, as it would be so pitiful for the ants to lose their homes.
Yan Yi nodded vigorously and obeyed her from then on.
Because his world is no longer filled with lies.
And sincerity.
…
Yan Yi walked into the room and saw Bai He staring at the mirror in a daze. He picked up a comb and combed her hair.
"Ah, it hurts, it hurts." Bai He quickly dodged his comb.
"It hurts already." Yan Yi rubbed her fluffy and frizzy hair, "I didn't even use any force."
"It just hurts." Bai He pushed his hand away complainingly, took the comb and combed it gently herself, "I'm most afraid of the pain."
"When you were little, every time you got an injection, you would scream like a ghost demanding your life."
"Compared to your calmness, I seem like a ghost seeking revenge. Actually, crying is the normal reaction for children when facing an injection, right?"
"So you're saying that I'm the abnormal one."
"You're not normal to begin with." Bai He said, using a small clip to pinch the back of Yan Yi's hand that was resting on the table. "If you can't feel the pain, how can you be considered normal?"
"Try harder." Yan Yi said.
Bai He pinched the skin on the back of his hand hard.
The back of his hand was also cold white, with a thin layer of skin covering the slender finger bones, and faint blue blood vessels on the back of his hand.
"Doesn't it hurt?" She tried hard.
“No feeling.”
Bai He even stood up and used both hands to push: "Doesn't it hurt yet?"
"A little bit, like a mosquito bite."
“…” Bai He gave up.
It has been like this since he was a child. This kid's pain sense is so numb that it's horrible.
"It's because you can't feel the pain, so you always don't know how hard to hit me." Bai He said reproachfully, "You hurt me a lot."
"Really? I think I'm very light."
"That time you bit me, I thought you wanted me to die."
Bai He pulled up his sleeves, revealing a piece of his right white forearm.
Although the teeth marks have long disappeared, the pain... seems to be branded on her body forever.
Yan Yi took her arm and searched for it: "I have forgotten where I bit, do you still remember?"
"How could you not remember? It hurt for a long time! You are such a dog."
Yan Yi was about to bite again, but Bai He quickly pushed his face away and said fiercely, "You dare? I won't show any mercy!"
After saying that, she hit him with the sole of her slipper. Yan Yi smiled and blocked the slipper, then grabbed her arm and pinned her to the desk: "I'm not a child now, you can't beat me."
Bai He yelled, hitting and punching him: "In my eyes, you will always be a little brat!"
With this kid's current height and size, Bai He is no match for him at all. She is suppressed by him and unable to move in minutes. He can grab both of her wrists with one hand.
In terms of strength, it is also a one-sided crushing situation.
Bai He had no power to fight back except to scold him.
There was a knock on the door from Tang Xin: "Why are you fighting again so early in the morning? Come on, come out for breakfast, we're leaving!"
"Here I am, Auntie." Yan Yi said calmly.
Even though they were fighting, his flat body pressed against her back with almost no gap, and his hot body temperature made her cheeks red.
She turned around and glared at him, lowering her voice and saying, "Let go, you stinky translator."
"I was wrong." Yan Yi said.
"You know you're wrong, but you still won't let go."
"I didn't know the seriousness of the matter." Yan Yi smiled and whispered in her ear, "From now on, I will try my best to restrain myself and be gentle with my sister."
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