College Entrance Examination
As the five-star red flag rose slowly in the morning light, Xia Zhitang recalled his high school life to the accompaniment of the national anthem.
It was her father who, despite immense pressure, urged her to persevere in her passion for art. He said, "Life is long, but this is the only passion you have right now. There's no need to give up what you love just because of a temporary setback."
She looked at Principal Wang's white hair fluttering in the air under the national flag, and the young faces standing behind her, as if she was back to the time when her father firmly supported her to fulfill her dream.
No matter how many hardships they have faced, they are now like tender shoots growing from the cracks of rocks in spring. In the future, they will be nourished by the sunshine and rain of knowledge and will bear the fruits of their lives.
When the national flag was raised to the top of the flagpole and fluttering in the wind, Xia Zhitang felt Lin Jingming's gaze falling on her through the crowd.
She smiled and nodded slightly at Lin Jingming, picked up the backpack containing the drone at her feet and ran out of the school gate.
Teacher Li's motorcycle was already parked at the school gate. Xia Zhitang put on a helmet, inserted the car key, stepped on the accelerator and drove towards the examination room.
After parking the car on the side of the road, she rushed into the examination room holding her permit and released the drone in the reserved position.
On the surveillance camera, in the layers of low alleys, a long line of women in red clothes was like a young dragon moving through the gray clouds.
Xia Zhitang controlled the drone and slowly moved towards the girls' high school team. The sunlight just happened to reflect the lens and create a beautiful rainbow halo.
The movement of the camera carries a romantic sentiment that only Chinese people can understand. The vitality exuded by the fiery dragon team seems to be about to break through the camera and roar out.
This is a shot that Xia Zhitang and Lin Jingming conceived after coming here several times. It is a true record that cannot be repeated.
When the exam bell rang, Xia Zhitang flew under the scorching sun and completed the last set of aerial photos preset by Lin Jingming.
While students were nervously answering questions in the examination room, Lin Jingming was sitting under the shade of a tree outside the examination room, adjusting aerial photography materials.
When he saw the red team in the rainbow halo, he excitedly patted Xia Zhitang on the shoulder: "Great!"
Xia Zhitang smiled at him: "Your efforts have not been in vain."
"Xia Xia, this is our work." Lin Jingming put his arm around her shoulders and quickly let go. "Okay, take a break. We still need to take pictures of the students later."
For the next few exams, Lin Jingming and Xia Zhitang accompanied the candidates and teachers between the girls' high school and the examination hall, using cameras to record an extremely important exam in the candidates' lives, the teachers' escort and waiting, and this annual national selection competition.
When the bell for handing in papers rang, the students, dressed in red school uniforms like little flames, rushed out crying, hugged Principal Zhang and the teachers, and cried together.
After three years of heavy pressure and three years of repeated efforts, they finally made it through.
Xia Zhitang hid behind Lin Jingming and quietly wiped away her tears. During this shoot, she seemed to have relived her past sufferings. Her tears now were not tears of sadness, but tears of relief.
Lin Jingming stood there stiffly, staring at the cameramen, but in his mind he was imagining turning around and hugging Xia Zhitang, letting her cry her heart out in his arms.
However, he knew he couldn't - Xia Zhitang was Gu Zian's fiancée, and he was Xia Zhitang's work partner...
Lin Jingming woke up and picked up his phone, only to see a message from Xia Zhitang in the message box: [I seem to be sick...]
He was so scared that he jumped up from the bed and rushed out the door barefoot. He took a few steps before calming down.
When I clicked on Xia Zhitang’s profile picture, I heard a faint ringing sound of a cell phone coming from next door.
Lin Jingming tapped the table anxiously, counting the time. Just as he was about to lose his patience and rush down to ask the boss for the key to open the door, the phone was finally picked up.
"Hello, Lin Jingming, I need to ask for leave." The voice on the phone was confused and weak, as if he had not woken up yet.
"Do you have a cold or a fever?" Lin Jingming had already put on his shoes, opened the door and stood at Xia Zhitang's door. "Do you have the strength to open the door?"
There was a rustling sound from inside, then the sound of a chair being dragged behind the door, and after a while the door opened.
Xia Zhitang's little face was a little pale, his lips were no longer moist, and he leaned weakly against the wall.
Lin Jingming squeezed in and saw a chair behind the door with a ceramic cup on it. "You have a strong sense of vigilance."
He turned around and saw Xia Zhitang looking like he was about to faint. He sighed and carried him back to the bed.
"I'm fine." Xia Zhitang muttered.
"Are you okay? You don't even have the energy to hit me." Lin Jingming pulled the quilt over her and covered her forehead with his palm. "You have a fever."
"Low fever, I checked it out." Xia Zhitang corrected Lin Jingming, "Just dizziness, fatigue, nausea, and sleepiness."
Lin Jingming turned around and saw a thermometer and a pack of opened sanitary napkins on the bedside table, and her black underwear was lying quietly beside them.
"Check it again, what if he has a fever?" Lin Jingming grabbed the thermometer and handed it to Xia Zhitang.
"Maybe I was too tired these days and had a little heatstroke. It's really nothing." Xia Zhitang whispered while stuffing a thermometer into the collar of his pajamas.
The collar of the cotton pajamas was a bit loose, and most of the white outline was revealed when Xia Zhitang moved.
Lin Jingming silently helped her pull up her collar: "Where is the key to your house?"
His voice was a little hoarse, and Xia Zhitang felt his gaze on him.
"On the table." Xia Zhitang wrapped himself in the quilt, turned over and yawned again.
Lin Jingming put her key into his trouser pocket: "I'll come to see you later, what do you want to eat?"
"Plain porridge."
Xia Zhitang closed his eyes sleepily as he heard the door close.
Lin Jingming rushed back, stood in front of the washbasin and washed his face with cold water several times, barely suppressing the messy thoughts in his mind.
When Xia Zhitang woke up again, Lin Jingming had already brought breakfast and was sitting beside him flipping through a history book.
"What's the temperature?" Lin Jingming put the book aside, fished out the plastic box of porridge and opened it, "Let's eat something first."
Xia Zhitang took out the thermometer that had been tucked under his arm for who knows how long and looked at it in the light for a long time.
"37.8°C, a low fever, just lie down for a while." Xia Zhitang kicked away the quilt and slowly got up.
Lin Jingming came over to help her put the thermometer back on the bedside table, and helped the weak Xia Zhitang sit at the table.
"I'm not that weak." Xia Zhitang protested dissatisfiedly.
"I don't care." Lin Jingming pushed the man onto the chair, turned around and sat on the other side to continue writing the lesson plan. "I'll teach your history class this afternoon."
"Are you okay?" Xia Zhitang said worriedly, "I'm currently reviewing for the final exam."
"I got a list of exam topics for the Taipei City final exam. It shouldn't be hard to improve based on the textbook content." Lin Jingming, looking at his phone and history book, prepared to start writing a lesson plan. "And don't forget, I'm Lin Jingming, who can always be on time and always come in late and still get the top score in the grade."
"I think he just got first place in the art exam." Xia Zhitang had a feeling that he was bragging.
"That was also the first in the whole school!" Lin Jingming gave Xia Zhitang a provocative look, "Miss Xia, what was your ranking in the whole school back then?"
"I'm not as good as you, okay?" Xia Zhitang said in a weak voice and perfunctorily, "Oh, Director Lin is the best."
Lin Jingming glanced at her. Even though he knew she was being sarcastic and joking, he still felt his heart beating fast.
"So I'm your director, the one who helps you fix your problems."
Xia Zhitang was weak and unaware of Lin Jingming's chaotic inner world, and was still half-heartedly bickering with Lin Jingming.
"Thank you very much. I want to have some cold noodles for lunch. I'd like to go to the place opposite the exam center. Thank you."
Lin Jingming stretched out his hand to tap her forehead, but when he looked up and saw her pale little face under her loose hair, he felt a little reluctant and pinched her cheek lightly instead.
"Liangpi? Why would you eat something cold during your period?"
Before Xia Zhitang raised his hand to pat Lin Jingming, he quickly retracted his hand and returned to normal.
"You greedy sick cat, go back and lie down after eating." Lin Jingming returned to his serious look.
Xia Zhitang was too sleepy to argue with him, so he yawned and crawled back to bed to sleep.
Soon, the only sounds left in the room were the rustling of Lin Jingming turning pages and Xia Zhitang's shallow breathing.
After Lin Jingming finished preparing the lesson, he got up quietly and walked to the bed. Xia Zhitang was so well-behaved that he didn't kick the quilt and curled up in the bed like a kitten.
Lin Jingming gently brushed away the strands of hair stuck to her face, bent his hand, and gently brushed her cheek with his knuckles.
"Where's Tang? Why isn't she here today?" The proprietress turned around and asked Lin Jingming as she brought the dishes.
"I'm not feeling well. I'm lying in bed." Lin Jingming explained, "Maybe I'm tired from filming these past few days."
"It's been scorching hot these past few days. I made some mung bean soup and will bring some back for Tang later." The proprietress was very enthusiastic. "You need something cool to drink in this weather."
"She can't drink cold drinks." Lin Jingming thought of Xia Zhitang's recent menstrual period and decisively rejected the proprietress's kindness.
The proprietress paused as she served the dishes and looked at Lin Jingming in surprise.
While everyone was eating, Lin Jingming suddenly stood up and walked towards the proprietress.
He lowered his voice and said, "Xia Xia is on her period and she's tired and dizzy. Where can I buy some brown sugar water?"
"What? What does menstrual period mean?" The proprietress was a little confused by this academic term.
Lin Jingming felt that the proprietress's voice was a little loud: "Please speak softly."
He glanced at the camera crew and breathed a sigh of relief, seeing that they didn't seem to notice this side.
"It's those few days every month when women are particularly tired and need to use sanitary napkins." Lin Jingming said in a low voice.
"oh oh!"
The proprietress nodded in sudden realization, and looked at Lin Jingming with a hint of shock.
"No need to go out to buy it. I'll go cook some brown sugar ginger and add an egg and you can serve it." The proprietress patted Lin Jingming's shoulder vigorously, feeling that she had not misjudged Director Lin and that he was indeed a good person.
As she cooked the brown sugar ginger, she was in a dilemma: both were so good, how should she choose?
At first she supported Lin Jingming and Xia Zhitang. From the first sight, the two of them seemed to get along well and had fun together. Their abilities and looks matched well with each other.
Then, after she saw Gu Zian, she thought that as a woman, of course she would choose a young, strong, and physiqued guy. Besides, that guy was not only good-looking, but also obviously someone who cared about women.
And now, Director Lin, who is such a proud person, is actually busy running around for Tang's menstrual matters, as if he is very proud!
Oh, it’s so difficult to choose. Why can’t I spread both?
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