In just a few days, they would see each other again.
Xie Qian’s text message carried not a hint of flirtation, yet Wen Ying could not control the heat rising in her cheeks.
Wen Ying was no fool. Before, she had not dared to entertain such thoughts. She had chalked up the undercurrents between her and Xie Qian to her own lack of resolve as an older woman, and she had felt guilty and self-reproachful for ages, convinced she was betraying their pure friendship. Later, Xie Qian’s actions made it gradually clear to her that she was not the only one harbouring those feelings.
The paper window remained unpierced, yet Wen Ying felt no urgency at all.
With the Gaokao looming like a great mountain, all emotions had to yield to it.
Moreover, this subtle, unspoken thrill made her second chance at youth feel so full and vibrant. Wen Ying herself was reluctant to pierce that paper window.
After the Gaokao, they would meet again, but it was only a few days away. Without the exam weighing on her, would something change in her relationship with Xie Qian?
Wen Ying decided to let nature take its course.
Love was a beautiful thing, not to be planned or orchestrated. How far it went depended on their states of mind. It was the uncertainty that made it so enticing and full of anticipation.
Wen Ying’s cheeks flushed red, her lips curving upwards.
Li Mengjiao was thrilled beyond measure too.
As the head of the CP fans, she had no Gaokao pressure at all. The thought of Wen Ying and Xie Qian’s secret romance emerging from the shadows after the exam filled her with utter delight.
“Hehe…”
Li Mengjiao giggled aloud as she daydreamed, and Wen Ying looked at her in surprise. “What are you laughing at?”
Li Mengjiao covered her mouth, refusing to say, grinning like a fool.
Wen Ying caught her silliness and could not help but laugh too.
…
In the days leading up to the exam, Wen Ying felt less pressure than before.
She had been wound tight earlier, pushing herself to test the limits of her potential.
Now that the Gaokao was imminent, her results were set in stone, good or bad. Cramming in the final days would not make much difference; better to adjust her mindset and perform well on the day.
That was what the school teachers said too. A good mental state for the exam mattered more than burning the midnight oil on last-minute questions. As in previous years, the school gave the Year 3 students a holiday starting on 5 June.
At home, Chen Ru and Wen Dongrong would not let Wen Ying lift a finger for chores. She grew bored and did two practice papers on her own.
The house was quiet as a mouse. As long as Wen Ying was home, Wen Dongrong lost his TV privileges.
He did not protest.
A wise man knows when to yield. The black-hearted cotton’s Gaokao was the top priority in the household, and Wen Dongrong had no desire to challenge his wife’s authority on it.
He wanted her to do well too!
Over the three years of high school, Wen Ying had transformed physically. The Wen family now had a grown daughter. Slimmed down, she looked every bit Wen Dongrong’s own flesh and blood just from her face. This little padded jacket might be tattered and black-hearted, but she brought him pride. He had no reason to wish for her failure.
On studies, Wen Dongrong could offer no help. In fact, financially, the black-hearted cotton had more money than he did.
As head of the household, all he could do was bury himself in the kitchen, rustling up three meals a day for her. He did not aim for fancy flavours, but nutrition had to be balanced and healthy, ingredients fresh, with no burden on her stomach!
Wen Dongrong was like this, and Chen Ru was no idler either.
She set aside the stock market and her work unit for now, calling her old classmate Wu Chunqin every day to ask about university majors.
Wu Chunqin could tell Chen Ru was anxious and laughed reassuringly over the phone. “With Wen Ying’s scores, as long as she performs well on the Gaokao, she can pick any major at Lao Shen’s school~”
She would not even need the score reduction from her first prize in the New Concept Essay Contest. Wen Ying had the strength on her own.
Chen Ru could not help but smile.
Yes, the Wen Ying of today was not the one from three years ago.
Three years back, when she had just entered the provincial key school in Rongcheng, facing the influx of top students from across the city, Wen Ying had struggled to keep up.
Without Lin Lin’s help, her middle school scores would not have placed her in the experimental class.
Now all was well. Wen Ying ranked around the top 50 in her year, living up to Lin Lin’s kindness in assigning her there.
At this thought, Chen Ru forgot to chat with Wu Chunqin. She needed to discuss with her sister Chen Li how to thank Teacher Lin properly.
Chen Li giggled and teased her elder sister. “We absolutely should thank Teacher Lin properly. Not just for placing Xiaoying in the experimental class. Without her arranging for Xiaoying to study with her cousin Xie Qian, could Xiaoying have made such progress in three years?”
Teased by her own sister, Chen Ru felt no anger.
It was the plain truth.
Wen Ying went to Xie Qian’s house every weekend for tutoring.
Over three years of high school, in any exam where Xie Qian did not miss it, he was always first in the year.
With a super top student like Xie Qian guiding her, Wen Ying could progress so quickly.
Forget that Wen Ying and Xie Qian were not in puppy love; even if they really were secretly dating… it might be acceptable?
Chen Ru recalled that private meeting with Xie Qian.
He had defended Wen Ying so staunchly.
She could not suppress the smile tugging at her lips. “We must thank Teacher Lin, and Xie Qian too. I heard from Wen Ying that he went back to the capital for the Gaokao. After the exams, if there’s a chance, we can invite him for a meal.”
Before the Gaokao, the Wen household was harmonious. The only conflict was over who would drive Wen Ying to the exam hall.
Deng Shangwei and Wen Dongrong both refused to yield, until Chen Ru refereed: Wen Dongrong for the first day, Deng Shangwei for the second. Only then did the brothers-in-law make peace.
Wen Ying’s verdict on this: childish!
On 6 June, Wen Ying went with the other candidates to familiarise herself with the exam hall.
On 7 June, the childish Comrade Wen Dongrong, nerves on edge, drove his second-hand car and dropped Wen Ying off at the hall bright and early.
Watching her back as she entered, Wen Dongrong’s heart was a tangle of emotions.
He had indeed missed out on his black-hearted cotton’s growth.
Those parent-teacher meetings he skipped.
The school runs he never made.
In the blink of an eye, she was eighteen. With the Gaokao ending, his chances to make up for it grew even slimmer.
Wen Dongrong, who had quit smoking long ago, suddenly felt an itch in his throat. He craved a cigarette right then.
In the morning, when Wen Ying emerged from the exam hall, the area outside was packed with jostling heads, all accompanying parents.
Wen Dongrong stood out in his usual get-up: white shirt tucked into trousers, belt hitched high, full of personal flair. Wen Ying spotted him quickly and elbowed her way through the crowd to his side.
This summer seemed especially scorching. Wen Dongrong was nearly melting in the sun.
The father and daughter had no time for chit-chat. He bundled her into the car.
“Quick, quick. Grab some lunch, then you can nap a bit. Don’t want you dozing off this afternoon!”
Wen Dongrong nattered on.
From start to finish, he never asked how the exam went. He did not want to add any pressure.
Huddled in her seat, Wen Ying texted Xie Qian: “…I think I did pretty well.”
As a bestselling author, Chinese was absolutely Wen Ying’s strong suit. Starting with it gave her a huge confidence boost!
