From early May until the college entrance exam in June, that entire month left almost no memorable impressions in Chi Nuan’s mind.
She numbly took exams, did practice questions, took exams, did practice questions… Her performance remained consistently stable.
When the pre-exam break began, the entire school cleaned the exam venues. Whistles and shouts echoed through the senior year building. People kept tearing up practice papers and throwing them downstairs. Chi Nuan stood by the window organizing the broom when a paper crane fluttered past in her peripheral vision.
Her gaze followed the paper crane. Its descending arc seemed to slice through time, revealing Gu Ningzi in her school uniform, casually standing in the shadows, looking up toward the second-floor window.
…Chi Nuan still remembered that scene. It was during a Chinese class; Gu Ningzi had just returned to Yuncheng from the North, drawing the attention of the entire class.
It felt as if it were right before her eyes.
She could finally recall her a bit more calmly now, after that heart-wrenching breakdown on the day she lost her mobile phone.
The lost videos of Gu Ningzi and those chat records forced Chi Nuan to leave the sanctuary she had deeply relied on, compelling her to face a real world where Gu Ningzi was nowhere to be found.
…
The three days of the college entrance exam passed in a blur. When the scores came out, He Liwen called Chi Nuan late at night, excitedly incoherent: “Chi Nuan! Congratulations! Congratulations!”
But Chi Nuan’s emotions showed little fluctuation. She calmly listened to the call, hung up the mobile phone, and continued reading a picture book story to Little Wutong, who lay there gnawing on his foot.
Chi Qingchuan was in the kitchen cooking a late-night snack and was a bit overly excited, scalding his fingers on the hot pot several times. After the siblings finished eating, they inevitably discussed filling out university applications.
Chi Nuan’s score far exceeded B University’s admission line from previous years. Chi Qingchuan’s first thought was that school. It was the dream university for everyone, and he spoke enthusiastically about it, but Chi Nuan was absent-minded.
Then, shocking everyone, Chi Nuan chose S University, math major.
He Liwen called Chi Qingchuan, and her shock was evident even through the receiver. Chi Qingchuan glanced at Chi Nuan, who had her back to him, playing ball with Little Wutong.
“S University is the best choice among the nearby universities.”
“I want to be a teacher.”
That was how Chi Nuan discussed it with Chi Qingchuan on the night the scores came out. …It wasn’t much of a discussion, really, because her goal was clear, with no hesitation or wavering.
Chi Qingchuan said, “S University is great too, but with your score so high, isn’t it a bit of a waste? …How about we think it over some more?”
Chi Nuan shook her head. “I can’t go too far away. I can’t leave here.”
Her dormmates, except for Zhao Jingjing who went a bit farther, also stayed in-province. On the day Zhou Damao received his admission notice, he again rallied everyone for KTV and dinner.
“Hasn’t Doctor Zhou been driven to death by you yet?” Du Min asked Zhou Damao with a laugh.
Zhou Damao replied, “Haven’t you heard? Parents can’t be too outstanding. If they are, their kids end up mediocre—look, a living example right here!”
Xu Dan and the others pounced on him, spitting: “Only you have skin that thick.”
The liveliness in the karaoke room was no less than that end-of-term party last semester, just without Gu Ningzi present.
Chi Nuan no longer heard her classmates mention Gu Ningzi much.
She went to the bathroom to splash water on her face. On her way out, she ran into the Study Committee Member. He stood with his hands behind his back and, upon seeing her, nervously swallowed. “Chi Nuan, I-I thought you’d go to B University. Why didn’t you? When I turned in my application, I saw Teacher He wiping tears over your form. It was such a pity.”
Chi Nuan smiled.
“Uh…” The Study Committee Member kicked at the floor with his toe. “That…”
Chi Nuan: “Something wrong?”
His arm from behind revealed itself; the Study Committee Member held out roses. “For you! …Chi Nuan, actually, I’ve always…”
Chi Nuan reached out and pushed the roses aside.
She shook her head at him and walked away.
Without returning to the room, Chi Nuan stood at the door, looking at her classmates with whom she had spent every day together and who were about to go their separate ways. She left the KTV first.
She took a cab to outside No. 1 Middle School and walked along the sidewalk toward the place where Gu Ningzi had once lived.
Passing the milk tea shop, Chi Nuan bought a cup.
The house had been sold by early summer, and the new owners had already moved in. Chi Nuan sat on a bench by the road, watching unfamiliar boys playing fetch with a dog in the yard.
She slowly finished her milk tea and walked back the way she came, boarding the bus home.
In the afternoon around three or four, sunlight shone on the bus window, lulling all the passengers to drowsiness.
That was Chi Nuan’s final memory of her high school life.
…
S University was close to Yuncheng, so Chi Nuan went home whenever she had time. Little Wutong went from toddling unsteadily to attending kindergarten, and more than three years passed.
It was the end of the year, and school let out for winter break. Chi Nuan dragged her luggage into the neighborhood and ran into Chi Qingchuan, who was about to drive out. She asked, “Where to?”
Chi Qingchuan: “Picking up Little Wutong.”
Chi Nuan stuffed her luggage into the trunk, opened the passenger door, and got in to accompany Chi Qingchuan to L City.
A year ago, Yue Yun had bought a place in L City and officially settled there.
Chi Nuan: “You only told me yesterday on the phone that Little Wutong’s mom missed him and wanted you to bring him over. Why pick him up today?”
