Chapter 39: A New Chapter Begins
At the start of the new semester, Fu Guanxian still doesn't come to school.
Right up to the nerve-wracking college entrance exams, Xiang Yang doesn't know whether he'll return. Because she's heard from her parents that Fu Guanxian's future school has already been arranged and it's also overseas.
During the exam days, Fu Guanxian returns.
On the last night of the college entrance exams, the class holds a reunion. Fu Guanxian rarely attends. The three long and difficult years have passed, and everyone is either happy or sad, or reluctant. Everyone's emotions are quite excited throughout the night, only Fu Guanxian seems to be very calm.
Halfway through the class reunion, Fu Guanxian and Zheng Jie sneak out early.
On the way, Zheng Jie teases him. “Guanxian, you're running so fast. Were you scared off by those girls who wanted to confess to you?”
Fu Guanxian is unfazed. “Would I be scared off by them? This kind of thing is like everyday life to me.”
Zheng Jie has drunk two cans of beer. The heat on his face is blown away by the wind, but he still seems a little irritable. He asks, “Fu Guanxian, are you showing off to me, a single dog?”
Fu Guanxian, walking ahead, turns his head and glances at him. “It's like you're not a single dog either.”
The sound of car horns on the road is a bit noisy. Zheng Jie doesn't hear clearly. He asks, “What did you say?”
“I've got a date with Lian Rui. If I don't go now, I might not have time to see him.”
Zheng Jie finally realizes. “So soon? You're not going abroad again, are you?”
Fu Guanxian gives a time. “Early tomorrow morning.”
“So fast!” Zheng Jie is surprised.
“Yeah, there's something going on there.”
Fu Guanxian meets up with Lian Rui, and they have a small gathering for a while. When Fu Guanxian gets home, it's almost midnight. After washing up, he sees his mom has already packed his luggage for him. He thinks for a moment and lies down in bed. He looks at the name of someone in his phone contacts and hesitates about whether to call her. But considering the time, and that she has exams in two days, Fu Guanxian gives up.
“Forget it, I'll call her when I get back. She's not going anywhere.”
Life without Fu Guanxian in senior year seems to go on forever. Day after day, it's a constant immersion in exam questions and test papers. But it also feels like it goes by quickly, because in the blink of an eye, Xiang Yang and the others face their most important exam of their lives.
Before the exam, Fan Xiaoyu asks Xiang Yang, “Xiang Yang, which university do you want to go to?”
Xiang Yang hasn't decided yet. “I don't know.”
Fan Xiaoyu is also troubled. But she's struggling with what major she wants to study. So she daydreams, “I've decided. I want to go to An University. As for my major, I've discussed it with my parents, but we haven't reached a conclusion.”
Xiang Yang thinks for a moment and also decides to discuss it with her parents. After returning home, she asks Xiang Yi and Jiang Manxin. Their suggestion is, “Just do what you like.”
According to Xiang Yi, there are many college graduates who don't have jobs related to their major. You have to be interested in your studies to enjoy them.
Jiang Manxin also supports her. “Yes, you don't have to worry about work. The four years of college are the most beautiful time in your life. Just have fun.”
After hearing their opinions, Xiang Yang feels a little more confident.
When she steps out of the exam hall after the exam, Xiang Yang feels light as a feather. The questions weren't hard. And after carefully completing them, she carefully checked them. She guesses that her score should be good.
Xiang Yang is about to meet up with Fan Xiaoyu when Xing Zhaoyan, who is just stepping out of the exam hall, calls out to her, “Xiang Yang!”
“Hm?” Xiang Yang stops in her tracks and turns to face him.
Xing Zhaoyan smiles and asks her, “How was the exam?”
Xiang Yang thinks for a moment, nods, and then asks, “What about you? How did you do?”
“Probably okay, but definitely behind you.”
Xiang Yang looks at his pure, smiling face and doesn't know if he's joking or serious.
Actually, Xiang Yang also thinks it's strange. At the beginning of the first semester of Year 1, she always felt that his grades should be ahead of hers. But for some reason, he's either tied for first place with her or a few points behind her. It's been even more obvious since they chose different streams. Every time, he's behind.
Xiang Yang is also puzzled. When students choose streams, don't they all choose the ones they're best at and most confident in? Why did he choose the arts stream, where his writing skills aren't that good, when he's actually better at science?
Xiang Yang remembers that the homeroom teacher also tried to persuade him to choose science. He insisted on his own opinion.
After Xiang Yang becomes close with Fan Xiaoyu, she jokingly says one day, “How come Class Monitor's scores are always behind yours? It's so strange.”
Xiang Yang almost thinks he's doing it on purpose, but she knows she's overthinking things. Later, Xiang Yang asks him why he chose arts.
Xing Zhaoyan says at the time, “Why study what I already know? I want to study what I'm not good at. It's more interesting!”
It seems to make sense.
Xing Zhaoyan calls out to Xiang Yang mostly to talk about university majors. He asks, “Have you decided which university to go to?”
Xiang Yang nods. “Maybe Lían'ān City.”
Xing Zhaoyan's eyes light up. “That famous music academy in Lían'ān City?”
Xiang Yang is surprised. “How did you know?”
“I overheard you talking about this with Fan Xiaoyu when I accidentally walked past your seat. You said you might go to study what you like.”
Xiang Yang is still doubtful. “Besides its music academy, Lían'ān University is also famous. How did you…”
Xing Zhaoyan smiles and explains, “I just know! You really like the piano. I thought you would definitely go to study music. But if you don't, I would still recommend it because you're very good at it.”
Xiang Yang smiles and says, “Hm, I plan to study music.”
“Hm, that's good. I also plan to go to Lían'ān University. The two schools aren't far apart. It will be easy to meet up in the future.”
Lían'ān University is a good choice indeed.
Xiang Yang just says, “Okay.” Fan Xiaoyu calls out her name and waves to her.
The crowd is large. Xiang Yang says to Xing Zhaoyan, “Xiaoyu is calling me. I'll go over there now.”
“Okay.” Xing Zhaoyan stands there, watching her walk towards Fan Xiaoyu. Fan Xiaoyu takes her hand and doesn't know what she's excitedly talking about. It seems like she also did well on her exams.
Xing Zhaoyan's gaze gradually becomes blurred. He thinks back to his previous life. In his previous life, Xiang Yang didn't major in music, but she majored in finance. And he, because his grades were too bad, was not qualified to go to the same university as her. Moreover, she went straight to Xiang's company after graduation. Within a few years, she married Fu Guanxian, who had returned from overseas.
Xing Zhaoyan thinks, in this life, things are indeed changing subtly because of him. For example, Fu Guanxian. He remembers clearly that Fu Guanxian didn't go abroad until after graduating from college. But in this life, it's almost a year earlier.
Xing Zhaoyan thinks triumphantly: My fate, it turns out, can be reversed after all.
The graduation season is filled with indescribable feelings. After the class reunion ends, Xiang Yang returns home and lies in bed, feeling lazy and unmotivated. But the next morning, she has made an appointment with Fan Xiaoyu and a few other girls for a week-long graduation trip, so she forces herself to get up and pack her luggage.
Who said that life gets easier after the college entrance exams? Xiang Yang only feels that tonight is more tiring than any night she's spent doing homework.
Four or five girls travel together. Xiang Yi calls a driver to take them to the airport. Along the way, they are all very happy, chattering about all sorts of fun things, many things that Xiang Yang doesn't know about, so she's quite surprised.
After getting off the plane, the girls go to the hotel to check in first, planning to rest for a while and then go out in the afternoon.
The girls huddle on the hotel beds and chat. The topic soon changes, for example, who has been secretly together for how long, who broke up with whom after being together for a while, and who confessed to whom the night before.
Xiang Yang hears that one of the girls confessed to a boy in the class last night, they successfully started dating, and they have even made an appointment to go to the same school in college. She asks, “How did you find out?”
One of the girls says that the person who confessed was so happy that they told someone else, and then they heard about it from that person.
Xiang Yang thinks, that was fast.
A girl deliberately teases, “Xiang Yang, what about the class monitor? Did the class monitor do anything last night?”
Last night, after the reunion ended, Xing Zhaoyan arranged for the boys and girls to go home together. In the end, only Xiang Yang was left. Everyone thought he would send her home. But after they took a couple of steps, the family driver arrived, and Xiang Yang naturally said goodbye to him. So she's a little confused. “Do anything?”
“Xiang Yang, don't act dumb! Of course, he confessed! We're graduating. The school can't control us anymore. Didn't the class monitor take the opportunity to confess his feelings to you?”
Xiang Yang is startled. She quickly denies it, “Nothing like that.”
“We don't believe you. The people's eyes are sharp. The class monitor definitely likes you...”
Xiang Yang just feels awkward and continues to deny it, “We're just friends. Really, nothing more.”
“The class monitor is too much. Does he want to make us all die of suspense?”
Xiang Yang manages a laugh. In her heart, she prays that Xing Zhaoyan won't act like they said. Otherwise, how would she reject him? It's so hard.
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