MNL Chapter 104

Chapter 104: Bird “I want to go abroad.”

Chapter 104: Bird “I want to go abroad.”

Under the countless oppressions of monthly exams, mock exams, and joint exams, the countdown to the “Gaokao” (National College Entrance Examination) in the upper right corner of the blackboard became a conspicuous “1 day”. That night, the weather was unprecedentedly hot and dry.

The fan overhead creaked and whirred, the classroom filled with the sounds of turning pages and writing, interspersed with a few sighs and some suppressed, hushed complaints: “What to do, all that studying was for nothing.”

The subject teachers took turns entering the classroom to give sincere instructions, and finally, Liang Yin concluded.

Finding the atmosphere in the class heavy, Liang Yin changed the order of her speech and joked, “Everyone doesn’t need to be nervous. Write down everything you know how to write, and for what you don’t know, just peek. Peeking a little is better than nothing; good eyesight is also a part of your ability. And if all else fails, just guess – ‘three long, one short, pick the shortest.'”

With a “pfft,” everyone in the class burst into laughter.

Liang Yin laughed along with them, finally looked around, and said, “Many people think that the Gaokao is a giant peak standing in the way of life, working day and night just to climb to the top and see all the mountains as small. But remember, life has countless ups and downs. This exam is just the most ordinary node in the myriad mountains you will experience in the future. So, be sure to believe in yourself, don’t be afraid, don’t hesitate, take the exam boldly, and move forward boldly. Finally, I wish all the children in Class One of Senior Three, good luck on the Gaokao!”

The class erupted in thunderous applause. Finally, Liang Yin suggested taking a group photo. In the photo, everyone wore neat and uniform school uniforms, with classmates either arm in arm or posing together. Their youthful faces had bright smiles and were also tearful. But the boy in the far corner didn’t show his face. He held a book in his hand, the cover facing the camera, with two beautiful characters written on it: Shen Yan.

No one in the entire family was nervous about the Gaokao the next day. Qin Xin and Xu Huaiyang even wanted to take Xu Jing out for a late-night snack. Xu Jing was too lazy to go and went to bed early. When he woke up, his phone was vibrating non-stop. He saw that it was Gaokao blessings from younger students, and he deleted them all while eating breakfast.

The school gate was filled with buses for transportation. The examination area was already cordoned off, and there were police officers with license plates ending in 985 and 211 directing traffic on the roadside. No car honked, no one cut into lanes or overtook. Everyone was making way for the Gaokao.

That day, Qin Xin and Xu Huaiyang personally sent Xu Jing to school.

Qin Xin said simply, “Son, good luck.”

Xu Huaiyang added from the side, “It’s okay if you don’t do well on the exam. Dad can support you for ten lifetimes.”

Qin Xin rolled her eyes at Xu Huaiyang and said, “Don’t listen to your dad’s nonsense. Everything is separate. Just perform normally.”

Xu Jing: “Okay.”

Between doing the questions and cheating, Liang Ge and Cha Fei’ang arrived at the classroom early and led everyone in choosing the former method. They used pens as incense and books as offerings, madly worshipping the small statue of Confucius. When they saw Xu Jing arrive, they all changed their strategy.

Cha Fei’ang bowed ninety degrees to Xu Jing, with a pious look on his face, and said, “May the God of Literature be above, accept this humble one’s worship. Please bless me to understand modern text reading, understand classical Chinese, and not stray from the topic in my essays.”

Liang Ge closed his eyes tightly and muttered, “May the God of Literature bless me to know all the answers on the exam, guess all the right ones, know all the answers, guess all the…”

Xu Jing folded his arms and leaned against his seat, expressionless, letting these people clutch at straws before their demise.

Cha Fei’ang took out a selected collection of Gaokao essay predictions from his drawer and said, “Brother Jing, can you help me pick one?”

In Cha Fei’ang’s expectant gaze, Xu Jing casually pointed to the topic of “How to View Added Value.”

Cha Fei’ang seemed to have been shown a clear path and instantly became full of passion, saying, “I’ll start memorizing it now!”

The people next to him heard the noise and gathered around. So, as it spread, two hours before the exam, the entire class was preparing for an essay related to this topic.

As a result, Xu Jing really guessed right.

That year, the Gaokao Chinese essay really was on this topic.

When everyone saw the essay topic, thousands of words turned into one sentence: “Xu Jing, you are my god.”

Just as Liang Yin said, under the spotlight, the Gaokao was treated as a tough battle of going up a mountain of knives and down a sea of fire. Failure meant being crushed to pieces, so many people saw it as more important than life itself. But from the moment they entered the examination room, even the most nervous emotions began to decrease. Amidst the laughter and tears, the two-day Gaokao came to an end in the blink of an eye.

So the Gaokao, was nothing more than this.

With 28 minutes left until the end of the physics exam, Xu Jing calculated the last magnetic deflection question. After checking it from beginning to end, he put down his pen.

The answer sheet in front of him, filled with writing, gradually became blurred. In the remaining 15 minutes, he recalled everything that had happened in the past three years.

“Time is up. Please stop writing.”

After a ringing, the examination room, which had been so quiet that you could hear breathing, gradually became restless. Watching the papers being collected one by one, until the last student.

At this moment, their scorching sun and cicada songs came to an abrupt end.

Everything was set in stone.

So those youthful figures began to run out without hesitation. They cheered, screamed, were so excited that they roared loudly, so excited that they cried with joy. Through their blurred vision, the world they saw was free, passionate, and bright.

The orange sunset glow lightly covered the edge of the clouds, reflecting the setting sun, hanging in a corner of the sky. In the countless running figures, a boy stood out from the crowd. He walked calmly, with a calm expression, slowly walking out of the school gate.

Someone was already waiting outside. Yan Zhe and Lin Jiayu waved enthusiastically at him while holding a red banner.

The content written on the banner directly collided with Xu Jing’s eyes.

“We’re crazy about you, we’re wild about you, we’re banging our heads against the wall for you! Congratulations to Young Master Xu Jing on finishing the Gaokao and being released from prison!!”

Xu Jing immediately turned around, intending to leave quietly amidst the chaos of the crowd. But Yan Zhe had sharp eyes and shouted loudly at him, “Brother Jing, we’re here!”

Xu Jing: “…”

Looking at the person walking towards them calmly, Yan Zhe couldn’t help but ask, “Brother Jing, isn’t what I prepared cool?”

Xu Jing evaluated with a blank expression, “So stupid it’s outrageous.”

Lin Jiayu immediately chimed in, “Right! I said we should use mine.”

Yan Zhe chuckled, and without any emotional fluctuations, recited, “A riot of colors dazzles the eye, Xu Jing of No. 1 High School is the most dazzling?”

Xu Jing’s mouth twitched. Sure enough, there was a need for comparison. In comparison, this sentence was better.

Xu Huaiyang and Qin Xin were late because they were ordering flowers. It was almost dark, so they ate dinner together. During the meal, Qin Yan, who was thousands of miles away, also called to congratulate him. Even though everyone was surrounding him at this time, Xu Jing felt empty inside, as if a corner was missing, making him feel particularly uncomfortable.

Knowing that their presence would make these young people feel uncomfortable, Xu Huaiyang and Qin Xin paid the bill and left after not eating for long. Cha Fei’ang was still a little restrained at first, but later completely let loose, alternating between white wine and beer, drinking straight from the bottle until his cheeks were flushed red. When he went out, he was floating, unable to distinguish east, west, north, or south.

So he recklessly hooked Xu Jing’s shoulder and confided, “Brother Jing, I actually feel quite guilty. Not only have I not been able to help you in the past year or so, but I haven’t even said a few words of concern. I’m really not a good person…”

Xu Jing frowned because of the pungent smell of alcohol, but he didn’t push him away.

“Actually, after knowing that you like guys, Lin Jiayu and I felt really bad. How could you be gay… sigh.”

Lin Jiayu didn’t drink much. When he heard this, he was almost scared to death and immediately pulled Yan Zhe over, scolding him roughly, “This idiot is like this when he drinks too much. He talks nonsense. Brother Jing, don’t pay attention to him.”

After catching a few key words, Yan Zhe became even more brazen, directly shaking off Lin Jiayu’s arm, pressing half of his body on Xu Jing’s shoulder, and said while hiccuping, “It’s not nonsense… Xu Jing, I sincerely consider you a friend. So even if you still like boys in the future, you will be my friend Yan Zhe for life.”

He didn’t need to argue with a drunkard, but it would be a lie to say that he wasn’t touched. Xu Jing was about to speak when Yan Zhe interrupted him and said, “Brother Jing, I’ll show you something.”

Lin Jiayu, who had originally let Yan Zhe continue to act like a fool, was already squatting on the ground playing with ants. When he heard this, he immediately jumped up and snatched Yan Zhe’s phone, his expression obviously nervous, “Brother Jing, I’ll send him back first. We’ll meet again next time.”

“Lin Jiayu, don’t pull me. We can’t hide this thing with just the two of us.”

Yan Zhe didn’t know what he was saying at all. Lin Jiayu directly slapped the back of his head, “Can you shut up, damn it?”

Yan Zhe seemed to be stunned by the hit, lowering his head and not saying a word. Lin Jiayu was about to take him away when Xu Jing’s calm voice came over, “What is it?”

Lin Jiayu quickly waved his hand, “What could it be? Don’t listen to a drunkard’s nonsense. Maybe he’ll find two bird pictures in his phone and show them to you.”

“Lin Jiayu.”

Xu Jing’s tone was much colder. Lin Jiayu’s heart skipped a beat. He stood there like a log for a long time. Knowing that he couldn’t hide it anymore, he cautiously asked, “Are you sure you want to see it?”

“Yeah.”

Lin Jiayu bit his lip and said, “Okay.”

He took out his phone and found a news article from his chat history with Yan Zhe.

“Look at it.”

The moment his eyes fell on the screen, Xu Jing’s pupils suddenly shook, and the color drained from his face.

This news was released a week ago, with the title: “Spending 2.2 Billion USD! Son of a Well-Known Real Estate President Appears, Suspected to Marry Daughter of International Banker.”

In the magnificent banquet hall, the focus of the entire audience was on the two people in the center. The girl was wearing a white sequined dress, tall, with a cold temperament, and beautiful beyond description. And the boy standing beside her, wearing a black suit, with a cold white face and dark eyebrows, looked arrogantly down at the people on the stage. His face was so beautiful and sharp that it was impactful, and at first glance, he was even more captivating than the girl next to him.

Everything around him was muted, he could only hear his own pounding heartbeat, as if it was about to break through his chest.

Xu Jing trembled as he zoomed in on the photo. He never thought that when he saw this person again, it would be in such a scene.

But even so, what he was thinking was, Shen Yan had lost weight.

Was it because of that surgery? Had his body fully recovered? Had all the wounds on his body healed? Were there any sequelae?

If he was all better, why didn’t he come to find him?

Xu Jing’s mind was like being thrown into a blazing fire. Those crazy thoughts jumped, swirled, and burned inside, infinitely pulling at his nerves, until it burned away his last bit of sanity.

Lin Jiayu shouted several times at the figure running away, but in the blink of an eye, Xu Jing had disappeared around the corner.

For the past year or so, the messages he sent to Shen Yan were like stones sinking into the sea, without any response. He thought he knew this person well enough, so many possible reasons were nipped in the bud as soon as they arose.

But in the face of cold, hard facts, he could no longer escape.

Xu Jing pushed open the door and rushed into the living room. Qin Xin and Xu Huaiyang were watching TV on the sofa and were startled by the sudden movement, turning their heads at the same time.

Xu Jing gasped for breath, saying word by word, “I want to go abroad.”