After the exams, the senior high school students faced a long vacation. Despite having fantasized about tearing books, drinking alcohol, and partying all night when writing exam papers before, none of that happened. Back at Xinghe Bay, Shen Xingruo and Lu Xingyan hadn’t even eaten dinner. They both went to their rooms, locked the doors, pulled the blackout curtains tight, turned off their phones, and then fell into a deep sleep.
The two of them slept until noon the next day.
Pei Yue and Aunt Zhou were probably worried that they had quietly passed away in their sleep. They resorted to yelling at them with the voice of a drill sergeant to wake them up.
But after lunch, they each took a shower, and then lay back in bed, falling into a daze once again. It wasn’t until the third day after the exams ended that Shen Xingruo and Lu Xingyan finally fully woke up from their stupor.
It seemed like everyone else was in a similar state. The class group chat was as quiet as a graveyard, with hardly any updates on moments. It wasn’t until the third day that the class group started buzzing with activity.
The standard answers for each subject had been published, and they were all over the internet. Those with strong mental resilience had already checked their answers and started looking for prospective universities. Those with weaker mental resilience simply decided to drown their sorrows in alcohol, caring little about the answers for the time being, opting to enjoy themselves for a good half month before worrying about anything else.
However, it was also because there were many subjective questions in the humanities subjects, and the criteria for awarding marks weren’t as straightforward as in the science subjects, often leading to significant discrepancies in estimated scores.
After discussing the scores, everyone started planning the Thanksgiving banquet and farewell dinner. Midway through the discussion, someone piped up, wondering aloud, “Aren’t the Thanksgiving banquet and farewell dinner the same thing? We’re all just eating together anyway; why not combine them?”
Upon reflection, it seemed like a reasonable idea.
Then everyone began to chatter about where to eat, what to eat, whether to disband immediately after eating or organize another activity, and how much money to contribute.
When money came up, the class treasurer timely appeared in the group chat.
The class treasurer was a girl with OCD tendencies. Over the past few days at home, she had meticulously scanned and compiled all the expenses for the second semester of senior year, arranging the receipts neatly into symmetrically aligned images before sending them all to the class group chat.
In conclusion, she stated, “Our class fund has four hundred and eighty yuan and seven jiao left.”
—Just enough for some snacks.
Some people weren’t keen on thinking about these things right after the vacation started. Seeing the unclear discussions in the class group chat, someone suggested that it was still early and that they could thank the teachers after the results were out. However, He Siyue didn’t agree. He said it was better to take advantage of the fact that other classes hadn’t set the date for the Thanksgiving banquet yet. By setting it early, they could invite the teachers when they were more likely to be available, avoiding potential scheduling conflicts later. His reasoning made sense, and everyone agreed.
By the time Shen Xingruo and Lu Xingyan checked the class group chat, there were already thousands of messages. The crucial information was that the details for the Thanksgiving banquet had been finalized: lunch would be at a nearby restaurant, where they would treat several teachers, followed by karaoke in the evening. Each person would contribute two hundred yuan, with any excess or shortfall to be adjusted afterward. While these details weren’t particularly important, what caught Shen Xingruo’s attention was the date of the Thanksgiving banquet—it was just a few days away.
That day also happened to be her and Lu Xingyan’s birthday. It was their eighteenth birthday, and Pei Yue had been talking about throwing a big celebration even before the exams. She had attended a lavish eighteenth birthday party a couple of years ago and had been itching to do something grand herself. Shen Xingruo and Lu Xingyan had previously declined several times, but now they had a legitimate reason.
This year, the summer in Xingcheng seemed to arrive earlier than usual. By mid-June, air conditioning was a necessity, and the incessant chirping of cicadas filled the air. Cars parked by the roadside felt scorching hot.
The day before the Thanksgiving banquet, Shen Xingruo, and Lu Xingyan finally ventured out. They went to a hair salon together to get their hair done. There wasn’t much to do with Lu Xingyan’s short hair, but he had considered dyeing it. However, Shen Xingruo thought it was too unconventional, so they decided against it. On the other hand, Shen Xingruo, persuaded by Tony, the hairstylist, decided to get a perm.
Maybe it was because she was naturally good-looking, or perhaps it was indeed worth the high price, but the result was stunning. When Lu Xingyan, who had been dozing off all afternoon, saw her, he was momentarily stunned. Her straight black hair had been transformed into soft, fluffy curls with gentle waves, giving her a casual yet natural look. With her already petite face further accentuated by her voluminous hair, she looked even more delicate and refined. After sitting for the entire afternoon, Shen Xingruo was feeling quite sleepy too.
Opening her eyes to her new hairstyle, Shen Xingruo might have mistaken it for having her hair tied up for a long time and then let down, or for the result of a quick nap in a random place. It didn’t seem very curly, and she felt like the money might not have been well spent. But since Tony had put in so much effort and praise, Shen Xingruo didn’t want to nitpick. She got up, felt her hair, and then turned to Lu Xingyan, asking, “How does it look?”
Lu Xingyan stared for a moment before snapping back to reality. “It looks… it looks good. Yeah, I think it looks pretty good.”
“Really?” Shen Xingruo asked, barely believing him.
Lu Xingyan’s head almost nodded off. Shen Xingruo reluctantly accepted his answer.
By the time they left, it was already time for dinner. They had hot pot at the mall where the hair salon was located, then strolled around casually, buying some things they would need for a trip later on.
Since the exams were over, and there was the Thanksgiving banquet to attend and the wait for results and university applications, Shen Guangyao didn’t urge Shen Xingruo to return to Huize.
But he had an art exhibition in Paris at the end of the month. When he came to see them off a few days ago, he strongly suggested that Lu Xingyan and Shen Xingruo accompany him to the exhibition.
By then, the results were out, and university applications were done, so they could comfortably spend ten days to half a month in Europe. It would be their graduation trip.
Lu Xingyan wanted to agree right away, but Shen Xingruo didn’t express her stance. He didn’t want to press her, so he concentrated all his thoughts into his gaze, staring at her expectantly.
Perhaps Shen Xingruo felt overwhelmed by his gaze. After a long silence, she reluctantly agreed.
The next day, at the Thanksgiving banquet, Shen Xingruo sported her new hairstyle, still not entirely used to it. But when she arrived, she realized her curls were nothing special.
Many classmates had dyed their hair in bizarre colors, and it seemed like wearing makeup and beautiful dresses had become the norm for girls. Even wearing earrings and having fancy nail art wasn’t unusual anymore.
When Wang Youfu and the other teachers arrived, he adjusted his trendy gold chain and glasses, glancing around, “Oh, it seems like the female fairies from the “Fairyland” have revealed themselves.”
A girl laughed, “Mr. Wang, there are male fairies over there too!”
The Thanksgiving banquet was particularly lively. Everyone had come prepared with their summer school uniforms and signed each other’s uniforms.
The boys drank with the teachers, and some daring girls didn’t hold back either. Initially using cups, then bowls, and eventually resorting to drinking straight from the bottle, the atmosphere reached its peak during the bottle-spinning contest.
With teachers present, everyone remained boisterous but not overly so. When they moved to the karaoke bar in the evening, the atmosphere became even more electrifying.
Lu Xingyan had quite a few drinks at the Thanksgiving banquet and became a driving force in boosting the mood at the karaoke bar.
Shen Xingruo sat with Shi Qin and Ruan Wen, paying no particular attention to him but occasionally glancing over. Since the incident of being reported, everyone knew about the relationship between Shen Xingruo and Lu Xingyan. After all, nobody believed that two unrelated people living together could be so close without developing feelings over time.
Shi Qin had asked Shen Xingruo before if she was in a relationship, to which Shen Xingruo had shaken her head. Now, she leaned in mysteriously and asked again, “Are you in one now?”
Shen Xingruo shook her head again. She had promised Lu Xingyan they would discuss it after the exams. However, several days had passed since the exams ended, and Lu Xingyan showed no signs of pressuring her to fulfill her promise. She couldn’t just go up to him and say, “I’m ready to start a relationship with you…”
Just as she was pondering this, a waiter knocked on the door and then pushed in a two-tiered cake. Li Chengfan, with his dyed flashy blond hair, happened to be singing. When he saw the cake, he abruptly stopped and did a 125-degree pirouette, brushing his blond bangs aside. Then, in a solemn tone, he cleared his throat and said, “Ladies and gentlemen, I solemnly announce something!”
“That is! Today is not only a day for our Class 1 to thank our teachers and bid farewell to each other! It’s also the day for our classmates Shen Xingruo and Li Chengfan, to…,” Li Chengfan’s words were cut off by Lu Xingyan’s bag of chicken claws hitting him.
As he sobered up slightly, he corrected himself, “Oh, sorry, it’s with Lu Xingyan, and Lu Xingyan, celebrating our eighteenth birthday, our coming-of-age day!”
“Shen Xingruo, may I interview you? What does it feel like to transition from being a fairy to becoming an adult?” Shen Xingruo remained silent.
He then turned to Lu Xingyan, “And Lu Xingyan, do you have anything to say about transitioning from being a pig to becoming an adult? Are you especially excited? After all, from today onwards, you can sneak into internet cafes to steal computers, sneak into bars to steal alcohol, and even book hotel rooms…”
Before he could finish, Zhao Langming snatched the microphone from him and pulled him aside, “Shut up, if you keep babbling, you’ll be lying flat on the ground soon.”
Then, he reassured Lu Xingyan, “Stay calm, buddy. Isn’t it too ominous to commit a criminal offense on your first day as an adult? Stay calm, stay calm.”
Li Chengfan was usually overshadowed by Lu Xingyan, and after having a few drinks today, he wanted to air his grievances and settle scores. The students in the room burst into laughter.
Of course, Lu Xingyan wasn’t genuinely angry; he was just putting on a show. After everyone finished laughing, they helped light the candles and sang the birthday song for Lu Xingyan and Shen Xingruo.
The lights in the room dimmed, and the two of them sat facing each other in front of the cake. Through the candlelight, their gazes unexpectedly met in mid-air.
The scene from last year when she made her wish seemed vividly present in Shen Xingruo’s mind. Last year, she didn’t have any specific wishes in mind when she closed her eyes to make her wish. She thought for a long time but couldn’t come up with anything specific, so she silently hoped in her heart that everyone around her would be safe and sound.
But this year, it seemed like she had something practical she wanted to wish for.
The gathering didn’t last particularly late into the night; they dispersed before eleven. Lu Xingyan declined all invitations to continue the party, only waiting until it was over before pulling Shen Xingruo to leave.
The area where the school was located was different from the bustling city center at night. After nine o’clock, only occasional cars sped by on the road, illuminated by the warm yellow street lamps scattered along the way.
Shen Xingruo was pulled along aimlessly for two blocks before she couldn’t help but ask, “Where are we going?”
Lu Xingyan stopped in his tracks and turned around. Today, he wore a black t-shirt, jeans rolled up to reveal his ankles, and light brown sneakers. When he turned around, the street lamp’s light cast a halo on his profile, his features shadowed. Shen Xingruo noticed him biting his lip slightly, his voice carrying a hint of casualness, tinged with alcohol.
He said, “Just come with me.”