In April, the three schools held their final mock joint examination. Pei Chuan’s name still hung at the top of the list.

Ji Wei ran down to look at the honor roll, full of admiration: “Brother Chuan is really amazing.”

As soon as he said this, several students looking at the honor roll had strange expressions. Jin Ziyang slapped one of them: “What? Not convinced? What are you staring at?”

Having been hit, and seeing Jin Ziyang and the others’ fierce expressions, that person dared to be angry but didn’t dare speak. He slunk away dejectedly.

Jin Ziyang spat in the direction of that person’s back: “That bastard, daring to look down on people. If we don’t teach him a lesson, does he think we’re dead?”

Zheng Hang smiled.

Then the boys all fell somewhat silent. Someone as smart as Pei Chuan had encountered such things when he was young. Jin Ziyang lowered his head and said: “I really want to drag those scum out of their coffins and whip their corpses.”

Zheng Hang patted his shoulder: “It’s all in the past. Brother Chuan is working very hard now.”

Moreover, after everyone in Class Nine learned about that matter, not a single person mocked Pei Chuan. Those with strange looks were very few—in any case, Jin Ziyang swore to beat up anyone he saw doing it.

Growing up, you understand that the victim is the most innocent one. Those were hardships he never should have had to bear.

One day, Zheng Hang opened the forum, his eyes brightening: “Ji Wei, Jin Ziyang, come look.”

Several boys put their heads together. Those malicious posts had actually been pushed down.

Many, many students from the three schools—each person was posting spam threads.

Things like “My cat is lost, seeking help to find it.”

“Is there any expert who can help me soar in these last thirty days?”

“Let me share some gossip from our school’s little grove with everyone…”

Very tacitly, everyone started posting threads to push down those posts exposing the photos of Pei Chuan’s severed legs from years ago.

Jin Ziyang’s upturned mouth corners couldn’t be suppressed: “At least everyone has some conscience.”

The noise gradually died down.

Pei Chuan opened the forum. He didn’t know any of these people posting spam. Yet they were all trying their best to help him.

He lowered his eyes and began the next round of review.

With twenty-eight days left until the college entrance exam, Pei Chuan received a box at his doorstep.

Inside was a dead rabbit with all four limbs severed.

Pei Chuan’s eyes darkened. Next to the rabbit was also a doll and a letter. He picked up the doll—it had the character “Yao” stuck on it.

Pei Chuan’s fingers went pale as he opened the letter.

“Satan, your classmates really surprised me. Since you want to live a proper life, we won’t force you. Compared to you, that little girl is much more likable.”

Pei Chuan folded the letter, gently closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his eyes were utterly calm.

He carried the dead rabbit, letter, and doll into his room, opened that door, and began writing an email.

“Don’t touch her. What you want, I’ll give you in July after the college entrance exam. If anything happens to her, you won’t get anything you want.”

That email quickly received a reply—a belly-laughing clown, holding a doll in its left hand and a whip in its right, tormenting zoo monkeys.

Pei Chuan looked coldly at the screen.

Someone over there said: “K, is it really good to provoke him like this?”

K shrugged indifferently: “He knows so much and has made so much criminal software. Did he think he could withdraw? No matter how smart, he’s just a legless little beast. If he wants his doll intact, he’d better obediently behave. I actually really like that little girl—so pretty yet she would take a liking to this little beast. Look at how this little beast treasures her… Hahaha! Does he even wonder if that little beauty would sleep with him?”

~

On the summer night of June first, it rained.

Pei Chuan returned to the old neighborhood. The sky was pitch black—only the dim streetlights could be seen. This place still looked like it did in childhood. Countless new high-rises had been built around it, yet the old neighborhood had never changed over all these years.

His eyes looked toward Bei Yao’s bedroom. Her room light was on, the curtains swaying back and forth in the summer wind.

Pei Chuan sent her a text: “Yaoyao, I’m downstairs at your place.”

Bei Yao’s phone lit up while she was doing homework. Seeing the content, she was startled. Looking down from the window, she indeed saw a tall, slender shadow in the darkness.

Bei Yao walked out to the living room to change shoes. Because they had to work, both Zhao Zhilan and Bei Licai slept early. Bei Yao tiptoed and secretly ran downstairs.

She wore sandals and opened an umbrella. The summer night’s rain wasn’t cold at first—splashing on her feet would bring some warmth, followed only then by slight coolness.

She pattered toward the young man.

“Pei Chuan, why did you come?”

He stood under the streetlight. She closed her umbrella and he quietly examined her appearance.

The warm yellow light illuminated her face warmly too.

He couldn’t help reaching out his fingertips to touch her cheek, saying in a low voice: “Yaoyao, there are only a few days left until the exam. Are you nervous?”

She shook her head, smiling as she asked: “Are you nervous?”

He said: “Mm.”

“Don’t be afraid. You’re so amazing, you could skip one subject and still get into a top university.”

He curved his lips: “Mm.”

Her cheeks were very soft, carrying the temperature from indoors. He withdrew his hand after a slight touch—his pale fingertips were too cold.

Bei Yao frowned and grasped his hand, her small hands cupping his: “Why are you so cold?”

She gently breathed on it to warm him: “Even if you’re nervous, you can’t run around in the middle of the night, can you?”

He lowered his eyes to look at her, suddenly somewhat jealous of the person who would possess her in the future.

Pei Chuan said: “I’m not cold. I have a gift for you.”

He took out a pendant from his shirt pocket. Bei Yao looked and laughed: “A talisman?”

On the pendant was a very down-to-earth little yellow talisman.

Pei Chuan said: “Mm, to bless the college entrance exam. We each have one.”

He lowered his head to put it on her. She found it curious and reached to feel it: “Huh, there’s something inside, round.”

Like a pearl.

Pei Chuan said: “A blessed stone. You can’t take it out, or it won’t work.”

Her almond eyes curved, extremely amused: “Pei Chuan, you’re so superstitious.”

He also curved his lips: “Mm, at least… wait until you receive your university admission notice to take it out.”

She responded affirmatively.

Seeing her agree, Pei Chuan said in a low voice: “Go home.”

She touched the little yellow talisman at her neck, extremely dissatisfied: “Pei Chuan! It’s raining and cold outside. I came out in the middle of the night and you’re just giving me this and telling me to go home.”

He was stunned: “It’s my fault. Are you cold?”

She blinked: “Yes, yes. Hug me.” She extended both arms.

He stiffened for a second, then bent down and gently embraced her.

She hugged Pei Chuan’s narrow waist, her face slightly flushed. The young man’s embrace was very warm, and the streetlight was warm too. Above them was even a rain awning from a household.

She loved listening to his heartbeat. When she was in his arms, Pei Chuan’s heartbeat was exceptionally fast.

She raised her small head to look at him, humming: “You also have to kiss me.”

Her slender fingers pointed to her own soft cheek.

A touch would create a small dimple—such a delicate appearance was utterly adorable.

His jet-black eyes looked at her.

Pei Chuan’s rough fingertips touched her face, then he lowered his head, but the kiss landed on her lips.

He gently licked her diamond-shaped lips.

Bei Yao’s face instantly turned crimson. She buried her head in his embrace, refusing to let him kiss her anymore.

He smiled despite himself: “What’s wrong?”

She didn’t speak.

Pei Chuan lovingly kissed the top of the girl’s head. He shouldn’t have been so forward with her, but tonight he loved her most.

Even though she didn’t say it, he knew—she had just drunk strawberry-flavored milk. Between the girl’s lips still lingered the fragrance of milk, wisp by wisp, slightly sweet on her lips.

Pei Chuan knew the Bei family’s circumstances weren’t very good, but Zhao Zhilan and Bei Licai truly treasured Bei Yao. Even Bei Jun didn’t necessarily get to drink milk every day.

He was truly grateful that the treasure of his heart had always been loved and cherished by others.

~

On the morning of June seventh, the official day of the college entrance exam, Zhao Zhilan had requested leave early to accompany Bei Yao to the exam.

Although Bei Licai didn’t say it out loud, he was also very nervous in his heart. He said: “Don’t go accompany her and meddle around. Don’t make Yaoyao nervous. Just treat it like usual—she’ll feel more at ease.”

Zhao Zhilan said: “Aren’t I panicking inside? My heart’s been pounding since I got up early. I won’t feel at ease if I don’t go see.” However, although she said this, Zhao Zhilan was still persuaded by Bei Licai—after all, she was more afraid of passing this pressure on to her daughter.

Parents’ hearts are all the same. Zhao Zhilan got up at five o’clock to prepare breakfast.

Zhao Zhilan especially prepared a fried dough stick and two eggs for Bei Yao.

While Bei Yao was eating, Zhao Zhilan kept instructing: “That admission ticket thing—you must remember to bring it, understand? And the machine-readable card—be careful when filling it in. I watched the news yesterday. Many people could have done very well, but ended up filling in the machine-readable card incorrectly.”

Bei Yao couldn’t help giggling.

Zhao Zhilan said: “What are you laughing at? Isn’t what your mom saying right?”

For Yaoyao’s college entrance exam, she had searched countless news articles these past few days. Before this, she was a woman who didn’t even know how to write the three characters for “machine-readable card.”

Bei Yao said: “Mom is right, but Mom.” She picked up the fried dough stick with her chopsticks. “Our exam perfect score isn’t 100 anymore—it’s 150.”

Zhao Zhilan: “…” She was dumbfounded.

Zhao Zhilan said anxiously: “Then what do we do?”

Bei Yao stood up and hugged her: “Mom’s hug adds fifty points!”

Zhao Zhilan’s anxiety disappeared completely. Her heart melted sweetly.

Bei Yao waved and went out to take the exam.

The weather on June seventh was clear. Bei Yao’s exam site was assigned very close to home, which was why she stayed at home. From the neighborhood to the exam site, police maintained traffic order all along the route, making way for college entrance exam students.

Outside every school gate stood mothers like Zhao Zhilan, worried about their children’s college entrance exam, having come specially to accompany them.

Looking around, a dense crowd of heads moved about, their faces showing identical nervousness. Good parents everywhere—they all looked the same.

Bei Yao looked back. Although her mother hadn’t come, she knew Zhao Zhilan and Bei Licai’s hearts were here.

Pei Chuan’s parents hadn’t come either.

Were their hearts here? Did they know that the boy who endured not drinking water in summer had already grown up?

Bei Yao stepped into the exam hall.

After the crisp bell rang, the broadcast announced in standard Mandarin to begin answering.

She picked up the pen on the desk and wrote very carefully.

Three years of hard work in high school would all receive a result today.

Pei Chuan, B University, the future.

Time passed so quickly year by year. When today and tomorrow passed, when this summer passed and autumn arrived, perhaps they would be standing on a university campus.