The three days of final exams quickly came to an end. After finishing the last subject, English, everyone cheered as they returned to the classroom, liberated. Cai Yucai was already standing at the podium with several tall stacks of test papers in front of him.

With winter vacation approaching, the classroom was noisy.

Shi Niannian erased the exam instructions from the blackboard. As she was coming down, Cai Yucai called to her.

“Shi Niannian, help the teacher distribute these winter vacation assignments.”

“Okay.”

Neatly stacked on the podium were assignments for each subject. Shi Niannian weighed them in her hands; they were all quite thick. It would be another busy winter vacation.

She took some in the crook of her arm—they were quite heavy—and distributed them group by group.

Shortly after, Jiang Wang came in through the door and naturally took a large portion of the papers from her hands to help distribute them.

Students who had been taking exams in other classrooms also returned, and upon seeing the thick stack of papers, they complained: “Teacher Cai, are you going to let us celebrate the New Year or not?!”

“My physics assignment is just 13 papers. You don’t need to do any during the seven days of the New Year. For the rest of the time, one paper a day is just right,” Cai Yucai said with a smile. “For the others, blame your subject teachers, don’t blame me for not letting you celebrate the New Year.”

Just as he finished speaking, Liu Guoqi stood at the front door and knocked: “What New Year celebration! After these final exams, half of your high school is already over. Next semester, you’ll be almost into a comprehensive review for the college entrance exam, don’t you know?! None of you has any sense of time!”

Someone muttered: “But we still have more than a year.”

The young boys and girls were still too young, completely unaware of how unexpectedly time slips away, as if the days of the creaking ceiling fan would never end.

Liu Guoqi heard the muttering and retorted: “You think a year is a long time?! There are plenty of students in their third year who regret not studying hard earlier!”

Cai Yucai stepped in with his good-natured mediation: “Teacher Liu, Teacher Liu, the children rarely get to celebrate the New Year. Let’s not put so much pressure on them.”

“How can there be no pressure? Without pressure, there’s no motivation, and no progress. Let me tell you, Teacher Cai, don’t think that because our Class 3 top students have good grades, the current situation is good.”

…

After distributing the winter vacation assignments, she returned to her seat.

Jiang Wang was called out by Cai Yucai midway. When he returned to the classroom, he saw that his papers had already been neatly stacked and arranged on his desk.

He tilted his head: “Did you organize these for me?”

Shi Niannian nodded: “Mm.”

He smiled: “Didn’t your brother tell you not to be so good to your boyfriend?”

Shi Niannian gave him a strange look, not understanding.

Jiang Wang didn’t explain further: “Still taking you home later?”

She shook her head: “My father and mother… are coming over. I’ll go back by myself.”

This was the first time Jiang Wang had heard her mention her parents. In his opinion, she had always lived with Xu Ningqing’s parents. He had heard Xu Ningqing mention before that her parents were in another city.

He asked: “Are they coming to school to pick you up?”

“No.” Shi Niannian put the test papers into her backpack. “They’re also going to my uncle’s house. I’m afraid… we might run into each other.”

“Not letting me meet my future in-laws?” he chuckled softly.

Outside the classroom, many parents were already waiting. There was an unusually large number of things to take home for the vacation. Just the textbooks alone made a thick stack, very heavy.

Shi Niannian organized all her books and tried to lift them, but quickly got an indentation on her elbow. She couldn’t carry them.

“Are you taking all these back?”

“Mm, need to… do homework.”

Jiang Wang leaned lazily against the chair back. He hadn’t even packed his bag. After watching her for a while, he said: “I’ll take them back for you.”

Shi Niannian paused, not understanding: “What?”

He gestured with his chin: “I’ll take them back for you first, then find another opportunity to give them to you, or let Xu Ningqing bring them back. It’s too heavy for you to carry.”

As he finished speaking, Cai Yucai on the podium finally said his last “Happy New Year in advance,” and winter vacation officially began.

Jiang Wang moved the books from her desk, slung her backpack over one shoulder, effortlessly picked up the stack of books, and grabbed Shi Niannian’s coat collar: “Let’s go.”

Shi Niannian followed, walking half a step behind him.

The young man with a light blue backpack on his shoulder, carrying that stack of textbooks, looked amusingly incongruous.

In the corridor, the gazes of classmates and parents kept sweeping over them, but he seemed completely unconcerned.

Shi Niannian took a couple of quick steps to catch up and asked: “Your surgery, when is it?”

“Five days from now.”

“That’s so soon.” She was surprised.

“Mm.”

Shi Niannian involuntarily looked at his ear, her heart trembling slightly.

Jiang Wang put the books in the car and didn’t insist on taking Shi Niannian home. They parted at the school gate.

When Shi Niannian arrived home, Xu Shu and Shi Houde were already there, sitting on the sofa with her uncle and aunt. As soon as she pushed the door open, the conversation inside abruptly stopped.

A sudden silence.

Shi Niannian was taken aback and pressed her lips together as she changed into her slippers.

Her aunt got up: “Niannian’s back.”

“Mm.”

“Are you hungry? I bought a mille-crepe cake today, it’s in the refrigerator.”

She shook her head: “It’s almost dinner time. I… won’t eat now.”

Xu Shu, sitting on the sofa, turned her head and said: “Niannian, your brother is in your bedroom. Go keep him company. Your parents have something to discuss with your uncle.”

As soon as she entered the bedroom, she saw Shi Zhe sitting in the chair by her window, holding something in his hand. She looked closely and saw it was the bracelet Jiang Wang had given her.

“Xiao Zhe.” She quickly walked over. “This is not for playing with. Can you… Give it back to your sister?”

She took the bracelet from Shi Zhe’s hand. Fortunately, this time there was no screaming. In the past, whenever something didn’t go his way, he would suddenly start screaming.

That’s why Shi Niannian used to go along with his wishes, but she was afraid he might damage this bracelet.

Shi Zhe’s gaze remained fixed on the bracelet in her hand without moving away. Shi Niannian paused, put the bracelet on, and waved it in front of him, her lips curving into an arc.

“Does it look nice?”

Shi Zhe did not react and didn’t speak.

He was often like this. Shi Niannian didn’t think much of it. She sat on the edge of the bed, one hand gently turning the bracelet, her eyes lowered, with a joyful and satisfied light spreading from the depths of her eyes.

“This was given to me by a brother,” she said softly.

“That brother is, besides uncle’s family, the person who… treats me the best.”

Her voice was soft and sweet, gentle and obedient. She knew Shi Zhe wasn’t listening to what she said, but she continued as if talking to herself.

“Sister likes him.”

The bedroom door wasn’t completely closed, and the voices of her parents and uncle and aunt faintly came through the door. She couldn’t hear clearly, but she could make out a few words spoken in suddenly raised tones.

Words like relocation, investigation, and bribery.

Shi Niannian was startled and put the bracelet back in the drawer. She turned her head to look toward the door.

At dinner, they all very tacitly didn’t mention anything, as if those earlier words had been her imagination. After Shi Niannian finished eating, she returned to her room.

She took out her English test papers from her backpack—thirty sheets.

She looked down the lines with a pen in hand, but couldn’t concentrate. She would forget the content as soon as she finished reading it. She rarely had such poor focus.

After a while, she got up and went to her parents’ room next door.

Lost in thought, she forgot to knock. When she pushed the door open, she saw her mother rubbing her eyes, her eye sockets red, looking tired and dejected.

She was startled: “Mom?”

Xu Shu quickly wiped her eyes: “Why did you come over?”

Shi Niannian stood at the door, hand on the doorknob, calmly and slowly asking: “Has something happened?”

“What could happen? It’s just a small issue with your father’s work. It’s getting late, go to bed. Don’t worry about adult matters,” Xu Shu said.

“Are you sure nothing’s wrong?”

“Why would I lie to you?” Xu Shu was getting a bit impatient.

Jiang Wang took Shi Niannian’s stack of books to Xu Ningqing’s house, which was right across from his, just two steps away.

“Going home for the New Year?” Xu Ningqing asked, leaning against the wall.

Jiang Wang glanced at him: “What for?”

“You’re lucky. I still have to go back and listen to all those relatives nagging,” Xu Ningqing sighed at the thought, finding it annoying just thinking about it.

“Are Shi Niannian’s parents coming here for the New Year?”

Xu Ningqing was surprised: “Her parents are here?”

“Mm.”

“Then why didn’t my mom ask me to come home? That’s rare.” Xu Ningqing said, “But they probably aren’t here for the New Year. They didn’t come last year either.”

As he finished speaking, Jiang Wang’s phone vibrated.

Shi Niannian had sent a message.

Are you asleep?

When Jiang Wang called, she had just put away her test papers. She went to lock her bedroom door before answering: “Hello.”

“What are you doing?” The young man’s voice, tinged with a smile, came through.

Shi Niannian felt her previously chaotic heart suddenly calm down: “Just finished a test paper.”

“You start doing homework as soon as vacation begins?”

“Mm.”

“Do you miss me?” he asked.

Shi Niannian didn’t immediately respond because she heard another voice suddenly coming from the other end of the phone: “—Jiang Wang, your way of dating is too terrifying!”

She was taken aback and asked, “Where are you?”

“At Xu Ningqing’s house.”

“Ah.” She responded, belatedly recalling Jiang Wang’s question about missing him, and felt her face heat up. “Then I’ll go to sleep now.”

Without waiting for him to say anything else, Shi Niannian decisively hung up the phone.

Very ruthless.

Jiang Wang laughed and looked up at Xu Ningqing.

Xu Ningqing was truly sighing with emotion. He had seen too much of Jiang Wang’s coldness toward girls. In high school, too many girls liked him, but he never treated any of them well, not even acknowledging them.

Back then, Fan Mengming and the others always said he was completely frigid, maybe even what they called asexual, but now they watched him fall completely for Shi Niannian.

And fall completely and thoroughly.

As they say, it’s not that there’s no retribution, it’s just that the time hasn’t come yet.

Early the next morning, Shi Niannian accompanied Jiang Ling to go shopping.

“Niannian, have you heard?” Jiang Ling leaned close to her ear, her voice very low, speaking mysteriously.

“What?”

Jiang Ling: “Xu Fei’s parents found out about his early romance. They saw the messages he sent to Chen Shushu. Now they’re forcing him to break up. They’re really angry.”

Shi Niannian was stunned and asked: “What about Chen Shushu?”

“Her parents don’t know yet, but they definitely can’t show off their relationship like before.” Jiang Ling linked arms with her and said earnestly, “So you and Jiang Wang need to be careful too, or your romance will be beaten with a stick.”

Shi Niannian thought about her parents and Jiang Wang’s parents.

She couldn’t imagine how her parents would react if they knew. They probably wouldn’t constantly demand a breakup in a very dramatic way. As for Jiang Wang’s side, this problem probably didn’t exist.

She smiled: “I understand.”

The two walked into an accessory store on the pedestrian street. Jiang Ling wanted to buy a winter plush hat. She tried on several before finally choosing a white one, somewhat similar to Shi Niannian’s.

“Look, don’t we look like twins?” Jiang Ling said, looking at the two of them in the mirror.

Shi Niannian said, “You’re so tall.”

Jiang Ling shrugged: “Then I’ll be the older sister.”

She took the hat to the cashier to pay, and her eyes caught heart-shaped boxes on the rack beside the counter. She asked: “What are these?”

The clerk looked and said, “Love eggs.”

“…”

Jiang Ling thought the name was too crude, but she still picked one up to look.

The instructions were stuck to the bottom of the box. It said to water it daily, and eventually, it would hatch a toy duckling.

It had nothing to do with love; it was just a product launched to cater to people’s preferences.

The cashier said, “You can give this to someone you like. The little duckling is very cute. It’s called the crystallization of love.”

“…” Jiang Ling looked at it again and turned to ask: “Niannian, do you want one?”

“Ah, whatever.”

So Jiang Ling picked one for her too.

After leaving the accessory store, Jiang Ling was still playing with the heart-shaped box in her hand, muttering: “Do you think this is real or fake? Why do you water an egg to hatch it?”

“I don’t know either.”

They walked to the subway station and swiped their transit cards to enter. The subway had just closed its doors, so they had to wait for the next one. With a batch of people having just left, the station wasn’t crowded.

Shi Niannian asked: “Who are you giving it to?”

“Xu Zhilin, of course,” Jiang Ling said without hesitation.

“Are you and he…”

“What?” Jiang Ling continued her sentence and added casually, “It’s a heaven-moving teacher-student friendship.”

She still didn’t dare to approach Xu Zhilin to talk. According to rumors, Xu Zhilin would go abroad after the winter vacation, but she still didn’t have the courage.

After a moment of silence, she sighed softly: “What star-crossed lovers are my Zhilin gege and I.”

Shi Niannian smiled, her head turning slightly. Suddenly, her peripheral vision caught a figure. Her body reacted faster than her mind, and her hand, which had been holding Jiang Ling’s, squeezed hard.

Jiang Ling cried out in pain and was about to speak when she followed Shi Niannian’s gaze to the tall, thin man diagonally behind them.

Xu Zhilin was wearing a black mask, his almond eyes full of smiles as he looked at her.

Jiang Ling: “…”

What had she just said?!

A heaven-moving teacher-student friendship?!!

What star-crossed lovers are my Zhilin gege and I?!!

Jiang Ling felt she could just smash her head against the wall and die.

Xu Zhilin hooked his index finger to pull down his mask. Jiang Ling watched as the fabric stretched tight against his chin, and she unconsciously swallowed.

So handsome.

Once again seduced by beauty.

“Star-crossed lovers?” Xu Zhilin raised an eyebrow, slowly repeating.

“…” Jiang Ling gripped Shi Niannian’s wrist, took a deep breath, and suddenly bowed deeply. “Hello, Teacher Xu!”

Shi Niannian, pulled by her, also couldn’t help but bow and followed with a “Hello, Teacher Xu.”

Xu Zhilin smiled and nodded: “Indeed, a heaven-moving teacher-student friendship.”

Jiang Ling’s face reddened.

The subway hadn’t arrived yet. Jiang Ling looked at her reflection in the advertisement light box opposite and asked softly, “Teacher, are you planning to go abroad?”

“Mm, I’ll leave next week,” Xu Zhilin answered.

“Will you come back to teach in the future?”

“Probably not.” Xu Zhilin smiled. “I was substitute teaching at No. 1 High School as an emergency. Three math teachers at your school had taken leave.”

Jiang Ling had heard about this. Two female teachers had taken maternity leave, and one male teacher for an unknown reason.

“Then I won’t be able to ask you when I have math problems in the future.” Jiang Ling said dejectedly.

“There will be new math teachers. Jiang Ling, you must study math well. I’ve seen your grades. Your subject imbalance is too severe. You can also ask Shi Niannian for things you don’t understand.”

Jiang Ling made an “Oh” sound, thought for a moment, and mustered the courage to hand over the light blue heart-shaped box.

“What is this?” Xu Zhilin didn’t take it.

“Consider it a teacher’s day gift for next year,” Jiang Ling said after thinking.

Xu Zhilin smiled and accepted it, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over it, seeing the three characters on the bottom of the box.

—Love egg.

“…” His smile unchanged, “Thank you.”

The day before Jiang Wang’s surgery, he was admitted to the hospital early for a series of examinations.

Due to the doctor’s schedule, the surgery was moved up one day from the original appointment. Xu Ningqing was with him when the call came, so they went to the hospital together that day.

Jiang Wang came out of the hearing test room. Xu Ningqing was leaning against the wall, and seeing him emerge, lazily put away his phone.

“Not telling her?” Xu Ningqing asked.

“I’ll tell her after the surgery.”

“The little girl is hard to appease when she gets angry.”

Jiang Wang, holding a stack of test reports, curved his lips and said without much emotion: “I’ll tell her when the results come out. Waiting is hard.”

Xu Ningqing patted his shoulder without saying anything.

In the afternoon, Shi Niannian finished her homework when her phone lit up with a message from the class group, tagging @everyone.

The final exam papers had been graded, and Cai Yucai posted everyone’s scores and the grade rankings in the group.

She opened the table and enlarged it. The first two names were hers and Jiang Wang’s.

She pursed her lips and smiled gently.

She continued to scroll to the right.

Jiang Wang still had terrifyingly close-to-perfect scores in the three science subjects and mathematics. His Chinese was a bit lower; after all, he hadn’t even finished memorizing the classical poems.

Scrolling to the end, her eyelashes fluttered quickly.

She steadied herself.

Shi Niannian, first place, 706 points.

Jiang Wang, first place, 706 points.

Tied for first.

She looked for a good while before finally smiling.

Although Jiang Wang didn’t care whether he was first or second, and this score probably wouldn’t create even a ripple in his heart, Shi Niannian still felt it was a good omen.

He was about to have surgery. This was a good sign before the operation.

She wanted to tell Jiang Wang this news immediately.

Shi Niannian picked up her phone and sent Jiang Wang a message. He didn’t reply for the moment. After waiting another ten minutes, she put down her pen and called him.

It rang for five seconds before being answered.

“Hmm?” Jiang Wang’s deep, magnetic voice came through, tinged with a smile. “Looking for me?”

She made a sound of agreement and unconsciously rubbed the corner of the test paper with her fingertips: “The final exam results are out.”

“Did you do well?”

Before Shi Niannian could answer, she heard a voice coming from his end: “—Number 089, Jiang Wang! Pre-operative examination!”

She was stunned and asked, “Where are you now?”

Jiang Wang sighed: “The hospital.”