Chapter 39: On the Eve of the College Entrance Examination

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Three days before the college entrance examination, on this morning.

"A fight! A fight! Everyone come quick, Zhang Hao and Lu Xiuyang are fighting!" A boy burst into the classroom, his cheeks flushed and his expression filled with intense excitement.

Hearing this, a crowd of students from the classroom rushed out in a flurry. Everyone loves a good fight, and the curiosity was even greater since it involved classmates.

"Holy crap, for real? Let’s go, Chu Nan, let’s go watch the show!" Yang Jingtian was delighted to hear it was Zhang Hao. He had never liked the guy, especially since Zhang Hao was always making things difficult for Chu Nan and mocking him.

"Sure!" Chu Nan was more than happy to go along.

Only a few girls in the classroom remained calm, continuing to study and review. Among them was Jiang Yuwei.

However, her seatmate, Yang Liuqing, was quite interested. "Weiwei, it seems like there’s a fight. Should we go take a look?"

She had been about to say there was nothing worth watching, but seeing Chu Nan walk out with a look of amusement, she nodded unconsciously. "Fine, let's go."

"Yay! Hurry, hurry, hurry! They say boys usually fight over girls. Maybe we’ll get to see something good today!" Yang Liuqing said, clearly excited and hoping the drama would escalate.

Outside in the hallway, the two boys were throwing themselves at each other with everything they had.

"Damn, this is epic! Zhang Hao just used an 'Eagle Claw' move—vicious and underhanded, aiming straight for Lu Xiuyang’s crotch! Lu Xiuyang let out a pained cry, cursed his mother, and unleashed a 'Palm of the Mountain-Splitting Impact' right onto Zhang Hao’s face. Zhang’s face is covered in blood now!"

"Zhang Hao isn’t backing down; he retaliated with a punch—*bam!*—straight to Lu Xiuyang’s nose! Lu’s nose is bleeding, and before he could react, Zhang Hao kicked him to the ground!"

"The turn of events! Lu Xiuyang has grabbed Zhang Hao by the throat! Zhang’s face is turning from green to purple, then back to green! In a desperate move, Zhang Hao transformed into a vicious wolf and bit down hard on Lu’s hand. Lu, enraged by the pain, hammered a fist into Zhang’s eye. The two of them are rolling on the floor, wrestling—it’s so intense that even the very laws of the universe seem to be crumbling under the impact!"

"Shut the hell up!" Zhang Hao roared at Yang Jingtian from the floor.

"Fine... fine, I’ll stop, you two keep going." Yang Jingtian flickered his eyes and hid behind Chu Nan.

Only then did he notice Chu Nan looking at him with a very strange expression.

"Why... why are you looking at me like that? Look at the protagonists! Isn't their fight spectacular?!"

"It is, but I think your commentary is even more spectacular. You, my friend, are wasting your talent not being a novelist. You truly have the potential of a Great Emperor, Old Yang..."

"The potential of a Great Emperor?!" Yang Jingtian’s eyes flashed with a strange light upon hearing this.

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"Screw your mother, Zhang Hao! I treated you like a brother, and you’re sleeping with my girlfriend!" Lu Xiuyang shouted, his face red as he pinned Zhang Hao’s head down.

"That’s a load of crap! I didn't!"

"You didn't? Dare you call her here to confront me? I saw you kissing her in the small grove with my own eyes! Don't lie to me, I’m going to kill you!" Lu Xiuyang was so angry his face had turned green, and he slammed Zhang Hao’s head against the floor again.

"So what if I did? It’s only because you’re a loser!"

"What did you say?!"

"I can't believe Zhang Hao is that kind of person!" Yang Liuqing whispered, sticking out her tongue. "Lu Xiuyang’s girlfriend is Zhang Yuting from the next class. I never thought he’d seduce a taken woman!"

"How do you know that?" Jiang Yuwei asked, which was rare for her.

"Hee hee, Weiwei, I’m the gossip queen of the class," Yang Liuqing said with a giggle.

Jiang Yuwei replied flatly, "The rumor mill queen."

"Pfft!" Yang Liuqing laughed. "Weiwei, I didn't know you could tell such cold jokes. That’s better; you seem more alive."

Jiang Yuwei glanced at her, expressionless.

"Hee hee, I bet you’re laughing on the inside," Yang Liuqing continued.

Jiang Yuwei shook her head. "I’m not laughing."

Yang Liuqing sighed. She wondered when Jiang Yuwei would finally be like a normal girl—someone who could laugh and get angry instead of keeping that mask-like face. Yet, for some reason, she felt that recently, Yuwei had developed a more human touch; at the very least, she was now taking the initiative to speak. Unlike before, if you didn't talk to her, she would never say a word.

The farce soon ended with the arrival of the head teacher. Both boys were hauled off to the office, while Zhang Yuting—the girl involved with both of them—remained completely unscathed.

Yang Jingtian was indignant. "How is it fair that the girl who cheated gets off scot-free while those two have to write apology letters?"

Chu Nan sneered. "If you’re not satisfied, go tell the head teacher. Maybe she’s hiding in some corner laughing at them right now."

"Damn, that Zhang Yuting is truly shameless!"

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"What does it have to do with her? Aren't those two boys just idiots?" Chu Nan sighed. "If they’re willing to fight over a girl, they should have been prepared for the consequences. The girl can stay out of it, but they aren't so lucky."

"Why?"

"Because in the eyes of the adults, girls are always seen as the weaker party..."

"..."

The next afternoon, the head teacher, Zhang Liangying, handed out the exam admission tickets to everyone.

"Alright, there are two days left until the college entrance exam. Starting tomorrow, the school will be sealed. You don't need to study in the classroom anymore. Go back to your dorms or go home. You have your tickets now; keep them safe. Come back on June 6th for the exam."

"Understood!" The students were excited; this meant that for the next few days, they would be virtually unsupervised. Without the teachers' constraints, they could do whatever they wanted.

"The last day of the exam is the 9th. Do not leave the school after the final test; there will be a graduation party in the evening. Day students can go home after the party, and boarding students can go home the following day," the teacher emphasized.

"We know, so naggy," some students muttered. They had already heard this, and the teacher was repeating it again.

Zhang Liangying looked at the student and sighed. "Yes, if you think I’m naggy, you won't have the chance to hear it again. This is the last time. I hope everyone follows the rules—no fighting, no dating. It’s too late to start dating anyway; you’ll just break up. Once you graduate, you can do whatever you want—I won't care, and I won't want to. Consider this my final lesson to you all. Can you listen to me?"

Hearing the slightly melancholy tone in the teacher's voice, the student blushed and felt deeply ashamed.

"Alright, clear everything off your desks. Turn them around, and the class monitor will lead a few people to put up the seat numbers. Also, clean the classroom. Jiang Yuwei, I’ll leave that to you."

"Okay," Jiang Yuwei nodded.

As the teacher left, the sound of clattering and moving desks filled the room. It wasn't just their class; soon, the same sounds echoed from the floors above and below.

Chu Nan looked on with a hazy gaze. He hadn't expected that after more than a decade, he would find himself back on this day once again.

The eve of the college entrance exam...