CH 141

Chapter 141 Graduation

When he set a goal to work for and time was added to the potion to speed things up, two months almost flew by.

During this period, there was not only studying, but also the gossip that Zhang Yang shared from time to time as an adjustment. Shao Hang and Shen Shuting dangled in front of them almost every day, and occasionally they encountered unavoidable friction. Jian Chi originally regarded this as trouble, but when the boring review began to fill most of their time, such a scene was added to the ranks of ‘relaxing in his spare time’.

Just like watching a show that had nothing to do with him. When Jian Chi thought this way, the last bit of depression disappeared, but unfortunately, his lazy behavior was discovered not long after. Shao Hang and Shen Shuting were arguing, one was full of gunpowder, and the other was high and cold. It was rare for Shao Hang to meet an opponent on par with him, so he turned to look at Jian Chi, “Do you think he is right or I’m right?”

Jian Chi regained his senses, looked at Shao Hang who was waiting for a reply, looked at Shen Shuting who was watching him, and asked tentatively, “Is it over?” Today was really fast.

As a result, the voice fell, and Shao Hang’s face darkened.

Shen Shuting’s mouth curled into a sarcastic arc. 

Jian Chi suddenly felt that the atmosphere was not right, and turned around to leave, but the back collar was pulled by Shao Hang and he was pulled into his arms. He was close to his ear, enough to hear a clear and dangerous grinding of teeth, “Was the drama fun to watch?”

Not waiting for Jian Chi to reply, Shen Shuting’s cold voice came from the other side: “Let him go.”

Shen Shuting when he was alone made Jian Chi feel aggrieved and deeply resentful, but Shen Shuting in front of outsiders seemed to have changed into another person. No matter what happened, no matter who was at fault, he only protected Jian Chi.

Jian Chi took advantage of the situation to escape from Shao Hang’s hands. Of course, he would not be foolish enough to run to Shen Shuting’s side, a tiger’s mouth and a wolf’s den, nowhere was safe. Before slipping back into the classroom, Jian Chi vaguely heard Shen Shuting’s very low words, like a laugh but with an angry tone, “Heartless”.

Jian Chi expressed his disapproval in his heart, and quickly put the episode behind him.

When the exam was approaching, Jian Chi had seen Ji Huaisi several times, just ‘seeing’. Sometimes he saw from a distance, while other times he had to say a few words after being discovered.

Ji Huaisi maintained a good sense of distance from beginning to end, he would care about his review progress, and would ask if Shao Hang and Shen Shuting had done any excessive things. Of course, Jian Chi didn’t dare tell the whole story, and could only respond vaguely every time, not daring to look at Ji Huaisi’s slightly lighter smile.

But sometimes, this ‘sense of distance’ was also broken. It’s hard for Jian Chi to set a clear boundary for it, as long as Ji Huaisi wanted to, he can make contact, hug and kiss him non-aggressively, and crown the title of ‘friend’ with a high-sounding voice. When Jian Chi showed hesitation and refusal, Ji Huaisi lowered his eyes, blamed himself and felt lonely, “Isn’t it okay now?”

Seeing Ji Huaisi like this, Jian Chi was embarrassed to say any harsh words.

It seems that a lot had happened in the past two months, but with the background of the past, Jian Chi began to feel that such a bland life with occasional episodes was slowly becoming a routine, and it was assembled into an interesting segment in his boring studies. A week before the official start of HSST, the graduation ceremony was held as scheduled in the auditorium of Saintston. All the teachers and students of the school were seated, and Jian Chi came to the front row with the best view for the first time from the middle back row. Familiar speeches, familiar Shen Shuting, and other unfamiliar guests but still familiar process. The strange thing was that Jian Chi didn’t feel it was long and boring at all. Compared with these two months, the two-hour time slot was almost like the blink of an eye.

After the thunderous applause faded, the noisy auditorium gradually filled with laughter of conversation. The unpleasantness or friction of the past was briefly thrown away at this moment, and the shackles of class brought by the brooch were loosened for a limited time. Jian Chi unexpectedly received graduation congratulations from several classmates who he had never talked to and some people shuttled through the auditorium trying to save everyone’s contact information. Jian Chi felt that the kindness he received in Saintston for a year and a half was not as good as what he received today.

“Jian Chi, congratulations! I hope you can keep up your good grades in the next exam.” Bai Xiyu walked over from the crowd with a simple smile, subtle anxiety can be seen in his sincerity.

At this special time, Jian Chi didn’t want to revisit the previous estrangement and ruin each other’s mood. After being quiet for a few seconds, the corners of his mouth loosened, “Thank you, you too.”

The tense atmosphere gradually dissipated in Jian Chi’s smile. Bai Xiyu opened his mouth with relief, and his intelligent eyes curled up, “I also hope to achieve satisfactory results. I heard that you plan to make Boros University your first choice. It’s amazing, I may not be able to get into the major with the lowest score even if I work hard, but you can definitely do it.”

No matter how much unhappiness there was before, Bai Xiyu’s heartfelt blessing could hardly make Jian Chi cold. Face to face, they chatted for a few minutes, the atmosphere between them seemed to return to the beginning. Bai Xiyu suddenly lowered his voice: “My brother hasn’t mentioned you to me in the past few months, I think he has finally let ggo. If you see him in the exam room, don’t disturb the rhythm.”

Jian Chi nodded clearly, to be honest, when he typed the three words ‘Bai Shuyun’ in his head, he couldn’t even recall a complete and clear face. In the past few months, he had long forgotten their previous relationship. Rather than hate, it was better to use this energy to do other more meaningful things.

“I thought he would not participate in this year’s HSST.”

“Actually, my brother’s physical condition has improved. It was my elder brother who did not agree with him to come back to class. He invited several teachers to tutor him at home. My brother had also been reviewing for the exam these few months, but the location was changed to home.”

Bai Xiyu’s words reminded Jian Chi of the agreement he had made with Bai Yinnian – that Bai Shuyun would not have another chance to hurt him. Jian Chi didn’t show any strangeness in front of Bai Xiyu, and replied ‘I see’ and changed the subject.

On October 1st, the month-long HSST officially began. The test method was the same as the previous mock test, except that the venue was changed to the auditorium. Jian Chi didn’t feel nervous. When the exam paper was opened, he completely ignored his surroundings and was completely immersed in the questions.

The examination cycle was one month. The examination rooms for language and arts were often ranked after mathematics, physics and chemistry because of the small number of people. It took Jian Chi three weeks to finish all his exams, the last one being on economics. When the teacher said ‘pass the tests up’, everyone closed their pen caps one after another, and after a few minutes they took their belongings and rushed out of the classroom. Jian Chi was at the very end, and until this moment, his mood was still calm.

Leaving the classroom, leaving the teaching building, at class time, he could vaguely hear the sound of lectures overflowing from the window. Except for the high school seniors who finished their exams, the whole of Saintston was quiet, and the autumn morning sun shone on the two rows of camphor trees in front of the lawn. The sparse leaves were occasionally blown softly. Jian Chi stopped, and there was a sudden panic, like a person suffocating in the water, suddenly breathing long-lost air. His heartbeat quickened, accompanied by the relief and ease that rushed up, and a trace of unexpected disappointment.

He really graduated.

Back in the dormitory, it was the first time that Jian Chi felt that the room was so big, and he didn’t know where to start and when he wanted to pack his luggage. Should he sort out the review materials left over during this period first, or put away the daily necessities in the bathroom? Unable to decide, Jian Chi simply laid on the bed and turned over. For the first time, he didn’t know what to do, or there were too many detailed or rough plans in his mind, and he didn’t know where to start.

His phone was restarted, and a notification popped up one after another. Jian Chi was dazzled and didn’t reply. He was attracted by the red dot in the upper right corner of the mailbox. An email from the school was lying quietly in the mailbox of the student who was about to log out. 

Jian Chi didn’t open it, but he already knew what was inside.

In the title, it says ‘Prom’.