Chapter 76

Chapter 76

While feeling this way, the test papers were given out.

Qiao Shao turned to the last page first, and went to see the topic of for the essay. After reading it, he felt his heart twist.

——A letter to mother.

This was undoubtedly one of the simplest topics for a composition; a very oft-written one.

It was difficult to get high marks for this kind of question. It was an easy topic to write but it was difficult to come out with anything top-notch. For ordinary students, they could write a voluminous essay of at least 800 words for this kind of topic. They also didn’t need rack their brains to write it out like a dissertation.

To look first at the essay topic for the Chinese language exam was very common practice. Even the students in the last exam room were very happy, like they had chanced upon treasure on the ground.

Except for Qiao Shao …

He stared intensely at this topic. It was like his limbs were filled with lead and he couldn’t hold even his pen.

A letter to my mother …

Letter to mom …

mom……

The sourness Qiao Shao felt at the tip of his nose rushed to his eyes. He quickly turned over the exam paper and didn’t dare look at essay portion again.

He couldn’t write.

He couldn’t write anymore.

Qiao Shao gripped the pen hard, trying to calm himself down.

Don’t think too much. The important thing now was to do well on the exams.

Once he gets a good grade, he can start a new…

All the words Qiao Shao was using to comfort himself suddenly disappeared.

The surroundings were extremely quiet.

The students started to answer the questions, and the entire teaching building was as quiet as a grave.

On normal days, the windows were open in classrooms. The teacher would also be doing a lecture on some topic. Qiao Shao could concentrate on the teacher’s lecture without fear of the silence.

Even the occasional classroom tests were okay, mainly because discipline wasn’t as strictly enforced. Song Yixu in the front would always be making noise of some kind, and he’d even try to sneak a look at his answers…

Even if the teacher was strict and the class was quiet, there would still be sounds coming from outside.

There were PE classes on the field. There would be the sound of the PE teacher’s whistle. Even the sound of reading, could be heard from the next class.

And He Shen.

It was great having a seatmate. He’d only be apart by so little. He would be so close that he could hear him breathing as he slept.

But there was nothing in the exam room.

Because it was the final exam, the entire school was as quiet as if he’d been wearing huge noise-cancelling headphones.

There was no sound of hustle and bustle; the noises were gone, and the closed windows blocked out the hum of the insects and the cry of the birds from outside.

Everyone was sitting quietly at their desks. No one looked at anyone else. Everyone was like an island standing in the middle of the sea, waiting for no boats to moor.

Qiao Shao couldn’t see anything.

He was under the light of an incandescent lamp but his sight was frozen.

No windows, no wind, no sound.

Even a grave couldn’t be quieter than this.

Qiao Shao wanted to overturn the tables and chairs. He wanted to smash through the wall. He wanted to shout, wanted to yell, wanted to escape …

No … no …

This was the school, not that perpetually sun-less room.

Qiao Shao exerted all his will and all he could do was prevent himself from losing it in the exam room.

When the bell rang, Qiao Shao tried to catch his breath like a drowning man who’d just been rescued.

When the teacher came to take the test paper, he saw Qiao Shao like this and asked, “Tongxue, are you not feeling well?”

Qiao Shao gritted his teeth and said, “It’s nothing.”

The seating arrangement was different from last time’s.

Although he was in an exam room with Lou Xiao, Wei Jiayu, and Song Yixu, he was in the third to last row.

All three were in the first row and were completely unaware of his condition.

Lou Xiao heard the teacher’s question and glanced back.

Qiao Shao just bowed his head and missed locking eyes with him.

Actually, even if they were looking at each other, with Lou Xiao’s poor vision, he wouldn’t have been able to see clearly.

However, he still sent a message to He Shen. “What’s with your kid?”

He Shen was the only person with a mobile phone in the first exam room.

When he took out his mobile phone to check the message, the proctor was also looking at him. “He Shen, your essay…”

He Shen shook his cell phone and said, “Teacher, I still have something I need to do. I’ll go first.”

The proctor looked at the completely blank composition and couldn’t say anything.

If this were a poor student, he would have given him a thorough scolding, but He Shen …

He Shen went left the classroom and saw Lou Xiao’s message.

He tightened his hold on his phone and strode to the last exam room.

When he saw the topic for the essay, he kept thinking about Qiao Shao.

Qiao Shao had just finally managed to face the death of his mother. At this time, how could he write such an essay?

Not to mention Qiao Shao, even when He Shen saw these words, his head was filled with a buzzing sound.

A letter to mother?

How could he write that?

He Shen didn’t know how other people could but he himself couldn’t write it, and he knew Qiao Shao couldn’t write it either.

When he arrived at the last exam room, He Shen saw that Qiao Shao had just come out.

He walked over and called him. “Qiao Shao.”

Qiao Shao looked away when he saw him. “I won’t be eating lunch at the cafeteria.”

He Shen said, “What do you want to eat, I’ll take you …”

Before he finished speaking, Qiao Shao whispered, “Can you let me be by myself for a bit!”

He Shen’s brow slightly furrowed.

Qiao Shao knew that his tone had been a bit wrong. But when he thought of how he did on his Chinese exam, he couldn’t look at He Shen. He said, “I’m tired, I want to go back to the dorm to rest.”

He Shen said, “I’ll go with you …”

Qiao Shao really didn’t want to see him. He felt thoroughly unhappy, and kept his voice under control and said, “Can you not do that!”

Don’t treat me like a child! Though he was on the verge of saying it, he couldn’t come out with it.

He Shen’s face paled a little. “Then I’ll go back.”

Qiao Shao: “En.”

While it was He Shen who said that, it was Qiao Shao, instead who walked away the fastest. He rushed towards the stairs without looking back and ran straight to the dormitory after leaving the school building.

He was thinking of confessing? What a joke!

Could he still confess after getting last place again?

Qiao Shao’s heart was all confused.

He Shen didn’t go to the cafeteria either, he went directly went off-campus.

Lou Xiao gave him a cigarette. “Did you two have a fight?”

He Shen didn’t take the cigarette. He merely pursed his thin lips tightly, the expression on his face frostier than even before Qiao Shao transferred to their school.

Lou Xiao said, “Try putting yourself in his shoes. Which good student wouldn’t be stressed when faced with the likes of you every day?”

Even he would occasionally feel his teeth ache when he thought about He Shen’s grades; and he’s already totally given up on his academics. How much more someone else?

Although Qiao Shao took last place in the exam last time, the boy put a lot of importance in academic grades. Add to that the fact that he’d fallen in love with He Shen, he must be under a lot more pressure than others.

After all, no one wanted to be far worse than their significant other.

He Shen was silent.

Lou Xiao also wasn’t the sort to comfort others. This could already be counted as an unprecedented event. “Try to keep out of his sights for the next couple of days. Let him take the tests in peace.”

He Shen really doted on his little lover.

He’d prepared a wooden fortune and even made breakfast. Lou Xiao had seen them.

Unfortunately, it could also cause tremendous pressure.

Qiao Shao would be moved by the gestures, but it would also make him put even more importance on this exam.

Especially since He Shen has been tutoring Qiao Shao.

After much thought, it was only natural that the little kid couldn’t bear it any longer.

It was a long while before He Shen answered, “En.”

After that monosyllabic response, He Shen went home.

Seeing the state he was in, Lou Xiao lit and smoked a cigarette in his stead.

Although this dog food scattering old beast was very irritating, it was much better than this monosyllabic grunting man.

Falling in love is really troublesome.

The school tyrant saw there was only a single cigarette left in the box —

Lao He’s really miserable. He should smoke another one for him.

During the afternoon’s math exam, Qiao Shao’s condition was better than during the morning, but he still dreaded the quietness that penetrated into his bones. He especially felt upset when he thought of He Shen.

I didn’t know how he finished the exam or what questions he answered.

Qiao Shao went back to the dorm room, not feeling like eating anything.

He Shen didn’t come looking for him and he hadn’t run into him either.

The last exam room was separated from the first exam room by fifteen classrooms.

Too far.

Qiao Shao returned to the dormitory, and heard Wei Jiayu discussing the answers with Chen Su. “What the f*ck? The answer was B? Stop pulling my leg!”

Chen Su saw Qiao Shao and said to Wei Jiayu, “OK, go and review your English lessons.”

Wei Jiayu refused to accept it. “I can’t have gotten this question wrong, I …”

Chen Su stared at him.

Wei Blue Hair realized then that his little roommate looked depressed and mentioning the pot that doesn't boil, said, “Qiao Shao, why are you back so early? Where’s Shen Ge?”

Qiao Shao was half dead, but now he can be directly cremated.

Chen Su threw the English notebook at his face. “Go and review!”

Wei Jiayu got angry. “Four-eyed Chen, you just f*cking try to climb all over me, Laozi will …”

Chen Su approached Qiao Shao, and said gently, “After the exam, just let it go. There are two more tomorrow.”

Qiao Shao smiled reluctantly. “En.”

Chen Su said, “I have new English examples. Let’s take a look?”

Qiao Shao mustered up his spirit and said, “Okay.”

Sitting at another table, reviewing English grammar, Wei Blue Hair scoffed, “Well, you certainly know how to suck up to someone. You act so nice to Qiao Xiao Shao because he has a backer!”

Before going to bed, Qiao Shao took out his cell phone from under the pillow. He hadn’t found his phone yet when his hand bumped into the wooden fortune.

-Great Luck.

Qiao Shao was stabbed in his heart.

Sure enough, we shouldn’t believe in superstitions. How could something like this work?

Thinking so, he was still unwilling to throw away this wooden fortune.

There wasn’t any ‘150 points’ for breakfast the next day.

Chen Su called out to him to have breakfast at the cafeteria. Qiao Shao, despite skipping two meals, still didn’t feel like eating at all.

Stomachs were such strange things. It was like it had a will of its own. Even if it was completely empty, it could still make you feel like eating nothing.

Qiao Shao said thoughtlessly. “I’ll just have some bread, you go.”

Actually, he didn’t eat anything.

Qiao Shao opened WeChat and looked at the top dialog box. Though he hesitated for a long time, he didn’t open it.

He has to get used to it.

He has to get used to days without He Shen.

After completing the exam on this day, Qiao Shao didn’t even return to the dormitory, and directly took a taxi home.

Along the way, he kept thinking about looking at his mobile phone. His head was stuck on that green WeChat icon.

Later, he simply couldn’t stand it and shut down his phone.

Da Qiao was on a business trip and had called Qiao Shao on his original phone. “I will definitely be back before bed, but I won’t be back for dinner.”

Qiao Shao coaxed him. “It’s okay even if you don’t return tonight.”

Qiao Zongmin said, “That’s impossible, I’ll be back no matter how late.”

Qiao Shao said nothing more.

When he hung up, Aunt Wu asked him, “What does Shao Shao want to eat?”

Qiao Shao didn’t want to worry her, he asked, “Have the sea crabs been good recently?”

Aunt Wu immediately said, “Very good! I’ll cook it for you!”

Qiao Shao smiled. “Well, thank you for your hard work, Auntie Wu.”

Aunt Wu said, “Why so polite? Nothing would make me happier than you eating well!”

Although Qiao Shao was alone, Aunt Wu made a whole table’s worth of food.

The crab was handled well. The crab legs were cracked, and the crab meat was carefully picked out and placed in the crab shell. Qiao Shao only needed to eat it.

The side dishes were refreshing seasonal vegetables, and there was also delicious shrimp and crab rice porridge…

These were Qiao Shao’s favorites, but he felt nauseous when he saw these.

He couldn’t eat.

He didn’t want to eat at all.

His mind was filled with thoughts of scorched ham, limp carrots, fried eggs with too much oil, and too salty meat pies.

He missed the ‘150 points’ in that white lunch box.

The author has something to say: After suffering comes [the greatest] sweetness ~

Translator’s note: What a place to stop for the weekend! But as the author said, we’re in for some really sweet chapters next week!