In 2016, just after the college entrance examination, two torrential downpours came crashing down, but in Qingyi City, the scorching heat remained, and the summer’s heat was hard to dispel.

The senior year building of Rui Jun High School had never been so lively and noisy. Some students were recklessly throwing test papers at the underclassmen downstairs, others were openly whistling at beautiful teachers, and a group of immature ones were playing a game called “Mars Collides with Earth” around a stone pillar that had been through a lot.

“How old are you guys to still be playing this crap?”

Qu Yihua, walking through the corridor, disdainfully threw out this remark without stopping. Instead, he grabbed a boy from his class and strode towards Class 8 of the senior year. Upon reaching the classroom door, he patted the boy’s back and said, “Go, call Xu Zhi out for me.”

Qu Yihua was the head teacher of Class 8, a retired soldier who looked like Zhang Fei but handled matters like a strict mother.

The classroom was in chaos. The girls, exhausted from estimating their exam scores, had given up and decided to use mysticism to conquer science, though things had gone off track by now.

“What about my future partner?”

“Let me see. Mars represents your preferred partner. Wow, from your star chart, it looks like a strong guy.”

“And what about me? My boyfriend?”

“Your boyfriend might be an older man, wealthy and powerful, but he’s quite rational about love and doesn’t seem very impulsive—”

Xu Zhi was very fair-skinned and particularly stood out among the group of girls. She didn’t join in their antics; instead, she was intently working on a classmate’s yearbook, meticulously tracing over the words “bright future” again and again. Only a clean, slender nape was visible, but it inexplicably gave off a sense of resilience.

“What do you mean by ‘not impulsive’?” someone asked.

“It means your boyfriend isn’t good in that area,” a boy rudely interjected as he walked over. Before the girls could react, he turned to Xu Zhi and said, “Class monitor, Mr. Qu is looking for you.”

“You jerk! I’ll smash your head in!” one of the girls yelled.

Instantly, the girls rose as one, grabbing books from the desk and chasing him down. The boy, covering his head, begged for mercy, “Hey, hey, spare me, ladies! A smashed head is so hard to manage, and it leaks in the rain!”

…

When Xu Zhi went out, Mr. Qu was leaning languidly against the corridor wall, a stainless steel thermos that he always carried tucked under his arm. His hair was slicked back, shiny and sleek, giving him the appearance of a high-quality man, but his words were the same old routine: “How did the exams go?”

She was holding two books and a stack of materials, just about to respond when she suddenly caught sight of a familiar silhouette in the bustling corridor.

“Is your goal still Qing University?” Qu Yihua continued to ask.

Distracted, Xu Zhi stood at the edge of the corridor, watching that out-of-place, solitary figure disappear at the end of the hallway.

“Yeah, Qing University should be no problem,” Xu Zhi replied hastily, pointing to the materials in her hands. “Mr. Qu, I need to—”

Qu Yihua glanced at the name on top of the pile. “Tan Xu’s?”

“Yes, he borrowed my review materials before.”

Tan Xu.

Qu Yihua said that Tan Xu transferred from City No. 1 High School to help the struggling students. It was said that his competition awards from City No. 1 High were so numerous that they could be used to wallpaper the walls. City No. 1 High School is a top school in the province, and among the thirteen key high schools in the province, it stands out. Eighty percent of the top hundred students in the province come from City No. 1 High.

Rui Jun High School is an ordinary school. Since Tan Xu transferred, he has never ranked below first place. During the senior year, with Tan Xu’s help, Xu Zhi’s grades improved rapidly, making her a rising star. In the third mock exam, she jumped directly into the top ten in the city. On the contrary, Tan Xu had frequent setbacks in recent exams and even fell out of the top ten in the third mock exam.

“Leave it in my office,” Qu Yihua said. “Tan Xu will likely have to repeat the year.”

Xu Zhi was stunned. “But the scores haven’t come out yet.”

“Tan Xu didn’t do the last few math problems. This isn’t just a mistake; he wasn’t in the right state to take the exam. His parents have already called me. They requested that the school give him another chance to repeat the year for free.”

Qu Yihua didn’t tell Xu Zhi that Tan Xu’s parents had said some harsh words. They even mentioned Xu Zhi, using terms like “seduction,” and believed that Xu Zhi and Tan Xu’s relationship affected his performance. They demanded that Xu Zhi explain the situation to the school and admit it was her fault.

“You and Tan Xu…” Qu Yihua hesitated.

“We are not in a relationship, and we won’t be in the future.”

Xu Zhi was very grateful to Tan Xu. There was a time when she mistook this gratitude and admiration for affection. However, after enduring Tan Xu’s repeated emotional coldness and unreasonable behavior, Xu Zhi suddenly felt that boys at seventeen or eighteen were extremely tiresome. Once she sorted out her feelings, she gradually realized that what she felt for him was more gratitude than anything else. She had planned to talk to Tan Xu after the exams, but he had been avoiding her.

Qu Yihua suddenly gave a couple of dry laughs. “Alright, it’s nothing. I was just asking. Think carefully about your college choices. We really think you should consider Beijing or Shanghai. Your scores are definitely competitive.”

Xu Zhi’s expression remained calm. “The scores for Qing University aren’t low either. I remember last year it required around 670 or 680.”

Qu Yihua always believed that excessive calmness was a way to cover up inner turmoil.

“You’re almost at 700 without including the elective module. Don’t tell me you didn’t take the elective module exam?”

“What do you mean by ‘also’? Did someone not take it?”

“Yes,” Mr. Qu said, taking the thermos from under his arm, unscrewing it, and blowing away the floating tea leaves. He drank helplessly. “A genius from City No. 1 High School didn’t take it.”

That student was truly a genius, considering the fierce competition at City No. 1 High School. If Tan Xu’s competition awards could cover a wall, that student’s awards could probably cover a city wall.

This year happened to be the last year of the educational reform in Province S, where the elective module was an additional subject worth only sixty points and only counted towards extra points for top-tier university candidates. Even without the elective module score, as long as the other subjects’ raw scores met the top-tier university cutoff, one could still apply to top universities. It was said that the genius from City No. 1 High School estimated a score of over 700 without the elective module.

Qu Yihua didn’t go into all these details with her, though. He just screwed the lid back on. “So, I still need to discuss your college choices with you. Parallel application submission is an art—”

“Mr. Qu, I understand.” Xu Zhi was a bit annoyed, having heard this spiel at least ten times already.

“Don’t think I’m nagging. Sometimes a single choice determines the path ahead and who you’ll meet.”

“I know. Since I was young, I’ve aspired to be someone useful to society.”

Xu Zhi was particularly good at saying the most perfunctory things in the most sincere tone, a master of outward compliance and inward defiance. Those who knew her were aware of this, but this trick worked especially well on Qu Yihua.

Sure enough, Mr. Qu walked away, gratified, thermos in hand.

The light rain and slanted wind slowly blew into the corridor, the hot wind brushing her face with a hint of dampness. Dark clouds lingered on the horizon, seemingly brewing another storm. Xu Zhi thought to herself, old Xu’s arthritis would probably flare up again. She sighed absently. A person useful to society—how useful, to what extent? She didn’t know, as long as they were useful.

The sky darkened, and strong winds swept through, making the trees rustle loudly. In an instant, torrential rain poured down.

Xu Zhi waited by the roadside for Cai Yingying, the girl who had just been giving mysterious fortune-telling about people’s future partners in the classroom. The two of them were childhood friends, classmates from elementary school to high school, living in the same neighborhood and rarely apart. If it weren’t for Xu Zhi’s skyrocketing grades in senior year, they would probably still be inseparable.

As soon as Cai Yingying saw her, she ran over with her backpack bouncing behind her and hugged her with a big grin. “Ah, honey, I knew you’d bring an umbrella.”

Xu Zhi opened the umbrella. “You can predict the class monitor’s future partner is a strong guy, so this shouldn’t be too hard for you.”

“Oh, what did Mama Qu want with you just now? Still about college applications?” Cai Yingying asked as she squeezed under the umbrella.

“He wants me to apply to H University.”

Cai Yingying knew that Xu Zhi only had her heart set on the local Qing University.

“That’s a top-tier choice. Not everyone can just say they want to go there and get in.”

Cai Yingying had a famous saying: For underperforming students, the college entrance exam is like a jerk. It never tells you if you’re good enough, but if you try hard enough, maybe you’ll get lucky.

“Besides, the scores aren’t out yet. We can decide after we see them. Why is he in such a hurry? If you end up scoring first in the province, you might go to A University instead.”

Xu Zhi sighed. “Your brain is simpler than a watermelon.”

“Seriously, ugh, I’m about to be driven crazy by Zhai Xiao,” Cai Yingying pouted, pulling out her phone to show Xu Zhi the chat history, eager to vent. “I don’t like those fools who sacrifice the last two big questions for love, but Zhai Xiao, with his constant bragging about how well he did, is just the worst. Doesn’t he know my scores might not even be as high as my dad’s blood pressure!”

Zhai Xiao was Cai Yingying’s quasi-boyfriend from City No. 1 High School. They had been secretly developing their relationship through a sports match and were now in full swing, just shy of breaking through that final barrier.

Xu Zhi took a glance at their chat history with no reservations. The screen was filled with “baby,” “thinking of you,” “kisses,” which was truly eye-watering.

Xu Zhi bluntly pointed out, “Is there just a thin layer of glass between you two? It’s more like tempered glass.”

“Whatever, it’s still not a relationship,” Cai Yingying stubbornly denied. “By the way, where’s Tan Xu?”

Passing by a pharmacy, Xu Zhi took her umbrella and went in to buy two boxes of plasters for her father, quickly locating the plaster shelf. “He messed up the exam.”

“No wonder he hasn’t been talking to you lately. It seems he’s taking out his frustration from the failed exam on you,” Cai Yingying said, following her and catching on. “He always does this. Last time, after he failed the physics competition, he treated you with emotional coldness and randomly lashed out at you. I think he’s just trying to manipulate you.”

“

Yeah, I’ll talk to him and clear things up,” Xu Zhi said, focusing on the differences between Yunnan Baiyao and musk bone-strengthening plasters, seemingly unfazed. “By the way, which plaster does Director Cai usually use?”

“He wouldn’t use these. He’s very image-conscious, you know,” Cai Yingying shrugged.

“So, what about his arthritis?”

“Just use a hot water bottle to warm it up.”

“Director Cai is still particular about things,” Xu Zhi couldn’t help but compliment.

“He’s just poor and particular,” Cai Yingying teased.

Cai Yingying and Xu Zhi both lost their mothers, but their situations are quite different. Cai Yingying’s mother passed away when she was very young, and her relationship with her father has been strained due to his busy work and her own rebellious phase. Xu Zhi’s mother died a few years ago, leaving her with just her father. Her father suffers from severe social anxiety, and Xu Zhi is very considerate, never burdening him with tasks like attending parent-teacher meetings.

When Xu Zhi’s mother was still alive, Xu Zhi was a much more spoiled and emotional child, often crying a lot. Her father would say that while other girls were made of water, his daughter was like a water faucet, crying endlessly.

Even though Xu Zhi has become more cheerful and talkative, and no longer cries or gets angry easily, she still maintains a nonchalant attitude towards conflicts, including with Tan Xu.

….

“Dad, I went back to school this morning to estimate my scores.”

Xu Guangji, who was in the kitchen cooking, had his glasses perched on his smooth forehead. The clattering of pots and pans was loud, so he didn’t quite catch what she said. He turned around with the spatula in hand, looking puzzled. “What did you say? Did Sun Wukong cry?”

“……”

“Yes! Tang Seng was captured by Zhu Bajie!” The elderly woman, who was playing cards beside him, shouted angrily. “Estimating scores! Your ears are even deafer than mine!”

This time, Xu Guangji heard her. He turned around with a smile and asked, “How did the exam go?”

“Not bad.” Xu Zhi was sitting with her grandmother, playing cards on her phone.

Xu Guangji responded with a casual “Oh,” and then asked, “What about Cai? How did she estimate?”

The elderly woman threw out a pair of twos. Xu Zhi, still pondering whether to play a bomb, finally answered after a moment:

“You seem quite concerned about Cai.”

Xu Guangji, busy flipping a potato cake, replied without looking back, “I’m more concerned about Director Cai’s high blood pressure. Unlike me, she can’t handle stress.”

Xu Zhi looked up from her phone and smiled at her father’s busy figure in the kitchen. “Dad, I used to hate it when people asked me what you do because I found it hard to explain. But now, I think you’re great. You’re healthy and spend a lot of time with me. Cai said she didn’t even know what her father looked like when she was little. Of course, she might have had face blindness since childhood.”

Seeing Xu Guangji about to respond, Xu Zhi immediately raised her hand in loyalty. “I swear, I absolutely respect all professions in this world, especially urologists.”

“In that case, please also respect my razor and don’t use it to shave your legs,” Xu Guangji replied in a teasing tone, glancing at her with a smirk. “So, what are your plans after the exams?”

“I want to work,” Xu Zhi tilted her head. “I heard your department is looking for someone to collect bed linens and blankets.”

Xu Guangji didn’t bother to respond, ignoring her as he slowly poured out the watermelon juice he had prepared. “If you’re bored, you should find a few friends and go on a trip. Xinjiang, Kashgar, Mohe—anywhere is fine. The world is so big; don’t keep bothering your old man.”

After Xu Zhi’s mother passed away, Xu Guangji’s life and career took a nosedive. For a while, he almost lost his job. Despite this, he still put on a brave face and told Xu Zhi that he was wealthy enough for her to travel the world. Xu Zhi couldn’t be bothered to disillusion him.

After lunch, Xu Guangji hurried off to work, reminding Xu Zhi not to forget to help her grandmother bathe. This left Xu Zhi and her grandmother staring at each other across the table.

“No bath.”

Xu Zhi, while clearing the dishes, firmly said, “This is non-negotiable.”

Her grandmother, already short-tempered, was like a live wire when it came to bathing. “I said I don’t want a bath. If you dare give me one, I’ll call the police and say you’re trying to drown me.”

Without looking back, Xu Zhi said, “If you have the energy to complain, you might as well get undressed now.”

In the end, her grandmother didn’t call the police. Instead, she turned the bathroom heater to its maximum setting and spent the entire afternoon in the sauna-like bathroom, cursing Xu Zhi with a stream of invective—

“Your whole family is cursed, cursed!”

“Your father’s useless! You’re useless too! You’re nothing like your mother!”