Chapter 26

As everyone dispersed in the corridor, Song Cheng was still shaken.

She couldn’t believe how Wen Xiangyi had frightened her.

Did Wen Xiangyi have eyes on the top of her head?

As they left the school gate, everyone waved goodbye.

Qin Li complained about the short two-day holiday not being enough for fun, while Song Cheng felt that two days at home was more than enough. Unfortunately, during official holidays, school staff are on break, and students aren’t allowed to stay in the dormitory.

On the evening of December 29, Song Cheng went straight to her room when she got home, keeping to herself.

On December 30, Song Cheng spent the day at the provincial library’s study room. Her chemistry teacher had assigned several practice tests, and there was still an essay to write for Chinese. It was really stressing her out.

On December 31, Song Cheng got up early and went to the provincial library again. Ni Yun scolded her from behind for not helping with household chores during the break. Song Cheng thought she had done enough in her past life, and Ni Yun was never satisfied.

That night, Song Cheng lay in the upper bunk. The ceiling was very close, and with Ni Guang asleep, the room finally quieted down. Outside, the sound of fireworks and firecrackers was muffled, with one explosion following another.

The noise kept her awake, but she also found it familiar and festive. It had been years since she had experienced such a lively New Year’s Eve.

Wen Xiangyi’s apartment was on a high floor, and the view from the floor-to-ceiling windows was like a sea of lights. On regular days, it looked luxurious and grand, but during New Year’s Eve and similar times, no matter how many lights there were, it always felt a bit cold and uninviting.

During their first New Year’s Eve together, Wen Xiangyi had declined all invitations to parties and gatherings, so it was just the two of them.

Wen Xiangyi had suggested ordering room service, but Song Cheng was not happy. She stubbornly believed that significant holidays should be prepared personally.

When she brought it up to Wen Xiangyi, Wen Xiangyi seemed surprised, pausing for several seconds before agreeing.

On the 31st, Song Cheng went out early to buy the freshest meat and ingredients. By the time she returned home, Wen Xiangyi was still lazily getting up.

Song Cheng thought that Wen Xiangyi probably doubted her ability to handle the preparation. She kept moving back and forth between the sink and the fridge.

Wen Xiangyi’s concern was justified.

Song Cheng had no experience with holidays. In her first year with Wen Xiangyi, her cooking skills were not yet developed. The festive meal she prepared from recipes always seemed lacking. The chiffon cake she baked cracked badly, and the caramel was overcooked, making it look quite bitter.

Song Cheng felt somewhat disheartened. She wanted to make things perfect, not just for New Year’s but also to impress Wen Xiangyi.

As she was about to secretly finish off the cake herself, Wen Xiangyi appeared in the kitchen.

“…”

“I could smell the aroma as soon as I came out of the study,” Wen Xiangyi said, looking at her face through the cake, “Aren’t you going to let me try?”

How could Wen Xiangyi suspect that she would eat it alone?

Song Cheng, trying to save face, pretended to be nonchalant: “It just came out of the oven. I was about to cut it for you.”

Wen Xiangyi walked up to her, and Song Cheng’s hand holding the knife nearly trembled. She focused intently on the cake’s cut surface. Luckily, it looked normal inside and seemed edible.

She carefully cut a perfect piece for Wen Xiangyi and also tasted a bit of the scraps. She sighed with relief—it was indeed edible.

That evening, the table was filled with a variety of dishes and a half-eaten cake.

Outside the window, the clear and melodious chimes rang out after the countdown. Behind Wen Xiangyi, the myriad lights were silent.

Wen Xiangyi raised her glass toward her, with a soft, spring-like smile:

“I’m very happy today, Song Cheng.”

At that time, she was young and her speech was even more awkward than later on. All she could do was raise her glass with Wen Xiangyi, unable to say a word.

From the lower bunk, Ni Guang mumbled in her sleep. Song Cheng turned over, closed her eyes quietly, and rested.

Thinking back now, she was indeed very happy that night.

During the time with Wen Xiangyi, every holiday was filled with enthusiasm for preparation. Even with just the two of them, it never felt lonely or desolate.

—But Wen Xiangyi might be happier without her.

The more Song Cheng thought about it, the more she felt suffocated. She wrapped herself tightly in her blanket and fell asleep with a heavy heart.

On January 1st, the first new year after her rebirth came quietly and uneventfully.

Song Rongjian came home drunk after partying with friends the night before. Ni Guang’s toys were scattered everywhere. Song Cheng stepped over the mess and left early to catch the bus to the second high school.

When Zhou Ying opened the door to Room 509, Song Cheng was indeed already there. She had grown accustomed to Song Cheng always returning to school earlier than her and greeted Song Cheng.

Song Cheng asked, “Have the test papers been graded yet?”

Zhou Ying replied, “More than that. I saw in the class group that the rankings for the eight schools are already out.”

Song Cheng didn’t have a phone, so she had just found out.

“How did Wen Xiangyi do?”

Zhou Ying, with a tone of awe, said, “What else? She came in first place, beating the second place from Sixth High School by more than 20 points!”

Song Cheng felt proud: “After all, she’s Wen Xiangyi.”

Zhou Ying looked at her: “Why do you look more smug than if you had ranked first yourself?”

Song Cheng immediately restrained herself: “Don’t say that. I’m clearly jealous.”

That’s more like it. Zhou Ying nodded vigorously, and the two academic underachievers shared a moment of resonance in their envy of Wen Xiangyi.

After chatting for a while, Zhou Ying’s mood dropped again: “I feel like I didn’t do well this time.”

Song Cheng wasn’t very good at comforting others but guessed, “But it should be better than mine, right?”

“…” Zhou Ying tactfully said, “It’s not that bad.”

Upon hearing this, Song Cheng remembered her own score.

The effectiveness of her studies over this period would be reflected in the joint entrance exam scores. It had been a long time, and she felt anxious again.

During the evening self-study session, rumors about the joint exam results flew around, and everyone was feeling restless.

Seeing that her classmates were just as anxious as she was, Song Cheng steadied herself and focused on her test papers.

Her goal was clear: the college entrance exam. One test score didn’t determine much and wouldn’t affect her continued pursuit of her goals. The score was important but not everything.

Before long, Old Li appeared in the classroom. The first place in the eight schools came from his class, and everyone congratulated him for having a top student. He was beaming with pride, and his voice calling Wen Xiangyi to the office to tally scores was dripping with satisfaction.

Qin Li, busy copying homework for two days, was swamped. He Nianyao was sitting far away. Wen Xiangyi, without much thought, tapped Song Cheng’s desk:

“Want to come with me to tally scores?”

It was more reliable to do it herself.

Unlike Qin Li, who couldn’t finish the homework, how could she help Wen Xiangyi with her tasks?

Song Cheng, feeling responsible, agreed and followed Wen Xiangyi to the office.

The teachers were in a meeting, and the office was filled with students from various classes coming to tally scores. As soon as Song Cheng entered, she saw Lin Hang.

Lin Hang also noticed Wen Xiangyi and her.

What was he looking at?

Song Cheng subtly blocked Wen Xiangyi from view and asked Lin Hang, “How did you do on the exam?”

Lin Hang was surprised by her sudden concern and replied awkwardly, “It was okay, better than last time.”

Song Cheng nodded slightly.

Lin Hang’s scores had improved; she could say that early relationships were not the problem! Lin Hang should thank her.

Song Cheng thought, and as she turned, she noticed Wen Xiangyi was looking at her. She looked back in confusion, and Wen Xiangyi said softly:

“Song Cheng, we’ve started tallying scores.”

Song Cheng replied with an “oh” and obediently focused on her task.

Wen Xiangyi reported the test scores, and Song Cheng was responsible for inputting them—starting with math, then recording the top two in each subject, and noting the biggest improvements based on historical performance, etc.

The office was well air-conditioned, making her feel warm. Listening to the rustle of test papers, Song Cheng’s mind became a bit sluggish. She had been worried about whether her score would be reported next but had completely forgotten about it. Only the rhythmic clacking of the keyboard filled her mind.

Suddenly, the rhythmic sound of Wen Xiangyi’s voice stopped.

Song Cheng turned her head, looking inquiringly.

As everyone dispersed in the hallway, Song Cheng was still in shock. She was astonished by how frightened Wen Xiangyi looked. Did she have eyes on top of her head?

As they left the school gates, everyone waved goodbye. Qin Li complained about how the two-day break was too short and not enough for fun, while Song Cheng thought that two days at home was more than enough. Unfortunately, during statutory holidays, school staff are off, and students are not allowed to stay in the dormitory.

On the evening of December 29, Song Cheng went home and immediately retreated to her room, leaving her family in peace. On December 30, she went to the provincial library’s study room for a whole day. The chemistry teacher had assigned several sets of exercises, and there was still an essay to write for Chinese, which was truly exhausting.

On December 31, Song Cheng got up early and went to the provincial library again. Ni Yun scolded her for not helping with household chores during the holiday, but Song Cheng thought she had done enough in her previous life, and Ni Yun was never satisfied.

That night, Song Cheng lay on the upper bunk. The ceiling was very close to her, and with Ni Guang asleep, the room was finally quiet. Outside, the sounds of fireworks and firecrackers came through, one explosion after another.

Song Cheng couldn’t sleep due to the noise, yet found it strangely comforting and festive. It had been years since she had experienced such a lively New Year’s Eve.

Wen Xiangyi’s apartment was on a high floor, and the night view from the floor-to-ceiling windows was as if thousands of lights were glittering. On ordinary days, it looked luxurious and grand, but during New Year’s Eve and similar times, no matter how many lights there were, there was always a certain coldness that felt lacking in human warmth.

During the first year they spent New Year’s Eve together, Wen Xiangyi turned down all party invitations and only had the two of them. Wen Xiangyi suggested ordering room service from the hotel, but Song Cheng was unwilling, insisting that such significant holidays should be prepared personally.

When Song Cheng brought it up, Wen Xiangyi seemed surprised, pausing for several seconds before agreeing.

On the 31st, Song Cheng went out early to buy the freshest meat and ingredients. By the time she got home, Wen Xiangyi was still lazily getting up.

Song Cheng thought that Wen Xiangyi might have been genuinely concerned about whether she could do it well. She went back and forth between the island counter and the refrigerator. It turned out Wen Xiangyi’s concern was justified.

She had no experience with festive occasions. In the first year with Wen Xiangyi, her cooking skills were not yet refined, and the holiday feast she prepared from recipes always fell a little short. The chiffon cake she baked cracked badly, and the caramel color was too dark, making it look bitter.

Feeling a bit disheartened, Song Cheng wished she could do better. She wanted to perfect it, not just for New Year’s Eve, but also to impress Wen Xiangyi.

Just as she was about to secretly finish off the cake herself, Wen Xiangyi came into the kitchen.

“…”

“I smelled something delicious as soon as I came out of the study,” Wen Xiangyi said, looking from the cake to Song Cheng’s face, “Aren’t you going to let me have a taste?”

How could Wen Xiangyi think she would eat alone?

Song Cheng, feeling embarrassed, tried to appear nonchalant: “It’s just come out of the oven. I’m about to cut it for you.”

Wen Xiangyi came over to her side. Song Cheng’s hand holding the knife was trembling. She focused on the cut surface of the cake, and fortunately, it looked normal inside and seemed edible.

She carefully cut a perfect small piece for Wen Xiangyi and tried a bit of the edge herself, relieved that it was indeed edible.

That night, the table was filled with a variety of dishes and half a cake.

As the distant countdown and clear chimes of the New Year rang out, Wen Xiangyi, surrounded by the silent glow of countless lights, raised her glass toward Song Cheng, her eyes misty with spring-like warmth.

“Today, I am very happy, Song Cheng.”

At that time, she was young, her words more awkward than they would later become. She simply raised her glass with Wen Xiangyi, unable to say anything.

Down below, Ni Guang muttered incoherently in his sleep. Song Cheng turned over and closed her eyes to rest quietly.

Looking back now, she realized she was very happy that night too.

During those days with Wen Xiangyi, she was always enthusiastic about preparing for every festival. Even though there were only the two of them, it never felt cold or lonely.

—But without Wen Xiangyi, perhaps she would have been happier.

Song Cheng felt more and more heartache and wrapped herself tightly in her blanket, feeling sorrowful as she slept.

On January 1, the first new year after her rebirth arrived without any particular stir.

Last night, Song Rongjian came back drunk and made a fuss. Ni Guang’s toys were scattered everywhere. Song Cheng stepped over the mess and left the house early to catch the bus to the second school.

Zhou Ying opened the door to Room 509 and, as expected, Song Cheng was already there. She had gotten used to Song Cheng always returning to school earlier than her and greeted her.

Song Cheng asked, “Have the test papers been graded yet?”

Zhou Ying replied, “Not only that, but I also saw in the class group that the rankings of the eight schools have already been announced.”

Song Cheng, without a phone, only learned of this now.

“How did Wen Xiangyi do?”

Zhou Ying sighed, “What do you think? Stable first place, with more than 20 points ahead of the second place from the sixth school!”

Song Cheng felt proud, “She is Wen Xiangyi, after all.”

Zhou Ying looked at her, “Why do you look prouder than if you had ranked first yourself?”

Song Cheng immediately composed herself, “Don’t say that, I’m just envious.”

That’s more like it. Zhou Ying nodded quickly. The two students of lower grades shared a mutual understanding of their envy toward Wen Xiangyi.

After chatting briefly, Zhou Ying’s mood dropped again, “I feel like I didn’t do well this time.”

Song Cheng wasn’t very good at comforting others and guessed, “But it should be better than mine, right?”

“…” Zhou Ying tactfully replied, “Not that bad.”

Song Cheng then wondered, how many points did she score?

The effectiveness of her recent studies would be judged by the joint exam scores, and she felt nervous for the first time in a long while.

During evening self-study, rumors about the joint exam scores flew around, making everyone restless.

Seeing that her classmates were just as anxious as she was, Song Cheng steadied herself and focused on her papers.

Her goal was clear: the college entrance exam. One exam result didn’t mean much and wouldn’t affect her continued progress towards her goal. This score was important but not crucial.

Before long, Old Li appeared in the classroom. As the top scorer of the eight schools was from his class, everyone congratulated him for having a prodigy, and he looked very pleased with himself, even his voice when calling Wen Xiangyi to the office to record scores seemed to be dripping with satisfaction.

Qin Li, busy with copying assignments for two days, was exhausted. He Nianyao, sitting far away, had Wen Xiangyi knock on Song Cheng’s desk without much thought.

“Do you want to go to the office to record scores?”

Still reliable.

Unlike Qin Li, who couldn’t finish assignments, how could he help Wen Xiangyi?

Song Cheng, feeling a sense of responsibility, agreed and followed Wen Xiangyi to the office.

The teachers were at a meeting, and the office was filled with students from various classes who had come to record scores. As soon as Song Cheng entered, she saw Lin Hang.

Lin Hang also saw Wen Xiangyi and her.

What’s there to look at?

Song Cheng subtly shielded Wen Xiangyi and asked Lin Hang, “How did you do?”

Lin Hang was taken aback by her sudden concern and replied with a strange expression, “Not bad, better than last time.”

Song Cheng nodded slightly.

Lin Hang’s performance had improved. She should thank her for advising against early romance.

Song Cheng thought, turning around to see Wen Xiangyi watching her. She looked back, and Wen Xiangyi said softly, “Song Cheng, let’s continue recording scores.”

She wanted to know Song Cheng’s scores in other subjects.

Song Cheng also thought of this and nodded nervously.

Seeing the excellent math score, she had unrealistically high expectations for her overall results.

Math was quickly recorded, and when Wen Xiangyi picked up the science papers, apart from the possibility of being a genius, Song Cheng had another new guess: “Maybe the math paper was graded incorrectly.”

Wen Xiangyi looked at her, “How did you feel about your answers during the exam?”

Song Cheng hesitated, “I thought… pretty good?”

Wen Xiangyi opened the paper she was holding and said lightly, “Then it wouldn’t be wrong. I felt the same way during the exam.”

Song Cheng: “…”

She didn’t dare tell Wen Xiangyi that she felt very confident when creating rhymes for the multiple-choice questions on the first day of her rebirth, and then got every question wrong.

Comparing herself to Wen Xiangyi? The more she studied, the more she realized she and Wen Xiangyi were

 like two different species.

After Wen Xiangyi reassured her, Song Cheng felt even more anxious.

When Wen Xiangyi found Song Cheng’s science papers, Song Cheng closed her eyes and said, “Just report it to me.” She was a bit afraid to see.

Immediately after, Song Cheng felt something was off. Lin Hang next to her wouldn’t be eavesdropping on her grades, would he? She didn’t want Lin Hang to hear.

Concerning her pride, Song Cheng quickly changed her mind: “Better not report it.”

Saying this, Song Cheng kept her eyes closed. In this dilemma, she hesitated to say, “I’ll look at it myself.” In the darkness, the gentle and strange touch on her hand resting on the keyboard felt warm and smooth, like Wen Xiangyi’s body temperature outlining the shape of two numbers.

Song Cheng’s eyes flew open.

Wen Xiangyi withdrew her hand, tilting her head in confusion, “Can’t you guess?”

“…”

Song Cheng swallowed hard, “I already know.”

She opened her eyes, and Wen Xiangyi had already turned her attention to the next paper, her stray bangs swaying at her temples, revealing her smooth, white forehead.

Although the science score was satisfactory, Song Cheng was a little distracted while entering it.

The math and science scores set a good precedent. Once all the subject scores were entered into the computer, Song Cheng’s final report card was completely out.

Old Li came back from the meeting and saw that Song Cheng was helping Wen Xiangyi record scores. He, too, scrolled to Song Cheng’s position.

Scores were arranged in descending order. Song Cheng was no longer at the bottom of Class 5’s list but had moved up to mid-low ranks, improving by a full 13 places. Her English score was the highest among the language, math, and English subjects, pulling up her overall score.

Old Li praised her, “Song Cheng, keep studying like this.”

This was the first time Old Li had praised her. When Song Cheng walked out of the office, her chest felt heavy but light at the same time.

When she arrived in the classroom, it was just time for the break during evening self-study, and many people came to ask about the scores. Wen Xiangyi, with her good memory, replied to each one, leading to mixed feelings among them.

Duan Jia and the others also found out their scores. Duan Jia did well, ranking second in Chinese among the eight schools, which was enough to make her happy. Qin Li, who had been playing too much recently, had her grades slip, her face long with worry.

He Nianyao, almost like a prophet, had gone from 35th to 34th in the last mid-term exam, and this time, she had filled out 33 in the target form, indeed landing at 33rd in the class.

Qin Li was greatly impressed, “If you fill in 1 for the final exam, Wen Wen would have to be second.”

He Nianyao replied, “No, no, I’m taking it steady.”

Duan Jia commented, “That’s quite steady.”

After everyone finished speaking and exchanged glances, they all looked at the quietly sitting Song Cheng.

Since returning from the office, Song Cheng had been working on the papers, and no one dared to ask her. Even Qin Li kept her mouth shut.

Everyone knew that Song Cheng had been working hard lately, and if she had a setback, it would be a huge blow.

Now, with other students dispersing and only their group left, Qin Li quietly asked Wen Xiangyi:

“Did Song Cheng not do well?”

When it came time for the final exams, at least half of the students in the class had the same target scores as her, and Song Cheng was left completely speechless.

The kids had probably gone crazy from studying for the past half month; how pitiful.

In the eight-school joint exam, although Wen Xiangyi’s performance was outstanding, the overall strength of No. 2 High School had slightly declined compared to previous years. It was rumored that the principal and the research team took it very seriously, so the two weeks following the exam were tightly packed with extra classes, and the director of education had increased the number of times he peered through the back window.

The final exams arrived in this high-pressure atmosphere.

Regarding this, Qi Xiu commented, “There’s a certain beauty in the end-of-term feeling of ‘finally, I can die.’”

This time, Song Cheng was in Exam Room 6.

–

The final exams, as usual, were intensely compressed into two days. After graduating so many years ago, Song Cheng’s memories of being a student were already blurred. She thought that once the exams were over, the winter break would begin, but she was stunned to hear the dreadful news that there would be additional classes after the finals.

A whole week of extra classes!

Song Cheng counted on her fingers.

The exams at the end of the month, after which she would have to attend another week of classes, and then the break would finally begin. The New Year was just around the corner. Although she didn’t like going home, she didn’t want to attend school without a break all year round.

Such a tough high school life.

She rested her head on the desk, sighing.

There was no way around it; students are destined to be ground and molded by the school. If they say go, you have to go.

After the final exams, the teachers raced against time to grade the papers. Without teachers watching over them during self-study, and having just finished a major exam, everyone was a bit crazy.

Some openly ate snacks, others passionately chatted away from their seats, and the boys in the back tossed a basketball around. Even Wen Xiangyi, under these circumstances, had trouble maintaining order.

Wen Xiangyi sat at the podium doing homework, occasionally knocking on the blackboard and calling out “Quiet,” but the students only quieted down briefly before getting noisy again.

She called out the names of the boys. Initially, it worked, but later, the boys suddenly changed their behavior, seemingly wanting to be called out, and when she did call their names, there was a hint of smugness in their expressions.

“……”

Wen Xiangyi had a slight frown between her brows. After thinking for a moment, she called out loudly, “Song Cheng.”

Duan Jia, hearing this, prepared to turn around and help Wen Xiangyi call out.

Song Cheng, while working on her homework, had created a barrier of concentration; she couldn’t hear anyone calling her—wait, did Song Cheng hear that?

Her desk partner had already straightened up, looking at the podium with an expectant expression, waiting for Wen Xiangyi to speak.

Wen Xiangyi pursed her lips and said, “Bring your homework up here.”

Song Cheng lowered her head and started packing her things.

Qin Li turned around, “Why did Wen Wen call you? Why didn’t she call me?”

Song Cheng replied, “I don’t know.”

Qin Li asked, “Aren’t you going to ask?”

Song Cheng looked at her in confusion. Why would she ask? But Qin Li’s gaze made it seem like she was the one who was odd. It took Song Cheng a moment to understand—

Yes, how could Wen Xiangyi call on classmates like that?

But then again, if Wen Xiangyi was calling her, she couldn’t just not go, could she?