Sharing his desk, Wang Hui was the one who was most deeply affected. His buddy who he'd known since childhood was in love. He was eating well and even his character was no longer so indifferent.
The effect of love was great.
"Hey Wu Yuan, you're too protective." Wang Hui put his hands on his chest, pretending to be sad, "We're about to graduate, and I haven't even seen a hair of your girlfriend'."
Wu Yuan lowered his head to sharpen his pencil, "It's better not to meet you."
Wang Hui was curious, "Why?"
Wu Yuan lifted his eyelids, "I'm afraid she'll scare you."
Wang Hui, "..."
How ugly is she? He chuckled, "It's okay, I'm brave."
Wang Hui, thinking that since he said that there must be hope, but Wu Yuan responded, "I'll think about it."
"Hide her then." Wang Hui took out a bag of peanuts and spoke as he ate, "Let me tell you, girls shouldn't be too spoiled. Be careful if she gets too spoilt, you won't be able to control her. "
Wu Yuan said, "He's in charge of me."
"You let her control you?" Wang Hui opened his mouth, he couldn't believe it, he couldn't accept it, "Wu Yuan, you're an idiot."
Wu Yuan disagreed, "I'll take care of him from now on."
Wang Hui closed his mouth, he felt that his buddy was really stupid.
Wu Yuan returned the pencil sharpener to Wang Hui, "I'm not the same as you, you'll figure it out in the future."
In the future? Wang Hui rolled his eyes, his curiosity increased again.
He knew Wu Yuan, however and since he didn't just say it, he must really not want to tell him, at least not yet.
In April, on the day of Wang Hui's sports exam, it was drizzling. He had trouble with his stomach, not to the point of having physical problems, but he was very depressed.
After a hundred tries, Wang Hui said with a frustrated face, "Sir, I guess I'm tapping out this time."
Lu Shenxing glanced at him, "Then go back."
Wang Hui, "..." Can't you let me complain a little?
Lu Shenxing flipped through the story of the book, and asked Wang Hui a moment later, "Can you run 800 meters?"
Easily, Wang Hui grabbed his hair hard and gritted his teeth, "Yes."
Lu Shenxing sat calmly on the bench, next to his physical education teacher who was rubbing his hands anxiously.
"Wang Hui shouldn't have a problem."
Listening to his infallible tone, the physical education teacher had a headache. There was no problem with Wang Hui's normal performance, but with the state he was in today, he was likely to be at the bottom.
Wang Hui moved his limbs, concentrating on warming up, and then shot out like an arrow.
In the original plot, Wang Hui fell midway, affecting his mentality and separating him from the rest of the team. Wu Yuan accompanied him to the end from the side of the track.
At that moment they sweated and smiled together.
Lu Shenxing hugged his arms and looked on. He couldn't help but feel that youth was so nice.
The countdown to the college entrance examination was less than fifteen days, and the trauma of their imminent parting was pervasive in the classroom. After the age of ignorance, they had nothing to do with each other.
Wang Hui asked Wu Yuan what school he wanted to apply for, and Wu Yuan said that he would choose from the schools in the province.
"Then it will be difficult for us to meet in the future." Wang Hui smiled regretfully, "I made an agreement with Lin Lin to go up to M City."
Wu Yuan looked up at the man on the podium and didn't look away for a long time.
During the college entrance examination, the whole class lived in a hotel, and Lu Shenxing was reminding them what must be brought into the examination room and what must not be brought in.
"Sir, what if I lose my admission ticket?"
"Notify me as soon as possible."
"Sir, what if I forget to bring my pencil case?"
"Tell the invigilator."
"Sir, what if..."
After answering tens of thousands of what ifs, Lu Shenxing held his forehead. This is the last exam of your three years in high school, can't you just go take it?
Wu Yuan Wang Hui took the test, but Lu Shenxing didn't look at it.
The horrible black June from the rumors was finally a thing of the past. The third years, having cried and laughed, farewelled their youth and entered a new beginning.
Wu Yuan did a good job on the test, and he was more hesitant when filling out his university applications.
"I don't want to be too far away from you."
Lu Shenxing took away the college entrance examination guide in his hand, turned to one of the pages, ticked it with a pen, then quickly ticked a few more, "Select from these schools."
Wu Yuan frowned, "These are far away." He checked and there were two trains that took more than ten hours, so it would be impossible for him to come back on the weekend.
Lu Shenxing looked at Wu Yuan sternly, "Are you a little chicken? Can't live without your mother hen?"
The corners of his mouth twitched, and he didn't get anything good when he spoke back.
"Wu Yuan, you need to decide for yourself." Lu Shenxing repeated.
In the end, Wu Yuan chose one of the 985 colleges, and a course in clinical medicine, just like in the original plot.
After submitting the applications, Lu Shenxing and Wu Yuan were lying on the grass by the river behind the school, fingers interlocking.
"Sir, I want to kiss you."
"Then do it."
Then they kissed each other, their lips lingering.
The setting sun was shining in the west and a breeze was blowing across the water, the reeds swaying gently. White puffy clouds flew above, covering the sky.
Wu Yuan returned home with the admission notice, but it was not praise and laughter that greeted him.
"The tuition fee is more than 3,000?" Wang Cuixiu sighed, "So much..."
Wu Dongqiang squatted on the threshold, "It will cost more than 10,000 for four years, with living expenses, it's cannibalism!" He said gruffly, "What do you learn at university, don't study, learn the craft from your uncle, and just be a carpenter."
Wu Yuan paused, and he squeezed the notice, "I'll figure out the tuition fee myself."
"Don't brag, what can you do aside from schoolwork." Wu Dongqiang sighed, "Do you think money is so easy to make? Come back, I haven't finished talking!"
The door closed behind Wu Yuan, isolating the rude and ugly curses.
Wang Cuixiu was sweeping the yard. The family ran the bun shop from home, and he was their only child. The expenses weren't particularly high, so they should have savings. But Wu Dongqiang liked to play cards, and his luck was bad, and he couldn't keep up with his own spending and owed many debts. His ancestors no longer waited to meet him.
After thinking about it for a long time, Wang Cuixiu went to the village to borrow money, going from house to house. Everyone knew that Wu Yuan was admitted to university.
Everyone who met Wu Dongqiang said enviously, "Your child is promising." As more people talked, his face grew longer, and he gradually came to understand that his son was the village's first student and was full of promise.
"Xiao Yuan, you still have to study well." Wu Dongqiang said, "I decided to take a loan."
Wu Yuan didn't hear it at first, but when he realised what he said, he raised his head sharply, his eyes wide with horror, "A loan shark? Do you know how high the interest is?"
Being stared at by his horrified gaze, Wu Dongqiang was inexplicably frightened, afraid of his own son. He snarled and shouted, "Don't worry about this, I know what I'm doing!"
Wu Yuan smiled mockingly, his face was cold, "I have agreed to go to a relative's hotel as a waiter, they'll pay..."
He caught the look in Wu Dongqiang's eyes when he said the word pay, and only said, "Fine."
"Then work hard, don't offend anyone. When you return I'll ask your mother to boil the eggs for you, and you can take them to your boss and get in good with him." Wu Dongqiang said, without asking where the hotel was, when he was leaving, whether it was safe, or what he would be doing.
Wang Cuixiu asked Wu Yuan what date he was leaving. Wu Yuan said the date was four days earlier than his bus ticket, and he went to stay with Lu Shenxing for those four days.
Lu Shenxing sat on the bedside and smoked. He could pay for the tuition, but he didn't want to step on Wu Yuan's pride so he didn't mention a word.
"Are you still sleeping? The sun's already high."
Wu Yuan grabbed the pillow and pressed it to his face, his voice buzzed, "Sleepy."
The left ear was cold and there was something fixed to it. Wu Yuan hadn't heard sound in his left ear for many years, and when he heard a chuckle, he sat up feeling lost..
"I bought it a while back." Lu Shenxing rubbed the hearing aid in his left ear.
Wu Yuan was stunned. Countless times he'd imagined hearing sound in his left ear again but the surprise came too suddenly and he was overwhelmed.
"Not expensive." Lu Shenxing touched Wu Yuan's ear. "It didn't cost much money."
Wu Yuan lowered his head and covered his face with the palm of his hand, his shoulders trembled slightly. He said, "Sir, are you raising me?"
"Yes." Lu Shenxing also joked, "Your teacher is counting on you to take care him when he's old."
The word 'old' made Wu Yuan frown. He reached out to grab Lu Shenxing's cigarette, which was then snatched before it reached his mouth.
Lu Shenxing put out the cigarette, "I don't like to smell your mouth when I kiss you."
Wu Yuan said, "Then why are you still smoking?"
Lu Shenxing's tone was airy, "There's this thing called addiction."
Wu Yuan sighed and made a secret decision not to touch cigarettes in the future.
The two-month holiday was long, but it passed by in a blink of an eye.
On the day of enrolment, Lu Shenxing sent Wu Yuan to the train station with a lot of luggage, a woven bag, and two plastic bags.
"You should get on the train."
Wu Yuan kept his head down and didn't speak, his expression was very tense. The moment the bright whistle sounded, he hugged the man facing him, his eyes were hot.
"Don't miss me too much." As the clothing on his chest became wet, Lu Shenxing was a little helpless, "Why are you crying? It's not a goodbye." He reached out and touched the boy's hair, "I'll visit you often."
Wu Yuan tilted his head and rubbed his eyes, and said dumbly, "I'm going."
Many people were being sent off at the station, students and part-time workers, all of whom left their homes.
Lu Shenxing slid his hands into his trouser pockets, squinted at the red-eyed boy lying on the train window, he smiled and waved.
Wu Yuan, I'll give you two years to grow.
Wu Yuan's study started in his longing for love. He was a poor student. The school arranged a job for him and he also found a tutor. His spare time was full.
But he still found spare time to think about someone in particular, missing him like crazy.
Writing letters became Wu Yuan's greatest joy. He wrote all his thoughts into them, intense and hot.
Lu Shenxing received a letter every month.
The other teachers all knew that Lu Shenxing exchanged letters with someone, and gossiped about who it could be. By looking at the address written on the envelope, they knew that the other person was a good person.
Winter came in the blink of an eye.
Lu Shenxing passed by the school gate, and the concierge raised the white envelope in his hand and shouted, "Mr. Zhang, your letter!"
"Thank you."
Lu Shenxing tore open the envelope and unfolded the letter. The beautiful words came into view. The same words were written back and forth, covering the entire sheet of paper.