The final exam seating was arranged based on grades. Xu Xu was seated to the left of Zhao ii. He had barely slept last night, tossing and turning, thinking about how Zhao ii had practically wanted to draw a dividing line between them with her pen during the day. The taste in his heart was indescribable.
From start to finish, he held no grievance against Zhao ii; rather, his mind was filled with anger towards Zhang Zhao and with deep-seated envy, jealousy, and hatred towards Shi Yang.
Being by Zhao ii’s side had beco a habit—caring for her, admiring her, protecting her, feeling sorry for her—almost a conditioned reflex.
Xu Xu couldn’t imagine a day when he would no longer see Zhao ii, nor could he accept the idea of Zhao ii leaving him, becoming truly estranged.
Thinking about these sad and painful monts, Xu Xu cried under his blanket for most of the night, sobbing until his brain beca oxygen-deprived and his whole body convulsed. Then, he couldn’t help but indulge in self-pity. His desperate efforts to study hard for a promising future were all to make Zhao ii look favorably upon him, hoping to one day beco as successful as Shi Yang.
Now that the goal had suddenly disappeared, he lost his sense of direction.
Xu Xu regretted his impulsive actions that led to the current situation, wishing he could just die and be done with it. He was so regretful he felt sick to his stomach.
He buried himself in the blanket, sweating in the middle of winter, thinking that as long as Zhao ii was willing to talk to him, as long as she was willing to remain friends, allowing him to stay by her side, he would be willing to be her friend forever, a lifelong ironclad buddy, as long as she didn’t truly beco a stranger to him. He’d do anything.
Xu Xu bit his blanket and cried most of the night, shedding tears with heartbreak. He was left with no hope, drying up all the tears he had for the first half of his life.
Xu Xu’s head hung low, his eyes zoning out at the empty seat to his right.
The sound of Zhao ii’s voice ca from the entrance of the classroom. Xu Xu’s nerves tensed. He quickly withdrew his gaze, unsure of what to do for a mont, only able to hang his head, gripping his pencil case tightly.
Zhao ii’s voice moved closer, and Xu Xu raised his head to see Zhao ii walking in from the entrance with another classmate.
Since the mont Zhao ii entered the classroom, she saw Xu Xu, whose face showed obvious embarrassnt and stiffness, looking back at her from his seat.
Xu Xu’s eyes were very red and swollen, his whole person appeared haggard, and there was surprisingly a light-blue stubble on his chin.
Zhao ii had imagined dozens of ways to say hello when she finally t Xu Xu again, to smooth over the situation perfectly. But when she truly saw him, she had not yet figured out how to face him, and instead froze on the spot.
The mont Xu Xu and Zhao ii made eye contact, realizing his own ssy state, he almost panicked, averting his gaze as if to disappear instantly.
Seeing Xu Xu’s awkward state, Zhao ii’s previously chaotic emotions slowly cald down.
This person was Xu Xu, not an outsider. Zhao ii could boldly claim that among those who understood Xu Xu the best, aside from herself, only Xu Xu’s mom could take first place.
Their years of friendship weren’t blown in by the wind; they were accumulated day by day through real interactions. She had never been so certain that regardless of what kind of quarrel erupted between them, even if it ended in a physical altercation, it would not affect their relationship. This relationship, mixed between friendship and kinship, was as aged and rich as an old wine buried under a tree. Simply uncork it to breathe in the heavy fragrance.
Zhao ii walked straight to her seat and sat down, knowing without even turning that Xu Xu was discreetly glancing over with the corner of his eyes.
Zhao ii’s heart finally settled. She dug out snacks she brought from ho in the morning from her bag and casually tossed them onto Xu Xu’s table.
Xu Xu was startled, his backbone straightened, as he looked at the food on the table, almost staring a hole into it.
Zhao ii’s voice ca from beside him, "You didn’t have breakfast, did you? I brought it for you specially."
Xu Xu gradually turned his head towards Zhao ii, and his awkward expression was disrupted by surprise. He felt warmth in his heart and stared at Zhao ii, at a loss for words.
Xu Xu mumbled, "I... I thought you wouldn’t talk to anymore."
Zhao ii gave a bitter smile, "Who told us we’re ironclad friends? You occasionally act silly; do you really think I wouldn’t talk to you?"
Xu Xu spoke softly, "But yesterday I..."
Zhao ii interrupted him, "It’s already a thing of the past for ."
Xu Xu felt a light relief in his heart but also an indescribable sadness. He paused before nodding in disappointnt, "Hmm, I understand."
Zhao ii laid out the things needed for the exam on the table and suddenly turned saying, "Xu Xu, you are the lifelong friend I intend to make." A friend, only a friend.
The unfinished second half of Zhao ii’s sentence was understood by Xu Xu. He looked at Zhao ii’s serious expression, feeling an indescribable disappointnt, yet knowing there’s no room for change anymore. Okay, always friends. If not, then not even friends.
Xu Xu’s voice was faint yet clear, "Hmm, lifelong friends."
After busily sending Zhao ii to school in the morning, Shi Yang turned to drive to the company, only to rember he left the car at the entrance of the milk tea shop.
Upon arriving to retrieve the car, he noticed a pink note under the windshield wiper, which read: Boss, for the overnight parking fee, should you pay up? O(∩_∩)O
Under the note, there was a discount card.
Shi Yang picked it up and laughed, finding the milk tea shop people quite interesting. He tossed the note but kept the discount card, planning to give it to Zhao ii for her to use when she ca back to buy things.
Throughout the morning, Shi Yang was busy handling affairs at the company. One deal he negotiated was selling and installing second-hand Naughty Castle for a kindergarten, earning a considerable profit from it.
Kindergartens were everywhere, one neighborhood nearly operated three or four simultaneously, but the number of children was limited. Many kindergartens ended up closing down within a year after spending a significant amount installing Naughty Castles, which beca second-hand goods after only a few months.
Shi Yang hadn’t noticed this opportunity until an accidental encounter with a kindergarten director, who complained that the Naughty Castle occupies space but is too good to throw away and useless to keep—a comnt that reminded Shi Yang and made him aware of this opportunity.
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