[The jubilant summer has arrived.]

June finally came.

The summer breeze grew scorching, and the heat made everyone restless. Everyone knew that in a few days, they would face the most important exam of their lives—an exam that would lead them to the crossroads of fate, thrusting each of them into the adult world before scattering those who weren’t yet ready for goodbyes in different directions.

It was cruel, yet novel—a symbol of both loss and hope.

After March, Zhou Leqi’s mock exam scores gradually returned to her previous level. In April, she scored 724 and ranked fourth; in May, she scored 717 and ranked ninth. By early June, just before the final mock exam ended, she scored 730 and ranked second.

Now, only the final college entrance exam remained.

According to the tradition at No. 1 High School, this tenth major exam was meant to be perfect—ten out of ten.

Yet even with her scores improving, Zhou Leqi’s fear of the college entrance exam only intensified. She was extremely nervous, and her anxiety symptoms were flaring up again. Fortunately, she received some good news:

She and Hou Zihao had been assigned to the same exam room.

In reality, being in the same exam room or not made no difference at all. Even if he sat next to her during the exam, what could he do? The test was ultimately her responsibility. But this news still brought her immense comfort. She almost immediately felt a weight lift off her shoulders and gained a bit more confidence.

He made her feel safe.

After the review of the ninth mock exam papers was completed, No. 1 High School gave its senior students a break. For the last three days, the students would study independently at home.

On the last day before the break, Old Pan wore a red T-shirt on purpose. When he entered the classroom, his usually stern face showed a faint smile. He stood at the podium, looking at every student in the room. His eyes seemed filled with infinite emotions, tinged with the warmth of a father seeing his children off.

“Don’t be nervous—it’s just another exam,” he said gently, his tone encouraging. “No. 1 High School is the best high school in the province, and you are the best students here. You’ve already tackled the hardest problems and endured the toughest training. No matter what the exam throws at you, it won’t defeat you. There’s nothing to fear.”

“You’ll know everything that’s tested, and any guesses will turn out right.”

“May your futures be bright.”

His eyes seemed to glisten with unshed tears.

Zhou Leqi had heard these farewell words from Old Pan three times before, but even now, she couldn’t help but be moved. As she left the school, she turned back to look at the now-empty classroom. The slightly disheveled desks and chairs gave off a sense of desolation.

She suddenly had a premonition: this time, she really was saying goodbye to the campus she was most familiar with.

Hou Zihao, as always, noticed the subtle shifts in her heart. So in the days leading up to the exam, he accompanied her back to the school to study independently. Most of the class was studying at home, and only a few people returned to the school. They spent most of their time alone in the classroom together, finally able to sit side by side without reservation. Shoulder to shoulder, they read books and solved problems, getting into the rhythm. With a turn of their heads, they could see the lush greenery outside the windows, and when they opened the windows, they could feel the cool yet warm breeze of June in City A.

It was peaceful and calm.

Hou Zihao acted no differently than usual, but Zhou Leqi found herself frequently distracted. Her pen would often pause while solving problems, and then she would turn her head to look out the window.

He knew she was tense, so eventually, he confiscated her pen and test papers. This naturally upset her, and she protested for a while, but he didn’t budge. “You’ve done enough problems—there’s nothing left to solve. I say we should go eat beef noodles behind the school. Once we’re in Beijing, we won’t get to eat them as often.”

This was an ordinary distraction on the surface, but in truth, every word he spoke was carefully considered. He was trying to naturally convey positive psychological reassurance, hoping to tell her that they would definitely succeed in this exam.

She didn’t notice his subtle intentions, only pouting and saying, “I’m not going. I want to study some more.”

As she reached into her desk for her textbook, he stopped her with a laugh. This time, he took her books away too and lightly kissed her hand. “Stop reading for now—or read later. Rest for a bit first.”

She didn’t say anything, seemingly accepting his suggestion.

They sat facing each other, not speaking much. The familiar environment gradually calmed their hearts. Zhou Leqi absentmindedly played with Hou Zihao’s fingers. After a while, she murmured, “You know…”

She trailed off, leaving her sentence unfinished.

But he knew what she wanted to ask: she must have been wondering what to do if she failed the exam again.

At first, he didn’t plan to respond, fearing that mentioning the possibility might heighten her panic. But after some thought, he realized avoidance wasn’t the solution, so he decided to answer her.

“I’ve actually thought about this,” he said slowly, his tone tinged with a faint smile. “If you’re unsatisfied with your final score and decide to retake the exam, what should I do?”

She froze, her fingers pausing momentarily as she looked down. “Oh… so what do you plan to do?”

“It’s hard to say,” he replied seriously. “I’ve thought about accompanying you for another year of study. But then I also thought that if I enter university first, you’d have to call me ‘senior.’ That sounds pretty cool too, so I’m a bit torn.”

Ah, what nonsense.

What kind of talk was this?

Zhou Leqi was speechless, raising her head to glare at him. But in the end, she couldn’t help but laugh.

He watched her laugh, her small fang-like teeth peeking out, and his mood brightened even more. They both laughed, and the gentle breeze rustled the leaves outside the window, creating a soft rustling sound.

“Why do you only think about me failing and retaking the exam?” she suddenly complained. “Isn’t it possible that you might fail and need to retake it? Or maybe I’ll wait for you.”

He raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying that idea, and casually said, “How could that happen?”

“How couldn’t it?” she insisted.

“I’m so amazing—I’m going to be this year’s provincial champion, okay?” he said, half-joking, half-serious.

His confidence was striking—not arrogant, but rather a natural composure. He was simply stating a fact and expressing respect for his years of diligent effort.

There was an inexplicable infectiousness to it.

Zhou Leqi felt a gentle tug in her heart. She gazed at him, feeling as though the place where he stood was bathed in sunlight, full of warmth and brightness.

She fell silent again, but then she heard his faint laughter. Soon after, he took her hand in his palm and said, “That look on your face… Are you trying to borrow my exam luck?”

Zhou Leqi blinked, then laughed. “How full of yourself—are you really going to let me borrow it?”

“Of course, all yours,” he laughed, taking her hand and rubbing it against his clothes. “I’ll even deliver it personally. On the 7th and 8th, before your exams, I’ll come to your exam room to rub some luck onto you. And after you finish, I’ll be there to pick you up, okay?”

She was delighted by his teasing, smiling with her eyes squinted. She teased him back: “You’re bluffing. We’re at the same testing center, but our exam rooms are on different floors. How can you pick me up?”

“I’ll submit my exam early,” he said matter-of-factly. “I promise—the last person you see before entering the exam room will be me, and the first person you see after leaving will be me.”

“I’ll always be with you…”

He promised.

“… Just like every other day.”

June 7th finally arrived.

It was a brilliant day—no clouds, no rain, and not too hot. It seemed like a perfect day for anything.

Yu Qing rushed to send Zhou Leqi to the exam site early in the morning. She had already prepared a protective amulet for good exam luck and placed it in Zhou Leqi’s bag. Before leaving, she quietly prayed to Buddha and Confucius, greeting anyone remotely related to exams.

On the way from home to the exam site, Zhou Leqi was very nervous. Her heart pounded, and her hands felt cold. But when she saw Hou Zihao from afar at the entrance of the exam site, all her anxiety miraculously disappeared. She began to feel grounded and calm.

Yu Qing hadn’t expected to see Hou Zihao there, but she was pleasantly surprised. She accepted his polite greetings and watched as he accompanied her daughter into the exam site, disappearing around the corner.

The time between entering the exam site and the exam room was brief. When he walked her to the classroom door, she knew it was time for him to leave; otherwise, he’d be late for his own exam.

She was ready to say goodbye when she saw him pull a plain black pen from his bag and hand it to her.

She blinked, confused. “What’s this…?”

“It’s a pen I’ve blessed—it’s for borrowing my exam luck,” he said nonchalantly with a smile. “Take it. Use it to write your essay—you won’t stray off-topic, and your calculations will be bug-free.”

The sunlight was bright, and the summer breeze was gently cool.

The noise of the crowd seemed like a small embellishment in some love story, and even the past sorrows became less significant.

Because the girl’s eyes had once again lit up with tiny stars.

She took the pen, her beautiful eyes curving into a cute little arc, and said:

“Okay.”

Those were two very ordinary days.

There were four exams in total: Chinese in the morning and math in the afternoon on the 7th, and science comprehensive in the morning and English in the afternoon on the 8th.

Everyone taking the exam had already gone through countless trials, especially those who were serious and cautious. They methodically solved problems, drafted solutions, got stuck on the hardest questions, guessed when necessary, and when all else failed, they neatly wrote “Solution:” in the blank spaces of their answer sheets. Then, they methodically listened to the invigilator announce, “The exam is over,” and handed in their papers before walking out of the exam room.

The moment they stepped out, everyone was liberated. Some students excitedly threw their backpacks away on the spot, running wildly on the unfamiliar playground of the exam site. Smiling parents held up bright red banners with simple yet touching messages: “Children, you’ve worked hard,” and “No matter how well or poorly you perform, we love you.”

It was the end of a long era, with many tears and laughter sealed away in that moment, never to be revisited.

At the same time, it was the beginning of another long era, and no one could yet foresee what lay ahead on the road to the future.

People only knew one fact:

The jubilant summer had arrived.