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I like her.
I don’t know why she likes me.
But I’m happy that she likes me.
I will always be good to her.
— Zhang Lurang
Zhang Lurang booked a flight for Saturday morning to return.
Before leaving, he gave Su Zaizai a set of exam questions.
— 2014 Science Comprehensive Academic Proficiency Test
Su Zaizai was stunned: “So where are the jelly?”
Seeing her on the verge of exploding, Zhang Lurang licked his lips and earnestly explained: “Eating too much jelly isn’t good either. When you finish these questions, I’ll be back.”
At the same time, Su Zaizai noticed the big “20” on the cover.
Twenty sets.
Each set included physics, chemistry, and biology.
Each subject had sixty multiple-choice questions, adding up to one hundred eighty questions across the three subjects.
She paused for a moment, then casually tossed out a sentence.
“You probably don’t want to see me again.”
Zhang Lurang: “...”
“And also...” Su Zaizai counted on her fingers, “there are eight months until the academic proficiency test. Even if I start now, I’ll forget everything by then.”
He pursed his lips and coldly said: “You need to get a C in all three subjects to get into a first-tier university.”
Su Zaizai didn’t care: “How could I possibly not even score fifty points? They’re all multiple-choice questions! I can do twenty questions, guess ten more, and I’ll have fifty. How hard can it be?”
“...The scoring isn’t the same.”
It’s not like getting thirty questions right means you’ll score fifty points.
He didn’t say this out loud.
Su Zaizai tore off the transparent packaging paper and took out the test papers.
She lowered her eyes and flipped through them casually.
Still, she found no difficulty.
Su Zaizai was somewhat confused: “What are you worried about? They’re just multiple-choice questions.”
After entering the second year of high school, there was only one class left per week for each of the science subjects.
Every time she wanted to use these few classes to work on other subjects’ test papers,
Thinking of his words, she would silently put down the test papers and listen attentively.
So Su Zaizai felt completely stress-free.
But Zhang Lurang’s thoughts were clearly different from hers.
“I’m afraid all your guesses will be wrong.” There was some worry in his eyes. “If there were big questions, at least you could write formulas to get partial credit.”
When it came to her studies, he seemed particularly serious.
Although Su Zaizai was quite pleased with how concerned he was about her,
She still couldn’t help but ask: “Why are you so sure I’ll just guess?”
He lowered his gaze, staring into her eyes.
Feeling uncomfortable under his gaze, Su Zaizai slightly turned her head.
Golden light filtered through the gaps between the leaves, casting down.
A beam of light fell directly on Su Zaizai’s eyes, making her instinctively squint.
Zhang Lurang unconsciously raised his hand to block the light.
Then, Su Zaizai heard him speak.
His voice was low and smooth like jade, like a gentle breeze brushing past her ear.
“Ah.”
He was momentarily distracted, as if lost in memories.
He quickly snapped back to reality, his tone carrying a smile.
“—Magnesium, aluminum, sodium, silicon, phosphorus.”
Su Zaizai immediately recalled the periodic table she memorized while sitting next to him.
She didn’t pay much attention to it, shamelessly ignoring the last three words.
“You called me beautiful.”
Zhang Lurang was momentarily stunned and earnestly asked: “Can’t you tell the difference between ‘n’ and ‘l’?”
Su Zaizai nodded without changing her expression.
He lowered his eyes, as if recalling something she had said before.
Soon, he raised his head, wanting to refute what she said.
Su Zaizai timely opened her mouth, grinning: “Like, that ‘Rang Rang.’”
Hearing his name, Zhang Lurang instinctively looked into her eyes.
Her smiling eyes curved, sparkling with dots of light.
Her red lips parted, opening and closing.
“I’d say it as, ‘that Rang Rang.’“
Zhang Lurang’s temple twitched.
Just as he was about to say something, his phone rang in his pocket.
He took it out and glanced at it: “I have to go.”
Su Zaizai’s good mood instantly vanished.
She instinctively grabbed Zhang Lurang’s wrist and softly asked: “Can’t I see you off to the airport?”
“No.” He immediately refused.
“Oh.”
He sighed and explained: “I don’t want you to come back alone.”
Su Zaizai paused for a moment.
Soon, she spoke, her voice soft, like she was coquettishly pleading.
“I’ve listened to everything you’ve said.”
“You told me to eat only one jelly a day, to listen carefully in class, not to hang out with other boys, and I’ve done all of that.”
“I’ll definitely do these problems too.”
“I’ve been so obedient, will you come back often to see me?”
Zhang Lurang gently patted her head.
His Adam’s apple bobbed twice, and he couldn’t help but lower his head.
He kissed her.
Deeply and tenderly.
________________________________________
Zhang Lurang pushed open the door and walked in.
The house was very quiet, appearing somewhat desolate.
Silently, he changed into indoor slippers and took a bottle of water from the fridge.
Then he headed to his room.
After telling Su Zaizai that he had arrived home, he immediately pulled out a set of test papers to work on.
Unknowingly, an afternoon passed.
Noticing that it was already dark outside, he glanced at his phone.
It was seven o’clock.
Zhang Lurang stood up, left his room, and went downstairs.
His parents and Zhang Luli had returned from outside and were sitting at the dining table eating.
Seeing him, Zhang Luli was momentarily surprised: “Brother, how come you didn’t say anything when you came back?”
Zhang Lurang nonchalantly replied: “Just got back.”
After saying that, he went to the kitchen and served himself a bowl of rice.
As soon as he sat down, his mother frowned and asked: “Why do you keep running off to your uncle’s place? I had already arranged private tutoring for you during this vacation...”
Zhang Luli couldn’t resist interrupting: “Mom, can we not talk about this during dinner?”
Zhang Mu paused and asked again: “Ajing, what are you doing at your uncle’s place?”
Upon hearing this, Zhang Fu also sternly said: “You used to go there for classes. What are you doing there now? Your uncle is not that old; don’t keep bothering him.”
Zhang Lurang paused in his action of picking up food and finally spoke.
“I will go over again during the winter vacation.”
Zhang Mu immediately opposed: “No! Why do you want to go? Next semester will be the second semester of your second year. Can you not give me a headache?”
“I have to go.” He was unusually firm.
Zhang Fu sighed and said to Zhang Luli: “Ali, go get his ID card for me.”
Zhang Lurang abruptly raised his head, looking at him incredulously.
Zhang Luli stopped eating with his chopsticks and didn’t move.
Zhang Mu seemed extremely disappointed in Zhang Lurang and repeated her usual words.
“Can you learn from Ali...”
Zhang Luli immediately turned his head and shouted in despair.
“Mom! Can you stop talking?”
________________________________________
Su Zaizai sat in front of her desk, about to take out a test paper to work on.
Her phone vibrated, and Jiang Jia sent a message.
Jiang Jia: OMG, let me tell you.
Jiang Jia: Remember when I tagged you on that Weibo post about the handsome boys in Department B?
Jiang Jia: Someone commented! The third picture! A sophomore!
Jiang Jia: But! Only! Fifteen! Years old!
Jiang Jia: OMG!
Su Zaizai was taken aback.
The third picture?
The one that looked like Zhang Lurang?
She blinked and replied with pursed lips: 6666
For some reason, she remembered her conversation with Zhang Lurang a few days ago.
——”Rang Rang, do you have an older brother?”
——”No.”
——”Only a younger brother, one year younger than me.”
________________________________________
A scene suddenly flooded into Zhang Luli’s mind.
He knocked on Zhang Lurang’s room door but got no response.
Then he opened the door and saw Zhang Lurang lying on the bed asleep.
The window wasn’t closed, and the wind blew in from outside.
It ruffled the books on the table, flipping them page by page.
It happened to stop on one page.
He instinctively looked over.
——If they had only given birth to Ali, how wonderful it would be.
Zhang Lurang’s handwriting.
His older brother’s handwriting.
________________________________________
Zhang Mu was stunned by his shout and stammered: “What did I say wrong?”
“What kind of attitude are you talking to your mother with?” Zhang Fu frowned.
Zhang Luli’s eyes reddened, and he choked up: “Please stop.”
In a family with two children,
Both parents shower all their love on one child.
The neglected one gradually becomes silent.
And the cherished one begins to feel anxious and fearful.
Such a family is so distorted.
Even the children feel uneasy, but the parents think there is no problem.
Zhang Lurang grew up in such an environment.
Because his younger brother was too outstanding, he grew up amidst everyone’s disappointment.
No matter how hard he tried, it was useless.
——”Hey, Zhang Lurang, isn’t your younger brother three grades ahead of you?”
——”Are you Zhang Luli’s older brother? What was your last ranking... Tsk.”
——”How can the older brother be so much worse than the younger brother?”
——”Ajing, what are you proud of? Your younger brother always gets full marks.”
——”Sigh, I don’t know what to say to you anymore. If you don’t understand, ask your brother.”
That day, Zhang Lurang pushed open Zhang Luli’s room.
He told himself that if he didn’t understand something, he should ask.
There was nothing shameful about it.
Zhang Lurang mustered up the courage and placed his workbook in front of him.
“Ali, do you know how to solve this problem?”
But at that time, Zhang Luli was still young and didn’t know any better.
He didn’t realize how much harm his words caused Zhang Lurang.
“Yes.”
Just as Zhang Lurang wanted him to explain, he heard him ask.
“Brother, why don’t you even understand such simple things?”
No matter how many years passed,
Zhang Lurang could never forget those words.
They were like the last straw that broke the camel’s back.
Because of those words, he proactively called Lin Mao.
For the first time, he cried like a child.
For the first time, he bowed his head to reality as if he couldn’t bear it.
“Uncle, I don’t want to stay here anymore.”
“...Can I go study at your place?”
Zhang Lurang escaped from City B to City Z.
Then, he met Su Zaizai.
Someone who removed every bit of inferiority ingrained in him.
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