SW - 56

The college entrance exam fell on June 5th, and it rained, cooling the weather. However, by the 7th, the sun blazed fiercely, making the air stifling and unbearable.

Fortunately, Tang Yin’s family had a car, sparing her from the scorching heat outside.

Jiang Qiuhuan got up early to prepare a hearty breakfast and sat anxiously at the dining table.

Her daughter was now truly stepping onto the battlefield. While past exams had been minor skirmishes, this one was the real deal that determined everything. Still, she had faith in her.

With school on break, Tang Youwei was also home. As he came downstairs, he happened to meet his daughter and patted her shoulder. “Do your best.”

Tang Yin smiled brightly. “Are you worried about me?”

Aunt Sun came out with a plate, smiling. “In our hometown, during this time, we always prepare fried dough sticks and eggs for good luck. Eat up, Yin Yin!”

Tang Yin didn’t have the heart to tell her that modern exam scores were out of 150 points, not to mention the 300-point comprehensive science test. But such heartfelt care warmed her heart.

She nodded. “I’ll eat it all. Thanks, Aunt Sun.”

No one spoke at the table, fearing they might say something wrong. Both Tang Youwei and Jiang Qiuhuan, usually carefree, were now extremely cautious.

Tang Yin sighed. “Mom and Dad, you’re thinking of me as too fragile.”

Jiang Qiuhuan glared at her. “We’re just afraid of affecting you. I’ll drive you there.”

“Alright, alright, you’re the boss,” Tang Yin surrendered.

Their home wasn’t far from First High School—only a ten-minute drive. Tang Yin usually walked, but with the heat today, she decided against it.

Comfort was key.

As they prepared to leave, Tang Youwei seemed to have developed a case of verbal diarrhea. “Did you bring your admission ticket? Your ID? Pens, erasers, pencils? Be careful when filling in the answer sheet—don’t make mistakes.”

As the principal, he’d seen countless exams where students lost points due to incorrect answer sheets—misaligned answers, missed questions, and all sorts of errors.

Tang Yin hugged him. “Don’t worry. Your daughter doesn’t need to be worried about.”

The car moved slowly along the road, lined with parents and children. Many stores displayed banners reading, “Good luck on the college entrance exam.”

Tang Yin rolled down the window, and a wave of hot air hit her face.

“Don’t be nervous. Just focus on your own paper.”

“Did you bring everything? Drink less water to avoid bathroom breaks. Skip difficult questions and come back to them later…”

The stream of reminders never ceased, filled with parental care.

Sometimes, parents were even more nervous than the students taking the exam.

Minutes later, First High School came into view. Traffic police blocked the road, and Jiang Qiuhuan parked by the side. “Do you want me to walk you in?”

Tang Yin shook her head. “No, it’ll make me nervous. Go shopping with Aunt Sun. Just act normal.”

Jiang Qiuhuan rolled her eyes. How could she act normal? Even though she was usually laid-back, her daughter’s college entrance exam made her restless. “Do your best.”

Tang Yin smiled warmly. “Mm.”

She got out of the car, opened her umbrella, and stepped out into the sweltering heat.

At the entrance, volunteers handed out sealed bottles of mineral water to parents and students, encouraging them. “Good luck on the exam!”

Tang Yin stared for a few seconds before heading into First High School.

The first exam was Chinese, starting at nine o’clock. She arrived at eight.

Following her admission ticket, she found her testing room—a classroom on the second floor near the stairs, its doors and windows tightly shut and sealed.

The classroom wouldn’t open until eight-thirty.

Outside, there were extra chairs stacked up. Tang Yin pulled one out and sat by the railing, watching the crowd below.

As the time approached, people gradually made their way upstairs.

Tang Yin returned the chair, leaning against the wall, wondering when Lu Chi would arrive.

Just then, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a tall, thin figure ascending the stairs, wearing a clean, simple T-shirt.

“Lu Chi!” she called out.

Lu Chi was momentarily stunned. He turned to see her running toward him, looking bewildered. The force of her collision pushed him back slightly.

Tang Yin hugged him. “Did you miss me? Three whole days?”

Lu Chi gently pushed her away, noticing everyone on the stairs staring at them. His ears turned red as he said, “Too many people are watching.”

Tang Yin didn’t care. “Let them watch. You’re mine anyway.”

Still, she stepped back a little. It was hot, and being too close wasn’t comfortable. She tugged him to the side.

The students coming upstairs couldn’t help but glance at the two, especially the radiant girl. Some whispered admiringly, “What a perfect match—they’ve wasted their high school years.”

Of course, there were others who thought, These two probably aren’t that great academically.

When the teacher opened the door, the students filed into the classroom, leaving only a few mischievous boys in the corridor, watching Tang Yin and Lu Chi with amusement.

Lu Chi glanced at the time and softly said, “Do your best.”

After a moment’s thought, he added, “For physics, leave more time for the last question. If you can’t do it… just skip it.”

Nervousness made him stutter again. He paused, deciding not to say more.

Tang Yin adored how serious he looked.

She pinched his cheek and grinned. “The comprehensive science exam is tomorrow. Why don’t you give me some tutoring tonight?”

She emphasized the word “tonight.” Lu Chi understood perfectly. His eyes flickered slightly, but he neither agreed nor disagreed.

From the end of the corridor, teachers carrying exam bags approached. Lu Chi said, “It’s time to go in.”

As Lu Chi was about to leave, Tang Yin suddenly piped up, “Take off your glasses. Maybe I’ll perform exceptionally well.”

“...”

He glanced around. Seeing that all the other students had entered the classrooms, he carefully removed his glasses, squinting slightly.

Tang Yin gazed into his eyes—his brows furrowed slightly, but his clear eyes sparkled like stars, captivating her heart.

Being stared at like this made Lu Chi a little flustered. His lips moved faintly. “Don’t...”

Tang Yin released him. Just as he was about to walk away, she grabbed his arm, turned him around, and lightly tiptoed to kiss his lips. “Good luck on the exam.”

They were standing right by the door, so those inside the classroom could see clearly. There were soft murmurs and whispers.

With nearly fifty minutes left before the exam started, some students managed to sneak photos while the teachers weren’t looking and phones hadn’t been collected yet.

Lu Chi hurried into the neighboring classroom, his face flushed.

Tang Yin, however, remained calm and composed. She leisurely entered her classroom, found her seat at the back near the rear door, and settled in comfortably.

Time always flew during exams.

Aside from physics being slightly challenging, Tang Yin’s Chinese was never a concern. This year’s exam was mostly straightforward, except for the final question type, which was more flexible.

After finishing her essay, she still had over ten minutes to spare for checking. Overall, she felt confident—it went as expected.

However, there were students sobbing audibly after handing in their papers, their stifled sobs adding to the tension.

When school let out at noon, Jiang Qiuhuan came to pick her up. Tang Yin had wanted to spend some alone time with Lu Chi, but they parted ways at the school gate.

The day passed quickly.

By the next day, during the comprehensive science exam, Tang Yin immediately checked the physics problems and couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Throughout the entire senior year, every night Lu Chi had gone over one type of problem with her. If she didn’t listen, he ignored her the next day.

Seeing familiar variations of the problems, she couldn’t help but recall those evening study sessions—the way Lu Chi earnestly explained the problems under the dim light.

Such vivid memories.

By the end of the first half-day of exams, everything had gone smoothly.

However, trouble arose at noon. After returning home, Tang Yin began to feel slightly unwell—an indescribable discomfort, very subtle.

She didn’t mention it, not wanting Jiang Qiuhuan and Tang Youwei to worry. She barely ate a bite or two of lunch.

After resting in bed for over an hour without improvement—and feeling worse—she suspected it was because she had eaten ice cream after the previous night’s exam and then stayed up late with the air conditioning on, catching a chill.

By the time she left for the afternoon exam, her abdomen was increasingly uncomfortable.

Tang Yin remained silent throughout the ride. Jiang Qiuhuan assumed she was upset about her performance and didn’t dare ask how the exam went. Worried, she sent Tang Yin into the school.

Once Tang Yin was inside, Jiang Qiuhuan immediately called Tang Youwei. “Yin Yin’s complexion didn’t look good. Do you think she did poorly?”

Tang Youwei interrupted her. “Don’t say anything now. If she wants to talk, she’ll tell you.”

Jiang Qiuhuan sighed and looked back at the school.

The streets were filled with candidates, some laughing. She couldn’t help but hope nothing went wrong.

Thankfully, the afternoon exam was English, her strongest subject, and the test wasn’t as difficult as she had imagined.

Feeling unwell, she sped through the exam. By the time she finished filling in the answer sheet, there were still nearly thirty minutes left. Cold sweat dripped from Tang Yin’s forehead.

She felt nauseous.

The teacher on the podium reminded everyone, “Thirty minutes left. If you haven’t written your essay yet, hurry up.”

Each testing room had two invigilators, rotating with each session.

The female English invigilator noticed Tang Yin’s pale face and approached her. “Are you feeling unwell? Can you hold on until the end?”

Tang Yin, who had been considering submitting her paper early, gritted her teeth and said, “I’m handing in my paper.”

She practically collapsed onto the desk, pushing her completed test forward. “Teacher, I’m done. I’d like to submit early.”

Seeing her struggle, the teacher nodded. Early submission was allowed. “Should I call an ambulance? Your complexion doesn’t look good.”

Tang Yin shook her head and left the classroom through the back door.

As soon as she stepped out, a wave of heat hit her, making her feel worse. Her clothes clung to her body.

Tang Yin leaned against the railing, dry-heaving several times before squatting down to catch her breath.

“Don’t look around. Focus on your own paper.”

Amid the teacher’s reminders, Lu Chi carefully packed up his things.

After finishing his exam, he felt a sense of relief. This was the last exam, and summer vacation was just around the corner.

The classroom had air conditioning, so even those who had finished preferred to stay inside rather than venture out into the blazing heat.

Leaning against the window, Lu Chi casually glanced outside and froze.

Why was Tang Yin outside? In this heat?

Frowning, Lu Chi watched her dry-heaving. Just then, Tang Yin looked up, her pale face catching his eye.

“What are you doing standing up?” the teacher on the podium exclaimed in surprise.

Lu Chi’s gaze remained fixed outside as he quickly said, “I’m handing in my paper.”

Without waiting for the teacher’s response, he left the classroom.

“Huff.”

Tang Yin finally caught her breath. The relentless dry-heaving had made her miserable, an experience she had never endured before.

She vowed never to eat random things or recklessly use the air conditioner again.

“Where... where does it hurt?”

Lu Chi’s voice suddenly appeared beside her ear.

Tang Yin turned her head. Lu Chi was crouching beside her, his expression mirroring her discomfort as if he were the one feeling unwell.

Before she could respond, Lu Chi suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist.

“You... what are you doing?” she weakly asked.

Before she could finish, another wave of nausea hit her, tightening her throat.

Her bangs, damp with sweat, clung to her face, making her look pitiful.

Lu Chi gently brushed them aside. Without waiting for her to recover, he scooped her onto his back. “To the hospital.”

The soft sensation pressed against his back. Under normal circumstances, Lu Chi’s face would have turned beet red, but at this moment, he didn’t notice.

Tang Yin wrapped her arms around his neck, her face resting on his shoulder, breathing shallowly. She felt too miserable to speak.

Descending the stairs, Lu Chi was extremely cautious, fearing a misstep.

Fortunately, the second floor wasn’t high. Two minutes later, they were finally downstairs.

Outside the school gates, crowds of parents waited anxiously. Seeing the two of them emerge, they stared, thankful it wasn’t their own child.

Lu Chi ignored them completely. Glancing back at Tang Yin on his back, he saw her tightly closed eyes, trembling lashes, and cold sweat forming on her nose.

This vulnerable side of Tang Yin was unfamiliar to him.

If he could transfer her pain to himself, he would willingly do so.