Chapter 010: Cherishing the Affection You Gave

The list of exam room assignments was read aloud.

There were only four students who were assigned consecutive numbers. One pair consisted of two girls, both not very good at studies. The other pair was Bian Xuedao and Zhou Hang.

Zhou Hang's grades were consistently in the top six in the entire grade, and over the past month or so, everyone had noticed the improving relationship between Bian Xuedao and Zhou Hang.

If Peng Hong were still at the school, he would probably shout, "D*mn!"

The class teacher continued from the podium: "Tomorrow is the last day of lessons, so if you have any questions, make sure to ask your subject teachers. Tomorrow evening's self-study session is optional. If you want to attend, you may; if not, you can go home."

"Make sure you take all your books and personal items home tomorrow. The day after, the school will rearrange the desks and chairs according to the requirements of the exam room. Any items left in the classroom will be treated as waste. Once your exam numbers are marked, the door will be sealed, and no one can enter."

"Any questions?"

A student asked, "Teacher, what will the exam room look like?"

In response, the class teacher took a piece of chalk and drew a snake-like diagram on the blackboard, labeling eight points along the path, each marked with a number. "Each exam room will hold 30 students, and the desks will be arranged in a snake-like pattern, starting from the first desk near the door. Do you all understand?"

"Before the exam, try to go to your exam room in advance to familiarize yourself with the route and the environment. Don't end up not being able to find your exam room," the teacher paused and then added, "Don't worry, the exam will be easier than the practice questions. Just make sure to follow the exam rules, as the college entrance exam is not a joke."

Before the afternoon classes, Dong Xue told Bian Xuedao and the other four that she would treat them to dinner that evening, as she hadn't done so before and was making up for it now.

At the small restaurant near the school.

Earlier, during meals, everyone had casually said things like "I wish the exam would come soon," or if they had a bit of alcohol in them, they might shout something like "If the exam is over, I'll be free."

But when the evening before the exam arrived, everyone fell silent. Especially Guo Dong, who kept glancing at Bian Xuedao and Zhou Hang but didn't say much, just silently drinking.

The exam numbers had already been handed out, and tomorrow they would leave the school. Bian Xuedao had to find an opportunity to speak to Zhou Hang about the forty or so things he had been wanting to say.

Bian Xuedao waited for a chance, but Zhou Hang seemed to be waiting for something too.

At the dinner table, Zhou Hang glanced at Bian Xuedao several times, his gaze meaning something, as if waiting for Bian Xuedao to say something.

Guo Dong stayed quiet, while Dong Xue was trying hard to liven up the atmosphere. She drank heavily, and every time Bian Xuedao tried to help, she refused.

Halfway through the meal, Dong Xue stood up, filled her glass, and raised it to Zhou Hang, proposing a toast. Zhou Hang stood up as well and drank the entire glass.

Just as Zhou Hang was about to sit back down, Dong Xue quickly poured him another half-glass and filled her own. She didn't say anything and drank her own glass straight away.

Dong Xue was quick, and Bian Xuedao didn't have time to stop her.

Zhou Hang looked at Bian Xuedao, then filled his own glass again and drank.

Dong Xue hadn't sat down yet.

She filled both her own and Bian Xuedao's glasses to the brim, then pulled him up by the arm, lifted her glass to Zhou Hang again, drank it down, and stared at Bian Xuedao.

Bian Xuedao smiled, then drank the rest of the alcohol in his glass.

Then, Dong Xue stared straight at Zhou Hang.

This time, Zhou Hang didn't fill his glass again, just drank what he had.

After several shots, Dong Xue started to get a little drunk. She leaned softly against Bian Xuedao's shoulder, occasionally giggling.

Back in the classroom, Dong Xue slumped over the desk and fell asleep, not waking up until nearly 9 PM.

When she woke, she found a bottle of yogurt on the desk, placed there by Bian Xuedao.

By then, the students from grades one and two had already left.

On the eve before departure, the third-year students were free from the usual restrictions. The corridors were filled with students walking back and forth, chatting between classes.

Good friends exchanged contact information.

Couples who weren't in the same class hugged at the class door, no longer caring about others' opinions or gazes.

A few boys gathered, openly smoking. As they smoked, some of them had tears in their eyes...

There were also some shy boys who walked up to the class of the girl they had admired for three years, looked inside for a moment, then suddenly shouted at the top of their lungs, "XXX, someone is looking for you outside!"

Of course, there were also those who still appeared to be diligently reading or doing problems, but if you observed carefully, they hadn't turned a single page for a long time.

At this point, Bian Xuedao was walking through the classroom, asking each student if they had a QQ number with fewer digits.

He had gathered quite a few in just under ten minutes—one 6-digit QQ number and four 7-digit QQ numbers.

When he reached Dong Xue's desk, she asked, "You haven't asked for my phone number or QQ number either."

Bian Xuedao froze for a moment.

Seeing Bian Xuedao dazed, Dong Xue smiled mischievously and grabbed the little notebook from his hand. She wrote her home phone number and QQ number on it, signing it with "Xue."

Bian Xuedao was still staring at the beautiful "Xue" written next to the numbers when suddenly, the sound of guitar strumming echoed from the other end of the corridor, singing "Friends, Don't Cry."

The entire corridor quickly quieted down as everyone gathered around the source of the music.

That was the science class side, and this side was the humanities class.

Seeing that the science class had attracted so many people, the humanities students couldn't sit still.

A few boys who usually used their musical talents to flirt with girls quickly decided to send a student back to the dormitory to grab a guitar.

As more people gathered in the science class, a few girls from the humanities class also joined the crowd.

The guitarist finally returned.

As soon as the song from the science class ended, the humanities class began playing and singing "Wish You a Safe Journey."

Yang Di, Wang Cunmao, and Xu Bing played the guitar together.

Yang Di quickly adjusted a few strings and began the music.

Perhaps eager to draw the people from the science class back, Bian Xuedao immediately realized they had raised the song's pitch. Sure enough, by the climax, all three of them struggled to hit the high notes. Fortunately, their classmates helped by singing along.

The pitch was raised, but the effect was still good, and many people were drawn in.

Once the song ended, the science class started playing "Let Go and Fly" by Little Tigers, a more forceful song with a powerful chorus.

The humanities class wasn't willing to be outdone. After discussing it for a bit, they decided to choose between "Classmates" and "Blessings."

After a lot of back-and-forth, one boy, who prided himself on his musical skills, tried to sing "The Moon Was to Blame" but found that he couldn't play it on the guitar.

The class president, known as "Night Half-Sung Howling Wolf," stood up and announced, "The science class has six groups, and we only have two. There are fewer of us, but we can't lose! Even if we can't sing as well, we can't let them stop singing."

In the end, the humanities class did fall short.

The guitar sound from the other side of the corridor sounded again, and Zhang Yusheng's "The Sea" spread like invisible waves across the entire floor, silencing everyone.

The boy singing "The Sea" had a nice voice, and although he lowered the pitch in a few places, his powerful voice resonated off the walls of the corridor, filling everyone's ears. It was clear that the performance was of a high level.

After the science class ended, the humanities class huddled together, discussing their next song choice.

One boy, who considered himself a handsome lad, rolled up his sleeves and was about to sing "The Moon Was to Blame." However, when the guitarist looked at him, he shrugged, saying, "I can't play that."

Dong Xue, now anxious, turned to Bian Xuedao and asked, "Can you play the guitar?"

"Yes," Bian Xuedao replied.

Dong Xue pushed him and said, "Then go and play it!"

Bian Xuedao didn't move and said, "I've never played those two songs before."

Dong Xue pushed him again. "Play whatever you know, go sing for me."

"Okay then!"

Bian Xuedao loved singing. Dong Xue's expectation, the boost from the alcohol, and the atmosphere in the corridor brought out emotions from deep within