Chapter 73 – Unsent Words

The countdown board at the school gate now screamed "60 DAYS LEFT."Keqing stopped and stared at it as if the numbers were staring back at her."Sixty days," she murmured. "Just sixty."

"Don't psych yourself out this early," Yuke said, appearing beside her with a grin. "It's just a number. We'll crush it."

Keqing raised an eyebrow. "Says the guy who barely survived the last mock exam essay.""Hey, I passed, didn't I? Barely still counts."

In 12A1, the social sciences class, the teacher was handing back English papers."Excellent work, Tianxiue," the teacher announced. "Your essay is sharp and polished. Everyone, take notes from her structure."

Tianxiue walked back to her seat with an easy smile. "Guess I'm the hero today," she teased.Keqing sighed, flipping through her own paper. "Lost points on inference again. I hate inference.""Want me to show you how I handle it?" Tianxiue offered.Keqing looked at her sideways. "I'm not sure if I want help from my rival."Tianxiue grinned. "Rival? Cute. I prefer 'friendly challenger.' Look—" she pulled Keqing's paper closer, tapping a paragraph. "See this? The answer isn't about word-by-word translation. It's about tone.""Tone?""Yeah. Read this sentence out loud. Feel how the mood shifts."

Keqing did as told, realizing she had missed the author's change in attitude."You're annoyingly good at this," Keqing muttered."I know," Tianxiue replied, smirking.

Across the courtyard, the natural sciences class was buzzing with equations.Le Yahan slammed her pen down. "I'm done with pulleys. Done!""Keep going," Yuyan said, not looking up from his math workbook."You're like a robot," Yahan groaned. "Do you even get tired?""Sometimes," he said simply.

Bai Andiu leaned over from the next desk. "Yuyan, we're doing a group review session this weekend. You in?""Maybe," Yuyan answered."Don't 'maybe' me," Bai said. "You're too good to sit this one out."Yuyan shrugged. "We'll see."Yahan whispered to him as Bai walked away, "Is he always that intense?"Yuyan gave a faint smile. "Yes. But he's fair."

By chance, both tracks ended up in the same cafeteria section."Over here!" Yahan waved, her tray already loaded.Yuke rolled his eyes. "Did you just take all the fried chicken?""Survival of the fittest," Yahan said smugly."Not fair. Social track kids need protein too," Yuke grumbled.

Keqing sat between them, laughing. "Can you two stop arguing for five minutes?""Not possible," Yuke replied."It's our love language," Yahan added with a wink.

"Don't involve me," Zichen said, sliding into the seat next to Yuke with a music notebook in hand. "I need help with lyrics again. Anyone good at English?""Me," Tianxiue said immediately."Wow, that was fast," Zichen said."Hit me with your line," Tianxiue challenged.Zichen hummed a melody. "I need something like, 'Our youth is fleeting, but the memories are fire.'"Tianxiue thought for a second. "How about 'When youth turns its final page, the sky will hold our laughter'?"Everyone paused."That's… actually perfect," Zichen said, wide-eyed."See?" Tianxiue said, leaning back. "English can be poetic too."Yahan leaned toward Keqing and whispered, "She's showing off."Keqing whispered back, "She's allowed to. She's good."

The library was crammed with students, the sound of pens scratching against paper filling the air.Keqing sat with Yuke and Tianxiue at one table. Across the aisle, Yuyan and Yahan were buried in math problems.

"Reading comprehension again?" Tianxiue asked, glancing at Keqing's furrowed brows."Yes, and I hate every second of it.""Don't hate it, beat it," Tianxiue said, flipping open Keqing's book. "Okay, question three—what's the main argument here?"Keqing sighed. "Something about climate policy?""Nope. Look closer. The keyword is 'long-term vision.' It's all about future planning."Keqing groaned. "You make it sound so easy.""It is, once you know the tricks," Tianxiue replied with a grin.

During their short break, Tianxiue's gaze drifted to Yuyan, who was sketching a quick diagram on scratch paper."You know," she said, "back in middle school, Yuyan won a big art competition. His drawing was incredible."Keqing's hand froze mid-air. "He… what?""Yeah. I saw it once. He doesn't talk about it, does he?""No," Keqing said softly. Her mind flashed back to that unsent email she'd seen on his laptop. The subject line—"Portfolio Application"—was etched into her memory.

Yuke leaned in. "Wait, Gu Yuyan can draw?""Better than most people," Tianxiue said. "He just doesn't show it anymore."

Keqing didn't say anything. She simply glanced toward Yuyan's table. He was focused on a math equation, but her thoughts were elsewhere.

Later, when they were back in their dorms, their group chat lit up:

Yahan: "Physics today = nightmare."

Yuke: "Try writing an essay about three ancient dynasties. My brain is mush."

Zichen: "I sent a new melody. Feedback?"

Tianxiue: "Give me 10 minutes, I'm translating it. Also, Yahan, physics isn't that bad."

Yahan: "Easy for you to say, Miss English Queen."

Keqing: "Stop fighting. We'll all survive. I hope."

She smiled at the screen. Even with the tension of exams, their chat felt like a lifeline.

After the library closed one evening, Keqing found herself walking next to Yuyan by the bike racks. The air was cool, carrying the faint scent of rain.

"Yuyan," she said, hesitating, "is it true you used to join art competitions?"He glanced at her, surprised. "Who told you that?""Tianxiue," she admitted.He was quiet for a moment. "Yeah, I used to. But I stopped.""Why?"He gave a half-smile. "It's… complicated. I guess I didn't think it mattered anymore.""But it does matter," Keqing said, her voice low but firm.Yuyan's expression softened. "Maybe. After the exams, I'll show you something I've kept hidden. A painting I never finished."

Her heart skipped a beat. "I'd like that.""Good," he said simply, and the moment lingered between them like a quiet promise.

Later that night, Keqing opened her notebook. Instead of Chinese, she wrote in English:

"Sometimes I feel we are walking on two roads, close but not touching. I want to keep walking with you, even if our destinations are different. Yuyan, will you keep painting when this is all over?"

She stopped and stared at the words. She didn't send them to anyone. She just folded the page into her notebook.

Her phone buzzed. A message from Yuyan:

"Thanks for waiting tonight. After the exams, I'll paint again. Promise."

Keqing smiled, warmth blooming in her chest. Whatever lay ahead, this small promise was enough to keep her going.