They're already in university, and the primary school system is only just starting out?

Friday, January 6th.

As Chen Lin handed in his last professional course, "History of Ancient Chinese Literature," he let out a long sigh of relief, feeling as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his body.

The month of intensive review was quite effective. He wouldn't dare say he could score over 90 in every subject, but at least his final report card this time wouldn't be as disastrous as before.

Stepping out of the examination hall, the summer sun was a bit dazzling.

Chen Lin narrowed his eyes, took out his phone, and sent a message in the WeChat group "406 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon".

[Chen Lin]: [@All members have finished their exams. Meet at 6:45 PM on the fourth floor of the cafeteria for a barbecue. It's on me.]

[Zhao Pangzi]: [Alright! Brother Lin is so generous! [Red envelope]]

[Li Houzi]: [Received! We have to give Brother Lin a good beating! [Beer]]

Wang Tao: OK

At 3 p.m., the last class meeting of Class 2, Grade 24, Chinese Language and Literature was held on time in Room 312 of the main building of the School of Literature.

Counselor Zheng stood on the podium, still with her gentle demeanor, and the content she was talking about was much the same as in previous years.

"First and foremost, I want to emphasize safety again," Teacher Zheng adjusted her glasses. "Before leaving campus for the holidays, make sure to turn off the power and lock the doors and windows in your dorm rooms. Students traveling during the holidays, please be mindful of your personal safety and belongings, especially when visiting tourist attractions, and beware of scams..."

Chen Lin sat in the back row, listening half-heartedly.

He knew that it wasn't just Teacher Zheng; every counselor repeated similar things every year, but every few years there were always one or two unlucky souls who didn't take it seriously.

"Regarding the final grades," Professor Zheng changed the subject, "they will be released gradually next week, and will be sent to your email along with your overall grades for the entire semester. I won't elaborate on the importance of GPA; it's a mandatory requirement for students planning to change majors or pursue graduate studies. If you are not satisfied with your grade in a particular course, you can consider applying to retake it after the start of next semester."

Upon hearing the words "change major," Chen Lin's heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously straightened his back.

"Also, the end of your sophomore year means you're already halfway through your university life. For those of you planning to take the postgraduate entrance exam, I personally suggest you start preparing this summer. Don't be too stressed; first, learn about your target universities and majors, buy some basic reference books, and gradually get into the right mindset..."

The class meeting ended in less than forty minutes. The students, feeling as if they had been granted a pardon, poured out of the classroom in twos and threes, the air filled with the relaxed yet restless atmosphere of the start of summer vacation.

......

......

At 7 p.m., the barbecue restaurant on the fourth floor of the cafeteria was bustling with people, and the air was filled with the tempting aroma of cumin, chili and grilled meat.

The four people in room 406 sat around a square table, which was already covered with sizzling skewers, peanuts, edamame, and four bottles of ice-cold RIO.

"Come on, let's celebrate that we finally survived the final exams! Cheers!" Fatty Zhao shouted, raising his bottle with great enthusiasm.

"Dry!"

With a "bang," the four bottles collided crisply in mid-air.

The cool liquor slid down my throat, dispelling the daytime heat and igniting a long-suppressed excitement.

"Honestly, Brother Lin," Li Houzi said, tearing off a large piece of mutton and chewing until his mouth was full of oil, "I really have to thank you for getting through this semester safely."

Wang Tao nodded in agreement: "That's right. If it weren't for you being so energetic, going to the library early and coming back late every day, the three of us would probably still be lazing around in the dorm."

"Exactly," Fatty Zhao took a big gulp of wine and burped, "I thought you were the only one secretly studying, but it put a lot of pressure on us, and before we knew it, we were all starting to study too. I never thought in my life that I, Zhao, would actually start reviewing a month before finals."

Upon hearing this, Chen Lin smiled, but he knew perfectly well what was going on in his mind.

I've only just started.

The fact that these three guys were able to stand out from the fierce competition of the college entrance examination and get into Yannan University proves that they have a solid foundation and good learning ability.

Especially Wang Tao and Fatty Zhao, even though they didn't put in much effort in the previous semesters, their grades were still consistently in the middle of the class. As long as they were willing to work hard, breaking into the top 20% of the class wouldn't be a problem at all.

"Alright, stop flattering me," Chen Lin said, picking up a skewer of grilled chives. "You're acting like I'm your life guru. Hurry up and eat, or it'll get cold and won't taste good."

The four of them chatted for a while, rambling on about all sorts of things, from the latest games to elective courses for the next semester. The atmosphere was lively and harmonious.

After several rounds of drinks and five courses of food,

Chen Lin put down the bottle of wine in his hand, took a deep breath, and decided it was time to get down to business.

He cleared his throat, looked at the three brothers opposite him who were still laughing and joking, and slowly said, "Brothers, there's something I need to tell you."

Seeing his serious expression, the three gradually quieted down, their eyes all focusing on him.

"I've made up my mind," Chen Lin said, meeting their gazes and emphasizing each word, "I'm changing my major next semester."

The air seemed to freeze in that instant.

Fatty Zhao's piece of grilled eggplant, which he had just picked up, remained suspended in mid-air, forgotten in his mouth. Li Houzi's mouth was agape, his smile frozen. Wang Tao, on the other hand, frowned deeply, his eyes filled with astonishment.

"Change...change major?" Li Houzi was the first to react, his voice stammering, "Which department? Mathematics?"

Chen Lin nodded.

"Holy crap!" Fatty Zhao threw the eggplant back onto the plate, looking utterly incredulous. "Brother Lin, are you serious? I thought what happened between you and Shen Yan last time was just a joke!"

"You really want to study math?" Wang Tao's tone was full of shock.

After a brief moment of shock, the lively atmosphere at the barbecue stall quickly cooled down, replaced by an indescribable silence.

The expressions on the three people's faces gradually changed from shock to a complex emotion, including confusion, but more so, reluctance.

"If we change our major, will we have to change our dorm too?" Fatty Zhao asked in a low voice. This was the question they were most concerned about at the moment.

"Yes," Chen Lin nodded, not hiding anything, "According to school regulations, I'll be reassigned. But I probably won't be living in the school dormitory next semester; I'll be renting a place off-campus."

These words were like a stone, shattering the last bit of cheerful atmosphere on the table.

The three of them fell silent, heads bowed, each poking at the skewers on their plates, and no one spoke.

They all knew in their hearts that this meant that dormitory 406, where they had lived together day and night for two whole years, was about to break up.

Seeing their expressions, Chen Lin felt a pang of sadness. He picked up his bottle and clinked it against the three of theirs.

"Alright, you're all looking like wilted eggplants," he chuckled, trying to sound relaxed. "It's not like we'll never see each other again. I'm just changing my major, I'm still at Peking University, right? Call me anytime you want to play games together."

Wang Tao raised his head, gave him a deep look, and then raised his wine bottle and clinked it heavily against his.

"Linzi, once you've made up your mind, that's good. Whatever decision you make, we'll support you!"

"Yes! We support you!" Fatty Zhao and Monkey Li immediately raised their bottles, their eyes filled with determination.

"Thanks, brothers." Chen Lin felt a warmth in his heart and drank the rest of the wine in the bottle in one gulp.

With the knot untied, the atmosphere became lively again.

"And what about you two?" Chen Lin asked, looking at Fatty Zhao and Wang Tao. "What are your plans for the future?"

Fatty Zhao patted his round belly and sighed, "I'm preparing for the postgraduate entrance exam. It's really hard to find a job after graduating with a bachelor's degree in our major. I'm planning to switch majors and try studying media or law, at least that would make it easier to find a job."

"I've made up my mind," Wang Tao said calmly. "My dad has a good uncle who owns a company that distributes fast-moving consumer goods. It's already agreed that I'll go there directly after I graduate with my bachelor's degree and start as a management trainee."

Chen Lin nodded; their choices were exactly what he had expected.

Finally, all three of them turned their attention to Li Houzi.

Li Houzi scratched his head and smiled somewhat embarrassedly: "With my grades, I won't take the postgraduate entrance exam with you guys. I plan to listen to my parents and take advantage of the time I still have to prepare early. After graduation, I'll take the civil service exam or apply for a public institution job for a stable future."

"That's good," Chen Lin said sincerely. "All roads lead to Rome; just find the one that suits you."

The four of them then talked about their future, discussing whether to stay in Tianjin or return to their hometown after graduation, and who would be the first to get married and who would be the first to make a fortune.

As we chatted, we reminisced about the past two years, such as staying up all night to watch sports, playing games together all night, and highlighting important points for each other before exams.

Those seemingly ordinary daily routines have transformed into precious, sparkling memories as we prepare to part ways.

......

......

At 12:30 a.m., the lights in room 406 had been off for more than half an hour.

Outside the window, the moonlight was like water.

The only sound in the room was the faint whirring of the air conditioner.

No one is asleep.

In the darkness, the four of them lay quietly on their beds with their eyes open, lost in thought.

"Are you all asleep?" Wang Tao's voice suddenly rang out in the darkness, breaking the silence.

"without."

"without."

"Neither do I."

Chen Lin, Fatty Zhao, and Monkey Li answered almost simultaneously.

A brief silence fell over the dormitory again.

"Linzi," Wang Tao's voice came again, tinged with a hint of emotion, "I remember you used to sing at the Backstreet Bar. The three of us brothers only went to support you once at the beginning, and then we never went again, right?"

"Yes," Chen Lin replied, "What's wrong?"

"Tonight is our last night as roommates," Wang Tao said calmly. "Let's sing a song for each other one last time."

In the darkness, Chen Lin remained silent for a while.

Then, he gave a soft "hmm".

"it is good."

He didn't use his phone to find any accompaniment.

In the quiet of the night, he adjusted his breathing, and his clear, slightly magnetic voice flowed out slowly, echoing in the small dormitory room.

"The guy who slept in the bunk above me"

"You who are silent and unnoticed"

"The questions you used to ask me"

"Nobody asks about it anymore."

……

The singing was soft and gentle, like telling a story.

Fatty Zhao rolled over and faced the wall.

Li Houzi pulled the blanket over his head, covering his entire face.

Wang Tao rested his head on his arms, quietly staring at the ceiling.

Your letters are becoming increasingly polite.

You haven't said a word about love.

You said you have many friends now.

"But I no longer worry about those things."

……

Chen Lin recalled the scene when the four of them first met when they entered university, the classes they skipped together, the scolding they received from the dormitory supervisor, and the countless days and nights they spent joking around, laughing and arguing.

You said that every time you look back at the sunset...

"Every time you hear the evening bells again"

"Memories from the past will come flooding back."

"In your heart, before you even have time to feel sad"

……

The singing gradually took on a barely perceptible hoarseness and choked-up emotion.

"The guy who slept in the bunk above me"

"Sleeping in my lonely memories"

"The questions you used to ask me"

"Nobody asks about it anymore."

"The brother who shared his cigarettes with me."

"Give me some happy memories of the past."

"The questions you used to ask me"

"Nobody asks about it anymore."

……

"Nobody asks about it anymore..."

As the last line of lyrics fell, the song faded into the air.

The dormitory fell completely silent.

Only the chirping of cicadas outside the window and the gentle hum of the air conditioner kept them company as they spent their last night.

Saturday morning.

As dawn broke, the chirping of birds outside the window awakened the sleeping campus.

Chen Lin opened his eyes, glanced at his phone, and saw it was not yet 7:30.

He needed to catch the 9:45 high-speed train back to Jiangdu.

The dormitory was quiet, with only the steady breathing of Wang Tao, Fatty Zhao, and Monkey Li.

They were all sleeping soundly.

The suitcase and backpack I packed last night are standing quietly at the door.

Chen Lin did not wake them up.

He tiptoed out of bed, changed his clothes as quickly as possible, and took his toiletries to the bathroom.

When he returned, he took one last look at the small space where he had lived for two years, and at the three familiar sleeping faces.

Then, he picked up his luggage and walked silently to the door.

He turned the doorknob, opened the door, and went out.

Then, gently close the dormitory door.

During the five-hour drive, Chen Lin barely slept. He just leaned against the window, watching the scenery rushing by outside, gradually changing from the flat and open northern plains to the fields and low houses of the Jiangnan water towns.

The high-speed train smoothly pulled into Jiangdu South Station, and the familiar arrival announcement rang out in the carriage.

As the car door opened, a wave of heat, unique to a southern summer and carrying a damp feel, rushed out.

This is the taste of home.

Chen Lin took a deep breath, pulled his suitcase, and followed the flow of people out of the station.

I hailed a taxi, told the driver the name of my neighborhood, and he responded in dialect before skillfully starting the car.

Hearing the familiar local accent and looking at the street scenes outside the window that were both familiar and somewhat strange, Chen Lin completely relaxed.

In less than fifteen minutes, the taxi came to a smooth stop at the entrance of the "Canal Pavilion" residential complex.

Chen Lin paid the fare, thanked the driver, and pulled his suitcase into the residential area.

It's still those same few slightly old six-story residential buildings, and the same elderly men and women chatting and relaxing under the shade of the trees.

Everything was exactly the same as when he left.

He easily went up to the third floor, took out his key, inserted it into the lock, and turned it gently.

"Click".

The door opened.

"Dad, Mom, I'm home." Chen Lin called out habitually as he changed his shoes.

However, no one responded to him.

Chen Lin found it strange; shouldn't his parents be home at this time?

Just as he was about to take out his phone to make a call, the security door behind him rang again.

With a "click," the door was opened from the outside.

When Chen Lin turned around, he saw his mother, Lin Xiaoqi, and his father, Chen Xian, each carrying two fully stuffed shopping bags, struggling to squeeze through the door.

"Oh! Son, you're back!" Lin Xiaoqi's eyes lit up the moment she saw him, and all the fatigue on her face vanished.

Chen Xian silently switched the shopping bag in one hand to the other, freeing up his other hand to close the door.

"Dad, Mom," Chen Lin greeted them with a smile, "Did you go on a big shopping spree?"

"Of course," Lin Xiaoqi put the bag on the ground, walked over and pinched Chen Lin's arm, then touched his face, and started to nag, "You child, you didn't even call ahead to come back. Your dad and I were thinking you wouldn't arrive until four or five in the afternoon. So, we just went to the market and bought you the freshest catfish and pork ribs, planning to cook you a nice meal tonight."

Chen Lin, both amused and exasperated, let his mother inspect him, replying, "I just wanted to give you a surprise."

"Surprised my foot!" Lin Xiaoqi glared at him reproachfully, but she couldn't hide the smile in her eyes. "Alright, alright, look how thin your face is, you must not have been eating properly at school. Hurry up, put your luggage away, go wash your face and rest for a while."

"I'll do it." Chen Xuan, who hadn't said much, walked over and easily picked up Chen Lin's 24-inch suitcase. With his other hand, he carried Chen Lin's backpack and walked towards his room.

"Thank you, Dad."

Chen Xian waved his hand, as composed as ever.

Lin Xiaoqi deftly picked up the four large shopping bags from the ground and rushed towards the kitchen: "I'll cook, your dad will help you pack your luggage, you go and rest."

Seeing his parents working together so seamlessly, Chen Lin felt a surge of warmth in his heart.

He went into his bedroom. The room was small, but it was spotless, obviously cleaned in advance.

The bedding on the bed had been changed to new ones, and it smelled of sunshine mixed with laundry detergent.

Chen Xian was half-squatting on the ground, having already opened his suitcase, and was taking out his clothes, which were folded fairly neatly, one by one.

"Dad, I can do it myself," Chen Lin said quickly.

"It's nothing," Chen Xian raised his head, pushed up his glasses, looked him up and down, and suddenly said, "You seem to have grown taller and stronger this semester."

Chen Lin felt a surge of joy.

Goodness, no wonder he's my dad, his observation skills are amazing.

Chen Lin only started to notice it in the last two weeks. The 200% increase in physical fitness brought by the enhanced "Little Athlete" title was also subtly improving his physique. His overall energy and physique were significantly better than before.

"That's right," Chen Lin rubbed his nose, continuing to boast, "I haven't done much part-time work this semester, I've been working out at the school gym every day, the results are obvious, right?"

"Hmm, not bad," Chen Xuan nodded in approval, then took out a few more textbooks from the box. "Did you finish your final exams? How did it go?"

"It's alright, I should have passed everything," Chen Lin replied vaguely. He didn't dare say that he had worked hard this semester and his grades would be very good; he would wait for the report card to come out first.

The father and son chatted as they emptied their suitcases in no time.

Chen Xian packed all the dirty clothes into a bag, preparing to take it to the washing machine. As he stood up, his gaze fell on the backpack that Chen Lin had casually placed on the desk.

Several beautifully packaged coffee boxes were visible in the side pocket of the backpack.

"What is this?" Chen Xian asked casually.

"Oh, it was a gift from a student's parent," Chen Lin explained. "I'm a tutor, you know."

Chen Xian hummed in agreement, asked no further questions, and walked out with his dirty clothes in hand.

Chen Lin knew that his father was just like that—learned, capable, but not talkative, and his concern was hidden in the details.

He stretched and lay down on his familiar and comfortable bed, sinking into it instantly.

To be honest, home is really nice.

Just as I was spacing out, Lin Xiaoqi's energetic voice came from the kitchen: "Chen Lin! Come out and help me pick some green beans!"

"Coming right up!"

Chen Lin sprang up from the bed with a thud and ran happily towards the kitchen.