The white rose I picked up cried and said she liked me.

At the entrance of the high school, there was a huge crowd of people, shoulder to shoulder.

Students preparing for the college entrance examination and parents coming to see them off were numerous.

Today, students taking the college entrance examination are the focus of everyone's care and protection.

A shopping mall under construction near a high school was halted due to the exam.

The once bustling road in front of the school is now closed to traffic, with only vehicles dropping off students allowed to enter.

Even the square dancing aunties who usually dance regardless of the weather have all fallen silent today, putting away their deafening loudspeakers.

The students preparing to enter the examination hall had expressions of anticipation, nervousness, or anxiety in their eyes.

After twelve years of hard study, the time is finally coming to an end.

"Did you bring your admission ticket?"

"I brought it!"

Outside the school gate, Wen Yao, Zhao Lin, and Qi Yu were undergoing checks before entering the examination room.

"Time flies, the college entrance exam is just around the corner."

Zhao Lin sighed. Today, she was wearing a clean white shirt, a purple pleated skirt, and her black hair cascaded down to her waist. She looked fresh and clean, completely unlike the rebellious delinquent she had been two years ago.

"Yeah, it feels like we were still in our second year of high school thirty years ago."

Wen Yao couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

High school years flew by, and she still had many dreams to fulfill.

The biggest regret is not having had a passionate romance when I was at the most innocent age.

"I heard that it's because of some invisible force that we're not allowed to have any romantic scenes from high school, even as adults, so we just rushed through our senior year of high school."

Zhao Lin pursed her lips and glanced shyly at Qi Yu, who was walking out of the convenience store next door with several bottles of drinks in his hand.

"Haha, don't say that. High school will be a time we often reminisce about, but we'll never want to relive it."

Qi Yu smiled and distributed the chilled drinks to the group.

These past few years have been an unforgettable and fulfilling time for him.

From a student buried in his studies to a laborer struggling to earn a living at the bottom of society, and then to being able to return to the ocean of knowledge, he couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

Wen Yao nodded in agreement.

She will never forget the experience of being scrutinized by Xu Xi with a magnifying glass during those months of studying.

Even her parents had never disciplined her so strictly.

"Hey, you devil, what a coincidence, you're also at the No. 1 High School exam site."

Seeing Xu Bowen approach with a smug smile, Wen Yao's face instantly fell.

"Are you looking for death?"

Seeing Wen Yao's clenched fist, Xu Bowen quickly took a few steps back, raising his hands in front of him in a defensive stance.

"Don't forget, our unequal treaty expired after high school. You're not my class monitor anymore, so you have no right to lay a hand on me."

Noticing the stares of the students and parents around her, Wen Yao stomped her foot and swallowed her anger.

"Didn't you already take the physical education exam? Why are you taking the college entrance exam again?"

"Hey, you think I wanted to come?"

Xu Bowen breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Wen Yao loosen her fist.

"Even sports students need academic performance. If they don't meet the standards, they'll eliminate me in no time. You have no idea how much I've suffered during this period."

"Damn it, I'm really making up for all the debts I owed from sleeping in class the past two years in this cram school."

Looking at his dark circles under his eyes, Wen Yao couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle, feeling a surge of pleasure.

"That's strange, why hasn't Xu Xi arrived yet?"

Zhao Lin stood on tiptoe and kept looking into the distance, feeling somewhat anxious.

"Ugh, let me guess what that brother-obsessed guy is doing right now."

Wen Yao placed her fingers on her chin, looking thoughtful.

"She should be clinging to Xu Nian's back right now, eating the snacks he just bought for her on the way, as they hurry here."

As soon as they finished speaking, Xu Nian's figure carrying Xu Xi appeared in their sight.

Xu Xi was happily munching on a crispy sausage, occasionally feeding a bite to Xu Nian beneath her.

"See? I told you so."

Zhao Lin and Qi Yu gave her a thumbs up.

"You're all here so early?"

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Xu Xi kicked her slender legs, which were clad in white stockings, and jumped off Xu Nian.

"I've finished the first exam."

Wen Yao joked.

Xu Xi stretched out her small fist and playfully punched her lightly.

"The road is blocked, electric bikes can't get in, so we have to walk."

Xu Nian explained with a wry smile.

After a quick check, the three girls held hands and walked into the school with Qi Yu.

Because the exam rooms were randomly assigned, the four of them were assigned to four different exam rooms.

"No, why are you always haunting me?"

Wen Yao frowned as she looked at Xu Bowen sitting behind her.

"Hehe, good class monitor, let me copy this for a bit later."

"Get lost! If you want to die, don't drag me down with you."

Sitting back in the bright and spacious classroom, Qi Yu looked at the youthful faces around him and unconsciously hid his calloused hands under his body.

Although he had only been away from school for two years, it felt like a lifetime had passed.

Because every penny is hard-earned, we should cherish this opportunity and achieve excellent results, so as not to waste the twelve years of hard study and two years of hardship.

It wasn't until she held the curling iron in her hands that Zhao Lin snapped out of her thoughts about the past.

She used to be carefree, with enough wealth to last several lifetimes to squander, and a father who seemed indifferent to her on the surface but cherished her dearly in his heart.

But now she is on the same starting line as children from any other family.

Even worse, being all alone, she was at a disadvantage.

Therefore, changing her destiny through learning became her only way out.

"The exam has begun. Please begin answering the questions now."

A cold, mechanical voice came from the loudspeaker, followed by the rustling sound of writing throughout the examination hall.

Xu Xi was a little nervous before the exam.

But the moment I saw the exam paper, all my tension vanished.

At a glance, all the questions were ones she had answered countless times in her past reviews.

A confident smile appeared on her lips. She answered the questions extremely quickly; while other candidates had only finished half a page of the test, she had already completed an entire page.

Multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, true/false, reading comprehension... Xu Xi answered each question with ease, almost as if it were muscle memory.

The warm midday sun shone through the classroom window, casting its light on her tender face and onto the roll of paper covered with densely written answers.

Before she knew it, Xu Xi's pen stopped at the end of the Chinese exam paper, on the essay section.

Essay Topic: Talk about Myself.

Xu Xi's expression froze, her delicate hand hovering in mid-air.