Redemption from the Abyss: The School Beauty Insists on Pulling Me Out of the Mire

early morning.

Xie Wang woke up, but did not open his eyes.

He heard breathing beside him, warm breath brushing against his collarbone.

Xie Wang slowly opened his eyes, turned his head, and saw Su Qinghe curled up in his arms, her forehead resting against his shoulder, her eyelashes closed, and the blush on her cheeks still lingering from last night.

He stared at her for a long time.

Everything that happened last night replayed in my mind like in slow motion, every frame so clear it didn't seem real.

Xie Wang raised his free hand and touched her cheek very lightly with the back of his fingers; it was still hot.

Su Qinghe moved slightly, his brows furrowed, and then he slowly opened his eyes.

Su Qinghe's face gradually turned red, starting from the roots of her ears.

She buried her face further into the blanket, her voice muffled.

Don't look at me.

Xie Wang held back for two seconds, but couldn't help laughing.

"Teacher Su, how could I not look at you in this state?"

Su Qinghe lifted half of her face from the pillow, her eyes filled with a mixture of shame and anger, her lips pressed tightly together, but the tears in her eyes betrayed all her emotions.

"Xie Wang, shut up."

Xie Wang turned over to face her, propped his head up with one hand, and reached for her fingers with the other.

"That's not what Teacher Su said last night."

Su Qinghe's ears were so red they were almost bleeding. She pulled her hand out and punched Xie Wang in the chest lightly, more like a coquettish gesture.

"Try saying it again."

"Okay, okay, I won't say anymore."

Xie Wang stopped teasing her and simply pulled the blanket up to cover her exposed shoulders.

After washing up and getting ready, the two checked out of the hotel and hailed a Didi (ride-hailing service) at the hotel entrance.

The car stopped at the traffic light, and Su Qinghe suddenly spoke.

"What should I say if my parents ask me where I went last night when I get home?"

Xie thought about it for a moment.

"I told them I sang karaoke too late and then booked a room to rest."

"Several rooms have been opened."

"Two rooms."

Su Qinghe turned her head and glanced at him.

"As if they would believe that."

Xie Wang tapped her hand lightly twice with his fingers.

"Teacher Su, I'm under a lot of pressure right now. I'm still wondering how I'm going to face your parents later."

Su Qinghe's lips curved into a smile:

"Serves you right."

The car stopped downstairs at the Cloud Top Piano Room. The two of them got into the elevator, and Xie Wang took a deep breath and pressed the open button on the sixteenth floor.

The corridor was quiet.

The door to room 1601 was closed.

Su Qinghe took out his key and opened the door. The house was empty. There was a note on the dining table and a spare key next to it.

Su Qinghe picked up the note, glanced at it, and then handed it to Xie Wang.

The note was written in Lin Wanyi's handwriting, neat and concise.

Qinghe, your dad and I took the flight back this morning. For the next ten days or so, you can do whatever you want, go wherever you want, don't worry about home. Be careful and take good care of yourselves.

"They know everything, don't they?"

Xie Wang covered his face with both hands.

"Teacher Su, is your mother trying to save face for me?"

"If she didn't give you face, this note wouldn't have contained all of this."

Xie Wang peeked out from between his fingers at Su Qinghe, who was leaning against the restaurant door frame with her arms crossed. The blush on her face had faded considerably, but the tips of her ears were still pink.

"So for the next ten days or so, it'll just be the two of us."

Hehehe!

Xie Wang followed and stood behind her.

"Teacher Su, where shall we go to play?"

Su Qinghe took a sip of water and put down the cup.

"Let's decide on our college choices first."

The two sat on the sofa in the living room. Xie Wang opened his laptop, and the screen displayed the admissions pages for Tsinghua University and Peking University.

Su Qinghe crossed his legs, leaned against the sofa armrest, and swiped his fingers across the screen twice.

"Your Yao Class matter has already been confirmed with President Liu of Tsinghua University, right?"

Xie Wang nodded.

"Yes, he said during the national competition that I'm always welcome and that he'd reserve a spot for me."

"Then I'll apply to Tsinghua University's Physics Department."

Over the next ten days or so, the two of them explored almost every place around Jiangcheng that was worth visiting.

When they went to the lavender farm, Xie Wang got stung on the back of his hand by a bee. Su Qinghe squatted by the flower field and applied ointment to him, scolding him for his impulsive act of touching the flowers.

At the hot spring hotel in Xishan, Su Qinghe, wearing a white bathrobe, leaned against the stone wall of the open-air hot spring pool to look at the stars. Xie Wang reached out from the water to grab her ankle and was kicked.

They went to the night market in the old town and squatted by the roadside eating grilled cold noodles. Su Qinghe cried because it was too spicy, so Xie Wang handed her his non-spicy portion and then went to buy a bottle of iced milk.

At the aquarium, Su Qinghe stood for a long time under the blue light of the underwater tunnel. Xie Wang wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, and she did not break free.

Time flies, so fast that it seems like the June wind only blew once before pushing summer to its end.

June 23rd, 8:15 PM.

In the living room of the Su family's apartment 1601, all the lights were on, and a fruit plate and two untouched cups of tea were on the coffee table.

Su Chengyun and Lin Wanyi sat on one side of the sofa, while Xie Wang and Su Qinghe sat on the other side.

All four of them turned their attention to the laptop.

Su Chengyun cleared his throat.

What time will it leave?

"Nine o'clock sharp," Su Qinghe replied.

Su Chengyun glanced at the watch.

"Forty-five minutes left."

Lin Wanyi picked up her teacup, took a sip, and put it down:

"I hope my score won't be hidden. I heard that some provinces hide high scores."

Su Qinghe shook his head.

"Our province doesn't have this regulation; it's displayed directly."

Xie Wang's phone lit up, and the group chat exploded.

Shen Hao's voice messages kept popping up one after another.

"I'm going to die."

"I'm really going to die."

"I've never been this nervous in my entire life."

Xu You sent a message afterward, her hand still shaking, and she made three typos.

Lu Wen replied below, "You all need to calm down. The exam is over, what's the panic?"

Shen Hao immediately replied, "You didn't take the college entrance exam, so you don't understand."

Xie Wang typed a message in the group and sent it out.

"It's okay, everyone will definitely do well on the test, stay calm."

Shen Hao replied instantly, "Brother Wang is right, but I'm still nervous."

After another burst of noise in the group, Xie Wang was about to put down his phone when a call notification popped up on his screen.

The phone number's location is Beijing.

The note indicates it is from the Tsinghua University Admissions Office.

Xie Wang paused for a second, then turned to look at Su Qinghe.

Su Qinghe's phone rang at the same time.

She picked it up and glanced at the screen, which displayed the Peking University Admissions Office.

Their eyes met in the air.

Xie Wangxian reacted first, and the expression on his face changed from stunned to an uncontrollable laugh.

"Damn, a spoiler is here."

Su Qinghe smiled, but still pressed the answer button first, while raising his hand to signal Xie Wang to answer as well.

Xie Wang answered the phone, and a middle-aged man's enthusiastic voice came from the other end. He had just said, "Hello, Xie Wang, this is Tsinghua University," when Xie Wang interrupted him.

"Hello teacher, please wait a moment. Don't tell me my score yet. I'll check it myself at nine o'clock."

The person on the other end of the phone laughed.

"Okay, okay, then I won't spoil it for you. I just want to congratulate you in advance. Your achievement is outstanding."

Xie Wang said thank you, teacher, and hung up the phone after confirming his intention to be admitted to the Yao Class.

Su Qinghe was also on the other end of the call. Her tone was much more polite than Xie Wang's, but her words were just as straightforward.

"Thank you for your recognition, but I have decided to apply to Tsinghua University because I want to be at the same school as my partner."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone; it was probably the first time in the admissions officer's life that a candidate had rejected them for this reason.

After hanging up the phone, Su Chengyun and Lin Wanyi exchanged a glance, both with smiles in their eyes.

Nine o'clock sharp.

Xie Wang typed his admission ticket number and ID number into the keyboard, his finger hovering over the Enter key for a second.

Su Qinghe sat next to him, shoulder to shoulder.

"Together."

Xie Wang pressed Enter.

The page loaded in less than two seconds, and the report card popped up.

Xie Wang's gaze swept from top to bottom.

Chinese 140, Math 150, English 144, Science 300.

Total score: 734.

He stared at the number for three seconds, then slowly exhaled.

Su Qinghe had already checked her results on her phone, and she turned the screen to show Xie Wang.

Chinese 144, Math 145, English 145, Science 300.

Total score: 734.

Exactly the same numbers.

Xie Wang turned to look at her. The two were very close, close enough to see the light reflected in each other's pupils.

"Teacher Su, tied for first place."

Su Qinghe pursed her lips, something welling up in her eyes, but she didn't let it fall.

"Um."

The phone rang again, and the screen displayed the number of the president of Tsinghua University.

Xie Wang answered the call, and a hearty laugh came from the other end.

"You found it, right? 734. You two are tied for the top score in the province. I've been doing admissions for thirty years and this is the first time I've seen something like this."

The laughter paused for a moment, and his tone was full of genuine emotion.

"You two are a match made in heaven."

After hanging up the phone, Su Chengyun stood up, walked over, and patted Xie Wang's shoulder hard without saying a word, but the force of his hand said it all.

Lin Wanyi sat on the sofa, took off her glasses, and wiped the lenses for a long time.

Xie Wang's phone vibrated again; it was Xie Zhengyang calling.

"dad."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, then Xie Zhengyang's voice came through, trembling.

"How did the exam go?"

"Top scholar"

Another long silence followed.

"I'm sorry, Xiao Wang."

Xie Wang stood by the living room window, holding his phone. The night view of Jiangcheng stretched out at his feet, with thousands of lights connecting the city.

"Dad, stop talking. There's still a long road ahead."

After hanging up the phone, Xie Wang said something to Su Chengyun and Lin Wanyi, then took Su Qinghe's hand and went out the door.

Su Qinghe took out his phone to check the group messages while he was in the elevator.

Hundreds of messages have already been posted in the group.

Xu You scored 653 points, and she sent herself a small happy emoji.

Lin Lu scored 641 points, followed by a string of laughing and crying emojis, saying that her math score was actually 12 points higher than her third mock exam score.

Shen Hao scored 627 points. He posted a message full of exclamation marks, saying that it was like a dream for him to go from being ranked 200th in the grade to getting this score.

Lu Yi scored 623 points. He only posted one line: "142 in Chinese, that's enough."

Lu Wen sent out ten red envelopes in a row, each containing 520 yuan.

Then he typed a line: "Have you checked Xie Wang and Su Qinghe?"

Shen Hao followed up by asking, "How many points did Brother Wang get?"

Xie Wang posted a screenshot of his grades in the group chat.

The group chat fell silent.

Then Shen Hao's voice message popped up.

Holy crap! The top scorer in the province!

Lin Lu's message popped up: Wait, Su Qinghe also got 734, you two are tied for the top scorer in the province.

Old Li also called:

"I've been teaching for 26 years, and this is the first time I've produced two students who tied for the provincial top scorer. Xie Wang and Su Qinghe, you've made your teacher proud."

Xie Wang smiled and said thank you, teacher, then walked out of the community gate with Su Qinghe.

The night breeze at the end of June was gentle, carrying a slightly damp scent of the river on my face.

The two walked slowly along the sidewalk hand in hand, without speaking, nor needing to speak.

As we walked, we arrived at the riverside park.

A year ago, this was an abandoned riverbank overgrown with weeds. Now it has been transformed into a beautiful riverside promenade, with neatly trimmed lawns and warm yellow streetlights that stretch along the embankment into the distance.

Xie Wang stopped in his tracks.

He looked at the lawn in front of him and remembered that rainy night a year ago.

That same day, he sat by the riverbank, covered in mud, feeling that this was probably how his life would be.

Then a girl in a white shirt walked out of the rain, squatted down, and handed him a handkerchief embroidered with orchids.

Xie Wang turned to look at Su Qinghe.

The moonlight fell on her face, outlining her features softly.

"Teacher Su, do you remember this place?"

Su Qinghe followed his gaze to the river, where the water shimmered like scattered silver under the moonlight.

"Of course I remember."

"You cried here once."

Xie Wang smiled.

"Teacher Su has such a good memory, she even remembers my embarrassing past."

"That's not a dark history," Su Qinghe said softly.

That was the first time I felt that I loved you.

The two sat down on the lawn, the river flowing gently past their feet, making a soft, steady sound, like the steady pulse of the city.

The moon was very round, hanging directly above the river, casting a silvery-white path of light across the water.

Xie Wang held Su Qinghe's hand in his palm and slowly drew circles on the back of her hand with his thumb.

"A year ago when I sat here, I was thinking about how to survive."

Su Qinghe leaned on his shoulder without replying.

"Now that I'm sitting here, I'm thinking about how to spend the rest of my life with you."

Su Qinghe trembled slightly, then shouted towards the riverbank:

"We will be together forever and ever!"

Not far away, from a small bar by the river, came the sound of a resident singer's guitar.

The melody unfolds slowly:

"Looking back alone, it's all too fleeting. So much love and hate in this life, I only wish to stay with you forever."

"The endless drizzle is as fine as sorrow, the morning rain has come and I have looked back many times, where do you linger?"

The song drifted across the river on the night breeze, mingling with the sound of the water, and spread far and wide.

At the other end of the riverside promenade, Lu Yi and his parents were taking a walk.

Lu's parents were overjoyed, and Lu Yi followed behind, echoing their joy.

Then he saw it.

On the riverside lawn under the moonlight, a boy and a girl sat side by side, the girl leaning on the boy's shoulder, their hands clasped tightly together, and in front of them was a river illuminated by the moonlight.

Lu Yi stood there for a long time, and his parents watched the scene silently without saying a word.

Then he took out a DSLR camera from his bag.

I aimed the lens in that direction and manually turned the focus ring two turns.

The scene in the viewfinder is very quiet. Moonlight falls from the sky, and the river flows from the bottom of the frame. The two people sit between the light and the water, like the most undisturbed frame in the world.

The shutter clicked sharply.

Lu Yi put down the camera, his eyes narrowed slightly, and the corners of his mouth curved into a smile.

He looked up at the full moon in the sky, watching the moonlight spread across the entire river, and suddenly murmured a sentence.

"Who first saw the moon by the riverbank? When did the river moon first shine on humankind?"

The night breeze carried those words away in the June heatwave.

(End of the book)