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

September 1st, Jiangcheng.

Having bid farewell to the cicadas' chirping and the sweltering heat of midsummer, the early autumn wind, carrying a subtle coolness, quietly swept across this city built along the river.

The next morning at 6:00 AM.

The alarm clock in Room 1602 of the Cloud Top Piano Room rang on time. Xie Wang even turned it off the moment it rang for the first time, as his biological clock is now very accurate.

He got out of bed, quickly washed up, and looked at the short-haired, neat-cut boy with clear eyes in the mirror. Xie Wang tugged at the corners of his mouth and revealed a faint smile.

Ten minutes later, the door to room 1601 opened.

Su Qinghe was dressed in a neat blue and white school uniform from No. 1 Middle School, with her signature high ponytail tied up. She was holding several thick review materials in her arms. She looked a little sleepy, with faint dark circles under her eyes, but her cool and self-possessed temperament still made her stand out in the morning light.

"Good morning, Teacher Su."

Xie Wang was already leaning against the doorway, waiting. He naturally reached out and took the heavy schoolbag from her arms, and handed her a bottle of warm milk.

"Did you stay up all night doing practice problems again last night?"

Su Qinghe took the milk and drank a sip. The warmth slid down her throat, dispelling the morning drowsiness. She pushed up her glasses, her voice slightly hoarse:

"The last science test was quite interesting; I lost track of time while doing it."

The two walked side by side into the old street behind the residential area, which was the liveliest place in Jiangcheng in the morning.

Before you even get close, the sizzling sound of fried dough sticks, the white steam rising from the steamer, and the earthy aroma of soy milk and scallions hit you right in the air.

"Hey! Xiao Xie, Xiao Su! School starts now?"

Aunt Wang, who sells breakfast, spotted the very attractive young couple with their schoolbags at a glance. She deftly scooped two golden-brown, crispy fried dough sticks from the pot and served them two bowls of steaming hot tofu pudding.

"Is it your senior year of high school today? Eat up, eat up! You'll need the energy to get the top score on the exam!"

Xie Wang smiled and took the bowl, skillfully picking out the cilantro from Su Qinghe's bowl and putting it into his own, then adding a spoonful of sugar for her.

"Thank you for your kind words. If I really do become the top scholar in the imperial examination, I'll treat you to wedding candy later."

"This child has such a sweet tongue!" Aunt Wang smiled from ear to ear.

The two sat on small stools by the roadside.

In front of me was a worn-out folding table, and around me were busy office workers and students carrying backpacks.

Xie Wang took a bite of the fried dough stick and looked at Su Qinghe across from him, who was sipping tofu pudding.

The morning light filtered through the gaps in the sycamore leaves, dappling her school uniform. She ate with great refinement, exuding the elegance of a well-bred young lady even in this noisy roadside stall. But that didn't stop a small speck of white tofu pudding from sticking to the corner of her mouth.

"What are you looking at?" Su Qinghe noticed the gaze and looked up.

"Because you're good-looking."

Xie Wang took out a tissue and gently wiped away the stains from the corner of her mouth:

"I used to think that this kind of life was far away from me, but now I feel... this is the life I want."

Su Qinghe was stunned for a moment, then gently kicked him under the table, her ears turning slightly red.

"Eat quickly. The first period is Old Li's morning reading. If you're late, you'll have to stand at the back and recite 'Li Sao'."

"Yes, ma'am." Xie Wang quickly finished the remaining fried dough sticks, slung both of their schoolbags over his shoulder, and took her hand:

"Let's go, we're going to be late."

……

The school gate of Jiangcheng No.1 Middle School was unusually lively today.

A red banner stretched straight out – “Warmly welcome senior high school students back to school, fight for the college entrance examination and achieve top scores.”

The traffic at the school gate was long, and the security guard was blowing his whistle to direct the private cars dropping off the children. The air was filled with a special smell that belonged only to the first day of school, a mixture of anxiety, anticipation and tension.

Just around the corner, I heard a crisp sound of a basketball hitting the ground, accompanied by a cheerful male voice:

"Hey! Isn't this our golden duo?"

Not far away, Song Yizhi, wearing a school uniform with the sleeves rolled up high, revealing his arms tanned bronze from the summer vacation, was twirling a basketball in his hand and watching them with a grin.

Beside him, Lin Lan, with her hair tied in a neat bun, held two bottles of water and watched helplessly as her boyfriend tried to look cool.

"Good morning, Song Yiru, Lin Lan."

Su Qinghe stopped and a rare, faint smile appeared on his face.

"Good morning!" Song gathered the ball, walked over in a few steps, and exaggeratedly circled Xie Wang once, marveling at him:

"Brother Wang, your energy and spirit are completely different from last semester. I didn't even recognize you at the school gate just now."

Xie Wang glanced at him, a slight smile playing on his lips:

"Likewise, it seems you've been training hard this summer too, you're almost as dark as a lump of coal."

"Get lost, this is a healthy wheat color!" Song Yici wasn't annoyed at all, but instead put her arm around Xie Wang's shoulder.

Lin Lan chuckled and patted Song Yiru on the shoulder, saying, "Alright, stop joking around. You're in your final year of high school, be more mature."

As we were chatting, we heard the "rolling" sound of wheels rolling over the paving stones.

"Make way! Make way! Don't block the way for people who don't want to go to school!"

Lin Lu dragged a pink suitcase full of snacks, looking utterly dejected. Although she complained, her eyes lit up the moment she saw Su Qinghe, and she dropped the suitcase and pounced on him.

"Qinghe! Waaaaah, I missed you so much! Let me absorb some of your good fortune! I was doing my homework until 3 a.m. last night, I feel like my soul has left my body!"

Su Qinghe helplessly helped her up, and casually tidied her messy bangs:

"Who told you to play for a month first?"

"Ugh, don't even mention it." Lin Lu sighed, about to continue complaining, when she suddenly saw the people following behind her and immediately switched to a gossipy expression:

"Oh, looks like some people don't find the start of school painful."

I followed her gaze.

Shen Hao was carrying two backpacks and following behind Xu You. Xu You was holding a notebook for memorizing vocabulary words and walking with her head down. She would occasionally look back at Shen Hao, her face flushed.

"Good morning, everyone's here?" Shen Hao grinned when he saw everyone, revealing two rows of big white teeth.

Xu You adjusted her glasses and greeted everyone in a soft voice, "Good morning, everyone."

Everyone joked about their summer vacation experiences, complained about the bright red countdown clock, and shared their anxieties and expectations about senior year. That youthful energy instantly washed away the morning chill and the oppressive feeling of starting school.

"Alright, alright, let's stop talking."

Xie Wang glanced at the watch on his wrist:

"Five minutes until the preparatory bell rings, let's go!"

"Go for it!" Lin Lu raised his fist.

A large group of people surged toward the teaching building.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves of the sycamore trees, casting youthful silhouettes upon them.

……

Classroom of Senior Three (1).

Although it's still the same familiar classroom, the atmosphere has completely changed.

The countdown board behind the blackboard had been wiped clean, and a shocking number was written on it in bright red chalk: [278 days].

The bulletin board on the back wall of the classroom has been changed to "Strive for 100 days, I want to get into Tsinghua or Peking University".

Everyone's desk was piled high with books. The once empty desks were now covered with "Five-Year College Entrance Examination and Three-Year Simulation" books, textbooks for various subjects, and test papers.

When Xie Wang and Su Qinghe entered the classroom, the previously noisy class fell silent for a moment.

All eyes were on this "legendary duo".

A ruthless person who refused admission to Tsinghua and Peking Universities through special programs.

Especially Xie Wang.

He was wearing a school uniform, with a straight posture and bright eyes. The boy who used to sleep in the last row and exuded a musty smell has now become an unmissable presence in the class.

They walked straight to that familiar corner at the back of the classroom.

"Sizzle—"

The sound of a chair being dragged.

Xie Wang sat down, stuffed his schoolbag into the desk drawer, and then very naturally pulled out the chair for Su Qinghe in the seat in front of him.

"sit."

Su Qinghe glanced back at him, a slight smile playing on her lips, and sat down.

"Ahem!"

A familiar, slightly weary cough came from the doorway.

The whole class fell silent instantly.

The homeroom teacher, Mr. Li, walked in with a ruddy complexion, carrying a thick stack of lesson plans and still holding his signature stainless steel thermos.

Although only a summer vacation has passed, Old Li seems to have more gray hair, but he is more energetic than before.

Good morning, students!

Old Li walked up to the podium, put his lesson plan on the table, and scanned the entire room like a radar. Finally, he lingered on Xie Wang in the last row for two more seconds, a hint of satisfaction and pride flashing in his eyes.

"Sit up straight! Look at you all, so listless! What kind of behavior is this!"

Although Old Li was cursing, there was no anger in his tone; instead, it conveyed a sense of friendliness.

"Today is September 1st. I don't need to explain what that means, do I?"

He turned around and wrote two large characters heavily on the blackboard: "Senior Year 3".

Chalk dust fell in a flurry.

"From today onwards, you are no longer the carefree second-year high school students you once were; you are third-year high school students! You are warriors about to go to battle!"

Old Li's voice turned serious, echoing in the classroom:

"I know that some of you are still reminiscing about the joy of summer vacation, some are still worried about your grades, and some even feel that there is still a year left and there is plenty of time."

"But I tell you, this year will be the shortest and the longest of your lives."

"So short that it gets dark before you've even finished a set of practice papers; so long that you might spend a lifetime recalling the sweat and tears shed in this classroom."

Everyone in the audience sat up straight.

Old Li paused, took a sip of tea, and his tone softened slightly:

"Of course, the teacher is not trying to create anxiety for you. Our Class 1 is the best class in the whole school, and our foundation is there."

"Especially—"

A smile as bright as a chrysanthemum suddenly bloomed on Old Li's face. He picked up the report card he knew by heart, and his voice instantly rose eight octaves:

"I want to give special praise to two students!"

The whole class understood immediately, and their eyes all turned to the same direction in the classroom.

"Su Qinghe!"

When Old Li pronounced the name, his tone was full of pride:

"In the provincial final exams last semester, he scored 735 points, becoming the top science student in the province! He got full marks in both physics and mathematics! Not only that, he also won a gold medal in the physics category at the previous national competition!"

"This is a role model! This is the pillar of our school! Let's give them a round of applause!"

"Splash splash splash—"

Amidst thunderous applause, Su Qinghe remained calm, merely standing up politely and bowing, his face devoid of any arrogance.

As the applause subsided, Old Li took a deep breath and turned his gaze to that corner:

"There's one more person I want to emphasize."

"Thank you for your vain."

Upon hearing the name, Xie Wang lazily raised his head, still twirling the black pen in his hand.

"From being near the bottom of the grade in the first semester of his junior year to ranking fourteenth in the province by the end of the semester! He achieved perfect scores in both math and science! And he won the only perfect score gold medal in the computer science category at the national competition!"

Old Li was so excited that he banged on the podium, sending chalk dust flying everywhere.

"What does this show? It shows that as long as you want to learn and are willing to work hard, nothing is too late! Xie Wang has shown us through his actions that the outcome is not yet decided, and we could all be dark horses!"

The whole class erupted in even more enthusiastic applause than before.

Xie Wang smiled faintly, meeting the gazes of the entire class and Old Li's eager eyes.

He reached out and gently poked the back of the desk in front of him.

Su Qinghe turned slightly to the side without turning around.

"Teacher Su."

Xie Wang lowered his voice and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"Looks like I'll have to do well this semester, or I won't live up to this title."

Su Qinghe's lips curled up almost imperceptibly.

She put her hands behind her back and, through the gaps between the tables and chairs, precisely found his hand and gently squeezed it.

"Keep up the good work, Dark Horse!"

Xie Wang grabbed her fingers with his own, feeling the cool touch from her fingertips, and his heart burned with passion.

Teacher Li continued to talk about the senior year review plan on the podium, while the sunlight outside the window shone through the leaves onto the desks.

The sound of cicadas gradually faded away, replaced by the rustling sound of pages turning.