Hu Yuying looked at Long Aotian seriously: "Brother Long, I know what you want to say. Look at me, just look at me. I'm not the pushover I used to be anymore."
"I really have been changing."
As she spoke, Hu Yuying mimicked Long Aotian's posture, leaning back on the chair, her gaze lifting slightly to the night sky: "After meeting you, Brother Long, I've grown stronger."
"If I'm not wrong, I won't fall into self-doubt. No matter who tries to label me, that's not who I am."
"The me in their eyes isn't me. The me in my own eyes is who I truly am."
"I haven't done anything wrong. No matter who says harsh words to me, it only proves what kind of person they are, not a fraction of who I am."
Long Aotian listened to Hu Yuying's words, a faint smile unconsciously curling at the corners of his lips.
So she remembered. So she had never truly forgotten.
He had been worrying for nothing. Hu Yuying was far stronger and more resolute than he had imagined. It was a good thing.
Hu Yuying pursed her lips, her eyes lowering as she stole a glance at Long Aotian: "I will love myself without reservation. I am better than anyone else..."
"Because I am worthy in your eyes, Brother Long, I will move forward courageously."
Seeing the smile on Long Aotian's face, Hu Yuying's heart shouted: "Thinking of how much you care for me, how could I not strive to be excellent? I've finally grasped the light; how could I dare to give up halfway..."
But the timid Hu Yuying only dared to shout these words in her heart.
Because she also felt that such words sounded too ambiguous.
The age of eighteen is beautiful, and the crush of an eighteen-year-old is heart-fluttering.
Hu Yuying, at eighteen, touched her beating heart, seemingly delighted by the innocent love of her youth.
"Not bad, not bad. The little girl has grown up," Long Aotian said with deep satisfaction.
"I was already grown up, okay?" Hu Yuying protested, feeling that Long Aotian always treated her like a child. She was already eighteen, no longer a kid.
The two of them fell silent after that, both looking up at the starry sky.
The moon was full tonight, and the stars were exceptionally bright.
......
The day to check the exam results arrived.
Long Aotian took Hu Yuying to an internet café.
"Relax, look how nervous you are," Long Aotian teased, amused by Hu Yuying's tense demeanor.
"But I can't help it," she replied.
"Don't be nervous. You're such a good student; if you're nervous, you're making me nervous too."
"Okay, I won't be nervous, and you shouldn't be either," Hu Yuying said softly.
Little did he know, most of Hu Yuying's nervousness stemmed from Long Aotian himself.
Taking a deep breath, Long Aotian entered Hu Yuying's information first.
688.
Seeing the score, Long Aotian immediately jumped up, as if he himself had achieved such a high score.
"688 points! 688 points! That's 28 points above the admission line for University A! Hu Yuying, you're amazing!"
In contrast, Hu Yuying's reaction was surprisingly calm.
While Long Aotian was celebrating, Hu Yuying took a deep breath to suppress the trembling in her heart and entered Long Aotian's information.
"Yes! 518 points! Brother Long, you scored 518 points!" Hu Yuying's nervousness instantly turned into excitement.
She hugged Long Aotian's arm, her voice trembling with joy, clearly overwhelmed by the thrill of the moment.
Long Aotian was momentarily stunned.
Seeing Hu Yuying's ecstatic expression, the noisy internet café seemed to fade into the background, as if the entire world was illuminated by her happiness.
"This is great, this is great! Brother Long, we can both go to Capital City together..."
After her burst of joy, Hu Yuying noticed Long Aotian staring at her in a daze. She waved her small hand in front of his face: "Brother Long, we can go to Capital City together."
"That's right, I can go to Capital City too," Long Aotian snapped out of his trance, his energy and excitement returning. "I can attend University T! I must be the luckiest guy alive, haha..."
Without caring that Hu Yuying was still holding his arm, he happily ruffled her hair, messing it up.
Hu Yuying didn't mind her disheveled hair. She looked up at Long Aotian seriously: "Brother Long, it's not luck. You earned this with your hard work."
The intense training sessions had drained even someone as energetic as Long Aotian, so it wasn't just luck.
"Right, right. Today's a happy day. Brother Long will treat you to something delicious."
"Don't hold back, eat to your heart's content!"
......
This day was destined to be one of joy for some and sorrow for others.
"No! I can't accept this!" Ye Liangchen stared at the score on the computer screen, gripping his hair in despair, clearly unable to come to terms with what he saw.
Not just Ye Liangchen.
Even Father Ye and Ye's Mother were in disbelief.
129 points?
This had to be a joke.
"Liangchen, is this a mistake?" Father Ye was the first to react, asking hesitantly.
Ye's Mother's expression also darkened as she recalled boasting to the neighbors just a few days ago. Now, she felt nothing but shame.
Both parents turned their gaze to Ye Liangchen.
Feeling their eyes on him, Ye Liangchen clenched his fists tightly: "I've been targeted. Someone must have targeted me."
The college entrance exam was a life-changing event for their child, and the parents were deeply concerned.
They immediately decided to call the school.
Ye's Mother acted so quickly that Ye Liangchen couldn't stop her.
As a teacher, the homeroom teacher took the possibility of a scoring error seriously. Although she didn't have a favorable impression of Ye's Mother, Ye Liangchen was still her student.
After checking the score, the homeroom teacher confirmed Ye Liangchen's result.
"How could it be 129 points? Are you sure you didn't make a mistake? Six subjects! My son isn't an idiot; how could he only score 129 points?"
The words were spoken without malice, but they struck a nerve.
Ye Liangchen's face turned green upon hearing this.
The homeroom teacher had no choice. Official scores were rarely incorrect.
She advised Ye's Mother that if they had doubts, they could bring Ye Liangchen's ID and exam admission ticket to the education examination center for a score review.
Father Ye and Ye's Mother immediately prepared to have their son's score reviewed, continuously comforting him: "Son, it's okay. Mom and Dad will take you to have your score checked!"
Ye Liangchen remained silent, his head lowered. Father Ye and Ye's Mother called his name twice, but he didn't respond.
Just as Father Ye was about to pull him up, Ye Liangchen raised his head, his face streaked with tears: "Are you trying to push me to my death?"
Hearing this, Father Ye and Ye's Mother were stunned. Their frantic hearts suddenly calmed: "Sweetheart, what's wrong? Mom and Dad only want the best for you. How could we ever harm you?"
"For my own good? If people find out about this 129-point score, how will they look at me?"
"Just thinking about how they'll look at me, how they'll look at you, Mom and Dad... my heart hurts. It hurts so much I can barely breathe."
As he spoke, he collapsed to the ground.
This scene terrified Father Ye and Ye's Mother, who quickly rushed to support him.
"Mom, Dad, I want to keep studying. You know I've always been excellent. Believe in me. I will succeed in the future. I have that confidence."
Ye Liangchen spoke sincerely: "Use your connections, spend money, and get me into a school. Don't let anyone know I scored 129 points. I can't bear the shame..."
With these words, he slowly closed his eyes, two lines of tears streaming down his cheeks as he did so...