Chapter 56: Graduation

The few of them walked slowly on the road; except for Wang Yan, their moods weren't very high.

Fang Hui and Lin Jiamu's eyes were even red.

"Alright, cheer up, don't be so dejected."

"But they are too pitiful," Fang Hui choked.

Lin Jiamu also cried out on the side: "That's right, too pitiful, and some are still so small."

Zhao Ye didn't speak, but it was obvious he wasn't doing well either, his eyes also red.

"I'll say one thing, they aren't pitiful, and they don't need to be pitied."

"What they need is respect, not your overflowing tears of sympathy."

"You cry a bunch here, and then go back to sleep and do whatever you want the next day?"

Wang Yan shook his head: "Why bother."

"No, we are..." Lin Jiamu was quick-tongued, speaking without thinking, and opened her mouth to retort.

But after saying it, she understood; Wang Yan was right, she would definitely be like that.

"Can't say it anymore, right?"

"So, don't think about useless things, just keep it in your heart. When you have the ability, help out; if you don't have the ability, wishing them well is also not bad."

The elderly and children in the orphanage had seen enough cold shoulders and experienced enough warmth and cold in their lives.

The only thing that made them uncomfortable was the pity deep in the eyes of others when they looked at them.

The three nodded, knowing Wang Yan was right, but they couldn't be happy no matter what.

"Let's go, don't think too much, shall we go for a stroll at Beihai?"

After finishing, Wang Yan led the way, and the few followed silently behind.

To forget something, shifting focus was the most effective method.

Watching the few people laughing and skating slowly, Wang Yan didn't know if they still had that sense of compassion in their hearts, but at least on the surface, it couldn't be seen at all; they were playing so happily.

At this moment, Fang Hui let out an "Ah," was bumped by someone, and almost fell, but fortunately, Lin Jiamu on the side supported her.

Zhao Ye saw that this group of people wasn't good news and quickly protected the two in front of him.

"Are you blind..."

"Fang Hui?"

The person who tripped opened his mouth to scold, but after raising his head and seeing the nervous person in front of him, he immediately swallowed it back and quickly looked around.

Wang Yan didn't know what to say either; logically, this time had long passed, so how could it be such a coincidence?

"Isn't this Brother Lei?" Wang Yan skated over and said.

Seeing Wang Yan come over, Liu Lei quickly bent down and grinned obsequiously: "Don't, Big Brother, just call me Little Lei. This matter is all my fault; I'm the one who's blind."

As he spoke, he slapped his own face lightly.

He was truly scared; after being beaten that time, they had followed Wang Yan for a while, especially when Wang Yan fought twenty-something people alone—they had watched the whole thing from the side.

Later, he heard that the big hooligans at the gate of Experimental High School who were two streets ahead of him had been beaten away by Wang Yan; this was a living ancestor, so what did he count as?

Ignoring Liu Lei and the group of nervous subordinates behind him, Wang Yan turned back to look at Fang Hui: "Fang Hui, are you okay?"

Fang Hui leaned on Lin Jiamu and shook her head without speaking.

"Alright, go play your own games," Wang Yan said to Liu Lei, waving his hand.

Liu Lei felt as if he had been granted amnesty: "Hey, alright, thank you, Big Brother, thank you, Big Brother."

After finishing, he quickly took his group of subordinates and ran.

There was a new little brother who didn't understand the situation and didn't want to leave, and Liu Lei was so angry he kicked him twice. Why skate? Does it not hurt when you're hit?

Wang Yan stepped forward to comfort: "It's okay, you know, these people were already beaten into submission by me long ago."

As soon as the words fell, Fang Hui rushed over from Lin Jiamu's side and threw herself into Wang Yan's arms.

Wang Yan was wearing roller skates, and he was spun half a circle by Fang Hui.

"Thank you, Wang Yan," Fang Hui said, choking.

It was just that due to the angle, Lin Jiamu keenly noticed the fleeting smile on the corner of Fang Hui's mouth, and she immediately exploded.

"Fang Hui, you..."

She quickly rushed over as well, hanging on Wang Yan.

Zhao Ye witnessed the whole thing from the side; he laughed out loud on the surface, but he knew how he felt inside. He said he had let go, but whether it hurt or not, he knew himself.

Wang Yan saw the actions of the two and understood.

What Fang Hui wanted was a hug, a step further in their relationship.

After messing around for a while, Wang Yan separated them: "That's enough, you've been hugging for half a day, everyone is looking at us."

The timing wasn't right yet; he couldn't be too hasty.

Fang Hui and Lin Jiamu looked around, and seeing people pointing and talking about this side, they were both blushing with embarrassment.

Being young girls, they couldn't stand this, so they quickly went to return their skates and stopped playing.

The few of them tacitly acted as if nothing had just happened and continued to walk on the road, laughing and chatting.

This summer, inadvertently, quietly left.

Fang Hui and Lin Jiamu always looked for Wang Yan; their parents couldn't possibly not know.

Wang Yan had also met them. Thanks to the two families not knowing about each other, although there were many complaints in their hearts, they were all settled by Wang Yan one by one.

There was only one child in each family, and they weren't that kind of parents. They didn't delay their studies with useless things, and they had seen the children's progress over the past year.

While maintaining the bottom line and not affecting their studies, it was basically tacitly approved.

September 1st, school started.

Having played for a whole summer vacation, returning to school felt a bit unaccustomed.

Classmates who hadn't seen each other for a long time were laughing and talking about the interesting things that happened during the vacation.

Chen Xun and Qiao Ran were still as out of place as ever; what supported them was the beautiful figure with long black hair in front.

Having grown it for a year, Fang Hui's hair was already shoulder-length.

During the summer vacation, the two of them naturally didn't give up on Fang Hui.

They were also quite resourceful; they had even found out Fang Hui's home address.

As long as Fang Hui wasn't with Wang Yan, there would definitely be a "chance encounter."

Fang Hui wasn't a fool; she certainly knew what the two meant, but her heart belonged to someone else, so the two were still in vain.

Teacher Hou walked into the classroom, signaled everyone to be quiet, and said: "Classmates, everyone calm down. It's already Grade 3; you've all studied hard for more than ten years, just to get into a good university and plan a good future..."

Following Teacher Hou's words of reason and emotion, Grade 3 began.

Wang Yan knew children of this age too well; after all, he wasn't much different himself.

Although they were still breathless from all the knowledge points to memorize and all the test papers, this was their own thing, and he, Wang Mou, couldn't change anything.

But he also tried his best to fight for some relaxation time, going out collectively to get some air or playing games, which could be considered a combination of work and rest.

The class atmosphere was good, and the enthusiasm for learning was high, so the efficiency was naturally high, and this little time basically had no impact.

The teachers were also happy to see it happen and expressed recognition and support for Wang Yan's actions.

The happiest were Teacher Hou, Director Ma, and the group of subject teachers teaching Class 2. There was no other way; it was just too worry-free.

To express encouragement for Wang Yan, who was morally and academically excellent, helped and united classmates, and actively made progress, taking the lead, Director Ma directly arranged for Wang Yan to be a "Three Good Student" of Beijing City; this was much more useful than the previous school-level one.

In terms of learning, Wang Yan still maintained that learning rhythm, steadily improving.

When he had nothing to do, he would chat with Fang Hui and Lin Jiamu.

The teachers also knew what was going on, but they didn't say anything. They didn't need to worry about these children at all, so why manage so much? And they were also curious about who would end up together in the end.

This college entrance exam changed the fate of many people.

Perhaps just like Zhao Ye, some people didn't get into university and ended up achieving success through various coincidences. These people might also have changed their life trajectories because of Wang Yan's existence, ending up mediocre and mixing through life.

And those who should have been mediocre might have soared because of Wang Yan's existence?

As for Chen Xun and Qiao Ran, they were truly persistent; Fang Hui was already so obvious, but they just wouldn't give up.

When it came to missing Fang Hui and being unconvinced by Wang Yan, or even... hatred? If they really compared, Wang Yan thought Qiao Ran was even better.

Because during the college entrance exam, he saw Qiao Ran in the exam room.

And according to the plot, Qiao Ran should have gone to study abroad at the University of Edinburgh and wouldn't have taken the college entrance exam again.

Wang Yan didn't pay too much attention; no matter what the reason was for Qiao Ran, it wasn't worth mentioning, so it was just like that.

And Fang Hui and Lin Jiamu both did quite well because of Wang Yan.

Fang Hui should be able to go to Huaqing with Wang Yan, while Lin Jiamu might be a bit worse and could only go to another school, but no matter what, it was very good.

Zhao Ye didn't need to be mentioned; under Wang Yan's daily prodding, plus he wasn't stupid, after checking the answers after the exam, Beijing Sport University was a sure thing.

What their own children were like, Zhao Ye's parents knew in their hearts; being able to achieve such results really made them extremely excited.

For this, Zhao Ye's parents even specially set up a table at home to thank Wang Yan.

July 13, 2001.

Teacher Hou proposed, and Wang Yan organized, a gathering at a restaurant.

After this time, they would basically go their separate ways.

Wanting to sit at a table neatly again, it was basically not worth thinking about.

"Classmates, everyone did quite well this time; the teacher wishes you a bright future," Teacher Hou said emotionally, raising her glass.

"Bright future!" Everyone stood up, raised their glasses, and shouted.

After finishing a glass of wine, Teacher Hou poured another one: "This glass, the teacher wants to thank our class monitor, Wang Yan. Everyone being able to have such good grades this time, your contribution is indispensable. Come, Wang Yan, the teacher toasts you."

How could Wang Yan let the teacher toast him? He directly held the bottle and said: "Teacher Hou thinks too highly of me; it's all the reward of the classmates' own efforts. I toast Teacher Hou a glass, thank you teacher for your care for me over the past two years."

After finishing, amidst the cheers of the classmates, Wang Yan directly downed a bottle.

Teacher Hou also drank the wine in her glass with a smile.

"Alright, everyone, relax to your heart's content, don't worry about me."

Wang Yan was the target of attack; whether they could drink or not, they all had to come over and have a drink with him.

For the classmates' thanks, Wang Yan naturally accepted them all, refusing no one.

Fang Hui and Lin Jiamu were taking care of Wang Yan on the side; Wang Yan really drank quite a lot.

Chen Xun and Qiao Ran watched Fang Hui take care of Wang Yan from the side, drinking glass after glass of wine. People's joys and sorrows are not connected, but at this moment, theirs must be connected.

Teacher Hou proposed that Wang Yan sing a song, and this proposal was once again echoed by everyone.

Because the previous "Your Answer" had already been sung by a star, they all knew it was written by Wang Yan.

There was no other way; Wang Yan did another "Life in Full Bloom." Only this kind of song fit the theme, and it could be considered a blessing.

A surging song pushed the atmosphere to a climax.

And after Teacher Hou said two sentences and left, the atmosphere reached another climax.

After all, everyone had just graduated and hadn't adapted to their identities yet; with the teacher there, they always felt a bit constrained, and Teacher Hou clearly understood this truth.

At the beginning, Wang Yan was often targeted and forced to drink; this time, with Teacher Hou gone, it was even more incredible.

Fang Hui and Lin Jiamu even drank a few glasses for Wang Yan amidst the teasing of others.

Wang Yan didn't stop them either; they were happy, and everyone was lively.

Zhao Ye could mess around, bragging and showing off with classmates over there.

He also drank quite a lot, and unknowingly, he arrived at Chen Xun and Qiao Ran's position.

The three looked at each other, neither speaking.

Ever since they broke up, they hadn't had any contact.

At this moment, facing their former brothers and friends, they didn't know what to say for a moment.

"Heard you did quite well in the exam?" Qiao Ran broke the silence amidst the noise.

"Hmm, it's quite good, Beijing Sport University."

"Then congratulations," Chen Xun chimed in.

"How about you guys?" Zhao Ye asked.

Chen Xun replied: "You know, our grades aren't bad, Huaqing."

Nodding: "Have a drink?" Zhao Ye gestured with his glass.

Thinking about it, he felt the glass was too small, so he opened three bottles of wine from the side.

"Have a drink!" The two reached out and picked up the wine.

The former trio clinked their bottles heavily.

Looking at each other, they tilted their heads and downed it.

Qiao Ran's alcohol tolerance was a bit worse, and he couldn't quite handle blowing through the bottle, but he endured the churning in his stomach and finished the wine.

The three tacitly turned the bottles upside down, then looked at each other, and started laughing out loud without warning.

At this moment, the three seemed to have returned to the beginning.

That initial time of being carefree and mindless.

After laughing, there was silence; they couldn't go back after all.

Zhao Ye laughed forcibly and patted the two on the shoulders heavily: "Then you two drink, I'll go over there and see, it seems like someone is calling me."

The two also patted Zhao Ye heavily: "Go ahead."

Zhao Ye turned and left, his head slightly raised.

Watching Zhao Ye's back, Chen Xun and Qiao Ran sighed, sat down, had a drink together, and started mocking each other's red eyes.

Perhaps having been suppressed for too long, under the stimulation of alcohol, the scene was already in chaos.

Some were drunk and talking nonsense, complaining about the bitterness of twelve years of hard study.

Some were drunk and accidentally exposed secret romances they had hidden for a long time.

Some were holding wine bottles, swaying as they stood in front, loudly declaring love to female classmates in the same class, only to find out the other party had long had the same intention, loudly venting their inner excitement.

There were successes, and there were inevitably failures. Girls politely refused, male classmates said they were just talking nonsense while drunk, leaving gracefully but hiding in a corner to lick their wounds silently.

There were also girls who were usually quiet who loudly declared love to male classmates, only to have them agree and then not do it.

Infected by the atmosphere, Zhao Ye found Lin Jiamu and raised his glass: "Jiamu, have a drink?"

Lin Jiamu had understood Zhao Ye's intentions from beginning to end, and she also raised her glass: "Have a drink!"

After the two finished their wine, Lin Jiamu said: "Zhao Ye, we are good friends, good friends for a lifetime, aren't we?"

Zhao Ye held his bottle and took a sip: "Yes, good friends, good friends for a lifetime."

"But Fang Hui, she..."

Before Zhao Ye could finish, Lin Jiamu raised a bottle of wine: "Come, drink, drink."

After drinking, Lin Jiamu hopped away to join the classmates.

She didn't answer after all.

Zhao Ye shook his head without speaking, just went to the pile of male classmates and drank frantically.

And what Wang Yan didn't expect was that when he went to the restroom to relieve himself again and came out.

He saw Zhao Zi outside, the petite and delicate girl who had drawn a giant dragon on the bulletin board back then.

Wang Yan asked while washing his hands: "What are you standing here for?"

"Wang Yan, I... I..." Zhao Zi's face was flushed red, and she couldn't get the "I" out for a long time; being able to stand in front of Wang Yan was already her greatest courage, and facing Wang Yan, she couldn't open her mouth after all.

Sighing, Wang Yan shook his hands and walked in front of her.

Rubbing Zhao Zi's head, Wang Yan said: "Alright, alright, I understand."

"Go and join the classmates; after today, many people will never see each other again in this lifetime."

Zhao Zi said "Oh" in disappointment, looked at Wang Yan seriously, and walked away dejectedly.

Having hurt a little girl's heart, watching Zhao Zi's back as she swayed her little braids, Wang Yan shook his head and smiled bitterly.

Washing his face, Wang Yan walked out.

It was about time; many classmates had drunk enough.

Wang Yan believed that high school was the most beautiful youth, and perhaps the last time. When they got to university, they would come into contact with more, think more, and it wouldn't be pure anymore, so it would just be like that.

And at this time, in this place, it was their youth. ===== CHAPTER 57 =====