Chapter 102: The Me of Now Is Beyond Your Reach

Lu Jingyao saw Xia Yue and nearly didn’t recognize her.

Xia Yue used to have a large, round face, “like a silver basin,” just like Xue Baochai in Dream of the Red Chamber.

But now Xia Yue’s cheeks were sunken, her chin sharp, transformed into an odd, narrow oval face.

“Xia Yue, you’ve—ah—”

Lu Jingyao’s question trailed off into an involuntary sigh.

After returning home from her vacation in Jingcheng, she’d heard about Xia Yue collapsing in the exam hall, but because of some unpleasantness during their book-buying days, Lu Jingyao hadn’t come over to comfort her former best friend.

Over the past six months, Lu Jingyao had come to accept it: some people are better off drifting apart.

But a few days ago, Xia Yue’s third sister-in-law had sought out Lu Jingyao, describing Xia Yue’s condition and asking her to come and cheer her little sister-in-law up.

Xia Yue’s third sister-in-law lived in the neighboring village; the two families had some ties, and it was because of this connection that they’d become close friends.

But Lu Jingyao hadn’t come right away, and now the Xia family thought she’d become a college student and was “too proud to recognize people.”

When Xia Yue saw Lu Jingyao sigh, her heart sank further; she said heavily, “I’ve made you laugh—my father told me not to call you over. Sorry to trouble you.”

Lu Jingyao was stunned into silence; Xia Yue’s tone was flat, but the bitterness and resistance in it made Lu Jingyao’s chest ache.

After a long silence, Lu Jingyao asked, “Are you giving up? Are one or two setbacks enough to shatter your courage?”

“No, I’m not,” Xia Yue’s dull eyes flickered slightly: “I just want to rest a few days. These past two years have been too exhausting—let me take a break.”

“But I don’t think you’re tired—you’re afraid.”

Lu Jingyao looked at the lifeless Xia Yue and was about to speak some hard truths, but then remembered what Liu Muhan had told her.

【Don’t say things people don’t want to hear. There aren’t many people in this world worth your whole heart.】

So Lu Jingyao changed tactics and spoke words Xia Yue wanted to hear.

“Xia Yue, you should’ve scored around 360, right?”

“Of course! But what good is 360?”

“In the whole Qingshui County, not many people score 360—I only got 360 last year myself.”

Xia Yue rolled her eyes. “This year’s total is 60 points higher than last year’s—it’s different.”

Lu Jingyao immediately said, “But this year’s math was brutal! If you did poorly, how many others in County No. 2 High could’ve done well?”

Xia Yue shook her head and stopped arguing with Lu Jingyao, but her deadened heart stirred slightly.

【That’s right—I can’t do it, but can others? Besides Jiang Xiaoyan and a few others, I’m still the strongest.】

Lu Jingyao noticed Xia Yue’s softening and pulled several books from her backpack, placing them on the table.

“I didn’t come right away—I was waiting for my classmates to mail me these self-study volumes.”

“Cheer up! If you get into your third-choice school this year, go. If not, try again next year.”

Xia Yue stared at the self-study books on the table, at the characters “Solid Geometry” on the cover, and tears welled up.

“Why didn’t you send them sooner?!”

If she’d gotten these books earlier, maybe her math score wouldn’t have been so terrible, and none of the chain reactions afterward would’ve happened.

Lu Jingyao felt awkward—these books had been mailed to her by Liu Muhan; she’d copied a set for her brother Lu Zixue and brought the originals to Xia Yue.

But why had it turned into blame?

Still, seeing Xia Yue weeping with sorrow, Lu Jingyao couldn’t bring herself to say “let’s cut ties forever.”

She still hoped Xia Yue would pick herself up—to give voice to self-respect for all the girls in Qingshui County who’d been discriminated against.

“Xia Yue! Xia Yue!”

Someone rushed up outside, calling Xia Yue’s name anxiously.

Xia Yue wiped her tears and called out the window: “I heard you. What is it, Hu Qi?”

The person outside shouted urgently: “The college entrance exam results are posted! Zhang the Pockmarked from Dong Village has already gone—hurry and check!”

“...”

Xia Yue didn’t answer; she stared blankly for a moment, then looked at Lu Jingyao.

Lu Jingyao whispered, “Want to go? If you don’t want to, I’ll go for you.”

Xia Yue’s eyes slowly brightened.

“Go! Now!”

The bulletin board at County No. 2 High was covered with this year’s college entrance exam score charts.

Students from Grade 11 and retake classes, upon hearing the news, rushed over frantically, scanning the dense list of names for their own.

On the far left, two large red sheets were pasted, bearing the names of a dozen or so students, along with their total and subject scores, written in brush calligraphy—far grander treatment than the rest of the “tiny script.”

No one resented this preferential treatment; everyone knew only those on the red paper had a chance of being admitted to colleges or vocational schools.

Everyone else was just along for the ride—checking scores only to ease their nerves.

Xia Laoshi and Xia’s fourth brother pedaled Lu Jingyao and Xia Yue all the way to County No. 2 High; by the time they arrived, the bulletin board was packed with people, even many Grade 10 students had come to gawk.

From afar, Lu Jingyao exclaimed in surprise: “There are so many names on the red paper this year—did so many people pass the cutoff?”

But Xia Yue, though outwardly calm, felt her heart stir with excitement.

Each year, along with the exam results came the admission cutoffs for bachelor’s, associate’s, and vocational programs; in past years, no more than ten names ever made the red paper, sometimes only a few.

But this year there were so many—could she still have a chance?

After the exam, Xia Yue estimated her score at 370–380, which wasn’t low.

If the bachelor’s cutoff dropped this year because math was so hard—could her third-choice school still be within reach?

Xia Laoshi and Xia’s fourth brother had pushed through the crowd, but a group of students who hadn’t made the list were already seething with resentment, and they wouldn’t tolerate these outsiders cutting in.

“What are you doing? Pushing? Hey—Xia Yue’s here.”

The argument died instantly when someone spotted Xia Yue.

The crowd automatically cleared a space, then all stared at Lu Jingyao and Xia Yue.

At the same time, faint, buzzing whispers crept into their ears.

“Look, that’s Lu Jingyao.”

“Is that Lu Jingyao? She really is beautiful—no wonder Li Ye went crazy to get into Jingcheng!”

“You’re delusional. Does Li Ye even care about Lu Jingyao anymore?”

“You don’t get it. Donkeys mate with donkeys, horses with horses—Li Ye and Lu Jingyao are at least evenly matched.”

“Bullshit. You know nothing—don’t talk nonsense.”

Lu Jingyao walked calmly into the crowd; after a year of broadening her horizons, she no longer cared about idle gossip.

Foolish people worrying over nothing—what can they do to me?

But when Lu Jingyao stepped forward and saw the names on the red paper, she froze as if struck by lightning, her face draining of color.

“611 points? 611 points?!”

Lu Jingyao’s head buzzed with a deafening “ Weng ~ Weng ~ Weng .”

She blinked rapidly, staring again at the top name on the red paper.

【Li Ye: 611; Chinese: 97; Math: 100】

After Li Ye’s full list of subject scores, four large characters were added in parentheses: (Province No. 1).

Though Lu Jingyao had been stunned many times by Li Ye’s actions over the past half-year, all those shocks combined were nothing compared to this one.

【What merit does he have? How did he transform himself like this?】

Lu Jingyao knew better than Li Ye himself just how weak his studies were.

So how could he be province No. 1 now?

If you had this ability, why didn’t you show it last year? Where was that desperate, inseparable devotion you had toward me then?

Lu Jingyao refused to believe Li Ye could leap from outside the top hundred in the county to province No. 1 in a year.

But the bold black brushstrokes of his name on the red paper mocked her like a taunting totem.

While Lu Jingyao stood stunned, Xia Yue wasn’t faring any better.

She stared at the long list of names and asked her classmate hoarsely: “What’s the bachelor’s cutoff this year?”

“Bachelor’s: 400. Associate’s: 360.”

Xia Yue shut her eyes, swaying on her feet.

If Xia’s fourth brother hadn’t caught her, she might’ve collapsed again on the spot.

Lu Jingyao grabbed Xia Yue’s arm and whispered, “What’s wrong, Xia Yue?”

Xia Yue forced a bitter smile. “Nothing. Didn’t eat breakfast—just weak.”

Lu Jingyao didn’t believe it. She turned to the red paper and immediately saw why Xia Yue had broken down.

Beneath Li Ye’s towering 611, seven names soared above 400—far above.

That meant all seven could enter bachelor’s programs, unless they applied to wildly popular schools.

Lu Jingyao recognized a few of them.

【Wen Leyu: 588】

【Hu Man: 481】

【Jiang Xiaoyan: 479】

【Yan Jinbu: 478】

【Li Dayong: 476】

【Han Xia: 473】

【Fu Yingjie: 469】

None of these people were Xia Yue.

Xia Yue ranked after Zhuang Hongxing, in tenth place.

【Xia Yue: 367 points.】

This score, honestly, wasn’t bad—it had already surpassed this year’s Dongshan Province college cutoff. If it had been any other student’s score, they’d likely be jumping for joy, throwing banquets at home and honoring their ancestors.

But for Xia Yue, it was devastating.

She’d estimated she’d score between 370 and 380, yet she’d fallen short by several points, and the undergraduate cutoff was a staggering 400—far beyond reach. She had no self-awareness.

But what Xia Yue was thinking right now, Lu Jingyao had no way of guessing.

Before the college entrance exam, Xia Yue had challenged Li Ye’s eight-member group in a fit of spite—she wanted Li Ye to know who truly ranked first at County No. 2 High.

But now, looking at the names and scores on the red paper, the confidence and determination inside her had strangely turned into grievance.

Why had she lost her mind?

Look at the math scores of Hu Man, Han Xia, and others—all over 80. What about her?

21 points.

Even if she’d scored 55, she could’ve gotten into an undergraduate program through her third choice this year.

It was all because of Lu Jingyao.

【Why did I ever oppose Li Ye? Why?】

【Why did I call him Huang Shiren? Because of Lu Jingyao?】

【The hell does Lu Jingyao have to do with me? She’s already gone to Beijing. What about me?】

【If only I’d gotten along with Li Ye back then, if only I’d joined the eight-member group like Han Xia and others—even if I’d just aced math…】

“Move aside, move aside, damn it, get out of my way, what are you shoving for?”

A bear-like figure forcibly shoved through the crowd, dragging two girls to the front of the red notice board, utterly ignoring the angry glares around him.

“Hehehe, hahahaha! I scored 476! Four hundred and seventy-six! I, Li Dayong, have made it today—wahahaha!”

If an ugly bear was already repulsive, a bouncing, stomping, clapping, hehehawing bear was beyond words.

Li Dayong had come with Hu Man and Han Xia to check scores. He glanced once, then unleashed his joy as if no one else existed.

With 476 points, unless heaven itself hated him, his admission to university was certain.

Hu Man and Han Xia were also overjoyed. Though they’d estimated their scores multiple times before, estimates were just estimates—until the results were announced, they were all guesses.

“Hey, Li Dayong, where’s your big brother Li Ye? Why isn’t he here today?”

“My big brother Li Ye? He’s a dragon whose head appears but whose tail vanishes—who could possibly know his whereabouts?”

Li Dayong’s grin suddenly turned cold as he glared at the man: “What do you want with my big brother?”

The man, unnerved by Li Dayong’s bull-like eyes, stammered: “Nothing much—just wanted to ask him for some study tips.”

“Yeah, yeah! You guys scored ridiculously high this year—the top eight are seventy or eighty points ahead of ninth place! How’d you even do that?”

“Exactly! You didn’t even score higher than me last year! How’d you jump so high this year?”

“Hahahahaha~~”

Li Dayong laughed for three seconds, his large eyes sneering across the crowd—until they landed on Lu Jingyao, where they paused noticeably.

Then he grinned and said: “I’ll tell you all! One day I dreamed of Old Huai Grandpa, and after that, I read a book once and understood it, solved a problem once and got it right. Hehehe, you believe me?”

I believe your ghost!

With that smug grin on your face, only a fool would believe you.

Lu Jingyao said sternly: “Li Dayong, you don’t have to share your study methods with others—that’s your freedom and right.

But you can’t deceive your classmates with superstitious lies. That’s misleading and harmful.”

The crowd fell silent. Everyone stared at Li Dayong and the girls beside him—like a flock of sheep that had found their leader, suddenly braving the wolf.

Li Dayong was about to roar back, but Hu Man stepped in front of him.

“Have any of you ever heard this saying—‘I used to be ignored by you; now you can’t even reach me’?”

“Ever since you forced us out of the remedial class, you were destined to envy us, admire us, resent us.

But all of it—you’ll have to bear alone.”

After speaking, Hu Man fixed her gaze on Lu Jingyao, holding it steady.

Lu Jingyao felt it instantly—Hu Man’s words were meant for her.

【I can’t reach you? From the start, wasn’t I the one who reached for Li Ye?】

Today Old Feng wasn’t in form—he wrote less than eight thousand words. Truly sorry to readers. Tomorrow I’ll rise early and see if I’ve got the talent for a massive update!

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(End of Chapter)