Chapter 122: Summer and the Sea

After Cheng Xiaoyu responded to everyone over the school broadcasting system with a rap performance of unparalleled, domineering poetry, most of the students were left in a state of bewilderment.

It was simply inconceivable to insult others in such a novel and artistically elevated manner. Moreover, every person who had been insulted felt a strange sense of satisfaction; they were eager to stand up and continue the battle, weaponizing poetry just as Cheng Xiaoyu had. They could only lament their own lack of his talent, as their own insults could never reach such heights. In fact, the vast majority of students wished that such a roasting could be played on the broadcast more often.

Most of those who managed to enter Fudan High School were the elites of their age group, possessing a keen ability to embrace new things, and many were themselves representatives of avant-garde culture. Previously, Cheng Xiaoyu had been famous at school, but only as a laughingstock. Even the publication of his poetry in "The Paper" had failed to alter his negative image. Yet, as he neared the end of his time at Fudan High, he used this cathartic display of verbal sparring to completely reshape the entire student body's impression of him.

The students at Fudan High did not revere the traditional Chinese philosophy of biding one's time and remaining humble; they were more Westernized, valuing the display of personality, high spirits, and even rebellious individualism. Consequently, Cheng Xiaoyu’s original, somewhat pushover image was the very thing they despised most.

However, Cheng Xiaoyu’s brand-new, unprecedented, and undeniably "cool" style of "poetry rap" immediately conquered the hearts of the Fudan High students. Despite most not grasping that this powerful music combined with rhythmic recitation was pioneering a new genre, everyone felt an inexplicable sense of awe rising within them. The explosive, high-energy rhythm and razor-sharp lyrics made their blood boil, leaving them feeling as though they needed to shout and dance along just to feel satisfied.

They had always admired the strong and revered genius. Clearly, Cheng Xiaoyu possessed a talent for music and poetry that was beyond their reach, and for someone like that, they would always maintain the highest respect.

Cheng Xiaoyu was unaware that he had been promoted from the school clown to a legendary figure at Fudan High. Listing the past icons of the school, all of them now stood at the peaks of various fields in China; to the students of Fudan High, being a "legend" meant one was destined to become a figure worthy of mention in history books.

It was a pity that this recognition came too late. Before Cheng Xiaoyu could enjoy the flowers and applause that should have been his, he had to step onto the battlefield of the college entrance examination.

The epic-level trial of the college entrance exam perhaps only exists in China. In his previous life, Cheng Xiaoyu took the exam on the 7th, 8th, and 9th of July; in his memories, terms like "Black July" were used to describe the month of the exam. Recalling it now, he thought that time was like a scythe, cutting through our youth in the wheat fields; among the fallen wheat, there is always a bundle that carries our final year of high school.

Time repeats itself in cycles every day, rebroadcasting itself in those repetitions. Before a mock exam, the teacher would say, "This reflects your true level for the real exam." After the mock exam, the teacher would say, "Actually, the mock exam doesn't mean anything."

Amidst these lies and truths, every senior student’s heart rate fluctuated like an EKG. As time heedlessly arrived at the end of June, the week of rest the students had been longing for finally arrived. Of course, behind it lurked the terrifying, daunting college entrance exam; the unknown is always hair-raising.

The homeroom teacher, Wang Wei, instructed them in the classroom with a voice full of deep affection: "Get enough nutrition, sleep a bit more. On the 6th, I will be waiting for you outside the exam hall."

On the day before they were to leave, the subject teachers did not mention a word about studies. They embraced each student one by one, conveying their blessings to everyone. The teachers, who had once spent every day lecturing, now saw their icy faces melt into the warmest spring water. The beautiful days were frozen in that moment.

Standing in the classroom, Cheng Xiaoyu was filled with deep emotion; it seemed he had finally stepped into the same river once more.

Xia Shamo sat at her desk, slowly packing her bag. This desk had accompanied her for a year, and now she felt a strange reluctance to leave it behind. She gently stroked the light blue surface. On the right side of the desk, a small line was carved: "I've liked someone for three years, yet I've never said a word to her. Am I stupid?" She didn't know which previous occupant of the desk had left it there. When bored, Xia Shamo would often imagine the fate of the person who wrote it—perhaps they had found a soulmate, or perhaps they were already married with children.

No matter how reluctant, this period of time had to end. People drift apart in the vast sea of humanity; time and space inevitably stretch the distance between people. Xia Shamo did not know where this faint sorrow came from. She placed the last textbook from her drawer into her bag, stood up, and looked at the empty blackboard, feeling an urge to scribble on it.

Cheng Xiaoyu and Wang Ou walked up from the back of the classroom and, turning around, saw the suppressed emotion on Xia Shamo’s calm face. Assuming Xia Shamo was under immense pressure from the approaching exam, Cheng Xiaoyu smiled and said, "Sha, do you know why the college entrance exam is scheduled for the 6th, 7th, and 8th?"

Xia Shamo didn't know why, but looking at Cheng Xiaoyu’s smile made her inexplicable melancholy dissipate. Perhaps he was naturally gifted at comforting others. Xia Shamo had never been good at brain teasers, but such questions always piqued her curiosity. She shook her head to indicate she didn't know, then asked, "Why?"

Wang Ou also stared with confused eyes at Cheng Xiaoyu, wondering if there was some hidden secret to the exam dates. The remaining students in the class also looked at the "King of Rhetoric," expecting him to say something earth-shattering.

Cheng Xiaoyu just smiled lightly and looked at Xia Shamo sincerely. "It means 'Admission!'"

Wang Ou suddenly realized, "6-7-8 means 'Admission!' Little Fatty, you're too talented."

Xia Shamo also smiled, as if she had received a great blessing.

Cheng Xiaoyu felt that Xia Shamo should relax and not keep her nerves stretched too tight, so he said, "Sha, it’s still early today anyway. Why don’t we go to the 'Forest of Lights' to play? Think of it as commemorating the final days of our high school life."

Xia Shamo nodded, slung her bag over her shoulder, and walked away from her seat. As she left, she carefully pushed her chair back under the desk. When she walked out of the classroom with Cheng Xiaoyu and Wang Ou, the early summer sun warmed the classroom. The deep red door swayed slightly in the breeze, and the desks and chairs stood quietly before their slanted shadows. Through the dust motes dancing in the air and the transparent, wood-framed windows, one could still see the blue sky and the dusty playground.

When Xia Shamo turned back, the light framed her figure beautifully. Her shadow stood exactly in the middle of the front door of the classroom. A playful gust of wind lifted her dark blue skirt, and she reached out to hold it down, the collar of her white sailor uniform also flapping in the wind. Her hair had grown quite long by now.

Cheng Xiaoyu turned back as well, and the faint fragrance of Xia Shamo’s hair filled his nostrils. In that instant, Cheng Xiaoyu felt as though he saw seagulls and the vast azure ocean, and a fresh scent of beach, sunshine, nature, and vastness blew toward him.

Summer and the sea—what truly beautiful times those are!