"And you say you're not interested in her?"
Yang Fan scoffed, thoroughly unimpressed by Zhao Rui's denial.
"What are you even talking about?"
Zhao Rui didn't press the matter, but he knew it was almost certainly true that Luo Min was applying to Dongqi University.
'It wouldn't be bad to have a classmate along for the ride.'
"What if I apply to your school?"
Zhao Rui poked Sun Tiantian's back with his finger, landing right on the clasp of her bra. It felt firm and distinct under his touch.
"Jerk! Who asked you to mess up your application like that?"
Though Sun Tiantian's face was still a mask of annoyance, her heart was already soaring.
She was just feeling a pang of sorrow at their sudden parting.
After all, she had a secret crush for so long, and now they were about to go their separate ways.
"I smell the sour stench of a secret crush!"
Yang Fan wrinkled his nose in disgust, which provoked Sun Tiantian into twisting around and throwing a punch. They immediately started trading blows, and the corner descended into chaos.
Zhao Rui slammed his hand down on the desk, just in time to stop it from being flipped over.
The classroom was already bustling and messy, so the sound of a small scuffle was hardly surprising, and no one paid any mind.
"Can you all just be quiet!"
A voice full of impatience shouted sharply from a seat near the window in the front row.
It was the voice of their classmate, the "teacher's pet," Wang Han.
But this time, his voice had no effect. The classroom remained as noisy as ever.
Before, students listened to him to avoid trouble that might affect their exams. But now, they had graduated and were all going their separate ways. 'Who gives a damn what you think!'
Wang Han's chest heaved in anger, his expression turning utterly grim.
"Why isn't Bai Xuening here?"
After horsing around for a bit, Yang Fan looked in surprise at the empty seat not far in front of them and asked Zhao Rui in confusion.
Just as he spoke, a girl in a pink and white puff-sleeve dress made a graceful entrance.
The girl had a sailor-style scarf tied at her collar. The hem of her skirt puffed out at just the right angle, creating ripples of lace with every step.
A satin ribbon hung from her waist, its ends adorned with lily-of-the-valley-shaped silk tassels, resembling willow branches swaying in a spring breeze.
Her slender calves were clad in a pair of white high socks, which drew a straight line down to the pretty, round-toed Mary Janes on her feet.
'This outfit?'
In an instant, the once-rowdy classroom fell completely silent.
'Is that Bai Xuening?'
'What happened to that cold, stone-faced girl who never smiled?'
After a moment of silence, an uproar erupted.
"Xuening, you look so beautiful!"
"You changed your style, I almost didn't recognize you. Xuening, I never knew you liked the lolita style! It looks great!"
With the girl's arrival, the entire classroom was once again abuzz with noise.
While the girl dealt with the chattering of the other girls, she casually glanced toward where Zhao Rui was sitting.
When she saw the look of surprise in Zhao Rui's eyes, a smug little smile flashed in her own.
That smile, of course, did not escape Zhao Rui's notice. He couldn't help but chuckle in amusement.
'She'll probably pretend to ignore me if I go over to talk to her.'
'What a kid.'
In the classroom, the students chatted without restraint. It was as if they knew that after this day, after filling out their applications, they would truly be going their separate ways.
Some of them might never see each other again for the rest of their lives.
After another half an hour or so of this hubbub, the homeroom teacher finally arrived late.
As soon as he got to the podium, he had the class president hand out a report card and a few application forms to everyone.
The students looked at the report cards in their hands with various expressions. Those who did well were smiling, their eyes filled with anticipation for a wonderful university life.
Those who did poorly hung their heads, dejected and silent.
There were also those who didn't care, who had already given up, and acted as they always did.
"Whoa, Zhao Rui, you got fourth in the class this time! That's awesome!"
A classmate in the aisle to Zhao Rui's right turned slightly and said to him.
"Yeah, man. With that score, you're a shoo-in for a top-tier university!"
Hearing this, another classmate also turned to look over.
Although everyone more or less knew their classmates' scores, they were still quite surprised that Zhao Rui had jumped from somewhere below tenth place to fourth in the class.
"Everyone has their scores now. Be very thoughtful about your applications, and discuss it thoroughly with your families..."
After giving his instructions, the homeroom teacher came down from the podium and started chatting with the students.
After all, he had taught them for three years. Now they were parting ways in the blink of an eye, and the teacher was also reluctant to see them go.
Zhao Rui had already discussed his college application with his family long ago, and Zhao Jincheng and his wife had given him a great deal of freedom and respect.
Zhao Rui looked up the past admission scores for Dongqi University. As long as he was willing to accept an assignment to any major, his score was good enough to get in.
He didn't really care about the major—that was just a process to get a diploma. What he cared about more was the platform for the Martial Dao.
Only by getting into Dongqi University would he have the qualification and opportunity to come into contact with a higher Martial Arts Realm and step into a different kind of future.
The process of filling out the applications wasn't complicated. Within a single class period, most of the students had already finished.
After the homeroom teacher collected the forms, he signaled that the students who were finished could go home.
Once gone, years may pass; who knew when they would meet again.
Zhao Rui finished his early. Yang Fan had long since decided on a third-tier university, so he didn't need to think much either. But Sun Tiantian insisted that the two of them wait for her and Xiaoxue to finish so they could all leave together.
So, the two of them lingered in the classroom for a while longer.
Throughout all three years of high school, Zhao Rui didn't have many friends, and he knew even fewer girls.
It was rare for someone like Sun Tiantian to see him in a special light. He wasn't a heartless person, so even if they couldn't be lovers, he still considered her a friend.
Someone who can fall in love with you when you are unremarkable is the rarest gift in this world.
Around ten o'clock, Sun Tiantian and her friend finally finished agonizing over their application forms.
The four of them tidied up their desks—though there wasn't really anything to tidy—and left the classroom together.
Just as they reached the classroom door, Sun Tiantian stopped the other three and took a group photo with her phone in front of the classroom number plate.
By the time they walked out of the academic building, her eyes were already red and her lips were pursed, her fragile state tugging at one's heartstrings.
"Alright, it's not like we'll never see each other again. We can still meet up during winter and summer breaks!"
Seeing her so emotional, Zhao Rui was moved and reached out to gently wipe away the teardrops from the corner of her eye.
"Mhm, I know you don't like me, but I just...!"
"I know, I know. You won't be pretty anymore if you keep crying!"
Zhao Rui gently ruffled the girl's hair and said, "Let's go. A lot of people are watching!"
Sun Tiantian lowered her head and nodded, obediently following Zhao Rui out.
Yang Fan, who was enjoying the show from the side, was filled with envy. He couldn't help but turn his gaze to Xiaoxue beside him.
"What are you looking at!"
Xiaoxue's delicate brows furrowed as she glared at him.
"I wouldn't make a girl who likes me cry!"
"..."
Xiaoxue rolled her eyes, leaving him with nothing but the view of her slender back as she quickly walked away.
Know this: in bygone youth, blossoms blushed at first glance.
Today, unchanged, maidens vie in bloom, if only to feel first love once more.
Temples gray, I think of days before the flowers, of long regret, and borrowed bliss.
...