"Little Han Han, the result comes out today, I wonder how we did"
"Don't..Don't talk about it, I don't want to talk about it"
Han Fei muttered out these words to Mei as droplets of sweat dripped from his forehead. His eyes fixed on his phone, finger constantly pressing the refresh button; as if doing so will ease the anxiety that has been plaguing him since taking National Medical School Examination.
"I am sure you did fine, stop fretting about it, after all, you are the son of Han Wen and descendent of the famous Han Clan that is known for its medical prowess since ancient days"
These words meant nothing to Han Fei, who was never passionate about medicine. Since a young age, his future was paved by his father, who expected him to follow his footstep.
Often, he felt trapped, like a caged hummingbird that only hums whatever its master wishes. Nights of studies and practical mockup exams had taken a toll on his emotional health.
The dilemma between stepping outside the cage and disappointing its master constantly kept Han Fei on edge. But today, for better or worse, Han Fei's fate is decided by a 3 digits number.
Mei looked at Han Fei as he stopped pressing the phone. She always had a crush on Han Fei since her first day in High School. During class, she would sneak glances at Han Fei, who was usually composed and quiet.
However, she has never seen Han Fei's expression like this for the past four years. Just a few minutes ago, his eyes had sparkles, but now, it's devoid of light. The wind slowly caressed both of their hairs as they stood there silently, next to high school's entrance.
Students and pedestrians walked past them, some rejoicing, some sighing. Cars drove past by the sidewalk and stopped, parents coming out to greet their children who detailed their feats.
"I..."
"shh, it's fine, it's just a stupid test, it's finally over, right, we should go grab hot pot with Ming and Yang tomorrow to celebrate"
Noticing something wrong, Mei did not press further about the test. Han took a final glance at his phone before putting it away in his pocket.
'439... 11 points away from passing the exam'
Han Fei has never been so disappointed in his life. Even after staying up all day and night, these efforts were voided by a single 3 damn digits.
'Am I smart enough? What will father think when he finds out about this? What should I do? '
Han Fei was completely lost in the abyss of negativity before Mei called out his name.
"Helloooo, I am talking to you"
"Huh?"
"I said, is tomorrow at 6pm a good time?"
"Yeah, sure, that works"
After parting ways with Mei, he decides to go back to his home. Han Fei knew that for better or for worse, he cannot change reality.
He passed a playground where children were playing Wuxia roleplay, he stared at them as the sun cast silhouette on their body, signaling the arrival of dusk. After a while, he let out a huge sigh. He wished that he was still young like these children, free of the burden of thoughts about success.
'Hi, maybe I read the number wrong'
Reluctant to accept reality, Han Fei decided to check his phone again. He took out his phone, refreshing the page.
Same number...
Refreshed again
Same number...
He repeated this action as if doing this will somehow magically randomize a better score on the screen. Before he could refresh again, it was too late for him to realize that he has fallen into a sewer hole with a missing lid.
...
"What is this guy wearing, he looks so weird hahaha"
"Hi, stop poking him, he looks like a foreigner with this clothing"
Han Fei opened his eyes, his head ringing from pain, and his vision muffled. He grunted a few times before yelling out curses at the thief that stole the sewer lid. Then, when he slowly regains his vision, he sees two boys in wool-patched clothing, resembling that of beggars.
"Hi kids, where am I, do you know what happened"
Still nauseous in the head, Han Fei asked.
"aaaah, he spoke, he spoke, I thought he died from the Deadman's Plague"
While the boys talked, Han Fei looked around with eyes of pure shock. He saw a big meadow, a pond, and a cottage. His heart skipped a beat as his eyes widened with pure awe. The sun shined down on him, but, wasn't it 7 pm, why does it seem like it's at noon?
"Mister, are you ok"
The boys glanced at Han Fei with curiosity. Then, the only realization Han Fei had at that moment was, he time-traveled to another era.
To be continued...