On June 7th.
The entire city spontaneously organized a fleet of cars to transport students to their exams, free water was provided at school gates, construction sites were halted, and all vehicles were prohibited from honking around the examination areas...
The whole world was making way for the college entrance examination.
William had imagined many times what it would be like to sit in the exam room for the college entrance exam, and during the first Chinese language exam, he still felt inexplicably nervous.
He thought of Ellie again, and his heart finally calmed down.
...
On June 8th.
At 4:45 PM, William finished the last word of his essay.
"Fifteen minutes left until the end of the exam. Students who have not filled in their answer sheets, please fill in your answers first. When the exam bell rings, no further answers will be accepted, and any continuation will be treated as cheating."
William checked his exam paper from front to back, made sure there were no mistakes or omissions in filling in the answer sheet, and then checked the reading comprehension section.
After checking thoroughly, he organized the answer sheet and scratch paper on his desk, waiting for the proctor to collect them later.
At 5:00 PM sharp.
The exam bell rang to signal the end.
At the same time, in the hospital on the other side.
The electrocardiogram on the medical equipment was flattening out.
William suddenly felt a sharp pain in his heart. He was stunned for a moment, then quickly regained his composure, thinking it might be due to his nerves.
The announcement came over the loudspeaker: "The exam is over, please stop writing immediately. If any student continues to answer, the proctor should promptly stop them and give a public warning."
When the last English exam was over, the college entrance exam was officially declared finished, and the tension and oppression that had been hanging over everyone's hearts finally disappeared.
Outside the window, there was the noisy chirping of cicadas and the hot waves of summer.
Many people were discussing how difficult this year's exam papers were, while others thought they were just average.
William just wanted to get out quickly; he wanted to see her as soon as possible.
As soon as he left the school gate, he took a car to the flower shop. It was a bouquet of pure white roses wrapped in light green packaging, which he had ordered in advance.
The cake was also pre-ordered, and he picked it up from the bakery.
The sun was scorching, and the ground was hot to the touch. The flowers were delicate, and William was worried they wouldn't look as good when he handed them to her.
He held the flowers in his arms and ran quickly to a shaded area to wait for a taxi.
The young man, dressed in a white shirt, was clean and bright, and his steps were filled with joy and happiness.
Today is Ellie's eighteenth birthday.
He wants to wish her a happy birthday in person and ask her again if she would consider dating him.
After getting out of the car, he ran all the way to Ellie's building. He looked up at the building, took out his phone, and prepared to call Ellie.
His phone was still turned off from the exam, and he had been in a hurry when he arrived, so he hadn't turned it on yet.
As soon as he turned on his phone.
He saw the Instagram messages from Ellie, which were two voice messages.
He played the first voice message.
She said: I'm sorry.
The second voice message.
She said: I can't wait for you anymore, William.
No matter how he listened to them, these two sentences seemed like a farewell.
William was stunned for a moment, composed himself, and sent a message to Ellie.
But his hands were trembling as he typed.
His mind raced through countless possibilities, only to dismiss them one by one.
[William]: What are you sorry for? What do you mean you can't wait for me?
He dialed Ellie's phone number.
It was answered quickly on the other end.
"Hello."
William checked the number to make sure he hadn't dialed wrong, and he said, "Hello, this is William."
"Is this William? This is Ellie's mother."
"Hello,Auntie, it's me, I'm Ellie's deskmate."
There was a pause, and William heard her say, "Come to the hospital, Ellie left something for you."
"What do you mean?"
"Ellie has passed away."
"Auntie, is Ellie asking you to tease me? Can you give the phone to her first, let me talk to her for a few words."
"I wish I were lying to you." Jennifer's last sentence was almost choked out, "Please come to the People's Hospital as soon as possible, at..."
William was too shocked to speak. He understood that she wasn't joking, and neither was Ellie teasing him. In an instant, he felt like he had fallen into an ice cellar, trembling all over. He felt his heart seemed to stop at that moment, with a roaring sound in his ears and his mind going blank.
He hailed a taxi and kept urging the driver, "Please hurry, please hurry."
He didn't even know how he got out of the car; it was as if his legs weren't his own. The only thing that was holding up his collapsing consciousness was the thought of going to get what she left for him.
He arrived at the door of the ward, his fingertips trembling as he pushed the door open and saw the person on the bed with their eyes tightly closed.
She was wearing a loose patient gown, her eyes closed, and her face serene, as if she had just fallen asleep.
Jennifer was already crying her eyes out, Edward's eyes were also red, and SuSan's eyes were swollen from crying.
William's legs felt like they were filled with lead, moving step by step with difficulty.
He placed the flowers and cake he was holding on the bedside table.
Chloe saw William come in and shook her head gently at him, "Ellie didn't make it, she didn't wait for you."
Around five o'clock, Ellie seemed to have a last burst of strength, and her vital signs suddenly returned to normal.
She struggled to sit up, removed the oxygen mask, and her voice was faint: "Chloe."
Chloe's tears were like broken beads, falling uncontrollably. She held Ellie's hand and said, "Don't talk, don't speak, just lie down."
Ellie knew that if she didn't say some things now, she would never have the chance again. She spoke with difficulty: "Let's be friends in the next life, I'm sorry, Chloe, I can't accompany you to the end, and I can't be your bridesmaid. This time... this time, I have to break my promise."
Chloe was crying so hard she could hardly catch her breath. She said, "Okay, Ellie, you must be my bridesmaid in the next life, no more breaking promises. I forgive you for this life."
"Okay." Ellie gave her a weak smile.
"SuSan."
Hearing Ellie call her name, SuSan squatted in front of her, listening to her speak.
Ellie whispered close to her ear, "Mom."
SuSan's tears, which had just stopped, couldn't help but fall again. She responded with a "Yes."
Ellie said, "SuSan has been like a mother to Ellie, and you've worked so hard for so many years."
"It's not hard, it's not hard."
She was looked down upon by her in-laws and suffered from gossip, but it was little Ellie who held her and told her which people didn't know how to cherish her goodness. It was also from that time that she decided to stay with Ellie for life.
She was so well-behaved and sensible, never causing her any worry in over a decade, so there was no hardship.
She treated her like her own daughter.
Ellie said to Jennifer and Edward, "Argue less in the future."
Actually, she really disliked their behavior, but she had never spoken it out loud.
It was as if she was leaving a will, saying goodbye to everyone.
"Phone..."
Chloe brought her phone, found William, and said, "Do you want to send him a message? Speak, and I'll record it for you."
"I'm sorry."
"I can't wait for you anymore, William."
After saying these last two words, the electrocardiogram on the equipment flattened out, and Chloe watched her hand drop.
At the same time, the bell signaling the end of the college entrance exam rang on the other side.
The doctor looked at the indicators on the equipment and shook his head heavily.