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The three-day mock exam began amidst the tense atmosphere of the senior year. The night before the exam, Su Feiyan was organizing his bag in the dormitory, preparing for the next day's tests. Suddenly, he felt his phone vibrate. He took it out of his bag and saw that the message was from Lin Xi. He paused for a moment, a little nervous, before opening the message. It read, "Good luck on the exam!" followed by a "go forward" emoji. Seeing the simple yet encouraging message, a smile naturally formed on Su Feiyan's face, and warmth spread through his chest. He took a deep breath and quickly replied, "Good luck on the exam!" adding a fist emoji, as though these few words could give him strength.
The pace of the exams was faster than Su Feiyan had expected. He could manage the Chinese exam, but the math test felt like a foreign language, leaving him confused and lost. His hands fumbled through the questions, and his eyes lingered on a multiple-choice question for what felt like forever. The answer seemed just out of reach, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find a way through. Eventually, he had no choice but to guess an answer. Though he did his best, a sense of defeat began to settle in. The exam paper felt heavier and heavier, and he couldn't shake the feeling of sinking deeper.
Three days later, Mr. Chen stood in front of the class holding a stack of papers. With his usual calm voice, he announced, "The mock exam results are in. I'll distribute the papers now. Don't put too much pressure on yourselves; this is just to identify your weak points."
When Su Feiyan received his math paper, his heart sank. The number at the top right corner was 53. He stared at the number, feeling as though it was a heavy stone pressing on his chest. It seemed so glaring, almost suffocating. He lowered his head and quietly stuffed the paper into his bag, as if hiding it would make everything bad disappear.
After evening self-study, Mr. Chen called him outside the classroom.
"Su Feiyan, it's normal for your first exam results to be unsatisfactory. This is your first exam in a regular school, and you need to adapt to the time limits, question types, and pace," Mr. Chen said, his voice low but reassuring. "But I want to tell you that grades are just a reference. They don't define your potential. I can see that you are a determined student. Believe in yourself."
Though Mr. Chen's words comforted him, Su Feiyan still felt unsettled. Back in the classroom, his roommates gathered around him. Seeing that Su Feiyan seemed a bit down, one of his roommates patted him on the shoulder. "Come on, Su, your score is already better than most of us. We're all below 50!" Another roommate chimed in, "Yeah, and you're saying your score is 'unsatisfactory'? You're killing us!" Everyone laughed, and the atmosphere lightened. Su Feiyan couldn't help but smile, but behind that smile, there was a lingering dissatisfaction with himself.
That night, his phone rang. It was a call from his mom.
"Xiao Feiyan, I heard about your results from the mock exam. Don't worry too much; this is your first exam, and there's a lot to adjust to. You've done well," his mother's warm and steady voice came through the phone.
"I…" Su Feiyan didn't know what to say at first. He just nodded silently, feeling his eyes start to sting. "I'll do better next time."
"Your sister wants to talk to you."
"Big brother, I didn't do well on my exams either!" Su Feiya's voice, innocent and cheerful, came through the phone. "Next time you come home, I'll buy you some delicious food, okay?"
Su Feiyan couldn't help but laugh at his sister's words. He replied with a smile, "Okay, I'll be waiting."
His mom took the phone back. "Remember, grades are just one part. They don't define everything. I'm proud of how much you've learned in such a short time. Keep going, I believe in you."
After hanging up the phone, Su Feiyan felt much lighter. He opened his math paper again and carefully reviewed the mistakes. Suddenly, Lin Xi's message popped into his mind, and warmth flooded through him once more. Next time, I'll do better. He silently encouraged himself, his eyes now shining with renewed determination.