WestRoad No.1 High school campus was unexpectedly quiet today. The only students around were a group of seniors hanging out in the courtyard, which usually has the most activity in the morning and afternoon. The only noise heard today was coming from the occasional car, which sped by every minute or so.
The school year is almost over and the past two weeks have been final weeks. Today, Friday was already the last day but no one had made plans to leave. Instead, some were hanging about on campus enjoying the views, while others didn't leave because they were worried about their results, and Zhou Xiaobao was one of them.
For seniors who are about to graduate, they need a good GPA to enroll in top Colleges or Universities.
"Sigh... sigh..." Zhou Xiaobao sighs repeatedly, the results would be out tonight and he couldn't find the courage to go home. He sighed again, as if he wanted to vent his disappointment through the air.
RINGING….!
The loud rings of his phone startled him and he almost dropped it. He looked at the strange number and hesitated for a second before answering: "Hello… this is Zhou Xiaobao speaking. What's up?" After hearing the familiar voice of his grandmother who has a sharp tongue and soft heart, Zhou Xiaobao immediately brightened up.
"What's taking you so long today? Come home when the exam is over, don't play too much outside." His grandmother's tone was strict as always, but not harsh.
"Don't worry granny, I'm on my way back." Zhou Xiaobao smiled and said in a fluttering tone.
"Good, your father is back. He came three hours ago and is waiting for your good news." Her tone softened slightly at the mention of her son and she added, "be careful on the way."
"Oh…" Zhou Xiaobao hung up after a couple seconds. He stared at his phone for a few minutes before turning off the screen. His back was already drenched with sweat and his heart beat fast. Only one thought was going through his head; *It's over!"
His friend next to him pat his shoulder and comfort; "Xiaobao, you don't need to worry too much about your results. The teacher might give you extra points for diligence."
"Besides, there's nothing we can do at this point. Luckily, you're staying with your grandmother and she has always doted on you. As for me, I don't need a high grade, just a passing mark would save my life tonight." Another friend said.
Zhou Xiaobao wasn't relieved just because his friends were also in a bad situation. He was thinking about what to do when he suddenly caught a figure coming from the corner of his eyes. Zhou Xiaobao froze on the spot and his eyes were filled with distaste.
That person was heading towards his direction and walking with an indifferent expression. His face was very handsome, and although he looked young, his childish features revealed a calmness that was inconsistent with his age.
Zhou Xiaobao hates both this person's face and guts. For many reasons that are beyond explaining, he hated and despised this person.
Seeing that he was lost in thought while staring in a particular direction, his friends also looked over. "And I was wondering why Xiaobao was so quiet, it turns out to be because of Lu Suiyun." One friend commented.
"The only person who deserves not to worry about the final result is Lu Suiyun."
"Yes, he's very smart and always scored the highest in every exam. Such a genius doesn't deserve to be in our circle."
While talking about Lu Suiyun, his friends actually forgot about their predicaments and started chatting excitedly. The more they praise him, the more excited they become, making Zhou Xiaobao speechless.
"Just because he had good grades throughout the semester doesn't guarantee
success. The final is still an important step for the college application." Zhou Xiaobao looked at his friend as if they had become dumb from blindly fluttering Lu Suiyun all year round.
"Didn't you also get the news this morning?" The others look at Zhou Xiaobao with puzzle expressions, clearly wondering how he wasn't aware of such hot gossip.
"What news?"
"It was posted by the principal on the school platform that Lu Suiyun was accepted into Weston University of Medicine abroad. Therefore, his final exams results are not mandatory."
"Huh?" Zhou Xiaobao finally realized that something serious was happening and instantly straightened his back, his mind filled with doubts. How is it that Lu Suiyun always managed to get good things easily? It just wasn't fair!
While Zhou Xiaobao was complaining about the world's unfairness, Lu Suiyun just walked past them as if he didn't hear anything.
Zhou Xiaobao stared at his back until he was completely gone, feeling irritated, for no particular reason. He looked at the clock in front of him and realized it was almost time for dinner so he said goodbye to his friends and left.
He decided to take a taxi cab home. Even though he knew his father might probably kill him tonight, he was hoping that his grandmother would say a few words on his behalf to reduce the punishment. After all, he has nowhere else to go.
After walking out of the school gate, Zhou Xiaobao saw Lu Suiyun waiting at the roadside, waiting for his driver. Even their social status has a huge difference.
Xiaobao sighs once again. This time it's more of an annoyed sigh than a sad sigh.
"Are you an old man with bad stamina? or a pregnant woman? Stop fidgeting." Lu Suiyun scolded in a low voice as he watched Zhou Xiaobao getting closer.
"No one will think you're dumb if you don't speak!" Zhou Xiaobao retorted angrily.
Zhou Xiaobao wanted to vent his anger but Lu Suiyun was no longer paying attention to him.
At that moment, his phone lit up and a text message popped in his inbox. He took out his phone and read the message. It was more like a survey. [Do you feel like things aren't going your way these days?] Zhou Xiaobao pressed 'yes' without a second thought. He even felt that this message was sent to the right person.
[If you think your success rate is low in this world, would you like to go somewhere else to relax? We'll provide any necessary support.] The survey message read. Zhou Xiaobao once again pressed yes, not taking this survey seriously.
[Only two lucky people would be given a free ticket. If you're certain and have no desire to follow your current path, press the red box.]
Zhou Xiaobao hesitated for a few seconds before pressing the red box. If this survey was real, he might win a ticket to a vacation. With this, he could run away from home at any time.
Zhou Xiaobao was looking forward to this vacation but as soon as he pressed the red box; A sudden dizziness washed over his body followed by a pleasant warm sensation spread across his body. He felt weak and tired and his vision became blurry. The next thing he felt a force pulling him towards the road and an ambulance sound could be heard in the distance.
Zhou Xiaobao suddenly panicked. He tried to struggle against whatever force was holding him back, but he couldn't manage it, and he was unable to move away. All he could see was darkness before black spots started forming inside his vision. Zhou Xiaobao was unwilling to die like this, as if he had thought about something, he pulled the person next to him.
Lu Suiyun didn't expect the sudden movement. Zhou Xiaobao grabbed Lu Suiyun's arm and pulled himself together, Lu Suiyun didn't have time to react before the two of them fell in the middle of the road right in front of the ambulance.
The other students nearby were shocked and didn't have time to react as everything happened so fast.They heard a loud impact of bodies crashing and then silence.
Everyone looked around trying to understand what had just happened, but none of them were able to comprehend anything. They stood motionless looking at each other confused.
When Zhou Xiaobao was playing card games with his friends once and chose the 'death card'. He was asked; "If you meet the king of death, who will you take with you?"
At that time, he answered without hesitation and was very determined; "Lu Suiyun!"
His friends were speechless, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. But they thought it was a mere joke and didn't take it to heart.
Now it seems like he had really pulled Lu Suiyun down with him.