"……"
--------------------
Author's Note:
Ning is truly a very strong person.
Chapter 75 Power Outage
As people get older, they have to strive, just like high school seniors have to attend evening self-study sessions. —Wei Teng
Su Jinning was speechless when she saw the "famous quote" that Wei Teng had specially written for Classes A and B on the blackboard behind her.
"...If you can't come up with a famous quote, then don't bother trying, okay? Is this even considered a quote?" Chen Hang's lips twitched. He could already picture Wei Teng seriously picking up his pen, and he might even be smug about it after he finished writing.
"You know nothing," Song Wenmiao raised an eyebrow and said, "This is the truth."
Chen Hang wiped away imaginary tears, turned around, and cried again against the white wall: "Miserable senior year of high school! There's no justice in this world!"
"Come on, students, put down what you're doing." Jin Shuoshuo pushed open the classroom door and started shouting a reminder before even reaching the podium, apparently having something urgent to announce.
Although class hadn't started yet, they were already used to their homeroom teacher's habit of issuing announcements after class, and after sighing for a while, they returned to their seats.
Jin Shuoshuo cleared his throat, flipped through his notebook, and said solemnly, "The midterm exams are coming up soon. I'm here to inform everyone that since we're now in our final year of high school, things are different from before. I hope you can be well-prepared, as there will be more and more exams in the future, and each monthly exam will be a city-wide joint exam."
Before Jin Shuoshuo could finish his sentence, a chorus of wails erupted from below.
"Damn, aren't there city-wide exams only at the end of the semester and midterms? Now we have monthly exams too?"
"What kind of bullshit system is this?!"
"Alright, everyone, stop arguing." Jin Shuoshuo waved his hand, and only continued after the scene had quieted down: "I know some of you still can't accept it, and the pressure is immense. But you need to understand, you're already in your final year of high school, the crucial final sprint. If we don't increase the difficulty for you during this period, your expectations of yourselves will lower."
Her words seemed to have a powerful impact, and the students below immediately fell silent, listening attentively.
"Senior year of high school isn't as simple as you think. Especially not in classes A and B." Jin Shuoshuo put down her notebook, leaned on the podium, and stared intently at the students below, saying each word clearly, "Are you competing for rankings? Are you competing for grades? Are you competing between regular classes and advanced classes? None of those." She tapped the podium. "It's the college entrance exam. This is no joke."
Su Jinning glanced at Shen Moyu, who was listening intently to Jin Shuoshuo's speech, but his gaze was somewhat vacant and empty. Su Jinning didn't know what he was thinking, so she simply looked away.
"Sister Jin is right." Su Jinning crossed her arms and glanced at the messy books on the table. "What I need to focus on is the college entrance exam."
Shen Moyu was drawn in by his words and turned to look at him.
"And our future." Su Jinning's thin lips parted slightly, her eyes always shining when she looked at Shen Moyu.
"Now that you're in Class A, as a top-performing class, and among the top 500 in the city, your competitors are exceptionally strong. From now on, you'll have to give it your all, understand?"
"knew-"
The students in the audience spoke in unison, habitually drawing out the last syllable.
After counting the number of people who bought review materials, Jin Shuoshuo turned and left the classroom, the tense atmosphere easing as the door closed.
"Holy crap! Look!"
Most of the students in the class were drawn by Chen Hang's shout. Pointing out the window, Chen Hang exclaimed excitedly, as if he'd seen an alien: "Come look at the clouds outside!"
Upon hearing this, most people joined in the excitement. Su Jinning and Shen Moyu, who were by the window, turned their heads slightly and saw the fiery clouds behind the teaching building across the street.
"Wow!"
A chorus of exclamations arose from all around, and almost the entire class was captivated by the view outside the window, taking out their phones to take pictures.
In late September, the weather turned slightly cool. As evening approached and the sun began to set, the autumn waters and the sky merged into one color. Outside the window, the glow of the sunset clouds gathered like a red ribbon, spreading out across the boundless horizon.
The dappled sunlight from the fiery afterglow shone on the freshly painted white walls of the classroom, as if helping people reminisce about summer.
Summer days are always fleeting and swift. Su Jinning looked at Shen Moyu's quiet profile in the afterglow of the setting sun.
He's still as handsome as ever, just like when I first met him.
Memories flash back to that early summer. A noodle shop in complete disarray, their forum dominating the scene, chat logs of playful banter in private messages, spirited young men at the sports meet…
They've been through so much, but it all seems to have been for the sake of sitting together in Class A now, watching the magnificent sunset and feeling the coolest evening breeze.
It was as if everything was planned, as if everything was predetermined.
"Damn, your photos are really ugly!" Chen Yuanyuan nudged Chen Hang in disgust.
"What's ugly about it? It's beautiful!"
"Ugh, forget it, I'll take the picture of Yuanyuan." He Qing snatched the phone away with a look of disgust.
"Brother Ning, you be the judge! Are my photos ugly?"
Su Jinning glanced at it seriously and said, "Anyway, it's not good-looking."
Hahahaha...
A burst of laughter, both abrupt and warm, made Shen Moyu turn around and look at the noisy classroom, her thoughts suddenly becoming jumbled.
But who would believe that this small classroom holds the youth of so many people?
The fiery clouds outside the window drifted gently in, and the peach-colored light shone into the classroom. The students' tireless laughter blended together, and the test papers on the desks were in disarray. Shen Moyu stared blankly out the window, and in a daze, she felt that three years of youth really were just a fleeting moment.
Do you know the origin of the fiery clouds at sunset?
"You should be able to find it in a physics textbook."
"Get out of here." Shen Moyu couldn't help but feel that he was out of place.
Su Jinning smiled, resting his chin on his hand: "So, what's your background?" He leaned closer, as if he really wanted to know the answer.
"I remember that book said..." Shen Moyu thought for a moment seriously, "The fiery clouds at sunset are the fingertips of summer, crushing the heat of the world and hiding them in the twilight clouds."
——
There are three evening classes in the senior year of high school. The first two are regular classes, and the last one is evening self-study, which is used for students to do homework and review their lessons.