In May, the sun rises early, and by nine o'clock the sunlight was already sufficient. Su Jinning sat by the window, and the scattered sunlight filled his desk, casting shadows on his neat handwriting.
He tilted his head to look at the formulas in the book, pondered for a moment, and then wrote down the questions on the test paper.
"See, isn't that right?" Although he asked the question, his face clearly said, "Waiting for praise."
Shen Moyu stopped writing and looked over, taking Su Jinning's exercise book and glancing at it. After a moment, he smiled and nodded: "You wrote it correctly."
Su Jinning wasn't too surprised, and felt a little smug. She pointed to the formulas in the book and suddenly exclaimed, "Hard work pays off!"
Seeing his delighted expression, Shen Moyu rested her chin on her hand and reminded him, "However, the midterm exam will be quite difficult this time. Remember to do the bonus questions at the back of the book."
"No problem." Su Jinning looked up, winked and smiled at him, then turned around and opened her textbook to continue reviewing the key points of the next chapter. He lowered his head, his bangs slightly falling down and resting on his forehead, and his pen diligently wrote down accurate answers, revealing his earnestness inside and out.
As Shen Moyu watched him turn his head and continue studying, her mood became pleasant, just like the gentle breeze that drifted in.
He didn't ask for anything else, only that the boy who gave him everything continue to stay by his side in the future. At least for now, he only hoped that Su Jinning could get into Class A with him.
Because he knew that in the vast sea of people, they all needed each other's support.
As Shen Moyu stared blankly out the window, Chen Hang suddenly turned around and interrupted his thoughts: "Hey top student, look at this question."
Shen Moyu looked in the direction Chen Hang was pointing, and was about to speak when Su Jinning's voice rang out from the side: "No, there's a problem with this relocation. Bring it here."
Shen Moyu and Chen Hang were both taken aback and exchanged a silent glance.
"Bring it here." Su Jinning reminded him again when he didn't move.
"Okay, okay." Chen Hang obediently handed it over to him to show, somewhat expectant of what he would say.
Not only him, but Shen Moyu, who was deliberately remaining silent, did the same.
Su Jinning couldn't figure out what the two were wondering about. She took the question and thought about it for a while, then said to Chen Hang logically, "For this one, you need to find x first, then you can calculate it..."
Chen Hang was initially quite surprised; he hadn't expected Su Jinning to be able to explain problems to others in such a short time. But when he turned to ask Shen Moyu if she had solved the problem correctly, he was even more surprised to find that Shen Moyu nodded.
This was an extra-curricular question for senior high school students, and it was the same question that was solved during the diagnostic test at the beginning of the semester, and no one except Shen Moyu could solve it throughout the entire school year.
Chen Hang stood there dumbfounded, holding the test paper in his hand, unsure what to do. He wanted to speak but then held back. He had only done the test casually to test himself, but he hadn't expected that Su Jinning would solve it so easily.
Shen Moyu wasn't too surprised, and just smiled with a hint of praise: "You've improved so much recently?"
Su Jinning twirled the ballpoint pen in her hand and continued to flatter him: "No, no, Teacher Shen teaches very well."
His words were unserious, but they came from the heart. Shen Moyu had been even more exhausted than him these past few days. He only listened to lectures and did exercises, but Shen Moyu not only had to explain things to him endlessly, but also had to collect materials and organize lessons to explain them to him because he had fallen behind in a lot. Even though he was smart, Shen Moyu had suffered just as much.
Shen Moyu shrugged and smiled slightly, as if to express his agreement.
Chen Hang held the test paper, and it took him a while to react: "Brother Ning, you... are awesome."
Su Jinning was confused. Judging from their current skill levels, he and Chen Hang were about the same. Seeing Chen Hang's terrified expression, he asked in bewilderment, "What's wrong?"
Chen Hang didn't speak, but Shen Moyu continued, "Because you solved a key problem for senior high school students."
Su Jinning paused, then looked up at Chen Hang with distrust in his eyes. At that moment, he seemed afraid that Shen Moyu was lying and was trying to seek confirmation.
But Chen Hang nodded with admiration and gave a thumbs up, saying, "As expected of Brother Ning, I have another tutor to help me with my studies from now on."
"Are you two sure? You'll be in big trouble if you lie!" Su Jinning really didn't expect that she would be the one being questioned now.
Chen Hang nodded firmly: "Really, that's awesome."
Chen Yuanyuan, seeing him turn away again in disgust at his inappropriate behavior, reached out and pinched Chen Hang's ear sharply, her voice shrill: "Hurry up and come back to your homework, that problem in Unit 5..."
Chen Hang was dragged back by Chen Yuanyuan and given a good scolding, mainly for being playful and not working hard enough. Chen Hang listened meekly, occasionally tugging at Chen Yuanyuan's clothes in a flattering manner, seemingly quite happy to be scolded.
This scene amused the two people behind them. Su Jinning shook her head helplessly: "Henpecked."
Shen Moyu turned around and looked at him. Seeing that he was watching the two people playing around in front of him and smiling, he slapped the table in dissatisfaction: "Do your homework."
"Okay!"
Because Gu Junxiao transferred schools, He Qing was moved to the front row by the teacher and sat next to Song Wenmiao instead of having a deskmate. Both of them were good students and could help each other as exams approached. This also freed up a seat for Chen Hang and his wife.
Shen Moyu successfully sat down next to Su Jinning. Su Jinning's little wish of being able to see him whenever she turned her head was fulfilled.
This can probably be considered a consolation as the exam approaches.
But Su Jinning would often think that if Gu Junxiao were there too, and they all sat together to study and then got into Class A, that would probably be even more fun than playing ball and having a blast together after school.
There are regrets, but more than anything, there's peace of mind.
After all, everyone has their own path to walk and their own choices. In fact, untying the knot is already the best outcome.
He couldn't help but laugh when he remembered that Song Wenmiao and Chen Hang cried like little girls when they saw Gu Junxiao off a couple of days ago.
It's not like they're not coming back.
He opened WeChat, took a picture of himself doing his homework, and sent it to someone.
Ning: I'll wait for you to come back so I can review my lessons.
That's right, it's not like they're not coming back.
He always believed that even if all that remains of those who walk the same path together is a silhouette and regret, as long as the destination is the same, then it is not truly over.
——
By the end of the day, the entire classroom was filled with an atmosphere of tension akin to that of the college entrance examination. Occasionally, the faint sounds of students borrowing things from each other or discussing problems could be heard, but the usual noise and chatter had been firmly suppressed by the words "midterm exam."
Su Jinning finished the last test question just as the bell rang to signal the end of get out of class. He stretched, turned around, and found Shen Moyu asleep on the desk.
Perhaps it was because he stayed up late studying last night and went to bed even later than him, otherwise Shen Moyu would never doze off in class.
Su Jinning recalled how he stayed up late during the holidays to organize knowledge points for her, and suddenly felt a pang of heartache.
He turned around and found that the window was still open. Although it was already May, the wind felt much cooler than usual when sleeping. Worried that Shen Moyu would catch a cold, he took off his school uniform jacket and gently covered him with it.
Shen Moyu was sleeping soundly, her head gently buried in her arms, only her two tightly closed eyes visible. Her long eyelashes covered her eyelids, trembling slightly with the rise and fall of her body. She seemed to be having a sweet dream.
Su Jinning smiled and sat down beside him to do her homework. Hearing his even breathing, Su Jinning suddenly felt relaxed.
Class had ended, but not many people moved their desks and chairs in the room. Everyone was engrossed in answering questions. It was another long break of half an hour, which was just right for Shen Moyu to sleep a little longer.