The father and son looked at each other, but neither of them spoke.
"Dad," Su Jinning said, her voice trembling.
That cry wasn't clear, but it went straight into Su Yi's heart.
Su Yi stood there stunned for a long, long time, until Su Jinning, her face streaked with tears, came over and hugged him. Only then did he manage to utter a single, "Eh..."
For some reason, the terms of address and responses I used to use so often now sound so heartbreaking and so difficult to utter.
Su Jinning called out several times, and Su Yi answered each time.
Although these few words contained so much heartache and tears, they still felt happy when they said them.
He only had his father left, and he couldn't let Su Yi down or waste all his years of expectations.
To this day, Su Jinning still has her mother's words in the letter on her mind.
But a father is also someone who sheds tears when he loses a loved one. He is just his father, not the invincible person he imagines.
Su Jinning felt a mix of emotions, but couldn't think of any nice words to comfort Su Yi.
But he thought that these few "Dad" calls might be enough.
Author's Note:
I'll be updating every two days starting tomorrow.
Chapter 74 Dormitory
The next day, Su Yi took Su Jinning to the beach. Not to see the sea, nor to relax, but to visit his mother.
Su Yi said that when his mother was young, she always wanted to buy a house with a sea view. She loved the sea breeze, the beach, and watching the sun rise over the horizon. Unfortunately, it was too far from the city center, so Su Yi refused.
Therefore, his mother's last wish before her death was to be buried at sea.
Su Jinning stood quietly on the beach, the cool seawater washing over his ankles. He gazed at the boundless sea, his eyes bright, as if bidding farewell. He glanced out of the corner of his eye at his father, who was secretly wiping away tears, and suddenly smiled: "Mom doesn't need you to buy her a sea-view house anymore; this whole sea is hers."
"Yes. They're all hers."
Everything returned to normal. It was like a desolate dream, a sudden awakening, and then a hurried rush forward.
Although Su Jinning's mood remained low for the next few days, she was able to come to school. Her mental state during class was good, and she was even more diligent than before. Besides doing exercises and reading, she spent most of her time with Shen Moyu, and occasionally chatted with Chen Hang and the others.
Since that incident, Chen Hang and the others have always said that Su Jinning has changed, but to the naked eye she looks no different from before.
Shen Moyu remained silent. Only he knew that Su Jinning had truly grown up.
Su Jinning accepted the separation calmly, paying the price of growing up alone.
Shen Moyu always remembered that Su Jinning, who was never good at Chinese composition, wrote a passage on the last page of her notebook:
This world is full of fleeting moments and unfulfilled desires. Countless people are born blessed by the sun, while countless others are shrouded in darkness, desperately running forward. No matter how long the road ahead, they are still willing to overcome obstacles and face adversity. Though bewildered and disoriented, they remain youthful and swift as the wind.
Shen Moyu chuckled softly as he closed his notebook. Yes, his youthful spirit remained forever clear and bright.
——
Senior year started in mid-August. As Su Jinning walked through the gate carrying his schoolbag, he looked at the empty campus and couldn't help but sigh, "It turns out that when there are fewer people, the school doesn't feel so cramped..."
After all, all three grades are usually crammed into this one school, and all you can see when you look around is a dense crowd of people.
Chen Hang, looking relieved, reached out and hugged the air: "God! Is there anything happier than not having to fight with younger students for food?"
"Yes." Shen Moyu turned around sincerely: "A mock exam every five days."
Chen Hang was silent for a moment, then said, "I really envy them for being able to fight over food."
The news about Shen Moyu does exist, but it's inaccurate.
Because there are mock exams every three days.
Chen Hang and the other students from Class A were practically driven crazy by the exams. They were wiping away tears as they worked on their papers: "Top student, you're lying! Why is there a mock exam every three days?!"
Shen Moyu shrugged innocently: "I meant the regular shift, once every five days."
So Chen Hang took Chen Yuanyuan and the others' hands, his eyes sparkling with longing for freedom: "Can we go back to Class 8?"
"How could that be?" Su Jinning slammed a report card onto Chen Hang's desk, raising an eyebrow. "I'll go keep you company in Class A, buddy."
Several people stared at Su Jinning's transcript, which ranked her among the top fifty in the entire school, and immediately there was an uproar.
Song Wenmiao grabbed Su Jinning and shouted, "Holy crap, my Ning-ge got in!"
He looked so excited; anyone who didn't know better would think his son had passed the exam. He almost burst into tears.
This incident also stirred up a storm on the forum. As the popularity of "[Su Jinning redeems herself by kicking open the door to Class A]" gradually overshadowed the two's Jinmo Love Station, Su Jinning was unhappy and posted a thread that night.
Ning [Don't just focus on me! The voting for the sweetest couple of the year at Zhengde No.1 High School is about to start. Didn't you see that Shen Moyu and I are second on the list?]
In three minutes, the couple Su Jinning and Shen Moyu soared to the top of the list, leaving the second-place candidate by more than a thousand votes.
It was also accompanied by many comments. [Ahhhhh, is this considered an official announcement from the couple?]
[Don't worry, Brother Ning, the main character is bravely charging forward! We'll take care of the dirty work!]
Su Jinning laughed until his stomach hurt. Regardless, he genuinely thanked the girls for their blessings.
Sometimes he really wanted to openly acknowledge their relationship, but Shen Moyu refused, saying that would definitely attract more attention and might even reach the school's ears.
However, Su Jinning said that day would come eventually.
One day he will recount their story in its entirety on the forum, and hopefully on that day, their story will still dominate the forum's headlines and receive blessings from many more people.
So, after experiencing a week of blissful life in the regular class, Shen Moyu and Su Jinning packed their things and stepped into the gates of Class A.
However, they still remember Liu Chunyan's expression.
He laughed as if he were constipated.
Chen Hang respectfully linked arms with Su Jinning, his bright white teeth practically flashing in celebration: "Congratulations, Brother Ning, on joining our Class A!"
To be honest, Su Jinning always felt that Chen Hang looked like a ghost from the underworld.
When he stepped into Class A, the overwhelming atmosphere of books and oppressive unease made him realize that even the atmosphere of the underworld might not be this terrifying.
That night, a few people went out for dinner to celebrate Su Jinning and Shen Moyu officially joining the grueling training program. Also present were Jin Shuoshuo, Han An, and Song Chengnan, their three closest teachers.
They drank until very late. Jin Shuoshuo had a bad temper when drunk and kept talking about life's great truths.
The students were getting a headache listening to this, but they could only nod and respond.
They also revealed a lot about the upcoming review phase, and even let slip the scope of the next mock exam, which Han An tried to cover up but couldn't.
Song Chengnan, standing nearby, could only wink and say, "Just pretend you don't know."
The group drank for a long time and talked a lot.
They talked about how everyone had changed over the past three years, the embarrassing things that happened to each of them when they first arrived, the bad things they did together in Class 8, and the times they skipped class without telling Jin Shuoshuo.