The next day is not an ordinary school day, but… the monthly exam day.
During this period, Jiang Yumo wished she could be two people at once: one focused on the provincial art exam and the other dedicated to revising her schoolwork.
Fortunately, the high school curriculum was already completed in the first and second years, so the entire third year was dedicated to revision. Her grades had always been stable, stable in the middle range…
After two days of exams, she felt refreshed. After a rough estimate, her scores shouldn’t differ much from the previous monthly exam, which was the biggest pleasant surprise. She was really afraid that her grades would drop during this period.
She didn’t want to neglect her academic subjects because of the art exam.
That would be putting the cart before the horse.
After finishing the last exam, it was only around 4:30 p.m.
Sun Mengting went to the teachers’ dorm to pack her clothes. Usually, on weekends, she would go back to her own home. Yan Qing followed along for the reason that the teacher Sun Mengting was staying with had a handsome son who was currently a freshman in college and happened to be back these days. Yan Qing always wanted to see handsome guys for no reason or any reason at all, claiming it would relax her eyes. Jiang Yumo wasn’t interested in such things, so she didn’t go along.
After coming out of the exam hall, Jiang Yumo couldn’t wait to turn on her phone.
Today, her friends wanted to celebrate for her.
They had arranged to go to a grilled fish restaurant together.
She received a message from Traveler before she had a chance to send a message to Duan Ye. The message she received from this online friend left her bewildered.
Traveler : [I’ve been meaning to tell you this for the past few days, but I held off because of your exams. I left a package for you at the security office of your school. It’s for you, and I want to congratulate you in advance for passing the art exam.]
Jiang Yumo was confused.
She stared at the message foolishly, not knowing what to do.
Suddenly, an inexplicable sense of nervousness overwhelmed her. Strictly speaking, Traveler wasn’t her first online friend. After the middle school entrance exams, she impulsively added many people when she created this account, including strangers. At that time, she was naïve and would respond to anyone who approached her. Of course, she also encountered some unpleasant people who tried to deceive her into sending photos or money, and even those who wanted to have an online romantic relationship with her!
As time went on and her account’s level increased, her sense of caution grew stronger.
Even her Qzone space was restricted to real-life classmates and friends.
Her initial curiosity and enthusiasm for making friends online had vanished.
But Traveler was different. In the grand scheme of things, their connection could even be described as fate. During this period, she had genuinely enjoyed chatting with him.
However, whenever Traveler showed even a slight inclination to have some form of contact or connection with her in real life, she became apprehensive.
Moreover, sending a gift was unnecessary—truly unnecessary.
However, Jiang Yumo still walked towards the security office with heavy steps, despite her inner conflict. Along the way, she thought and pondered, considering several strategies. Her mood was still affected, even though she had thought it through. After explaining her purpose to the security guard, he cheerfully said, “So it’s for you. It has been here for a while.”
As she walked out of the security office carrying the package, she coincidentally ran into Ning Zhiyu.
Ning Zhiyu held a stack of documents and looked at Jiang Yumo with curiosity. “What’s wrong? Didn’t you do well on the exam?”
Jiang Yumo shook her head and opened the package while confiding in Ning Zhiyu. “The exam was alright. My grades should be similar to the last time. But an online friend sent me something, claiming it’s a gift. I still don’t know what it is.”
The tightly wrapped box contained a beautiful crystal ball.
With a press of a button, snowflakes inside the crystal ball gently fell accompanied by the melody of ‘Für Elise’.
Inside the crystal ball, there was also a dancer.
“It’s really beautiful!” Jiang Yumo liked the crystal ball, but as soon as she thought about it being a gift from Traveler, she started to feel conflicted again. “Why did he send me a gift?”
She could have simply enjoyed being online friends.
Now she is in a dilemma, but in her understanding, she cannot accept gifts from strangers casually.
Even if two people have talked for a long time, ultimately they don’t know each other’s full names, they are unfamiliar in daily life, and have no connection whatsoever, they are simply strangers.
Ning Zhiyu stared at Jiang Yumo blankly, then looked at the crystal ball held in Jiang Yumo’s hand. Her emotions fluctuated for a moment, and finally, she pursed her lips, deep in thought.
Jiang Yumo put the crystal ball into her backpack.
She didn’t know how to reply to Traveler’s message, so for now, she lowered her head and ignored it. The most important thing now was to go eat grilled fish. Of course, regarding the matter of the online friend, she thought for a moment and decided to ask Duan Ye’s opinion when he sent her back later.
A group of people arrived at the grilled fish restaurant, lively and bustling.
Among them, their characteristics were distinct. Some had very poor academic performance, to the point that they weren’t afraid even if they didn’t do well on the college entrance exam. Some had exceptionally good grades, like Ning Zhiyu. For her, monthly exams were nothing, especially since she had a ten-point difference from the second-ranked student in the grade since entering senior year, incredibly stable…
And some…
Like Jiang Yumo, Yan Qing, and Sun Mengting, the three of them were always in the middle range, the most reliable group of students in the eyes of the teachers.
There would be no surprises, but there would never be any unexpected events either.
Therefore, monthly exams didn’t bring them any pressure. Each of them had a relaxed demeanor, sitting in the private room and happily ordering dishes.
While waiting for the grilled fish to arrive, Jiang Yumo habitually scrolled through her Weibo and came across something that made her want to scream. She shouted, “Guo Shichao!”
Guo Shichao instinctively sat up straight. “What’s wrong, Sister Mo?”
The people in the private room all turned their heads, including Duan Ye, who was sitting next to Jiang Yumo washing the dishes and chopsticks for her.
“Why do you have more followers on Weibo than me!” She had been focused on the provincial art exam during this period and hadn’t been managing her Weibo as carefully as before. But today, when she took a closer look, she found that Guo Shichao had more than ten additional followers compared to her, which was unbelievable.
Guo Shichao smiled smugly. “I didn’t ask Brother Duan to promote me everywhere.”
Jiang Yumo turned to Duan Ye, complaining, “Look at him, he’s mocking me.”
Duan Ye was in a good mood and smiled, “Just ignore him.”
Zhao Zheng chimed in, “Sister Mo, we’re different from him. Although many of your followers are attracted by Brother Duan’s promotion, you’ve gained new fans through your own charisma. It’s different for Xiao Guozi1; he flirts all the time and posts his own pictures on Weibo. It’s unbearable to watch.”
Guo Shichao was indeed quite good-looking.
He was tall and slim, with fair skin. He liked to take care of his appearance and occasionally styled himself, wearing black-framed glasses without lenses. In addition, he had a good sense of music and many girls in school secretly liked him. However, he seemed oblivious in this regard. At least since Jiang Yumo knew him, she had never seen him particularly close to any girl.
Jiang Yumo accused, “This is a foul play!”
She shares her life on Weibo but never posts her own photos or others’.
At most, she would take pictures of food, drinks, and scenes from her school.
Guo Shichao touched his hair and said, “There’s no rule on Weibo that says you can’t post your own photos.”
Jiang Yumo : “…”
Could it be that in the end, Guo Shichao will become the first-generation internet celebrity!
No, she must defend her dignity!
“I’ll post photos too.” Jiang Yumo felt a sense of crisis. “You only have a few more fans than me. I’ll catch up soon. I’ll post a photo today.”
That’s what she said, but Jiang Yumo didn’t know what kind of photo to post.
Should she post a selfie?
She could look back later, but wouldn’t it be awkward?
She always wants to immediately go back to the third year of junior high and take better pictures with Duan Ye, every time she sees the big sticker on the back of Duan Ye’s phone.
Ning Zhiyu seemed particularly preoccupied today.
Noticing her heavy heart, Zhou Ji couldn’t hold back and asked her softly, “Didn’t you do well on the test?”
After careful consideration, he realized that her mind was filled with nothing but studying, and that was the only thing related to studying that could make her unhappy.
Perhaps too immersed in her own world, Ning Zhiyu’s reaction was slow by half a beat. She blankly said, “Ah,” before finally hearing his words clearly, “No.”
Zhou Ji found her adorable.
Rarely seeing her in this state, he pushed aside Jiang Yumo beside him and sat next to Ning Zhiyu, being extra attentive by pouring her orange juice and handing her tissues. He asked, “Then why aren’t you happy? What are you thinking about? Tell me.”
Ning Zhiyu hesitated and shook her head, “It’s nothing.”
This grilled fish restaurant was decorated in an interesting way, with a whole wall covered in graffiti, giving it a unique charm.
Guo Shichao and the others were posing and taking pictures in front of that wall.
Jiang Yumo was inspired and handed her phone to Yan Qing, saying, “I don’t trust anyone else, I only trust your photography skills. Come on, make me look prettier.”
After taking a few shots of Jiang Yumo, Yan Qing suggested, “Why don’t you take a photo with Brother Duan? This wall has a nice vibe. It’ll turn out great.”
Jiang Yumo and Duan Ye hardly had any photos together.
The first and only photo they had together was taken by Guo Shichao on her birthday.
“Sure!” Jiang Yumo waved at Duan Ye and said, “Let’s take a few shots together, okay?”
Duan Ye wasn’t a fan of taking photos, but he was used to not refusing any of her requests, so he walked over.
Zhou Ji was always seizing any opportunity he could find to be part of a photo.
He was itching to take a photo with Ning Zhiyu, but he knew well in advance that Ning Zhiyu would never agree to take a photo alone with just the two of them. This was his best chance, and he had to seize it. He barged into the frame and said, “Wait, wait, let us take a photo too. How can my Brother and I not have a photo together?”
Immediately after, he pretended to support his forehead and continued, “But if the three of us take a photo, won’t I be the third wheel?”
Jiang Yumo, Duan Ye, and Yan Qing, the photographer holding the phone, all watched his clumsy performance in silence.
Indeed, the next second, Zhou Ji turned to Ning Zhiyu and said, “Would you like to take a photo together?”
Everyone could guess that there was a high possibility of Ning Zhiyu refusing, as it was evident to anyone with eyes that Zhou Ji was enthusiastic while Ning Zhiyu couldn’t be bothered with him.
To their surprise, Ning Zhiyu nodded slightly and said, “Okay.”
She also stepped into the frame.
Zhou Ji was pleasantly surprised, so he stood on the far left, with Ning Zhiyu between him and Jiang Yumo, and Duan Ye on the far right.
Yan Qing glanced at the screen of her phone and then looked at the four people standing by the graffiti wall. She couldn’t help but exclaim sincerely, “You guys are truly posing for a magazine! I’ve had a feast for my eyes!”
Before she pressed the shutter button on her phone, Jiang Yumo reached out her hand. Her right hand held onto Ning Zhiyu, and her left hand… linked with Duan Ye’s arm.
Duan Ye was momentarily stunned as he looked down at her. After a brief moment of surprise, a smile that couldn’t be concealed appeared in his eyes and on his face.
This was the first time Jiang Yumo took the initiative to link arms with him. She seemed composed, but her ears were turning red. She was more nervous than anyone else.
The photo was captured.
After taking the picture, Zhou Ji took a quick step towards Yan Qing to see the captured photo. He shouted for Jiang Yumo to transfer it to him via Bluetooth and not to keep it to herself.
Jiang Yumo took the initiative to hold Duan Ye’s arm, an action driven by her exuberant and carefree mood. At this moment, her ears turned red, and she didn’t dare to look at him at all.
On the other hand, Ning Zhiyu leaned close to her ear and teased, “Weren’t you just saying that you wanted to post a photo on Weibo? I think the one we just took is perfect. I mean, it’s a bit unnecessary for me, who’s being held by you, to be in it.”
But it’s not unnecessary at all!
Jiang Yumo also thought it would be appropriate to post this photo on Weibo because it included four people!
It wouldn’t be revealing any privacy since it’s a group photo of four people, and moreover, this photo… Yan Qing really took it exceptionally well, and she really liked it.
Alright, she decided, this is the one!
- nickname for Guo Shichao ↩︎
Does Zhiyu know that Momo doesn’t know Yen Wenxu is her online friend, thus asking her to post this picture would enlighten him to back off of Momo? Or am I reading too much into it?
Zhiyu is a very smart girl, she should have figured it out, right?
Zhiyu isn’t sure that Ye Wenxu is Momo’s online friend. She’s asking Momo to post it to test if the online friend is Ye Wenxu or not.