chapter 7

First, not me.

Second, not me either.

Third, not me.

Fourth, not me.

Fifth, not me.

My heart grew colder and colder. I took a deep breath before looking at the sixth name.

Song… Zhaozhao.

I rubbed my eyes hard.

At that moment, the sun peeked out from behind the thick clouds, casting its radiant light upon the world.

The three characters of Song Zhaozhao, as if haloed, pierced into my eyes.

In just an instant, my eyes were already red.

I didn’t know when Zhang Jie had squeezed in beside me. He patted me on the shoulder: “Song Zhaozhao, you’re really amazing!”

I turned to look at him, and tears suddenly rolled down my face.

He panicked: “Why, why are you crying?”

He fumbled all over himself but couldn’t find a single tissue. In the end, he awkwardly offered me his sleeve: “Don’t cry, use this to wipe.”

I wiped my tears hard on his arm: “I’m just too happy.”

So it turns out I really could do it.

So it turns out I am worthy of such a brilliant winter sun.

So it turns out I can have a different life, too.

Zhang Jie put his arm behind his back and smiled faintly: “Song Zhaozhao, I’ll be waiting for you in the honors class.”

The detailed report card still had to be collected from the classroom.

Old Li was waiting at the classroom door.

As I passed by him, I smiled brightly: “Mr. Li, what a pity, I won’t be your student next semester.”

Old Li’s mouth twitched, his smile insincere: “Mu Jun’s uncle got promoted, so next semester, you’ll still be my student.”

In that moment, it felt as if someone had poured ice into my veins-so cold it was terrifying.

Old Li patted my shoulder: “If only you’d scored one more point, then someone else would have been bumped instead.”

No!

The problem isn’t whether I scored one point more or less.

It’s that this rule was wrong from the start.

But I’m too weak now. I can’t change the rules.

I can only change myself.

There must be some way to fix this, there must be.

I paced anxiously up and down the corridor.

When Mu Jun passed by me, he even bumped into me. He smiled arrogantly: “Sorry, this was never a place you should have stood in the first place.”