Chapter 6

Xie Shuyan’s departure cast a brief shadow over the atmosphere.

But soon, the delicious aroma of the hotpot base prepared by the monitor dispelled the gloom.

“Monitor, you’re amazing! Your culinary skills haven’t diminished over the years.”

The monitor cheerfully raised his teacup and nodded at me:

“Tingyue, don’t take it to heart. Xie Shuyan… I’ll talk to him another day! He can’t possibly ignore his old monitor!”

With those words, other classmates also began to comfort me.

“When I called him, Xie Shuyan was really busy, but his presence shows his attitude. He’ll definitely help you.”

“Yes, let’s enjoy the hotpot!”

In fact, I wasn’t that upset.

Instead, I felt a sense of guilt towards Xie Shuyan.

In my mind, there shouldn’t have been too much interaction between us.

I couldn’t trouble him further because of my illness.

We all enjoyed a lively hotpot meal, during which the monitor initiated a video call in the class group chat.

Few people could join.

But the group soon became lively.

Chatting about everything under the sun, it felt like we were back in the days before the college entrance exams–

Everyone enthusiastically discussing the future and their dreams.

Planning graduation trips.

Back then, Xie Shuyan and I were desk mates.

A week before the exams, he returned from the office and saw me doodling on a map with watercolor pens.

He asked, “What are you doing?”

I held up the map and waved it in front of him, “Look, don’t you recognize it? This is Beijing!”

I had drawn two circles with a red pen.

“This is your school, and this one is mine.”

I connected the circles with a straight line.

“The shortest distance between two points, this is how far we’ll be apart in the future.”

Xie Shuyan couldn’t help but laugh, “You’re planning to study in Beijing?”

“Ah, aren’t you happy?”

He sat down beside me, folded his test papers one by one, and placed them in the desk drawer.

Softly, he said, “Happy.”

But then, luck wasn’t on my side, and a few days later, I received my medical examination report.

The lab results were a complete mess.

Arrows indicating abnormalities covered the entire sheet.

The doctor advised my parents to take me to Beijing for further examination.

Given the situation at the time, it seemed I wouldn’t be able to attend university.

I subtly asked Xie Shuyan, “Hey, if one day I get a serious illness and can’t go to Beijing, what would you do?”

Xie Shuyan paused his pen, furrowing his brow, “Are you sick?”

“Ugh! Don’t jinx me! You’re the one who’s sick! It’s just an online quiz! Answer seriously!”

“I should be able to get into the best medical school, just need to change my application.”

His words left me feeling restless.

I pushed my math paper onto his desk, “Alright, alright, do your math problems! Dummy.”

Clearly, the person who loves math the most, why think about studying medicine?

On the afternoon when the college entrance exams were about to end, I started to have a nosebleed.

Blood stained the exam paper, not sure if it counted as contamination.

But none of that mattered anymore.

I set off for Beijing overnight.

Standing on the bustling streets of Beijing, I felt an overwhelming urge to cry.

The promise of Beijing, and I arrived first.

Later came the diagnosis–returning home to pack–

In front of my classmates, I threw a wad of cash at Xie Shuyan.

Thus hastily ending this chapter of our relationship.