Soon, the final exams were approaching.
Xiao Zhan's grades were decent, but not as good as Wang Yibo's. Anyway, the courses in the second and third years were pretty similar, and Wang Yibo had already taken a few extra courses. Xiao Zhan decided to ask Wang Yibo to study together for the finals. He had finally learned to ride a bicycle, though he was still a little wobbly on it, but since the exams were coming up, he put it on hold for now.
He stopped learning to ride the bike, stopped playing games, and put the motorcycle back in the garage. The place they spent the most time was the B University library.
A while ago, Xiao Zhan had gone back home, and his parents complained about how he had gained weight. "We haven't seen you in a while, and your classmates' kids have gotten thinner. Why are you getting chubby? Your face is round, like Huan Huan from the zoo."
This made Xiao Zhan furious! No one had ever called him fat except for his parents. And comparing him to Huan Huan from the zoo? Have they even seen Huan Huan? His face was completely different!
That being said, Xiao Zhan was quite self-aware. After all, he was considered a "handsome senior" by many of the school's younger students, and he planned to maintain that image until graduation. He absolutely couldn't let his face become as round as Huan Huan's.
So, Xiao Zhan started trying to lose weight.
He didn't do it too obsessively and didn't suddenly starve himself, but Wang Yibo quickly noticed the change. Wang Yibo found Xiao Zhan's reasoning for losing weight laughable. He agreed that Xiao Zhan and Huan Huan looked nothing alike, but he didn't agree with Xiao Zhan's approach to dieting.
Wang Yibo disdainfully pushed the salad on Xiao Zhan's plate.
"You're starting a diet right before finals? What are you thinking?"
He moved some of the pork ribs from his plate to Xiao Zhan's.
"Go ahead and eat, the weight gain is on me. After the exams, you can worry about losing weight. If you want to lose your face, you can exercise. You don't have to eat like a rabbit."
Xiao Zhan felt frustrated eating his salad and was doubting his life while studying. Was this the same Wang Yibo who was supposed to be the cool, aloof junior?
Where was the coolness? He was downright blunt.
Jiang Cheng had tried to visit Xiao Zhan a few times, but Xiao Zhan found ways to send him away.
Recently, Jiang Cheng had successfully pushed away his internship at his father's company and had nothing to do in the afternoon. He thought about bothering Xiao Zhan, but when he saw how hard Xiao Zhan was studying, he didn't have the heart to disturb him.
Jiang Cheng wasn't interested in finance like Xiao Zhan and the others. He was studying it purely because his father forced him to learn it to take over the family business. So, he didn't attend classes regularly, and obviously didn't study for exams either. He had other ways of graduating.
Xiao Zhan, who grew up with him, spent his days studying hard with Wang Yibo, feeling guilty in his heart. At night, he sometimes went out with his friends to drink at their usual spot, wearing dark circles under his eyes. Jiang Cheng, seeing this, felt bad for him and advised him to focus on studying. He didn't want to disturb Xiao Zhan.
Jiang Cheng didn't catch on to anything, but Wen Qing soon figured out what was going on after hearing "study nerd."
She pulled Xiao Zhan outside, and the street was brightly lit on that summer night.
Wen Qing paused before speaking. "Xiao Zhan, I told you before that Mo Ran was pursuing Wang Yibo, right?"
She looked at Xiao Zhan. "Is the study nerd Jiang Cheng mentioned Wang Yibo? Is it him you're studying with every day? When did you two get so close? Was it after the motorcycle race?"
Xiao Zhan shrugged. "Wen Qing, are you trying to say something?"
Wen Qing seemed to carefully choose her words.
"Xiao Zhan, you're all my friends, but... it was Mo Ran who started pursuing him first."
Xiao Zhan laughed and gave Wen Qing a bear hug.
"You're talking nonsense! I'm not pursuing Wang Yibo. He's a study nerd, that's well-known. Everyone in the finance department knows how smart and well his grades are. I'm just studying with him for the exams. It doesn't interfere with Mo Ran pursuing him."
Wen Qing looked at Xiao Zhan in the bright lights of the street. She was usually sharp, and now her gaze was deep and scrutinizing.
Xiao Zhan kept smiling, quietly meeting her gaze.
After a while, Wen Qing sighed deeply.
"I won't interfere with you guys. One person, Fang Tianze, is enough for me to handle. You, Mo Ran, Nie Huai Sang, and this junior here. Oh, and your good buddy Jiang Cheng, I don't want to deal with you all anymore."
Xiao Zhan kept smiling. "You're overthinking it."
Wen Qing punched Xiao Zhan, and the two of them stood outside for a while before heading back to the bar to continue their night out.
***
After the final exams, the students of B University were like wild horses that had been let loose, each one rushing out of the campus.
Among them were Fang Tianze, Wen Qing, Jiang Cheng, Mo Ran, and Xiao Zhan, who had all been dragged out by him.
Jiang Cheng told Xiao Zhan early in the morning that he had a gift for him and asked him to clear his schedule for that evening. At the time, Xiao Zhan had been studying hard and had a headache, so he just muttered an "oh" to acknowledge it, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
After the exams, Jiang Cheng went to Xiao Zhan's dorm to find him, but the dorm was empty.
Mo Ran had also prepared a gift for Wang Yibo; it was a motorcycle model that he had made himself.
His pursuit of Wang Yibo was slow, as Wang Yibo treated him no differently from anyone else. Recently, with the final exams, they had all seen less of each other.
Mo Ran had worked on the motorcycle model for a long time. It was lifelike, and it was a Yamaha motorcycle, which Wang Yibo liked. He thought he could use this gift to get closer to him and maybe find some common ground to talk about.
But he knew it wasn't the right time yet, so he didn't dare confess his feelings rashly.
Mo Ran had thought about the possibility of Wang Yibo rejecting him, but he hadn't expected what Wang Yibo would say next.
Under the shade of the tree, the beautiful and dignified younger student's expression was calm.
"I won't accept it. Don't waste your time on me. You should cherish the people around you."
Mo Ran was stunned. "...Yibo, what do you mean?"
Wang Yibo slightly furrowed his brows. They hadn't broken that barrier yet, and he didn't want to embarrass Mo Ran by making it awkward.
"I know there are good options around you. I want to tell you that I don't do things that hurt others. Do you understand?"
His tone was calm, and his expression showed little emotion.
"Unless absolutely necessary, we shouldn't meet again."
Wang Yibo had always been like this; when it came to others, he was always straightforward and true to himself. His words were clear, and his demeanour was open. He turned and walked away without hesitation, without a trace of lingering.
From the first day Mo Ran met Wang Yibo, he had been this direct. Mo Ran never imagined that this directness would pierce into his heart, leaving him unprepared and overwhelmed by the pain.
Even under the scorching summer sunset, all he could feel was coldness creeping over him.