Healing Sunshine

Chapter 14.3 - A Song of Brief Parting

Lalisa's very last time returning to Fuzhong High School was on the day of the group photographs of all the senior-year students.

Posted on both sides of the corridor directly inside of Fuzhong's main entrance was an "honours list" written over seven or eight pieces of bright red paper. The name of every student and the school he or she had been accepted into was listed out. Peking University and Tsinghua University always occupied the first spots on the list. Students accepted into Peking University filled up the first two columns, and then the next two were the columns for Tsinghua University. Forty percent of her classmates from her original advanced science stream class were found within these four columsn. And then, in order, the next ones were China Foreign Affairs University, Renmin University of China, Beijing Foreign Studies University, Fudan University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Nankai University, University of Science and Technology in China.

The number of people going to Beijing Foreign Studies University was not many. Her name was the first one listed. She had finally attained her wish.

Ten years later, when she once again returned to Fuzhong, she discovered that written on that bright red honours list were many Hong Kong and foreign universities, and they were before Tsinghua and Peking University. At that moment, she suddenly came to realize that not only society but even those student-era paths and aspirations after college entrance examinations were different. A decade had passed, and the expanse in which a person could spread his wings and soar upwards had become even broader.

Ten years before her own college entrance examinations, in Jungkook's era, going abroad for one's undergraduate studies was still considered very weird.

Ten years after her college entrance examinations, it seemed that the key universities in the country were not worth that much anymore.

Many of her classmates from the advanced science stream class saw her walking by, and they dragged her over to take a group photograph with everyone. The position where Lalisa was standing was quite a delicate one. On her left was her previous class prefect, and on her right was Somi. The teacher taking the photos took two snapshots, then dispersed their group and moved on to the next class. Lalisa looked at Class Prefect and smiled. "I didn't really pay attention when I was looking at the list... Are you going to Tsinghua or Peking University?"

"Military academy." Class Prefect sheepishly rubbed his buzzcut. "I'll be going to military academy. I'm part of the group that got advance acceptance."

"Military academy?" This was a baffling revelation.

Continuing to grin, Class Prefect told her to wait where she was, and then he ran up beside the flowerbed, grabbed his classbook, and handed it to her. "It's just missing you." After saying this, Class Prefect even deliberately flipped the book open to the page after Somi's entry. "I know you two are tight, so I deliberately kept this page blank for you."

Somi also laughed. "Yup, he specifically left that page for you."

Those two sure were completely at ease. Lalisa was feeling more awkward than these two who had once been boyfriend and girlfriend.

She carefully wrote down some words of well wishes, then thought for a moment and added one more line: My once O great Class Prefect, military academy separates the boys and the girls, eh. You're going to have to spend your four years of university life as a bachelor, oh yeah.

Class Prefect laughed. But then, taking the notebook back from her, he let out a sigh. Gazing at the backside of Somi as she chatted with other schoolmates, he unexpectedly said to Lalisa, "I've seen her boyfriend a few times... It wouldn't be good for me to say anything, but it'd be best if you talk to her and try to persuade her. I feel her future is boundless. She should find someone better." When Class Prefect smiled, dimples would show on his face, but his smile right now was only a small lift at the corners of his lips.