My Online Friend Can't Be This Cute

Mo Xiangwen nodded obediently. "I know."

The doctor glanced at him and said nothing more.

With his parents there, naturally there were many things this patient did not need to run around handling himself, such as registering earlier and picking up medicine now.

All he had to do was sit still and wait for the young nurse to carefully put him on an IV drip.

Getting an IV at the hospital was quite a novel experience. He did not know when it had started, but hospitals rarely took the initiative to give IV drips to patients with mild illnesses anymore.

He did not know the reason, nor had he ever cared about it before.

Now, before he could think too much, the effects of the medicine and his high fever combined to make him drift off hazily against the back of the chair.

When he woke up, he happened to see the doctor who had treated him chatting with his parents.

"He's a senior-year student. His studies are already very demanding, so he burns more energy."

"You two, as his parents, haven't been paying attention to supplementing his nutrition."

"Look how thin you've let the child get. His face is all gaunt. How can that do?"

"If the body lacks nutrition, its resistance will naturally be poor."

"Add to that the schedule senior-year students keep. It'd be hard not to get sick."

"I see no idea how many students like this every day. Being young means they can take a beating, but they're not made of steel."

His parents kept bowing to thank the doctor, repeatedly promising that they would make sure to nourish him properly.

"Doctor, I live at school. My parents don't get to see me. I haven't been home in nearly a month," he explained on his own initiative.

Hearing him, the doctor turned around. "Feeling better?"

"Much better. Thank you, Doctor."

"You young people..." The doctor shook his head. "You live at school and still don't know how to take care of yourselves."

Mo Xiangwen had no answer, so he could only offer an apologetic smile.

What could he say? That he actually ate four meals a day, sometimes even more? That he ate four meals and still looked thin?

The doctor would probably recommend getting his stomach and intestines checked.

In the end, he had merely gone too far with his cheat and failed to watch the limits for a while, consuming too much of his fat reserves.

His build had been average to begin with, not fat at all. That little bit of fat had naturally disappeared fast.

"Later, go buy some glucose from the pharmacy for emergencies. But remember, you can't rely on that too much either."

"When it's time to eat, you still need to eat properly."

"Your health is the foundation of everything. Haven't you heard that saying before?"

He had heard it. He had heard it far too often.

Everyone said that to National College Entrance Examination candidates, but when the pressure truly hit, who could care about so much?

"Glucose, right? I'll go buy him a few boxes later." Mo Chenfeng nodded and made a mental note of it.

"Eat on time, take your medicine on time, and get plenty of rest." The doctor gave one more instruction before hurrying away.

It seemed it was already noon, his time to get off work. Since he was passing by, he had come over to take a look.

...He had not expected the doctor to be so kind. Seeing so many patients every day, he would have been exhausted long ago.

After finishing the IV and returning home, he took a hot shower. He did not even have the strength to let his mind wander, and soon after lying down on the bed, he fell asleep again.

Halfway through, he was vaguely woken up to drink a bowl of warm chicken soup, then sank back into a deep sleep.

By the time his mind cleared, it was already evening.

"I want to go back to school."

The moment he said that, both of them were startled.

Before he could explain, Zhou Xiuqin hurriedly asked, "Didn't your fever just go down? Why are you in such a rush to go back to school?"

"It's only this one week." Mo Xiangwen sighed. "I don't want to admit defeat at a time like this."

"Honestly, if you'd understood the importance of studying a few years earlier, how would you have ended up like this?"

He did not even need to look to know that only his mother would say something like that.

If the old him had heard it, he definitely would have gotten angry.

Even now, he was not happy to hear it. He simply did not care as much anymore.

"Enough. At a time like this, stop talking." Mo Chenfeng interrupted his wife. "What's the point of saying that now?"

"Why don't other people act like getting into a Third-Tier Undergraduate program means they need to fight for their lives?" Zhou Xiuqin stormed out of the living room. "Fine, I won't care anymore. Go back if you want."

The two fell silent for a moment. In the end, Mo Xiangwen was the first to speak.

"Dad, I really want to go back." Mo Xiangwen spoke earnestly. "I know my own condition. I'm really fine now."

Mo Chenfeng sighed, not knowing what to say.

He paced back and forth through the living room for several minutes, sighing nearly every two steps.

"Fine. Let's go."

His father rode him back to the school gate on his motorcycle. Neither of them said a word the entire way.

Only when he was about to enter the school gates did his father call out to him.

"Xiangwen, you know how your mother talks. She's only worried about your health."

"Yeah, Dad. It's fine, I understand. I didn't take it to heart." Mo Xiangwen nodded, then waved to his aging father. "I'm going in."

"Take care of yourself. If it really doesn't work out, a Third-Tier Undergraduate program is fine too. They're all bachelor's degrees anyway."

Right. He had been staying at school for nearly a month without going home, so his parents had never learned about his Third Mock Exam results.

Mo Xiangwen blanked for a moment. At this point, was getting a bachelor's degree still the issue?

"Mm, I understand."

"Then I'm leaving."

"Mm, bye, Dad."

Mo Chenfeng watched him enter the school in the end, only driving away after letting out a sigh.

As soon as Mo Xiangwen entered and signed in with the security guard, he saw another male student signing in as well.

His eyesight was decent, and the lights by the dormitory were bright enough. He easily recognized him as the male student who had broken down emotionally at the Small Plaza last night.

The security guard seemed to remember him too and greeted him.

"Back so soon, kid?"

"Yeah, I got an IV and rested a bit, then came back."

They exchanged a casual remark, and that was that.

Mo Xiangwen shifted his gaze to the boy. The expression on his face seemed unusually calm.

"Classmate, what time is it?" He casually found an excuse to ask.

"Hm? It's eight o'clock. Class is almost over." The male student looked at his watch and answered.

"You took sick leave to go see a doctor too?"

"Ah... yeah. I wasn't feeling well."

"Why not rest a little longer?" Mo Xiangwen smiled. "It wouldn't make a difference if you came back tomorrow, right?"

"I've already rested for half a day. That's enough." He fell silent briefly, then smiled as well. "Besides, there's only this last step left."

Mo Xiangwen also fell silent for a long while, looking over the familiar campus.

Under the night sky, only the senior-year teaching building remained lit, standing alone.

He took a deep breath and exhaled the stale air in his chest.

"Yeah. There's only this last step left."

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Never Return Until Loulan Is Broken

June 7th, cloudy, with a light breeze.

Heaven was on their side. Just as the weather forecast had said, there was no sun today.

Mo Xiangwen raised his hand above his line of sight, then clenched it into a fist.

Very good. He was in exceptionally good condition as well.

Ever since falling ill some time ago, he had paid attention to adjusting the intensity of his studying to recover his health.

The breeze passed through the tree-lined path and lightly brushed against his skin, bringing a rare trace of coolness amid the blazing summer heat.

The bus everyone had been eagerly awaiting lived up to expectations, arriving just before the agreed time.

The bus, plastered with red paper reading National College Entrance Examination Special Bus, let out a heavy breath and creaked to a stop in the middle of the road.

On both sides of the road, the homeroom teachers waited with their classes, while the school leaders nearby happily discussed something unknown.

Whether students or teachers, everyone seemed to wear an exhaustion so heavy it could not be dispelled.

But eyes never lied. Their gazes seemed to flow with a light called hope. Every one of them was as spirited and radiant as a blade drawn from its sheath.

"Ahem, students, the day has finally arrived."

Under everyone's weary gazes, a grade-level leader stepped into the center with a loudspeaker.

"Our teachers have already explained the exam precautions again and again, so I won't repeat them here."

"You have studied hard behind closed windows for ten years, swallowing countless hardships, tears, and grievances, all for the chance to achieve success today."

"We believe that all your efforts will eventually be rewarded."

"We believe that you are no worse than anyone else!"

"Until the end is decided, you and I are all dark horses!"

"One final check: your ID cards, admission tickets, and stationery!"

"Get on the bus, students! Charge!!!"

Enthusiastic applause broke out on its own. Perhaps it was because the leader had unusually refrained from talking tirelessly for half an hour today, or perhaps because his words truly inspired them.

Either way, it no longer mattered. Right now, there was nothing in their eyes but the National College Entrance Examination.

Mo Xiangwen followed the crowd onto the bus and found a window seat.

Before long, the bus swayed slightly, then slowly drove out of the school gates to the sound of its engine starting.

Looking ahead through the window, he could see officers in special vehicles both in front of and behind them, escorting them safely.

There were also officers directing traffic on both sides of the road, clearing an unobstructed path for them.

Whenever a student met their eyes, they would flash a warm smile, nod vigorously, and silently mouth, "Good luck on the National College Entrance Examination," drawing wave after wave of cheers from the students.

Every now and then, they even encountered enthusiastic uncles and aunties. Though they had nothing to do with them at all, they would stand across the wide road, waving and shouting at the students on the bus, "Students, good luck on the National College Entrance Examination!"

"If dreams have never fallen from a cliff at the critical moment..."

Someone began softly humming a song from some corner of the bus, one that had accompanied them through nearly all of senior year. Then it gradually spread through the entire bus.

At first, everyone was still somewhat reserved and embarrassed, but swept up by the atmosphere, even the homeroom teachers joined in and sang aloud.

"How could they know that those who persist"

"Have invisible wings"

"The place I want to go most"

"How can I turn back halfway there?"

"My original dream will surely come true"

Amid the singing, the bus came to a steady stop before the examination venue.