Chapter 699: Youth. Bias

felt like an invisible hand was squeezing her, suffocating her. Like a fish out of water, she could only gasp for air instinctively. She knew it was just another hallucination. Opening her mouth wide,...The atmosphere at home has been strange. Listen couldn't find a way to resolve it, so he could only do his best and take care of his own things, trying not to worry his parents. 。Now, the only thing she can do well is her grades, so she studies with all her heart. 。Senior year is really stressful. Even the usually noisy classroom during breaks is now quiet, with everyone hunched over piles of books behind their desks, working through practice problems. The only sound in the room is the scratching of pens and paper. 。There were a few boys in the class who were like dark horses. In this crucial sprint of their senior year, their grades suddenly shot up. Now, it was going to be incredibly difficult for Tinglan to maintain her first-place position. In the first monthly exam of the second semester of senior year, she dropped directly to third place in the class. 。

To make matters worse, I didn't even dare tell my mom about the exam. I studied silently every day until 12 o'clock at night and woke up at 5:30 in the morning to go to school for early reading. I didn't even have time to chat with my best friend Chengchen. 。It's not just her striving for academic excellence. Many students are like her, all of them straining themselves to the limit, pushing hard towards their goals. But the downside is that many students end up with bloodshot eyes, vacant stares, and the whole atmosphere feels suffocatingly tense. 。

The school leaders saw that this wasn't working, so they organized a spring outing for the high school seniors to relax and unwind. 。Tinglan first wanted to ask for leave and not go, what was there to enjoy about a spring outing Her grades were about to be jeopardized, and she was under immense pressure every day. 。But Cheng Chen pulled her to sign up: "You have to go, you need to know how to balance work and leisure." 。"Cheng Chen has a very stable mindset and performance. He's not outstanding, but consistently ranks in the upper middle range. Getting into a provincial key university is no problem for him." 。Listening still wasn't keen on going. She could be a bit stubborn at times, focused entirely on her studies and oblivious to anything else. 。Cheng Chen continued to persuade: "You forgot why you performed poorly on the middle school entrance exam It was because you were too nervous and didn't know how to relax. You want to repeat the same mistake"Tinglan was about to cry: "Don't be a jinx... " 。"So, relax, relax. Don't say the college entrance exam is still more than two months away, even if you take it now, it's a solid 985, don't be so tense." 。Cheng Chen directly signed her up for the spring outing. 。During the senior year of high school, it's impossible to go on a spring outing during school hours. So, the trip takes place on Saturday, and each class goes to a different location. 。Tinglan and her class went to a geological park in the suburbs of Qining. 。Whether it was youthful exuberance, as soon as we got on the bus, before even leaving school gates, the heavy atmosphere of the impending college entrance exam vanished without a trace. On the bus, classmates were filled with laughter and song. 。Tinglan sat with Cheng Chen the whole time, while Lu Kuo, as class monitor, mostly spent his time organizing classmates' discipline, getting them on the bus, arranging their seats. After he was done, he would excitedly run over to Cheng Chen's side. His seat was separated from theirs by a middle aisle. 。Everyone knows he's chasing Cheng Chen, so every time he runs towards Cheng Chen, there's a burst of jeering. Cheng Chen glares at him, and he just smiles. 。This subtle interaction made everyone assume they were a couple long ago. 。Every time Ting Lan sees the interaction between Lu Kuo and Cheng Chen, she feels that youth is truly beautiful. It's sunny, flamboyant, and unrestrained. 。And her youth seemed to be on pause, with only studying left. 。During the grueling years of high school, her only hope was university life after graduation. She imagined herself finally enjoying her youth and making up for all the regrets of the past in college. 。。Waiting for one more person, just a moment. 。As soon as he finished speaking, a handsome and clean boy walked out of the bus door. He was wearing simple white shirt, jeans, and canvas shoes, but like a ray of light, he attracted the attention of all their classmates. The bus fell silent at once. 。Even the head teacher smiled: "It's Zhuo, isn't it" 。"Hello, teacher," Zhu Yu'an said politely with a slight smile. 。Then, she sat directly next to Lu Kuo. 。Listening listened to the car after he got on, leaned against the window, looking out, never turning back until she got off. When Zhuo YUAN waited for her to get up and walk out, he stood up, silently following behind her. 。This spring outing, after arriving at the geological park, in the morning the teacher led the students to do some small competitions and games to relax. At noon, everyone ate their own packed food, and in the afternoon there was free activity. 。Most students have brought a lot of snacks or fruits and drinks. As soon as lunchtime arrives, they sit cross-legged on the grass to eat. 。While listening to the waves was just a simple loaf of bread and a bottle of water he had bought at the convenience store on his way out this morning, simple could not be any simpler. 。Cheng Chen didn't bring much either, the two of them sat in a pavilion in the park, enjoying the rare ease. 。At that moment, Lu Kuo waved to them from the lawn nearby, beckoning them over. Seeing that they remained unmoved, he ran over and grabbed one person's backpack in each hand, dragging them to the lawn. 。Zhuo Yu'an stood there, smiling as they approached, then took out a folded lawn mat from his schoolbag and laid it down, along with the various snacks he had brought. 。As soon as Cheng Chen saw this, he immediately smiled and said, "Zuo Yu'an is still so thoughtful. " 。She sarcastically mocked Lu Kuò on purpose, then without any politeness, pulled Ting Lan down to sit cross-legged. 。Actually, Lu Kuo's bag also had quite a few snacks. He and Zhuo Yu'an went to the supermarket together last night, as if they knew these two girls were lazy and wouldn't bring much food. 。Their snacks, spilled across a small patch of artificial grass. 。Zhuo Yuan again took out four cans of Coca-Cola from his bag and handed them to the girls. When it came to Tinglan's turn, he specially opened it for her. 。Lu Kuò, waving the can in his hand, said: “Even they couldn't open it, help me open it. " 。cheapskate 。Tinglan hurriedly handed him the already opened can of soda in her hand: "Drink this, I won't." 。Lu Kuo reacted instinctively, as if on reflex. Hearing her words, he was momentarily unsure whether to push back or continue as is. 。In fact, Tinglan didn't eat any of the snacks Zhu Yuyan brought. 。She only ate her own piece of bread and drank the water she had brought with her. She never looked at Zhuo Yu'an from beginning to end. 。Of course Zhuo Yu'an was disappointed. He didn't know if it was intentional or if she was just that oblivious, completely failing to see him. 。The midday sun was strong, and she sat facing it, her skin flushed pink by the heat. Her eyes were squinted shut most of the way, blinded by the glare, only the shadows of her eyelashes dancing faintly beneath them. 。Zhuo Yu'an stood silently opposite her, shielding her from the harsh sunlight. In the interplay of light and shadow, both were unusually quiet. 。Meanwhile, Lu Kuo and Cheng Chen were greedily grabbing food from each other. Whatever Cheng Chen ate, Lu Kuo would snatch it from her, infuriating Cheng Chen who then snatched food from his mouth in retaliation. Both of them acted childishly. 。le students packing up their art supplies. There were two photos where he was standing shoulder to shoulder with the other students. To be honest, looking at the back view, he fit right in with them,...