growing up

The college entrance examination is just around the corner.

Ling Chao and Gu Yuan were lucky enough to be in the same test center, but in different test rooms.

Zhang Yun specially asked for leave to take care of their pick-up work, and Grandma Gu also tried her best to prepare three meals a day for the two candidates.

Early in the morning, Grandma Gu cooked millet porridge for them and steamed delicious steamed buns. When she finally brought the fried eggs to the table, she hadn't seen them come out and she couldn't help urging them a lot.

The two people who were asked to sleep at Gu Yuan's house for the past few days were washing their faces and brushing their teeth leisurely in the bathroom, chatting and joking from time to time, they didn't look like they were going to face the college entrance examination at all.Only after hearing grandma's urging did he speed up.

After breakfast, under Zhang Yun's urging, the two were asked to check the contents of the bag for the nth time, and finally they were able to set off after confirming that they were correct.

Not long after getting in the car, Bai Lan's call came in.

Ling Chao connected and called out, "Mom."

"Son, how's it going?" Bai Lan couldn't come over because he couldn't get away because of a project. Of course, it was Ling Chao's request not to let him come over.

Ling Chao: "Very good, Aunt Zhang is sending me and Gu Yuan to the examination room now."

Bai Lan: "It's a pity that my mother can't make it through, but I believe in the strength of the two of you, and the exam will definitely be no problem."

Ling Chao said: "Of course. You are busy with your work, we will take care of it ourselves."

Bai Lan said, "Give the phone to Xiao Yuan, and I'll have a word with him."

Ling Chao handed the phone to Gu Yuan, who took it and shouted, "Aunt Bai."

Bai Lan: "Hey, Xiao Yuan, take the exam well, come over with Ling Chao after the exam, and then Auntie will take you out to play."

"Okay." Gu Yuan replied with a smile.

Bai Lan: "Then you two should pay attention to your body and rest these two days, and just perform normally. I wish you both success in the college entrance examination."

Gu Yuan: "Well, thank you, Aunt Bai."

When he arrived at the examination room, Zhang Yun leaned against the road and stopped the car: "You two go in. I'll just wait here. Just come here and find me after a while."

Ling Chao was about to get out of the car, when he heard Zhang Yun's words, he stopped and said, "No need, it's still more than three hours until the exam is over."

"I'm fine, I'm just taking care of you two these two days." Zhang Yun said.

Gu Yuan, who had already got off the car, leaned over to the window of the driver's cab: "You should go back and wait. Just come and pick us up when the time comes. It's just the college entrance examination. We can't bear it because you have such a big fight."

"That's right." Ling Chao quickly agreed.

Zhang Yun looked at his son, then at Ling Chao in the back seat, and shook his head helplessly: "Okay, okay, I'll go back, then you two work hard."

After hearing Zhang Yun's promise, Ling Chao got out of the car. He closed the car door, stood with Gu Yuan, and waved to her: "Drive slowly."

After Zhang Yun left, Ling Chao and Gu Yuan walked slowly towards the examination room.

There is still more than half an hour before the exam, and many people have already come inside and outside the exam center.

Some came by walking, and some were given by parents far away. Under the shade of trees on both sides of the street, all the parents stood.Most of them are people who stay outside the exam room and wait for their children to finish their exams before going home together.

For Yu Lingchao and Gu Yuan, the college entrance examination is not that tense, but there are also expectations.Several years of study were summed up in these two days, and a turning point was drawn, and the other end of the turning point was where to push. Naturally, they both had a clear plan in their hearts.

In the third year of high school, they are no different from ordinary students.I was also immersed in the review every day, writing stacks of various test papers and exercises.They spend no less effort in studying than other students, and the results they have achieved are naturally worthy of their own efforts.

Ling Chao's examination room is on the second floor, and Gu Yuan's is on the third floor.At the entrance of the corridor on the second floor, the two of them lay on the railing, watching the crowd passing by below.

Ling Chao tilted his head and asked Gu Yuan: "How is it? Just now, did you really agree to what my mother said about going to play with me after the exam, or did you just say it casually?"

Gu Yuan glanced back at him, smiled and said, "Of course it's true."

"Then it's settled," Ling Chao stretched out a hand, "We'll leave after the exam, so we don't need mom to take it with us, we'll start from City D and go south by ourselves, and we can buy tickets wherever we want. Walk slowly towards City H."

"Okay." Gu Yuan also stretched out his hand and held it in his palm.

Ling Chao held Gu Yuan's hand tightly: "Although I believe that you will be fine, I still want to say it according to the situation, work hard for the exam!"

"Come on!" Gu Yuan said, "I'm still counting on winning the game for the last time!"

According to the previous bet between the two, Ling Chao won more times this year, and Gu Yuan actively transferred money every time, which made Ling Chao take tens of thousands of yuan for nothing from Gu Yuan.

Ling Chao smiled and let go of his hand, pushed Gu Yuan and said, "Go up, I'll wait to transfer the money to you."

In the past two days, Ling Chao and Gu Yuan finished the exam while they were relaxed and their family members were nervous.On the second day after the exam, the two of them opened their graduation trip with one suitcase each.

Starting from City D, they went to Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu, Chongqing, Wuhan, Shanghai, Changsha and finally arrived at City H.

Stay in each city for two days, see the most representative scenery, eat the most distinctive food, and take the happiest photos.All the way down, just in time to end the journey before the school filled out the volunteer application form.

Originally, Ling Chao didn't intend to leave in such a hurry. He originally wanted to spend a few more days in each place he wanted to go.But Gu Yuan said that he still has things to do later on, and he didn't know when he would be able to finish his work, so that was the only way he could do it.

On the 25th, Ling Chao and Gu Yuan flew back to City D from City H, and went to school early the next morning.

The two of them had the same score again in the college entrance examination, and they also won the double champion of science in D City.

Congratulatory banners were put up on the gate and teaching building of No. [-] Middle School, and the students passing by couldn't help but take a second look at them.

The two of them were used to keeping a low profile at school, and they were not used to such attention for a while, so they unavoidably quickened their pace and walked to the teacher's office.

Several teachers in the third group were in the office. When they saw the two of them, they joked and said, "Our double champion is here!"

Ling Chao smiled embarrassedly, and walked quickly to Du Lin's desk: "Mr. Du, let's get the volunteer form."

Du Lin was a little surprised when she saw Ling Chao: "Ling Chao, why did you come to fill out the application? Don't you go to university in China?"

Du Lin already knew about this when Ling Chao transferred to another school in his second year of high school. Although there was one less place in the class, any teacher would still like a smart student like Ling Chao.And the score of the city's top science student is there, even if he will not apply for a university in China, it is still a conspicuous title.

Ling Chao didn't expect Du Lin to ask him such a question, and couldn't help but sneak a glance at Gu Yuan.

During this year, he had already made up his mind to stay, and he had discussed it with his parents.Because he said that he would stay with Gu Yuan forever and never leave him.He wants to volunteer with Gu Yuan, go to college together, and graduate together.

But he didn't tell Gu Yuan about this matter.He still clearly remembered what Gu Yuan said in the hospital that time, and he was also contradictory.He could only take one step at a time, and when the university started, he was still there, so Gu Yuan naturally had nothing to do with him.

With such calculations in mind, this year has passed like this, and when he really had to face today, he did not see any objection from Gu Yuan's expression.

He happily thought that Gu Yuan should also want him to stay.

He didn't answer Du Lin's question directly, but only smiled and said, "Give us two watches."

Du Lin looked at Ling Chao suspiciously, and seeing that he was not joking, she took out two forms from the pile of application forms, found out their graduation certificates, and handed them along with a copy of the school application guide: " Go back to the classroom first, and I will go there later."

"Okay," Ling Chao took it, and bowed to thank him, "Thank you, Mr. Du, then let's go first."

After leaving the office, Ling Chao and Gu Yuan handed him the copy: "Here, I'm officially graduating."

Gu Yuan lowered his head, took it slowly, but didn't speak.

Ling Chao was flipping through the application guide with great interest, but he didn't notice that Gu Yuan's abnormally clenched fist was trembling slightly.

Gu Yuan's choice is the Department of Computer Science and Technology of W City University of Science and Technology, which was decided early in the morning, and the Department of Economics and Management of the same school selected by Ling Chao.

It wasn't until he filled out the form that Ling Chao noticed that Gu Yuan didn't seem to have said much, and he always answered every question.

Class [-] did well in the exam this time, and almost all of them passed the first line.More than half of the students have arrived at the school today, and they are discussing the schools they applied for in small groups.

Gu Yuan was the only one who wasn't very interested. After filling out his own form, he lay down on the table, and when anyone came to talk to him, he would respond casually, not enthusiastically.

"What's wrong?" Ling Chao asked, pushing his arm.

Gu Yuan shook his head, but did not answer.

After a while, Du Lin came over and explained some things, put away the volunteer forms that everyone had filled out, and informed everyone that they could go home first.

"Let's go," Gu Yuan stood up, looked at Ling Chao and said, "I'll help you go back and pack your things."

"Oh," Ling Chao felt that Gu Yuan was fine again, and hurriedly followed, "Then ask Ho Nuo and the others to come out for dinner at noon."

Gu Yuan nodded and walked out first.

Ling Chao didn't plan to deal with this house, he wanted to keep it, and just ask someone to clean it regularly.

Gu Yuan lived here with him for a year, and there are too many memories of the two of them.He didn't plan to move the big things, he just packed his clothes and some souvenirs.

The painting that Gu Yuan gave him for the first time, the USB flash drive and small album that Gu Yuan gave him for his first birthday, the small ornaments and figures they bought together, and the photo albums that they took with Polaroid , and the pair of diamond stud earrings that have been placed here.

Ling Chao held the box containing the earrings, thought for a while and handed it to Gu Yuan: "Leave this to you."

Gu Yuan took it and put it in the bag without saying anything.

The birthday gifts of the third year of high school were given by both of them based on "vulgarity" - this pair of earrings, and the pair of rings hanging around their necks with the jade plaque.

At the same time, a message came in from their mobile phones. It was Chen Yu, the class leader, who was asking for opinions in the group about the time of the last high school breakup meal.

All the students who saw the news replied that at noon tomorrow, Gu Yuan glanced at Ling Chao and asked, "When are you going back to City H?"

"I can do it," Ling Chao said indifferently, "You haven't been free recently, have you?"

"Well," Gu Yuan said, "I can only be at home in the short term."

"Then let's follow the crowd and vote tomorrow if we want to meet tomorrow." Ling Chao said.

"Okay." Gu Yuan said while typing on the phone.

Ling Chao had almost cleaned up here, they made an appointment with He Nuo to eat hot pot at noon, Wang Zibo was already waiting for them outside the community, and bought gifts specially to celebrate their both winning the championship.

In the past two years, apart from the classmates in Class [-], they had the best relationship with these two people.Now that I have graduated, I don't have so much time to see him in the future, so we must have a face-to-face meeting before leaving.

After getting in the car, Wang Zibo handed the two bags on the passenger seat to them: "Graduation gift, straight male aesthetics, don't let it go."

They glanced at each other, and then peeked into the bag with non-straight eyes, which contained the latest tablet.

Well, it is indeed straight enough, and it is enough for IT men.

"Thank you!" Ling Chao put the bag away and said, "The non-straight man said he likes it very much, and he is about to buy one, which saves money."

Gu Yuan next to him couldn't help laughing out loud, and all three of them laughed along with him for a while.

Ling Chao had a very pleasant time in the last two days in City D. Except for a short-term problem in the morning of applying for the exam, Gu Yuan was very happy during the rest of the time.

Their class reunion ended with laughter, and the moment of separation was spent by this group of bullies in a different state.At the entrance of the hotel, all the students smiled and hugged and said goodbye, marking a beautiful end to everyone's high school career.

On the way back, they didn't take a taxi. When passing by a street, Ling Chao felt a little familiar."Have we been here?" he asked.

Gu Yuan looked around, suddenly remembered something, and said with a smile: "Yes. The day I almost got into a fight with Luo Tianxiang for the first time, I sent you back to where you were going."

Ling Chao also remembered that the reason why he still had some memories was because it was the first time he held Gu Yuan's hand that day.

Even if only for two seconds.

Today is much evening than that time, the shops on the street have been closed, only the dim yellow light of the street lamps shines on the road, and there is no one else on this road except the two of them.

This time, Ling Chao graciously took the hands of the people around him, interlocking his fingers, instead of panicking and embarrassing like that time.

It's such a good feeling, the person I fell in love with at first, finally fell in love with myself.

Half a month later, in the evening, after dinner, Ling Chao accompanied his grandparents for a walk outside.After he came back from D City, he stayed at home for a day and then came to his grandparents.

It was a scorching heat, and even though it was almost dark, the temperature outside was still very high.Occasionally there is a wind blowing, and the coolness is too short.

On the small road beside the field, cicadas and frogs croak together, and unknown wild flowers bloom on both sides of the road.When they met a few acquaintances, they stood on the side of the road and talked for a while, then said goodbye to each other, and then moved on.

The phone rang, and grandma took the fan from Ling Chao's hand so that he could hold the phone.

The caller ID was Gu Yuan's number, Ling Chao couldn't help raising his mouth, he walked away a few steps and connected the call.

"Hello, Gu Yuan." Ling Chao called out to him.

"Well, what are you doing?" Gu Yuan responded.

"I'm walking with my grandparents." Ling Chao looked at the old man behind him and said.

"Tell you something." Gu Yuan suddenly said seriously.

"Tell me." Ling Chao said hesitantly.

"I'll go over to your side tomorrow." Gu Yuan said.

"Really? At noon or in the afternoon? I'll pick you up." Ling Chao asked happily.

"No, I've booked a hotel. I'll give you the address when the time comes. You can go find me." Gu Yuan said.

"Why did you still book the hotel?" Ling Chao frowned.

"I want to see you alone." Gu Yuan lowered his voice.

"...Okay." Ling Chao was convinced.

They chatted for a while, and they didn't hang up until grandpa told him to go home.

It was getting dark, and the scattered lights came out from the houses.The suburbs without the hustle and bustle of the city return to tranquility early when night falls.In addition to the chirping of insects and birds, I can occasionally hear the tone from some TV.

Ling Chao walked home much more briskly, and the upturned corners of his mouth showed his happy mood.

That's right, we haven't seen each other for half a month, Gu Yuan said he would come over tomorrow.Although two people talk on the phone or video every day, nothing compares to hugging and kissing face to face.

Ling Chao began to look forward to the arrival of tomorrow.

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continue tomorrow