Just in Time Chapter 109
Translated by Sylver (ko-fi)
Chapter 109 Falling into Mundanity
Time always passed quickly. After the lively Spring Festival, they entered the second semester of their senior year. The college entrance exam, which once seemed so distant, was finally approaching.
Yi Chenliang's birthday coincided with the first mock exam this time.
After the exam, they had their usual evening self-study session. Yun Fang and Yi Chenliang went to the back to compare answers and estimate their scores. Yi Chenliang's estimated score wasn't very satisfactory.
It was just over 600 points.
Yun Fang's performance had always been very stable, even steadily improving. This time, his estimated score was around 660.
In their sophomore year, Yun Fang had won a provincial third prize in the physics competition. Although it wasn't as impressive as direct admission to top universities like Tsinghua or Peking University, it would be very helpful for independent recruitment. He would likely have no problem getting into S University within the province.
Yi Chenliang's current score, however, was precarious.
He sat at his desk correcting his mistakes, his pen spinning rapidly in his hand, his brows furrowed, clearly anxious.
"It's okay, we have time," Yun Fang said softly while helping him circle his mistakes. "At times like these, it's especially important to stay calm."
Yi Chenliang turned to ask him, "What if we don't get into the same university?"
He had once imagined it so well: he and Yun Fang would get into the same university, study the same major, be in the same class, and live in the same dormitory.
They would never be apart.
But reality was always so unexpected.
The vivid, cold numbers seemed to silently declare to him that his taken-for-granted dream was about to shatter.
Yi Chenliang could hardly imagine a future without Yun Fang.
He had already experienced it once and absolutely did not want to go through it again.
Those cold nights of falling asleep alone in the darkness, that maddening longing that could not be fulfilled, the fear of facing an unfamiliar environment alone... just thinking about it made him feel very agitated.
Outside the window, the sky had completely darkened. Only a few distant streetlights could be seen, along with the sounds of reading or laughter from other classes.
Some classmates were talking quietly in the room. The disciplinary committee member at the front listlessly looked at his own test paper, clearly not wanting to intervene.
The blackboard showed the countdown to the college entrance exam. It had already changed from three digits to two, and this number would continue to decrease until it reached zero.
Everyone was making their final push, some with clear goals and others feeling lost, but all were swept along by the current of time.
Yun Fang glanced at the number on the blackboard and said to Yi Chenliang, "Then we won't go to the same university."
Yi Chenliang was stunned.
The noisy sounds around him faded away, leaving only Yun Fang's words echoing in his mind.
[Then we won't go to the same university.]
What did he mean?
Was he... tired of the hassle?
Or did he think I couldn't make it?
Have I been too clingy lately?
A jumble of thoughts rushed into his head. The once-clear problem-solving approach was instantly forgotten. He stared at the bright red marks on his test paper, feeling nothing but anxiety and irritation.
He was about to speak but somehow couldn't get the words out. Yun Fang looked like he was about to say something when Old He walked in to start the class meeting. The classroom instantly fell silent, and the topic was left unresolved.
Yi Chenliang remained unusually quiet throughout the entire evening study session.
After school, the two walked together to the parking lot. Because Yi Chenliang had stayed back to correct his mistakes, there were few students left on the road, with only dim streetlights providing solitary illumination.
"Damn it, I've had enough! This cursed senior year!" someone shouted angrily from the dormitory. Their voice was filled with furious desperation. "Always doing problems, always doing problems! Go to hell!"
The sound of something being thrown followed, along with the irritated shouts of the dorm manager.
Yun Fang unlocked his electric scooter and pushed it out, only to find Yi Chenliang looking up at the moon.
A full moon hung high in the black sky, emitting a cold light.
"It looks like a mooncake," Yi Chenliang said. "A fuzzy one."
"A fuzzy mooncake?" Yun Fang looked up with him. "The moon looks a bit unhappy today."
"That's why it's grown fur," Yi Chenliang replied.
He sat on the back seat.
Yun Fang turned around to put a scarf on him, taking the opportunity to pinch his ear. "Xiao Yi, shall we talk when we get home?"
He always seemed to easily see through Yi Chenliang's unhappiness.
Yi Chenliang hugged Yun Fang's waist, burying his face in his back, and mumbled, "Mm."
Yun Fang rode the small electric scooter at a leisurely pace. Warm breaths spread across his back through his coat and sweater, creating a cozy, tingling sensation.
Yi Chenliang was putting too much pressure on himself, which had even affected his test-taking mindset. According to Yun Fang's expectations, Yi Chenliang should have scored around 630 this time, but he was now nearly 30 points short. Yun Fang had looked over Yi Chenliang's test paper and noticed many mistakes that shouldn't have been made.
With the college entrance exam just around the corner, the final stretch, mentality was crucial. Exceptional performance, underperformance, or normal performance were all possibilities. Although Yi Chenliang had missed a year of classes, they had worked hard to catch up. However, the problem was that Yi Chenliang couldn't help but worry about it.
He kept adding weight to his own pressure.
Yun Fang had tried to help Yi Chenliang adjust, but with little effect. After all, everyone has times when they can't regulate their own emotions and mindset.
Because of Yun Fang's words, Yi Chenliang had been gloomy all evening and seemed distracted after returning home from school.
Yun Fang was helping him organize his test papers while Yi Chenliang sat beside him, correcting his remaining mistakes.
Yun Fang finished organizing the papers, but Yi Chenliang was still reviewing his errors.
"Xiao Yi, take a break," he stroked Yi Chenliang's hair, feeling a bit sorry for him. "You're too tense."
Yi Chenliang pursed his lips, looking down at the patterns on the desk. "I want to try my best to get into the same university as you."
No matter what, he wanted to give it his all.
"Xiao Yi, you don't need to follow me," Yun Fang ruffled his hair. "You are your own person. You can choose to do what you like."
Yi Chenliang said, "I like being with you."
"You can always be with me," Yun Fang smiled. "But I'm not your entire life."
"In the future, you'll meet many people, experience many things on your own, have your own dreams and goals. Sometimes I won't be by your side," Yun Fang said. "You don't need to follow me, nor do you need to become me."
"Xiao Yi, you need to become yourself."
From that sultry afternoon when he appeared as Yun Fang in Xinnan Alley, Yi Chenliang's fate had already deviated from its original trajectory, heading towards an unknown direction.
He was becoming a unique Yi Chenliang.
A Yi Chenliang inseparably connected to, yet distinctly different from, the Yi Chenliang who had returned from twenty years in the future.
They would always be together, but they also needed to grow individually.
Yi Chenliang looked at him, somewhat bewildered, but the frustration and anxiety that had been bottled up all evening were silently disappearing.
He remembered the thoughts deeply buried in his heart during those days of separation:
He didn't want to always be protected by Yun Fang, nor did he want to always follow closely behind him. He wanted to work hard to become stronger, to become a capable person who could protect Yun Fang.
What he had been pursuing was never just the same university and the same major.
What he ultimately wanted was to stand beside Yun Fang, walking side by side with him.
"Today is your 18th birthday," Yun Fang gazed at him tenderly.
Like countless nights before, Yi Chenliang sat in his chair, still wearing his school uniform, with unfinished test corrections beneath his hands. The digital clock on the desk showed 11:59 PM. Outside, the night was pitch black, and the old gnarled elm tree had not yet begun to grow leaves.
Yun Fang pushed a small gift box tied with an elegant ribbon in front of him.
"What's this?" Yi Chenliang asked.
"A gift I should have given you long ago," Yun Fang touched the ribbon. "But perhaps now is when you're meant to open it."
It was the gift Yun Fang had wanted to give Yi Chenliang on that Saturday two years ago when he left, his heart full of joy.
Only now had it finally been placed in Yi Chenliang's hands.
Yi Chenliang opened the box. Inside lay two rings, simple in design, almost ordinary in their simplicity.
Yun Fang had spent a long time choosing, looking through all sorts of gifts - novel, interesting, expensive, luxurious - but in the end, he chose this.
When one truly falls in love, even the most aloof person inevitably becomes sentimental.
"I promised you before that I would always be with you until you grew up," Yun Fang said softly. "Now you've grown up. After growing up, it's your turn to be with me."
"Happy birthday, Yi Chenliang," Yun Fang's voice sounded in his ear.
The digital clock's screen flickered, changing to 12:00.
The matching rings in the gift box reflected tiny fragments of light.
Yi Chenliang welcomed his 18th birthday.
And a tender, lingering kiss.