Chapter 242 - 136: Waiting for You
Mrs. Ning was very fond of a sensible young man like Su Ran. All adults appreciate those who are hardworking and understanding.
’For an outstanding boy like Su Ran,’ she thought, ’very few girls are worthy of him. Whoever marries him in the future will be in for a life of bliss.’
Lunch was stewed pig’s trotters, braised pork in soy sauce, cold-tossed chicken, and seasonal vegetables.
"Xiaosu, help yourself. Don’t be shy," Mrs. Ning said, a fond look on her face.
"Okay." Su Ran nodded.
"Xiaosu, winter break is here. What are your plans?"
"I was originally planning to leave on a trip today, but Wenwen insisted I wait until her exams are over, so I have to stay a couple more days."
"Oh, this child," Mrs. Ning said, gently poking Wenwen on the head.
Wenwen lifted her chin proudly. ’I’m so spoiled,’ she thought, feeling incredibly smug.
"I’ll probably leave for my trip in a few days. When I get back, I’ll treat everyone to a village feast," Su Ran said. His plan was to return around the time for the annual New Year’s get-together, hire a local chef to set up a large outdoor banquet in the village, and have a lively gathering for all the residents.
Mrs. Ning agreed at once. "Okay, we’ll definitely be there."
Su Ran asked, "Do you have any plans for the break?"
Mrs. Ning replied, "Once Wenwen gets her report card, we’ll go to her maternal grandmother’s house for a few days and visit some relatives."
They chatted pleasantly over lunch. After resting for over an hour, they took Wenwen to the examination hall.
"I’m going in. Wait here for me after I’m done."
"Mm, okay. I’ll be right here waiting for you when you’re finished."
Wenwen went into the examination hall to prepare for her test.
The afternoon subject was math.
Wenwen’s weak point.
She always used to complain, ’I’m not going to need functions to buy groceries when I’m older, so why am I even learning this?’
But... she couldn’t let all of Su Ran’s tutoring go to waste. Pushing everything else from her mind, she lowered her head and dove into the problems.
Then, to her amazement, she discovered that many of the problems were ones Su Ran had flagged as guaranteed to appear. She was in awe of his ability to predict the exam questions.
Ning Wenwen breezed through the problems with ease.
Meanwhile, Su Ran went to see Old Wang. He tactfully declined the offer to join the club but said he would be willing to help out if they needed anything in the future. Since Su Ran had made up his mind, Old Wang couldn’t press the issue. He simply saw Su Ran to the door, then returned to his shop with a sigh.
As Su Ran rode away on his motorcycle, it began to rain.
CRACK!
A sudden clap of thunder echoed through the sky, startling Wenwen in the exam hall. She snapped out of it and continued with the problems.
Time ticked by, second by second.
Ninety of the exam’s one hundred and twenty minutes were already gone.
Wenwen remembered telling Su Ran to wait for her at the gate. It was pouring now, and she grew worried. She just wanted to finish the test quickly and get outside so he wouldn’t be left waiting.
The young girl was willful, yet also very considerate.
Outside, the heavy rain lashed against the windows. Inside the classroom, the students raced against the clock, furiously working on their papers.
Meanwhile...
Two proctors were talking in the hallway outside the classroom.
"Did you guys hear? There was an accident at the school gate just now."
"...It was awful. With the rain coming down so hard... Just a moment ago, a motorcycle skidded at the gate, slammed right into the front of a truck, and got thrown. The rider rolled on the ground about five times."
"How is he?"
"It’s not looking good."
"Sigh. Why do these bikers have to speed around like that?"
"They never think about their parents, do they? Sigh..."
Inside the classroom, Wenwen felt a growing unease, which only intensified when she overheard one of the proctors say, "I heard the guy on the motorcycle used to be a student here."
The words had barely registered when a chair scraped across the floor. The proctors turned to look. A female student sitting by the window had submitted her test early. She shot up from her seat, bolted out of the classroom, rushed down the stairs, and sprinted into the pouring rain across the school field.
She abandoned her exam and ran. Not for anything else—only for Su Ran.
An exam was nothing, just a small bump in the road. But Su Ran was different. She wiped at her tears as she ran. Normally, Wenwen was a timid, frail girl who needed protection, but when faced with certain situations, she was incredibly resolute.
The rain soaked her clothes. Her silhouette dashed across the field. She fell several times but scrambled back up each time, continuing to run, practically sprinting out of the school gate at top speed.
She froze. On the road directly ahead, a crowd of onlookers had gathered around a wrecked motorcycle. Next to it, a large truck’s hazard lights flashed.
Blood mingled with the rain, flowing silently down the pavement.
The scene jolted her, and she stood petrified. It was a long moment before she could even breathe. Summoning her courage, she was about to step forward.
Just then.
A large hand pulled her back, and an umbrella opened above her head.
A familiar voice spoke next to her ear, "Did you think it was me?"
Wenwen froze. She lifted her head and saw Su Ran. Her eyes instantly welled with hot tears. She nodded and choked out an "Mm-hmm."
Overwhelmed with emotion, she was speechless. She couldn’t utter a single word. In the end, she was simply too terrified of losing Su Ran.
"Don’t worry, I’m fine."
Su Ran raised a hand, brushed her rain-soaked bangs aside, and wiped the rain from her cheeks.
"You ran out before you even finished your math exam?"
Wenwen managed another "Mm-hmm," her small frame shaking with choked-back sobs. She tried desperately to control herself, but hearing what she thought was terrible news had truly terrified her.
Ultimately, it was all because she was so afraid of losing Su Ran.
Su Ran took off his jacket and draped it over Wenwen’s shoulders. "Don’t be sad. I’ll be fine, you know?"
At that moment, something stirred in Su Ran’s heart.
Hardship reveals true feelings. She thought he had been in an accident and rushed out, abandoning everything. That gesture alone was more than enough.
"You’ve been crying. And look, you’ve scraped your knees from falling."
An instant later.
Wenwen’s tears finally broke free, streaming down her face. She threw her arms around Su Ran’s waist, buried her face in his chest, and sobbed uncontrollably. Even as the crowd around them turned to stare, she no longer cared.