As Bald Liu strode out of the classroom, the whispers that had lingered in the classroom did not subside; instead, they grew louder.
Many discussed Huang Xiu and Fang Miaoging, their voices tinged with either envy or jealousy.
Naturally, Huang Xiu remained the primary subject of their conversations.
Before the exam, everyone had outwardly claimed indifference, even offering each other well wishes.
Yet, once someone actually passed, the sentiment shifted entirely.
Why was it that you, an ordinary student with unremarkable grades, could suddenly soar ahead, leaving everyone else behind?
The saying, ‘Afraid of a brother’s suffering, yet more afraid of a brother driving a Land Rover,’ proved a rare and undeniable truth.
Among them, however, were those who genuinely wished Huang Xiu well, such as the ‘husky’ beside him.
Grinning, he cast a disdainful look at the others before whispering to Huang Xiu, “Xiu-ge, don’t listen to their nonsense. I know you passed the preliminary exam purely on your own merit! They’re just jealous of you.”
He continued, “How could you not have a special skill? You’re so good at gaming; you’re the most talented gamer I’ve ever seen. That’s your special skill!”
“Oh, thank you so much,” Huang Xiu retorted, his tone laced with exasperation.
What kind of talent was gaming, really? His parents would never agree to him taking time off school to compete.
High school boys, quick to feel, quick to forget, Huang Xiu found his mood brightened slightly by Shi Lei’s words.
After all, wasn’t awakening an ability a talent in itself?
“By the way, where’s Fang Miaoging…?”
Huang Xiu lifted his head, scanning the familiar spot in the front row, searching for her slender figure.
To his surprise, despite sweeping his gaze across the entire classroom, he found no trace of Fang Miaoging.
‘Hmm? Why isn’t she here?’
He had been so terrified of his bodily changes being noticed that he hadn’t dared to make eye contact with any classmates, walking straight back to his seat with his head down.
Indeed, he hadn’t paid attention to Fang Miaoging’s spot.
He turned to Shi Lei. “Do you know where Fang Miaoging went?”
“I thought you knew,” Shi Lei replied, a look of surprise on his face. “Seeing you two take leave together earlier, I assumed you were up to something behind our backs.”
‘Took leave? Could it be…’
A jolt went through Huang Xiu’s heart, and he quickly pressed, “Why did Fang Miaoging take leave?”
“She caught a cold, a high fever!” Shi Lei sighed dramatically.
“The re-examination is tomorrow, but she suddenly came down with a high fever this morning and is currently on an IV drip at the hospital.”
‘Just a fever, then?’
Huang Xiu was unsure whether to feel relieved or disappointed; perhaps it was simply a surge of emotional cowardice.
‘In that case… I’ll bid her my final farewell during the re-examination.’
–As Huang Xiu.
Huang Xiu made his decision internally.
On his way back to school, he had pondered for a long time before finally making up his mind.
He was afraid of dying, afraid of never seeing the beautiful world of the future.
“Oh, Xiu-ge,” Shi Lei murmured, his gaze fixed on the blackboard without turning his head. “If you pass the re-examination tomorrow, will you be going straight to Tiandu University?”
He had been overjoyed by his friend passing the preliminary exam, only now belatedly realizing the implications.
‘If Xiu-ge passes the re-examination, won’t there be anyone left to play games with him?’
“Yes,” Huang Xiu replied, pulling his math book from his desk. “If I pass the re-examination, I’ll matriculate directly.”
‘Yes, direct matriculation.’
‘If not, what else could he do?’
‘Could he truly continue living in this familiar city, bearing Huang Xiu’s identity but trapped in a female body?’
‘He doubted he could endure such a life for even a single day.’
‘Before that, however, he would have to come clean to his parents. Thankfully, he still had two transformations left…’
‘He just didn’t know if his parents would accept him…’
Huang Xiu let out a silent, bitter laugh. ‘Was this Heaven’s final act of mercy upon him?’
Unconsciously, he began to twirl his pen.
The slender plastic barrel danced between his fingers, as if by doing so, he could spin away all his confusion.
“Ah!” Shi Lei exclaimed, a look of regret on his face. ‘Without Xiu-ge, who would carry him to higher ranks in games anymore?’
Yet, he knew Xiu-ge was choosing a brighter future.
Huang Xiu replied with a smile, “Don’t worry, though. We can still connect online and play together.”
–’As if. I’ll never contact them again!’
“Oh, that’s right!” Shi Lei suddenly realized. Going to university didn’t mean they couldn’t continue playing games together.
‘University life offered so much free time; perhaps Xiu-ge would even have more opportunities to help him climb the ranks!’
As he watched Shi Lei cheer up instantly, a flicker of apology passed through Huang Xiu’s eyes.
While he wouldn’t delete his classmates as friends, he would never reply to their messages again.
He would even change all his contact information.
Perhaps at first, they would persist in calling him, sending messages, wishing him happy birthday, confiding their troubles, and sharing amusing class anecdotes.
But as long as he steadfastly offered no reply,
this impatient bunch of kids would eventually forget him as time passed.
Perhaps initially, Shi Lei and the other classmates would curse him as heartless, a snob who, upon reaching a higher institution, simply turned his back on his former companions.
‘But… wasn’t that just how things were?’
The pen in his hand spun faster.
Huang Xiu turned his head, gazing at the large trees swaying in the wind outside the window, and the birds singing loudly from their branches.
A self-deprecating smile touched his lips.
Just like his middle school classmates, he had already lost touch with most of them, save for a select few.
‘Presumably, it was the same for others, and only two years had passed.’
‘He believed that once they reached university, many of these high school friendships would also fade away.’
‘Eventually, they would become familiar strangers.’
‘Even his closest high school confidants.’
‘All he was doing now was accelerating that process.’
‘Therefore, let time wash it all away! Let it completely corrode the bonds of friendship between him and his classmates!’
‘Let him become the scoundrel in his classmates’ mouths, the invisible person who never truly existed in Class 2-4.’
Huang Xiu had always believed that a person had to experience four acts of forgetting to gradually mature.
The transition from primary to middle school, middle to high school, and high school to university marked three instances of forgetting friendships.
And finally, upon entering society, shedding one’s youthful naiveté.
“So this is a mature approach,” Huang Xiu declared, twirling his pen rapidly, a look of conviction on his face.
‘But he had made his decision… so why did he feel so sad?’
Unbeknownst to him, the boy’s eyes had grown red, and the water-based pen dancing between his fingers slipped to the floor.
‘Damn these post-transformation aftereffects!’
‘They made him so emotional, so impulsive, so prone to tears…’
Huang Xiu sniffled, suppressing the emotions swirling within him, and turned to his best friend.
“Hey, Stone, wanna grab a bite tonight?”
“Tonight?” Shi Lei asked, propping his chin with his pen, his gaze idly fixed on the blackboard. “Alright, but I don’t have much allowance left, so let’s eat something cheap!”
“It’s fine, I’m treating tonight,” Huang Xiu said, adopting a magnanimous air.
–’It’s the last time, after all!’