Volume One, Chapter Ninety-Six: Testing Whose Endurance Prevails

The bell signaling the end of the last class rang, and Yu Heping put down his chalk, announcing that today’s lesson was over. He glanced back at the blackboard, now filled for the fourth time, and even for a veteran teacher like him, fatigue was beginning to set in.

Brushing the thick chalk dust from his hands, Yu Heping started gathering his lecture notes and lesson plans, reminding everyone to review what they had learned today when they returned home.

These past two weeks had been designated for supplementary classes, so the usual evening self-study was canceled, allowing the students extra time to digest the vast amount of knowledge they had acquired.

The students beneath the podium were dizzy and drained, listlessly packing their bags and textbooks, their minds still echoing with the knowledge forcibly imparted by their teachers.

Ji Keqing’s face was pale, her figure unsteady, yet she still managed to muster a smile and wave goodbye to Su Ziwen.

Watching Ji Keqing, who leaned on Wu Fan’s shoulder as she staggered out of the classroom, Su Ziwen sighed wearily. She didn’t pack away her books, but instead began reviewing the overwhelming content learned in this grueling day.

While revising, Su Ziwen took out a thick notebook and, categorizing each topic, arranged the information to make it clearer and more accessible.

For Su Ziwen, this was both review and preparation. This method of study had long since become a habit for her.

After the last student said farewell to the class monitor and left, the vast classroom was silent, save for a single slender figure sitting quietly in the lingering glow of the sunset.

Page after page of the thick notebook was filled with elegant handwriting, like streams flowing into a dry riverbed.

She stopped her pen and checked her “Su’s Lesson Plan” for the day, making sure she hadn’t missed any of the teachers’ emphasized points.

Rising and stretching gently, Su Ziwen walked to the window and pushed it open. Though the tides of the moon seemed to extend the heat of midsummer, the November night breeze was still refreshingly cool.

Threads of wind dispersed the fatigue accumulated throughout the day. Su Ziwen gazed at the distant skyline; the descending sun was already hidden behind the city’s rooftops, but the remaining rays, unwilling to be dismissed, painted half the sky with vibrant colors.

Below the teaching building, fewer and fewer students wandered out. After a relentless day of intensive, cross-disciplinary bombardment, most chose to go home early and rest. Only by saving up their strength could they face the trials of tomorrow.

She glanced at the clock hanging above the blackboard—it was already six in the evening. Su Ziwen returned to her seat, removed her glasses, folded her hands atop the desk, and rested her chin on her arms, idly gazing at the empty desks beside her.

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Ji Keqing always teased her for worrying about Mode, but the truth was—she really couldn’t help it.

He had never been one to give peace of mind.

He seemed cheerful and kind, enthusiastic with people, meticulous with matters. Even though his grades weren’t ideal, he remained diligent during supplementary lessons. His physical stamina was extraordinary, and the long-standing troubles of his abilities had been resolved recently.

From any angle, Mode should have been a reliable person, and his reputation among the girls was quite good.

But Su Ziwen always felt that Mode was somehow elusive, as if one day he might suddenly vanish and never return.

That feeling had taken root in her heart since their first meeting in Class 20, back in the first year of senior high. Each leave of absence and missed class only intensified her sense of foreboding.

He smiled so brightly—why did he leave her with such an illusion?

In Su Ziwen’s eyes, even Wu Fan, the school’s notorious troublemaker, was different from Mode. Fat Wu had a strong, unmistakable personality; his presence was so pronounced that those around him often found it annoying.

Mode, on the other hand, was different. Everything about him seemed painted on after the fact, even his very existence was tenuous, like a kite soaring high, tethered to earth by a single thread—one that might snap at any moment, leaving him lost forever.

All Su Ziwen wanted was to do her best to help him before he disappeared.

Even if all she could offer was assistance with simple things like homework.

As for the love and affection that Ji Keqing always chattered about...

The girl closed her eyes, emptying her mind, and drifted off to sleep in the company of dusk and night wind.

...

The large sports field was now aglow with several floodlights, their bright beams dispelling the darkness and illuminating the wide track as if it were daytime.

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On the bleachers, Lan Cheng had just pocketed his phone. Turning around, he saw Gu Yichen dragging over a chair, plopping onto it, and immediately falling into a deep sleep. The other instructors behind them sprawled every which way—some pulling out their phones to play games, others lying in corners, asleep like Gu Yichen.

“Ahem!” With a fist against his lips, Lan Cheng cleared his throat loudly, rousing the group of lazybones.

“Eh, what’s going on, has the kid finished running yet?” Gu Yichen was startled, nearly tumbling off her chair. She instinctively wiped her mouth and blinked sleepily around, asking.

“You were brought here to act as evaluators, not to loaf around, play games, or nap!” Lan Cheng scolded them righteously, then pointed down at the brightly lit field. “Mode is still running.”

“What? Is he ever going to finish? How long has he been at it?” Gu Yichen walked to the railing and looked down, seeing that Mode was indeed still running, occasionally glancing up at the platform with enough energy left to spare.

He had been running since morning; though he hadn’t eaten or drunk anything, the instructors above never called a halt, so Mode had no choice but to keep going.

“What’s wrong with these people? Why aren’t they stopping him? If they keep this up, it’ll be midnight before we’re done!” Mode grumbled inwardly, starting to suspect that these folks from the Third University for Special Abilities had it in for him.

“Is this guy a perpetual motion machine? If he keeps running like this, we’ll be stuck here till tomorrow!” Gu Yichen complained through gritted teeth.

“I just consulted with Instructor Luo—it’s enough for now. But judging by how lively he is, the upcoming psychological interview is probably pointless.” Lan Cheng’s words drew a long sigh of relief from those around him.

The evaluation had stretched from morning to this hour; the group had sat on the bleachers watching one person run laps, which was, in a way, torture for the instructors themselves.

“Let’s wrap this up quickly, I’m starving!” Gu Yichen, delighted at Instructor Luo’s order to end the test, dashed down from the bleachers to call Mode to a stop. “Who’s ordering takeout? Make sure to get me a fried chicken combo!”

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