Brother Changan, you must come and find me.

"Brother Chang'an!"
"Brother Chang'an!"
"Brother Chang'an, are you going to take first place again?"
"Oh, the top student in the school has arrived?"

Summer days break early. Fang Chang'an arrived at the same time he had during the winter break, and many students were already on campus. Before he even entered the school gates, he was greeted by a crowd. He waved them off with quips like "just basic operations, don't be surprised" and "don't worship me, brother is just a legend," drawing laughter from everyone and filling the air inside and outside the school with a cheerful atmosphere.

Perhaps because the boarding students hadn't parked their bikes at the dorms, the school bike shed was already full. Overflowing bikes were parked along the courtyard wall toward the school entrance. Fang Chang'an and his two companions parked their bikes as well and headed upstairs, feeling lighthearted.

Many students had already arrived in Class Four. Perhaps because it was during the holiday season and they hadn't seen each other for several days, they all felt a sense of familiarity and were chatting away enthusiastically.

Wang Ke and Shen Mo were both there. Shen Mo was sitting backward, chatting and laughing with Wang Ke, Zheng Lili, Liu Bei, Wang Yuwei, and several other girls. They were likely talking about Fang Chang'an; as soon as he walked in, Liu Bei pointed at him and said, "Hey! He’s here!"

"Are you all secretly praising me again?"

Fang Chang'an walked over with a smile. Shen Mo turned to look at him and stood up to let him in. Wang Ke pouted and huffed, "Nobody is praising you."

Shen Mo, who had changed into a lace-trimmed dress, smoothed her skirt and sat back down. "We were talking about catching fish. We caught a lot that day, didn't we? You saw it."

Fang Chang'an nodded. "Not bad, but still worse than me."

"Pfft!"
"You even lost to us at chess."

The two young girls, one expressing disdain and the other exposing his secret, were perfectly in sync.

"I let you win on purpose."
"You're lying!"
"Exactly, you clearly just lost."

As the three of them flirted and bickered, Liu Bei added earnestly from behind, "I think his younger brother caught the most; his brother is so amazing..." bringing the conversation back to the topic.

Fang Chang'an had no interest in such childish topics, but seeing that everyone was still enjoying it, he chimed in a few times. After chatting for a while, Mao Shanshan, who was sitting in the front row, suddenly turned around and asked, "Shen Mo, are you transferring schools next semester?"

Shen Mo had only told Fang Chang'an and Wang Ke about the transfer and hadn't proactively mentioned it to anyone else. However, as the news came up in casual conversation during the break, it slowly spread, and now many classmates knew she was moving to the city for school.

At the mention of this, the students who had been happily discussing their summer fun fell silent. The smile on Shen Mo’s face slowly faded. Under the gaze of her classmates, she nodded slowly without saying a word.

Mao Shanshan was a cheerful person with broad interests. What she discussed most in class wasn't studies, but anime, celebrities, and the like. At least on the surface, she wasn't as diligent as Liu Bei or Wang Sha, and her grades fluctuated wildly—sometimes second in the class and third in the grade, and other times nearly falling out of the top ten.

She wasn't particularly close to Fang Chang'an, Shen Mo, or Wang Ke, but they maintained a good relationship, especially after their "revolutionary friendship" while catching fish a few days ago. Hearing Shen Mo’s answer, she reached out her arms, looking somewhat reluctant. "Then I won't be able to see you anymore."

Shen Mo felt a bit sad at her words and nodded silently. Wang Ke reached out and patted her shoulder in comfort.

Wang Yuwei asked, "Shen Mo, which school are you going to? The City No. 1 Middle School?"

Shen Mo nodded.

Liu Bei said, "That’s a good thing! City No. 1 is much better than our school. You’ll definitely have even better grades there."

Wang Yuwei laughed, "Maybe I'll have a chance to see you again in high school, but I won't. I definitely can't get in."

Zheng Lili added, "Liu Bei, Mao Shanshan, you both have a chance. And there's no need to mention Fang Chang'an; he’ll definitely get in."

Liu Bei shook her head. "City No. 1 is too hard to get into. The admission scores for our town seem to be even higher. Fang Chang'an has a chance, but Mao Shanshan and I don't have much hope. Our school hasn't had anyone get into City No. 1 for years."

Mao Shanshan smiled at Fang Chang'an. "Fang Chang'an, you have to work hard and go find Shen Mo in high school."

Shen Mo turned to look at Fang Chang'an upon hearing this. Fang Chang'an smiled and said, "Effort can change destiny. Maybe our school hasn't had anyone get into City No. 1 for years because we've been saving up our luck for this year. Maybe a few of us will get in at once, and for years to come, teachers will still talk about us to the younger students."

***

Most of the top-performing students in the class had been the best since they were young. Having reached middle school and either maintained that lead or surged forward, how could they not have a bit of pride?

Yet, the school's historical records were there. They were only in the first year of middle school, and most people's goals were just the County No. 1 Middle School. Their families’ expectations were the same; they hadn't even dared to consider the City No. 1 Middle School.

Shen Mo being able to transfer directly to City No. 1 was something everyone celebrated, but there was also an underlying sense of imbalance. Hearing Fang Chang'an speak this way, several people secretly made up their minds, feeling that since they were only in their first year, they could still strive for the City No. 1 Middle School.

Wang Ke had placed fourteenth in the midterms, an improvement from the previous semester, yet she still hadn't cracked the top ten. Class Four's grades were somewhat polarized; due to the pressure and "tutoring" from Fang Chang'an, the top students were exceptionally brilliant, with the top five being regulars in the grade's top ten, almost reaching a monopoly. On the other hand, Class Four had fewer failing students compared to the other three key classes, or at least showed more obvious improvement.

However, from the fifth place onward, Class Four was clearly inferior to the other three key classes. The number of students in the grade's top one hundred was relatively small. Wang Ke was fifteenth in class, which, multiplied by four, should have placed her around sixtieth, but in reality, her grade ranking was outside the top seventy. This was a reflection of that situation.

Based on the school's historical results, Wang Ke knew she couldn't even get into the County No. 1 Middle School, let alone the City No. 1. Yet, hearing the students discuss Shen Mo transferring to the city and Fang Chang'an being the most likely to get into City No. 1, while she... no one mentioned her in such discussions.

She understood the situation. Truth be told, she herself had never thought about getting into City No. 1. Before learning that Shen Mo was transferring, that school was just a legend to her, like something out of a TV show—outside the realm of her known world.

And now, Shen Mo was going, and Fang Chang'an would likely go too...

What about her?

The young girl bit her lip and fell silent.

Fang Chang'an noticed Wang Ke's mood but didn't say anything. Letting her wallow in self-pity wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Wang Ke wasn't a person with many ideas of her own, and her parents didn't place much importance on her schooling, perhaps harboring the belief that "it's enough for a girl to be literate."

In his past life, when the classes were reshuffled in the third year of middle school, Wang Ke wasn't even in a key class; she might not even have gotten into the town's middle school. In this life, under his influence, her grades had improved significantly, but that influence was often unconscious, and she still didn't understand the meaning or purpose of studying.

If this opportunity could make her think a little, her life might truly change.

The topic of Shen Mo's transfer made the atmosphere of the discussion somewhat heavy. The number of participants dwindled, and the conversation slowly died out. Fang Chang'an turned to look at Shen Mo, and the young girl looked back at him. As their eyes met, she didn't know what she was thinking, but her fair, crystalline face turned slightly red as she turned away.

Fang Chang'an smiled. "Actually, you leaving is a good thing for many people in our class."

Shen Mo turned back, her bright eyes blinking, not understanding why he would say that, as if she were very annoying.

Fang Chang'an laughed. "Many people's rankings can move up by one spot. Of course, it doesn't affect me."

Shen Mo pouted, deciding to ignore him.

Wang Ke, who was sitting behind, was also listening. After hearing this, she also pouted and decided to ignore him.

Fang Chang'an, realizing he had managed to offend both of them in one sentence, was about to make amends when Cheng Mengfei walked into the classroom. "Fang Chang'an, take a few students to go move the summer homework."

"Okay."

Fang Chang'an stood up, called out, "Those who are bored, come with me to move the books," and led a large group of boys out. When he returned, he saw Shen Mo and Wang Ke chatting again, but they stopped in unison as he approached.

"What were you two just talking about?"

Shen Mo shook her head. "Nothing."

Fang Chang'an looked at Wang Ke, who also shook her head. "Nothing."

Fang Chang'an curled his lip, feeling moody, and stopped asking.

Cheng Mengfei returned to the classroom to distribute the summer homework and then the report cards. Fang Chang'an was first, Shen Mo had finally risen to second, Liu Bei was third, and Mao Shanshan had fallen to sixth.

Wang Ke's grades had risen to twelfth. This was a relatively good score, but because of the earlier discussion about City No. 1, this result clearly didn't qualify for discussion, which dimmed the joy of her steady improvement.

Fang Chang'an was still class first, grade first, and a "Three Good Student." This time he also received an "Excellent Class Cadre" award, likely because the teacher considered that he had been tutoring everyone throughout the semester. Cheng Mengfei didn't give that award to Zhang Lu this time, so she wouldn't feel uneasy about it.

Shen Mo was class second, grade second, and also received a "Three Good Student" certificate. Wang Ke had only improved by five spots, so she couldn't get a "Progress Award," and received no certificates at all.

After handing out the certificates, Cheng Mengfei stood on the podium, hesitated, looked at Shen Mo, and said, "There is one more thing. Some of you might have heard already: due to family reasons, Shen Mo will be transferring to the city for school next semester. This is the last time she will be in our class."

As she spoke, everyone in the class looked at Shen Mo. The young girl felt both dejected and shy, lowering her head in silence.

Cheng Mengfei looked at her and smiled. "You've been together for a year. Mo Mo, say goodbye to everyone."

***

Shen Mo finally raised her head. She hadn't said a word, but her eyes were already red. Fang Chang'an turned to her and smiled. "Go ahead."

Shen Mo sniffled, stood up, and walked slowly to the podium. When she turned to face her classmates, tears were already streaming down her face. She reached up to wipe them away and sniffled again.

Fang Chang'an could hear the sniffing from far away and found it secretly amusing, but then he realized something was wrong. He turned to look and saw Wang Ke sniffing with red eyes too. Seeing him look over, Wang Ke felt a bit embarrassed, glared at him, and bit her lip, but the tears kept rolling down.

"I... I can't bear to leave everyone..."

On the podium, Shen Mo had just wiped away her tears when she said this, and the tears came back. They were all at that age where they were most easily moved, and seeing her like this, several girls who didn't usually interact with her much couldn't help but shed tears as well.

The classroom was silent. No one made a sound, and one could only hear her sobbing on the podium. "I’ve never liked talking since I was little... and I didn't... didn't like playing with others... In our class, this was the first time... the first time I went to play with so many people..."

"My mom and dad wanted me to transfer during the winter break. I didn't agree and begged them to let me stay for one more semester. Now... it's over, and I have to go... I..."

"I will miss everyone."

"We will miss you too."

The one who openly responded to Shen Mo was Wang Yuwei. Her eyes were red, and she spoke with a nasal tone. Following her lead, Zheng Lili, Zhang Jing, Liu Bei, and Mao Shanshan, who often jumped rope or caught fish with Shen Mo, also said, "We will all miss you."

Shen Mo stood on the podium, crying and nodding vigorously, then walked back to her seat, sobbing all the way.

Cheng Mengfei had also been reluctant to see Shen Mo leave. Influenced by the atmosphere, her own eyes were a bit moist. She composed herself, walked to the podium, and said, "You are all still very young. Even if you separate now, there will be opportunities to meet again in the future—high school, university, after graduation—there will always be a time to meet. Most importantly, no matter where you are, which school you are in, or who your classmates are, you must study hard."

She paused there, looked at the familiar faces in the classroom, sighed, and said, "Alright, that’s all for today. Everyone go home, don't run around during the summer, be safe, and don't forget to do your summer homework."

The classroom was quiet for a few seconds before someone stood up, and then more people followed, leaving the classroom one after another.

Fang Chang'an turned to look at Shen Mo. The young girl wiped the tear stains off her face with a tissue and looked back at him. Her bright eyes immediately welled up with tears again, which slowly rolled down. She choked out, "Brother Chang'an, you must come find me, okay?"

"Okay!"

Fang Chang'an nodded firmly, staring at her delicate, pretty, tear-stained face. He didn't suppress his feelings or worry about the fact that they were in a classroom or that Cheng Mengfei was watching from the podium. He reached out, pinched her soft, pink cheek, forced a bright smile, and said softly, "Wait for me obediently at City No. 1."

"Mm!"

The young girl nodded vigorously, no longer trying to pull away from his hand.

Fang Chang'an didn't dare go too far and let go at the right moment, handing her another tissue. Shen Mo took it to wipe her tears. Fang Chang'an whispered with a smile, "Finally heard you call me 'Brother Chang'an'."

The young girl wiped her tears and looked up at him, clearly very shy, but with a sweet smile that she was a bit embarrassed to show. She also whispered, "When I get to City No. 1, I'll call you that every day."

Fang Chang'an smiled. "It's a deal!"

She nodded vigorously, but felt too shy to say anything more, and turned to look at Wang Ke at the desk behind.

Whether it was because of the parting or something else, Wang Ke's expression wasn't good. Seeing her look over, she bit her lip and didn't speak. Shen Mo looked at her, feeling a bit wronged, and reached out a hand to hold hers. Wang Ke hesitated for a moment before taking her hand from under the desk and holding it.

Shen Mo whispered tearfully, "Fang Chang'an will tutor you, you have to come too."

Wang Ke looked at her, and before she could speak, tears welled up. She bit her lip and nodded hard. Through her blurry tears, she saw Fang Chang'an wearing a strange, almost gratified smile. She didn't understand it, but there was no time to think about it.

Cheng Mengfei walked over, patted Shen Mo's head, wiped away her tears again, and coaxed her gently, "Be good, don't cry. There will be opportunities to meet again in the future."

Shen Mo nodded, trying to calm her emotions. She lowered her head and packed up her report card, certificates, and summer homework. Cheng Mengfei took them from her. She stood up, turned to look at Wang Ke, then at Fang Chang'an, and whispered, "I'm leaving then."

Fang Chang'an smiled and nodded.

Wang Ke also nodded and waved her little hand at her. Shen Mo waved back, followed Cheng Mengfei out of the classroom, turned at the door to wave one last time, and then turned and left.