Shocking! A three-year-old brings his aloof mother to their door.

As dusk settled, Mo Ye returned alone to his rented room—to prepare for the exam.

He rented this temporary home near the school.

Pushing open the door, the familiar scent of books wafts out. The walls are covered with formulas and charts, and the desk is piled high with past exam papers, silently testifying to the hard work that has just ended.

Almost the instant he stepped through the door, his phone started vibrating in his pocket.

The word "Mom" appeared on the screen. He smiled slightly and pressed the answer button.

"mom."

"My son," came Jiang Hui's familiar and gentle voice from the other end of the phone, with the faint sound of a television in the background.

"Finished the exam? How did it go? Are you tired? Did you eat well tonight?"

A series of questions were filled with undisguised concern.

Mo Ye could imagine his mother looking like this right now, holding her phone, her brows slightly furrowed, with an expression that showed she wanted to ask more questions but was afraid of putting pressure on him.

"It's fine, it feels about the same as the usual mock exams, so don't worry."

His voice was hoarse with a hint of fatigue, but it remained steady.

A relieved sigh could be heard clearly coming from the other end of the phone.

Then, a series of soft shoving sounds and suppressed laughter and curses came from behind:

"Get out of here! Stay away from me, I'm talking to my son!"

Mo Ye could almost see his father peeking around, wanting to listen but not daring to snatch the phone, and couldn't help but chuckle.

His parents live in the countryside, and their relationship has remained strong for decades. He is the most important center in their world, yet he has never become a shackle that binds him.

They trusted his "composure," and this trust made him feel very warm.

After a few more casual words, Mother concluded by giving her a final word of advice:

"When you come back, Mom will kill a chicken and make you some soup to nourish yourself!"

"Okay, Mom." After hanging up the phone, the room suddenly fell silent.

A sense of emptiness after a great battle, mixed with the warmth of family affection, slowly enveloped him.

However, this tranquility did not last long.

That evening, in Su Qianyue's elegantly decorated and well-soundproofed hotel room, a completely different kind of "liveliness" was unfolding.

When Mo Ye pushed open the door to the private room, he was greeted by Su Qianyue slumped in her chair, looking utterly dejected, and letting out a mournful wail:

"No—! Why! Why is God so unfair!"

I'm so determined to study hard!

I studied for fourteen hours a day, and my hair is almost all falling out, but after checking the answers, I still can't compare to you, who goes to bed on time every day!

She suddenly grabbed Pang Siyi, who was trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible, and shook him violently:

"Little Grey! Tell me! Why is this?! Is the saying 'Heaven rewards hard work' a lie?"

Pang Siyi's face trembled slightly from the shaking, he coughed, and tried to put on a serious expression:

"Big Feet... Ah no no no!"

Sister Asatsuki!

Calm down, calm down!

It's just one exam, it doesn't mean anything! You're just... you're accumulating knowledge and experience for a big breakthrough!

Yes, it's all about accumulating experience and making a breakthrough! There's still a long road ahead!

"What did you just call me?"

Su Qianyue narrowed her eyes instantly, all her previous grief and indignation vanished, replaced by a dangerous glint in her eyes, her knuckles cracking as she clenched them.

Pang Siyi's survival instinct kicked in instantly, and he shook his head vigorously like a rattle drum:

No, no, no!

They didn't make a sound!

Sister Qianyue, you misheard!

I mean... with your skills, you're definitely a hidden master!

Yes, boss!

Mo Ye stood at the door, rubbing his temples helplessly.

He knew it would turn out this way.

Having finally escaped the cage of exams, the first thing these two rascals thought about was checking answers and discussing success or failure.

He walked over, pulled out a chair, sat down, and poured himself a glass of lemonade.

"I mean, can't we just give our brains a complete break?"

The score won't increase just because we discuss it a little more now.

"And another thing," he glanced at Su Qianyue and Pang Siyi, "'Bigfoot' and 'Little Grey,' are you planning to keep hurting each other forever with those nicknames?"

They knew the origins of these two nicknames without acknowledging them.

Su Qianyue was tall and slender, and her limbs were naturally longer than those of the average girl. One day, Pang Siyi blurted this out:

"Big Feet" became the handle she used to "teach" him a lesson in private.

"Little Grey" comes from Pang Siyi's WeChat nickname "Light Grey," which carries a sense of vicissitude.

Su Qianyue ruthlessly simplified his appearance and added a cute suffix, which contrasted sharply with his imposing or rather, rounded physique.

Upon seeing Mo Ye, Su Qianyue immediately switched her confidante, rushing over to grab his arm and dramatically crying out:

"Old Mo!"

My heart is aching!

I feel like my future is completely bleak; it's like God is blocking all my paths!

Pang Siyi whispered to himself from the side:

"Isn't that... still a dead end...?"

Although the sound was extremely faint, Su Qianyue had exceptional hearing.

She pursed her lips slightly, not even turning to look at Pang Siyi, yet she already exuded the aura of a Taekwondo black belt master.

Pang Siyi's expression changed, and he shouted, "Stop howling!"

Its chubby body burst forth with astonishing agility, and it took off running towards the door.

However, his chubby "defense gear" was clearly no match for a real martial arts expert.

Mo Ye was already used to it and calmly picked up his chopsticks to enjoy the exquisite dishes on the table.

Sure enough, just over ten seconds later, Pang Siyi's piercing screams of agony echoed from outside the private room, interspersed with pleas for mercy and cries of "Heroine, spare my life!"

Shouts like, "I'll never do it again!"

A few minutes later, the two returned one after the other.

Pang Siyi rubbed his arm, which was clearly "ravaged," and muttered with a wronged expression:

"There are no human rights whatsoever... Violence will not solve anything..."

Su Qianyue sat down, looking refreshed, and elegantly sipped her juice, glancing at him:

"This is called physical exorcism, a cure for all kinds of foul mouths."

If you keep talking nonsense, next time it won't just be a twisted arm.

After several rounds of drinks and five courses of food,

The three of them had downed most of their beer.

Their alcohol tolerance was already average, but now, under the influence of a slight buzz, it increased.

The dam of reason gradually loosened, and words and memories that would never be easily uttered in ordinary times vividly surfaced.

Somehow, the conversation veered from uncertainty about the future to carefree childhood memories.

"Do you remember when we were kids, the three of us would often sneak off to the little river behind the village to catch fish in the summer?"

Su Qianyue's cheeks flushed, and her eyes sparkled.

"Once, Mo Ye, you silly and bold guy, you had to show off. As a result, you slipped and fell into the river. Your pants even got caught on the branches at the bottom of the river."

Finally, he was pulled out of the water by Pang Siyi's dad, completely naked! Hahahaha!

Pang Siyi also perked up, slapping the table as he added:

"Yes, yes, yes! Another time, we saw the math teacher go into that old public toilet."

Mo Ye somehow got hold of a firecracker, lit it, and threw it inside!

It turned out that the principal was inside that day!

My goodness, you didn't see the principal's face when he chased after them, pulling up his pants...

Ha ha ha ha!"

Mo Ye had been listening with a smile, but then he heard these "unbearable" past events being brought up one by one.

Especially those who were the "protagonists" themselves, couldn't help but feel a black line appear on their foreheads.

Those embarrassing childhood stories that he deliberately buried and found incredibly shameful.

The descriptions, embellished by these two close friends, made the story seem particularly "vivid and lifelike."

"Hey, hey, hey, stop it, stop it!" Mo Ye raised his wine glass, trying to stop this "criticism session" targeting him.

"Let bygones be bygones, shall we?"

Let's drink!

He had intended to use alcohol to shut them up, but unexpectedly, he himself got drunk in the cheerful yet slightly melancholic atmosphere.

My stomach felt warm, my head felt a little heavy, and everything I saw had a slight double vision.

Pang Siyi, standing next to him, had already started hugging the wine bottle and grinning foolishly.

Su Qianyue lay on the table, dipping her finger in the wine and unconsciously drawing circles on the surface.

Fortunately, this is Su Qianyue's hotel, so it's safe and sound.

It's impossible for anything unexpected to happen.

The manager had thoughtfully prepared three adjacent guest rooms for them.

"Almost...almost done, right?" Su Qianyue stood up unsteadily, her tongue a little tied.

"I...I'm going to retire for the night..."

Pang Siyi strained to open his blurry eyes and slurred his words:

"Yes, sir... Grey Wolf... uh... Little Grey takes his leave..."

Mo Ye, clinging to the last shred of his clarity, looked at his two companions who could barely walk straight.

With a helpless smile, he took one in each hand and half-helped, half-dragged them to their respective room doors.

"See you tomorrow…"

"Going to sleep... Goodnight..."

A muffled farewell echoed down the corridor. The three of them swiped open their doors almost simultaneously, stumbling and falling into their own private spaces.

Mo Ye's room was decorated simply yet comfortably.

He kicked off his shoes, instinctively crept into the bathroom, and splashed his face with cold water several times.

The cold water temporarily dispelled some of the drunkenness and fatigue, and a young face, though etched with weariness, was reflected in the mirror.

ended.

It's really over.

Twelve years of hard study came to an end on this day.

The future is like a road shrouded in thick fog, obscuring the direction, yet inexplicably inspiring both anticipation and a touch of unease.

He dragged his heavy steps out of the bathroom, threw himself heavily onto the soft bed, and almost the instant his head hit the pillow, his consciousness began to blur, sliding into the abyss of sleep…

However, just a second before he was about to completely lose consciousness.

"Bang bang bang! Bang bang bang!"

A rapid, even somewhat aggressive knocking on the door, like a thunderclap, pounded into his eardrums in the quiet night.

Immediately afterwards, a clear but irritated female voice came through the door, carrying obvious dissatisfaction and confusion:

"What the hell? What kind of lousy door is this! I can't open it no matter how hard I try!"