Aside from doing decently in Chinese, I couldn’t manage much in math, English, or science. Naturally, I had to rely on Xu Xin.
That girl wasn’t bad at all. She always found chances to let me copy her answers, and the invigilators weren’t as strict as I had feared—they turned a blind eye most of the time. But apart from Xu Xin, none of the other students were helpful. They kept their papers tightly covered. It frustrated me—why act like this when we’re all from the same place?
After the final English exam ended, the students from other schools left, while all the senior students from our school returned to their classes.
Sister Qian looked at everyone with a pleased expression and said, “Everyone… you’re free!”
“Yeah!!!” The class erupted. Both the boys and girls cheered excitedly, tossing the study materials they had spent hundreds of yuan on into the air.
“We’re free!” Sun Jing’s little face was flushed with excitement.
I instinctively hugged her. “We’re finally free!”
It wasn’t until I felt something press against my chest that I realized I might have made a mistake.
Seeing Sun Jing’s face turn red as if it were bleeding, I quickly let go and apologized awkwardly. “Sorry, I got too excited…”
But the excitement was short-lived. Some of the closer friends started hugging and crying together.
“Classmates…” Sister Qian, as a woman herself, seemed moved by the emotional scene, almost on the verge of tears. When she spoke, the previously noisy class fell silent.
“I’d like to give you all one last lesson,” she said. Everyone listened attentively, without making a sound.
“This lesson isn’t about textbooks or grades… This lesson is about life.” As she spoke, Sister Qian wrote two large characters on the blackboard: “Life.”
“Life won’t always be smooth or free of setbacks. The college entrance exam is just the first challenge in your journey…” she continued, her words clear and deliberate. The entire class listened intently, no one interrupting.
Although Sister Qian could be strict, we weren’t kids anymore, and we understood the care behind her words.
“The bell hasn’t rung yet. Take out your textbooks and look at them one more time…” As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes. “You look at your books… and I’ll look at you… one last time.”
The girls began sobbing at their desks, and even the boys’ eyes turned red.
“Why does it have to be so emotional…” I muttered, wiping away the tears from the corner of my eyes with a smile.
Suddenly, one of the girls ran to the podium and hugged Sister Qian. “Teacher!”
Seeing this, the entire class rushed toward the podium—boys and girls alike.
Damn! Sister Qian was mine. I couldn’t let the other guys take advantage!
Thanks to my quick reflexes, I made it to her side first, ahead of all the others except two or three girls who were closer. Fortunately, they were girls. But still… with so many youthful girls here, how could I miss out on hugging a few?
“Hey! Who just touched my chest?!” A girl suddenly shouted. The moment she spoke, a boy followed with an indignant cry, “What the hell! Who touched my butt? Not even the guys are safe!”
Despite everything, everyone burst into laughter. As the dismissal bell rang, we all returned to our seats. Then Zhao Kai shouted, “Stand!”
“Goodbye, teacher!” Though it was just a small class, our voices boomed, loud enough to shake the walls. This would be the last time we’d say goodbye like this.
“Sister Qian!” As half of the students left, I walked over to Sister Qian.
She was wiping her tears with a wet tissue. Seeing me approach, she smiled. “What’s up?”
“Fatty, Zhang Yu and I are planning a party, and I’d like to invite you to join us. Consider it a small thank-you banquet, even though our grades weren’t exactly stellar…” I scratched my head awkwardly.
“Sure!” she responded warmly.
Hearing her agree, I sighed in relief, having worried she might decline. I grinned and said, “Thank you, homeroom teacher, for honoring us with your presence!”
“You and your smooth talk!” she teased with a playful scold.
“Hey, seatmate! If you’re throwing a party, take me with you!” Sun Jing, overhearing my conversation with Sister Qian, chimed in with a bright smile.
“Of course! The more, the merrier! I’ll invite one more person, and we can all have a great time!” Since Sun Jing was coming, I figured I should also invite Xu Xin. After all, she helped me a lot during the exams, and it would feel wrong not to include her.
“Count me in too!” Just as I pulled out my phone to call Xu Xin, Zhao Kai’s voice rang out.
What’s this guy butting in for?
“Xia Tian, you and Zhang Yu are the only real friends I’ve made during these three years of high school. Please let me join the party this time!”
What? When did we become friends? Does this guy not realize we pranked him last time?
“I, uh…” Just as I was about to find an excuse to refuse, a middle-aged man appeared at the door and called out, “Kai Kai, aren’t you coming home? Your mom has dinner ready and is waiting for you!”
“Coming, Dad!” Zhao Kai answered. Turning back to me, he added, “Sorry, Xia Tian. I’ll treat you to a meal next time to thank you for everything!” With that, he left with his father.
Well, that solved my problem.
“Xu Xin, how about dinner? My treat!” I said into the phone, realizing too late how awkward my words sounded. Before she could react, I quickly added, “Since the exams are over, I’d like to treat you to a meal. Are you in?”
“Of course! Why wouldn’t I be? I’ll meet you at the school gate!” she answered excitedly, either not hearing or ignoring my earlier slip-up.
I breathed a sigh of relief. “Alright, we’ll head over now.”
“Let’s eat!” I shouted in clumsy English, and Sister Qian, Sun Jing, Zhang Yu, and the others followed me out of the classroom.
“Damn it, why’d you invite the ‘tigress’? How are we supposed to have fun now?” Zhang Yu whispered, pulling me aside.
I gave him a smug look. “Come on, we’ve already graduated. What’s there to be scared of?”
“You’re right. Still, that was some emotional farewell from the ‘tigress.’ No wonder she teaches Chinese,” Zhang Yu mused.
“Let’s go!” I chuckled and waved him off.
We met up with Xu Xin at the school gate, completing our group. But now came the tricky part—where to eat.
As usual, Xu Xin suggested KFD. I seriously wondered if she lived in that place, considering how often she brought it up.
Sun Jing and Sister Qian left it up to us guys to decide. But neither Zhang Yu nor Fatty knew where to go.
After thinking it over, I suggested we visit Liu Zhanqian’s barbecue stand, remembering how good it was last time.
Everyone agreed, and we crammed into Sister Qian’s car, heading toward the stand. Honestly, the real reason I chose that spot was because it was close to my house.
When we arrived, I shouted, “Uncle Liu, customers are here!”
Right after I said it, I realized how weird it sounded—’customers are here’ sounded like something from an old brothel!
Just as I finished, Liu Zhanqian rushed out with a knife in hand. For a moment, I thought I had pissed him off and he was coming to chop me. But to my surprise, he dropped to his knees in front of me, tears streaming down his face.
“Benefactor!” he cried.
Goblin: Want to read more? Become a DCFD Level 1 Patron at Patreon for $5, and you will get access to Two Advance Chapters immediately, then stay Two Chapters ahead of regular release for the entire month! Become a Supreme Patron for only $30 to access all the advanced chapters of all the novels on Goblinslate! Please whitelist this site in your adb!ocker to support the translation. Please point out any mistakes if you find one.
Sponsored Chapter: I will be accepting sponsored chapters for FSM, DCFD and AM from now on at BuyMeaCoffee page. It’ll be $5 per 2 sponsored chapters. Just pay the $5 and write the name of the novel you want to sponsor in the “Say something nice” section.
Check out my other projects: Flower Stealing Master , Ask the Mirror (recommended) and Immortal Divine Tribulation