Redemption from the Abyss: The School Beauty Insists on Pulling Me Out of the Mire

At the hotel lobby entrance, a long line of buses had formed to pick up and drop off delegations from various provinces.

Teacher Li, wearing that faded polo shirt and holding that iconic thermos, stood in front of the bus.

In the past two days, his phone has been ringing off the hook with calls from school leaders and major media outlets.

Although he was so busy he barely had time to rest, his face was beaming with joy.

Seeing Xie Wang and Su Qinghe pushing their suitcases out, Teacher Li put away her smile and deliberately put on a stern face, but the pride in her eyes was impossible to hide.

"You two are really a handful."

Teacher Li walked over and patted Xie Wang on the shoulder with considerable force:

"Refusing admission to Tsinghua and Peking Universities through the guaranteed admission program... Only you guys would do something like that. I've been teaching for decades, and this is the first time I've seen such arrogant students."

Xie Wang raised an eyebrow and admitted his mistake half-jokingly: "Teacher Li, I'm sorry to have troubled you."

"What trouble!"

Teacher Li suddenly sighed with emotion, looking at the perfect couple before her:

"I was young once too. For the person I liked, for the things I wanted to do, I gave up so-called shortcuts... This isn't arrogance, it's the spirit of youth."

He looked at Xie Wang, his tone solemn:

"Xie Wang, I used to have a prejudice against you. But after seeing you these past few times, I realize you are a responsible man."

Xie Wang suppressed his smile, stood up straight, and bowed deeply and earnestly: "Thank you, Teacher Li."

Su Qinghe stepped forward, his eyes slightly moist: "Thank you, teacher."

Teacher Li waved his hand: "Alright, alright, stop getting emotional. Go back and study hard! If you don't get the top score in the province next year's college entrance exam, you'll see what I do to you!"

As they were talking, several boys wearing red team uniforms walked over.

It was Chen Xi's team from Chuancheng.

"Brother Wang! God Su!"

Chen Xi, the leader, walked over and punched Xie Wang:

"Leaving already? Next time you come to Sichuan, there'll be plenty of hot pot!"

Xie Wang punched him back and laughed, "Fine, I'll definitely eat you out of house and home."

"It's settled! And..." Captain Chuancheng glanced at Su Qinghe, then at Xie Wang, and gave a thumbs up:

"Although I'm a little disappointed to lose to you two, I truly admire you both. You're a perfect match, both in terms of the game and your personalities. I wish you a long and successful career!"

Thanks.

Xie Wang grasped Su Qinghe's hand and waved it in the sunlight: "Thank you for your kind words."

……

The return flight smoothly glided through the air at an altitude of 10,000 meters.

The cabin was very quiet.

Xie Wang asked for a blanket and gently covered their legs with it.

Su Qinghe was asleep. The national competition these past few days had been extremely mentally taxing and stressful. She turned her head to the side, her cheek resting on Xie Wang's shoulder, her breathing long and even.

Xie Wang did not sleep.

He was holding a computer magazine written entirely in English, but he didn't turn a single page for a long time.

His left hand, hidden under the blanket, was tightly clasped around Su Qinghe's right hand.

Xie Wang lowered his eyes and looked at the girl leaning on his shoulder. The unreal dizziness finally subsided and turned into an unprecedented sense of security.

Because of her presence, Jiangcheng, which he once loathed and was filled with mold and torrential rain, suddenly became endearing.

"...Have we arrived yet?"

Su Qinghe's eyelashes trembled, and she opened her eyes groggily, her voice hoarse from just waking up.

"Soon."

Xie Wang held the half-finished warm water in his hand to her lips, his movements as natural as if he had been taking care of her for many years:

"Twenty minutes until we land. Have a drink of water to moisten your throat."

Su Qinghe took a sip from his hand, and his consciousness gradually returned.

She glanced down at their hands, which were clasped tightly together under the blanket, and smiled slightly. Instead of pulling away, she gripped them even tighter.

……

Four o'clock in the afternoon.

The air in Jiangcheng was still humid and sultry, and cicadas were chirping their hearts out in the sycamore trees.

The school bus slowly drove into the school gate and stopped in the square in front of the administration building.

Although there was no grand welcoming ceremony, the most familiar faces from Class 1 of Grade 11 were already squatting by the flower bed waiting.

"Here it comes!"

Lin Lu was holding two popsicles that were melting and dripping water. When she saw the car stop, she immediately jumped up.

The car door opened.

A familiar wave of heat washed over me.

Xie Wang lifted both of their suitcases off the ground with one hand. He had barely landed and hadn't even stood up properly when Shen Hao, that big guy, rushed over.

"Brother Wang!!"

Shen Hao opened his arms as if to give him a bear hug, but Xie Wang's eyelids twitched, and he skillfully dodged to the side, casually pushing the suitcase to him:

"Haozi, don't rub your sweat all over me. The box is yours."

Shen Hao chuckled, not minding at all, and took the box, patting the lid as he did so: "Alright! It's my honor to serve the top scorer!"

Xu You hid behind Shen Hao, holding a wet wipe in her hand, and whispered to Su Qinghe, "Su Su... wipe your sweat, Jiangcheng is so hot."

Su Qinghe took the tissue, looked at Xu Youhong's flushed face, and smiled as he said thank you.

"Alright, stop standing there like an idiot."

Lin Lu said

"Teacher Li said you can go back to the classroom and put your things away first. You don't need to attend evening self-study. Let's go to our usual hot pot restaurant. Lu Wen is treating; he said it's to welcome you back."

"Hot pot?" Xie Wang raised an eyebrow and pulled down the brim of his baseball cap.

"What? You're complaining?" Lin Lu grumbled while munching on an ice pop. "We eat in the school cafeteria every day, our mouths are practically watering. We finally have a chance to rip you off, you two have to go!"

Everyone walked noisily towards the dormitory area.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves of the sycamore trees, dappling the concrete ground.

There were only the banter between friends and the familiar, comforting smell of dust in the air.

As they passed the convenience store, Xie Wang stopped and said, "Wait a minute."

Two minutes later, he came out with two bottles of chilled Evian mineral water.

He unscrewed the cap of one of the bottles and handed it to Su Qinghe beside him with utter nonchalance.

Su Qinghe took the water, tilted his head back, and took a sip.

At the very moment of the handover, sunlight shone directly onto their hands.

Lin Lu was about to finish the remaining half of the popsicle when her gaze suddenly froze on Su Qinghe's left hand.

Then it slowly moved toward Xie Wang's left hand, which was twisting the bottle cap.

Two identical silver rings.

"Click."

The popsicle in Lin Lu's mouth broke.

Her eyes widened, and she was about to scream when she saw Xie Wang turn his head to the side, put his index finger to his lips, and make a "shh" gesture.

That look carried a knowing smile.

Lin Lu swallowed the scream that was about to come out, her face turning bright red. In the end, she could only lower her voice and excitedly stammer incoherently:

"Look...look there! A ring! My God! She's really wearing it?!"

Xu You and Shen Hao followed the gaze and were both stunned for a moment before revealing knowing smiles.

"Good job, Brother Wang." Shen Hao muttered to himself, giving Xie Wang a thumbs up. "You were quick."

Su Qinghe heard their commotion, her ears turned slightly red, and she subconsciously wanted to lower her hand.

But Xie Wang didn't allow it.

Under the watchful eyes of his friends, he didn't utter any grand words, but simply lowered his hand naturally and gently hooked Su Qinghe's little finger at his side.

With a gentle hook, it is quickly released.

It was like a little secret known only to the two of them, or perhaps it was something they were telling their group of best friends:

Okay, all done.

"I'm gone."

Xie Wang patted the water droplets off his hands, looked at the familiar campus road ahead, and said in a relaxed tone:

"Didn't we say we were going to eat hot pot? I'm hungry."

Su Qinghe looked at his profile and couldn't help but smile slightly.

She quickly caught up with him and walked alongside him under the shade of the trees.

The wind rustled the boy's clothes, and the sound of cicadas filled the air.

This is the summer they spent back home, even though they turned down offers from Tsinghua and Peking Universities.

Ordinary, noisy, yet incredibly vibrant.