However, Lin Yuelin also saw this scene. After the competition, she looked calm, but there was a hint of worry in her eyes. She quietly walked through the bustling crowd, and the noise of the crowd seemed to have nothing to do with her. She came to Lin Ruize, stretched out her hand and gently pulled the corner of his clothes, like a light feather falling, and took him to a relatively quiet corner. Here, the surrounding noise was cleverly isolated, as if forming an independent little world. She lowered her head slightly, her long, smooth hair falling down, and she leaned close to Lin Ruize’s ear, whispering softly but unquestionably, “Brother, I saw your interaction with Jiang Yan here. I am not against you making friends. You are also at the age of having your own social circle, and it is a good thing to get along and communicate with your classmates normally. But you must always remember that your main task is to study, and you cannot be distracted by other things. You are responsible for your own future.” Lin Ruize listened to his sister’s words, lowered his head slightly, with a hint of guilt in his eyes, as if he realized that he had just indulged himself emotionally, but at the same time, he was firm, which was a re-commitment to his studies. He replied softly, “Sister, I know, I will know how to measure myself.”

In the days of study that followed, Lin Ruize seemed to be injected with a powerful force, and the whole person seemed to have changed. Every morning, when the first ray of sunlight had not yet completely penetrated the darkness, he was like a little soldier awakened by the alarm clock, always the first to get up. Sitting at the desk, facing the rising sun, the soft light sprinkled on the open textbook, he began to recite words and texts, the sound was crisp and powerful, echoing in the silent room, as if it was his horn to march towards academic studies. In class, he was like a dry sponge, listening attentively, his eyes fixed on the blackboard, without blinking, the pen in his hand kept recording the key knowledge explained by the teacher, every word was written neatly and seriously, as if to engrave every word the teacher said in his mind, for fear of missing any key knowledge points. After class, he no longer laughed and played with his classmates as before, but quickly returned to his seat, like a warrior rushing to the battlefield, burying his head in exercises, and all the noise around him could not disturb him. He and Jiang Yan would occasionally discuss study problems together, but they would agree on a time in advance and try to avoid spending too much time together outside of study time. After each exchange of study with Jiang Yan, Lin Ruize would remind himself in his heart not to be distracted. He would silently repeat his study goals and his family’s expectations in his mind. Those words were like magical spells, like a tight hoop spell for himself, allowing him to quickly break away from those possible distractions and re-engage in intense study.

As the final exams approached, the entire campus was shrouded in a tense and depressing atmosphere, as if an invisible storm was about to come. The air was filled with a solemn atmosphere, the students’ steps became hurried, and the voices of conversations unconsciously decreased a lot. Lin Ruize invested more time and energy in reviewing. He carefully made a detailed review plan for himself, which filled several pages, and he reviewed in an orderly manner every day according to the plan. In the early morning, he started his day’s study with the sound of English reading. The sound of reading aloud was full of rhythm, like an exciting learning march; during the day, he shuttled between the knowledge points of various subjects, like an adventurer exploring in the maze of knowledge, doing exercises, memorizing formulas, and memorizing theorems, not letting go of every knowledge point; at night, he continued to fight under the desk lamp. Under the dim light, he concentrated on sorting out the wrong questions, summarizing and summarizing, and the tip of the pen rustled on the paper, as if it was the sound of his dialogue with knowledge. Jiang Yan was also focused on his studies. They encouraged each other and cheered each other up through text messages or brief exchanges between classes. The short words were full of power, and they promised to get good grades in the exams. During the intense review process, Lin Ruize would occasionally be moved by Jiang Yan. Those smiles and words that he remembered inadvertently would cause a ripple in his heart, like a small stone hitting the calm lake. But he would quickly adjust his state, like a well-trained soldier, burying this feeling deep in his heart, just like hiding a precious treasure in the deepest part of his heart, burying it layer by layer with the soil of knowledge. He went all out to move towards his learning goals, and took a difficult and firm path to balance between feelings and studies. Every step was taken carefully, but full of power. He knew that he could neither live up to the expectations of his family nor violate the youthful promise with Jiang Yan. He had to find his own perfect balance between the two and move forward bravely into the future.

The day of the final exam finally arrived, and the campus was filled with a tense atmosphere. Students walked into the examination room with trepidation and expectation. Lin Ruize sat in the examination room, took a deep breath, and the breath slowly flowed through his chest. He tried to calm himself down, and quickly sorted out the knowledge points he had reviewed during this period in his mind, just like a general who was about to go to war and reviewing his army. Every knowledge point was his soldier, waiting for his command. He picked up the pen and began to answer the questions seriously. Every word was written neatly and powerfully, as if he was writing his own future. Every stroke was filled with his concentration and determination.

During the exam, Lin Ruize occasionally thought of Jiang Yan, wondering if she had done so well in the exam. The thought only flashed through his mind, and he quickly pulled his thoughts back to the test paper, reminding himself that concentration was the most important thing at the moment, just like a helmsman holding the rudder tightly in a rough sea, not letting his course deviate in the slightest.

Finally, the bell rang to signal the end of the exam, and the students walked out of the exam room with a sense of relief. Some cheered, like the winners of a big battle; some remained silent, as if they were still savoring every detail of the exam. After Lin Ruize walked out of the exam room, he saw Jiang Yan at a glance. There was a trace of fatigue on her face, which was the mental exhaustion brought by the exam, but her eyes were still bright, like stars in the dark. The two smiled at each other, without too many words, but as if they had a tacit understanding, which was the recognition of each other’s efforts and the expectation of future results. The smile was like a silent communication, conveying their inner emotions.

On the day when the results were announced, Lin Ruize came to school early. His heart was beating violently in his chest. He was nervous and excited. The sound of his heartbeat was like dense drumbeats, echoing in his ears. When he saw the score list, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. His grades had improved significantly, especially in the mathematical function part. He successfully broke through his previous level. The score numbers seemed to be smiling at him, affirming his efforts. Jiang Yan also achieved good results. They smiled happily in front of the list. Lin Ruize smiled and said to Jiang Yan: “Look, our efforts have not been in vain!” That smile was full of pride and relief. Jiang Yan’s eyes sparkled, and he responded: “Yes, this is all thanks to our review together.”

After seeing her brother’s results, Lin Yuelin also smiled with satisfaction, like a flower blooming in spring. She walked over to Lin Ruize, patted him on the shoulder and said, “Brother, you are awesome! I knew you could do it.” That pat seemed to convey her recognition and encouragement to her brother. Lin Ruize looked at his sister with gratitude in his heart. He knew that his sister’s reminders and his family’s expectations had always been his motivation to move forward, like a powerful force behind him, allowing him to keep moving forward on the road of learning.

With the arrival of the holiday, Lin Ruize and Jiang Yan had more time to spend together, but they did not forget the importance of study. They joined some study interest groups together, shared their learning experiences and reading experiences in the groups, and recommended good books and learning resources to each other.

During the interest group activity, Lin Ruize picked up a math competition tutorial book and said to Jiang Yan, “I think this book is very good. The problem-solving ideas in it are very novel. Do you want to take a look?” His eyes were full of expectation. Jiang Yan took the book, flipped through it and said, “Wow, it looks really great. After I finish reading it, we can discuss the questions in it together.” There was a hint of excitement in her voice. Lin Ruize nodded and said, “Okay.”

They also participated in social practice activities together, went to the library as volunteers, helped organize books and guided readers to borrow books. When arranging the bookshelves in the library, Jiang Yan tried hard to put a book high up, but she couldn’t reach it. She stood on tiptoe and stretched her arms as far as she could, but it was still a little short. After seeing this, Lin Ruize smiled and walked over and said, “Let me help you.” He easily put the book in the right place, and the action was done in one go. Jiang Yan said gratefully, “Thank you, Ruize.” Lin Ruize scratched his head and said, “You’re welcome. It will be more efficient for us to work together.” In this process, their feelings are also quietly changing. From the initial ignorant love, it gradually sublimated into a deep friendship of mutual understanding and mutual support, like two streams converging together to form a more powerful force. At the beginning of the new semester, the school organized a campus cultural festival. Lin Ruize and Jiang Yan both actively participated in it. Lin Ruize signed up for a calligraphy exhibition. He practiced carefully in his spare time, and poured his heart and soul into every stroke. Every stroke was like an expression of his inner feelings. Jiang Yan participated in poetry recitation. She would recite softly in a corner of the campus every day. Her clear voice was like lively notes dancing in the air, as if telling touching stories.

During the preparation of the cultural festival, they encouraged and helped each other. Lin Ruize selected the appropriate music for Jiang Yan’s recitation. He found Jiang Yan with several different songs and said, “I think these songs are all good. The poem you recited is more lyrical. Listen to which one can better bring out the artistic conception of the poem.” His attitude was serious and focused. Jiang Yan listened carefully to each song, and then said, “I think this song “The Street Where the Wind Lives” is very good, and it fits the atmosphere of the poem very well.” Lin Ruize smiled and said, “I think so too.”

Jiang Yan provided ideas and inspiration for Lin Ruize’s calligraphy. She looked at Lin Ruize’s calligraphy practice and said, “You can add some small patterns, such as plum blossoms, to this work, which will go well with the mood of this poem.” Her eyes sparkled with wisdom. Lin Ruize’s eyes lit up and said, “This is a good idea. Why didn’t I think of it?”

However, there were some small episodes in the process. There was a naughty boy in the class who always joked about the relationship between Lin Ruize and Jiang Yan, which made them a little embarrassed. Once, the boy smiled and said to them: “Are you two in love? You are inseparable all day long.” Lin Ruize’s face turned red and he stammered: “No, we are just good friends, preparing the program for the cultural festival together.” His face was as red as a ripe apple. Jiang Yan also nodded and said: “Yes, don’t joke around.” But this also made them more clearly aware of each other’s position in each other’s hearts, like seeing a bright lighthouse in the fog.

On the day of the Cultural Festival, the campus was bustling with activity. Lin Ruize stood in front of the calligraphy display area, looking at the students coming and going nervously. His palms were slightly sweaty, and there was a hint of uneasiness in his eyes. Jiang Yan walked up to him and whispered, “Ruize, don’t be nervous. You write very well, and everyone will like it.” The voice was like a spring breeze. Lin Ruize looked at Jiang Yan’s determined eyes, and the tension in his heart gradually dissipated. He said, “With you here, I feel much more at ease.”

When it was Jiang Yan’s turn to recite, Lin Ruize watched her intently from the audience. Jiang Yan walked onto the stage, the lights shone on her, and she was like an elf walking out of a poem or painting. She began to recite, her voice was clear and pleasant, her emotions were sincere and full, and the audience was deeply attracted to her, as if they were brought into the world of poetry she created. Lin Ruize looked at Jiang Yan on the stage, with a sense of pride and warmth in his heart. After Jiang Yan finished reciting, he immediately ran backstage and said to Jiang Yan: “You were so great just now, I was fascinated by it.” Jiang Yan smiled happily and said: “Really? That’s great, I was worried that I would be so nervous that I would forget the words.”

As time went by, they faced the pressure of the entrance examination. Lin Ruize and Jiang Yan understood that this was an important stage in their junior high school learning career, like facing a towering mountain. They worked together to make a review plan, and stayed in the classroom for a while after school every day to ask each other questions and fill in the gaps.

In a mock exam, Lin Ruize’s results were not ideal, and he was a little depressed. His expression became a little wilted, like a flower that has lost the sun. Jiang Yan comforted him and said, “Ruize, one exam doesn’t mean much. Let’s analyze the wrong questions together, and we will definitely do well next time.” So, they used their spare time to carefully study each wrong question. Jiang Yan pointed to a math problem and said, “Your thinking is wrong for this problem. You should start with this condition first. You see…” Her explanation was meticulous and patient. Lin Ruize listened carefully, nodded from time to time and said, “So that’s how it is. I understand.”

In this process, their feelings became purer and firmer. They knew that their top priority now was their studies, but this vague feeling also became the driving force for their efforts. They encouraged each other in their studies and took care of each other in their lives. They spent a fulfilling and unforgettable junior high school time together, moving forward step by step towards their future dreams, like two comrades fighting side by side, working hand in hand on the road of growth. (End of this chapter)