The scene of the Butterfly Mansion study gradually blurred and faded before his eyes.
In its place was that slightly stuffy evening several years ago, filled with chalk dust and the scent of books.
Haicheng No. 1 High School, second semester of sophomore year.
The setting sun streamed through the windows on the west side of the classroom, painting the desks a warm orange.
Haicheng No. 1 High School did not force students to attend evening self-study, especially those in Cheng Mo's elite class.
Most of the students had already left, with only a few remaining, either engrossed in their studies or packing their bags.
Cheng Mo sat by the window, his brows slightly furrowed, his fingertips tapping a spread-out, challenging competition problem.
He was leaning his head to the side, quietly discussing his thoughts with Su Yurou, his deskmate.
Su Yurou was a renowned beauty in their class, even in the entire grade.
Her excellent grades, gentle personality, affluent family background, coupled with her elegant and outstanding looks, made her the object of admiration for almost all the boys.
At this moment, she leaned slightly forward, a soft strand of hair falling beside her fair cheek, listening intently to Cheng Mo's explanation.
The young girl occasionally nodded gently or used her slender white fingers to write down her questions on a scratch pad.
"So here, if we introduce this formula, although it adds two more steps, the thought process will be clearer and less prone to errors."
Cheng Mo's voice was calm and clear, carrying a focused purity.
"Hmm… I understand, that's indeed the case."
Su Yurou suddenly realized, a faint smile gracing her lips.
Her bright eyes looked at Cheng Mo: "You're still amazing, always able to think of the most reliable method."
Cheng Mo merely gave a faint "Hmm," his gaze returning to the problem, concealing the extremely subtle ripple in his heart.
He wasn't unaware of Su Yurou's special attention to him.
Besides academic competition and collaboration, there seemed to be an unspoken, subtle understanding and affection between him and this intelligent, beautiful girl.
But he never dared to dwell on it, nor would he respond to any potential hints.
He knew his situation.
His parents toiled day and night, his younger sister was frail and often ill… All of this was like heavy shackles, firmly binding all his thoughts related to "romance."
His life's trajectory had been set long ago.
Their conversation gradually shifted from specific problems to the newly posted notice – regarding a few extremely rare national competition slots.
These competitions were highly prestigious; achieving a ranking could not only earn significant bonus points in the college entrance exam but even potentially secure direct admission to top universities.
"Cheng Mo, you'll definitely sign up, right?"
Su Yurou asked softly, her tone filled with unquestioning trust.
"With your grades, you're sure to get a spot."
Cheng Mo nodded, his gaze fixed on the window, his voice firm: "Yes, I must get it."
That was an important stepping stone towards his goal.
"That's great…" Su Yurou rested her chin on her hand, her gaze drifting, "I heard Haida's medical school is especially good… For you, it'll definitely be no problem."
She paused, then suddenly turned her head and asked curiously: "Speaking of which, Cheng Mo, why do you want to study medicine so much? It seems like your goal has been particularly clear ever since I met you."
Cheng Mo was silent for a moment.
The classroom was very quiet, with only the faint sounds of the playground audible from outside the window.
He rarely mentioned this to anyone.
But at this moment, facing Su Yurou's clear, curious gaze, he uncharacteristically spoke, his voice slightly softer than usual: "Because of my sister… she's been in poor health since she was little…"
He said simply, without elaborating on the repeated hospitalizations, late-night emergency visits, and the hardships of watching his parents' hair turn white with worry over medical bills.
"I want… at least to let her, and people like her, suffer less from illness in the future."
As he said this, his eyes held a focus and brightness Su Yurou had never seen before.
The usual coolness and aloofness had faded, replaced by an almost stubborn gentleness and determination.
Su Yurou listened quietly, without interrupting, and without showing the usual sympathy or pity.
Her eyes softened even more, as if warmed by that light.
The girl said softly: "Hmm… You will definitely become a very, very amazing doctor."
All of this was observed by Li Yangchuan, who was sitting in the back row, seemingly lazily packing his bag.
Li Yangchuan's family started in real estate; he was a well-known rich second-generation in the class and even the school.
He wasn't bad-looking, had a cheerful and generous personality, was lavish with money, and knew how to handle things.
Li Yangchuan had excellent social skills in class, the typical "sunny and outgoing big boy" persona.
Only he knew how much effort he put in to maintain this persona and to get close to Su Yurou, who came from a similar background and was equally outstanding.
He had liked Su Yurou for two years, admiring her beauty, and even more, her compatible family background and upbringing.
He felt that he and Su Yurou were a match made in heaven.
Yet, Su Yurou was always lukewarm towards him, maintaining a polite distance.
Instead, she favored that poor boy, Cheng Mo, who was good for nothing except good grades and decent looks.
Watching the two in front talking in low voices, their atmosphere harmonious and even a little ambiguous, the long-suppressed jealousy and malice in Li Yangchuan's heart flared up again.
But his face still held an impeccable, cheerful smile, and he even greeted a classmate who walked by.
As if he had just coincidentally seen the two in front and didn't care at all.
The bell for the end of evening self-study rang.
Cheng Mo packed his bag and walked out of the teaching building alone.
The night air carried a coolness; he took a deep breath, trying to dispel the heaviness in his heart brought by the competition slot.
He took out his old phone, its screen slightly cracked but very well-protected.
The screen lit up, displaying a message from his best friend, Liu Yu, sent not long ago:
"Mo Zai ~ The training camp ends in half a month, it's killing me here, my fingers cramp from practicing every day! But I'm almost through, wait for me, I'll bring you a gift when I go back for the holidays! [cool] [cool]"
Looking at the message, Cheng Mo's lips curved almost imperceptibly, and his eyes softened for a moment.
Liu Yu was his best friend, and also a guy who would give his all for his dreams.
Even though his family owned a company, waiting for him to graduate and take over, he insisted on pursuing music, causing a huge fuss with his father, who was determined for him to study finance.
This time, he went to a closed music training camp, desperately trying to prove himself.
And even so, he didn't forget about him.
"I need to work hard too."
Cheng Mo silently told himself.
But his mood at the moment was indeed not good.
The reason was that competition slot.
The slot was rare, and the competition was fierce; he wasn't afraid of any of that.
What bothered him was the considerable expense that came with it.
Special training fees, reference books and materials, and travel expenses to participate in the final exam in another city.
This amount of money, for his already struggling family, was a huge, difficult-to-mention additional expense.
He barely slept last night, constantly thinking about what to do.
Apply for a reduction?
Although his grades were good, everyone participating in the competition was an elite.
The reduction procedures were cumbersome and not necessarily successful.
As for telling his parents… he could almost imagine their troubled and guilty eyes.
He didn't want to add any more burden to that fragile family.
He could only find a way himself.
He made up his mind.
"Look for a part-time job tonight?"
But school ended late; where would he find an evening part-time job suitable for a high school student that could quickly earn him that much money?
Tutoring seemed possible… but his time… He was frowning, pondering a solution, when he just reached the dimly lit corner on the side of the teaching building.
A figure seemed to "just happen" to turn out from the other side, almost colliding with him.