The Last Snowflake

The practice book lay open on the table by the window. A girl with chestnut-brown hair, dressed in a plain white silk dress, bowed her head, revealing a slender, fair neck. Loose strands of hair behind her ears clung neatly to her pale skin.

Her slender arms rested on the table, long fingers gripping a red pen as she occasionally marked up the answer pages filled with handwriting.

Wrong, still wrong, and the last big problem was left undone...

Shen Qiancheng furrowed her brows, flipping the test paper over to find the back completely blank.

Liao Xue, standing nearby, clenched her fists, her brows twisting and teeth biting her lower lip. Every time Shen Qiancheng made a sound, Liao Xue's body trembled.

After finishing the grading, Shen Qiancheng let out a long sigh. She added up the scores from all six subjects and calculated the total.

When she finished, Shen Qiancheng stared at the numbers on the white paper—no surprises, no delights—then raised her head to look at Liao Xue. The latter, like a startled rabbit, stared back with eyes full of timidity.

"You... chose the science track?" Shen Qiancheng flipped through the physics, chemistry, and biology papers. Their total score was less than three digits—even a new high school freshman wouldn't score this badly. "You studied liberal arts, right?"

Liao Xue shrugged her shoulders and hesitated. "I chose science in my second year... but I dropped out in the second semester of that year."

Shen Qiancheng cut her off firmly. "That's no excuse. Even if you missed a year of school, once knowledge is mastered, it's not forgotten—at worst, you'd be out of practice. Scoring this low only proves you never truly learned it!"

"Chinese is passable—at least triple digits—but why is it that math and English combined don't even reach triple digits?"

Faced with Shen Qiancheng's interrogation, Liao Xue had no good excuse. Given the bullying and hunger she endured back then, and after dropping out for a year, scoring 313 was actually decent.

But Shen Qiancheng, who had received elite education since childhood, found this utterly baffling. With a total score of 720, scoring 313 meant not even half. Did Liao Xue have a congenital intellectual disability?

"I spent a month in high school, and the material wasn't hard. Oh, by the way, I took the college entrance exam this year..."

As if to prove that high school material was easy, Shen Qiancheng took out her phone, planning to use her own exam score as evidence.

Shen Qiancheng had been so busy these past two months that she forgot to check her results. She opened the website, but the query period had long passed. Fortunately, she had registered with her own phone number during the exam.

Shen Qiancheng switched accounts, sifting through countless ads and spam messages until she found the text from the Provincial Education Bureau.

Total score: 713.

Shen Qiancheng felt a bit disappointed—it wasn't a perfect score.

Liao Xue saw it too, and her pupils constricted sharply.

It was more than double her own score...

President Shen is truly amazing!

Shen Qiancheng turned off her phone and wanted to analyze Liao Xue's weak points, but on closer inspection, everything was a weak point.

Shen Qiancheng's vision went dark. She pinched the bridge of her nose and said, "I'll teach you. No matter how stupid someone is, they can still learn this college entrance exam stuff!"

As it turned out, some people really couldn't learn it.

When Shen Qiancheng explained the same type of problem to Liao Xue for the sixth time, she nearly reached the breaking point for the first time. It was like a balloon blown to its maximum—one tiny prick from a toothpick would make it burst instantly.

That tiny toothpick was the Village Chief's wife, who came by and asked, "Xiao Xue, aren't you going to cook dinner?"

Shen Qiancheng, burning with anger, replied, "We're not eating tonight. If you can't solve this problem today, you're not allowed to eat!"

Shen Qiancheng got up, slammed the door open, and nearly collided with the Village Chief's wife.

The Village Chief's wife rubbed her head. "Did I say something wrong?"

"Xiao Xue, are you still cooking?"

Liao Xue stared blankly at the last big problem on the test paper. She could tell it was a combination of a conic section and a sequence, but beyond that, she had no clue about the solution.

How can I be so stupid?

President Shen seems angry—no, she is angry.

What should I do?

Compared to the unsolved problem, what troubled Liao Xue more was that Shen Qiancheng was angry. How could she appease her?

Until dinner time, Shen Qiancheng refused to say a word to the dumb Liao Xue. She had spent the entire afternoon preparing a study plan for Liao Xue. If only Liao Xue would come and talk to her, she would give it to her.

At dinner, Shen Qiancheng could taste Liao Xue's cooking, but Liao Xue wasn't at the table.

Shen Qiancheng pouted: Hmph, she's angry too? This is outrageous!

The food suddenly lost its flavor.

Shen Qiancheng got up, went into her room, didn't even glance at Liao Xue by the window, and buried herself under the covers without saying a word.

Late at night, she opened an app and looked at plane tickets.

She would leave tomorrow and never care about that idiot Liao Xue again!

Drowsily, Shen Qiancheng drifted off to sleep.

When Shen Qiancheng woke up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, she saw through bleary eyes that the light by the window was still on. A figure was hunched over the desk, shoulders raised like two towering mountains.

Shen Qiancheng looked closer and realized it must be Liao Xue. Approaching, she saw that Liao Xue still clutched a pen, but her eyes were closed. Long lashes cast faint shadows beneath them, serene and beautiful.

Regret, like an invisible fishing net, trapped Shen Qiancheng, the sole fish.

Why was I so harsh? It was the backward education at County No.1 High School that held Liao Xue back!

Shen Qiancheng shook Liao Xue's shoulders gently. Watching those round eyes blink open in confusion, she said softly, "Go sleep in bed."

"President Shen?" Liao Xue's mind was still wrestling with the math problem from her dream. Opening her eyes, she saw Shen Qiancheng's gentle brows and eyes in the lamplight, and her heart skipped a beat—she even forgot to breathe.

"Studying is about efficiency. Doing problems all night while yawning is worse than studying for one hour when you're alert."

Liao Xue hesitated, glancing at the draft paper covered in repeated calculations. It seemed she had fallen asleep while trying to calculate a number that never matched the answer key.

"But..." Liao Xue murmured, "I haven't solved it yet. President Shen, don't be angry."

Ding—Shen Qiancheng's heart felt as if struck by a hammer.

Was Liao Xue avoiding her?

"I'm not angry," Shen Qiancheng said, having never coaxed anyone like this before. "I just think you're a bit slow."

Liao Xue's eyes reddened.

Fine, fine. Shen Qiancheng knew she had misspoken. She reached out and touched Liao Xue's cheek, lowering her voice. "If you're this slow and still don't sleep, you'll get even slower."

Tears welled up in Liao Xue's eyes and spilled over.

Shen Qiancheng grabbed a tissue and pressed it against Liao Xue's eyes. Why was she like a water doll, crying at the slightest truth?

"I'm wrong, okay? Little ancestor," Shen Qiancheng surrendered, raising both hands. "Go to sleep now. I'll teach you tomorrow."

Liao Xue lay in bed, the tear tracks on her face dry and itchy, but she didn't want to wipe them away.

That Shen Qiancheng feared Liao Xue crying—that was a secret Liao Xue had discovered.

After using the bathroom, Shen Qiancheng lay down beside her. Her warm, delicate body, separated by a thin summer quilt, was connected to Liao Xue's.

Liao Xue slowed her breathing, listening as Shen Qiancheng's steady, sleeping breaths rose. Then, sneakily, she extended a hand and gently pressed it against Shen Qiancheng's back, feeling the rush of blood and the workings of cells beneath the skin, as if the two were becoming one.

Outside, the night was pitch-black. A magpie glided across the sky, zipping open the dawn like a zipper.

With Shen Qiancheng's tireless efforts, Liao Xue's score broke through the 400-point mark.

Liao Xue memorized vocabulary in the yard every morning, did practice problems during the day, reviewed and summarized at night, and squeezed in time to wash clothes and cook for Shen Qiancheng. In just five days, she improved this much—even using the simplest year's exam questions, it was impressive.

After Shen Qiancheng found Liao Xue having passed out from studying several times, she concluded that any more studying would make Liao Xue go silly.

At dinner, Liao Xue asked Shen Qiancheng why she didn't keep the bottle cap facing up when pouring vinegar...

Shen Qiancheng diagnosed Liao Xue as having studied herself silly.

"Liao Xue, in light of your significant score improvement, I've decided to give you a mystery gift!" Shen Qiancheng said with an air of mystery.

Liao Xue showed little interest. Now, nothing could stir her interest except improving her academic performance.

Liao Xue perfunctorily mumbled "Mm-hmm" twice and buried her head back in the sea of problems.

At a loss, Shen Qiancheng acted coy. "Liao Xue, I want to eat fish. There's a river in the village—go catch a couple, and we'll grill them tonight."

Hearing that Shen Qiancheng wanted to eat, Liao Xue immediately took a physics handbook and headed to the river.

Once Shen Qiancheng confirmed Liao Xue was far away, she found the Village Chief and exchanged money for goods.

The Village Chief was suspicious. "President Shen, it's not a festival or anything. Why do you need so many?"

Shen Qiancheng's eyes sharpened, and she pressed a finger to her lips. "Secret. Don't let Liao Xue know."

The Village Chief pocketed the money and handed it to his wife.

After hearing the reason, the Village Chief's wife remarked, "These two girls get along really well—so well it's a bit abnormal."

The Village Chief echoed, "True. Weren't we like that back in the day?"

The Village Chief's wife blushed and gave his shoulder a playful punch. "You were never half as romantic as President Shen back then."

—

Liao Xue caught two black fish, each about five pounds, and carried them home under the streetlight.

One to braise, one for soup.

After entering the house, Liao Xue handed the fish to the Village Chief's wife. She would process and cook the fish after finishing balancing those chemical equations.

Liao Xue didn't notice Shen Qiancheng wasn't home, immersed as she was in the endless transfer of electrons, until she spotted the note on the table.

"Meet at the mountain cave. Bring the fish."

The flamboyant, elegant handwriting landed on the draft paper. Liao Xue was stunned, and seeing the signature "Shen Qiancheng" at the end, warmth flooded her heart.

She took the fish back from the Village Chief's wife.

By the time Liao Xue reached the mountain cave, darkness had fully fallen. But a bright light hung at the cave entrance, and beneath it, a beauty dozed while waiting.

Liao Xue smiled softly: She was waiting for me.

Liao Xue couldn't bear to wake Shen Qiancheng, breaking the picturesque scene.

"3, 2, 1—surprise!"

Shen Qiancheng's eyes snapped open, and she stepped forward to cover Liao Xue's eyes.

Her cool hands made Liao Xue shiver.

Shen Qiancheng warned, "Don't open your eyes."

"Bang—"

As Shen Qiancheng's hands left Liao Xue's eyes, her vision cleared. Against the pitch-black night sky, countless fireworks rushed upward, exploding in a dazzling array, like blooming peonies, elegant chrysanthemums, pure lisianthus—joyfully frolicking in the air.

In Liao Xue's heart, no one had ever prepared surprises for her, much less set off such a magnificent display for her in the mountains.

Overwhelming emotion engulfed Liao Xue—ecstasy, flattery, and awe.

Tears slid down Liao Xue's cheeks.

She stumbled over her words. "President Shen, I'm happy, really, thank you. When I was expelled, I never thought I'd have another chance to go back to school."

The fireworks cast brilliant, dazzling light on Liao Xue's face, and Shen Qiancheng couldn't look away. She continued, "What's so great about County No.1 High? If you score 500 points over the summer, I'll take you away—to a high school in Tang City."

Some words, once spoken, become promises; once returned, they become vows.