Notes of Youth

Chapter 60: Chapter 60 – In the Stillness of Exam Week



The air was heavy with silence.

It was the first day of final exams. Hallways that were usually filled with chatter and laughter now echoed only the distant squeak of shoes and the soft shuffle of papers. Posters reminding students to "Stay Calm and Do Your Best" hung limply along the corridors, their bright colors dulled by the mood of the week.

Lin Keqing sat at her desk in Class 11A1, her fingers tightening slightly around her pen. The first test was English. Of all subjects, this was the one she dreaded most—not because she hadn't studied, but because she never quite trusted herself in it.

From the hallway outside, she could hear the shuffling of other students in the science-track class. Somewhere among them was Gu Yuyan.

Her fingers twitched.

The teacher handed out the test sheets. A tense rustling filled the room. The clock ticked above them all, slow and stern.

Forty minutes in.

Keqing stared at a single comprehension question that somehow seemed to mock her. She reread the paragraph, her brain stalling on every phrase. Her chest tightened. Was this what anxiety felt like? Not panic, not terror — just an overwhelming blankness?

She closed her eyes briefly.

Then remembered something.

A week ago, Gu Yuyan had left her a notebook in the library. She hadn't opened it then — too many people around. But when she got home, she found one simple sentence written on the inside cover:

"You've already learned how to care for others. Maybe it's time you learn to be gentle with yourself too."

A breath escaped her.

She looked at the question again. This time, the words made slightly more sense. She didn't aim for perfection — just sincerity.

And that was enough.

After the bell rang, students poured out of classrooms with expressions ranging from relief to devastation.

Keqing walked quietly down the hall. She didn't look for Gu Yuyan, but her steps slowed as she passed the science-track rooms. She didn't see him.

But on the stairwell railing, resting inconspicuously, was a folded slip of paper. Her name was written on it. Neatly. Simply.

She glanced around, then took it.

Inside, it read:

"Physics tomorrow. You'll do fine.

P.S. The world doesn't end with one bad test."

Her lips curled into a silent smile.

Meanwhile – in the science-track class

Gu Yuyan sat in the back row, arms folded. His English test had gone as expected. Not great, not bad. Just done.

He didn't see Keqing that morning, but he had quietly slipped the note during the break. He didn't want to distract her — only remind her that someone was quietly watching out for her, even across classes.

Elsewhere: Le Yahan & Chen Yuke

In the afternoon, the natural science students had Math. Yahan leaned over her desk, scribbling rapidly.

When the test ended, she collapsed into her seat and exhaled dramatically.

Later, as she checked her phone, she found a message from Chen Yuke.

"Still alive?"

She grinned and typed back:

"Barely. But if I lose my mind tomorrow, remember my face."

He replied within seconds.

"Even if you lose your mind, I'll remember your eyebrows. They're hard to forget."

She stared at the screen and burst into quiet laughter.

The next day, Keqing and Chen Yuke sat side by side in their classroom, preparing for History.

"I didn't sleep till 1 AM," Yuke whispered.

Keqing gave him a side glance. "You were reading war summaries, weren't you?"

"I was looking at memes about war summaries."

She smiled despite herself.

Even during exams, some things didn't change.

 Lunch break – school cafeteria

All four students ended up in the cafeteria at the same time — by coincidence, or maybe habit. They didn't sit together, but their tables were nearby.

Yahan was poking at her rice with chopsticks. "Why does food always taste worse during exam week?"

"Because guilt is the secret seasoning," Yuke said from two tables away.

She threw a grape at him.

He caught it — and ate it.

Across the room, Keqing was eating quietly while looking through her Geography notes. Gu Yuyan sat a few seats away, rereading a diagram on chemical bonding. At one point, their eyes met.

It was only for a second.

But it lingered.

 Day Three – Literature

Keqing's strongest subject.

As soon as the paper hit her desk, she took a deep breath and read through the essay prompts. One of them was about "unspoken understanding." Her pen hovered over the page for a moment — then she began to write.

She didn't name names. But there were parts of Gu Yuyan in every paragraph. The way silence can carry weight. The way eyes can speak louder than words. The way two people can stand far apart — but still walk forward together.

When the bell rang, she felt… lighter.

 Evening

Keqing sat at her desk, scrolling through her phone. A notification appeared.

Gu Yuyan:"There's a quote in a book I found today. I thought you'd like it."

Then came a photo.

A page from a worn book, with a line underlined in blue ink.

"What is not said can be a refuge, so long as someone knows how to listen."

She read the line three times.

Then typed:

"Thank you. I liked it."

He responded:

"I'm glad."

No emoji. No heart.

But it didn't need one.

Before the final day

As she closed her textbook, Keqing opened the message her father had sent last week. She had never responded.

Tonight, she wrote:

"I finish exams tomorrow. If you're still free, maybe we can have dinner."

There was no trembling in her fingers. Only a quiet steadiness.

Minutes later, the reply came:

"I'd really like that."

After the last exam, Gu Yuyan found Keqing standing on the rooftop, gazing at the horizon where clouds glowed gold.

He walked up beside her. Neither spoke at first.

Then she said, "It's over."

He nodded. "Yeah."

She turned slightly. "You said before that silence could be a kind of waiting. Do you think it can also be… enough?"

He looked at her, then out toward the sky.

"If it's the right kind," he said softly. "Then yes. It can be enough."

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