They thought that by catching the Chan, they had captured the whole summer.
Just as they were getting used to high school, thinking its doors had fully opened to them, they suddenly realized they had already been swept up by the tides of history— life in their second year had become unexpectedly busy.
Test Papers piled up, and on their desks, the rising peaks of Book Mountain began to stand out.
Though busy, their days felt fulfilling.
“You guys, look! Isn’t that the Southeast Corner Crooked-Neck Tree?” someone exclaimed, pointing at the tree gradually taking shape under Xia Hua’s pen.
There were students there, being chased around by teachers from the Security Department.
“Ah~~~ Those are truly unforgettable memories! Thank goodness I ran fast enough back then.”
“Get lost, I was publicly criticized by the whole school, you know…” As second-year students, they were brave and fearless.
And this was just one scene among many; as the battle song began, the climax approached.
What was the rhythm of life in the second year? It was fulfilling yet hectic, a journey striving forward with hope.
Their energy seemed endless, their passion as if it could pierce the clouds.
So, that illustration began with a flurry of balloons.
On the balloons was written: “Go, Class XX!”
Looking down, the Schoolyard was packed with cheering crowds.
Far off, the grass had already started to yellow.
“It’s the autumn Sports Meet!” someone said, smiling gently.
“Ah…” They were all a bit stunned, but then sighed deeply. “We were right there, part of that Sports Meet ourselves, but why does it feel like a lifetime ago?”
“We’re still just kids, so why does it feel like we’ve already grown old inside?”
“You mean prematurely mature?” someone smiled.
“Maybe it’s just that we’ve all grown up!!”
“If we could do the Sports Meet again, I’d definitely sign up…”
They were mature youths, but in the painting, it was as if they’d returned to last year’s second year.
Back then, the High School Seniors had stepped aside, and the first-year newbies were hardly worth mentioning.
Who are we? We are the passionate youths whose spirit soars to the skies! We’ve been in the group for a month already— we’re like huskies! We’re fearless, ready to challenge every impossible miracle.
Scene after scene of classic moments from the Sports Meet.
It almost made all the High School Seniors below cheer aloud.
Even though…
Even though it was just a painting!!
Yet it felt like they were right there. When they saw a shy girl finally muster her courage to shout “Go!” to a boy, everyone started to whistle and cheer together.
“How does she do it?” Ji Fan was already entranced.
“This is the best performance I’ve ever seen, and…” Lin An couldn’t look away, watching the scenes set alight by the fiery battle song, blood boiling with excitement.
He was also always watching that girl, focused on her work.
That look of concentration and seriousness was as pleasing to the eye as a devout believer.
And every stroke was so confident— she never doubted how she should draw. Each grand sweep, each line, was a testament to her self-assurance.
“I just realized, she’s actually really pretty, isn’t she?” Lin An said for the second time.
“If I’d known earlier…”
“I would have given her a better Digital Tablet…”
The Digital Tablet Xia Hua used was fine for beginners, but ultimately, it lacked something.
After all, it was free— how good could it be?
Because it was just a basic, non-display Digital Tablet, Lin An felt that every stroke Xia Hua made was so confident, sketching out the whole of their youth on that pitch-black tablet.
At last, the fiery battle song, ‘Sold Out’, reached its end.
There was a painting— a young man sprinting across the finish line.
This was a rare, detailed piece from Xia Hua. She captured the boy’s struggle and the look on his face as he sprinted, the longing for victory clear in his expression.
This painting slowly faded from view as the battle song drew to a close.
The third song, ‘See You Again’— surely, many have heard it?
Taken from Fast & Furious, the song in memory of Paul Walker.
“When the moon is full, it begins to wane; when water brims, it spills over.”
“After the climax, there must come a fall; prosperity is always followed by decline— that’s an unchanging law.” Leaning against the doorway, Xia Hua softly spoke her understanding and artistic concept at this moment.
“Never doubt how much heart I put into my work.”
“Because, I am…”
Xia Hua pursed her lips, and said to the High School Seniors sitting in the front rows, her voice low: “I treat you as Party A! And Party A is always the hardest to please, the most picky.”
“If you don’t get it, go watch some videos on Bilibili.”
“Delivering a work that satisfies Party A— that’s the key to survival.”
“It’s the truest thing I realized after being battered by society…”
She raised her little fist at the High School Seniors, a smile tugging at her lips.
Yet she was also full of confidence, vowing, “So, you terrible High School Senior Party A clients, all of you… just cry for me…”
As Xia Hua finished speaking, the third song began— this one tinged with the sadness of parting.
After just experiencing such stunning, thrilling, and passionate scenes, the High School Seniors hadn’t yet caught their breath.
Suddenly, they noticed— the mood had changed in an instant.
The height of summer faded, prosperity waned, autumn passed, and winter approached…
Now, on the big screen, were hurried High School Seniors, a few students chatting idly in the classroom. It looked leisurely, but the mountains of books betrayed them.
Another relaxed scene.
Their classroom seemed to be on a higher floor now.
On the Schoolyard below were tiny figures, the freshmen gazing up in awe at the tall buildings, while those in the buildings— now seniors— looked down with a sense of calm detachment.
The passing of summer, the greenness, the innocence.
In the washed-out tranquility, their laughter was gone.
They were all heading in the same direction.
Some fell along the way, but their companions could not stop to wait for them, because they had not yet arrived, had not yet crossed that finish line. Suddenly, from the front rows, sobbing was heard.
“Wuwu… I wish you’d wait for me, please don’t leave me behind…” It was a girl whose grades weren’t great— maybe she’d given up, maybe she truly couldn’t keep up, or maybe there were all sorts of reasons.
She was one of those who sometimes fell behind in the painting.
And it wasn’t just her.
On the journey of growing up, there were many like her.
Even couples were affected.
Gradually, more people began to cry.
“Wait for us…” someone couldn’t help but shout.
But no one would stop to wait.
They kept moving toward that one direction, until finally, the finish line seemed within reach.
So that’s it— the College Entrance Exam.
Among those pressing forward, a bespectacled senior took off his glasses.
He was the first to run, charging toward that life-defining moment called the College Entrance Exam with unstoppable momentum.
It was a force— more and more joined in.
They surged forward like a tidal wave toward that life-defining point.
“Charge~~~” In real life, the High School Seniors were swept up as well.
“College Entrance Exam, let’s go…”
“Go get it!”
“Damn this exam!!!”
“I’ll hate you for a lifetime…”
When autumn comes, September Eighth, after my flower blooms, all others wither. College Entrance Exam? Slay! Slay! Slay!!!
Pressing forward like the Tiger Mountain March, parting the clouds to see the light.
Laughing to the sky as I leave home— how could we be mere weeds…
The College Entrance Exam— what is there to fear?
Graduation… forever!