their anger. This led to a surge in everyone's spirits as they rushed to escort Mao Xiaoshi and the injured Su Cen down to meet the ambulance. Furthermore, the bell for the last period rang just then;...Chapter Sixteen: Sweet Osmanthus Fragrance

Navigate still remembered that day on Gao Liang Road, when his mother had said this to him, "Look at the road ahead of us. This path is like your future life; you must maintain a speed over eighty miles per hour and never stop. If you slow down for roadside scenery or let a momentary fancy steal your drive towards progress, this sweet honey will numb your ambition. What lies hidden behind such sweetness can only be dry dust or mire that, though not bitter, is absolutely hard to swallow."

Trust me, being mentally and physically exhausted is more terrifying than simple pain; the former makes you feel death as a release, while the latter at least instills a fear of it.

In this moment, Tang Wu looks into her rearview mirror at the silent slope behind them extending towards the city that gradually fades from sight. Alongside the slopes and fields, there's a highway lined with splendid rice flowers, but in the night only their swaying can be seen, not their vibrant hues.

The city has its feasts and separated Su Can, yet the paths of the two seem to diverge into different planes at this moment. The endless stretch ahead leaves them feeling lost as if walking on air, unsure where life will take them next.

Tang Wu longs to say that compared to the harsh urban jungle and dazzling neon-lit lifestyle, she prefers clean air amidst fields of bright yellow rape blossoms, letting her breathe freely under a clear sky. But this is something she can never tell her mother.

Because her mother is always confident, aloof, and elegant without ever arguing with others, yet utterly assertive.

In one instant Tang Wu wishes their car would crash head-on into a fifteen-ton truck so that it might destroy the cold and stubborn strength of her mother. She pulls her legs up in her little evening gown, hugging them close as she sits on the leather seat, thinking about how to bury herself.

There's moonlight outside their window, and at this silent single-lane road, they are alone in their quiet journey.

This isn't a scene from James Bond; there won’t be any truck coming head-on. Even if it did, her mother would skillfully maneuver around such an impending disaster with ease. So she sweeps away all obstacles from her path in life one by one, including those who might alter the course of her daughter’s future.

Tang Wu is not unfamiliar with this big city; strictly speaking, she isn't alien to its claimed fashion and fast-paced lifestyle. There was a time when an aunt at a mall pointed out a jade bracelet priced in four figures and suggested she try it on while standing beside her mother who smiled calmly despite being strict. A clearly fashionable little princess nearby looked enviously as she pulled her father away.

Tang Wu knew this aunt’s family was not only wealthy enough to buy off fathers of entitled princesses in the city but also harbored deeper intentions towards integrating her into their home for her future.

Her mother believed Tang Wu could have a brand new start in this new city. She even told Tang Wu that she would give her ample space to manage her own life and relationships as long as she felt mature enough.

Tang Wu knew that her mother intended for this move to make her completely forget about the brief past. In her mother's view, in this city, with French paulownia trees, bright stone-paved roads, a brand new and larger stage, and a broader social network at school, she would be able to open up an entirely new mode of living.

So Tang Wu knew that she would have another kind of life, just as if she were walking in the spotlight watched by everyone. Before, she didn't know those strangers, nor did they know her. But now these unfamiliar people always looked at her and talked to her, exactly as her mother had envisioned: she was indeed heading towards a bigger stage, without the narrow-mindedness of a small city; everything around her seemed vibrant and colorful. However, all this came at the price of leaving behind her past.

She didn't know if that boy in the small town would still climb over the high wall to skip classes, living a simple yet joyful life. She also wondered whether, on hot summer days under the trees on the playground, there would still be girls offering Coke to him. Although she once thought of becoming that heroine one day, she didn't know if such new people would wait for him at the slope entrance after school every day as the distant sunset turned blood red.

The only connection between them was a highway dotted with rapeseed fields in full bloom linking their two cities, like a modern-day "Tale of Two Cities" performed by Charles Dickens.

One day, her mother Mu Ban suddenly said, "There’s one thing he will forget."

So Tang Wu started writing letters. When she put the last full stop on the page, she thought that now the rapeseed fields along that highway should completely wither.

But soon after, Su Cen didn't see any rapeseed fields; he passed through from above, only seeing clouds swept past by the aircraft's wings and vast plains below cloud layers like cliffs.

Evidently, apart from the highway, Tang Wu forgot about more advanced ways to connect the two cities.

Mother Mu Suo, who is adept at calculating her life and using various sophisticated pretenses and excuses to adjust both her own and her daughter’s lives, now encountered a tricky issue with this unexpected person suddenly appearing in Erqian Middle School.

"Excuse me. Do you know which class the boy you interviewed is in" Tang Wu tried to keep her voice calm as possible.

During recess time, Sun Man, who usually exchanged pleasantries with Tang Wu only on a superficial level, felt that something was off about Tang Wu today and merely said, "Oh. He’s in the same class as Xiao Yunyun, I think it's Class Three."

A boy standing next to Sun Man spoke up: "Class Three is actually in another teaching building; otherwise, I can take you there."

"No need," Tang Wu shook her head and walked out of the classroom, leaving behind some puzzled voices.

"Did you know him" Maggie Sun asked, referring to Stephen Chow. "Why Do you recognize him"

Sun Wan looked at the figure of Tang Wu disappearing in the distance and shook her head doubtfully. However, a bad feeling emerged deep within her heart.

There was indeed something amiss.

Exiting the teaching building, she saw numerous small paths ahead of her. Alongside these paths were lawns with various trees planted on them. These small roads led to different directions: dormitories, cafeterias, art buildings, experimental laboratories, and auditoriums.

Tang Wu roughly determined which teaching building it was and walked along the path. She noticed people wiping blackboards beside benches under a trellis covered in grape vines while glancing at her.

After a brief moment of peace, another bustling teaching building came into view.

This particular building was an old-style structure with cement columns dividing the corridors. Sunlight shone through these gaps and illuminated Tang Wu's dark red cotton coat and ponytail as she ascended the stairs. The sunlight penetrated her brown pupils, making them seem to sparkle like a galaxy. This sight startled students from student unions and clubs who were looking up at her from below the staircase; they hastily moved aside in confusion.

At this moment, Tang Wu's gaze seemed to focus on something as she smiled at these familiar individuals before continuing upstairs.

"Did you see that Tang Wu just smiled at me!" One of the more active student union staff members could barely contain his excitement, though there was a hint of playful boasting in what he said.

A club president flipped his 3-7 parted hair and declared confidently, "It's obvious. She still remembers providing articles for our Chrysanthemum Club back then. The smile was directed at me."

The students responded with a unified sound of disapproval: “tsk.”

"You're dead!" Jiang Mingjun, sitting beside him, gloated to Su Can about this incident. Surprisingly, he didn’t organize his usual small circle of friends after class to discuss games or the singer Pu Shu.

Guo Xiaozhong, originally from Class One, couldn't wait to rush into Su Can's classroom as well. Although his presence in the classroom was somewhat hesitant due to Wu Shimiao’s existence, Su Can's appearance on the weekly exposure board made him unable to hold back any longer.

"Su Can, what's going on with you You just arrived and ran afoul of Sun Wan, a well-known figure in the school TV station. Don't tell me you didn't know her popularity here. Now many people are calling you 'Stephen Chow' behind your back." Guo Xiaozhong looked dejected as he talked to Su Can, as if Su Can had already run afoul of local bullies upon arrival. Although he was very optimistic about Su Can's prospects, he couldn't help but feel that there were some things that could not be compared, such as the affection for Sun Wan that both Su Can and himself harbored.

During this break, Su Can also became the focus of discussion among most classmates. Some students admired his confident demeanor in front of the camera, while others like Wu Shimiao were delighted to see him suffer and spoke ill of him from a distance with occasional suppressed giggles. The male and female students all looked down on him.

If Su Can had been interviewed by an unpopular teacher from the school TV station and if he was someone who had already integrated into this class collective, he would probably have been treated as a hero at present. After all, what he said in front of the camera did make sense.

But he chose the wrong camp; firstly, he was a transfer student, secondly, he faced Sun Man.

No one expected that this transfer student who was bound to stir up trouble would choose such an idiotic way to enhance his reputation. Many people from No. 27 Middle School were ranked first or second in their regions and they understood the desire of these excellent students to stand out at school, but Su Can had chosen a completely wrong method.

When someone dislikes you, even what you say sounds unpleasant; thus, there are many people who think that Su Can is overestimating himself.

Su Can found it helpless. During this break, he was surrounded by these people and had no chance to slip away to see Tang Wu.

Behind the classroom door stood a student who ranked fifth in their class, a very nice girl who wasn't affected by Su Can's clique and was quite friendly towards him. The plump girl appeared hurriedly; she almost shouted with her hands rolled up, "Zhou Xing, no, Su Can! Someone is looking for you!"

Her voice made many people turn their heads, and then they seemed to understand why her voice was so different from the standard.

A girl wearing a red coat with a ponytail stood behind her. Her face was as delicate as porcelain, and sunlight cast long shadows on her slender figure.

The light under the long eyebrows flickered with moisture, soft lips pursed slightly, forming a sorrowful curve before it rose again, lighting up like sunshine melting ice.

Even the petrified atmosphere of all the ordinary students in Class 3 Grade 2 was thawed at this moment.

Amidst the statuesque figures frozen by Wu Duo, Su Can supported himself with his hands on the desk and stood up lightly. Inwardly, however, he felt as if two armies were clashing fiercely on a plain, making him sweat slightly from the back.

The sky was clear at this moment, with osmanthus fragrance wafting through the window.ized as a designated procurement unit by the municipal government. Many offices recently lacking paper or writing instruments would now purchase directly from the store, under the banner of supporting...