03

Just when we were all eagerly hoping that the three of us could be admitted to Xiayu, on the day of the graduation exam, Xu Song suddenly developed a high fever, which affected his performance, and he could only attend a school that was somewhat farther away. Thus, Xia Zixuan and I came to Xiayu, while the person who should have been here the most was unable to attend, which is undoubtedly a regret

I scratched my head and chuckled, saying, "Hehe, I can trust you to get things done! Although we are rivals, when it comes to reliability, I definitely think you are the most dependable! Let's proceed with the speech competition as you suggested; I believe it will be an exceptionally outstanding event."

Xu Song possesses not only a handsome appearance and a beautiful voice, but most importantly, his character is exceptionally gentle. Whenever I am by his side, I always feel as if I am enveloped in a warm spring breeze

It is precisely for this reason that, all along, Xu Song and I have maintained a relatively close relationship

Is it worth getting angry over such a trivial matter?

As soon as the results of the elementary school entrance examination were released, the three of us were taken aback. Xia Zixuan, having been too distracted and not focusing much on his studies, only managed to get into a rather ordinary school. In contrast, both Xu Song and I successfully advanced to the main junior high school.

It was around the third or fourth grade of elementary school when I only knew Xia Zixuan, as he would tease me all day long

After advancing to higher education, the most significant difference is that the person by my side has changed from Xu Song to Xia Zixuan. Xia Zixuan, who has entered his peak developmental stage, has grown into a completely different person from the mischievous troublemaker he was when he graduated from elementary school! During the initial days of the new semester, every time I saw Xia Zixuan, I would mistakenly think I had recognized the wrong person.

With the absence of Xia Zixuan, who used to annoy me all day long, I do feel a slight discomfort at times. However, more often than not, due to the company of Xu Song, I do not feel lonely, and one could even say that I am quite pleased.

Sometimes, I truly feel that life possesses an indescribable wonder

Thus, Xia Zixuan seemed to have transformed into a different person, no longer the mischievous troublemaker from elementary school who only knew how to stir up trouble. Although he still did not forget his true nature and would occasionally find ways to provoke me, it was evident that he devoted much more energy to his studies.

My words did not ease Xia Zixuan's expression: "Even so, can you think of other boys while I am speaking?"

Although Xu Song, who is gentle and quiet, is about the same age as us, he has been very sensible since childhood and has a very mild temperament. Therefore, every time we got into trouble, he was the one who took care of the aftermath. Whether it was apologizing to others or restoring the things we had damaged, Xu Song was always able to handle it perfectly

In no time, time swiftly passed by in such playful and lively days

As soon as I finished speaking, I noticed Xia Zixuan turning his head to look at me, his face displaying an unmistakable expression of astonishment. His well-defined eyebrows slowly drew together, and his lips trembled slightly as he said, "Luo Xiaohan, I just told you so much, did you not listen to any of it?"

Ah, what is it? Xu Song is just another boy, we three are good friends, right? Good friends! I looked at Xia Zixuan's excited expression with amusement

Sometimes, I truly feel that God was quite unfair when creating people. God clearly bestowed upon him such a fine appearance, yet also preferentially granted him such a charming voice

The school leadership is quite attentive to this speech competition. This morning, the head of the English department specifically spoke with me, expressing the hope that our student council can make this speech competition more grandiose

The last time I became the center of attention wherever I went like this was when I first became the president of the student council

Moreover, no matter what unhappy events I encounter, I always rush to tell Xu Song first. He is always able to comfort me well and find ways to make me happy.

To divert my attention, I turned my head and picked up the previous topic: "However, thanks to the Vice President, I haven't experienced being the center of attention in the entire school like today for quite some time."

Over the past three years, we have maintained contact with Xia Zixuan. Every weekend, we still meet up as we used to. We jokingly say that in the future, we should aim to attend the same school, preferably to go to Xia Yu together and attend S University together

Even if I work hard to get into Xiayu, I still cannot escape such a fate... Being the president of the student council is something that others would certainly desire, but he knows that I like to sleep in, procrastinate, and sometimes I often get confused, yet he forced me into this position! Now, as it turns out, due to a reason, I was late once, just as he wished, and became the laughingstock of the entire school!

At that time, I thought the three of us would always be so happy, always playing joyfully together, and then, being lifelong good friends. Who would have known that the days of parting would come so swiftly

Perhaps, this is what growth is

After all, during elementary school, Xia Zixuan was a little demon king who would do anything to break through the ceiling. Now, he has not only grown taller and stronger, but his voice has also developed a unique charm typical of youth. His face is no longer the baby-faced look of his childhood, but rather a handsome young man with distinct features. Even his personality has become more composed and reserved, giving an impression of reliability at first glance

However regrettable it may be, life must go on

As time passes, we have unknowingly become increasingly better.

However, I have long been accustomed to such matters. Moreover, as my deskmate Su Mixue said, I do not hold grudges at all. I may feel very angry at the moment something happens, but once that feeling passes, I can completely treat it as if it never occurred. Just this morning, I was still fuming, but after a sudden review at noon and an afternoon quiz, that anger had long dissipated. At this moment, I am already able to chat calmly with Xia Zixuan.

The iris flower field remains the same iris flower field, but the number of people tending to it has changed from three to two

Thinking of Xu Song, I realized that the three of us haven't gathered for a long time. Without much thought, I blurted out: "It has been a long time since we last saw Xu Song, hasn't it? Should we find a time to invite him out so that we can all get together?"

At that time, everyone believed that Xia Zixuan was the rightful president, but unexpectedly, he specifically named me as the president and took the position of vice president. If anyone disagreed, he would not hold any position.

Under the setting sun, the golden afterglow illuminates the earth. A girl with a flushed face and a boy with a smile at the corners of his mouth quietly push a cart, walking side by side along the tree-lined path outside the school gate

In the course of our daily interactions, the three of us unknowingly became good friends. Besides tending to the patch of irises, we always enjoyed spending time together after class, whether on weekdays or during weekends when there were no classes. At that time, Xia Zixuan did not possess the leadership qualities and the calm, reserved demeanor he has now; apart from making me angry, he also loved to cause trouble everywhere, especially dragging me along to partake in those mischiefs.

One day, when the teacher assigned the two of us to clean the iris flower area in the school's back garden, he specifically caught a huge grasshopper to scare me, which made me cry on the spot. After achieving his goal, he returned to the classroom with satisfaction, leaving me alone, feeling a mix of anger, fear, and sadness amidst the patch of irises. At that moment, a clean young boy named Xu Song, dressed in a white school uniform shirt, happened to pass by and handed me a brand new handkerchief. From that day on, I became acquainted with Xu Song, the perfect boy who was both gentle and handsome, like a character from a book, and excelled academically.

However, speaking of this, God has shown even greater favor to another person around me

This can also be attributed to Xu Song's initial efforts

In the blink of an eye, a phrase suddenly emerged in my mind: "I only wish for peace in the present world and a tranquil passage of time." Realizing how overly sentimental and artistic I had become, I was overcome with a shiver.

Alas, this fellow, ever since childhood, has had the bad habit of wanting to provoke me whenever he sees me, and he just cannot change it

I wonder if I would still be able to witness such changes had he stayed with us throughout the three years of middle school

Indeed, the relationship between Xia Zixuan and me is quite subtle; we can create chaos and turmoil, undermine each other, and are often at odds over everything as rivals. However, at the same time, we are also good friends who trust each other.

Walking slowly beside Xia Zixuan, listening to him speak about the speech competition in a voice as gentle as flowing stream water, I found myself unconsciously immersed in his voice

Later on, the teacher unexpectedly entrusted the school’s patch of iris flowers to the three of us, asking us to take good care of the flower field. Therefore, after school, Xu Song and I would always go to weed, water, loosen the soil, and fertilize the flowers, while Xia Zixuan would find various ways to tease me. Every time I was provoked to tears by Xia Zixuan, Xu Song always had a way to comfort me, and then also found a way to make Xia Zixuan apologize to me

Xia Zixuan smiled slightly and began discussing the upcoming English speech competition with me

Therefore, it can be said that the three of us have been good friends for so many years, and Xu Song deserves much of the credit