CM Chapter 15

The day after I returned to school, our grade had a mock exam for the geography proficiency test. I had been so preoccupied and troubled by with Xiaoxia lately that I was completely unprepared for the test. When the results came out the next day, only five students in our class of fifty-one had failed. Unfortunately, I was one of them. The homeroom teacher called me over.

Since my grades were usually good, the teacher asked me as soon as I got to his office if something was on my mind. He was right, of course. I did have something weighing on me. But how could I possibly bring that up?

So, I casually lied, telling him I hadn't been feeling well lately. I promised him I would definitely pass the actual exam. He chatted with me for a bit more but couldn't get anything else out of me. He told me he would inform my parents of the situation and sent me back to the classroom.

The weekend arrived as scheduled. I left school for home with a heart full of anxiety. On the way, I kept praying:

Please, let the teacher not have called yet. He was just trying to scare me.

"Xiaojun, come over here and sit down. I need to ask you something," Dad said, his tone still relatively calm. I went over to them and sat down carefully. Then he asked, "What happened with the mock exam? How did you fail?"

"I wasn't feeling well before the exam, so I didn't prepare much. But I promise I'll pass the actual proficiency test," I repeated the same lie I'd told the teacher. Just as he was about to continue, my mom's voice cut in, defending me. "Alright, alright, Lao He. Our son is finally home for a two-day break, don't criticize him. He didn't do it on purpose. Actually, it's my fault. I shouldn't have taken him out for so long that day. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so tired and would have studied properly. Besides, this wasn't the real test. It's okay that he didn't do well this time. He still has a few weeks to work hard." After saying this in one breath, she turned to me with a smile and said, "Understood? You need to study hard starting next week."

"Understood," I nodded in reply.

"You! Sigh! You spoil him too much," Dad said, shaking his head. A smile softened his expression. He patted my shoulder and said, "Then I'll be counting on your final proficiency test score. Don't be careless." I nodded in agreement to him as well.

It was already six in the evening when I walked through the door. The first thing I saw was my mom and dad sitting on the living room sofa, waiting for me. Dad looked at me with a stern expression, while my mother's gaze held a hint of concern. I lowered my head, my heart sinking. The homeroom teacher had made that call after all.

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