Chapter 21.4 (1/2)

Final Chapter (4)

He never did return again.

When it was time for her graduation ceremony, Tong Yan went back to the university.

She had arrived in Shanghai one day prior and completed all the necessary formalities for graduating from the school. That night, she stayed at Shen Yao’s home and arrived at the university the following day.

Of the twenty-three students in her cla.s.s, twelve were admitted directly or by recommendation into other universities for graduate studies. Five or six of the remaining students had received offers from the prestigious schools they had desired. Shen Yao’s wish was fulfilled, and she truly was accepted into Yale.

Zhou Qingchen, on the other hand, was not going to continue studying and rather, had obtained a job working in the Singapore government. Jingjing, hence, had unexpectedly become like the swallow that had flown up to the top of the branch and transformed into a little phoenix[1] [a woman who has transformed from rags to riches], busily accompanying him to carry out the formal procedures and paperwork while incidentally also making her own preparations to go abroad with him.

Graduation was a fork in the road of life, but there were no road signs.

After July, everyone would begin embarking along his or her own road, moving towards utterly different lives.

Very early on, during the interns.h.i.+p period, the dormitory had basically been half emptied.

The beds were empty, their deep green metal frames as well as wooden bed boards bare and exposed, just as they had been when they first entered university. The shelves were also bare, a layer of dust cloaking them. Shen Yao stepped in but strolled only one circle around the room before she broke down, left, and began going to every other place to find people to say goodbye to.

Unable to sit there in the dormitory room, in the end, Tong Yan could only head over early to hang around in front of the auditorium, waiting, with nothing to do, for the ceremony to begin.

The previous night, she and Shen Yao had squeezed together on one single-size bed to sleep, and now she finally felt that her lower back was a little sore.

She sat down on the steps and drew her legs up to her chest, resting her chin on her knees as she watched the people going in and out of the main doors of the auditorium to prepare for tonight’s graduation celebration and party.

She remembered the previous year’s celebration had been outdoors, and she and Shen Yao had stood crammed against the entrance of the library, joining in on the excitement. Time had pa.s.sed with a “whoosh,” and now it was her turn.

Apparently, the previous couple of days had been gloomy with continuous rain, but today the weather had cleared. The morning breeze blew in her direction, carrying a touch of moisture on it. Her arms were wrapped around her calves while his name repeated over and over again in her mind.

So much time had pa.s.sed, yet she could still remember, that day, the weather had been very nice. The morning sunlight had shone in through the window, and he had been completely enveloped in its glow. Casually, he had held the chalk and written his name: Gu Pingsheng.

Four or five people walked out from inside the auditorium, all of them junior schoolmates who were part of the Suns.h.i.+ne Theatre Society.

And there was also Ai Mi, who had already started a job at a television station.

After the numerous commendations of “congratulations on graduating,” Ai Mi stayed and sat down side by side with her. “So, what will it be? Is your future one of a great lawyer or a judge? Or maybe a prosecutor?”

“Don’t know.” Tong Yan genuinely did not know. “I don’t want to do anything that has to do with law. I really, especially don’t.”

If it was possible, she truly wanted to be willful and give up what she had majored in.

Because it was connected to him.

“You were in the liberal arts stream. If you don’t work in your field of study, you’re not going to be worth much when you head out into the real world, right?”

“It seems that’s the case.” She pondered seriously for a moment. “Other than reciting and memorizing from books, there’s not much I know how to do. Now that I think about it, the sciences and engineering are better. At least you’ll come out with specialized knowledge or skills.”

“You know how to sing.” Ai Mi laughingly reminded, “And what’s more, your singing is particularly nice to listen to. Go take the Putonghua Proficiency Test[2]. I’ll put in a recommendation for you to do an interns.h.i.+p at the TV station.”

She gave an offhand answer, continuing to rest her chin on her knees and stare vacantly ahead.

Beginning tomorrow, she would start again to consider matters about the future. Today was the last day of being a student.

The graduation ceremony lasted for two hours, and wearing her bachelor’s gown, she stood at the very back, her s.h.i.+rt inside completely dampened. When at last the conclusion of the ceremony was announced and all the graduation caps were flying into the air, Tong Yan’s first action was to remove her gown to allow herself a breather.

Her sweat-soaked, short-sleeve s.h.i.+rt clung to her body. As she bowed her head to pull out a tissue, Shen Yao, who was standing behind her, sudden gave her a hard nudge on the arm.

“Gu Pingsheng.”

She had not even had the chance to react before Shen Yao was already dragging her to the outer perimeters.

From this particular angle, they had a view of all the teachers of the Law Faculty as well as the dean. He really was standing there beside the dean, watching the elderly gentleman speak. He was dressed in a very simple, casual b.u.t.ton-up s.h.i.+rt, his complexion fair and the outline of his facial features distinct, his expression still collected as before. In this way, she stood and gazed upon him from afar. Each subtle motion, in her eyes, was infinitely magnified.

Whatever Shen Yao said afterward, she did not hear at all.

Soon, the more than three thousand people in that courtyard began to disperse, and the scene was even more crowded and hectic than the train station. Embraces of farewell, photographs taken together and signatures being signed, tears and laughter as well as wild, senseless fun.

The once most-popular teacher had returned on this day of the graduation ceremony, and naturally, memories were evoked in many people.

Apart from Shen Yao and her, almost everyone stepped up in their bachelor’s gowns to take a photograph with him as a keepsake.

The esteemed, elderly dean of the Law Faculty had hence become a supporting role, standing beamingly to the left of all of the students, while Gu Pingsheng was inundated with various requests and obligingly accommodated memento photographs.

Her cla.s.smates all thought that Gu Pingsheng had purposely come today to be with her, so naturally, they also presumed that Tong Yan was keeping such a far distance to avoid rousing negative attention. Several cla.s.smates who were relatively friendlier with her had, after fulfilling their photograph wish, even approached Tong Yan and expressed their “apologies” for occupying Great Beauty Gu.

In the end, she was the one who left first.

Without any place to go, she stepped into the auditorium to watch the final rehearsal for the night’s celebration.