During springtime, Chang Jianing told me that she wanted to take the entrance exam for the elite high school in the city.

The admission scores for that high school were usually extremely high, so high that based on my grades, it was hanging by a thread for me.

After the practice exam, I truly understood the huge gap between Chang Jianing and me.

She outperformed the runner-up by more than twenty points.

This was a terrifying concept, in a school where every point could make a difference of two or three places, she was in a league of her own.

And it looked effortless for her, even the most complex questions seemed to be answered immediately when they fell into her hands.

Her strong and aggressive scores stood in stark contrast to her demeanor.

She spoke softly, even when angry words were directed at her by other boys, her response was soft and light.

It was scary, and it made my heart race.

My friend was even more powerful than I had imagined, so why would she care about someone as insignificant as me?

I started resisting contact with her inexplicably.

I forced my mother's viewpoint into my brain, telling myself over and over again that we were not friends, we were enemies, enemies.

As the high school entrance exam approached, I felt a huge amount of pressure, with endless papers and mock exams to complete every day.

I studied with all my might, staying up until two-thirty in the morning, and waking up at five-thirty to review.

I couldn't sleep all night, with only my mother's incessant chatter about Chang Jianing in my head.

She would say, "Chang Jianing will surely not be as picky as you when it comes to food, bitter melon helps with heat."

She also said, "Chang Jianing will surely not splash water all over the place while showering like you do."

She even said, "Chang Jianing will certainly not take so long to finish her homework like you do. She finishes it early at school and then completes other assignments when she gets home."

...

The air near the beginning of summer carried the stench of scorched earth, along with the never-ending buzz of cicadas.

The thick and sticky air clung to my skin, seeped into my lungs through my nostrils, making it hard to breathe.

I felt like a balloon constantly being inflated by my mother, getting fuller and not knowing when it would burst due to the overflowing air inside.

There was a small fan on the classroom wall, and when Chang Jianing saw my pale face drenched in sweat, she silently turned the fan towards me.

She fanned me, leaned against the table, and said, "Here, you need to draw an auxiliary line from here to here..."

She was trying to teach me, but my head was in a state of confusion, sticky and thick.

I could understand every word she said, but in my head, they were forming a series of alien symbols.

With a pale face and trembling hands, I couldn't write anything down no matter how hard I tried.

She noticed something was not right and looked at my face with concern.

I didn't know what she saw in me that made me panic the next second.

She anxiously shouted, "Qiqi... Qiqi, your face is so pale, your lips are so pale, and you're trembling... What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

I turned my head and saw my own pale, trembling body in the reflection of the window.

I held my shaking hand in an attempt to remain calm and said, "It's nothing, maybe just a bit of heatstroke. You continue talking."

She was a little annoyed and closed my book, touching my forehead.

The cool temperature of her hand made me suddenly feel unusually calm.

There was an anger on her face that I had never seen before as she said, "You're sick and still want to study! I'll help you get permission to leave from the teacher, and you can pack up and go home to rest right now."

She said I needed to rest.

I immediately shook my head, wanting to refuse, but my head just swayed lightly and the dizziness made me close my mouth.

She called a taxi and sent me home, giving me a hug when I got out of the car and comforting me by patting my back.

She said, "Take your medicine, go to bed early tonight, don't worry about studying, I will help you catch up."

"Rest for one day and if you don’t feel better, then rest for two days. If I see you looking sick again, be careful, I will scold you.”