Rebirth: I Am Not the Movie Queen This Time-Chapter 70: End of the College Entrance Exam

Three days later, Bai Zhixi finally returned, looking somewhat thinner.

Wan Chu’er felt a twinge of heartache and asked, "Mom, is the situation in Wanzhou very tricky?"

"Ah?" Bai Zhixi didn’t go to Wanzhou, so she didn’t react immediately.

"You’ve lost weight," Wan Chu’er pointed at her face.

Upon closer inspection, it seemed her body had indeed slimmed down a lot.

Bai Zhixi turned around and lowered her head to check the college entrance examination bag that Wan Chu’er had prepared, which had two pencils, three pens, an eraser, a pencil sharpener, a ruler, and other items.

"There is something going on in Wanzhou; someone wants to buy our family’s pickle workshop and the pickle-making skills," Bai Zhixi thought for a bit and revealed a hint.

She did have this intention; once Chuchu went off to university, there would be no one left to manage the pickle business. She wanted to sell off this business, sell the house in the Glass Factory Family Quarters as well, gather some money, and let Chuchu take it to Beijing to see if they could buy a small house there as a place to stay.

When she was gone, she didn’t want Chuchu to come back here; she was afraid that Chuchu might be overwhelmed by memories and feel heartbroken.

"What?" Wan Chu’er stopped what she was doing and asked in surprise, "Mom, are you planning to transfer the pickle business? Why?"

The pickle business was on the rise; selling now seemed uneconomical.

Bai Zhixi said, "Some people want to buy it, and I’m still considering whether to sell it or not. This pickle business is very exhausting."

It was the first time Wan Chu’er heard Bai Zhixi mention that the business was exhausting, thought Bai Zhixi was just tired, and concluded:

"Then think it over; whatever decision you make, I will support you. I just want my mom to be happy and cheerful. It’s also good if you sell it, so when I go to university, you can accompany me, and we won’t have to be apart."

Hearing her daughter’s words, Bai Zhixi felt a surge of emotion rush to her nasal passages, spicy and sour, and tears nearly flowed down.

Afraid that her daughter might notice something, she turned away and mumbled indistinctly.

Wan Chu’er didn’t notice Bai Zhixi’s abnormality but was frowning, contemplating the pros and cons of selling the pickle business as mentioned by Bai Zhixi.

After a while, once Bai Zhixi calmed her emotions, she turned back and said, "The location of your exam is at the Wutong County Third Elementary School, quite far from our home. I won’t be able to send you there tomorrow; there are some matters to handle in the courtyard. You don’t mind, do you?"

Wan Chu’er turned her head and smiled, "It’s okay, I’ll just take a taxi there. You would just be out in the sun if you came with me; I can’t bear that. You just focus on your stuff, just wait and watch me snag a spot at the first university in Beijing."

Bai Zhixi felt like crying again; her tears had become more frequent these days.

Since tomorrow was the first day of the college entrance exams, Wan Chu’er unusually went to bed at ten o’clock that day.

Yet, the lights in Bai Zhixi’s room stayed on for a long time.

The next morning, Bai Zhixi heartbreakingly prepared breakfast for her daughter, and watching her daughter eat and bid farewell with a relaxed and confident face made her feel even more sour.

After Wan Chu’er left, Bai Zhixi waited a while, till she could no longer hear Chu’er’s footsteps, then staggered, clutching desperately at the door frame nearby.

She stumbled into her own room, dug out a pack of medicine from the cabinet, shakily found the bottle with painkillers, poured it out, and then with half a cup of cold water in the room, swallowed the medicine.

Recently, the frequency of her episodes had been increasing, all managed only with these painkillers.

It took a long while for Bai Zhixi to recover a bit, then she got up and looked in the mirror; her face was pale, her hair messy, a total mess.

Looking at the time, Chuchu had probably finished the first session of the morning. She hurriedly cleaned up the scattered pills on the floor, hiding them back in the cabinet.

After tidying the house so that nothing seemed amiss, she left a note and quickly left home.

The morning exam went very smoothly for Wan Chu’er, she was confident about the questions, and after finishing, she even had time to check her answers twice.

After handing in her test paper, she packed up her things and headed home.

When she was leaving the classroom, a bespectacled boy next to her looked at Wan Chu’er nervously and with eager eyes, he said:

"Classmate, how did you do just now? I’m not sure about a few questions, let’s compare our answers."

Wan Chu’er glanced at him and saw right through his intentions, chuckled lightly, then emotionlessly refused: "I don’t remember the answers."

She then left the classroom unbothered by the boy’s embarrassed look.

She was not interested in boys who got nervous even just talking to a girl, and moreover, it was the first exam of the college entrance exam, and he was playing these tricks, too self-centered.

She arrived home in high spirits, only to find it empty, Bai Zhixi was not there again.

"Has it been this busy lately?" she thought, perhaps she should really sell the pickles business and not let Bai Zhixi tire herself out.

As she entered the yard, she noticed a note on the door.

"Chuchu, sorry, Mom had to leave because of some matters, I’ve ordered noodles from Wu Family Noodle House for you."

Just after she finished reading the note, she heard the noodle delivery person outside.

Wan Chu’er went out again to receive the noodles.

In the afternoon, as Bai Zhixi still hadn’t returned, Wan Chu’er felt a slight sense of loss, but she gathered herself and took a ride to the exam venue.

The three days of exams ended quickly.

During these days, except for the first day, Bai Zhixi didn’t show up for the next two days at all. She arranged for meals to be delivered each time and sent a note informing her that she was busy and couldn’t get away.

Wan Chu’er was puzzled but endured and finished her college entrance exams.

On the afternoon of the third day, she finally saw Bai Zhixi at home, who was cooking.

Wan Chu’er’s little sulkiness immediately dissipated, she muttered: "Mom, I thought you didn’t want me anymore." After saying that, she felt a bit embarrassed; the words sounded like a little girl whining, and she was not really a little girl anymore.

Bai Zhixi, without turning around and still stirring with the spatula, laughed: "Why do you find it harder to leave Mom as you grow up? Go wash your hands, we need to eat and I have something to instruct you on."

"What is it?" Wan Chu’er asked with a smile.

"Let’s eat first."

"Alright."

After Wan Chu’er entered the room, Bai Zhixi wiped the sweat off her forehead.

She had just taken some painkillers before Chuchu returned, hopefully, they should hold up a bit longer.

During the meal, Bai Zhixi asked softly, "How did the exams go? Which university are you planning to apply to?"

Wan Chu’er swallowed the food in her mouth and said proudly: "Of course, I did very well. Hehe, Mom, wherever you hope I should apply, I’ll apply to that university, you can choose any university in the country."

This confidence made Bai Zhixi smile and she said: "Then go to Beijing, to the best university there."

"At your command, Mother dear."