For the next period of time, Xia Lin continued to study hard every day. Because he happened to be ranked 30th in the grade section during the monthly exam, he was pretty good in the original class.

But as soon as he entered the key class, he became a sad reminder of the "crane tail".

Everyone in the key class is an elite. If you want to surpass the top classmates, you need to put in more effort which is as big as the ordinary class before. Progressive progress is impossible to achieve in the key class.

But Xia Lin was not discouraged. He felt that since he had the ability to enter the key class, he must have the ability to continue climbing.

By the time of the second monthly exam, he advanced by eleven, and in the third monthly exam, he advanced by seven, which is considered to have entered the ranks of this class. This has already impressed the teacher.

At the same time, Xia Lin intermittently heard news about Song Yan from Zhou Shuo's mouth.

He heard that Song Yan had made great progress during the second monthly exam. He almost reproduced the miracle like Xia Lin before. By the third monthly exam, he was already among the best in the ordinary class.

For these students who have made great progress in the later stage, the school is naturally happy to send them to key classes for careful cultivation. At present, several students have been transferred from ordinary classes one after another. Xia Lin estimates that based on Song Yan's current ranking, it is also a matter of time before he enters the key class.

In fact, Xia Lin both looked forward to and resisted Song Yan's transfer. The expectation is because he also hoped that Song Yan can really soar and rise above others, but the resistance is because he is afraid that Song Yan's appearance will disturb his heart again.

However, Song Yan did not show up in the key class for a long time and Xia Lin finally couldn't help but ask Zhou Shuo. Zhou Shuo told him that in fact, a teacher had handed out an olive branch to Song Yan before, but Song Yan refused. Song Yan said that he still stayed in the ordinary class at ease.

After hearing this, Xia Lin was silent for a long time.

He thought that the reason Song Yan refused to transfer to the key class might be because he didn't want to be in the same class with him. Perhaps because he was reluctant to leave Yu Luotong alone in the normal class, or both.

In May, the weather gradually became hot. Xia Lin's birthday was on the eve of the Dragon Boat Festival and the school had a day off to give the students a short vacation.

However, this kind of vacation is just another place to review for senior high school students who are about to take the college entrance examination in more than half a month.

That night, Xia Liang couldn't help but drag Xia Lin and Zhou Shuo out to eat at Pizza Hut, which was considered a birth for Xia Lin. Their father and grandmother from abroad also called to wish him a happy birthday.

The grandmother is in poor health and is recuperating in a foreign hospital all year round. While their father stays with their grandmother, he takes care of the business abroad. He rarely has time to return to China in a year.

Usually, Xia Lin's discipline is also conveyed through Xia Liang so this time he called back and didn't say a few words to Xia Lin, and then transferred it to Xia Liang, telling him to urge his younger brother to review for the college entrance examination.

In this regard, Xia Lin has long been used to it. His mother died during childbirth when Xia Lin was born. His father did not marry again.

Xia Lin didn't have much affection for his father. Instead, when he heard his grandma call him by his name on the phone, his nose suddenly became sore.

In the last life, grandma died of illness a year after he came out of the closet at home.

His father blamed him for his grandma's death, saying that he had angered his grandma.

But Xia Lin knew it was not.

Grandma had always loved him very much. Even if she knew he was gay, she would not look down on him, otherwise, she would not secretly leave 10% of her shares as an inheritance to him.

Grandma hoped to use this share to save his life but in the end, he failed to live past 28 years old.

He felt that he was most sorry for his grandma. The meal suddenly became sad because of an overseas phone call.

Seeing that Xia Lin was not in high spirits, Xia Liang thought he was concerned about reviewing things so he didn't ask much and drove them back after eating.

Xia Lin returned home and took a shower then went back to the bedroom and planned to continue doing the simulation papers that he hadn't finished before.

But as soon as he sat down at the desk, he heard his cell phone ring.

It was an unregistered number.

Xia Lin didn't have the habit of answering unfamiliar calls. He thought it was a harassing call and planned to ignore it but the other party seemed to be very persistent and called over and over again.

Finally, Xia Lin reluctantly picked up: "Who is this?"

There was silence on the other end of the phone. Only a faint breathing sound was heard.

Xia Lin frowned and asked again, "Who is this?"

The other party still did not speak.

Just when Xia Lin was about to hang up, he heard the other party whisper: "Happy birthday."

The voice was so familiar that he was inexplicably suffocated.

Before he could respond, the other party quickly hung up the phone.

Xia Lin held his mobile phone for a long while, only to remember that Song Yan's number was still on his blacklist.

On Song Yan's 18th birthday, Xia Lin drank a can of beer with him; and on Xia Lin's 18th birthday, Song Yan could only send a blessing by making an anonymous call.

Counting this way, he and Song Yan really have come to an end.

Xia Lin sighed, rested his forehead on the edge of the table, and gently closed his eyes.