The next week, the class faced its first real challenge: the big math test.
Su Ran stared at her desk the moment the teacher handed out the papers. The questions were staring back at her like tiny, angry monsters. She tried to remember everything Jiang Chen had taught her during their after-school study sessions, but it all became a blur the second she picked up her pencil.
"Relax," Zhao Ming whispered from the desk in front of her. "It's just math."
"Just math?" she snapped. "This is algebra! Letters pretending to be numbers! Numbers pretending to be letters! How can you just call it 'just math'?"
Jiang Chen, sitting beside her as always, quietly started solving the first question with neat handwriting. His pencil moved like it had its own mind, calm and precise. He didn't look at her, but she couldn't stop stealing glances.
"Why is he so calm?" she whispered to Zhao Ming.
"Because he's secretly a robot," Zhao Ming said seriously. "Either that or he made a deal with the math gods."
Su Ran groaned and pressed her head against her desk. The second question seemed to grow bigger the longer she stared at it. She scribbled a number, erased it, scribbled again, erased it again. Every time she made a small mistake, she felt the panic rising inside her chest.
"Hey," Jiang Chen leaned over slightly and whispered, "start with the last question. You know the method we practiced."
She froze. That was… genius. Why hadn't she thought of that? Slowly, she turned her paper upside down and started with the last question. Step by step, she followed the plan he had shown her.
Zhao Ming looked at her progress and raised an eyebrow. "Miracles do happen."
Half an hour later, she had completed the test, still unsure if anything was correct. She scribbled her name on top and handed it in.
After the Test
After the bell rang, the three of them walked out together. Su Ran's face was pale.
"I think I failed," she said.
"Maybe," Zhao Ming said, patting her shoulder. "But at least you tried… unlike some people who copy everything and still complain."
She looked at Jiang Chen. He was quiet, as usual, holding his test paper carefully in his hand.
"You… did well, right?" she asked softly.
"Yes," he replied simply.
Su Ran blinked. "You make it sound so easy."
"It's not easy," he said, looking ahead. "I just practiced more. You'll get there too."
She wanted to argue, but she didn't. Somehow, hearing him say that made her feel a little better.
The Rain Again
On their way out of school, clouds had gathered again. This time, the sky looked heavier than before. A sudden gust of wind blew papers from a student's bag into the air. Su Ran tried to catch one and slipped slightly.
Jiang Chen's hand was there before she even realized it. He steadied her.
"Thanks," she said.
"Be careful," he replied. His voice was calm, but there was something in his eyes that made her feel… safe.
Zhao Ming groaned dramatically. "Why does every disaster involve math or weather? I just want to eat noodles in peace."
Su Ran laughed softly and shook her head. "Only you can make everything a drama."
They all walked together through the wet streets, their shoes squishing in puddles. The sky was gray, but somehow, with Jiang Chen's calm presence and Zhao Ming's nonsense, the rain didn't feel as bad.
Su Ran realized something important while looking at the puddles reflecting their faces:
No matter how many math tests she failed, how many mistakes she made, or how many rainy days came, somehow, with these two by her side, everything felt… okay.
And that was a very big thing to feel at fourteen.