"The weather's pretty cool today," Qiu Mengze said.
"Yeah." Xue Rui nodded, his gaze sweeping over the students around them.
A crowd of students and parents had gathered outside the exam center, all with varying expressions.
Some students looked haggard, as if they hadn't slept well.
"Goodness, I told you to get to bed early last night. How are you still so out of it?" a man sighed, handing the student an energy drink.
"Dad, I couldn't help it," the male student said, crestfallen. "I can never sleep when I know something important is happening the next day." He then chugged a bottle of Red Bull.
"You forgot your pill last night. Here, take one now." A woman pushed a pill from a blister pack into her daughter's hand.
The girl's face was numb as she stared at the pill with a strange look in her eyes—a mix of disgust and what seemed like a hint of resignation.
Still, she obediently swallowed the pill.
Xue Rui raised an eyebrow. 'Such a small pill, and just one?'
