"Wake up! What time is it? The entrance exam is about to start, why are you still in bed? Hurry up and get up!"
Zhang Chen was fast asleep on his soft bed when he was suddenly woken by a nagging voice.
"Where am I?"
Zhang Chen sat up, looking at the strange yet familiar furniture around him, the posters of beauties on the wall, and the pile of books on his desk. He was utterly bewildered.
"I feel like I have something to do, but something went wrong just as I was about to complete it."
"This feeling of loss is too strong. Was it just a dream I had last night?"
Zhang Chen scratched his head, feeling that his sudden appearance here was unreasonable, yet everything around him reminded him that this was his world.
Everything was so familiar, so natural, even giving him a sense of long-lost comfort.
"Why are you still not up?! Hurry up, or you'll be late for breakfast. Not eating breakfast before an exam will affect your grades!"
"You're always like this. I told you the exam was tomorrow, and to sleep early, but you refused, insisting on staying up to study."
"What's the use of studying so much the day before the exam? Won't it affect your performance if you don't get enough rest?!"
His mother's incessant chattering came from outside the door.
Instead of feeling annoyed, Zhang Chen felt an overwhelming sense of warmth.
"Mom!"
Zhang Chen walked out of his room and saw his mother, apron on, carrying breakfast to the table. He lunged forward and gave her a big, firm hug.
This hug surprised not only Zhang Chen, who didn't know why he did it, but also his mother.
Still holding the breakfast, she didn't know what to do.
"Sigh, I told you, don't put so much pressure on the child. Look, you've overwhelmed him so much,"
"If you can't get into a good school, you don't have to go. Life is long, and it won't be decided by one college entrance exam."
"It's not a big deal. Don't act like it's a farewell to the living. I saw news about children who couldn't handle the pressure and jumped off buildings after poor exam results. What a pity, and how heartbroken the parents must be!"
His father, sitting at the dining table, lowered his newspaper and cast a sympathetic glance their way.
"Pah! Pah! Pah! What are you talking about, jumping off buildings? My son is excellent, he'll be fine!"
His mother placed the breakfast on the table, gently stroked Zhang Chen's hair, and said with a smile.
"Yes, I'll do my best!"
Zhang Chen nodded.
He always felt like he had experienced a grand dream, incredibly vivid, but he couldn't recall the specifics upon waking.
And while the world before him felt strange, it also felt indescribably familiar and comforting.
This disorienting feeling gave Zhang Chen a headache.
"No matter how you do on the exam, you're still our good son!"
His mother said softly.
By now, she had come to a realization. Forcing oneself to study was futile.
What he was meant to be, he would be. If Zhang Chen truly lacked talent in academics, forcing him would only lead to more pain with no positive outcome.
It was better to let nature take its course. The child's physical and mental well-being were the most important things.
"Okay, I understand, Mom!"
Zhang Chen nodded solemnly and then sat at the dining table.
As he reached for his chopsticks, he noticed that his right hand had been clenched into a fist since he woke up, not relaxing for a moment.
It was as if he were holding something extremely precious in his palm.
"What... is this?"
Zhang Chen forcefully pried open his right hand, which was aching from being clenched, and found a purplish-pink crystal in his palm!
"What is it?"
His mother looked at Zhang Chen's palm, her face filled with confusion.
"Oh, you're too nervous. You clenched your fist too tightly, so your nails left marks on your palm. It's nothing, it'll be fine in a while!"
His father also craned his neck to look at Zhang Chen's palm and said reassuringly.
"This crystal... you can't see it?"
Zhang Chen picked up the crystal and waved it in front of his parents, asking.
"Son, what's wrong? Don't scare your mom. You're not holding anything!"
His mother exclaimed in alarm, covering her mouth.
"What? You really can't see it? Such a large purplish-pink crystal?!"
"Look, my hand is dyed pink by its light!"
Zhang Chen pointed at the crystal, speaking with a serious expression.
"Ah, I see it. There is indeed a purplish-pink crystal. Put it away for now, and we'll talk about it after the exam!"
His father nodded as if it were all true and said.
"You can see it?"
His mother walked over to his father and whispered.
"No, I can't. I think our son is under too much stress. Let's observe him after the exam."
His father sighed and forced a smile, saying.