Chapter 494 Extra Chapter 1: That Year, Those Four Girls

"So... the person in question didn't even show up at your engagement party?"

In a corner by the window of the second canteen at Beijing University, Shan Shushu had a half-eaten steamed bun stuck in her mouth, her eyes wide open.

Bai Nuo slurped up a mouthful of cornmeal porridge and nodded deeply: "Yeah. My family originally planned to hold a gathering during the New Year to settle things and officially establish our identities. But we received an urgent mission and spent two weeks in the deep mountains and forests of the south."

She broke off half a cornbread, her voice as weathered as a ten-year-old enamel mug in the cafeteria chef's hand: "Guess what? The day I returned to the compound, as soon as I entered the gate, the aunt next door shouted her congratulations: 'Oh, Ninth Girl is back! The wedding candy at the engagement banquet is so sweet!' I was so scared that I almost couldn't help but pull out my gun, and even the old man's chickens flew away in fright."

Shan Shushu dropped the steamed bun in her hand: "...So it was your two families who arranged the marriage in a lively ceremony?"

"Of course!" Bai Nuo shook his head, both amused and exasperated. "I heard that on that day, my dad and his dad put their arms around each other's shoulders, drank two bottles of Moutai, and swore to be revolutionary in-laws for life in front of the leader's portrait."

The two childhood friends hugged each other and cried, saying that they had finally tied these two "scourges" together and rid the people of a menace.

Everywhere was filled with festive joy and excitement, except for the two of us.

Just then, a few students happened to drift past the window, shouting "Revolutionary friendship, forever!" Shan Shushu remained silent for three seconds, then burst into earth-shattering laughter, slamming her fist on the table with a loud bang.

"Comrade Bai Nuo! You've set a revolutionary precedent for 'absentee engagements'! Glory! So glorious!"

Bai Nuo looked up at the sky and sighed, "Sigh, don't even mention it. Our relationship now is entirely 'certified' by those mischievous friends from the three compounds who grew up with us naked."

When I was writing a task report the other day, I almost wrote "engaged" in the "marital status" section of the organizational affiliation column without thinking...

Oh, that's not right either!

Although she didn't write it, the big, goofy guy sitting next to her, grinning with wide teeth, did.

Although in the end, the exasperated Lao Pang forced him to rewrite it!

Shh! Keep your voice down, everyone's looking this way!

Jiang Hongtao pressed Shan Shushu's head down and whispered in Bai Nuo's ear, "By the way, Nuo Nuo, Shi Xingxiang has been missing since the first day of school. We agreed to investigate her situation, but one day my brother told me I was not allowed to investigate anymore. Has something happened?"

“Yes, yes,” Shan Shushu rubbed her head and quickly added, “I asked around among the students in various departments, and even asked her fellow villagers, but they all said they had never seen her. What’s even stranger is that her fellow villagers said… the Shi family seems to have committed a crime, and they were all taken away by the police before the New Year.”

Bai Nuo was not surprised by this. The team in charge of the case had already reported the situation to her after they returned.

She looked up at her three roommates, whose faces were filled with curiosity, and smiled gently. "The Shi family does have problems. But this has nothing to do with us, so don't ask any more questions—especially Shushu." Her tone became more serious. "That's it. Unless someone from the organization asks, no matter who asks, just say you're not familiar with Shi Xingxiang, and your relationship in the dorm is just so-so. Got it?"

Shan Shushu, Jiang Hongtao, and Liu Ying did not come from ordinary families. Although their elders' official positions were not considered high-ranking in the capital, they were no less sensitive to the realities of growing up in this special era.

Bai Nuo's words, combined with Shi Xingxiang's previous unusual behavior, made the group's hearts skip a beat, and they vaguely guessed what was going on.

Shan Shushu gasped, her lips twitching slightly: "Understood, don't worry."

“During this time, you two must call me when you go out,” Jiang Hongtao said, glancing at Shan Shushu and Liu Ying beside her. “Except for classes, we should try not to be alone.” She wasn’t worried about Bai Nuo—if someone really bumped into Bai Nuo, who knows who would be the unlucky one.

"Yes, yes, we're so careful with our lives, we'll definitely follow you obediently these days." Shan Shushu nodded quickly, and not only did she nod herself, she also put her hand on Liu Ying's head, making her nod along with her.

"Oh, right, I have something to tell you guys." Bai Nuo looked around, and the four heads huddled together again. She lowered her voice and said, word by word, "I received news that the college entrance examination... is going to be reinstated. It'll probably be announced in the next month or two. If you want to continue your studies, you need to start preparing now."

Her tone became more serious: "The worker-peasant-soldier university was alright a few years ago, but once the college entrance examination is reinstated, the gap will only widen."

Our school is considered good; with the principal's background providing support, the teachers dare to teach and manage.

But what about other schools? They admit students through recommendations, and the students' academic levels vary widely… The reputation of these students will inevitably be affected sooner or later.

“Once the first batch of college students who take the college entrance examination in a proper manner graduate, it will be hard to say what the advantages will be for us worker-peasant-soldier students.” She looked at the three of them, her eyes clear and serious: “So I think if you have this plan, you should seize the opportunity and take the college entrance examination.”

Upon hearing Bai Nuo's words, Shan Shushu gasped in shock. Even Liu Ying, who was usually slow to react, stared wide-eyed at Bai Nuo in disbelief.

"No, no... Is this true?" Shan Shushu's voice trembled, her eyes instantly reddened, and she tightly grasped Bai Nuo's hand.

Bai Nuo smiled gently, her eyes revealing certainty and composure, and uttered only two words softly: "Trust me."

Others might hesitate, worried that this shocking news might not come to fruition in the end.

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