Linhai No. 1 High School.
It is now mid-June, a week since the conclusion of the college entrance examination. Today, the individual building housing the senior classrooms at Linhai No. 1 High School is abuzz with activity. It is the day for the senior class graduation photos. With the exam results yet to be released, most faces are bright with smiles. Even those who checked their answers and find it hard to smile harbor a sliver of hope. What if a miracle happened with their test papers? Regardless of how they performed, whether they did well or poorly—even if they felt their hearts were dead—they must wait until the day the scores are truly released to "bury" that hope.
Guided by their homeroom teachers, everyone leaves the classrooms and heads toward the sports field. The entire cohort of 960 seniors poses for a massive group photo on the field, followed by individual classes taking turns for their class portraits. Dressed in their school uniforms, many are filled with a complex mix of emotions. For all of them, this is the last time they will wear their high school uniforms, and indeed, the last time they will ever wear a uniform in their lives.
Chapter 433