"Rebirth" is far too distant a concept for a child; sometimes even she feels a bit lost, wondering why she knows all these things and can even foresee what will happen in the future. Yet the sense of urgency in her heart tells Emma Bennett that this is a very important secret, one she can't even tell her mother.

　　Teacher Chloe Evans came to hand out the test papers, and after distributing them, she stayed to watch over everyone as they worked. Mr. Grant also came to help. That year, the preschool entrance exam didn't separate Chinese and math; all the basic knowledge was on this single test paper.

　　It was the children's first time taking an exam, and chaos ensued—one moment someone asked for a bathroom break, the next a pencil broke and couldn't be sharpened properly. The teachers had to help keep an eye on everything.

　　Grace Ford's hand formed a curved arc as she wrote, shielding her paper as she did so. Susan Clark had said not to let Emma Bennett copy from her.

　　Emma Bennett looked at the questions on the paper: counting how many little flowers there were, how many children.

　　Emma Bennett: "..."

　　Before writing, Charles Page tilted his head slightly, his dark pupils gazing toward the sunlight. The little girl was carefully writing her name.

　　He couldn't tell if she knew the answers or not. Charles Page turned his head away; whether she did or not was none of his business.

　　Emma Bennett finished very quickly. She thought it was so easy!

　　～

　　The children's test papers were graded quickly, and two days later they could pick up their results. For the children's first exam, the parents all had high expectations.

　　In 1996, the preschools in City C used a single test paper with a score out of 100.

　　The children sat in their seats as the teacher called out names one by one, and each child went up to the podium to collect their paper. Teacher Chloe Evans didn't rank them; to her, teaching and nurturing were more important than grades, especially since preschool was just a transitional stage. What surprised her were the scores of two children—Emma Bennett and Charles Page.

　　Grace Ford was the first to get her paper. There was a bright red "90" on it. Grace Ford couldn't help but smile with joy, but remembering the image of "Chang Xue," she pressed her lips down, though the happiness in her eyes couldn't be hidden.

　　Next was Charles Page's paper. He glanced at it, then put it in his backpack.

　　Emma Bennett was the second-to-last in the class to get her paper. When she saw the cheerful number on it, she couldn't help but let her almond-shaped eyes curve in delight.

　　Grace Ford thought to herself, if her deskmate scored 70, she'd probably be laughing.

　　She covered her own score so Emma Bennett couldn't see, then asked, "Yaoyao, what did you get?"

　　Emma Bennett spread her paper out for Grace Ford to see. At the top, in red ink, was a "99"—Emma Bennett had lost one point because her drawing question wasn't straight; otherwise, it would have been a perfect score.

　　Grace Ford stared at that bright red 99, thunderstruck. In the dead of winter, her joy vanished completely, as if someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over her.

　　It's over!

　　If Susan Clark finds out when she gets home...

　　After the test and collecting their papers, it was time to go home for the New Year holiday. Brian Page came to pick up Charles Page, and as usual, they drove past the school gate.

　　Charles Page looked back. That little red ball was standing in the front row, waving at him with all her might, her eyes like two crescent moons.

　　She was pure-hearted, incredibly well-behaved.

　　Charles Page gripped the cold metal bar of the motorcycle. "Dad, let's give Emma Bennett a ride too."

　　Brian Page was surprised. "What if her mom comes to pick her up?"

　　"If we run into her on the way, we can let her know, or tell the teacher."

　　Brian Page couldn't help but glance at his son. Since Charles Page broke his leg, he'd become quiet and rarely spoke this much. He agreed with Charles Page's suggestion—a four-year-old girl walking nearly two kilometers to and from school every day; even though he wasn't her father, he still felt sorry for her.

　　Brian Page turned the motorcycle around and asked little Emma Bennett, "Would you like Uncle to give you a ride home?"

　　Emma Bennett wanted to ride the motorcycle. In her memory, it wasn't until third grade that William Bennett bought a motorcycle. Riding on it felt like flying with the wind, and she could get home in five minutes. But when she was little, Emma Bennett was a bit shy around strangers. She glanced timidly at Charles Page, who looked down at her, his eyes showing no rejection.

　　She shyly nodded, her soft little voice saying, "Thank you, Uncle Pei."

　　"Chloe Evans, since it's on the way, I'll take Emma Bennett home too. If her mom comes, please let her know."

　　Chloe Evans naturally trusted her old classmate and nodded with a smile.

　　Brian Page asked Chloe Evans to help lift little Emma Bennett onto the back seat, then tied her in with a leather strap to keep her secure, so she wouldn't fall off if she didn't have enough strength.

　　The children waiting in line behind all watched, some of them envious of Emma Bennett. Grace Ford couldn't help but pout. Her dad had a big bicycle and took her home every day, but she'd never ridden a motorcycle home. Grace Ford felt a bit wronged—everyone lived in the same neighborhood, so why did Charles Page's dad only take Emma Bennett and not her?

　　Since changing seats, this was the first time Charles Page had been this close to Emma Bennett.

　　It was as if even the air was tinged with the milky scent from her.

　　Brian Page started the motorcycle and gently asked Emma Bennett, "Emma Bennett, how many points did you get?"

　　Charles Page couldn't help but listen closely.

　　Her voice was like a ringing bell: "Ninety-nine."

　　Brian Page knew she was young, probably the youngest in the class. He'd only asked Emma Bennett to tease her a bit, never expecting such a little girl to do so well.

　　He sincerely praised her, "Emma Bennett, you're amazing, so smart."

　　Emma Bennett knew to be polite: "Thank you, Uncle."