Chapter 54: Good Luck with the Joint Exam

After evening self-study, Lu Guifan returned home.

Reason told him he should take off the knitted sweater, but for some reason, he acted as if it didn’t exist. He wore the sweater while reading academic journals in his room, searching online for information about the provincial art student joint exam’s test centers and rules, and researching how to help Jiang Ruotang get more points in the cultural exam.

Before he knew it, it was past ten o’clock at night.

Lu Guifan pinched the corner of his eyes, picked up his phone, and glanced at it, wondering if Jiang Ruotang had sent him any messages.

But then he thought, Jiang Ruotang was probably still on her way home from the art studio, and hadn’t even started her homework, so how could she send him a message?

Just then, Lu Guifan’s mother knocked and entered, saying to him, “Guifan, your dad got his salary and bonus… it’s more than double what he earned at the rubber factory. They say this is even after social security and provident fund deductions…”

“That’s great, it means Mr. Zheng is a good person,” Lu Guifan smiled faintly.

“Your dad said that Ruotang introduced him to this job, so… we should buy him something to repay him. You see, the weather is getting colder, and winter is coming. How about you buy him a hat? A scarf? Or gloves or something? I know this child has good living conditions and might look down on what we buy…”

Lu Guifan replied, “He won’t. Ruotang cherishes the thoughtfulness of friends and family. Even if you give him a button, he’ll keep it well.”

Lu’s mother smiled and nodded, then looked at the knitted sweater on Lu Guifan, “This… did you buy this new?”

Lu Guifan quickly said, “No, Ruotang and I swapped. He wasn’t wearing a coat at first and was sneezing from the cold, so I gave him my coat, and he was afraid I’d catch a cold, so he gave me this sweater.”

Lu’s mother was utterly confused but still asked, “Should I help wash it before returning it to him?”

“Ah? No need. I don’t know what material it is, and it would be a waste if it got ruined. Besides, it’s cold, so it won’t dry, what if he wants to wear it tomorrow?”

“That’s true.” Lu’s mother left a stack of envelopes and went out.

Lu Guifan opened the envelopes. Inside was a thousand yuan, which was a significant expense for their family’s spending habits. This also indirectly showed how much his parents valued Jiang Ruotang.

That’s right, this knitted sweater he was wearing probably wasn’t cheap either. His shoulders were wider than Jiang Ruotang’s; he hoped he didn’t stretch out the sweater, or it wouldn’t be warm anymore.

Lu Guifan quickly took off the knitted sweater, carefully folded it, and placed it by the bed. He searched for a long time before finding a clean paper bag, the same one Jiang Ruotang had used to carry the new Xiaolan smartphone last time.

Thinking of the smartphone, Lu Guifan lowered his eyes and smiled. He wondered if the little money-grubber had made a lot of money and if he was feeling pleased with himself under the covers.

–

The next morning, Lu Guifan carried the paper bag to his seat.

Jiang Ruotang’s head was almost buried in the paper bag. When he took out the neatly folded sweater, he said with a somewhat disappointed expression, “Class Monitor… you didn’t wash the sweater, did you?”

If you washed it, it wouldn’t feel like you wore it anymore!

“I didn’t wash it… if you mind, I’ll take it back…”

Before he could finish, he saw Jiang Ruotang take off his school uniform jacket, nimbly put on the knitted sweater underneath, and then looked up, saying, “I’d mind if you washed it.”

“Ah?” Lu Guifan didn’t react for a moment.

“It means you’re being distant with me,” Jiang Ruotang replied.

Lu Guifan was amused by him and felt like laughing, but he still turned expressionlessly to collect homework.

By the end of the third class at noon, Jiang Ruotang was about to order takeout as usual when he unexpectedly received a message from Lu Guifan: [Don’t order takeout for lunch. I’ll treat you.]

Jiang Ruotang tilted his head. Lu Guifan was suddenly treating him to a meal, could it be…

[Master, do you think your disciple is foolish and wants to treat him to a meal to drive him out of the sect?]

Lu Guifan looked at the message, helplessly pushed up his glasses with one hand, and quickly replied: [My dad got his salary and bonus, and he wants me to thank you.]

Jiang Ruotang felt happy when he saw that.

Wait, he didn’t invite Zhao Changfeng too, did he… That guy always ruins the mood.

Jiang Ruotang glanced back at Zhao Changfeng, seeing him engrossed in a game PK with Jian Sha and Cai Ji, he didn’t seem to have received Lu Guifan’s invitation.

Great, this giant Philips light bulb can shine by itself in the classroom!

Receiving Lu Guifan’s message made Jiang Ruotang a bit distracted during the fourth class. When Jiang Ruotang turned to Lu Guifan, he saw the other party’s calm expression and the implicit message in his eyes: “Pay attention in class.”

Jiang Ruotang immediately composed himself, barely keeping up with the physics teacher’s “action-reaction and buoyancy.”

After class, the two walked out of the school gate together. Lu Guifan walked ahead and asked him, “Choose a place you like. Let me try something you enjoy.”

Lu Guifan said this because he didn’t want Jiang Ruotang to choose something he disliked just to save money.

He had no idea that what Jiang Ruotang was thinking was that being able to eat alone with Lu Guifan meant he’d happily gnaw on roadside bricks if asked.

Jiang Ruotang finally chose the business casual restaurant he often ate at. He ordered an eel rice, and after looking at the menu, Lu Guifan chose a pork rib rice.

The two sat at a small table and slowly began to eat.

It was peak mealtime, and the restaurant was getting increasingly crowded and bustling. Jiang Ruotang looked at Lu Guifan opposite him; his eyes were downcast, and his eyelashes were long. He wondered if they brushed against his glasses.

Lu Guifan wasn’t a talkative person and was very quiet while eating.

Without Zhao Changfeng and the others to liven things up, Jiang Ruotang couldn’t find a topic for a while.

However, getting along with people doesn’t always require constant chatter. Being able to quietly appreciate Lu Guifan eating like this was also quite enjoyable.

Lu Guifan looked up at Jiang Ruotang and asked, somewhat puzzled, “Is eel rice that delicious? You’re smiling as if you’ve already been admitted to the Central Academy of Fine Arts.”

Jiang Ruotang paused, then smiled and nodded, “Yeah, eel rice is really delicious.”

Because someone here is a feast for the eyes.

He picked up a small piece of eel and placed it on Lu Guifan’s rice.

That piece of eel felt substantial, soaked in a viscous sauce. Lu Guifan picked it up and put it in his mouth. The smooth, tender texture seemed to melt between his teeth. Although the sauce was sweet, it unexpectedly complemented the eel’s texture perfectly.

It was indeed delicious.

Lu Guifan also picked up a piece of pork rib for Jiang Ruotang.

Not far from them, two girls from Fourteenth High School were sitting, excitedly discussing yesterday’s incident where fans waited outside Beicheng Guangyao’s gate for Bai Yingchuan.

“Wow, I’m so envious, Beicheng Guangyao’s coat is so cool!”

“It’s not the coat that’s cool, it’s Bai Yingchuan that’s cool, okay? It’s not like you can just pull any random guy out and he’ll wear it like Bai Yingchuan!”

“That’s true, you need height, long legs, and broad shoulders. He’s practically a walking clothes hanger!”

“People online are already sending scripts to Bai Yingchuan! Imagine, in the bitter cold of winter, Bai Yingchuan opens his coat, wraps the female lead inside, and gives her a tight hug…”

Jiang Ruotang lowered his head, nearly choking on his rice.

Lu Guifan looked at him, puzzled, “What’s wrong?”

Jiang Ruotang leaned closer and whispered, “That scene they’re describing is impossible.”

“What scene?”

As expected of Lu Guifan, he pays no attention to what happens outside and only focuses on the food on his plate.

“It’s Bai Yingchuan opening his coat and hugging the female lead! Unless the female lead is a child, the coat simply won’t close,” Jiang Ruotang said seriously.

He thought Lu Guifan wouldn’t be interested in this topic, but to his surprise, Lu Guifan actually began to seriously consider it.

“Zhao Changfeng’s build might be able to do it.”

Jiang Ruotang thought for a moment, then shook his head, “Then the girl’s head probably wouldn’t be able to stick out!”

Lu Guifan lowered his head, as if visualizing what Jiang Ruotang said in his mind, then he laughed softly and pushed his glasses up with a knuckle.

The girls nearby finally noticed them.

“Wow, after all that talking, turns out we’re sitting next to Beicheng Guangyao’s…”

“Does Beicheng Guangyao choose students based on their junior high school scores or their looks?”

“Look closely, the one with the black-rimmed glasses is really super handsome. His side profile alone is killer.”

They deliberately kept their voices low, but unfortunately, Jiang Ruotang’s hearing was excellent, and he heard their words very clearly.

He secretly smiled. Good thing they were praising them for being handsome. The most important thing is that the other girl also noticed Lu Guifan’s killer side profile; she has good taste.

After finishing their meal, Lu Guifan stood up. His slender figure and unique scholarly aura immediately caught their eyes.

Jiang Ruotang followed behind him. As the two walked towards the door, they happened to pass by the two girls’ table.

They indeed looked up, their gazes following Lu Guifan.

Even Jiang Ruotang felt that, even though he had seen Lu Guifan’s walking back countless times, he still thought the guy’s back was always so straight and his legs so long.

Jiang Ruotang gave the two girls a mischievous smile, then suddenly leaned against Lu Guifan from behind.

Lu Guifan leaned slightly forward and felt Jiang Ruotang briefly hug him from behind, followed by a mischievous “Oops, I really can’t hug you.”

His heart felt as if it had suddenly risen from the ground to ten thousand miles high.

As Jiang Ruotang moved away, it quickly plummeted.

Lu Guifan froze for a second before realizing Jiang Ruotang was experimenting with their “coat hug” conversation, and he was suddenly a little dumbfounded.

The two girls also paused for a moment, then started to joke along with Jiang Ruotang.

“Isn’t it the other way around?”

“Your friend might be able to hug you!”

Jiang Ruotang smiled and said, “He’s too shy, he never jokes.”

Sure enough, Lu Guifan’s hand reached over, rested on Jiang Ruotang’s head, and he half-bent down, leading him away.

The two girls smiled, still wanting more. Boys who were good friends at this age occasionally messed around like this. When they got silly, there was nothing they couldn’t think of or do.

“But… the guy with glasses, his ears seem red?”

“Really? That’s so cute!”

---

Stepping out of the restaurant, Jiang Ruotang instinctively walked towards the school. After a couple of steps, he noticed that the long-legged Lu Guifan hadn’t followed him. Turning around, he found the other boy standing in front of a small shop by the roadside.

“Hmm? Do you have something you want to buy?” Jiang Ruotang asked.

“Let’s go in and take a look,” Lu Guifan said.

“Okay.”

Jiang Ruotang followed him, but felt a bit puzzled. Shouldn’t Lu Guifan be Browse reference bookstores or something?

This small shop sold clothes, accessories, and the like.

Lu Guifan rarely frequented these places. After entering, he realized that most of the items inside were for girls: knitted hats, hair clips, gloves, and so on.

Looking at the prices again, they were probably far different from the things Jiang Ruotang usually wore.

As expected, he couldn’t find it near the school. But Jiang Ruotang is about to take the joint exam, so he probably doesn’t have time to go to Jinshang MALL or similar places.

Just as Lu Guifan was thinking that he should probably save the money and take Jiang Ruotang to a large shopping mall to choose slowly after the joint exam was over.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Ruotang’s voice came from not far away: “Lu Guifan, try this on!”

“Hmm?”

Lu Guifan turned around and saw that Jiang Ruotang was holding a pair of low-key black gloves.

Lu Guifan didn’t usually wear gloves. When it was cold, he just put his hands in his pockets when walking outside. But since Jiang Ruotang asked him to wear them, he would.

He took the gloves Jiang Ruotang handed him. After putting them on, he felt the gloves were a bit tight. He pressed his finger roots, and then looked up to see Jiang Ruotang looking at him very seriously.

“What’s wrong?”

“How about… you call me ‘Young Master’ again?”

Lu Guifan frowned. He didn’t understand the strange memes Jiang Ruotang and Jian Sha chatted about. Anyway, it was just a phrase, no big deal.

“Young Master.”

It was said in his usual calm, flat tone.

Jiang Ruotang nodded, “Hmm, if you don’t like the gloves, you can take them off.”

Lu Guifan: “…”

He silently pinched the middle finger of the glove and pulled it off. As his slender fingers gradually withdrew, the glove softened and drooped little by little. Jiang Ruotang’s face flushed as he watched, and he turned away, pretending to look at something else.

“Do you like these?” Lu Guifan asked.

Jiang Ruotang looked up and saw a whole display of glittering rhinestone hair clips. He had no choice but to bring up Sister Sha, “I was just imagining what Jian Sha would look like wearing them?”

To his surprise, Lu Guifan actually picked up on the joke: “Jian Sha would chase you down with an eighteen-meter long blade.”

Jiang Ruotang couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

“Let’s go, time for lunch break.”

Jiang Ruotang walked out of the small shop, and Lu Guifan followed behind him.

Sigh, if only those gloves weren’t a bit small for Lu Guifan, I would really want to buy them for him to wear.

“Good luck… with the joint exam,” Lu Guifan said softly.

Jiang Ruotang paused, then playfully nudged him with his elbow, “How about you give me a passport photo of yours? I’ll carry it close to me.”

“Hmm? To ward off evil?” Lu Guifan sometimes didn’t know what Jiang Ruotang’s little mind was thinking.

“Hey, you’re a study god who wins championships in every competition! Carrying your photo close to me is to borrow some of your divine aura!”

“Then you should wear self-portraits of Van Gogh, Vermeer, and Picasso.”

“Van Gogh… isn’t very lucky, is he?” Jiang Ruotang covered his ears. “Vermeer didn’t end up with his beloved either… Picasso’s style is too different from mine, and he’s quite a philanderer…”

Lu Guifan was amused by his serious way of finding excuses.

“You’ll do very well on the exam.”

“Haha, you’re not an examiner. The joint exam is very metaphysical, you know. It often happens that candidates with solid fundamentals and excellent mock exam scores stumble.”

“You won’t.”

“So confident in me?”

“Because even I, who don’t understand painting, think your paintings are very good. We’re all human, my aesthetic taste won’t be too far off from the examiners.”

Jiang Ruotang was quite happy to be comforted by Lu Guifan.

–

By late November, the art joint examination was about to begin, consisting of three subjects: sketching, color, and quick sketching.

Among these three, sketching and quick sketching were Jiang Ruotang’s strengths. His color painting level was also excellent; according to Mu Xianqing’s evaluation, Jiang Ruotang’s colors “could speak.”

According to the art studio teacher Liang’s assessment, as long as Jiang Ruotang performed normally, his professional scores would not be bad. However, the entire family became nervous.

Zhao Yunshu even had a qipao custom-made, saying that when Jiang Ruotang came out of the joint exam venue and saw her in a qipao, it would symbolize a victorious beginning.

Zhao Changfeng truly felt that Jiang Ruotang had stolen his mother’s love, and his jealousy was almost causing him to undergo plasmolysis.

“Mom, I’m also participating in the provincial competition finals in early December. Shouldn’t you also wear a qipao to cheer me on?”

“Then it’s better to wear looser clothes. If I wear a qipao, it’ll split open as soon as I raise my arm. How can that work!”

This remark made both Jiang Huaiyuan and Jiang Ruotang laugh.

---

Besides Jiang Ruotang, there was another art student in their Senior Three Class One named Geng Yu. However, in terms of technique, he was far behind Jiang Ruotang. His parents knew that he definitely wouldn’t get into university as a humanities student, so they chose the art student path for him.

But Geng Yu wasn’t serious about studying art. His parents were willing to pay three times the price to send him to Teacher Liang’s art studio, but Teacher Liang politely declined. It was said that his family paid a large sum to hire famous teachers for individual guidance, but Geng Yu didn’t love painting and wasn’t focused on it, so naturally, he didn’t show much improvement.

However, a few days before the joint exam, Geng Yu suddenly sat in the seat in front of Jiang Ruotang and turned to tap Jiang Ruotang’s desk.

“Jiang Ruotang, the joint exam is coming soon, are you ready?”

“Hmm? Ready for what?” Jiang Ruotang looked bewildered, finding Geng Yu’s expression very strange.

Geng Yu’s lips curved upward in a slight smile, “Don’t pretend. Your dad wouldn’t help you arrange things? Your level is only slightly better than mine, right?”

“Ah?” Jiang Ruotang looked at Geng Yu’s expression and really wanted to ask him what gave him the confidence to think he was only slightly worse than Jiang Ruotang.

Lin Lu, sitting nearby, listened with great interest, “Geng Yu, you can really pull strings for the art joint exam?”

Geng Yu scoffed, looking up, and chuckled softly, “As long as you have the right connections, what can’t be arranged?”

Jiang Ruotang shook his head, “I haven’t heard of it. Geng Yu, you’d better be careful too. There are many fraudsters nowadays. Don’t be desperate and consult any doctor you find. If your joint exam results are invalidated, it’ll be a big problem.”

Geng Yu grunted unhappily, “You’re the one who’s desperate and consulting any doctor. You’re just putting on airs.”

With that, Geng Yu left.

Lin Lu leaned closer, “Ruotang, I believe in you. You’ve always studied very diligently at the art studio. Even without pulling strings, you’ll definitely get good results!”

Jiang Ruotang smiled. Lin Lu finally didn’t say anything like “I’m sure with your dad’s connections, he’ll arrange everything for you,” otherwise Jiang Ruotang would perform an on-the-spot explosion for him.

Jian Sha also said, “I don’t know about other things, but Ruotang’s sketching, both in brushwork and light and shadow, is top-notch.”

Jiang Ruotang nodded, looking pleased, “Sister Sha, you have a good eye.”

Bai Yingchuan also leaned forward, reaching over Lin Lu, “I wish you a smooth joint exam and a triumphant success.”

Jiang Ruotang nodded slightly, “Thank you.”

Bai Yingchuan’s lips curved. Ever since he helped Jiang Ruotang by inviting the principal to resolve the situation, Jiang Ruotang was finally less resistant to him.

Jian Sha asked again, “When is your joint exam? We can go cheer you on.”

“November 30th. This isn’t a sports meeting; no matter how loud the cheering, it’s impossible to jump from 200 points to 270.”

Jiang Ruotang’s remark made Jian Sha laugh.

Lin Lu smiled and said, “We’ll wait for your good news. If you really score 270 points, you must treat us to a meal.”

“If I can score 270, let alone treating you to a meal, an all-night KTV session is no problem!” Jiang Ruotang laughed.

“All-night KTV session?” Bai Yingchuan propped his chin on his hand, looking at Jiang Ruotang, every gesture and smile drawing the attention of the whole class. “What songs are you good at?”

Truth be told, Jiang Ruotang’s strongest songs were those released by Bai Yingchuan, many of which were golden oldies from TV dramas.

But now, those songs hadn’t been released yet, and Jiang Ruotang had no interest in singing them again.

“Only by fighting will you win – I can make you cry with my singing.”

Jiang Ruotang’s confident demeanor made Bai Yingchuan laugh, his eyelashes trembling slightly.

It was Lin Lu’s first time seeing Bai Yingchuan laugh like that. The unease in her heart grew infinitely. She had put so much effort into getting close to Bai Yingchuan, yet Jiang Ruotang only needed to act disinterested in Bai Yingchuan to constantly attract his attention.

---

Just then, for some time recently, Lin Chendong had been getting close to the Geng family to inquire about the Chengjiang Economic New Zone, which also led to Lin Lu and Geng Yu becoming more acquainted than before.

After evening self-study, Lin Lu asked Geng Yu to go for barbecue together.

Lin Lu flattered Geng Yu, getting him dizzy with praise, then steered the conversation back to the joint exam.

“Ruotang told me that it’s impossible to get high scores in the joint exam by pulling strings, but your dad can help you find connections. Is that really reliable?”

Geng Yu chuckled, “Jiang Ruotang is just being hypocritical! We all know his true colors. Last year, he drew Bai Yingchuan so many times, and his skill was just okay. If he doesn’t pull strings, it’ll definitely be difficult for him to score 220!”

Lin Lu smiled, “So, if he wants to get a high score, what should he do? I’m so curious, just tell me!”

Geng Yu leaned close to Lin Lu’s ear and whispered, “Actually, there are two ways. The first way is to swap my exam paper with another one that has a higher score. This risk is too great, so we won’t do that.”