Lu Guifan pondered for a moment, then replied, “He… knew that one plus two equals three, but he couldn’t figure out what two plus one equaled. His parents called him silly…”

Jiang Ruotang covered his eyes in the dark. As a child, wasn’t I… like that too?

“Then… how did you praise him?”

“I asked him what two plus two equaled. He said four, and I said, ‘Great job, you’re not silly at all.'”

Jiang Ruotang immediately turned around, looking into Lu Guifan’s eyes. He wanted to know if this guy was messing with him, but who knew, this guy’s eyes were incredibly sincere.

“Thank you! I feel like you’ve fooled me too! You master of deception!”

Lu Guifan let out a soft laugh. The air he exhaled vibrated through Jiang Ruotang’s eardrums, causing his heart to subtly tremble.

“Still can’t sleep?” Lu Guifan asked.

“A little. Can you chat with me for a bit?” Jiang Ruotang rolled over, propping himself on his pillow, looking at Lu Guifan.

“Chat about what?” Lu Guifan said, reaching for his glasses on the bedside table, but Jiang Ruotang pressed down on his wrist.

“Just chatting, why are you getting your glasses…? When you wear glasses, I get nervous, feeling like I have to get up and do practice problems.”

Hearing him say that, Lu Guifan chuckled. His deep laughter, coupled with the vibration in his throat, gave Jiang Ruotang an urge to bite down hard on his Adam’s apple, just to see how calm this guy could remain.

“What do you want to talk about?”

“Let’s talk about something vulgar, gossipy… Have you ever liked anyone since you were little? Celebrities, pretty older sisters next door, teachers with good temperaments—they all count, as long as your heart fluttered… or someone who physically attracted you also counts.”

“How is physical attraction defined?”

“You’re a top student; it’s boring for you to pretend you don’t know what physical attraction is.”

“I just don’t understand why you separate ‘heart fluttering’ and ‘physical attraction.’ Because for me, the standards for both are consistent.”

Jiang Ruotang was about to ask who this person was, but on second thought, it was better not to know.

Because if it was a current thing, 99% chance it wasn’t him, and hearing it would just make him uncomfortable.

But he couldn’t suppress that feeling. Lu Guifan might actually have someone he liked, or at least used to like, and even admitted to physical attraction?

Shouldn’t a person like him be able to watch action movies without batting an eye until the end?

“You must like the dignified and gentle type, and also someone who’s very good academically, who can discuss the stars in the sky with you, and would absolutely never get confused about the direction of electrons in a magnetic field. And once you bring them home, your dad and mom would be beaming with joy over them.”

As Jiang Ruotang spoke, Lu Guifan’s chest subtly vibrated, as if he was suppressing a laugh.

“What are you doing? We’re chatting. Can’t you just chat properly, do you have to pretend here? Am I wrong?”

“I don’t like dignified and gentle types.”

“So, you like little seductresses?” Jiang Ruotang said grumpily.

Unexpectedly, Lu Guifan retorted, “What counts as a little seductress?”

“Someone who’s good-looking, especially good at alluring people, and even a bit ‘act-y’.”

“Then I like little seductresses,” Lu Guifan replied very confidently.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ruotang immediately sat up. “I can’t believe it. You’re usually so quiet, but you’re secretly so lustful.”

“Heh heh.” Lu Guifan raised his hand and patted Jiang Ruotang’s back. “I don’t like discussing celestial mechanics with people. Can’t looking at stars be simpler? People aren’t electrons; why do they constantly wander into magnetic fields? Isn’t it enough to tell left from right?”

“But your parents definitely prefer the virtuous type,” Jiang Ruotang said sullenly.

Every time he went to the Lu family’s home, it was like a distinguished guest was arriving. Lu Guifan’s parents would be busy cooking, going to the supermarket to buy snacks and fruit, especially cherries, which were very expensive for them. But as long as Lu Guifan said, “Jiang Ruotang likes them,” they would buy them by the box, not saving any money, and even wash them one by one and put them on the table, treating him like a little prince.

He could tell with his toes that given Lu Guifan’s family values, he definitely wouldn’t look for a partner like a spoiled young master.

Lu Guifan’s palm suddenly pressed on Jiang Ruotang’s head. “My parents like your type. Do you think you’re virtuous?”

This sentence was like a nuclear explosion in Jiang Ruotang’s heart; his blood rushed to his forehead.

But Lu Guifan liked little temptresses. Unfortunately… he wasn’t the material for a little temptress.

Jiang Ruotang took a deep breath, lay back on the bed, feeling a strange emptiness in his heart.

“What are you thinking about now?”

“I’m thinking, you’re so smart, you’ll definitely have many patents and earn a lot of money in the future. How will you… spend it?”

“Buy your paintings.”

“I can give them to you for free!”

And many of the paintings are of you, and I haven’t even paid you.

“Then I’ll buy a gallery and exhibit your paintings.”

Jiang Ruotang genuinely wanted to strangle the other person, shake him, and tell him to stop talking.

These words sounded like a confession, like building a golden house to keep a mistress.

Except what Lu Guifan was collecting wasn’t Jiang Ruotang himself, but his thoughts, the beauty he presented.

“Alright. You can buy a gallery in the future, and I’ll put all the paintings related to you in it.”

Lu Guifan paused slightly.

Then I’ll have to buy a very, very large gallery, so you can paint many, many of me.

After a while, Lu Guifan noticed that Jiang Ruotang beside him was still. It seemed he had fallen asleep.

This was Jiang Ruotang’s knack; after stirring up other people’s hearts, he himself was quite at ease.

Lu Guifan exhaled, his brows slightly furrowed. He was very unaccustomed.

Yes, this sleeping posture was very unaccustomed.

—Jiang Ruotang was too far from him.

He stretched his arm under Jiang Ruotang’s neck, using a slight force. Jiang Ruotang, like a planet whose orbit had been influenced, automatically turned over, curled up, and leaned his head towards Lu Guifan.

Feeling the other’s breath, like a gentle tide, washing over him, Lu Guifan’s mind also calmed down.

---

The last week passed in a blink of an eye. The countdown on the blackboard hit zero, and their batch of students would soon enter the college entrance examination halls.

For many, this was a watershed moment in life.

Early in the morning, Zhao Yunshu checked the two children’s exam admission tickets, stationery, and ID cards repeatedly.

Zhao Changfeng and Jiang Ruotang were eating breakfast prepared by Sister Juan. Jiang Huaiyuan was reading the morning newspaper, and while reading, he casually said, “Don’t be anxious during the exam. Scan the paper first, get a general idea of the difficulty, and do the easy ones first. Don’t get stuck on individual questions!”

Jiang Ruotang had been tense, but seeing Zhao Changfeng and Jiang Huaiyuan, he only found it amusing.

“Changfeng, your chopsticks are upside down. Can you even pick anything up?”

“Dad, your newspaper is also upside down. Can you even read it?”

Both of them, having been exposed, blushed.

Zhao Changfeng: “I can still pick up rice noodles even if it’s upside down!”

Jiang Huaiyuan: “I’m holding the newspaper… just to strike… strike a pose.”

“Yes, yes, yes, that’s right!”

Zhao Yunshu came down from upstairs. Hearing the rhythmic sound of her high heels, the three men downstairs collectively looked up.

“Wow… Mom, this qipao of yours… Which film crew lent it to you? It’s too luxurious!”

Zhao Changfeng was so stunned that he dropped his braised egg.

Zhao Yunshu raised an eyebrow, “What do you know? I started preparing this a month ago—’Dragon and Phoenix Bring Prosperity’!”

Jiang Ruotang didn’t know what to say.

In his previous life, when he and Zhao Changfeng took the college entrance exam, it was under the shadow of Jiang Huaiyuan’s detention. Zhao Yunshu had to both comfort the two children for the exam and run around for her husband, simply having no energy to do this legendary “flag-waving victory.”

“Ruotang, do you think it looks good?” Zhao Yunshu’s gaze swept over.

Jiang Ruotang immediately nodded, “Truly domineering!”

“Domineering is right!”

On the way to the examination hall, Jiang Ruotang received a message from Lu Guifan: [I’ll always be with you.]

Hmph, we’re not even in the same examination district, and you’re still saying you’ll always be with me.

His Chinese performance was standard; everything that needed to be memorized had been drilled by Lu Guifan and Jian Sha, and his essay should have stayed on topic.

When the math exam began in the afternoon, Jiang Ruotang truly understood the meaning of that sentence.

—I exist in every step of your problem-solving.

Jiang Ruotang truly wrote as if guided by a higher power, smoothly progressing until the last two major problems, where he got slightly stuck.

Even Zhao Changfeng, after finishing the math exam and leaving the examination hall, told Zhao Yunshu and Jiang Huaiyuan: “You two went to the temple to pray for our college entrance exam before, but now it seems there’s no need to go to the temple at all; just worship Lu Guifan! How on earth did his brain grow?! At least two-thirds of the question types he predicted were accurate!”

Zhao Yunshu was overjoyed upon hearing this: “Two-thirds of 150 points is 100 points! Changfeng, you can score 100 on math?”

Zhao Changfeng’s face immediately fell: “But among the two-thirds that the class monitor predicted correctly, I’m only confident in two-thirds of those…”

Zhao Yunshu fiercely covered her eyes, “I shouldn’t have asked you!”

The integrated science exam was another chaotic battle, especially when encountering questions about electrons in a magnetic field. Jiang Ruotang closed his eyes and imagined Lu Guifan sitting beside him, reaching out on his exam paper, patiently analyzing the electron’s direction of movement for him. He told himself, this should be the last time he analyzed a magnetic field; let them finally break up!

---

The two-day college entrance examination thus concluded.

Zhao Changfeng impatiently called for people in their small group chat: [Brothers and sisters, who cares if we did well or not! KTV time!]

Jian Sha and Cai Ji immediately responded.

Jiang Ruotang also raised his hand in the group. After a long wait, Lu Guifan’s message finally came, asking which KTV to go to.

It turned out that KTVs were so popular that day that Zhao Changfeng contacted several places but couldn’t find a private room.

Just as they were thinking of just having fun at Jiang Ruotang’s house, Bai Yingchuan sent a message in the class’s main group chat: [Classmates, I booked a large private room a week ago. Everyone is welcome to come and have fun. Let’s get together after the college entrance exam!]

The group immediately exploded. Everyone went crazy, knowing that mainstream media hadn’t even managed to get photos of Bai Yingchuan after his injury. Even if private photos leaked, they were always with a baseball cap and mask, completely covered up.

Whether it was fans or passersby, everyone was curious about the state of Bai Yingchuan’s face, not to mention that he was the only popular star these ordinary students could access. And this KTV gathering had the feeling of a youth farewell dinner.

Jiang Ruotang looked at his phone. Bai Yingchuan only tallied the numbers in the class group. Even though he hadn’t bubbled in the group, Bai Yingchuan didn’t private message him, as if their relationship had truly returned to the most ordinary classmate relationship.

Zhao Changfeng asked in their small group: [Going?]

Jian Sha was the first to reply: [Going! It’s free! And we can see the big star’s recovery before those paparazzi. It’d be a loss not to go!]

Jiang Ruotang rubbed his forehead. This Jian Sha…

Unexpectedly, Lu Guifan directly replied in the main group: [Jiang Ruotang and I are going too.]

Jiang Ruotang’s eyes almost popped out. He thought Lu Guifan preferred quiet, less crowded places.

However, the phrase “Jiang Ruotang and I” made him happier the more he looked at it.

He couldn’t help but ask Lu Guifan: [You’re quite proactive!]

Lu Guifan only answered with an [Mmh], but in reality, he also wanted to see for himself whether Bai Yingchuan’s good looks still held core competitiveness against Jiang Ruotang.

---

It was probably their last high school gathering. Bai Yingchuan went all out, booking a KTV in Building B of Jingshang MALL. It not only had a super large space and high-end audio, but also huge floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the city’s starlight. Facing them across the way, Building A’s tower had a huge LED screen displaying rotating advertisements for various brands.

Among them was the casual sportswear brand that Bai Yingchuan endorsed.

Many classmates came. Everyone wore their own clothes, and compared to their usual monotonous appearances, today they were finally free from the heavy pressure of the college entrance examination. The entire private room exuded a sense of liberated freedom.

Classmates arrived one after another, and Bai Yingchuan was still the center of attention.

This guy seemed determined to go completely barefaced. There was no attempt to conceal the scar on his cheek; he simply let all his classmates see it openly.

Some even wanted to get a closer look, and he didn’t mind at all.

The scar was similar to what he had seen at the Qin family’s banquet, but in the dim lighting, it became even more pronounced, like a mark left by a sharp blade on porcelain, causing regret and sighs.

“Don’t worry, everyone; I will actively pursue recovery. In the future, we’ll all go our separate ways, but if I ever have the chance to return to the screen, old classmates, please make sure to support me!”

“Of course!”

“Definitely! Definitely!”

To dispel the melancholic and regretful atmosphere, Bai Yingchuan voluntarily offered to sing a song for everyone, and the private room erupted in cheers.

Jiang Ruotang followed behind Lu Guifan and found a corner to sit down.

“Today’s Bai Yingchuan is a bit different from usual,” Lu Guifan said.

To hear what he was saying, Jiang Ruotang had to lean his ear close to him.

“Huh? How is he different?”

Besides having an extra scar.

“He’s no longer putting on an act to maintain his persona. That scar actually gives him a sense of having a story,” Lu Guifan turned his face, looking at Jiang Ruotang meaningfully.

Who knew Jiang Ruotang would pat himself and say, “I also have a great sense of story, profound, low-key, and rich in content.”

Lu Guifan closed his eyes and chuckled, “You have no ‘sense of story.’ Plenty of comedic effect, though.”

“Classmates, I’m going to sing ‘Bell’s Inequality’!”

Bai Yingchuan smiled, captivating everyone in the KTV’s lights and shadows.

A classmate actively offered to help find the song on the list, but couldn’t find it for a long time.

“Hey, this song isn’t here!”

“I thought a KTV this big would buy all the copyrights?”

“It’s probably because this song is more rock, and many people can’t sing it, so there’s no need to buy it, right?”

Bai Yingchuan smiled and said, “It’s okay, I can sing acappella.”

At this moment, Jian Sha suddenly raised her hand: “I see an electric guitar over there! I can accompany you!”

Cai Ji looked over in surprise: “You don’t just write novels; you also play electric guitar?”

“Of course, please call me Queen.”

With the college entrance exam over, Jian Sha was no longer low-key and became wild.

“Your Majesty, please come on stage—” Bai Yingchuan walked up to Jian Sha, bowed like a gentleman, and extended his hand to Jian Sha.

Jian Sha lifted her head, truly like a queen, and followed Bai Yingchuan to the center of the KTV.

She picked up the electric guitar and played a few notes. It really was the tune of “Bell’s Inequality.” Bai Yingchuan gave her a thumbs up.

Jian Sha laughed heartily: “Is anyone else multi-talented? Zhao Changfeng, do you want to come up and shake the tambourine?”

Zhao Changfeng immediately shook his head. “Isn’t that just being part of the atmosphere crew? If I’m on stage, I have to be the lead!”

To Jian Sha and Bai Yingchuan’s surprise, Jiang Ruotang actually raised his hand: “I’ll come—I can play the drums—”

Lu Guifan’s heart skipped a beat. So, besides holding a paintbrush, Jiang Ruotang could also play drums?

Cai Ji, who was twisting a water bottle, also turned his face, his curiosity piqued.

What would Jiang Ruotang look like playing drums?

Zhao Changfeng was the first to doubt him: “You can play drums too? You’re the guy whose singing can go off-key all the way to the peak of Mount Everest, and you’re saying you can play the drums?”

Jiang Ruotang elbowed him, “Singing off-key and playing drums are two different things!”

Zhao Changfeng leaned into Jiang Ruotang’s ear and whispered, “Are you still not giving up on Bai Yingchuan, wanting to share the stage with him before graduation?”

Jiang Ruotang suddenly pinched Zhao Changfeng’s nose, pushing him away. Then he leaned into Lu Guifan’s ear and whispered, “Let me show you how talented I am, little master.”

Lu Guifan lowered his eyes and chuckled. His ear still felt a little ticklish. Jiang Ruotang’s words made it seem as if he was only going on stage to perform for Lu Guifan.

“You really can?” Bai Yingchuan asked him teasingly.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Ruotang picked up the drumsticks and spun them between his fingers and wrist, eliciting gasps of surprise from the audience.