Chapter 361

Chapter 361

◎Final Sprint◎

Just after the Spring Festival, before the spring cold snap even set in, senior year had already begun.

Seniors started classes a few days earlier than underclassmen. In the first class, the head teacher gave everyone a pep talk: "There are only a few months left—tough it out and push through to the end. No pain, no gain! Once you get into university, you’ll be free!"

The teacher spoke passionately on the podium, while the students sat expressionless in their seats.

Seeing their lack of youthful energy, the teacher tried to rally them: "You're the future leaders, the shining stars of our nation. How can you be slacking off like this? Lift your spirits! First period is math. As usual, we’ll start with a pop quiz to see if you’ve spent this past month at home all brawn and no brain."

When it came to boosting morale, no one seemed interested, but the moment exams were mentioned, the moaning and groaning was louder than ever.

Xiao Ye leaned closer to Ji Nanxing and whispered, "If I do well on the test, what’s my reward?"

Ji Nanxing said, "I haven’t settled the score with you yet for sneaking a kiss this morning."

Xiao Ye pursed his lips, his ears turning red as the memory of that stolen kiss resurfaced. His bold demand for a reward instantly turned into acting like a bashful puppy. "I just couldn’t help myself."

Morning sunlight, his beloved sleeping peacefully beside him—now his official boyfriend. A beam of light slipped through the gap in the curtains, illuminating half of Ji Nanxing’s face—perfectly pale, with a soft down, his cheeks still flushed from sleep.

How could anyone resist that?

He’d just lacked self-control. He’d only stolen one light kiss, careful not to wake him. How could that hold against him later?

But then, remembering he wasn’t the same secret admirer anymore, Xiao Ye shot back defiantly, "What’s wrong with kissing my boyfriend? It’s not illegal."

Ji Nanxing pinched his lips shut. "Quiet."

Xiao Ye obediently fell silent, but after a moment, he couldn’t resist trying to take his boyfriend's hand under the desk.

Ji Nanxing immediately threatened, "If your math score drops out of the top three in the class, I’ll downgrade our relationship. After that, any unauthorized kisses will be breaking the law."

Xiao Ye didn’t dare let his focus waver another second. He sat bolt upright, eyes fixed on the blackboard. He’d fought too hard for this position—no way was he getting demoted!

Watching Xiao Ye get instantly reined in by Ji Nanxing’s words, Zhang Yuan tsked in frustration. "Pathetic."

Dong Qi, his mouth full of chocolate, mumbled, "Huh? What'd you say?"

Zhang Yuan: "Eat your chocolate."

Dong Qi: "Oh."

Since senior year had started early and school hadn’t officially resumed, students weren’t restricted to staying on campus at noon. With only seniors in session, the nearby restaurants weren’t as packed as usual after school. Some places that normally had long lines were surprisingly accessible during lunch breaks.

At a copper hotpot restaurant, the table was piled high with plates of lamb rolls and fatty lamb slices. A whole plate dumped into the pot would be gone in seconds.

Chen Shiyi stuffed a large bite of sesame-dipped lamb into his mouth, exhaling steam as he sighed in satisfaction. "Nothing beats eating meat like this. Starting early isn’t all bad—we’d never have time for this otherwise."

Jiang Tangtang said, "I’d rather be on break at home. You have no idea—my mom hired a one-on-one tutor to help me push through these last months."

Chen Shiyi said, "One-on-one? Your mom’s sparing no expense."

With multiple subjects, tutoring at current rates for tutors could easily cost nearly 100k RMB over a few months.

Jiang Tangtang said, "Not really. She found a college freshman to tutor me from 10 PM to midnight on weekdays and all day on weekends. Said since they just finished the gaokao, they’re still sharp on the material, and college students charge less."

Mentioning tutoring made Lin Yi think of Xiao Xiao. She asked quietly, "Is your family still pushing you to study abroad?"

Xiao Xiao shook her head: "I convinced them. I can still choose the major I like."

Jiang Tangtang leaned in: "What's the catch? Your parents wouldn’t just agree so easily."

If they could really communicate well, they wouldn’t have argued about it before.

Xiao Xiao: "The deal is I have to support myself."

Zhang Yuan looked at her: "What do you mean? They won’t cover your living expenses anymore?"

Xiao Xiao smiled nonchalantly: "They’re treating the first year’s tuition as a loan. I’ll earn my own living expenses and pay them back before graduation. They said if I don’t want to follow the path they planned for me, then I should make it on my own. I agreed."

Xiao Ye placed a piece of cooked lamb into Ji Nanxing’s dipping bowl and said, "If you need money, just say the word. Might not have much else, but money’s no problem."

Jiang Tangtang rolled her eyes: "Can you believe this guy? Now I get why some people hate the rich."

Chen Shiyi added, "I’ve got some savings too. If you ever run short on living expenses, just ask. It’s all money I earned myself."

Xiao Xiao nodded at everyone: "Don’t worry, if I’m in trouble, I’ll definitely speak up."

She truly felt lucky. She had met these friends because of that incident with the hidden camera, and because of them, she had gained precious friendships throughout high school.

She believed that even if they all went their separate ways in the future, their bond would never change.

Jiang Tangtang raised her drink: "To our bright futures, cheers!"

Zhang Yuan glanced at her: "Just eat."

Lin Yi lightly clinked her cup with Jiang Tangtang’s, half-heartedly going through the motions.

Chen Shiyi recommended meat to Ji Nanxing: "This lamb is super tender. Try it."

Xiao Ye had long stopped competing with Chen Shiyi for favor. His status was different now—there was no point in vying for attention. His position as the primary partner was secure.

Jiang Tangtang glared at them, annoyed: "Why are you all like this?!"

Xiao Xiao watched them teasing Jiang Tangtang and laughed along. This was their youth, right now, and the future was full of promise—how wonderful.

The final sprint of senior year introduced no new material, but reviewing and reinforcing everything learned before was no easy task.

Mountains of homework, endless streams of exams—some even collected their used pen refills, filling a whole box, while test papers were piled up by the pound.

Even Xiao Ye, whether influenced by the intense atmosphere or intimidated by Ji Nanxing’s threat of being held back, started taking things seriously. With his naturally sharp mind, focusing a bit more on studying made improving his grades not too difficult.

After several consecutive exams, his ranking stabilized within the top ten. When the April joint exam results came out, it was clear he had more than enough to get into Lanzhou University. Xiao Ye finally let himself relax a bit.

Some were happy, others were devastated. Those with disappointing scores felt like their world had ended. They said the college entrance exam was their only shot at life—they couldn’t even imagine what their future would hold if they failed.

After the joint exams, the teachers stopped pressuring the students. They had taught all they could, and the students had learned all they should. Those willing to push forward didn’t need any more prodding, while those unwilling wouldn’t respond to constant nagging. So, they shifted to helping the students relax.

Leaving the study grind behind, Xiao Ye stretched and followed Ji Nanxing: "How about we turn the first floor into a gaming room? Does our ancestral shrine like sunlight? If so, we could use the first-floor sunroom for it. Or do you want a study? If it’s a study, we should start looking at bookshelves now."

They had decided to live in a small villa near the university, just a fifteen-minute drive away. Xiao Ye had his license now and took Ji Nanxing out for drives almost every week, giving him a break from studying while Xiao Ye practiced his driving.

The house had been fully renovated, and they had already started adding new furniture according to their tastes. The upstairs had a master bedroom with a big closet and a separate room for talismans and artifacts. Though they didn’t have many yet, they’d need space as their collection grew.

Xiao Ye had even set up a mini kitchenette on the second floor for drinks and late-night snacks, so they wouldn’t have to go downstairs.

Outside, there was a small garden, which Xiao Ye was already making plans for. He wanted to take care of everything himself, making sure the house was beautiful so Ji Nanxing could enjoy the sight of colorful blooms every day.

While lost in thoughts about the future, Ji Nanxing—who was walking ahead—suddenly came to a halt. Fortunately, Xiao Ye reacted quickly and stopped right away; otherwise, he would’ve plowed right into him.

Noticing the sudden stop, Xiao Ye tilted his head to check Ji Nanxing’s expression. “What’s wrong? Am I being too noisy? If so, I’ll shut up.”

Ji Nanxing turned his head to look outside the corridor. The building had a quad-style layout, so instead of overlooking the playground, the corridor looked down into a central courtyard. For safety reasons, a large net had been tied outside the second-floor corridor. They were on the fourth floor now, where they could see the entire safety net from above.

Xiao Ye followed his gaze. “See something down there?”

Ji Nanxing shook his head. “The hooks anchoring the net look loose. Call campus security to get it reinforced.”

Xiao Ye took a closer look and nodded. “On it. I’ll have maintenance there ASAP.”

Normally Ji Nanxing wouldn’t give something like this a second thought. But if he did point it out, that meant it could be a real hazard. Xiao Ye didn’t dare take it lightly—something like that could easily turn deadly.

That afternoon, while students were in class, the school brought in workers to reinforce the net. It had been worn down by constant exposure to sun and rain anyway, so repairs were long overdue.

Just two days after the net was fixed, a senior student (12th grader) threatened to jump off the building.

When Xiao Ye heard the news, his stomach dropped—but then settled again. He knew Ji Nanxing, nicknamed Naonao, didn’t just randomly notice things without reason. Thank goodness he’d jumped right on it like he said.