Chapter 174

Chapter 174

Tian Ruan returned to the classroom and noticed Lu Qiuyan looking at him oddly. He couldn’t help but ask, “What’s wrong?”

Lu Qiuyan: “Your lips are red and a little swollen.”

“……”

Lu Qiuyan stared blankly, expressionless.

To others, Lu Qiuyan might seem unapproachable, but Tian Ruan knew he was just zoned out. “Lu Qiuyan?”

Lu Qiuyan jolted back to attention and glanced at his lips again before finally asking, “Is kissing really all that great?”

“Huh?”

“Forget it.”

It clicked for Tian Ruan. “Are you curious about what kissing feels like?”

Lu Qiuyan denied it. “As if.”

Tian Ruan: “You totally are—you even said ‘As if’ like that.”

“……”

Tian Ruan grinned. “Didn’t you already kiss Yu Shang before? Why are you still curious?”

Lu Qiuyan scowled. “That didn’t count.”

Tian Ruan: “Pfft, that was barely a peck. A real kiss goes way deeper. If you’re curious, you can try again with Yu Shang.”

“Screw off.”

Despite his words, when Yu Shang entered the classroom, Lu Qiuyan couldn’t help glancing at his lips.

From last September until now, Yu Shang seemed to have grown taller again, his posture straighter, his facial features sharper and more defined. The once somewhat delicate features had fully transformed into rugged good looks.

His eyes and lips, in particular, bore an increasing resemblance to his father—naturally carrying a charm that felt warm but distant. His lips were thin, pale in color, yet unexpectedly soft.

Lu Qiuyan recalled those few accidental, not-quite-kisses. The hazy memories suddenly sharpened and flashed vividly in his mind—

The first time, mouth-to-mouth after he drowned.

The second time, getting tackled mid-game.

The third time, playing the prince who kissed the princess during the opera performance…

Lu Qiuyan’s face instantly burned crimson, and he looked away fast from Yu Shang.

Yu Shang paused. “Lu Qiuyan, you feeling okay?”

Lu Qiuyan: “…No.”

“Then why is your face so red?”

“It’s freaking hot, alright?” Lu Qiuyan shucked off his blazer in a few swift motions, revealing a short-sleeved shirt underneath. Rolling up his sleeves, he shot a glare at Tian Ruan.

To avoid getting hit, Tian Ruan kept his mouth shut, just looked away and gave Yu Shang a look.

Yu Shang couldn't decipher his little dad's exaggerated facial expressions and simply said, "No fever? Good."

Lu Qiuyan urgently needed to get his mind off Yu Shang and casually remarked, "Tian Ruan, those fireworks were set off by you, weren't they?"

Tian Ruan: "...How did you know?"

Yu Shang interjected, "You were the one in charge of handling fireworks purchases for the school student council, yet you used school funds for personal use by setting them off in broad daylight."

Tian Ruan was astonished: "I set off fireworks at Deyin for Deyin—everyone saw them. How is that using school funds for personal use?"

"Are you sure everyone saw them?"

"...I suppose so."

"All I heard was a loud bang in the sky, and fifty thousand yuan's worth of fireworks went to waste."

"Not a complete waste, right? At least it got everyone's attention, didn't it?"

Yu Shang said with a faint laugh, "True. At first, people thought something had exploded."

"..." Tian Ruan asked, "Do I have to pay for it?"

"No need. After all, my father just donated eighty million, enough for Deyin to set off fireworks for a hundred years."

"Oh."

After that, Tian Ruan wasn't really involved in the school anniversary.

He was glad for the free time, using it to review his lessons and prepare for final exams.

One day after school, Tian Ruan returned home to find Yu Jingmo had shut himself in his study for two full hours without emerging. Tian Ruan went upstairs to call him for dinner, knocking on the door: "Mr. Yu, dinner is ready."

Faintly, he heard grand, dramatic singing—oddly familiar.

"Mr. Yu?"

"Stella Dew!—Hale!" came the cry from inside.

Tian Ruan: "...Mr. Yu!"

Turning the knob, he burst in. Tian Ruan was shocked to find Yu Jingmo watching the opera he had performed last semester: *Star and Sea*.

And he was using a projector, with the screen hung right in front of the bookshelf.

Like he'd been struck by lightning, Tian Ruan froze on the spot.

Yu Jingmo glanced between the young man on the screen and the one in reality, his expression unchanged: "Stella Dew, you really hid this from me."

Tian Ruan nearly lost his composure: "Mr. Yu, please stop watching. This is my cringe-worthy past!"

Yu Jingmo finally couldn't help smirking: "Truly a cringe-worthy past."

"Ahh, stop watching, stop..." Tian Ruan rushed forward, slamming the laptop shut and pulling the projector's plug. The study instantly fell silent, devoid of Stella Dew and Hale's cries or the noisy singing of the background characters.

Blushing and irritated, Tian Ruan demanded, "Why were you watching this?"

Yu Jingmo remained completely calm: "Sweetheart, I was just trying to get my memory back faster."

"What was that?"

"Baby. I used to call you that, right?"

"...No, you didn't." Tian Ruan was exasperated. Were Yu Jingmo's memories that fragmented? Whatever came to mind, he just went with it.

In any case, being intimate with Yu Jingmo more often was still helpful for his memory recovery.

After recalling some work-related matters, Yu Jingmo became increasingly adept at handling his responsibilities. As a result, Yu Shang was able to gradually take on more of the company's affairs without being overwhelmed all at once.

Happiness brightens the mood—Yu Shang's dark circles faded, and he looked even more radiant at school.

On the day of the final exams, a steady drizzle fell.

It wasn’t raining for the sake of the main couple, but rather due to the natural shift of seasons. This rain marked the true arrival of summer, a season where the youths' emotions were always filled with unspoken chemistry.

As the last summer the main couple would spend together during their student years, naturally, many unforgettable moments unfolded.

But right now, Tian Ruan had no time to dwell on it—he had exams to take.

Tian Ruan stepped out of the car under the bodyguard’s umbrella. Seeing Yu Jingmo about to get out, he quickly stopped him, "Mr. Yu, stay inside. Your legs hurt."

Yu Jingmo paused at this, looking at Tian Ruan in surprise—he had retired due to injury, and whenever it rained, his leg muscles throbbed painfully, with no remedy but to endure it.

Tian Ruan fished out a heating pad from his pocket. "Here, use this for warmth."

Yu Jingmo took the palm-sized heating pad and looked down. "Mm."

"Gotta go. If it’s still raining after school, don’t come pick me up."

Yu Jingmo didn’t commit, simply saying, "Good luck on your exams."

"Mm!" Tian Ruan took the umbrella from the bodyguard and passed through Deyin’s gates. Amid the drizzling rain, he stopped before the statue of Lord Wenchang and paid his respects.

Watching this from the car window, Yu Jingmo gave a quiet laugh.

The driver remarked, "The young master remembers all your habits, sir."

Yu Jingmo: "Then I’ll make sure to remember his too."

When Tian Ruan reached the classroom, he placed his umbrella in the umbrella rack. Suddenly, he noticed Lu Qiuyan drying his wet hair with a towel and immediately went over. "Did you get caught in the rain?"

Lu Qiuyan brushed it off. "Just my hair and shoes got a little wet. It’s fine."

"Change your shoes, then."

"Those are dirty—I’ll wash them when I get home."

"Wear mine..." Tian Ruan glanced down and saw that Lu Qiuyan’s feet were clearly two or three sizes larger than his own.

Lu Qiuyan: "No need."

Yu Shang walked in and, passing by Lu Qiuyan, tossed out, "I left shoes in your locker."

Lu Qiuyan frowned in confusion. "Why would you put your shoes in my locker?"

Yu Shang: "..."

Tian Ruan: "Maybe those shoes were meant for you?"

Lu Qiuyan: "..."

Tian Ruan: "Go change them quickly. Walking around in soggy shoes all day sucks."

Lu Qiuyan went to change his shoes. Yu Shang's shoes were a tad too big, but it was still better than them being too small.

The school anniversary wore everyone out. To keep it simple, the final exams were held directly in the classrooms. Our homeroom teacher and the proctors handed out the test papers, and as the bell rang, the exams officially began.

Tian Ruan breezed through the exams for Chinese, Math, and English.

The next day, the rain let up, and they tested the other subjects.

On the third day, they even threw in an art exam...

"Should we ask He Lansi for private lessons?" Yu Jingmo asked Tian Ruan.

Tian Ruan gritted his teeth: "No."

"Your call."

Then, Tian Ruan's art score earned him a big ol' goose egg.

Tian Ruan: "…………" For the first time in his life, he pulled a zero.

Yu Jingmo couldn't stop laughing after seeing the grade report.

Tian Ruan grumbled: "The art prompt was way too vague—'A Beautiful Tomorrow.' What's wrong with me drawing a room full of cash? What's the big deal??"

Yu Jingmo teased: "Maybe it looked like counterfeit money?"

"..."

Although Tian Ruan pulled a zero in art, luckily, it didn't count in the total score. His overall score once again landed him second place, putting him back on the grade's second-highest scorer's throne. He even sent a special red envelope to Xi Qin.

Tian Ruan: Vice Prez, my bad.

Xi Qin: Don't mention it.

Tian Ruan: I sent you a red envelope. Just take it.

Xi Qin: It's unnecessary.

Tian Ruan: Please take it, or I’ll feel bad.

Xi Qin: ?

Tian Ruan: If you don’t accept it, I won’t be happy this summer. Knowing I beat you again, I’ll worry about your mental state.

Xi Qin: No need to worry. I’m fine.

Tian Ruan: Then take the red envelope.

Xi Qin: Really, it’s unnecessary.

Tian Ruan: I’ll tell Yu Shang that you refused my red envelope and are moping about your grades.

Xi Qin: You’re reading too much into it.

Tian Ruan: If Yu Shang finds out, he’ll be on your case immediately.

Xi Qin: ...

Yu Shang really called Xi Qin and said, "This time Tian Ruan just got lucky beating you. Why are you taking it so hard?"

Xi Qin took a deep breath and replied, "I can take it lightly. Fine, I'll take the red envelope, okay?"

"Mhm."

Xi Qin received the red packet: 6.66

Xi Qin was speechless.

Tian Ruan: Vice-president, have a happy summer vacation~

Xi Qin was so "thrilled" he spent the whole day rolling his eyes.

Deyin officially began summer break.

The wonderful vacation life—here comes Tian Ruan!