Chapter 90 The End of the College Entrance Examination

Chapter 90: The Gaokao Ends

Lu Guifan pondered for a moment before answering, "He... knew that one plus two equals three, but couldn’t figure out what two plus one was. His parents said he was dumb..."

Jiang Ruotang cupped his hands over his eyes in the dark. When he was little... wasn’t he the same way?

"Then... how did you praise him?"

"I asked him what two plus two equals. He said four, and I told him, 'Great job, you’re not stupid at all.'"

Jiang Ruotang immediately turned around to look into Lu Guifan’s eyes, wanting to see if the guy was teasing him. To his surprise, Lu Guifan’s gaze was utterly sincere.

"Thanks a lot! Now I feel tricked too! You’re such a con artist!"

Lu Guifan let out a soft chuckle, his breath tickling Jiang Ruotang’s ear, making his heart skip.

"Still can’t sleep?" Lu Guifan asked.

"A little. Can you chat with me for a while?" Jiang Ruotang rolled over, resting his chin on the pillow to look at Lu Guifan.

"About what?" Lu Guifan replied, reaching for the glasses on the nightstand, but Jiang Ruotang grabbed his wrist.

"It’s just chatting. What do you need glasses for? Every time you put them on, I get nervous—like it’s study time."

Hearing this, Lu Guifan laughed, his low laugh rumbling in his throat, making Jiang Ruotang want to sink his teeth into his throat just to see if he could keep his composure.

"What do you want to talk about?"

"Something juicy, like gossip... Have you ever liked anyone growing up? Celebrities, the pretty girl next door, a hot teacher—anything that made your heart race. Or even someone who just... turned you on."

"What counts as physical attraction?"

"Don’t act clueless, brainiac. If you pretend not to know what physical attraction is, we’re done here."

"I just don’t understand why you’re separating liking someone from wanting them. For me, the standards are the same."

Jiang Ruotang nearly asked, *Who is it?* But then he thought better of it—because if it was someone current, odds were it wasn’t him, and hearing it would only hurt.

But he couldn’t shake the curiosity. Lu Guifan might have someone he liked—or at least had liked in the past—and even admitted to physical attraction?

Shouldn’t someone like him be the type to watch action movies without flinching once?

"You probably like the prim and proper type. Someone with top grades who can discuss the stars with you, never mixes up which way electrons spin, and the kind your folks would love on sight."

As Jiang Ruotang spoke, Lu Guifan’s chest shook slightly, like he was holding back a laugh.

"What? We’re talking here. Can’t you give me a straight answer? Am I wrong?"

"I don’t like the prim and proper type."

"Then what, you like flirty minxes?" Jiang Ruotang snapped.

To his surprise, Lu Guifan countered, "What counts as a flirty minx?"

"Someone gorgeous, knows how to tease, maybe even a little high-maintenance."

"Then I like flirty minxes," Lu Guifan answered firmly.

Jiang Ruotang sat straight up. "Wow, I never would’ve guessed. You seem so buttoned-up, but you’re into *that*?"

Lu Guifan chuckled, reaching out to pat Jiang Ruotang’s back. "I don’t like discussing space physics with people. Can’t stargazing just be simple? People aren’t electrons—who cares about magnetic fields? As long as you know left from right, isn’t that enough?"

"But your parents would definitely prefer someone more... wifey material," Jiang Ruotang muttered.

Every time he visited the Lu household, it was like he was VIP. Lu Guifan’s parents would rush to prepare food, buy snacks and fruits—especially cherries, which were way out of their budget. But if Lu Guifan so much as said, "Jiang Ruotang likes them," they’d buy boxes without hesitation, washing each one carefully before setting them out like he was some pampered prince.

It didn’t take a genius to realize that, given Lu Guifan’s family values, he’d never end up with someone like a high-maintenance brat.

Suddenly, Lu Guifan’s hand pressed against Jiang Ruotang’s head. "My parents like *your* type. Do you think you’re domestic?"

The words hit Jiang Ruotang like a ton of bricks, his face burning.

But Lu Guifan liked flirty minxes... and unfortunately, Jiang Ruotang couldn’t pull that off.

He took a deep breath and lay back down, a weird emptiness settling in his chest.

"What are you thinking about now?"

"I was thinking... you’re so smart, you’ll probably have tons of patents someday and rake in cash. How... would you spend it?"

"Buy your paintings."

"I’d *give* them to you for free, you know!"

And half of them were paintings of *you* anyway—it’s not like he charged you.

"Then I’ll buy a gallery to display your work."

Jiang Ruotang genuinely wanted to grab Lu Guifan by the neck and shake him, demanding he stop talking.

Words like these sounded too much like a confession—like some cheesy love confession.

Except Lu Guifan wouldn’t be collecting Jiang Ruotang himself, but his thoughts, the art he made.

"Fine. Buy a gallery someday, and I’ll fill it with every painting I’ve ever made of you."

Lu Guifan went still for a second.

*Then I’ll have to buy a very, very big gallery—so you’ve got room to paint me a million times.*

After a while, Lu Guifan noticed Jiang Ruotang had gone quiet next to him—asleep at last.

Typical Jiang Ruotang. Messing with someone’s feelings, then dozing off like it’s nothing.

Lu Guifan exhaled, his brow furrowing slightly. This wasn’t like him.

No, this distance wasn’t right.

—Jiang Ruotang was too far away.

He slid his arm beneath Jiang Ruotang’s neck, applying just enough pressure to pull him closer. Like gravity pulling him in, Jiang Ruotang automatically curled toward him, his head tucked against Lu Guifan.

Feeling Jiang Ruotang’s breath warm his skin, Lu Guifan finally relaxed.

The final week flew by. The blackboard’s countdown hit zero, and soon, their class would step into the examination halls of the college entrance exam.

For many, this was the turning point of their lives.

In the morning, Zhao Yunshu repeatedly checked the two children's exam permits, school supplies, and ID cards.

Zhao Changfeng and Jiang Ruotang were eating breakfast made by Sister Juan, while Jiang Huaiyuan was reading the morning newspaper, offhandedly saying, "Don’t rush during the exam. First, glance over the test to get a general sense of the difficulty, then do the easy ones first. Don’t get stuck on individual problems!"

Originally, Jiang Ruotang was tense, but seeing Zhao Changfeng and Jiang Huaiyuan’s expressions, he just found it funny.

"Changfeng, your chopsticks are backwards—can you even pick anything up?"

"Dad, your newspaper is upside down too—can you even read it?"

The two called-out men flushed red.

Zhao Changfeng: "I can still pick up cheung fun even if they’re backwards!"

Jiang Huaiyuan: "I was just holding the newspaper... to look cool, that’s all."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever!"

Zhao Yunshu descended the stairs, the rhythmic click of her high heels making the three men below look up.

"Wow... Mom, that qipao... did you borrow it from a film set? It’s way too fancy!"

Zhao Changfeng was so shocked he dropped his tea egg.

Zhao Yunshu raised an eyebrow. "What do you know? I started preparing this a month ago—'Dragon-Phoenix Blessing'!"

Jiang Ruotang didn’t know what to say.

Last time, when he and Zhao Changfeng took the college entrance exam, they were under the shadow of Jiang Huaiyuan’s being held in custody. Zhao Yunshu had to both comfort the two children and fight for her husband’s release, leaving no energy for the legendary "Lucky Start" tradition.

"Ruo Tang, do you think it looks good?" Zhao Yunshu glanced at him.

Jiang Ruotang immediately nodded. "Badass!"

"Badass is exactly the point!"

On the way to the testing center, Jiang Ruotang received a message from Lu Guifan: [I’ll be with you the whole time.]

Pfft, we’re not even in the same exam district. How are you going to be with me the whole time?

The Chinese exam went smoothly—everything he needed to memorize had been made him memorize by Lu Guifan and Jian Sha, and his essay likely didn’t go off-topic.

But when the afternoon math exam began, Jiang Ruotang truly understood what that message meant.

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

Jiang Ruotang felt like he was flying through the test, breezing through until the last two major problems, where he got stuck a little.

Even Zhao Changfeng, after finishing the math exam, told Zhao Yunshu and Jiang Huaiyuan, "You guys even went to the temple to pray for our exams, but turns out we didn’t need the temple—we just needed to thank Lu Guifan! How does his brain even work? He nailed at least two-thirds of the question types!"

Zhao Yunshu was overjoyed. "Two-thirds of 150 is 100! Changfeng, can you score 100 in math?"

Zhao Changfeng’s face immediately fell. "But of the two-thirds the class president nailed, I’m only confident about two-thirds of those..."

Zhao Yunshu covered her eyes. "I shouldn’t have asked!"

The physics/chem section was another chaotic mess, especially when it came to questions about electrons in magnetic fields. Jiang Ruotang closed his eyes and imagined Lu Guifan sitting beside him, reaching out to his test paper and patiently analyzing the electron’s movement. He told himself this would probably be the last time he’d analyze a magnetic field—let this be their last time dealing with this!

The two-day college entrance exam ended just like that.

Zhao Changfeng couldn’t wait to text the group chat: [Brothers and sisters, forget about how we did—let’s go to karaoke!]

Jian Sha and Cai Ji immediately responded.

Jiang Ruotang also chimed in, but it took a while before Lu Guifan replied, asking which KTV they were going to.

Unexpectedly, KTVs were fully booked that day, and Zhao Changfeng couldn’t secure a karaoke room after trying several places.

Just as they were considering hanging at Ruo Tang’s place, Bai Yingchuan sent a message in the class group: [Everyone, I booked a large private room a week ago. You’re all welcome to join—let’s gather one last time after the exams!]

The chat blew up. Everyone went wild. After all, even mainstream media hadn’t managed to get photos of Bai Yingchuan after his injury. Any leaked private photos showed him wearing a baseball cap and mask, all bundled up.

Fans and randos alike were curious about the state of Bai Yingchuan’s face, not to mention that he was the only celebrity these ordinary students could interact with. This KTV gathering had the air of an end-of-high-school bash.

Jiang Ruotang checked his phone. Bai Yingchuan was only taking roll in the class group—even though Jiang Ruotang hadn’t spoken up, Bai Yingchuan didn’t privately message him, as if they had truly reverted to being the most ordinary of classmates.

Zhao Changfeng asked in their small group: [Are we going?]

Jian Sha was the first to reply: [Of course! It’s free! And we’ll get to see the big star’s recovery before the paparazzi do—it’d be a waste not to go!]

Jiang Ruotang rubbed his forehead. This Jian Sha...

To his surprise, Lu Guifan directly replied in the main group: [Jiang Ruotang and I will go too.]

Jiang Ruotang’s eyes nearly popped out. He had assumed Lu Guifan preferred quiet, chill hangouts.

But the phrasing "Jiang Ruotang and I" made him happier the more he looked at it.

He couldn’t resist asking Lu Guifan: [You’re being pretty proactive, huh?]

Lu Guifan only replied with a [Yep]. In truth, he also wanted to see firsthand whether Bai Yingchuan’s looks still held any appeal in Jiang Ruotang’s eyes.

As if marking the last high school gathering, Bai Yingchuan splurged—the KTV he booked was in Tower B of the Golden Mall, featuring not only a huge room and high-end sound system but also floor-to-ceiling windows with a view of the city skyline. Opposite them, Tower A’s LED screen cycled through advertisements for major brands, including the casual sportswear Bai Yingchuan endorsed.

Many classmates showed up, all dressed in their own clothes, a stark contrast to their usual uniforms. Finally freed from the pressure of exams, the private room buzzed with a liberated party vibe.

As classmates arrived one after another, Bai Yingchuan remained the star of the show.

He seemed determined to go makeup-free, making no effort to conceal the scars on his cheeks, letting all his classmates see them openly.

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

The scar looked about the same as it had at the Qin family’s banquet, but under the dim lighting, it stood out even more—like a crack in fine china, evoking pity and regret.

"Don’t worry, everyone. I’ll focus on healing. Once we all go our separate ways, if I ever make a comeback, you’d better support me, okay?"

"Of course!"

"Definitely!"

To lighten the mood, Bai Yingchuan offered to sing a song for everyone, getting cheers in the room.

Jiang Ruotang followed behind Lu Guifan and slid into a corner.

"Bai Yingchuan isn’t his usual self today," Lu Guifan said.

To hear him clearly, Jiang Ruotang had to lean in to hear.

"Huh? What’s changed?"

Other than him having an extra scar.

"He’s stopped acting just to keep up appearances. That scar actually makes him seem more intriguing." Lu Guifan turned his face slightly, looking meaningfully at Jiang Ruotang.

Who would’ve thought Jiang Ruotang would pat himself and say, "I’ve got depth too—mysterious, low-key, and profound."

Lu Guifan closed his eyes and chuckled. "You? Depth? You’re more like a one-man comedy show."

"Hey everyone, I’ll sing 'Bell’s Inequality'!"

Bai Yingchuan smiled, and under the KTV lights, he won over the room.

One of their classmates offered to look up the song, but after a while, they still couldn’t locate it.

"Hey, this song isn’t here!"

"I thought a big KTV like this would have all the licenses!"

"Probably ’cause it’s too hardcore rock, and most people can’t hit the high notes, so they didn’t bother buying it?"

Bai Yingchuan smiled. "No big deal, I’ll just sing it without the track."

Just then, Jian Sha suddenly raised her hand. "I see an electric guitar over there! I can accompany you!"

Cai Ji looked at her in surprise. "You don’t just write novels—you can play electric guitar too?"

"Damn straight. Address me as Her Majesty."

With the college entrance exams over, Jian Sha let loose, finally free to be her wild self.

"Your Majesty, the stage awaits—" Bai Yingchuan walked up to her, gave a gentlemanly bow, and extended his hand.

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

She slung on the electric guitar, plucked a few notes, and sure enough, it was the melody of "Bell’s Inequality." Bai Yingchuan gave her a thumbs-up.

Jian Sha grinned brightly. "Anyone else hiding some skills? Zhao Zhangfeng, wanna grab the tambourine?"

Zhao Zhangfeng immediately shook his head. "That’s just backup dancer energy. If I’m up there, I’m the star!"

To everyone’s surprise, Jiang Ruotang raised his hand. "I’ll do it—I can play the drums—"

Lu Guifan’s heart stuttered. So Jiang Ruotang’s hands, usually holding paintbrushes, could also drum?

Even Cai Ji, mid-sip from his water bottle, glanced over, intrigued.

Jiang Ruotang playing the drums… what would that look like?

Zhao Zhangfeng was the first to doubt him. "You can drum? The guy whose singing could make Everest cringe off-key claims he can play the drums?"

Jiang Ruotang elbowed him. "Singing bad and drumming? Totally unrelated!"

Zhao Zhangfeng leaned in and whispered, "You’re not still stuck on Bai Yingchuan, trying to share the stage with him before graduation, are you?"

Jiang Ruotang suddenly pinched Zhao Zhangfeng’s nose and shoved him away, then leaned close to Lu Guifan’s ear and murmured, "Watch this. I’ve got moves."

Lu Guifan smirked, his ear still warm from Jiang Ruotang’s whisper. Jiang Ruotang made it sound like he was performing just for him.

"You really can?" Bai Yingchuan teased.

Out of nowhere, Jiang Ruotang snatched the drumsticks and spun them like a pro, drawing gasps from the crowd.

Technically, he’d picked up drumming in another lifetime, and "Bell’s Inequality" was the song he’d practiced the most—all because Bai Yingchuan was into it.

Yet, despite all that practice, he’d never gotten the chance to perform it with Bai Yingchuan. The other hadn’t even known he could play.

Today, he was finally "living that dream."

Except now, he wanted to perform for Lu Guifan.

The drums kicked in, thunderous and building like a storm, a fiery, explosive crescendo.

The classmates, who’d been focused on Bai Yingchuan, all turned their attention to Jiang Ruotang.

He smirked and threw up a cheeky cat-paw sign toward Lu Guifan, making half the girls in the room swoon.

"Wait, since when was Jiang Ruotang this cute?"

"That opening was fire! I thought he was just messing around, but he’s actually good!"

"So sick! I’m pumped!"

Lu Guifan smiled to himself. Jiang Ruotang was made to leave an impression.

Many classmates pulled out their phones, ready to record.

Jian Sha, the ultimate hype-woman, ripped into a killer solo. "Let’s go wild tonight, everyone—"

Jiang Ruotang laid down the beat with the drums, Jian Sha’s riffs lit the fuse, and Bai Yingchuan began to sing.

"They say your heart lies billions of light-years away—"

Bai Yingchuan worked the crowd with his eyes, the drumbeats syncing with the music, amping him up.

Lu Guifan, watching from below, hadn’t expected Jiang Ruotang to be this good. The hi-hat taps in the intro flickered like rain on a window, then exploded into a full-blown thunderstorm of drums.

"Your soul is a projection of entangled causality, where tiny variables birth infinite possibilities. Bell’s inequality says the world’s logic is bound by cause and effect, yet I’ve tuned my soul to resonate with yours—just so you’d witness this grand quantum leap..."

Bai Yingchuan had never cut loose like this. He glanced at Jiang Ruotang, whose drumsticks became a blur, as if about to soar into the sky, forcing Bai Yingchuan to chase his tempo.

"In the space of love, we infinitely approach eternity—"

Bai Yingchuan almost blew out his vocal cords. The classmates stared in awe, never thinking a KTV night could go this hard.

Jiang Ruotang’s movements flowed with the rhythm, his hair whipping around.

As Bai Yingchuan’s singing cut off abruptly, Jiang Ruotang’s drumsticks froze mid-air, the silence throbbing with energy.

Then Jiang Ruotang looked straight at Lu Guifan and hit him with a dazzling grin. In the dim KTV light, his eyes set every hidden, unspoken desire ablaze.

Lu Guifan didn’t know what the others were thinking, but for the first time, he burned with the need to yank Jiang Ruotang against him, to melt into him, bone and sinew.

He knew—Jiang Ruotang had picked this song on purpose.

If Lu Guifan’s existence was Bell’s inequality—solid in classical physics, but broken wide open in quantum mechanics—

Then he’d gladly—no, desperately—tangle with him in quantum eternity.

Jiang Ruotang set down his drumsticks and returned to the sofa.

His classmates cheered and clapped loudly.

Cai Ji said shyly, "I never would've guessed... Ruo Tang, you're so cool!"

Jiang Ruotang imitated the gesture of a boy band idol, tapping his nose. "Don't go falling for me, I'm just..."

Before he could finish, Zhao Zhangfeng knocked him on the head.

"If you dare say you're just a legend, I'll choke you out right here."

Jiang Ruotang cracked up. "Grab me something to drink. I'm dying of thirst!"

"What a lightweight, sweating so much after just a bit of drumming. You need to work out more!"

Zhao Zhangfeng teased him but still searched around for a cola.

Jiang Ruotang took it and complained, "You're the worst little bro. Can't even open the can for me!"

"Want me to hold the can for you too?"

Jiang Ruotang threw his head back and chugged half the can.

The class was buzzing with chatter.

"Don't tell me you didn't realize Jiang Ruotang all three years of high school? He's actually super hot!"

"Hot or not, he likes guys..."

"Big deal if he likes guys? He's open about it, not making it some big secret! Look at Zhao Zhangfeng, Cai Ji, and the class monitor—they don't care at all and get along so well with him!"

"The class monitor is really handsome too. Before, he seemed standoffish, but look how gentle he is with his friends."

Gradually, more classmates came over to chat with Jiang Ruotang. Some asked if his dad was working on any new shows, others inquired if he planned to study abroad, and a few even brought their graduation yearbooks for him to sign.

Jiang Ruotang was floored. Back when he was sick, when he attended his last reunion, everyone had been indifferent—some even used his dad's death as gossip fodder. It was nothing like the warmth he felt now.

He bumped shoulders with Lu Guifan beside him lightly. "This isn't boring you?"

Singing, chatting, and signing yearbooks weren't part of Lu Guifan's usual routine. He probably preferred journals, experiments, and data research.

"No."

"Really?"

"Mm." Lu Guifan nodded slightly, then added something else.

But just then, a couple who'd been keeping things quiet in class suddenly started a duet, and the ensuing cheers drowned out whatever Lu Guifan said.

Jiang Ruotang turned his ear toward Lu Guifan's lips. At that moment, Lu Guifan stared at his ear—that complete, unthinking trust. It made him wonder: What kind of existence did he hold in Jiang Ruotang's heart?

Some perfect, untouchable ideal?

Right then, Chen Minzhen came over and patted Lu Guifan's shoulder. "Class monitor, could you write something in my yearbook too?"

Lu Guifan, usually so composed, got knocked forward by the pat, and his lips ended up brushing against Jiang Ruotang's ear.

Though it lasted only a split second, Jiang Ruotang felt his ear burn like fire. Just as he was about to look up at Lu Guifan, the other's voice reached him, warm breath making his eardrum tingle.

"I said, I'm happy to see everyone likes you so much."

Under the dim lights of the karaoke room, Lu Guifan's face had a cool, glazed porcelain look, yet the curve of his lips radiated warmth that Jiang Ruotang found impossibly comforting.

Still processing, Jiang Ruotang watched as Lu Guifan took the yearbook and wrote a message.

"Class monitor, your handwriting is so nice."

"Thanks."

The classmate then handed the yearbook to Jiang Ruotang. "Jiang Ruotang, you looked absolutely amazing playing the drums just now. Feels like we only got to know the real you right before graduation. Could you leave a message too?"

"Of course!"

Jiang Ruotang took it and made a point of finding the page where Lu Guifan had signed, adding his own blessing and signature beside it.

After signing for a while, everyone noticed a funny trend.

That was, Jiang Ruotang always sought out the pages where Lu Guifan had signed, while Cai Ji would sign near Jiang Ruotang—but leaving a small gap between their names. Zhao Zhangfeng would then sign nearby too, like some kind of bodyguard.

Jian Sha looked over her yearbook and rubbed her chin.

"What? Need my autograph?" Zhao Zhangfeng asked.

"No... I just think... I've discovered this weird little orbit thing."

"Who?" Zhao Zhangfeng frowned and glanced around. "Don't tell me you think Cai Cai and I both like you?"

Cai Ji looked over, bewildered. "Who likes who?"

Jian Sha rolled her eyes. "Piss off."

The party kept going till sunrise. Though most of them were adults now, and their parents understood their post-graduation high, staying out so late was still a first for many. Parents came to pick them up one by one, and the private room gradually emptied.

Xiao Gao showed up to drive them home. Jiang Ruotang invited Cai Ji and Jian Sha to ride along.

Bai Yingchuan watched Jiang Ruotang leave. With this farewell, it felt as though his youth had ended alongside Jiang Ruotang's departure.

There was no denying it—Lu Guifan was truly exceptional, steadfast and gentle, understanding Jiang Ruotang better than anyone. He seemed like the natural counterpoint to Bai Yingchuan's own cowardice and selfishness.

He, too, longed to pursue recklessly. But knowing the inevitable outcome, sometimes stepping away was the dignified choice.

Xiao Gao dropped off Jian Sha first, then Cai Ji. When it was time to take Lu Guifan home, Jiang Ruotang threw an arm around his shoulders and declared, "Why go home? Crash at my place tonight."

Zhao Zhangfeng sighed. "Jiang Ruotang, you're such a stage-five clinger."

"The class monitor got his lips on my ear today—he has to take responsibility!"

This was a line Jiang Ruotang had rehearsed countless times in his head, and now he delivered it dead serious.

Zhao Zhangfeng rolled his eyes. "Yeah right, you think the class monitor is as obsessed with male beauty as you? Besides, you're barely an 8/10!"

"What did you say?" Jiang Ruotang lunged from the backseat to smack Zhao Zhangfeng's head in the passenger seat.

Lu Guifan's chest tightened, as if stirred by a force too powerful to settle.

Jiang Ruotang spoke so candidly, as if the thought of anything ambiguous had never crossed his mind. Little did he know, Lu Guifan had been working up to this forever—he would've preferred seeing Jiang Ruotang blushing, stammering, or pissed, rather than dismissing it all as an accident.

When in truth, it had all been his carefully laid plans.

Lu Guifan quickly collected himself and dragged Jiang Ruotang back with a resigned look.

"My bad, my bad. I accidentally touched your ear."

"That's not the point! The point is I—"

"You're handsome, not just above average—you're A-list."

Only then did Jiang Ruotang sit back down.

Meanwhile, Zhao Zhangfeng wore a look of disbelief. "Class prez, did you drink some kind of love potion today? Him, A-list looks? Then what am I, god-tier handsome?"

Xiao Gao, who was driving, was laughing so hard he nearly lost control of the wheel.

But once they got home, Jiang Ruotang cornered Lu Guifan to help estimate his exam scores.

"Why the rush? Even if you estimate accurately, you still won’t know your provincial ranking."

"If I don’t make it into the Central Academy of Fine Arts, there are still other art departments in the capital. I need options. I only looked at the Central Academy before, but now that the exams are over, I’m getting nervous. I need other schools as backup."

Lu Guifan sighed. "You’re asking me to estimate your scores—do you see me as the standard answer key?"

"You're my answer key."

It was already 1:30 a.m., but Jiang Ruotang was clearly still wired. Lu Guifan knew there was no way to coax him to sleep now.

He pulled out some scrap paper and began recalling the exam questions, from math to science. His incredible memory stunned Jiang Ruotang—he even remembered the decimal points in the problem statements.

"Your memory is freakishly good!" Jiang Ruotang tilted his head, wondering why Lu Guifan had spent years as a mere researcher in his previous life. Talk about wasted potential.

Lu Guifan flicked Jiang Ruotang’s head. "The question is, do *you* remember your own answers?"

"Let me try..."

Jiang Ruotang bit his lower lip, vowing this would be the last time he’d rack his brain over exam questions in his life.

Lu Guifan watched Jiang Ruotang’s focused expression and unconsciously rested his chin in his hand.

Ruo Tang, my memory really is good.

So I’ll always remember every moment you’ve made me happy or amazed, every word you’ve said, every little gesture that made my heart skip.

Your future will be smooth sailing. You’ll meet even sharper people. Will I still be your go-to then?

"Check this for me."

"Okay." Lu Guifan reviewed everything. "Math should be around 100, science composite around 195. Your English and Chinese have always been stable, so your total score should be over 500."

Jiang Ruotang took a deep breath. If he scored around 520, he’d be set for the Central Academy of Fine Arts.

"Even if you fall slightly short for the Central Academy, I’ve already looked into it—the art departments at these other universities are also great. For example, Capital University of Transportation’s advertising design and Capital University’s fine arts program. With a score over 500, you’re golden for either."

Jiang Ruotang froze, shocked Lu Guifan had already researched alternatives for him.

He grinned. "So you *do* want to go to college in the same city as me, huh?"

"You should focus on getting into the Central Academy. After all, it’s closer to Capital Science and Technology University. Those other schools are clear across town—it’d take over an hour by subway."

Jiang Ruotang’s smile dropped again.

Glancing at the time, it was already past 4 a.m. If they didn’t sleep now, they’d be up till dawn.

"At least we don’t have to wake up early to study tomorrow." Jiang Ruotang yawned and lazily face-planted onto the bed.

His pajama top rode up slightly, revealing his toned waist and the curve of his lower back.