Chu Sheng stood beside Xue Jiao, slightly surprised as he watched Yi Tianyu approach them.
Was this… a confession?
Xue Jiao also looked at him curiously and asked, "What's wrong?"
Yi Tianyu's gaze was intense, fixed firmly on Xue Jiao. He opened his mouth slightly, his voice hoarse—
"Jiao Jiao."
Xue Jiao's heart skipped a beat.
"I…" Yi Tianyu opened his mouth again, uttering just one word.
He felt a bit embarrassed. Yes, he really wanted to say—I like you.
When Teacher Zheng had just told them to look at the starry sky, he had been pondering—what was he doing? What was his purpose?
He was working hard, for himself.
But when he saw the vast expanse of stars, his mind was filled only with Jiao Jiao, his bookworm deskmate.
His head was full of images of her—her serious expression, her gentle smile, the hope shining in her eyes…
He liked her very much and wanted to keep being her deskmate.
But when he met Xue Jiao's eyes, all words failed him.
This bookworm loved studying so much—she would never accept puppy love, right? If he confessed his feelings… would she start avoiding him? Would she look down on him?
More importantly… he couldn’t bring himself to say it.
After a whirlwind of thoughts, Yi Tianyu could only stammer out—
"Jiao Jiao, thank you."
Chu Sheng: "…"
He wasn’t much of an internet user, but he’d still heard some online slang from classmates.
At this moment, Chu Sheng recalled a particular phrase— You got me all excited for this?!
Xue Jiao, however, was taken aback. After a pause, she replied, "For what?"
Yi Tianyu’s expression turned earnest as he took a deep breath. "Bookworm, thank you for helping me study, for encouraging me to join the basketball competition. I love basketball—it’s something I can never give up in my life."
Liking an outstanding person had made him gradually become outstanding too.
Xue Jiao scratched her head awkwardly and said blankly, "Well… it was your own effort…"
Chu Sheng, on the other hand, was surprised. "So you’re not taking over your dad’s business?"
Yi Tianyu nodded, then glanced up at the starry sky again. "Since I was little, my old man has been saying the company would be mine someday. He made me study to broaden my knowledge and temper my personality—to experience a different kind of life. I used to think I only liked having fun, but just now, when I thought about what I wanted to do in the future, I realized spending my life with basketball would make me much happier than spending it with my dad’s company."
He wasn’t cut out for business—his personality just didn’t suit the superficiality of the corporate world.
"Will your dad hit you?"
"No." Yi Tianyu grinned. "He’s still got energy. He’ll definitely let me go out and carve my own path. If I succeed, he’ll support me. If I fail… well, I can always go home and inherit the family fortune."
"You’re really asking for a beating with that attitude," Xue Jiao rolled her eyes.
Yi Tianyu looked at her, pretending to joke but with a hint of seriousness in his eyes—
"Then I’ll give you all my family fortune, okay?"
Xue Jiao raised her head to meet his gaze, only to be met with a pair of sincere, earnest eyes.
Those eyes seemed to swallow her whole.
She froze for a moment before hurriedly looking away. "I don’t know the first thing about business. What would I do with your fortune?"
"Then what do you want to do in the future?" Chu Sheng tilted his head.
Xue Jiao was silent for a few seconds before answering firmly, "Study mathematics. Research mathematics."
Chu Sheng suddenly smiled, his eyes gleaming. "I want to study physics. Research physics."She tilted her head and met Chu Sheng's gaze, both of them serious.
Xue Jiao flashed a bright smile and extended her hand, palm down.
"Let's work hard together! Future soccer star and physicist."
Yi Tianyu was momentarily stunned before bursting into laughter, placing his large hand on top of hers.
"Future mathematician and physicist, let's go!"
Chu Sheng followed, stacking his hand on top.
"Future soccer star and mathematician, let's go!"
The three of them shouted in unison: "Let's go—"
This was the wish the three youths made under the starry sky, uncertain whether it would lead to success or failure in the future.
But in their youth, everything was filled with anticipation.
From this moment on, they set sail.
——
Senior year began on August 20th, ten days earlier than the first and second years.
Class One had seen some changes, yet some things remained the same.
Some students had slipped in grades and left, while others seemed to have unlocked hidden potential, suddenly surging to the top.
In the final exams of the previous semester, Xue Jiao took first place again, with Chu Sheng just two points behind her.
Over those mere one or two points, Yin Fang and Li Ping were always at odds—one triumphant, the other sighing in frustration.
"Wang Mingyu is a good student. He was a bit playful last semester, but once he got serious this term, he shot straight to twelfth place in the grade. He's promising," Li Ping remarked, nodding as he reviewed the list.
Yin Fang sat across from him. Though the two got along well privately, when it came to work, they were rivals.
Hearing about a rising star in the other's class, Yin Fang quickly turned back to her own list.
"Li Pu is also impressive. He was originally from Class Nine and always held first place there. Last semester, he was already in the top fifty for the grade but stubbornly refused to join the advanced class. Thankfully, he transferred this term and ranked twenty-first—still very good."
"Our class..."
Teacher Yuan, the Chinese literature instructor, set down her lesson-planning pen and sighed. "What's the point of you two competing so fiercely now? Won't it all come down to the college entrance exam results?"
Li Ping: "..."
Yin Fang: "..."
Teacher Yuan continued, "Who's giving the student speech at the pledge rally?"
Yin Fang immediately lifted her chin and shot Li Ping a smug look. "It's our Gu Xue Jiao."
"She was first last semester and also won first prize in the math competition. She’s definitely qualified," Teacher Yuan agreed.
Suddenly remembering something, Yin Fang turned to Teacher Yuan earnestly. "Teacher Yuan, could you help supervise Xue Jiao's speech draft? As our top student, she represents the entire senior year. Maybe she should deliver it without notes?"
"Without notes?!" Li Ping exclaimed.
Yin Fang glared at him. "Why not? If she has the ability, why shouldn't she?"
"No, delivering a speech without notes requires confidence and wastes precious time memorizing. Every second counts in senior year!" Li Ping slammed the table.
Yin Fang jumped, clutching her chest.
But upon reflection, she realized he had a point. Chu Sheng was only one or two points behind Xue Jiao. If she spent ten days memorizing and he overtook her in the first mock exam...
She turned back to Teacher Yuan. "Old Yuan, how about you write the speech for her and just have her read it on stage?"
Teacher Yuan: "..."
After a long pause, Teacher Yuan managed to say, "This is a student representative's speech, not a teacher's... Shouldn't she at least speak from a student's perspective?"
Yin Fang frowned, realizing Teacher Yuan had a point, and felt even more frustrated.She looked at Li Ping: "How about having Chu Sheng from your class give the speech?"
Li Ping didn't even raise his head: "No."
Yin Fang: "..."
——
In the end, Xue Jiao was chosen. The oath-taking ceremony was scheduled for September 1st, the same day when first and second-year students officially started school.
"Jiao Jiao, hurry up—" Li Sitong called from downstairs.
Xue Jiao walked down with her backpack. Cheng Shuo had already stood up and straightened his collar.
"Are you all going?" she asked, slightly puzzled.
"Of course, we all went last year for your brother's oath-taking ceremony."
Xue Jiao glanced at the blazing sun outside and said, "It's... a bit hot today."
"No problem," Cheng Shuo said nonchalantly. "Your mom and I have already applied sunscreen."
Xue Jiao: "..."
Parents took their children's academic performance very seriously, and nearly every student's parents had come.
The school had anticipated this, so the entire oath-taking ceremony was held on the sports field.
Parents sat on the bleachers on both sides, while the podium was reserved for school administrators and several education bureau officials.
Students also marched in formation by class. Xue Jiao, as the banner carrier for Class 1, arrived a bit late. The boarding students had already begun rehearsing under Yin Fang's stern instructions.
Xue Jiao quickened her pace. "Teacher, I'm sorry I'm late," she said, taking the banner handed to her by Yi Tianyu.
The moment Yin Fang saw her, her stern expression melted into a smile. "No problem, no problem. Hurry and join the formation. Is the banner heavy? Can you carry it?"
"It's not heavy. I can manage. Thank you for your concern."
"Is your speech ready? You'll be right after the teacher's address."
"It's ready," Xue Jiao replied obediently.
A few boys standing in the back row started chatting—
"Hey, the 'Iron Nun' really turns into a puddle of sunshine the moment she sees Gu Xue Jiao."
"If you were consistently ranked first in the grade with scores in the 700s, I guarantee she'd look at you the same way."
"I just think the teacher likes Gu Xue Jiao way too much. The other teachers do too."
"You don't like Gu Xue Jiao?" someone retorted.
"What are you talking about? Quiet down!!" Yi Tianyu snapped at them.
The boys immediately fell silent.
One boy who was close with Yi Tianyu raised an eyebrow and teased, "Yu's jealous."
"Hahaha—" The group burst into laughter.
"Stop talking nonsense! Gu Xue Jiao and I are purely desk mates!" Yi Tianyu glared.
The boy rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right. You're not even desk mates anymore. Her seatmate is Liu Jiaxue now."
"Hahaha!" The others laughed. "When the seats were reassigned, Yu almost flipped the classroom in anger."
Yi Tianyu: "..."
It was true—they had been reassigned seats right at the start of the semester. Girls were paired with girls, so Xue Jiao's new seatmate was Liu Jiaxue.
Yi Tianyu had been placed far away from her. Unhappy, he had argued with Yin Fang.
In the end, Yin Fang, exasperated, let him sit behind Xue Jiao as a compromise, which finally calmed him down.
"Shut up, all of you!" Yi Tianyu barked, embarrassed.
The boys shrugged.
It was normal for boys to clash. Yi Tianyu was popular, the captain of the school basketball team, and outstanding in many ways.
Most boys didn’t dare to challenge him openly, but quite a few secretly resented him.Yi Tianyu returned to the back row, and the two boys he had just yelled at began muttering again, their voices extremely low—
"What's so great about him? Pfft."
"Yeah, who does he think he is?"
"He sure monopolizes Gu Xue Jiao, but it's not like she'd necessarily like him anyway!"
After a few words, they stopped. One of them was the same boy who had wanted to sit next to Xue Jiao last semester but was scared off by Yi Tianyu's glare.
Yi Tianyu had no idea others held grudges against him—and even if he did, he wouldn't care.
His gaze remained fixed on the girl in front of him. Dressed in an ordinary school uniform, just the sight of her back made his heart race.
Hmm—how could someone be so utterly captivating to him!
——
At nine o'clock, the oath-taking ceremony officially began.
"Excuse me, is this seat taken?" Cheng Shuo, who had been scanning the crowd for Xue Jiao, heard a voice beside him.
He turned to see a heavily made-up woman dressed in... rather revealing clothing.
She wore sunglasses, and beside her stood a timid-looking man.
Cheng Shuo answered truthfully, "No, it's free."
The woman lifted her chin and sat down.
Her skirt was already short, and sitting made it seem even shorter.
Li Sitong pinched Cheng Shuo and glared at him. "What are you looking at?"
Cheng Shuo shrugged helplessly. He wasn't staring at her—he was just surprised someone would dress like this for such an occasion.
The woman clearly noticed Li Sitong's gesture and snorted haughtily, raising her chin even higher.
Li Sitong's eyes widened in disbelief.
How could such a person exist in this world???
Beside her, Madam Qin tugged at her sleeve and whispered, "Ignore her. Arguing with someone like that is a waste of time."
Li Sitong took a deep breath and decided she was right, focusing her attention on the ceremony below with Cheng Shuo.
The oath-taking ceremony began with speeches from the principal, followed by several attending officials.
Once the dry speeches ended, it was time for the senior class parade.
"They're coming! They're coming!" Li Sitong exclaimed excitedly.
The senior class parade started with the first class—Xue Jiao's class!
Cheng Shuo was equally excited, craning his neck to look.
"Chu Sheng! Chu Sheng!" Li Sitong gripped Madam Qin's hand excitedly. The leader of Class One's parade was Xue Jiao, while Class Two's was Chu Sheng!
Madam Qin was also thrilled. Every little achievement of their children filled the parents' hearts with joy.
The woman beside them rolled her eyes, thinking these people were overreacting.
She turned her head and opened her mouth to speak—then paused.
With her sunglasses on earlier, she hadn't looked closely. Now, seeing Li Sitong, she realized the woman was wearing a brand-new designer outfit, complete with a new handbag.
Her brow furrowed slightly, and she raised an eyebrow, then glanced at Madam Qin beside Li Sitong. Though dressed more modestly, Madam Qin carried an air of elegance that made her seem imposing.
Hmm? The woman was puzzled.
Soon, the parade ended, and it was time for the senior class representative to speak.
"Next, we invite Gu Xue Jiao, representative of the senior class, to deliver a speech on behalf of all senior students!"
Cheng Shuo, Li Sitong, and the others immediately clapped vigorously, their faces filled with pride.
"Jiao Jiao looks lovely!" Madam Qin praised with a smile.
Li Sitong tilted her head and teased, "Is your Chu Sheng not outstanding too?"
"He really isn't as charming as your Jiao Jiao!"
"Then just give him to me," Li Sitong retorted, widening her eyes."Then give Jiao Jiao to me, and we'll swap!" Mrs. Qin laughed.
Before Li Sitong could respond, Cheng Shuo couldn't help interjecting: "Our family already has a son, no need to exchange daughters..."
"Look at you, look at how flustered your old Cheng is! Hahaha." Mrs. Qin laughed even more heartily.
At that moment, Jiao Jiao began to speak—
"Respected teachers, distinguished guests, and fellow students, good day! I am the student representative, Gu Xue Jiao from Class 1, Grade 12."
The woman next to Cheng Shuo suddenly froze. She had just heard that the couple beside her were the parents of the girl on stage, while the other couple were Chu Sheng's parents.
So this girl was Gu Xue Jiao!
She hadn't attended parent-teacher meetings before but had seen the report card her husband brought home.
First place: Gu Xue Jiao, second place: Chu Sheng—with scores far beyond reach.
The woman's expression changed slightly. She wanted to say something but held back when she saw the others listening attentively.
On stage, Xue Jiao felt slightly nervous but quickly composed herself and continued reciting her script.
The speech had been reviewed by Yin Fang and Teacher Yuan. The first part expressed gratitude to the school and leadership, followed by thanks to the teachers, and ended with a promise to work hard.
She finished reciting in one breath, her gaze sweeping over the students watching her and the parents listening intently on both sides.
The college entrance exam was the most significant event for many people and families.
As she finished, Yin Fang smiled and raised her hand, ready to applaud.
Xue Jiao took a deep breath—
"My brother once told me that senior year is exhausting—for everyone. Teachers are tired, parents are tired, and students are even more exhausted."
Yin Fang's smile froze.
Was this in the script?!
What was Gu Xue Jiao doing?!
"But no matter how exhausting it is, we must grit our teeth and push through. For over a decade, we've been in classrooms. The college entrance exam is a one-shot deal. They interview the top scorers, the students admitted to elite universities, the teachers with the highest pass rates."
She looked at the students below, their heads raised—
"But does anyone interview us about our efforts? How much sweat we've shed? How many practice tests we've done?"
Tears welled in Xue Jiao's eyes: "The college entrance exam leaves no room for luck. If you haven't worked hard enough, you'll be the one left behind. If you don't want to live with regret years later, you must give it your all this year. We're fortunate to still have a year—even if we start over now, with enough effort, we can still achieve satisfactory results. Right now is the moment last year's underperforming seniors most wish they could return to!"
"Close your eyes and imagine this day next year. Imagine we didn't get into college or are holding an unsatisfactory admission letter to a school we never wanted to attend."
Her eyes were closed, and the students below couldn't help but follow suit, picturing the scene. Instantly, almost everyone frowned.
"People always ask me why my grades are so good, why I can solve this problem or that one. I want to say—it's because I work hard. We still have time. Right now is the day our future selves, after the exam, will most wish they could return to."
Xue Jiao opened her eyes, holding back tears.
She was so lucky—she had been given a second chance.
But how many people get that opportunity?"Classmates, today marks a new starting point for us, the beginning of our fight for the future. Our efforts are to rewrite our destinies! Right now, as long as we work hard, it's not too late. Senior year will be tough, but we must not endure this hardship in vain!"
In this lifetime, even if Gu Xue Jiao performed poorly academically, Cheng Shuo could still send her abroad to study.
But in her previous life, the college entrance examination was Xue Jiao's chance to rise from the bottom of society.
For most ordinary people from ordinary families, the college entrance exam equates to changing one's fate.
She raised her voice slightly—
"May your sweat turn into achievements, your efforts into rewards. May you march against the wind and have your names inscribed on the golden list!"
Xue Jiao stepped aside, bent at the waist, and bowed.
"Thank you, everyone. That concludes my speech."
"Clap clap clap clap clap—" Thunderous applause erupted.
Many students' eyes reddened as they clapped vigorously, their fighting spirits renewed.
Yin Fang's unpleasant expression gradually softened as she resumed her earlier action—clapping.
In the distance, beneath an inconspicuous tree.
Lin Zhihua chuckled softly and shook his head. "This girl..."
"Boss." Chen Yan approached respectfully.
Lin Zhihua turned. "Is it almost time?"
Chen Yan nodded. "The flight to Beijing departs in an hour and a half. It'll take us forty minutes to get there."
"Alright, let's go." Lin Zhihua said quietly.
He cast one last deep glance at the girl stepping off the stage, his eyes filled with warmth.
Then he turned and strode away.
——
Cheng Shuo and Li Sitong couldn't help but stand up, applauding proudly with heartfelt joy!
"Jiao Jiao! Well done!"
"I want to trade children with you again," Mrs. Qin said with a smile, her eyes full of envy.
Perhaps many parents without daughters wished they had such a considerate little sweetheart.
Li Sitong gave her a playful glare. "No more trades, no more trades."
The woman next to Cheng Shuo couldn't hold back any longer and turned to him with a smile. "Hello, sir. Your daughter is Gu Xue Jiao, right? My daughter is Liu Jiaxue, she's—"
"The teachers are about to speak. Old Cheng, pay attention," Li Sitong said with a smile as she looked over.
"Right, right." Cheng Shuo lifted his gaze to the podium—he hadn't really wanted to listen to that woman anyway.
But... was her daughter also Xue Jiao's classmate?
The woman's eyes widened in disbelief before she huffed in irritation, muttering—
"It's not like I'm trying to steal your man. Why so guarded?"
The timid man beside her tugged at her sleeve. "Stop talking..."
"Fine, fine!" The woman shot him an impatient glare.
The teachers—each subject represented by one, mostly from Classes 1 and 2—spoke about the arrangements and plans for senior year, what the teachers would do, and how parents should cooperate.
Even though they had guided batch after batch of students, they remained deeply committed to this current group.
By the time the entire oath-taking ceremony ended, it was already noon.
Parents swarmed toward the teachers, while Cheng Shuo and Chu Sheng's father, accompanied by their wives, leisurely made their way toward Xue Jiao and Chu Sheng.
The woman also wanted to approach Yin Fang but encountered a teacher surrounded by several parents along the way.
Her eyes lit up as she pulled the teacher out of the crowd.
"Brother-in-law, you teach biology for Classes 1 and 2. What's the deal with those two? Those women are so—"
She removed her sunglasses and pointed at the two couples in the distance, curling her lip."Sis, who are you talking about?" The teacher looked bewildered. With parents everywhere, he genuinely didn't know who the woman was pointing at.
"That's Gu Xue Jiao's parents and Chu Sheng's parents."
"Oh my goodness, my dear sister, how did you offend them?"
"What do you mean I offended them? They're the ones who've been provoking me all along!"
The biology teacher sighed helplessly. "Gu Xue Jiao's father is the boss of Pengcheng, her brother is Cheng Mingze who was directly admitted to Tsinghua University last year, and Chu Sheng's father is the head of the audit department..."
"What?!" The woman was so shocked that her sunglasses fell off.
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