Zhаng Lurаng tооk a showеr аnd rеturnеd tо his room.
Just as hе wаs about tо go to bеd, hе rеmеmbеrеd what Fathеr Zhang had said earlier.
Zhаng Lurаng turned аround, wаlkеd tо thе desk, аnd turnеd оn thе сomрuter.
But he соuldn’t cоnnect to thе home Wi-Fi.
Нe alsо соuldn’t ассеss the cоllеge еntrаnсe еxаm аppliсаtion wеbsite using his phonе browser.
Zhang Lurаng аnхiouslу ran his fingers through his hаir.
Не wantеd tо аsk Su Zаizаi tо chесk for him, but hе was аfraid that if it hаd reаllу bеen сhаngеd, it wоuld lead to misundеrstandings.
After thinking for a mоment, he cаlled Zhang Luli.
Zhаng Luli answеrеd quicklу, sounding pleasantly surprised.
“Ah, brother? Why are you calling me?”
Zhang Lurang didn’t waste time and got straight to the point: “Help me check my college entrance exam application. The exam registration number is…”
Though unsure why he suddenly brought this up, Zhang Luli obediently followed his instructions.
Half a minute later, Zhang Luli’s cheerful voice came from the other end.
“Brother, you’re going to Z University? I heard Z University has a lot of beautiful girls. Over here, it’s all guys.”
Zhang Lurang’s previously tense mood eased considerably at his words.
He found it somewhat amusing but didn’t forget his main concern.
“…Did I only apply to Z University?”
After confirming that his application hadn’t been altered, Zhang Lurang finally relaxed.
He exchanged a few more words with Zhang Luli before hanging up and placing his phone aside.
Before falling asleep, he wondered if he had been overthinking things.
The next day.
By the time Zhang Lurang woke up, his parents had already left for work.
He packed his things, planning to go to school to sign the forms and then head straight to the airport.
Upon arriving at B High School.
Zhang Lurang went up to the third floor and entered the homeroom teacher’s office.
The homeroom teacher greeted him and pulled out his application form from a stack of A4 papers.
“Double-check it. If there are any mistakes, you can still go to the academic affairs office to make changes.”
Zhang Lurang nodded. Just as he was about to look at the form, his phone buzzed.
He glanced down, picked up the form, and walked outside to take the call.
It was Su Zaizai.
Her voice was always full of life.
Every word and sentence carried a cheerful, uplifting tone.
“Lurang, last night, I dreamed you went bald.”
Zhang Lurang’s previously good mood vanished instantly.
“—Oh.”
Noticing his tone, Su Zaizai immediately tried to appease him: “But you were still very handsome, hehehe.”
Zhang Lurang had no desire to engage with her.
Su Zaizai changed the subject: “I’m going to confirm my application tomorrow. Will you come with me?”
Zhang Lurang lowered his eyes, instinctively looking at the paper in his hand. “No.”
Not getting the answer she wanted, Su Zaizai resorted to lying without hesitation.
“Ah, Wang Nan is going too. He doesn’t even know I have a boyfriend.”
“…”
“Actually, I’ve told you before, I’m pretty famous at Z High School because I’m too beautiful.”
“…”
“Don’t you want to declare your ownership over me?”
Just as Zhang Lurang was about to agree, he heard Su Zaizai say pitifully, “Sigh, you don’t know, after you went to B City for high school, your former desk mate kept coming to me, saying we’d definitely break up.”
He froze for a moment before immediately replying, “I’ll be back this afternoon.”
“So, will you come?”
“Mm.”
After hanging up, Zhang Lurang pursed his lips and stared at the application form.
His jaw tightened, as if he were extremely angry.
Zhang Lurang’s eyes turned cold.
The next second, the corners of his mouth curved upward, devoid of any warmth.On the paper.
The first choice field clearly displayed:
— B University, Finance.
Chapter 44
Sometimes, I feel
like I'm dating a man.
— Zhang Lu Rang
With a cold expression, Zhang Lu Rang crumpled the paper in his hand into a ball and threw it into the nearby trash bin.
He quickly went downstairs and headed to the Academic Affairs Office on the second floor.
Inside, two students were lined up to modify their college preferences.
Zhang Lu Rang stopped in his tracks and waited nearby.
He took out his phone and scrolled through his album to find a photo.
It was the one he had taken after submitting his application online earlier, to show Su Zai Zai.
Soon, one of the students finished modifying their preferences and walked out with a newly printed sheet.
Zhang Lu Rang stepped forward and watched as the teacher helped him open the website.
He bent down and slowly entered his exam registration number and password.
As he pressed the enter key, his palms grew sweaty with nervousness, and his Adam’s apple bobbed unconsciously.
Login successful. He was in.
Zhang Lu Rang let out a sigh of relief and quickly modified his preferences according to the photo on his phone.
After filling them out, he patiently checked them two or three times before confirming.
The teacher held the mouse, glanced at the screen, and asked, "Are you sure this time?"
Zhang Lu Rang nodded, then suddenly asked, "Teacher, after I sign, can I still change my preferences again?"
The teacher was about to print out his preference form.
Hearing this, he immediately stopped what he was doing and frowned. "Of course not. Haven’t you thought it through yet?"
Hearing the definitive answer, Zhang Lu Rang’s anxious heart finally settled, and he softly thanked him.
"I’ve thought it through. Thank you, teacher."
After signing, he handed it over to his homeroom teacher.
Zhang Lu Rang left the office and stood outside the door for a while.
After a long moment, he snapped back to reality and walked toward the school gate.
Since there was no fixed time for signing, students came in scattered intervals.
B High School was near the sea. On the long stone path, a few students occasionally walked by, their faces lit with cheerful smiles.
By the railing, the seawater below crashed against the stone bridge, making a splashing sound.
Zhang Lu Rang suddenly stopped, leaning one hand on the railing.
He took out his phone and called Zhang Lu Li.
Once again receiving Zhang Lu Rang’s call, Zhang Lu Li’s spirits were still high.
"Hey? Brother! Do you need my help with anything else?"
Zhang Lu Rang lowered his gaze to the waves below, remaining silent for a moment.
After thinking it over, he asked softly, "Did Mom and Dad change your college preferences?"
Zhang Lu Li’s voice paused for a moment before he obediently replied.
"My preferences were filled out by them."
"..."
"But back then, I really wanted to choose T University’s Clinical Medicine," Zhang Lu Li said with a laugh. "But they wouldn’t let me, so I just let it go."
After talking for a while, Zhang Lu Li suddenly realized something. "Brother, were your preferences changed?"
Zhang Lu Rang’s fingers tapped unconsciously against the railing.
Hearing this, he casually replied, "Mm, I’m hanging up now."
Hearing the confirmation, Zhang Lu Li’s voice grew anxious.
"Did you change them back? Can the school still make changes? Wasn’t the deadline yesterday..."
"A Li," Zhang Lu Rang curved his lips slightly and said slowly, "I won’t be coming back again, to B City."
The other end fell silent, then quickly replied with an "Oh."
Zhang Lu Rang hung up the phone.He stood there in a daze for a while before finally unable to resist calling Mother Zhang.
"Hello, A Rang?"
Zhang Lu Rang replied flatly, "Did you change my college application?"
Mother Zhang seemed taken aback for a moment but quickly explained, "Z University is too far from home. When you went to study in Z City during high school, I worried about you every single day..."
Zhang Lu Rang interrupted her.
"I told you, I wanted to go there."
Seemingly annoyed by his resistance, Mother Zhang's voice gradually grew heavier.
"Think about it yourself. After graduating from B University, you can go straight to work at your father's company. What a perfect path—we've paved it all for you, all for your own good."
Zhang Lu Rang seemed to hear none of it.
His eyes were like stagnant water, utterly still and without a ripple.
"I changed it back."
The breathing on the other end of the line paused abruptly.
Suddenly, Mother Zhang's voice turned sharp: "How did you change it? Wasn't yesterday the deadline?"
Hearing this, Zhang Lu Rang suddenly understood something.
He felt a flicker of relief, yet asked with a hint of self-mockery, "You don’t know why I came home, do you?"
Zhang Lu Rang’s sudden question left Mother Zhang bewildered.
"Why would you need a reason to come home?"
Zhang Lu Rang said nothing.
Before hanging up, he remembered the plate of fruit from yesterday.
Zhang Lu Rang tightened his grip on the railing, his tone sounding like a child’s.
It carried a note of blame and grievance, yet didn’t seem to care all that much.
"A Li is the one who likes oranges."
Zhang Lu Rang stood there for a while longer.
He took the house key from his pocket and thought carefully.
He thought for a long time but couldn’t find anything worth returning to that home for.
With a lift of his hand and a flip, the key fell into the sea.
Lightly, silently—
sinking to the deepest depths.
Zhang Lu Rang never believed his parents didn’t love him.
It was just that compared to what they gave Zhang Lu Li, the love they gave him was a little less.
But he always believed.
Love existed—just not as much as he wanted.
After getting off the plane, Zhang Lu Rang walked out of the arrival gate.
He instinctively scanned his surroundings and immediately spotted Su Zai Zai waiting outside with her phone.
Zhang Lu Rang paused for a moment before striding over.
Su Zai Zai saw him at the same time and excitedly waved at him.
She completely ignored the fact that she had previously asked for his flight details, pretending instead to surprise him.
"Aren’t you touched? I’ve been waiting for so long!"
In that moment—the moment he saw her—
Zhang Lu Rang felt the gap in his heart suddenly filled.
Unable to help himself, he threw the bag in his hand to the ground, bent down, and wrapped his arms around her.
His cheek pressed against the crook of her neck, his warm breath coming in irregular bursts.
Su Zai Zai felt a little ticklish and couldn’t help squirming, only to be immediately pulled back.
Suddenly flustered, she pushed him away.
"Let me check first if I’ve mistaken you for someone else."
Zhang Lu Rang: "..."
Feeling the sudden pause in the rise and fall of his chest, Su Zai Zai immediately grinned and said, "How could I possibly mistake you? You’re so easy to fool."
The air, once filled with pink bubbles, was instantly blown away by her words.
He released her, lifted his head, and looked down at her.
Zhang Lu Rang’s gaze was somewhat heavy, and for some reason, he looked a little aggrieved.
Su Zai Zai couldn’t control her urge and reached up to poke his cheek.After staring at him for a moment, she said earnestly, "What a stunning beauty."
Zhang Lu Rang silently picked up the luggage from the ground and led her outside.
Halfway there, Su Zai Zai asked again, "You still haven't told me if you're touched."
Hearing this, Zhang Lu Rang glanced at her sideways.
The corner of his mouth suddenly curved upward as he replied earnestly and obediently, "Very touched."
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