Chapter 35

It was still hot.

Qin Heng let out a breath, as if a burden had been lifted. "Have some extra food. You're too skinny. That won't do."

Chi Ning didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "My weight is still healthy right now. I'm not especially thin."

That was what he said, but he still took a big bite of the pastry.

It was so delicious, mm.

He loved this kind of old-fashioned fried flatbread. Back when his brother was still acting, Chi Yang would bring some back for him from Taiguan District.

Now that he no longer needed to act, Chi Yang no longer went to such a dangerous place as Taiguan District.

He had not eaten this kind of flatbread in a long time.

"If there were shrimp inside, it would be even better," Chi Ning said vaguely through a mouthful. "Fried shrimp."

"Tomorrow." Qin Heng stood across from Chi Ning, watching the youth's cheeks puffed full of food. Only then did the chill left by his nightmare fade a little.

It was fine. This time around, he would take good care of him. He would never let him get that thin again.

That thought made Qin Heng freeze for a moment.

Why did such nonsensical thoughts keep popping into his head, as if there really had been a previous life?

Maybe there really had been...

Then heaven had really treated him damn well.

The person he had failed to pursue in his previous life could still be pursued in this one!

They were made for each other, hey! The Matchmaker had tied them together with a stainless-steel red string.

Qin Heng's voice drifted upward. "How about buying an aquarium for the house? Put it by the entryway. It'll block off your lab, so paparazzi won't be able to take pictures."

Chi Ning gave a muffled sound. "You like keeping fish?"

Qin Heng had not had such an old-man hobby in his previous life, had he?

Qin Heng said, "Didn't you want shrimp? We can raise them. Makes them easier to kill."

Chi Ning: ...

Poor shrimp. Delicious flatbread.

"Raise them, then. Whatever you want."

Sorry, little shrimp, but you really were delicious.

Crocodile tears slid from the corner of his mouth.

After finishing, Chi Ning crumpled up the remaining greaseproof paper and sighed. "Qin Heng, the food you make is really too delicious. To thank you, I can prepare a gift for you."

Qin Heng's heart stirred. "What gift?"

Chi Ning smiled faintly. "I'll give it to you after the monthly exam."

Qin Heng thought, His smile is way too sweet. His lips look like they're coated in glossy lip balm, so soft-looking.

Chapter 35

Exams, exams, exams—the teachers' ultimate weapon.

Scores, scores, scores—the students' lifeline.

Having gotten another chance at life, Chi Ning had completely let himself go.

He wanted to just scribble through the tests, but a senior-year exam paper from 2001 could be answered at a glance. There was no room to half-ass it. His brain did not even need to move before his hand had already finished writing.

The life of lying flat was so easy.

His days of giving up had been forced into success.

The last day of the monthly exams.

After finishing their last subject, the top students of Class 1 gathered together and sighed.

"This test was a little too easy. I saw God Chi hand it in after forty minutes."

"True. I handed mine in at the sixty-minute mark. What about you?"

"I was earlier than you. Fifty-something minutes, I guess."

The one who had only handed in his paper sixty minutes after the exam began immediately suffered a heavy blow.

Under the shocked gazes of students from other classes, they clicked their tongues and discussed, "When we fill out the exam survey after the monthly exam, let's write 'far too easy' under the difficulty section."

The other students: ?

No, just because you're in the Competition Class, you can disregard the lives of ordinary people?

It was not like anyone from your Competition Class would even take the college entrance exam. Hurry up and get recommended for admission already. Stop being such an eyesore here.

Damn it.

God Chi was considerate of his classmates. He would never say he wanted to write "far too easy" on the survey.

They were both Competition Classes, so why was the difference so huge?

The very different Chi Ning was eating the final dinner sponsored by the school in the little bamboo grove.

Qin Heng had somehow learned a trick and brought a small box of food. At night, he just poured boiling water over the outside of the metal box, and the meat inside became fragrant and steaming hot.

With what Qin Heng had brought plus the meal ordered by the school, they somehow had five dishes and a soup, no less lavish than a stir-fry restaurant outside.

Chi Ning touched his lower belly.

Luckily, he had recently followed his teacher's advice and practiced combat. Otherwise, he would have been fed until even his abs disappeared.

The power of modern cuisine was terrifying indeed.

Qin Heng hinted very subtly, "The exams are over."

Where was my gift?

Chi Ning said, "Oh. I'll give it to you when we get home."

Qin Heng's Adam's apple bobbed, his expression darkening.

What sort of gift had to be given at home?

"We're not going to Tea River Lounge to study today?"

Chi Ning said, "No."

Dinner had been too filling. If he went to Tea River Lounge and ate dessert too, he was afraid he would puff up like Harry Potter's aunt blowing up like a balloon.

"I need to use the lab." Chi Ning paused, then spoke with interest. "And I can check on the shrimp you're raising."

How nice.

They could be eaten and watched.

Quite charming.

Qin Heng had thought using the lab would be like taking a lab class at school, after which Chi Ning would head into the study to write a report in twenty or thirty minutes.

But the moment Chi Ning entered, he headed straight for the workbench.

Qin Heng finished two sets of test papers upstairs. More than two hours passed, and Chi Ning still had not mentioned the gift.

Overcome with curiosity, he secretly peeked from the stairway.

Chi Ning wore a white lab coat that did not fit him very well, with protective goggles over his face. He was completely absorbed at the clean bench, staring without blinking, more professional than scientists on television.

If Qin Heng went over to disturb him now, never mind finding out what the gift was—whether he could even get it was another question.

It was better to know when to back off.

Qin Heng sat back down at his desk and continued doing problems.

Recently, more people in Class 18 had begun studying. Their levels varied greatly, giving the teachers terrible headaches in class.

But Qin Heng discovered that, having just finished catching up on middle school material, he was actually the most academically proficient student in Class 18.

Zhang Qiuwen, who was being forced to make up lessons by the suited brute of a teacher, ranked second.

To accommodate students who wanted to improve, the teachers of Class 18 began targeted poverty alleviation.

Every day in class, they walked among the students with their hands behind their backs like rural officials conducting field inspections, giving everyone tailored instruction. If they could save one, they saved one.

Qin Heng lowered his eyes.

Most of those classmates who had suddenly wanted to give studying a try had taken Chi Ning's words from the start of the term to heart. A small number had seen Qin Heng working hard as well.

Everyone seemed to have suddenly woken up, realizing that the most attainable opportunity in their lives to turn things around was right in front of them.

With one reach of his hand, Chi Ning pushed open a tiny crack in the heavy door of understanding that had blocked Class 18's path.

—Creak.

Chi Ning carried a stack of A4 paper and pushed open the study door with his schoolbag.

Damn it, he had worked for three straight months in his previous life without feeling tired. In this life, he had not even worked three hours before getting sleepy.

He yawned and muttered wearily, "My bones have gotten lazy from resting."

Chi Ning set the data on the empty desk, curled up on the sofa in the corner, and squinted at Qin Heng. "Are there any problems you can't solve? I'll teach you now."

Qin Heng said, "Yes."

Chi Ning patted the space beside him. "Come here."

Very soon, the seat beside him sank, and the little beanbag chair dipped in one spot.

Chi Ning took the question and glanced at it. Most of the things Qin Heng did not understand were because he had encountered knowledge points he had not learned yet. "It's normal not to know this."

Sleepy and muddled, he said, "I'll explain this knowledge point to you. Once I'm done, you'll understand it all... Let the unknown be x, then..."

After rattling it all off, Chi Ning turned to study Qin Heng's expression. "Did you understand?"

Qin Heng gave a low hum.

"You're learning much faster than I expected. At this pace, we might even be able to review everything once after finishing it."

Tilting his head and leaning against the sofa back, Chi Ning murmured, "Maybe you can even get into A University in the capital. You're in such good physical shape, you could study national defense."

When Chi Ning was sleepy, his voice was especially soft. At that moment, Qin Heng's goal of applying to Gangnan University's finance program suffered an unprecedented blow. He even felt that if Chi Ning said anything to him in that voice, he would agree.

Chi Ning let out a brief "ah," forced his eyes wider, and pulled a carefully wrapped box from his schoolbag. "The gift. Your food was too delicious, and I didn't know how else to thank you. I made this myself."

Qin Heng accepted it. The box was wrapped in pretty paper and tied with an exquisite ribbon, looking extremely expensive at first glance.

Something handmade—what could it be?

"Can I open it?"

"Of course." Chi Ning closed his eyes. "Go ahead. You can use it right away."

Qin Heng untied the ribbon and carefully opened the box, revealing a stack of neatly piled A4 sheets.

The first sheet—Summary of High School Math Unit One Knowledge Points and Related Practice Problems.

The second sheet—High School Unit Two...

Every sheet had been handwritten. The knowledge points included page numbers, and the questions seemed to have been written by Chi Ning himself as well.

Qin Heng: ...

It really was handmade, and it really had been made with care. He smiled helplessly and lightly rubbed the thin sheets between his fingers.

Just as Chi Ning was about to fall asleep, he suddenly felt warmth by his ear. A stream of breath followed Qin Heng's voice into his ear canal. "Do you want to attend the same university as me too? Otherwise, you wouldn't have spent time writing this for me."

Qin Heng paused before asking in a coaxing tone, "Is that it?"

Chi Ning gave a hum. "Yes."

Qin Heng's body stiffened. He really had wanted to hear Chi Ning admit it, but when the other boy seriously did admit it, he began feeling embarrassed instead.

When Chi Ning received no response, he opened his eyes and looked at Qin Heng. "Hm?"

Qin Heng thought, How could Chi Ning be this adorable? Even a single syllable hummed through his nose was like it had a tiny hook, making his heart itch.

He stammered, "I-I'll get into Gangnan University."

Chi Ning lifted his chin. "Of course you will. Who do you think is teaching you?"