Sis-in-law, my lifelong happiness is all up to you

"Okay!"

Chen Fan nodded without hesitation.

"I was wrong before. I was so worried about making you worry that I ignored how you felt."

"I owe you an apology."

Only then did Su Ruochu gently link her arm through his, satisfied, and carefully reach out to touch his wound.

"Does it really not hurt anymore?"

As they spoke, someone came down the stairs.

It was Huang Hu.

All three froze when they ran into each other.

Chen Fan remained expressionless. Su Ruochu hesitated, but this time, she showed no sign of awkwardness or wanting to pull away.

Both her hands stayed firmly wrapped around Chen Fan's arm.

The Gaokao was over, after all.

She could openly be with Chen Fan now.

Only Huang Hu gave them a look full of mixed emotions before suddenly changing his expression and breaking into a grin.

"Chen Fan, how did the exam go?"

"I really admire you, sticking it out through the exams with injuries like that."

Chen Fan replied with a cheerful smile.

"Thanks for your concern, class monitor. You must have done pretty well, right?"

"Oh, and be extra careful when you're walking alone from now on. Don't end up like me."

Huang Hu's expression visibly stiffened. He felt that Chen Fan was threatening him.

Unable to quite hide his discomfort, Huang Hu gave an awkward smile.

"I have something to do. I'll be going."

"Oh, don't forget to come back to school this afternoon. They'll be releasing the Gaokao answers."

After those two remarks, Huang Hu couldn't bear to stay any longer and quickly slipped away.

For some reason, the way Chen Fan looked at him always made his skin crawl.

Could this guy already know I hired people to go after him?

Chen Fan withdrew his gaze from Huang Hu's retreating figure and smiled faintly at Su Ruochu.

"Are you going home for lunch?"

"I noticed your mom's been picking you up these past few days."

Su Ruochu shook her head.

"No."

"Don't tell me you stayed just to keep me company?"

Su Ruochu blushed and lowered her head without answering.

"Are you hungry? Shall we find somewhere to eat?"

"Mm."

Su Ruochu nodded gently.

"Oh, there's Guo Shuai too."

"Let's get him and invite Li Na. We'll go to our usual place."

Chen Fan teased with a smile, "We might not have time to eat there anymore in the future."

"Okay."

Su Ruochu nodded sweetly.

Ever since agreeing to be Chen Fan's girlfriend, Su Ruochu had gradually become gentler and more affectionate with him.

After they waited at the school gate for a while, Guo Shuai came riding out on his bicycle.

From a distance, he spotted Su Ruochu holding Chen Fan's arm.

Guo Shuai slammed on the brakes, looking as though he'd seen a ghost.

"Holy... crap! You two... no way!"

Su Ruochu blushed and tried to pull her hand away.

But Chen Fan smiled and firmly held on to her little hand.

"You're a lucky guy. You're the first to hear the news."

"Damn! You're showing off on purpose, aren't you?"

"I seem to remember someone saying he'd do a handstand..."

"Ahem, uh... are you hungry, study rep? How about we get lunch? My treat."

Guo Shuai hurriedly laughed it off, trying to change the subject.

"If we weren't waiting for you to treat us, we'd have left ages ago."

Guo Shuai immediately flipped him off.

"That's my best buddy for you. I knew you were up to no good!"

With a smile, Chen Fan patted the bicycle's rear seat, inviting Su Ruochu to sit down.

"Hold on tight. Off we go!"

The sun blazed over the road at noon.

But the three of them, fresh out of their exams, didn't feel the heat at all. Instead, their faces shone with excitement, their minds filled with dreams of the future.

Back at the little restaurant they'd visited last time, Su Ruochu glanced at Guo Shuai as he went to buy beer and asked quietly.

"What's wrong with Guo Shuai?"

"He's seemed a little down ever since he finished that phone call."

Chen Fan leaned close to Su Ruochu's ear and whispered.

"I'll tell you a secret, but don't tell anyone else."

"Guo Shuai likes Li Na, and he's confessed to her, but she hasn't given him a definite answer yet."

Su Ruochu's beautiful eyes widened at once.

"Really?"

"Really."

Chen Fan smiled. "I guess he's feeling down because he found out on the phone that Li Na isn't coming."

An understanding look immediately crossed Su Ruochu's face.

"No wonder he always kept arranging for us to eat together. He was trying to win Li Na over..."

Chen Fan gave a dry cough.

"Well... I'll admit it. Part of the reason was to create opportunities for us, too."

Su Ruochu gave a soft huff, clearly having figured that out long ago.

Suddenly realizing how close Chen Fan had leaned in, with their faces almost touching as they whispered, Su Ruochu blushed faintly.

"Find a chance to ask Li Na how she feels this afternoon."

"Mm."

Seeing Guo Shuai return with a dozen beers, Su Ruochu quickly shifted a little to the side.

"Nobody try to stop me. You have to have a couple of drinks with me today."

Smiling, Chen Fan reached out and took a beer.

"Since you're nursing a broken heart, I'll make an exception for you."

Guo Shuai immediately panicked and gave Su Ruochu an embarrassed glance.

Then he glared at Chen Fan.

"What are you talking about? Who says I've got a broken heart?"

"Come on, Ruochu isn't an outsider. I've already told her."

"She'll help you ask Li Na what she really thinks this afternoon."

"Really?"

At those words, Guo Shuai sprang to his feet.

He raised the can in his hand.

"Sis-in-law, my lifelong happiness is all up to you."

"I won't waste words thanking you. This drink says it all."

Being called "sis-in-law" made Su Ruochu turn bright red.

Seeing Chen Fan still grinning smugly, Su Ruochu secretly pinched a certain someone's leg beneath the table.

Though she was a little shy, it was obvious that Su Ruochu was in a good mood and wasn't angry.

"Pour me a glass too."

Chen Fan thought he'd misheard.

"You want a drink too? We still have to go back to school this afternoon."

But Su Ruochu said softly, "The Gaokao is over. I want to celebrate with you."

Guo Shuai immediately clapped and gave her a thumbs-up.

"That's the spirit, sis-in-law!"

Chen Fan smiled, picked up a can, and poured her a glass.

"Just this one. No more."

"Come on! Let's raise our glasses and celebrate the end of the Gaokao together!"

"To a bright future, and long live our friendship!"

The three smiled and clinked their glasses.

Chen Fan and Guo Shuai drained theirs, while Su Ruochu drank a little less than half.

Chen Fan looked at her with exaggerated surprise.

"I never would've guessed you could drink."

Su Ruochu rolled her eyes charmingly.

"There's plenty you don't know about me."

Smiling, Chen Fan placed a piece of meat in her bowl.

"Eat more. My wife is too skinny."

With Chen Fan being so mushy in front of Guo Shuai, Su Ruochu felt a little embarrassed.

After a moment's hesitation, she finally voiced the worry on her mind.

"How... did you two do on the exams?"

Guo Shuai smiled bitterly. "Not great. There were loads of questions I couldn't answer."

"I'd count myself lucky if I got into a third-tier college."

Su Ruochu stared at Chen Fan, looking a little nervous.

Chen Fan knew what she was worried about and smiled as he took her little hand.

"I did pretty well."

"This time, even if you run to the ends of the earth, you won't get away from me."

"Really?" Su Ruochu's eyes lit up with joy.

"Really."

Seeing that Chen Fan didn't seem to be lying, Su Ruochu finally let go of the worry that had been weighing on her.

For the past three days, she'd been so anxious about how Chen Fan was doing that she'd worried more about his exams than her own.

Now that she'd heard his answer straight from him, Su Ruochu could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Feeling utterly relieved, Su Ruochu gently set her glass down in front of Chen Fan.

"Pour me another!"