◎Unparalleled Beauty, None Like Him in the World◎

For this score release day, Yuan Ye didn’t feel much anxiety – more anticipation, and he was secretly planning something big.

A week in advance, he had researched all the Black Pearl Michelin restaurants in the city, carefully selecting and making reservations, planning to invite Chun Zao to celebrate after the scores came out.

But when this day arrived, his phone started getting bombarded before score-checking time.

First was his father, Yuan Yi. He immediately switched to silent mode, pretending to be napping and not hearing it.

Then came Teacher Qi Sixian’s deadly, continuous calls buzzing endlessly. The boy finally answered in defeat.

On the other end, Teacher Qi was urgent and frantic: “Yuan Ye! Where are you? Your dad says you’re not home. Get to school right now!”

The boy had no choice but to put on a T-shirt and take a taxi to school.

When he arrived, he saw four middle-aged men who looked like leaders standing by cars at the school gate, talking among themselves.

Qi Sixian stood among them, his brow furrowed. The moment he spotted Yuan Ye, he pointed over from afar, looking relieved, then beaming with joy.

Yuan Ye vaguely heard an urgent phrase: “That’s him, that’s him!”

Then the other three surrounded him in unison, pushing him into a silver business van without explanation.

After the car hit the road, one of them – a kind-looking middle-aged man in a dark blue polo shirt – sat down beside him and asked with a smile: “You’re Yuan Ye, right?”

Yuan Ye: “Yeah.”

He introduced himself: “I’m a teacher from Peking University’s recruitment team. Just call me Old Yuan. We’re destined – we both have the surname Yuan.”

“Hello, Teacher Yuan.” Yuan Ye smiled and shook hands with him.

Then he was taken to the spacious business suite of a five-star hotel, the whole process seamless, not giving him half a chance to react.

In the guest room, besides other recruitment team teachers, two upperclassmen had been waiting for quite some time. They enthusiastically poured water across from the coffee table, asking if he wanted any other drinks – Coke or Sprite, or milk tea, whatever he wanted on demand.

Hotel staff brought colorful fruit platters from the buffet restaurant – treatment comparable to VIP level.

“Little Yuan,” Teacher Yuan kept up his kind and friendly approach: “Did you estimate your scores after the exam?”

Yuan Ye replied: “About the same as usual, I guess.”

It hadn’t been completely certain before, but seeing this scene, he roughly sensed what was happening, and his heart truly settled.

The boy took out his phone and lit it up, casually glancing at his pinned WeChat to confirm there were no new messages before putting it away: “Don’t we still have more than half an hour before we can check scores?”

The teacher was still being mysterious: “I guess you might not be able to check in half an hour either.”

Yuan Ye played along with his performance: “Why?”

Qi Sixian was pouring water nearby and chuckled as he chimed in: “Because the scores of our province’s top ten will all be blocked.”

Yuan Ye said, “Oh.”

“This kid is very calm.” Teacher Yuan was amazed upon hearing this, looking at Qi Sixian with great admiration.

Qi Sixian sipped his hot tea, grinning from ear to ear: “He’s always been first in school, he’s used to it. He even won a gold medal in the math olympiad in his first year of high school. What big storms hasn’t he seen? Of course he’s calm.”

“Ai ya, why didn’t we sign an agreement with our school back then?”

“I don’t understand him either. He said he wanted to take the college entrance exam.”

“That’s good too, that’s good. The sun is brightest wherever it goes, no question about it.”

…

They chatted happily.

Yuan Ye’s phone vibrated continuously in his pants pocket again.

He took it out and saw it was his father calling. Finally annoyed, he answered, and the other end immediately launched into a barrage: “What the hell are you doing? What time is it? Not answering calls, nowhere to be found. Tsinghua’s admissions office has been running between my company and home for ages, and they’re still waiting. Get back here right now!”

Yuan Ye closed his eyes and dropped a line: “…I can’t get away right now.” Then hung up.

Yuan Yi was imposing, and the phone couldn’t contain his voice – the nearby teachers heard most of it.

He coughed and tactfully asked: “Your parent?”

Yuan Ye nodded: “Yeah.”

Guessing that the neighboring prestigious school would soon come over for a life-or-death battle, Teacher Yuan stopped beating around the bush and cut straight to the point: “I’m sure you’ve roughly guessed your scores. Peking University is very sincere. If you’re willing to choose us, Guanghua or Yuanpei – take your pick. You’re good at math and like math. Our School of Mathematical Sciences at Peking University is also first-rate in the country, plus scholarships…”

He went on at length. Yuan Ye listened carefully but finally only replied: “Thank you, teacher. But I can’t make a decision right now.”

“No rush, no rush, I’m not pressuring you,” Teacher Yuan immediately changed his tone: “You can comfortably enjoy the air conditioning here, eat something, you have the whole afternoon. Think slowly. If you can’t decide alone, we’ll send a car to pick up your parents right now so you can discuss together.”

He pointed at Qi Sixian: “Look, your homeroom teacher is here helping you check things over. Why do you think he came with us instead of other recruitment teams, right?”

Qi Sixian was speechless.

If he weren’t old friends with Old Yuan, he really wouldn’t want to wade into these muddy waters that attract hatred.

The leadership was very concerned, so Teacher Yuan went aside to make phone calls.

Meanwhile, those two good-looking upperclassmen came to Yuan Ye’s side again, seizing every opportunity to flank him left and right with enthusiasm.

During this time, Yuan Ye received a call from Chun Zao. After learning his girlfriend’s scores, he stopped sitting and looked around: “I need to leave first.”

Old Yuan hurriedly ran over to persuade him to stay: “So soon? No way, Little Yuan, listen to me. Whatever thoughts or requirements you have, just tell us. We can satisfy whatever we can satisfy. Don’t be in such a hurry to leave.”

Yuan Ye’s expression didn’t change: “No requirements. I just need to ask my girlfriend first.”

Teacher Yuan was stunned and grabbed his arm: “…You, wait a moment.”

The man frowned and went back to find Qi Sixian for private consultation.

Qi Sixian was also confused. Didn’t they say they broke up? Got back together? Was it that one? He didn’t know either. He could only answer vaguely: “I heard there was a girlfriend, studies liberal arts, also from our school, good grades.”

Teacher Yuan asked a few more questions, immediately reorganized his thoughts, came back, and patted his chest in promise: “Bring your girlfriend along too. Peking University – as everyone knows – has a rich humanistic atmosphere, freedom, inclusive coexistence, and an environment better than parks. Walking by Weiming Lake, feeling the breeze, it’s very suitable for dating. If your girlfriend’s scores are a bit short, Old Yuan’s putting his word here – we’ll make an exception for admission. Come together! Don’t separate!”

The standing young man suddenly became quiet.

“Make an exception for admission?” He lowered his eyelashes, then pulled up the corner of his mouth, with pride and unwavering confidence: “She doesn’t need it.”

—

In recent years, officials haven’t been allowed to hype the concept of top scorer, but news of Yuan Ye becoming the province’s number one still spread like wildfire. Teachers and students at Yi Middle School spread the word online and offline. This exceptionally talented and handsome young man’s name, like fine rain, like wildly growing dense forest, rapidly covered the entire campus, the entire school district, the entire city. Netizens in major social media platform comment sections worshipped him and treated his total score posts like koi ponds for making wishes.

Chun Zao, who was closely following her boyfriend’s scores, saw the news in the class group that Yuan Ye was the province’s top science scorer.

The girl let out a heart-wrenching howl in her bedroom.

Her sister heard and came over with beaten egg mixture: “What are you doing? Your scores are stable but you’ve gone crazy?”

Chun Zao waved her fists up and down, like a stuck CD, happily repeating these five words: “Yuan Ye is the top scorer! Yuan Ye is the top scorer! Yuan Ye is the top scorer!”

“What?” Chun Chang was dumbfounded: “He’s that amazing?”

Chun Zao was moved to tears: “Yes, he’s just that amazing.”

Chun Chang wrinkled her nose slightly and blinked: “But I still think my little sister is the most amazing.”

Chun Zao was overjoyed, taking deep breaths continuously to release her rapid heartbeat. After venting completely, she sat back on the bedside to send Yuan Ye a WeChat: Hello there, top scorer.

Yuan Ye: This isn’t being a top scorer, I feel more like a fugitive on the run, the kind with a high bounty.

Chun Zao laughed out loud: So have you ‘escaped’ now?

Yuan Ye: Escaped.

Chun Zao: Home?

She guessed that at such a once-in-a-lifetime moment of glory, no matter what grudges existed, he should celebrate and share joy with his family.

But Yuan Ye replied: No.

Chun Zao stared. Then, where are you? Don’t tell me you went back to the rental apartment?

Yuan Ye replied incomprehensibly: I’m returning home in glory.

Always speaking in riddles. Chun Zao didn’t understand: What?

Yuan Ye: Come down.

He sent another voice message, the young man’s slightly breathless voice carried by the wind: “I’m almost at the bottom of your building.”

Chun Zao immediately stood up.

Then she grinned and quickly put on slippers, running to the entrance without even changing out of her home clothes.

Chun Chuzhen, who was serving dishes on the table, caught sight of and quickly called out: “What are you doing? We’re about to have dinner. Why are you running out again?”

Chun Zao straightened her back with confidence: “Yuan Ye is downstairs.”

Chun Chuzhen paused: “What’s he doing here? Doesn’t a top scorer go home?”

“Mind your own business!” The daughter loudly threw down this sentence, grabbed the keys hanging behind the door, and happily opened the door to go downstairs.

Chun Chang, who had watched the whole thing, let out a mocking laugh.

Chun Chuzhen looked back at her older daughter, incredulous: “What’s she so smug about? Now that her scores are out, she’s going to be lawless, isn’t she?”

Chun Chang clicked her tongue, arranging glasses on the table: “She has the provincial top scorer as her boyfriend backing her up. You can’t find fault, and you still think you can control her? I certainly can’t.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the door opened again, and mother and sister watched directly as Chun Zao rushed to the balcony, then disappeared from view in a flash.

Rushing out of the building, the clean and upright young man was already standing there, with lush green trees above his head and layers of sunset glow.

He was clearly wearing the simplest style white T-shirt, and because of the wind filled with summer heat, his black hair was somewhat disheveled.

But Chun Zao immediately thought of two lines of poetry:

“Stones pile like jade, pines stand like emerald.

The young man’s beauty is unparalleled, none like him in the world.”

Because he needed no embellishment, and his vitality and confidence were unique.

Yuan Ye’s smiling eyes deepened, and he slightly spread his arms, his intention clear.

Chun Zao immediately jumped down the building steps and flew into his arms.

The two embraced tightly.

“You’re so amazing!” She buried herself in his chest, so excited she was tongue-tied, completely at a loss for words.

So annoying – during the trip downstairs, her mind had flashed through thousands of songs of praise, but seeing him, she could only say these four words.

Yuan Ye’s chin rested against her temple, completely satisfied: “You too. Even more amazing than me. You’re first, I’m second.”

Even though he was about to face universal attention and supreme glory.

But at this moment, in the first second, he only wanted to show it to her alone.

Chun Zao, filled with sweetness, raised the corners of her lips and reached out to poke his chest: “Is this how you return home in glory?”

“Yeah.” He responded lightly.

Yuan Ye pulled apart their distance and extended his hand: “Where’s my gift?”

Only then did Chun Zao’s eyelids flutter: “Since when do people who just became top scorer come to the door demanding gifts?”

Yuan Ye felt justified: “Since now, me.”

Chun Zao sniffled and withdrew one hand from Yuan Ye’s back.

The girl’s slender fingertips rubbed together, and like magic, she produced a full, gorgeous long-tailed red camellia – one of the potted plants her leisurely father carefully tended on the family’s open-air balcony. It happened to be the flowering season recently, perfect timing.

But because of their overly immersive embrace just now, she had unconsciously gripped the flower too tightly, so now some petals had scattered, and flower juice and pollen were sticky on her palm.

Chun Zao held up the flower: “Remember what I said about how in ancient times, top scorers had to wear flowers and parade through the streets?”

Yuan Ye understood immediately, his eyebrows raising slightly as he leaned down to offer his face and turned his head aside: “Come on.”

Chun Zao pulled off the small black clip that held her bangs in place, secured the camellia in his thick hair, then smiled with satisfaction.

Yuan Ye stayed obediently still throughout, and only after she had finished and confirmed it was secure did he raise his head.

Chun Zao looked up to examine him and silently screamed – help, how could he look so good and fitting?

She had worried it would be incongruous, but now it could only be called adding flowers to brocade.

That flower was like a cluster of immortal crimson flames.

Adorning him, and also illuminated by him. The young man in the sunset, with red lips and white teeth, would never fade into the crowd, forever spirited and ambitious.

—

When the flower-wearing young man appeared at the door, Chun Chang was the first to cover her mouth in surprise, making faces: “Oh ho~ What’s this about? Is Yi Middle’s top scorer coming to our house to propose?”

She teased again: “Did you bring enough betrothal gifts?”

These two nonsense sentences earned her Chun Chuzhen’s heavy punch as expected.

Chun Zao’s face burned from her sister’s two teasing remarks. She stood in front of her boyfriend, stiffening her neck: “Don’t talk nonsense. This is the Literary Star gracing us with his presence – why aren’t you hurrying to welcome him?”

Chun Chang laughed: “What’s that got to do with me? I don’t have to take exams anymore. I only welcome the God of Wealth.”

Seeing her older daughter speak without restraint, Chun Chuzhen patted her arm again and came out of the kitchen to find Yuan Ye a pair of spare men’s slippers.

Yuan Ye thanked her and changed shoes.

Chun Chuzhen glanced at him, puzzled: “What’s with the flower on your head?”

Chun Chang teased: “It’s the young boy and girl’s little romantic gesture.”

Chun Zao: “…”

Chun Chuzhen said no more and told Chun Zao to take Yuan Ye to wash his hands before coming to the table for dinner.

Chun Zao received the order and quickly grabbed her boyfriend’s arm with both hands, escaping her sister’s sharp and playful gaze attacks.

Chun Chang couldn’t bear to watch and turned to the kitchen to get another set of bowls, chopsticks, and a wine glass for the table.

Chun Zao and Yuan Ye stood side by side in front of the limited mirror space. Chun Zao stood on tiptoes and raised her hand, wanting to remove that somewhat scene-stealing flower.

The boy tilted his head up to avoid it, pulling out a clear jawline: “Why?”

“Just for the gesture. It looks pretty funny if you look at it too long.”

“No, I like it very much.”

Chun Zao insisted on taking it off, so Yuan Ye went along with her words, lowered his eyes, and carefully pinned it back on Chun Zao’s head.

The girl in the mirror stood stiffly, and when her flowing eyes landed on the boy’s face beside her, it was again a case of face and camellia reflecting each other’s red.

After coming out again, Chun Chang immediately detected that these two young people had secretly completed the flower exchange ceremony, and like taking an arrow to the chest, she cried out in pain: “Mom – I want to date too -“

Chun Chuzhen: “?”

And Chun Zao’s whole face was about to freeze from suppressing laughter.

A few minutes later, Father Chun, who had participated in score checking and then rushed back to work overtime, finally returned home to officially join the family feast.

Seeing Yuan Ye, the man was first stunned, didn’t ask much, then noticed the flower in his daughter’s hair before hesitantly speaking: “This… flower looks a bit familiar.”

Chun Zao immediately picked up: “No, it’s not, you’re seeing things wrong.”

Yuan Ye secretly curved the corner of his mouth, picked up the sweet and sour pork ribs Chun Zao had put in his bowl, took a bite, then heard a question from the side: “You, this provincial top scorer, not only didn’t go home after exam scores came out, but you’re here freeloading dinner too.”

From Chun Zao’s mother.

Yuan Ye lowered his eyes, smiling without speaking, somewhat shy.

Chun Chuzhen was still puzzled: “Doesn’t your mom ask?”

“I was the one who insisted on pulling him up for dinner. None of you is allowed to make things difficult for him!” Chun Zao quickly defended him, speaking up for him, then turned to Yuan Ye gently: “Can I tell them?”

Yuan Ye put down his chopsticks and looked at her: “What?”

Chun Zao took a breath: “About your family situation.”

Yuan Ye: “It’s fine, you can tell them.”

Chun Chuzhen was confused by these young people’s back-and-forth coded language, while Chun Chang, as one who knew, cut in: “Yuan Ye’s mother divorced and isn’t even in the country anymore.”

Chun Chuzhen’s eyes suddenly widened, staring at Yuan Ye for several seconds, her mind suddenly flashing to that “family of three” she’d met once, and those piercing, harsh words she’d said in anger that night.

At this moment, only one thought remained: She was truly inappropriate.

No wonder her daughter had exploded like that.

Chun Chuzhen was full of self-loathing, put a large piece of fish belly in Yuan Ye’s bowl, and started caring for him: “Where’s your home? Was it far coming here?”

Yuan Ye didn’t want to hide anymore and didn’t want to give Chun Zao advance notice, speaking directly: “I rented an apartment in the neighboring complex.”

I’m attached to your family’s daughter.

He now had sufficient capital, sufficient confidence, and courage. He would no longer retreat, no longer hesitate.

From now on, he would only move forward fearlessly for her.

Chun Chang continued joking, with a sweet, envious tone: “Wow, is this what they call ‘near the water tower, first to get the moon’?”

Chun Zao was embarrassed and stuffed the wrapped roast duck into her sister’s mouth.

Chun Chuzhen glanced at her daughter, whose face was slowly turning red, clicked her tongue, looked at Yuan Ye, and said warmly, “Come eat dinner more often.”

—

A few days later, Chun Zao finally found Yuan Ye’s specific subject scores that had been blocked for several days on the laptop computer in his rental apartment.

Chinese 133, Math 149, English 144…

Science comprehensive was a perfect score, total score of 726.

It was reported that second place was 721. He was a full five points ahead, another gap-level dominance, without suspense, as unreachably high as always.

What a freak.

What a monster.

Happy and proud but also a bit suffocated, Chun Zao immediately closed the score checking page, then looked back at Yuan Ye, who was casually playing mobile games, leaning against the headboard. No longer lazy, she immediately opened her books, striving to be the king of all academic grinders. She opened Baidu, preparing to search for PS online course tutorials she’d been interested in for a long time.

But when the search bar dropped down, it unexpectedly showed the computer owner’s past search history:

“How to kiss to make girls more comfortable” “How to kiss to make girls more engaged”

“How to kiss to make girls like you more” …

Chun Zao’s hand on the mouse immediately met with her other hand at her nose and mouth, pressing hard there, afraid she’d burst out laughing.

Her face was flushed red from holding it in. After calming down for a while, she scratched her head, took a screenshot, and sent it to Yuan Ye to mock him.

Being able to make the pride of heaven socially die – why not?

Yuan Ye had just finished a ranked match, switched out to vertical screen to check WeChat, and opened the image Chun Zao had sent a few seconds ago.

He paused for a moment, then turned his head and smiled.

In his peripheral vision, the girl sitting there continued to shake with laughter.

Laughing?

Without hesitation, he got up from the bed, walked over, braced against the chair back to trap her, then, without question, lifted her chin and leaned down to seal her lips.

Since she insisted on walking into the line of fire.

Then he could only live up to his mission and test his learning results.

Author’s Note:

You little rascal