June arrived, and Nanjing suddenly turned sweltering.

After living in Nanjing for nearly four years, my strongest impression was that the city seemed to lack spring and autumn altogether. It was either hot or cold, with barely any time for long-sleeved shirts—you could transition directly from short-sleeve T-shirts to sweaters.

But this scorching weather perfectly matched the current anxious mood—not because of my thesis defense, but because of my cousin’s college entrance exam.

My aunt and uncle were naturally on high alert, and even my father called to express concern, though my uncle didn’t particularly appreciate it. I also found myself unconsciously getting nervous, tiptoeing past my cousin’s room to avoid disturbing his rest. Yet amid all this tension, the exam candidate himself remained irritatingly carefree, showing no signs of anxiety. The exam was on the seventh, but on the sixth, he was still browsing through study abroad brochures.

“This school looks pretty nice.”

“…Maybe finish your exam first?”

My cousin’s post-exam European study tour had been decided long ago, but I hadn’t expected to be dragged along. Originally, my aunt was supposed to accompany him. But now she had something come up and couldn’t go, so I had to step in. Just thinking about sitting on a plane for over ten hours made me nervous.

“Jiang Rui, shouldn’t you review your books? The exam is tomorrow.”

“Who studies right before an exam?” my cousin said disdainfully. “Last-minute cramming is useless.”

Who says it’s useless? I looked down on him—last-minute cramming was exactly how I got in.

When I announced I would apply to A University, my father had prepared numerous connections. Who knew that when the results came out, I had just barely made the cut-off score? The whole family was pleasantly surprised, almost mistaking me for some hidden genius. It was just luck. Once I entered A University, I became lazy again, and my grades became mediocre. I guess I was just the type who could perform well in exams.

I got up to fetch some mung bean soup from the kitchen, bringing a bowl for my cousin too. After gulping it down, he said, “Oh right, Nie Xiguang, you need to accompany me to the exam tomorrow.”

“Didn’t aunt say she would take you?”

My cousin grimaced. “No way, they’re so neurotic, they’ll make me nervous.”

And so, after four years, I found myself at a college entrance exam site again. Early the next morning, Old Zhang dropped us off at the exam location and left. After getting out of the car, Jiang Rui looked around.

“What are you looking for?”

“Hey, I’m going in now. Sis, pay attention to the people waiting here—you might find romance.”

He winked at me, then went in with a mischievous grin. I was bewildered and looked around at the waiting crowd as he suggested—just a bunch of uncles and aunties… romance… I shuddered.

While Jiang Rui was taking his exam, I booked a room at a nearby hotel and then spent a long time studying the menu at the hotel’s Chinese restaurant. I ordered several dishes and specified the serving time. After arranging everything, I walked around the area and then returned to the school gate to wait for Jiang Rui when it was almost time.

Jiang Rui came out very quickly, his radiant expression telling me without asking that he had done well. I went to meet him, smiling, “Congratulations, finally one subject down, huh?”

Jiang Rui tossed his hair, impossibly smug: “Sis, what if I become the provincial top scorer?”

I was stunned, speechless for a while before patting his shoulder heavily: “Then we can only accept our grief and move on.”

Jiang Rui clicked his tongue: “Can’t you say something nice?”

While speaking, he kept looking around sneakily: “Sis, did you find any romance?”

I responded irritably, “Romance your head. Let’s go eat.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” he persisted in looking around, then grabbed my hand, “Over there.”

Before I could understand what was happening, he dragged me in front of a young man, casually slapped his shoulder, and called out, “Zhuang Fei.”

Then he turned to introduce us: “Sis, this is Zhuang Fei.”

Zhuang Fei?

The familiar name hadn’t quite registered when Jiang Rui said, “My classmate, Brother Zhuang’s younger brother, remember? Oh, Zhuang Fei, this is my sister.”

So it was him.

I looked over the young man—tall, thin, and handsome, indeed resembling Zhuang Xu. I smiled and said, “Ah, I didn’t realize at first. You’re in the same exam room?”

Jiang Rui nodded and asked Zhuang Fei, “No one from your family came with you?”

Zhuang Fei shook his head. “No.” Then, as if afraid of what we might say, he quickly explained, “I asked them not to come. My brother took his exam alone too, and so can I.”

Jiang Rui said, “Your home is so far away, you surely won’t go back for lunch. Why don’t you join us?”

He looked at me, and I could only nod: “You’re welcome to join us.”

Zhuang Fei seemed quite shy and polite, refusing repeatedly, but my cousin was skilled at persuasion. With comments like “we’re from the same school” and “I have a question about this afternoon’s exam subject,” he soon convinced him to join us for lunch.

I watched from the side, internally cringing.

We arrived at the hotel earlier than I had planned, so the food wasn’t ready yet. We ordered tea first to help them quench their thirst and calm their nerves.

Zhuang Fei remained quiet, silently listening to Jiang Rui’s chatter. I glanced at him a couple of times and noticed he didn’t seem well—his face was pale, his eyes slightly puffy, looking quite troubled.

After some thought, I asked directly, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

Zhuang Fei first shook his head, then after a pause, said quietly, “I felt a bit feverish and dizzy this morning.”

Any problem during the college entrance exam was serious. I quickly asked, “Are you still dizzy?”

“Not anymore,” Zhuang Fei shook his head. “I’m just worried I didn’t do well this morning.”

Jiang Rui said casually, “If you’re not dizzy anymore, that’s good. These morning questions—you could solve them with your eyes closed. Don’t worry.”

Zhuang Fei nodded, “I did complete all the questions.”

“Then what are you worried about? You’re not in bad shape, you’re just over-excited, just like my sister.”

What about me? I glared at Jiang Rui from the side.

Jiang Rui, like a storyteller, began dramatically: “You don’t know about my sister—she usually had average grades, but she crammed for a few months before the exam. On exam day, she had a fever. We all thought she was done for, but when the results came out, she scored dozens of points higher than usual. We all said she must have done so well because she was delirious.”

“Pure skill, pure skill.” Hey, right, how could I forget about that? This was my proudest achievement—I had to brag a bit.

“Really?”

“Of course it’s true. I always had the ability, but for some mysterious reason couldn’t perform well. Luckily, that fever finally ignited my hidden potential…”

I joined Jiang Rui in his nonsense, and Zhuang Fei finally seemed less tense, smiling shyly and saying softly, “That’s different from what Sister Rong Rong said.”

As soon as he said it, he seemed to realize his mistake and looked at me nervously. My heart skipped a beat, but seeing his anxious expression, I pretended not to notice and craned my neck to look around.

“Where’s the food? Why isn’t it here yet?”

Jiang Rui continued chatting with Zhuang Fei about other things. While talking with him, Zhuang Fei kept stealing glances at me, his face showing concern.

He was truly a very sensitive child. Later, seeing that I maintained my composure, he finally relaxed completely, breathing a sigh of relief.

I also felt relieved at his relief.

Soon the dishes were served together right on time. Jiang Rui looked at the dishes and complained, “Sis, you’re too stingy. Where’s the feast? Didn’t I do well on my exam today?”

I glared at him: “For exams, you should eat normally.”

Although I had ordered for two people, it was enough for three. After lunch, I sent them upstairs to rest while I sat downstairs alone, inevitably thinking about Zhuang Fei’s words. Rong Rong and the Zhuang family had been neighbors for years, so it was natural that Zhuang Fei knew her well. I hadn’t expected that she would mention me to Zhuang Xu’s brother. I wondered if I should feel honored.

I didn’t want to think about what Rong Rong had told Zhuang Fei, but it felt meaningless, and I even felt a bit regretful about inviting him to eat with us. If this simple kindness was again seen as having ulterior motives, how could I bear it?

But despite my regret, when the mathematics exam finished in the afternoon, I still invited Zhuang Fei to come with us, remembering we should be heading in the same direction. Zhuang Fei didn’t refuse, getting into the car with a slightly shy expression.