Zhou Cheng was going to accompany Xia Xiaolan to Guangzhou.

Train tickets were hard to get, but if Zhou Cheng wanted one, he could always find a way. Xia Xiaolan refused his offer to upgrade to a sleeper again. “Zhou Cheng, this is my life.”

Just like she had refused Zhou Cheng’s offers to drive her around. In her words, she hadn’t reached the stage of enjoying such luxuries yet.

Wear shoes that fit your feet – she would eventually have everything she wanted, but in this regard, Xia Xiaolan truly didn’t want to rely on anyone. If she started relying on Zhou Cheng now, she’d develop lazy habits. What if she couldn’t count on Zhou Cheng later? After all, they weren’t officially together yet – who knew what the future held?

Zhou Cheng could never win against Xia Xiaolan, and he didn’t want to upset her over such matters.

So they’d take the hard seats – it’s not like he couldn’t handle hardship.

Kang Wei would stay in Shangdu. Zhou Cheng asked him to help Liu Yong withdraw his investment… People involved in smuggling weren’t easy to deal with – would they return Liu Yong’s share just because he wanted to withdraw?

“Don’t go alone. I remember Xiao Guang’s family has relatives in Shangdu. Ask Xiao Guang for help, and I’ll thank him when we return to Beijing.”

Xiao Guang was also from a prominent compound.

Though his family wasn’t as distinguished as the Zhou family, Xiao Guang had many uncles, and Zhou Cheng remembered that Xiao Guang’s eldest uncle had been transferred to work in Shangdu last year.

Getting Liu Yong’s capital back was a small matter. By using Xiao Guang’s uncle’s connections, Zhou Cheng mainly wanted to warn Liu Yong’s partners that Liu Yong had backing, preventing them from retaliating later out of fear he might expose their secrets.

Kang Wei understood the gravity of the situation.

“Brother Cheng, don’t worry, I’ll handle this well!”

Liu Yong was Brother Cheng’s future wife’s uncle, which made him Brother Cheng’s uncle and sort of Kang Wei’s half-uncle too. Kang Wei was determined to get Liu Yong out completely unscathed.

With Zhou Cheng accompanying her this time, Xia Xiaolan felt much more relaxed about going to Guangzhou.

The train journey was boring – over thirty hours long. They couldn’t just stare at each other the whole time, could they? Xia Xiaolan simply brought two books. While busy making money, she was also systematically following her study plan.

To remaster the knowledge points, besides understanding and memorizing, she had to complement it with extensive practice.

Xia Xiaolan had paid tuition at No. 1 High School and never missed any of the test papers the school printed, taking them home to practice. There were too few study guides available now – dreaming of buying something like Huanggang Practice Papers was impossible. Teachers at each school created their questions, and the printed papers carried a heavy ink smell. After finishing one paper, both palms and sleeves would be blackened.

The school had a unified test next month. If Xia Xiaolan wanted to score high, she had no choice but to do as many practice questions as possible in the limited time.

The good news was that her memory of the 1984 math college entrance exam paper was becoming clearer. She could now recall half the paper, with clear questions and vivid impressions of the answers. Before the exam, Xia Xiaolan already had 60 points in hand. She felt a bit guilty – it felt amazing to be able to cheat, though this wasn’t cheating since these were papers she’d practiced in her previous life!

“Master physics, chemistry, and mathematics, and you can go anywhere without fear” – her teacher from her previous life hadn’t lied.

However, Xia Xiaolan didn’t overly rely on her vivid memories of the “1984 math entrance exam.” Until she actually got the test paper next year, whether the exam would be exactly as she remembered remained uncertain.

As always, only if she truly prepared well would she be confident, regardless of whether next year’s exam was difficult or easy.

Zhou Cheng hadn’t expected her to study and practice problems on the train.

What he had imagined as an intimate journey became quietly watching Xia Xiaolan study seriously. The train was noisy, so Xia Xiaolan put cotton balls in her ears. They only talked when she needed rest from studying.

Having Zhou Cheng around had many benefits. With him sitting beside her, no traffickers would dare target Xia Xiaolan.

Zhou Cheng looked tough and wasn’t short of money.

Anyone trying to lure Xia Xiaolan with promises of making big money would have to get past Zhou Cheng first… The way he looked at Xia Xiaolan was so earnest – why would she need to look elsewhere for money? If she just asked, Zhou Cheng would offer up his earnings with both hands.

Unfortunately, Xia Xiaolan wasn’t interested in his money.

Zhou Cheng had been handsome since childhood, attracting young girls and women with his looks, but Xia Xiaolan was even more beautiful than him so that probably wouldn’t work either.

Zhou Cheng looked at the sky outside, then his watch, and finally pulled the book away from Xia Xiaolan.

“No more reading, take a break.”

Xia Xiaolan rubbed her eyes. They had boarded the train at noon, and she had been studying for five or six hours. She did feel tired.

“Zhou Cheng, I’m sorry, seems like I’ve been ignoring you?”

Zhou Cheng had her drink some water first.

“I’m happy you don’t call me Brother Zhou, and you don’t need to apologize to me either.”

Xia Xiaolan hadn’t even noticed.

She had started calling Zhou Cheng by his name when they met again. She usually called those older than her “Brother” – this was a sales technique from her previous life. Being polite never hurt, and calling someone “Brother” showed respect. She called Hu Yongcai, Zhu Fang, and Chen Qing all “Brother”… Calling someone “Brother” was more intimate than “Comrade,” helping to build relationships and make things easier for her.

But using the same title for Zhou Cheng would create distance.

Zhou Cheng didn’t want to be Xia Xiaolan’s brother – he wanted to be her man!

Maybe it was the hand-holding at the train station, maybe it was Zhou Cheng’s deliberate embrace, but when Xia Xiaolan met him again, she had unconsciously started using his full name.

“You’re too cunning!”

Xia Xiaolan thought she was worldly-wise, but Zhou Cheng kept outmaneuvering her.

How could Zhou Cheng, a 20-year-old native of the 1980s, be so crafty?

Xia Xiaolan glared at Zhou Cheng, but her soft gaze carried no threat, making Zhou Cheng even more delighted.

“Yes, I’m cunning. I’ll admit to whatever you say!”

Pursuing a wife was like waging war – strategically despising the enemy while tactically respecting them… While firmly believing Xia Xiaolan would become his wife, he had to use every trick in actually pursuing her. Until the day they grew old together and outlasted all rivals, he could never rest easy!

What could Xia Xiaolan do when Zhou Cheng wouldn’t argue back?

She had become the unreasonable one now. The older sister sitting across from them looked at Xia Xiaolan with disapproval. When Zhou Cheng went to buy food, she earnestly advised:

“Your boyfriend is so good to you. A man being good to a woman is luck you can’t pray for – we should cherish it.”

The sister’s implied message was: don’t act difficult just because you’re pretty, making us less attractive observers jealous.

Xia Xiaolan smiled and nodded.

As night fell, the light in the carriage became unsuitable for reading. Xia Xiaolan chatted with Zhou Cheng, who was skilled at creating a pleasant atmosphere. Xia Xiaolan became increasingly relaxed. As time passed, the carriage grew quieter. Feeling drowsy, Xia Xiaolan unconsciously tilted her head and fell asleep, her face resting on Zhou Cheng’s shoulder. Zhou Cheng didn’t dare move.

Once sure she was sound asleep, he carefully lowered her upper body, resting her head on his lap to make her more comfortable.

Her warm breath fell on his leg. Zhou Cheng had seen all sorts of good things since childhood, but he had never been so happy before. From the day he met Xia Xiaolan, that first glance in the alley of Anqing County, she had crashed into his vision, leaving an incredibly dominating impression!

To the point where just quietly being with Xia Xiaolan, doing nothing, left his whole being soaked in joyful happiness.

Three things in this world cannot be hidden: coughing, poverty, and love. His affection for Xia Xiaolan – everyone could see it!